The Team
Symon Rubens
Chief Executive Officer
Symon Rubens has two decades experience in managing and growing business conference organizations across 5 continents. His conference career commenced at Terrapinn where he held production, sales and general management positions in the Australian and Singapore offices, before being promoted to Managing Director of the Australasian operations in 2003. In 2007 he opened Terrapinn’s Middle East operations, before becoming Regional Managing Director of IQPC Middle East, Africa and India. In 5 years at IQPC he opened offices in South Africa, India, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, growing the business by 300%. In 2014 Symon left IQPC to start The Rubens Group, a consulting and trading company based in Dubai. In 2015 he moved to Houston to start the Energy Conference Network, which has quickly grown to be the preeminent energy conference company in the world.
Team Members
Jessica Angsomwine
Executive Director
Jessica has eight years of experience working directly in higher education for Ellucian, the world’s largest provider of technology services and solutions for higher education.
Over the past eight years Jessica has been directly engaged in supporting chief information officers at over 75 colleges and universities to ensure world-class service and … read full profileCaitriona O’Mahony
Marketing Director
Caitriona has almost 20 years’ experience spear-heading the marketing and sales of international B2B businesses. During that time, she has been instrumental in streamlining organizations from a structural and strategic level, increasing acquisition of critical new business, identifying avenues for growth and improving profitability. Caitriona brings a wealth of international … read full profileKyle Cornish
Marketing Manager
A Kansas native, Kyle Cornish joined the Blockchain Conference Network Team as a Marketing Manager. A lifelong fan of the Jayhawks, Kyle’s dream was to play basketball at the University of Kansas – however, the lack of a required growth spurt and general skill thwarted his plans.
Kyle graduated from KU with a degree … read full profilePam Pierce
Event Operations and Partnership Manager
Pam Pierce is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and has lived in Houston for over 15 years. She earned her undergraduate degree from LSU and a master’s degree from the University of Houston.
Pam spent the first part of her career in Education, as a teacher of teachers, in … read full profileChriste Cantu
Event Operations Assistant
Christe Cantu is a Texas native who spent the first part of her career in education. Upon leaving the classroom, she became a national consultant and speaker in the industry, helping other professionals build connections to shift the focus from teaching to learning. Christe is active in her community, serving … read full profile
Melissa Zerber
Research and Content Director
Melissa Zerber brings twelve years of experience to her role at the Education Conference Network. After college, Melissa began her career in the entertainment industry, first as an intern and ultimately working her way to a paid position as artist manager. In 2006 she made the move to television where she … read full profileWilliam Winkler
Research and Content Director
William Winkler is a Texas native born in Dallas that grew in the great state of Wyoming.
While attending the University of Wyoming, William was a sports writer for the university student publication. He also had the honor of playing for the university’s rugby team. After graduating from the University majoring … read full profileMacKenzie Blankenship
Partnerships Manager
MacKenzie is a native Georgia peach, but has spent most of her life in the great state of Texas. She earned her undergraduate degree at Stephen F. Austin State University, where she received a double major in Interpersonal Communication and Psychology. She is a Chi Omega Alumna and is still … read full profile