Steve Magnino

Steve Magnino is a senior marketing research executive with over 30 years of experience creating value-based, marketing-research strategies and programs that deliver actionable insights and results. He has led marketing research departments, teams, and projects with leading companies across a diverse set of industries including financial services and credit cards, consumer packaged-goods, commercial insurance, manufacturing, and technology.

Steve has held senior leadership positions with Zurich North America, JP Morgan Chase, and Citigroup. He began his career as a marketing research analyst with Kraft, Inc., in their Retail Food Group. In 2008, Steve established the SCM Marketing Research Group where he serves as managing director, providing marketing strategy, marketing research consulting and support, and training. His clients have included Yaskawa, Navteq, Nokia, the America Dietetic Association, Citibank, Cognizant, and PNC Bank.

Steve is active in the Chicago Chapter of the American Marketing Association where he co-chairs the Marketing Research Special Interest Group. He also serves as a pro bono marketing consultant with the Taproot Foundation, where he has contributed over 300 hours leading small groups of professionals to provide marketing expertise to Chicago area non-profits. As a Taproot consultant, Steve has led marketing and strategic planning efforts benefitting the Leukemia Research Foundation, the Silk Road Theater Group, and La Casa Norte (a homeless shelter and housing advocacy). He is also a frequent university presenter and has lectured at the University of Chicago, Loyola, Northwestern, and the University of Iowa.

As senior vice president of marketing research at Zurich North America, a leading commercial property-casualty insurer, Steve developed and led a sustainable, well-respected marketing research group, growing the group to more than 20 marketing professionals with expertise in customer analytics and marketplace profiling, business and competitive intelligence, primary research, and knowledge management. Under Steve’s leadership, the Zurich Marketing Research Department identified more than two billion dollars in opportunities in customer acquisition, retention, premium maintenance, and business development, as well as cost efficiencies. He also led a breakthrough global market research initiative to establish the blueprint for standard operating procedures for marketing research worldwide.

Steve holds an MBA in marketing from Michigan State University, and a B.S. in economics from Oklahoma State University.