Denise Holt

Denise Holt understands the power of human insights in driving smart strategy and business growth. With over 20 years of experience in consumer loyalty, brand and creative strategy, consumer insights, human-centered design and business strategy, Denise leads ICF Next’s strategy, experience, research and insights team. As part of our company’s thought leadership, she led a substantial multi-method research initiative with findings published in the final report entitled Humanizing Loyalty: A road map to establishing genuine emotional loyalty at scale. Prior to ICF Next, she ran her own strategy consulting practice, was Director of Strategy & Branding at Optum, and spent over a decade in marketing and brand planning roles within the loyalty space. Clients have included Stop & Shop, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Amtrak, Metropolitan Airports Commission/MSP International Airport, Best Buy, Advance Auto Parts, UnitedHealth Group, Delta Air Lines, Carlson Hotels Worldwide, and more. Denise infuses business strategy with the human element by leveraging consumer motivations and insights to create memorable brand personalities, engaging experiences and inspired behavior change. She is passionate about uncovering personal stories and insights that enable organizations to connect on a more emotional, meaningful level with their customers.