Ivan Lavazza Resume

My path to success - experiences and challenges

Results-driven senior leader with 15+ years of experience leading high-impact marketing, technology, and digital transformation initiatives in Fortune 50 companies. Proven ability to drive innovation, scale performance marketing, and lead cross-functional teams. Expertise in AI-driven personalization, Martech strategy, and data-driven decision-making to maximize ROI and business growth. Passionate about orchestrating technology and marketing to deliver customer-centric experiences at scale.

Skills

  • Performance Marketing & Digital  Growth
  • Martech & Personalization at Scale - B2C,  B2B
  • Gen AI / ML / AI & Data-driven Marketing
  • Leadership: from team formation to leading and developing leaders.
  • Vendor & Contract Negotiation
  • Product Development & Strategy
  • Agile / DevOps / Matrix operating models
  • Analytics, Experimentation & CX Optimization
  • Funnel Optimization
  • Experienced in Leading both Business and Technology Teams

Education

  • The University of Chicago Booth School of Business - Executive Education
    August 2024 - Business Strategy - AI focus.
  • Stanford University | D-School Design Thinking (40h virtual class)
    July 2021 – Certification in Design Thinking
  • Harvard University | HarvardX Data Science Program
    2020 – 2021 | Certified in R Basics, Visualization, Probability, Inference, and Modeling
  • Human Factors International (HFI) | CUI (UX) Certification
    2013 – Certification in UI/UX
  • Italian State University, Milan | Major: Physics
    1994 – 1997 | Milan, Italy
  • Heartland College | AA in Business Administration
    September 2023 – Present | GPA: 4.0

Languages

  • Italian: Native
  • English: Full Professional Proficiency 
    (10+ years in the US)
  • German: Limited Working Proficiency
  • French: Limited Working Proficiency
  • Spanish: Limited Working Proficiency

Professional Experience

Performance Marketing Director | State Farm
December 2022 – Present | Bloomington, IL

  • Established and lead Performance Marketing Execution as a core function, owning and optimizing all lower-funnel corporate activities across multiple business lines.
  • Spearhead B2C personalization at scale for State Farm, enhancing B2B marketing, and customer acquisition strategies with demonstrated growth.
  • Manage XXL budget and multiple agencies/partners, ensuring seamless execution and measurable impact.
  • Lead multi-functional teams aligning data science, analytics, creative, and product teams to drive business growth.

Director of Technology | State Farm (Digital Marketing, Martech, Analytics)
October 2019 – December 2022 | Bloomington, IL

  • Led four high-performing teams (40+ internal employees and external partners) across Martech, Product Development, and Digital Marketing.
  • Owned Martech strategy for 19,000+ agents, driving internalization of marketing technology and digital tools.
  • Led contract negotiations and secured multi-million-dollar savings through strategic vendor partnerships.
  • Pioneered Agile and DevOps practices for scalable digital transformation.
  • Acted as executive liaison between Marketing and IT leadership teams to align technology initiatives with business goals.

Search Manager | State Farm
April 2018 – October 2019 | Bloomington, IL

  • Managed corporate SEM, SEO, and CRO efforts with a multi-million-dollar marketing budget.
  • Optimized search and paid media strategy, increasing lead generation efficiency.
  • Led vendor management and contract negotiations for all search-related initiatives.

Lead Analyst (UX / SEO / Web) | State Farm
August 2009 – October 2018 | Bloomington, IL

  • Transitioned from external web developer & software engineer to leading technical SEO and digital marketing initiatives, including the State Farm homepage.
  • Selected for the initial core team driving State Farm’s digital transformation.

Prior experience includes commercial Airlines, and Italian Military (Army).



Recent Achievements

Outside of my day to day job

  • Speaker at the City of Chicago Mayor’s Office
  • Led two teams of UTD students in capstone projects focused on Generative AI (2024)
  • Co-led STEAM Olympics in at IWU, IL (2024 & 2025)
  • Co-founder of start-ups
  • Built AI Assistants
  • Inventor holding a Patent
     

 

 

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