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