our team
A dynamic team of talented entrepreneurs with extensive management experience and marketing expertise manages Two Bright Lights. The team collectively has over 15 years of management experience, having worked in strategy consulting, implemented internet startup social media campaigns and managed luxury goods brands.
The Advisory Board offers exceptional business acumen in software development, the wedding service industry, online retail, and business development.
Siri Eklund — CEO and Founder
Siri has split her career between the United States and Europe. Her marketing career in luxury goods began at Louis Vuitton, LVMH, where she marketed global powerhouse brands such as Moët & Chandon Champagne and Grand Marnier Liqueur. Siri's marketing experience includes launching new products and developing innovative promotional programs. She blinged out an entire London Taxi with Swarovski crystals and bagged PR throughout Europe for Moët. She was the idea girl behind Grand Marnier's US tour where Mini Coopers were outfitted as grand margaritas (on the rocks with salt).
But Siri isn't just into razzle dazzle; she has over 6 years of consulting experience at McKinsey and Co., where her love affair with Excel and intense analytics began. Siri graduated Phi Beta Kappa in Economics at Northwestern University, while being a full scholarship athlete in tennis and Big Ten Sportswoman of the Year. She also holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management. She doesn't drink caffeine, has enough energy to power a small city, and hopes some day to talk shop with Warren Buffet and play tennis with Rafael Nadal.
Shalyn Hockey — Editorial and Marketing Manager
After graduating with honors from Northwestern University in 2009, Shalyn started her career working for an innovative software company, Assetmap Strategies, where she focused on strategy and social media. She joined the Two Bright Light's team in 2010. Shalyn came out of the womb into a family of entrepreneurs, so she loves thinking creatively about how to grow small businesses and help them succeed. She could happily spend all day debating the origins of compassion, reading 19th century novels, and finding new apps for her phone. She dreams of her future King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, traveling to obscure fascinating places, and wishes more people understood how Twitter is changing the world. Shalyn is planning her own wedding for the summer of 2012 and thinks she has hit the jackpot with a position where looking through wedding images and making friends in the wedding industry is part of her job!
Rebecca Grinnals — Advisor, Wedding Industry
Rebecca is widely regarded as one of the foremost experts on the business of weddings & honeymoons. She is the founder and President of the wedding and honeymoon industry consulting firm, Engaging Concepts based in Celebration Florida. Rebecca is a sought after industry consultant and trend expert. She has been a featured guest on CBS' “The Early Show,” CNN, Entertainment Tonight and “Weddings of a LIFETIME,” CNBC . Prior to creating Engaging Concepts, Rebecca co-founded Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons for The Walt Disney Company, building it into almost a $100 million per year business for Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and the Disney Cruise Line.
Jeff Bennett — Advisor, Capital Markets and Technology Development
Jeff Bennett has been a Managing Director of Merrick Ventures since September 2008. Merrick Ventures, LLC is private-equity funded holding company that makes controlling investments in businesses that leverage portal technologies. Prior to Merrick, he served as Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Investments at Ygomi, a technology-focused holding company led by the founder of Navteq. He also has held executive positions at BridgePort Networks and PrairieComm, both venture backed organizations in the telecommunications industry which were sold to public companies. He received an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a BS in mechanical engineering from Purdue University.
