Leadership Team

QIC is headed by a well-rounded, veteran team with decades of experience developing incentive, recognition and loyalty programs. Get to know our leadership team:

Scott Newman
President and Chief Executive Officer

Rob Miklas
Executive Vice President – Strategies & Business Development

Michelle Chappell
Chief Client Officer

Jeff Edwards
Vice President of Marketing & Business Development

Pankaj Kumar
Chief Technology Officer

Scott Newman
President and Chief Executive Officer

Scott has over 30 years of experience in the incentive and recognition industry. As President and CEO of Quality Incentive Company, Scott focuses on corporate strategy and growth, while also leading a team of seasoned professionals and being actively involved in the management and oversight of customer relationships. Scott is the majority shareholder of QIC, having negotiated and led the management buyout of the company from a large independent wholesale food distributor in May 2002.

Prior to the management buyout of QIC, Scott held a variety of corporate and divisional leadership positions within the former parent company of QIC, including Director of Finance & Operations, Controller, and Corporate Tax Accountant.

Scott graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Finance, both from the University of Memphis. Scott holds the designation of Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and is a member of the Tennessee Society of CPAs, the American Institute of CPAs, and the Incentive Marketing Association.

Scott and his wife Mollie have two children. Scott enjoys spending time with his family at the beach, playing golf, reading, and exercising activities.  In addition, Scott and Mollie are involved in a number of community organizations. Included in this service are several terms served on St. George’s Independent School’s Board of Trustees, where Scott served as Treasurer for 7 of his 9 years of service.

Rob Miklas
Executive Vice President – Strategies & Business Development

At Quality Incentive Company, Rob is responsible for leading the company’s business development efforts in both the employee recognition and sales/channel arenas. He has more than 15 years of experience in the recognition and incentive industry, having served as president and CEO of Atlanta-based Loyaltyworks before joining QIC in 2011.

Prior to this, Rob held leadership roles in several privately-owned, middle market companies. He began his career in the public sector, first with Boise Cascade Corporation and later with Sonoco Products Company.

Rob holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Dartmouth College and a master’s in business administration from Stanford University. He currently maintains offices at both QIC’s headquarters in Memphis, and in Ventura, CA, where he resides with his wife, Brigid. They have two grown children, both of whom also live in Southern California and work in the entertainment and hospitality industries.

Outside of work, Rob enjoys reading, community service, travel and fitness activities – including paddle tennis and biking.

Jeff Edwards
Vice President of Marketing and Business Development

Following college, Jeff spent 13 years as retail store director for a large supermarket chain, and was also involved in its corporate training programs. He brought this retail merchandising and management experience to the wholesale supplier channel, and over the course of a decade held such positions as division director of advertising and national director of loyalty marketing with the former parent company of QIC. He was responsible for designing and implementing major marketing strategies, comprehensive advertising campaigns and consumer loyalty programs for large retail clients.

Jeff has been a partner at QIC since 2002 and has over 20 years of experience in the incentive and recognition industry. He is responsible for daily operations and the company’s marketing strategies.

Jeff earned a bachelor’s degree from Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, Ga., and also attended the University of Mississippi.

Jeff and wife Joy have two grown daughters. Away from the office, Jeff enjoys motorcycling, playing guitar and banjo, reading and spending time with family.

Pankaj Kumar
Chief Technology Officer

A recognized technology leader known for constructing the essential strategic vision to achieve business goals, Pankaj Kumar, or PK, as he is affectionately known to colleagues and clients, brings an exceptional blend of executive acumen, team-building, and IT solutions development to Quality Incentive Company (QIC). As chief technology officer, PK has built a responsive IT organization that consistently delivers results for clients by aligning technology initiatives with company goals, yielding significant improvement to incentive programs and systems.

PK has over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. Prior to joining QIC in 2006, he held a number of consultant and project management positions with various companies in the field of manufacturing, finance, services and technology. He has hands-on development and management expertise in a broad variety of software platforms and database engines.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and a master’s degree from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks.

PK and his wife Himali have two daughters, Pari and Malaika. PK enjoys sport activities, music, reading, spending time with his family and traveling to various places around the globe with them.

Michelle Chappell
Chief Client Officer

Michelle joined Quality Incentive Company in 2012. Previously she worked for a major retail chain where she led her team to achieve consistent brand standards and a positive store culture. Her experience has given her a passion for finding creative solutions to improve employee morale while increasing employee retention.

At QIC, Michelle oversees all QIC/Client relationships as well as Account Management. She is responsible for the health and growth of the company’s existing portfolio of incentive and recognition programs.

Michelle earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina and master’s degrees in business administration and sports management from the University of Tennessee. Athletics have always played an important role in her education. While at the University of South Carolina, Michelle was a member of the equestrian team, and during her graduate studies she worked with the men’s and women’s track teams and the women’s golf team.

Michelle and her husband Will reside in Portland, Maine. Outside of work, she enjoys playing with her Goldendoodle, Neyland; cooking; and exploring the outdoors.