Rick Rubin, a sales and partnerships executive who spent more than two decades in the incentive gift-card industry, died on August 9 at the age of 55, according to the Incentive Marketing Association. The association announced his death in a notice dated August 14. [S01]

Rubin was a former IMA board director and a longstanding member of both IMA and its Incentive Gift Card Coalition. His career included senior commercial roles across several businesses serving the gift-card and rewards market.

A career across gift-card sales and partnerships

IMA identified Rubin as vice president of sales at iRewardify. His earlier positions included vice president of sales and partnerships at Wolfe, vice president of sales at Payouts Network, and executive vice president of strategic partnerships at NGC. [S01]

Those roles placed his work in the commercial relationships through which incentive programmes source and deliver rewards. The association's notice focused on his contribution to that industry community and his service to IMA, rather than announcing a business succession or changes to any company's operations.

Rubin lived in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. IMA described him as an influential member of the incentive industry and said his contributions and friendships would be remembered by colleagues. The notice did not state a cause of death. [S01]

Colleagues organise a tribute

The association said Matt Kerper, a past president of IGCC, was coordinating a memory book for Rubin's family. Colleagues were invited to contribute personal or professional recollections and photographs. [S01]

The August 14 notice records a loss across the gift-card trade community, linking Rubin's association service with a career spanning several incentive businesses. His death on August 9 is the underlying event date; the later notice is the source of the public announcement.