Juan De Paoli, Kroger’s VP of Our Brands, to Speak at PLMA Conference in March

Kroger’s Our Brands VP Juan De Paoli to Speak at PLMA Conference in March

PLMA will hold its Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference next month and the program will feature a wide range of speakers and topics. The conference will be held March 22-24 at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando.

The event is themed ‘What Does Winning Look Like for Store Brands?’ reflecting the expanding role store brands play in U.S. retailing, particularly in the wake of 2022's record-breaking, double-digit sales increases.

The conference’s keynote speaker is Juan De Paoli, vice president of Our Brands at the Kroger Co., who will take the stage at the breakfast session on Friday, March 24.

De Paoli’s 20-plus years of experience is responsible for driving Kroger's private label vision, strategy and program development and enhance the company’s brand equity, strategic positioning, revenue, and profit across all food, household, pet and personal care products.

Other industry experts who will speak include:

* Kevin Ryan, Founder and CEO, Malachite Strategy and Research, a retail and foodservice-focused insights and innovation agency and former executive at Amazon and General Mills, who will discuss "Beyond the Horizon: Future Forces Impacting Private Label."

* Jim E. Dillard III, Executive V.P and President, Consumer Healthcare Americas, Perrigo plc, formerly a top executive at Altria Group, Inc., will discuss "Winning With Self-Care Brands."

* Roger Davidson, CEO, Oakton Advisory Group LLC, an expert on food trends with 30 years’ experience in merchandising, marketing, operations and global sourcing at Walmart, Wild Oats, SUPERVALU, Ahold USA and HEB, whose topic is "Winning Through Innovation, Infrastructure & Sourcing."

* Judy Clark, CEO of Fresh From Texas, a high-quality, value-added fresh produce solutions provider, who will offer a "Fresh Spin on Winning in Store Brands." With retailers focusing on the perimeter and winning the first twenty steps into the store, Clark will highlight the role of store brands on the fresh produce side.

There will also be a of a blue-ribbon panel of industry experts titled "Store Brands' New World: Meeting the challenges and opportunities of uncertain economic times."

Moderator Michael Sansolo, president, Sansolo Solutions LLC, a food retailing guru and longtime SVP at FMI, will be joined by Brooke Rice, Sr. Director Own Brands at Southeastern Grocers; Tom Becker, Director, Proprietary Brands-US at Circle K; Jorge Flores, Executive Director, Store Brands at CVS Health; Christina Reyes, Senior Manager, Client Insights at SPINS; Joe Mollica II, President at LNK International; and Mark Gilliand, VP, Sales & Marketing at Old Dutch Vinegar and Mustard Co.

To register for the conference please click here or for additional information, contact Carleen Foster at conferences@plma.com

About PLMA
The Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) is a non-profit trade organization founded in 1979 to promote the store brands industry. With executive offices in New York and International Council offices in Amsterdam, PLMA represents more than 4,000 member companies worldwide. In addition to the Annual Private Label Trade Show in Chicago and its World of Private Label Trade Show in Amsterdam, PLMA provides annual conferences, executive education and professional development opportunities. Follow PLMA on plma.com, plmainternational.com, Twitter and LinkedIn.