2025 Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference

Thomas Bailey
Executive Director, Consumer Foods
RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness

The perfect storm for private label growth in the US came together in 2024.  The perfect storm is comprised of myriad dynamics in terms of supply and demand are simultaneously blowing into the sails of private label. Some of the supply side dynamics are brand consolidation, retailer consolidation, and strategic investments. At the same time consumers are increasingly looking for greater value and as they trade down into the evolving world of PL products, they are discovering improved quality and optionality. This is creating a feedback loop of supply and demand growth that will propel PL market share growth for years to come.  
 

Rachel Dalton
Head of Retail Insights North America
Kantar

The impact of private label brands has been a longstanding and important topic in the retail community, and it continues to generate even more ‘buzz’ today. Private brands are growing as they increasingly meet the needs of a bifurcated shopper who seeks both value and quality. Join this conversation to consider new levers to sustain this positive momentum, including US retail growth drivers, shopper mindsets and requirements, and the importance of leveraging data and AI in new product plans. Best-in-class global innovations will be showcased to help fuel ideation for private brands’ innovation plans enabling them to capture a permanent place in the future of commerce.

Angus McQuat
Partner
McKinsey

Sharing McKinsey’s latest insights into how the consumer is increasingly responding to the quality and value provided by private labels, and how US retailers are transforming their capabilities to provide “CPG-like” products and brands that serve an increasingly wide set of consumer needs.

Michael Sansolo
President
Sansolo Solutions LLC

One in eight Americans has already used an FDA approved weight loss med, a number that is growing every day. For the PLMA community the implications of this class of drugs are obvious and staggering. The challenge comes from the potential of a massive share of U.S. consumers embracing the meds permanently and no longer craving a wide range of the products we supply.  But there is opportunity, and it lies in helping those same consumers to adjust to their new lifestyles in healthier ways with innovative store brand food and non-food products. This blue ribbon panel, will examine the impact of GLP-1 drugs and devise paths to seizing store brand marketing opportunities their broader use would present.

Maria Arand
Director, Office of the Customer Team
Kroger

We operate in an environment experiencing rapid and meaningful shifts in consumer expectations. Learn how forces like demographic changes, evolving technology, and increased importance of food are driving these changes and the likely implications for how shoppers engage with retailers and brands.

The landscape of competition is evolving due to resource constraints and innovation that is changing exponentially. Explore the practical applications of AI in Retail and Manufacturing to understand how this innovation can optimize supply chain management, improve customer experiences, and enhance operational efficiency. Discover real-world success stories and expert insights to implement AI effectively in your organization. This session will equip you with actionable strategies and valuable knowledge to stay competitive in the evolving landscape of AI technology.

Jocelyn Carter
Senior Director of Strategy Channels
Kerry

Join Jocelyn as she delves into the future of ingredients and flavors in product development. With retailers increasingly prioritizing their own brands, innovation has never been more crucial. Discover how historical ingredients will influence future trends and what tomorrow’s consumers desire in food and beverages. She will explore with you the latest trend highlights and how they are a seamless blend of tradition and innovation, with a strong focus on health, sustainability, and consumer experience.

Katie Bowles
Tax Partner
Deloitte

No matter the geography, industry, or sector, organizations will face uncertainty, change, and a constant push for teams to realize outcomes more quickly. The goal of resilience remains the same: enable the organization to serve the needs and meet the expectations of its stakeholders regardless of conditions. The companies that effectively cultivate organizational resilience can gain an important, lasting advantage over their competitors.

In this session, the panelists will discuss real-life examples and lessons in resilience from their own organizations, specifically covering critical topics like succession planning, connected collaboration, and talent management. 

Laurie Demeritt
Senior Director of Strategy Channels
Hartman Group

The modern meaning of value for today’s consumer encompasses notions of relevancy, experience, and quality in addition to the traditional elements of price and quantity.  And what quality implies for consumers includes values such as minimal processing, sustainable packaging and culinary expertise.  This presentation will highlight innovation opportunities for private label products across the continuum of value to values and explore how these areas are seen as overlapping by consumers today.

Maria Dubuc
President
MBD

Join industry expert Maria Dubuc as she reveals how package design shapes a brand’s success. From building a brand to evolving it over time, Maria will share insights from her vast experience in private brand design. Learn key strategies and real-world examples that showcase how packaging can drive continuous improvement and lasting impact.

Julien LeBlanc
President and Co-Founder 
blueprint North America

Explore how great leaders not only get to "Yes" when selling ideas or solutions to their teams and partners, but also go further by creating a lasting impact that leads to genuine gratitude. We’ll begin by defining the concept of "Thank You" as a goal beyond transactional success. Next, we will discuss the five key drivers that enable leaders to get to "Thank You" more often: creating value, avoiding crises, constructively challenging others, teaching new ideas, and RESILIENCY. Together is Better!

Neil Saunders
President
GlobalData

This presentation explores the trends and dynamics of private label in the US and globally, looks at why private label innovation is critical for retailers, the consumer trends that retailers can innovate around, and the best practice for private label innovation and development. The presentation includes data, consumer research, and case studies to bring key points to life.

Frank Niekamp
Founding Partner
SalesStar

Frank will share proven strategies for transforming your sales recruitment process using data-driven insights. With sales turnover rates nearly 2.5 times higher than other roles and less than 30% of salespeople equipped to sell effectively, building a robust recruitment strategy is critical. This keynote will explore how to leverage science-backed methods to assess candidates' mindset, abilities, and motivations—key factors in predicting sales success. Frank has helped hundreds of companies dramatically improve their hiring outcomes, and he’ll offer actionable insights to enhance your recruitment success.

Burt P Flickinger III
Managing Director
Strategic Resource Group

With the highest CPG brand prices in U.S history and 70% of consumers are living paycheck-to-paycheck, the PLMA Conference starts both the retail and consumer requiem and renaissance for Private Label brands in America to start approaching European levels of +50%.The role of Private Brands has never been more important for shoppers, retailers and the agriculture community. As Private Brands continue to innovate and improve, shopper loyalty will continue to shift away from CPG mainstays as big brands mistakenly continue to emphasize price profit. Strong Private Label sales help America by creating a virtuous cycle that benefits all sectors of the economy: consumers do not have to sacrifice quality to save money; retailers with strong Private Label portfolios become less reliant on CPG allocation and trade spend to achieve profitability, and farmers produce more food to meet high Private Label demand.