2025 Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference

...shopper needs to drive profitable business growth.

With 10 years of B2B marketing experience in the food & beverage space, Megan has a broad understanding of quality, safe food and the consumer taste trends needed to drive innovation and change in the market. She has a passion for quantifying and communicating the value of her organization to customers and building strong relationships with other stakeholders in the market.

...Tom regularly produces research content for Rabobank clients, helping them navigate current opportunities and prepare for the future. Prior to becoming Rabobank’s Senior Consumer Foods Analyst, has held various positions around the world from leadership roles in consumer food products in New Zealand to food and agricultural investment planning in China.

She focuses on creatively executing customer engagements, leading with consumer insights and marketplace trends, and bringing to life Kerry’s sustainable nutrition strategy.

Over her 10-year career at Kerry, Jocelyn has worked across functions, teams and channels, building a reputation as a problem solver and innovative thinker. She led the development of Kerry’s best-in-class innovation xcelerator program, iXp, to meet customer demand in an everchanging and fast-paced industry.

...continuous improvement, product lifecycle management, data science, business intelligence, and inventory process. While at Niagara, Melissa has seen the company grow from five manufacturing facilities to over 50 facilities in the U.S., Mexico, U.K. and Australia, and revenue grow over 2,400% in just 15 years. She sits on Niagara’s DEI Council and spearheads the company’s first Team Member Resource Group.

...and analysis with attitude, finding critical, relevant and resonant lessons not just in the world of retailing, but also in sports, popular culture and a wide range of other businesses. Kevin is the author of “Retail Rules! 52 Ways To Achieve Retail Success," a guidebook for competing effectively and efficiently on Main Street, and co-author, with Michael Sansolo, of “The Big Picture: Essential Business Lessons from the Movies,” which uses film narratives to teach about leadership, marketing and surviving the workplace.

...growth opportunities across the retail landscape and has extensive background in brand and global business management from her work leading strategic planning, new product development, commercial planning, and marketing planning across a variety of CPG brands and categories. She co-hosts the popular Kantar Retail Sound Bites podcast and has been featured and quoted in numerous media outlets as a sought-after retail expert.

...Laurie oversees client projects focused on issues of portfolio management, brand renovation, consumer insights and innovation.

Connie worked as a television nutrition reporter for close to 15 years and was the voice of the “Eating Right” minute which aired on radio station WBBM in Chicago. She is the author of “The Everything Mediterranean Diet Book: All You Need to Lose Weight and Stay Healthy!” and the book “SuperFood Nuts,” and is frequently quoted by the media on food and nutrition issues.

processes align seamlessly to drive client success. In the retail brands arena, Maria has spearheaded the coordination, design, and deployment of new and re-branded programs for a diverse range of global retailers.

Luigui has a strong passion for connecting with people and is seeking a career in Human Resources, driven by a desire to foster inclusive communities that support individual development.

In his current role, Jon and his team function as strategy consultants for Daymon’s key partners, focusing on private brand development, strategic design, operational execution, and relationship management.

Prior to Daymon, Jon held multiple roles in the service industry and pharmaceuticals, as well as being an entrepreneur.

She frequently reports on emerging trends, foodservice, retail and CPGs in the specialty food market as well as new companies and innovative products in the kitchen and housewares industry. A long-time Arizona journalist, A.J.’s also the author of the true crime story “Toxic Rage” which is based on her experience covering the case during her time as a newspaper journalist in Tucson.

as well as the top 25 CPG companies. His family has been in the wholesale, vertically and horizontally integrated private label production, manufacturing, and branding businesses for generations since his great grandfather founded S.M. Flickinger Company – the largest supermarket wholesaler/retailer headquartered in the eastern U.S. prior to its acquisition by METRO GROUP S.A.

Katie is in her final semester of the M.S. in Sustainable Food Systems program at Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability in the College of Global Futures with her research focusing on food loss and waste throughout the food manufacturing, transportation, retail, and consumer levels. Last fall, she was named one of Progressive Grocer’s Top Women in Grocery for her outstanding financial performance and positive impact on her local community.

...marketing communications, channel activation and sustainability professionals to drive business growth for Kerry through best-in-class integrated marketing activities. With over 15 years of experience across both B2B and B2C sectors, Elizabeth builds the reputation of Kerry as thought leaders in the industry, leveraging consumer insights and data-driven strategies as the tools for success. Elizabeth is a member of Chief, a professional association advancing women in leadership roles and is also a Board Member of Women's Foodservice Forum. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from Northwestern University and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Saint Mary, with a concentration in leadership & organizational health.

She has published research in several leading food industry journals and sits on the Board of Trustees for the Arizona Food Marketing Alliance Foundation, the policy board of the Journal of Macromarketing, and the editorial review board of the Journal of International Food and Agribusiness Marketing. Renee is actively involved with students and serves as student advisor for several industry trade associations and has served as Chairman for the NGA Food Industry University Coalition, a committee dedicated to building bridges between the independent food retailing sector and academia.

He's delivered over 1,500 workshops and keynotes in 47 countries.

mass merchants, and department store chains and written several articles on private brand strategy and advises retailers on other merchandising focused topics including Ecommerce development. Prior to McKinsey, he was a chief merchant at a leading Canadian gourmet grocer and has led large categories at a leading mass merchandiser.

...transformational results. Prior to SalesStar, Frank successfully led sales organizations at both Fortune 500 public companies and privately held organizations. His roles included VP of Sales at Mohawk Group and Shaw Industries, a division of Berkshire Hathaway, and Mannington Mills. He is an active member of Vistage, helping multiple businesses improve sales effectiveness, transform recruitment of high-performance talent and accelerate their business growth.

...launched in the Hispanic marketplace. Lupillo began his career in the food industry at Northgate Gonzalez Markets as a deli/dairy clerk, working his way up to front end store management, and eventually becoming a well-known buyer and member of the company’s executive team.

He is an annual speaker at ANTAD, Latin America’s most important food industry event and currently serves as chairman of the board of the Latino Food Industry Association, a national organization that serves Latinos in the food industry.

He believes that navigating the professional world in this labor market has been no easy task, but dialogues such as this are the only way to bridge generational gaps and work together, better.

Manager and Logistics Coordinator.

He currently serves as the research director of the Coca-Cola Retailing Research Councils for both supermarkets and convenience stores. In his 13 years as senior vice president at FMI, the biggest food retail association in the United States, he was responsible for all education, supply chain and research activities. In this position he developed an in-depth perspective of the changing nature of cooking, eating and shopping. Before joining FMI, Sansolo was Editor-in-Chief of Progressive Grocer magazine. Sansolo recently authored Business Rules! a collection of diverse and useful lessons in business success.

advising them on how best to develop, evolve and implement business strategies. Prior to GlobalData, Neil worked at retail research firm Verdict where he latterly held the post of board director with responsibility for consulting, corporate development and planning. Before Verdict, he worked for the John Lewis Partnership where he was involved, among other things, in the planning and relocation of new stores, the development of the ecommerce business, and the creation of technical and information systems.

350 locations in the United States. He’s also held the position of Executive Vice President of the U.S. Grocery Division of Walmart, Inc., where he led all aspects of Walmart’s U.S. grocery business at its more than 4,000 stores. He also spent 14 years at Safeway PLC in London where he was responsible for operations, merchandising and marketing for over 450 Safeway supermarket and convenience store locations throughout the United Kingdom.

Most notably, during his tenure with Rudolph Foods, Mark helped pioneer National Pork Rind Appreciation Day, lobbying the government to recognize it on the first Sunday in February. Bringing together America’s love for “pig skins” and pork rinds, the annual event partners with the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund on Super Bowl Sunday to advocate for retired National Football League (NFL) players in dire need. Prior to Rudolph Foods, Mark served as the President of Cantrell International and previously served as the Chairman of the Snack Food Association.

With 25 years of experience in the convenience industry, Dana has been a pivotal figure at Casey's since 2009 where he has served in several category management roles, most notably focusing on the private brand beverage assortment, encompassing both non-alcohol and alcohol categories.

...traditional advertising and marketing, sustainability, and issues pertaining to food insecurity. She currently serves as a Program Assistant for the Morrison School of Agribusiness, President and Co-Founder of Plant Futures at ASU and has represented ASU at the 2023 International Fresh Produce Association's Career Pathways Program and at the 2024 Gateway to Ag Careers program.

merchandising and supply strategies. As the leading global consumer packaged goods and foodservice industry advisor and a go-to expert at Circana, Lyons Wyatt is a frequent keynote speaker on future-forward consumer and retail insights, industry trends, and a multitude of topics related to F&B, nonfood, sustainability, emerging categories, and more.

Lyons Wyatt is a two-time “Top Women in Grocery” recipient and a proud executive sponsor of Circana’s Early Career Professionals Business Resource Group.

Ken has more than 28 years of public accounting experience, including 14 years as a Deloitte partner and has deep proficiency in addressing complex public- and private-company reporting matters and transactions, such as those related to mergers, acquisitions, initial public offerings, and carve-outs. He focuses primarily on serving various REITs from inception through IPO registration and liquidation while also providing perspectives on emerging trends and industry matters for management teams and audit committees.

...is currently gaining work experience as an Intern with the Arizona Department of Water Resources and as a Merchandising Associate at The Home Depot, Inc. His professional interests include retail operations, supply chain sustainability, and agribusiness operations.