OPENING SEMINARS
HYATT REGENCY O’HARE
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17 – 2:00 PM

Presentation I - Unlocking the $100 Billion Opportunity: The Future of Private Labels
This presentation dives into the evolving private label landscape, highlighting key growth areas and the importance of understanding consumer needs. Discover how effective retailer-manufacturer collaboration drives innovation and creates high-quality products that stand out. Gain actionable insights and strategies to thrive in this dynamic market, ensuring your private label brand becomes a key driver of loyalty and profitability.

Randy Burt
Partner & Managing Director
Alix Partners

Randy Burt brings more than 25 years of operating and advisory experience in consumer products, specializing in food and beverage. His expertise spans commercial excellence, digital strategies, org and op model, and E2E supply chain. With a proven track record, he's delivered robust financial and operating performance, structured and led strategic initiatives, and spearheaded transformational change. Before joining Alix Partners, Randy was a partner in the consumer industries and retail practice at A.T. Kearney.

Matt Hamory
Partner & Managing Director
Alix Partners

Matt Hamory has more than 20 years of experience in strategy and operations. Matt is a transformation partner for clients by helping them develop and refine customer/marketing-facing strategies and then execute and deliver significant sales and EBITDA improvements. He focuses on complex situations to unlock step changes in performance using expertise in a broad range of areas, including merchandising/category management, operations, and marketing.
 

Presentation II - Generative AI: A Force to Increase Productivity
Conor provides a framework for rethinking how we use large language models like ChatGPT, emphasizing that the key to effective implementation is about changing behavior rather than just applying new technology. His approach promises to elevate generative AI from an intermittently-used tool to a transformative force that can dramatically improve your company's decision-making, efficiency and strategic planning.

Conor Grennan
Chief AI Architect
NYU Stern School of Business

Conor Grennan builds generative AI fluency across NYU, including MBAs, faculty and administration. He previously served NYU as Dean of Students for 10 years. Conor is also the CEO and Founder of AI Mindset, an AI consulting company that trains professionals, leaders and organizations on a new and effective framework for generative AI and is Head GenAI Trainer for the Chief Executive Group and LinkedIn Learning’s instructor for AI for Business.
 

Presentation III - Top Trends for 2025
Tom reveals Innova's “Top Trends for 2025” with a focus on insights and opportunities for the private label space. Today’s consumers are savvy, self-sufficient and more interested than ever in product quality, integrity and value. They also want a break from the day-to-day grind and enjoy products that deliver experiential moments of delight. Hear about new products that meet the evolving needs of these consumers and are also set the stage for growth.

Tom Vierhile
VP Strategic Insights, N. America 
Innova Market Insights

Tom Vierhile is familiar presenter at PLMA events, he has more than 20 years of experience in packaged goods reporting and analysis. Based in Fairport, New York, he is a new product marketing expert and has been quoted by Bloomberg, Ad Age, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR. Tom has given presentations on new product trends at conferences globally and has a bachelor's degree in marketing from St. Bonaventure University and an MBA from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
 

Presentation IV - The Best Story Wins
As good as your solutions and products are it’s always hard to tell a complex story well. Especially as meetings become shorter, more unpredictable, and virtual. But the way you tell your story matters and CPG executives are discovering one of the most powerful levers they can pull is messaging. Taking a bloated and sender-oriented PowerPoint and converting it into compelling, customer-centric narrative yields extraordinary results.

Tim Pollard
CEO
Oratium

Tim Pollard is CEO of Oratium where he has been the leader of the development of intellectual property and client relations for more than a decade. During his career in sales at various companies including Unilever, Barclays, and the Corporate Executive Board, he has developed insights into the science of designing and delivering extraordinary sales messaging. He is also an author of two best-selling books.

KEYNOTE BREAKFAST
HYATT REGENCY O’HARE
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18 – 8:00 AM

Hungry for Value: How Retailers and Manufacturers Can Fuel the Private Label Boom
As the first grocer to introduce private labels as its primary offering nearly 50 years ago, ALDI knows a thing or two about working with suppliers and manufacturers to create the best products at the lowest possible prices. With demand for private label at an all-time high, and the industry poised for continued growth, Dave will share insights into the retailer mindset and how the private label industry can come together to make the most of this historic moment.

Dave Rinaldo
President
ALDI

Dave Rinaldo is President at ALDI, a role he assumed in 2020 after more than 20 years with the company. At the third largest grocer in the U.S., Dave oversees ALDI product, marketing, and sustainability strategies and travels the country leading operations of divisional warehouses and stores. He began his career at ALDI in 2000 as a District Manager Trainee and has held various other roles within the company since then, including president of ALDI Australia for three years. Dave was part of the team that launched the first ALDI stores in Florida in 2008. Since then, he has worked in various roles supporting ALDI growth in the fast-growing Southeastern U.S. market for a total of eight years.

RETAIL TRENDS BREAKFAST
HYATT REGENCY O’HARE
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19 – 8:00 AM

Why She Buys: Grow Sales and Market Share with the World’s Most Powerful Consumers
Sharpen your competitive edge with Bridget's session on the forces driving women consumers. The author of Why She Buys and Winning Her Business provides valuable market intelligence on the female-dominated consumer economy. Learn the implications behind cultural shifts, demographic changes and women’s “Multiplier Effect” on sales. She shares strategies for driving an emotional connection with your brand and outlines four motivators that drive women’s buying decisions.

Bridget Brennan
Founder & CEO
Female Factor

Bridget Brennan is Founder & CEO of the strategic advisory firm, Female Factor, and author of the books, Why She Buys: The New Strategy for Reaching the World’s Most Powerful Consumers and Winning Her Business: How to Transform the Customer Experience for the World’s Most Powerful Consumers. A leading authority on women consumers, her latest book, Winning Her Business, was nominated for Porchlight Business Book of the Year. Bridget is a contributing writer for Forbes.com on the subject of women and the consumer economy and was named a “Woman to Watch in Retail Disruption” by the Remodista think tank.