OPENING SEMINARS
HYATT REGENCY O’HARE
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17 – 2:00 PM
Presentation I - The Store Brands Industry
Sally Lyons Wyatt
Global EVP & Chief Advisor, Consumer Goods & Food Service
Circana
Sally Lyons Wyatt the Global EVP & Chief Advisor, Consumer Goods & Food Service at Circana. Sally is a leading global consumer packaged goods and foodservice industry advisor and is a frequent keynote speaker on future-forward consumer and retail insights, industry trends emerging trends and other F&B industry issues. Sally has more than 25 years of industry expertise in partnering with executives at Circana for consumer and trends insights.
Presentation II - Private Brands at the Next Inflection Point: From Value Play to Growth Platform
Private brands are no longer simply alternatives to national brands—they are becoming strategic assets that help retailers define value, build loyalty, and differentiate across channels. In this session, Rachel Dalton will draw on Kantar retail insights to examine how leading retailers are elevating private brands across the connected shopper journey. The presentation will compare merchandising approaches across multiple channel formats, highlight emerging innovation, and identify the implications for retailers and suppliers looking to win in the next era of private brand growth.
Rachel Dalton
Head of Retail Insights, Americas
Kantar
Rachel Dalton is Head of Retail Insights, Americas at Kantar, leading the North American team of retail insights experts. Previously at Kantar, Rachel led digital commerce insights and was the Amazon expert for the retail team. Rachel has consulted with numerous brands to identify opportunities to drive growth across the retail landscape. Rachel co-hosts the Kantar Retail Sound Bites podcast and has been featured and quoted in numerous media outlets as a sought-after retail expert.
Presentation III - Store Brand Personal Care: Turning a Product Idea into a Category Plan
Retail buyers are looking for more than a product from their manufacturers; they want a compelling category growth story. The findings from PLMA’s new Shopper Intelligence study of 1,501 U.S. personal care shoppers gives suppliers the evidence to build one. This session will help suppliers translate these insights into a retailer-ready category plan, including the barriers and motivators shaping trial, the categories most likely to drive broader adoption, and the shopper segments with the greatest potential to convert.
Sara Williamson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Marketing
SUNY College at Old Westbury
Dr. Sara Williamson is an Assistant Professor of Marketing with an expertise in consumer psychology. Her research investigates how choice, consumption, and disposal of packaged goods can be impacted by contextual cues related to product design, labeling, and retailing.
Her research has been featured in regional and national media outlets and has been awarded by the American Marketing Association for its societal impact. Currently a faculty member at The State University of New York (SUNY), Sara has been teaching undergraduate and MBA marketing courses for 13 years and has previously served as a faculty member for the Haub School of Business Food Marketing Department at Saint Joseph’s University. Sara also offers more than a decade of industry experience in sales and marketing within both private and public sectors, working with stakeholders along the value chain to foster successful relationships among retailers, restaurants, and food suppliers.
Presentation IV - Policy Watch Live!
Legislation, regulations and influential policies like tariffs are a constant fact of life for manufacturers of food and nonfood products and for the retailers who sell them. Maureen Donoghue, editor of PLMA’s Policy Watch newsletter, will offer a special in-person edition of her monthly roundup, covering everything that affects grocery, from lawmakers, courtrooms, and regulators. The presentation will untangle the patchwork of laws on ingredients and labeling and get you up to speed on the latest developments on the federal, state and local level that could impact your business.
Maureen Donoghue
Editor, Policy Watch
PLMA
Maureen Donoghue is Editor of PLMA’s Policy Watch newsletter and has been a contributing writer and reporter for PLMA since 2018. Her work is featured on PLMA Live!, and she's conducted interviews at PLMA's Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference and Chicago Trade Show. Maureen has been editor of PLMA’s Policy Watch Newsletter since its debut in September 2025. Prior to joining PLMA, she worked as a news reporter for several CBS TV affiliates