Chris Rogers

CEO Instacart

Chris Rogers is the Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair of Instacart. He has more than 20 years of experience across consumer goods, technology, retail, and media, building scaled platforms through deep partnerships and operational execution. Before becoming CEO, Rogers served as Instacart’s Chief Business Officer, leading the company’s commercial operations, including retailer partnerships, advertising and data, enterprise solutions, partnerships, M&A, Instacart Business, and Instacart Health. Prior to Instacart, Rogers spent nearly 11 years at Apple, most recently as Managing Director of Apple Canada, and began his career at Procter & Gamble managing national grocery retail relationships. Rogers holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University

Jostein Solheim

CEO, Unilever Wellbeing Unilever

Jostein Solheim is the CEO of Wellbeing at Unilever, overseeing a portfolio of seven category-disrupting brands that include Nutrafol – the No.1 dermatologist-recommended hair growth supplement brand, and Liquid I.V. – the No.1 powdered hydration brand in the U.S. The brands deliver consistent growth, with the business unit delivering its 21^st consecutive quarter of double-digit, volume-led growth.
Named to this role in June 2021, Jostein is building a collective of brands at the forefront of innovating and transforming the health and wellbeing industry, helping people live healthier lives across every stage of life.
Prior to leading Unilever Wellbeing, he served as head of Unilever’s North America Foods and Refreshments division and was CEO of Ben & Jerry’s. During his eight years as CEO of Ben & Jerry’s, he successfully expanded the iconic business across 38 countries while further increasing its social mission reach and impact.
Earlier in his career, Jostein spent 15 years in Unilever’s ice cream businesses across Europe, Eastern Europe, and North America. Prior to that he worked within Unilever’s Corporate Strategy department supporting the global foods business. Jostein graduated from the London School of Economics.

Yael Cosset

EVP & Chief Digital Officer Kroger

As Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer of The Kroger Co., Yael is responsible for leading Kroger’s digital strategy, focused on building Kroger’s presence in the marketplace in digital channels, personalization and e-commerce. He is also responsible for Kroger’s alternative profit businesses, including Kroger’s data analytics subsidiary, 84.51˚ LLC and Kroger Personal Finance.

Mr. Cosset was elected Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer in March 2025 and is responsible for leading Kroger’s digital strategy, focused on building Kroger’s presence in the marketplace in digital channels, personalization and e-commerce. He is also responsible for Kroger’s alternative profit businesses, including Kroger’s data analytics subsidiary, 84.51˚ LLC, and Kroger Personal Finance. From May 2019 to March 2025, Mr. Cosset served as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Prior to that, he served as Group Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, and also as Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Information Officer of 84.51° LLC. Prior to joining Kroger, Mr. Cosset served in several leadership roles at dunnhumby USA, LLC, including Executive Vice President of Consumer Markets and Global Chief Information Officer.

Ajay Salpekar

GM, Food, Beauty and Beverage TikTok Shop

Ajay Salpekar is the General Manager of Beauty and F&B at TikTok Shop in the US. He has been with the company since 2023, leading the growth of makeup, fragrance, and skincare brands within this fast-growing category. TikTok Shop is helping beauty and consumer goods brands leverage TikTok's vibrant creator community and get discovered by new shoppers.
In his role, Ajay works with brands of all sizes, from entrepreneurs and small businesses to large, global brands to craft their TikTok Shop strategy. This includes advising brands on how to get the most out of TikTok Shop, including choosing products that are on-trend, finding creative ways to launch new products through TikTok, and matching them with the most relevant creators.
Ajay is a longtime digital commerce leader in the consumer goods space, with experience growing brands on both the brand and platform side. Prior to TikTok Shop, he led Unilever's ecommerce business in the US, and held multiple retail and technology roles at Amazon and Microsoft. Ajay's TikTok is filled with cooking recipes, car reviews, #FragranceTok, and stand-up comedy.

Andrew Pearson

Head of Content, North America Diageo

With a 20+ year career spanning advertising, strategy and marketing roles across North America, the Middle East and Southern Africa, Andrew Pearson has created award-winning brand, experiential, digital and earned media campaigns across almost every category imaginable.
A seasoned team leader and strategic thinker, Andrew’s brand and category background ranges from automotive, gaming, technology, cellular and beverage alcohol to CPG, personal care, fashion, lifestyle, financial and more. An experienced manager, adept at leading diverse, high performing teams, he is a passionate mentor with a strong focus on developing diverse BIPOC talent.
Prior to his most recent role as the Head of Content for Diageo North America, Andrew oversaw the marketing, communications strategy and campaign development for Pernod Ricard's tequila & mezcal portfolio and Chivas Regal Scotch whiskey. He also led the creative and strategy departments at Havas Formula & Havas Street North America, having crossed the pond from Havas Worldwide Dubai where he led the creative and content development teams. Before moving abroad, his experience back home included prestigious network agencies such as Ogilvy, FCB and Saatchi, as well as one of the country’s best independent agencies at the time, FoxP2.

Ben Lewis

Co-Founder & CEO Little Spoon

Ben Lewis is an entrepreneur, operator, and angel investor with deep expertise at the intersection of consumer brands, food innovation, supply chain, and technology. Over the past decade, Ben has developed a comprehensive understanding of launching, capitalizing, scaling, and operating modern consumer brands.

Currently, Ben is CEO and Co-Founder of Little Spoon, the #1 online baby and kids food brand, recognized as one of the largest and fastest-growing direct-to-consumer food companies in the U.S. On a mission to make parents' lives easier and kids healthier, Little Spoon feeds nearly 3% of American babies and has delivered more than 100 million meals nationwide

Under Ben's leadership, the company has cultivated a highly engaged and loyal customer community, while setting new standards for quality, transparency, and innovation. His work has helped raise the bar across the industry, pushing forward a more modern, values-driven model for how brands serve families.

A founder-operator at heart, Ben previously founded and scaled several ventures, including a CPG yogurt brand and a national food and beverage distribution company with a nimble, just-in-time perishable supply chain. Along the way, Ben spotted early trends and helped cultivate new categories such as cold pressed juice and cold brew coffee – helping to pioneer them from niche, emerging concepts to everyday staples.

As an active angel investor and startup advisor, Ben has invested in more than 30 disruptive, high-growth companies across a variety of consumer sectors. He also partners with investment funds to scout, vet and advise companies for their portfolios. For his own companies, Ben has raised nearly $100 million of venture capital and growth equity.

Ben has been honored as a EY Entrepreneur of the Year nominee, a recognition of his impact and leadership in shaping the future of consumer brands. Equally important to him is building strong company cultures – he takes pride in leading teams known for their high retention, deep engagement, and lasting impact.

Ben thrives on innovation, thoughtful design, healthy living, food, and finding simple solutions to complex challenges. Originally from Pittsburgh, Ben splits his time between New York City and Miami.

Benoit Vatere

Chief Media Officer Liquid Death

Benoit Vatere is the chief media officer of Liquid Death, one of the fastest growing non-alcoholic beverage brands. Liquid Death uses comedy and entertainment to make health and sustainability 50 times more fun. It takes low-calorie beverages and packages them into infinitely recyclable cans that compete with the fun marketing of unhealthy brands across beer and junk food. Its product lines include mountain water, soda-flavored sparkling water, iced tea, and energy. A portion of Liquid Death’s proceeds helps kill plastic pollution.
Prior to Liquid Death, Benoit founded Mammoth Media, a digital-to-retail technology company where he built and executed strategic digital media campaigns with focus on incrementality for leading CPG brands such as Pepsi, Lemon Perfect, 7 Eleven, and Siete. Before Mammoth Media, Benoit served as the CEO of mobile gaming monetization platform Playhaven and co-founded conversion optimization company magnify360.
Benoit holds a master's degree in engineering and a marketing degree from Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Sciences Agronomiques de Bordeaux

Bryan Gildenberg

Founder & CEO Confluencer Commerce

Bryan Gildenberg is the North American Managing Director for Retail Cities, and the founder of Confluencer Commerce. His roles help brands, retailers and their solution partners build strategies to win in the changing retail world.
Previously, he served as the SVP, Commerce, for the Omnicom Commerce Group (OCG), a community of best in class consultancy, creativity and capability in retail, shopper and commerce marketing, focused on driving sales growth through increased conversion. Prior to Omnicom Bryan led global retail research for Kantar’s retail practice. His perspective has been featured on broadcast media such as CNBC, Fox Business, and the BBC, and he is frequently cited in a range of U.S. and global business publications. An engaging speaker, Bryan has addressed thousands of industry/corporate meetings over his near 25-year career.
Bryan earned an MBA summa cum laude from Babson College and an undergraduate degree from Cambridge University in Cambridge, England.

Brian Monahan

SVP, Retail Media Albertsons Media Collective

Brian Monahan, SVP of Retail Media, leads Albertsons Media Collective, the retail media arm of Albertsons Companies. Built on rich first-party data and a deep understanding of Albertsons shoppers, Brian is accelerating the Collective’s growth through innovation and deep partnerships. Focused on the relationship between retailer, brand and shopper, Brian recognizes retail media’s role in shaping the future of commerce media.

With a true passion for retail media, Brian has had a storied career across media, retail and platforms. Prior to joining Albertsons, he led global client relationships at dentsu, along with the company’s global retail media solution. He previously led eCommerce marketing at Walmart and helped launch their RMN 10 years ago. Brian also spent time at Pinterest, where he spearheaded industry marketing. In addition to his roles across notable enterprises, Brian also has a passion for building and has founded four different companies as part of his entrepreneurial endeavors.

As a well-respected industry trailblazer and thought leader, Brian has been recognized for his strategic, innovative approach in the American Advertising Federation Hall of Achievement, the Bay Area Innovation Group’s Hall of Fame and as an Ad:TechIndustry Innovator. Outside of work, Brian volunteers with the San Francisco Unified School District, the Ad Council, the Gun Safety Alliance and ExtraFood.org.

Chris Walton

President & CEO Omni Talk

Chris Walton is a leading expert and influencer in omnichannel retailing. An accomplished Senior Executive, Chris has high-level executive experience across nearly every discipline within retail. Currently he is the President and CEO of Omni Talk, one of the fastest growing media companies in retail. He is also a Senior Contributor for Forbes, where his work has been read by over 4 million people, a regular keynote speaker, and he also sits on the Advisory Boards for Simbe, Mirakl, Buncha, and Jukee. Prior to starting Omni Talk, Chris worked for Target, where he was the Vice President of the retailer’s Store of the Future project and also the Vice President of Merchandising for Home Furnishings on Target.com. Chris began his career at Gap, Inc. and holds a BA in Economics and History from Stanford University, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Christine Foster

Group VP Kroger

Christine Foster leads Kroger Precision Marketing (KPM), the retail media, consumer insights and loyalty marketing business of Kroger. She is responsible for casting the long-term vision and overseeing the daily operations that fuel brand growth through partnerships with Kroger. As the leader of a retail data powerhouse, Christine is passionate about using precision audiences to build enduring emotional connections between brands and consumers.
Christine was honored as part of the 2025 class of Ad Age Leading Women in advertising. In 2024, she was recognized as a Retail Innovator Award winner by Retail Touchpoints, a Top Woman in Grocery: Senior-Level Executive by Progressive Grocer and Women of Excellence: Industry Impact by Path to Purchase.
Prior to 84.51°, Christine held multiple positions in digital marketing. Her career has spanned all sides of media. Christine currently serves on several industry advisory boards and holds a Bachelor of Science in telecommunications and broadcast journalism from Lee University.

Cristina Marinucci

VP, Global Growth & Omni Commercial Insights Mondelēz International

Cristina Marinucci is a visionary leader in Global Insights & Analytics at Mondelēz International, where she currently serves as the Global Head of Shopper Excellence. Here she spearheads initiatives that transform shopper behavior and insights into actionable, unified omni strategies, driving significant revenue growth. Her work is central to positioning Mondelēz as a world-class Shopper organization, with a focus on elevating Shopper Insights within the Commercial organization.

In this role, Cristina leads the development of Global Category Growth Drivers, integrating market-level 6P activation inspiration, pioneering proprietary Pricing & Promotion tools that encompass the omni shopper journey as well as advancing best-in-class Shopper & Digital capabilities across the organization.

Prior to this role, Cristina led eCommerce Insights and Analytics for Johnson & Johnson North America, where she oversaw all aspects of NA eCommerce Analytics, including pure play, DTC, and omnichannel strategies.

Cristina has a proven track record in thought leadership, pioneering new capabilities, and driving organizational transformations in the shopper and digital domains. Her experience spans across some of the largest FMCG companies, including PepsiCo, Pernod Ricard, Reckitt Benckiser, M&M Mars, GlaxoSmithKline and Johnson & Johnson.

Cristina is recognized as an innovative and performance-driven commercial leader, with a strong ability to challenge paradigms and act as a catalyst for change. Her versatile expertise across Sales, Marketing, and Analytics allows her to forge meaningful connections between retailers, brands, and consumers, while creating holistic full-funnel strategies that drive superior performance.

As a frequent speaker at industry events such as CMA, GroceryShop, Shoptalk, and GDS, Cristina shares her insights on the future of shopper behavior and category growth. She holds a B.S. in Marketing and International Business from Manhattan College and an MBA from NYU Stern.

Deborah Weinswig

Founder & CEO Coresight Research

Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder of Coresight Research Inc., leads the Coresight Research team to provide actionable insights and solutions for retailers and brands that accelerate innovation and growth in the fast-changing retail and technology landscape.
Deborah has been a trusted thought leader at the crossroads of technology, finance, and retail for nearly two decades. As a leading analyst and strategist, Deborah also has deep expertise in AI, Metaverse, China, livestreaming, retail media, supply chain, commercial real estate, and data monetization. In 2023, Deborah conceptualized and launched the first AI Council for the retail industry. This invitation-only organization has proven invaluable in helping brands, retailers, and technology companies navigate business in the artificial intelligence age. A member of the prestigious LinkedIn Top Voices program, Deborah is recognized as one of the top retail influencers in the world and has received multiple awards and honors for her industry leadership and impact. Deborah is passionate about fostering conversation and collaboration among the retail and technology community and supporting social and environmental causes through her research and advocacy.
Deborah has been invited to share her insights and Coresight Research data at over 200 events across the world including the Consumer Electronics Show, ShopTalk, World Retail Congress, NRF, ICSC, Money 20/20, Retail Innovation Conference & Expo, Future Stores Summit, NACDS, Total Retail Tech, Groceryshop, Women in Retail, NACS and more.  Across the globe, media outlets frequently request Deborah as a guest to provide a pulse on current industry trends and retail industry newsmakers. She has been featured on CNBC, Bloomberg, in Barron’s, The Street, NASDAQ, Fast Company, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, CNN, Marketwatch, Yahoo Finance, and more. 
Before establishing Coresight in 2014, Deborah was the Managing Director of Fung Global Retail and Technology, the Group's first internal think tank and research department. Before that, she was the Managing Director of Cit1 Research's Global Staples: Consumer Discretionary team.  
Deborah serves on the advisory board of the World Retail Congress, as well as several accelerators, and on the board of directors for Primaris Canada, GUESS?, Inc., Xcel Brands, Inc., KIABI, American Apparel & Footwear Association, YPO, Goodwill Industries New York/New Jersey, and Street Soccer USA. Additionally, she is a Board Member and Co-Founder of RetailersUnited, a 501(c)(3) established to aid small brands and retailers in pandemic recovery.
Deborah is a Certified Public Accountant and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago. 

Deepak Jose

VP & Head of Data & Decision Intelligence Niagara Bottling

Deepak Jose is a purpose-led executive leader in digital transformation, data, analytics and AI with a proven track record of driving profitable growth leading a diverse, global end to end analytics team. He is currently the VP and Head of Data & Decision Intelligence at Niagara. Deepak is also a co-founder and executive director and board member of FuturED Ai, a non-profit focusing on Ai Education. He is an in-demand speaker, and analytics thought leader in the Data, Analytics and AI focusing on CPG, Retail and Manufacturing Industry. He is a member of the Forbes Tech Council, AWS Retail & CPG Executive Advisory Forum, Industry standards associations, Editorial Board for CDO magazine, and Advisor for startups and AI/ Analytics service companies.

Deepak has experience across all major global markets in multiple categories such as beverage, confectionary, gum, food, and Health & Wellness. Before Niagara, Deepak was part of global brands like Coca-Cola, Mars and ABB in strategic roles driving business growth. At Mars, as the global Head of One Demand Data and Analytics Solutions, he started the Mars AI lab driving multiple proprietary patented solutions. Deepak has an MBA from George Washington University and a Mechanical engineer from NIT Calicut, India. He completed an executive education program from Oxford University Said School of Business in Economics of Mutuality.

Deepak was awarded the Consumer Good Visionaries by CGT and RIS news, Data IQ 100 2023, 24 &25 – the 100 most influential person in Data and AI, Top 100 leaders in Data by CDO Magazine, Top 100 Innovators in Data & Analytics in by Corinium Intelligence, AI 100 - Top 100 Influencers in AI in the US by AIM Media House, Direct 60 Award for Brand Leaders at the Forefront of the Direct-to-Consumer by The Lead and. Deepak’s team is recognized by Data IQ as Best Place to work in Data and AI in 24’. He is a Distinguished Toastmaster, and he is from Kerala, India

Flavia Takey

Head of Supermarket, LATAM Mercado Libre

Flavia Takey is Mercado Libre's Head of Supermarket for Latam. She has been working at Mercado Libre since 2021. Flavia, in partnership with Meli's Marketplace, Product/IT and Operations, has been leading the turnaround of the Supermarket business to revamp its value proposition, regain profitability and grow sustainably. Prior to Meli, Flavia has worked for 15 years at Boston Consulting Group in Brazil, where she was leader of the Retail practice, with focus on Grocery and CPG. MercadoLibre hosts the largest online commerce and payments ecosystem in Latin America, enabling e-commerce and digital and mobile payments on behalf of its customers by delivering a suite of technology solutions across the complete value chain of commerce. It is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and present in 18 countries across Latam, including: Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, Venezuela and Peru.

Gregor Murray

Co-Founder & Chief So-What Officer Digital Commerce Global

Gregor Murray is Co-founder and Chief “So What” Officer at Digital Commerce Global, where he helps the world’s leading CPG manufacturers turn digital commerce ambition into measurable growth.
Gregor has spent his entire career in CPG, working across manufacturers, retailers, and agencies, giving him a rare, end-to-end view of how digital commerce actually works in practice. For more than half of that time, he has specialised in digital commerce, leading customer accounts, building strategies, and now advising global organisations on how to develop the capabilities required to scale profitable, sustainable growth.
At DCG, Gregor works with some of the industry’s largest manufacturers to benchmark their performance against peers, identify capability gaps, and prioritise the actions that drive real commercial impact. His work focuses on cutting through noise, helping leadership teams move from opinion to evidence, and from activity to outcomes.
Known for his direct, practical style, Gregor is a regular speaker at industry events, where he challenges conventional thinking and brings clarity to the biggest questions in digital commerce today.

Lydia Thacher

VP, Digital Commerce Dollar General

Lydia Thacher is Dollar General’s Vice President, Digital Commerce, leading growth through our digital channels and leveraging technology to innovate and disrupt traditional business models. In this role, she is responsible for developing and executing our digital strategy to enhance the customer experience and deepen loyalty, increase sales, enable retail media revenue growth and improve operational efficiency.

Lydia has been Serving Others since 2020, initially joining as a Senior Buyer. In 2021, she was promoted to Director, Digital & Site Merchandising before being promoted to Senior Director, Digital Merchandising & Commerce in 2022. She was promoted to her current role in 2025. Lydia has played a pivotal role in driving digital strategy and ecommerce growth, including leading our DoorDash partnership. As a testament to her leadership and valuable contributions, in 2024, Lydia was recognized as a Circle of Excellence winner.

Prior to Dollar General, Lydia held merchandising roles at Five Below, Hollar, Topline Corporation and ShoeDazzle.

Lydia earned her Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of California Los Angeles.

Jordan Berke

Founder & CEO Tomorrow

Jordan Berke, Founder and CEO of TOMORROW, is one the world’s pre-eminent digital retail advisors. Renowned for his transformative omnichannel leadership, Jordan spearheaded Sam's Club and Walmart’s e-commerce endeavors in China, pioneering Walmart’s innovative alliances with JD and Tencent. His vision led Walmart's eCommerce business in China to reach the highest level of growth and penetration among Walmart's 20+ countries.
Recognized with Walmart’s esteemed Sam Walton Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2018, Jordan also served as Chairman of the company’s Global Omnichannel Forum, shaping Walmart’s digital priorities worldwide.
At TOMORROW, Jordan and his team advise global retailers on accelerating digital growth and profitability. His insights are sought after by industry leaders and regularly featured in the Wall Street Journal and on CNBC, NPR, and Bloomberg

Kevin Hartley

CEO and Founder Cambio Roasters

Kevin Hartley is an interesting guy. He is an accomplished C-suite Executive with a deep passion for triple bottom line companies – those that focus on people, the planet, as well as profit. He always says that it’s so much fun to work for companies that have a bigger purpose than just themselves.

He has an impressive +35-year career in demanding leadership roles and successful P&L management of several large, innovative businesses in a variety of industries. With a solid history of transforming organizations, he is as comfortable at driving revenues as he is in building top-performing leadership teams. His successes include founding and growing Green Mountain Energy (the nation’s first deregulated electricity brand which was sold to British Petroleum for $100M in 2000), and Keurig/Green Mountain, where he helped drive Keurig’s market cap from $100M to $14B as a member of the senior leadership team.

Most recently with Cambio Roasters®, Kevin serves as Founder and CEO of a truly innovative KCup® brand specifically designed to meet the biggest unmet needs in the coffee pod aisle – a coffee pod that wins on taste, wins on recyclability, wins on values, wins on innovative packaging, and never asks the consumer to sacrifice on price.

Kevin built a best-in-class team and led the organization through brand development, proof of concept, capitalization and commercialization and launched the brand in all 50 states. Additionally, he championed a win-win product for consumers and farmers by returning 20% of all profits to coffee producers and their families. Under his leadership, Cambio launched a major new product in late 2024, introducing the World’s First Aluminum K-Cup® for Keurig brewers.

Previously, Kevin served as Chief Innovation Officer for Keurig Green Mountain®. This role challenged him to aggressively scale Keurig’s footprint by developing and executing the innovation strategy to rapidly expand into new markets and utilize IoT technologies to drive sales. Also notable, he innovated the new single-serve businesses model (Keurig Kold/Keurig Baby) and even earned a $2B+ investment from Coke. As a result, he helped sell Keurig for $14B, a market cap growth of 140X from when he joined the executive team.

Kevin received his Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing with honors from the University of Vermont. He went on to earn his Master of Business Administration degree in Finance, Strategy, and Marketing from the University of Colorado Boulder, graduating as valedictorian.

Lauren Livak Gilbert

Executive Director The Digital Shelf Institute

Lauren Livak Gilbert is Executive Director of the Digital Shelf Institute (DSI) and co-host of the Unpacking the Digital Shelf podcast. With over 10+ years of experience in digital commerce and design, Lauren is a sought-after commerce strategist for hundreds of global omnichannel brands. While at Johnson & Johnson, Lauren launched a new, successful digital strategy for its Consumer North America business. At Salsify she worked with more than 100 global brands to develop a comprehensive commerce strategy, including staffing, technology investments, and performance-based processes. And at the DSI she connects with brands, retailers, tech partners and agencies to help advance the industry with her research and content.

Leigh O'Donnell

Head of Shopper & Category Insights Kantar

Leigh O’Donnell leads the Shopper and Category Insights practice for Kantar North America. Leigh is a pioneer in shopper and consumer research, creating rich data- and story-driven solutions to guide action for clients. At Kantar, Leigh provides research and thought leadership to multinational brands, retailer, and agency clients, including Kantar’s long-running shopping attitudes tracker, ShopperScape®. Leigh is focused on driving insights and consulting across many of the critical questions in commerce today: evolution of shopping behavior, category disruption at retail, and the massive impact GLP-1 usage has on brands and retailers.
Prior to Kantar, Leigh held insights and analytics leadership roles at top consumer brands, including Mars Petcare, Mars Wrigley, Kirkland’s Home and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Leigh has studied at both Lawrence University and University of Chicago. She and her family live in Nashville.

Lisa Selk

SVP, Brand Fuel Hormel Foods

As senior vice president of Brand Fuel, Lisa Selk directs key centers of excellence—innovation, consumer insights, brand equity, digital media services, and packaging design—ensuring the company stays closely connected to consumers and ahead of emerging market trends.

Hormel Foods is a global branded food company with over $12 billion in annual revenue. Its brands include PLANTERS^®, SKIPPY^®, SPAM^®, HORMEL^® NATURAL CHOICE^®, APPLEGATE^®, COLUMBUS^®, WHOLLY^® guacamole, HORMEL^® BLACK LABEL^® and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named one of the best companies to work for by U.S. News & World Report, one of America’s most responsible companies by Newsweek, recognized by TIME magazine as one of the World’s Best Companies and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts.

Selk began her career with Hormel Foods in 1998 as a food scientist in the research and development area and has since held brand management and innovation leadership roles in multiple divisions. She served as the marketing director over a portfolio of well-known Hormel Foods brands in the Grocery Products division before assuming leadership of CytoSport, Inc., in 2017. Selk was named director of Hormel Health Labs and Century Foods International following the sale of the Cytosport business to PepsiCo in 2019. She was promoted to vice president of marketing for meat products in 2020 and the vice president of Retail Marketing – Convenient Meals & Proteins in 2022. She assumed her current role in 2023.

A graduate of North Dakota State University, Selk received a bachelor’s degree in food science and a master’s degree in cereal science, followed by a master’s degree in business administration from the University of St. Thomas and has completed the Kellogg Executive Development Program at Northwestern University.
She volunteers her time in non-profits boards and community youth development programs.

Loretta Franks

SVP, Global Chief Data & Analytics Officer Mars Snacking

Loretta Franks is Global Vice President, Chief Data & Analytics Officer, at MARS (formerly Kellanova / Kellogg Company).

She is passionate about unlocking the full value of data, partnering with functional leaders to develop bold and creative data strategies, enabling agile execution with leading capabilities and driving accelerated qualitative and quantitative value creation.

Loretta joined Kellogg Company in 2007. She is an authentic executive leader with a successful career working across a number of functions and regions at the $13bn global consumer goods company.

Leading large diverse high performing teams across IT, Finance and GBS functions, she and her teams have delivered multiple large scale global programs transforming operating and sourcing models, organizational designs, cloud migrations and large-scale change programs to drive maximum return on investments.
She focuses on harnessing the power of data, AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics whilst also driving change management and championing data and AI literacy across the enterprise.

An advocate for women in STEM, Loretta is a dedicated mentor, committed to developing talent, and fostering a positive culture. She is an active member of the Shoptalk Europe Advisory Board and has received several accolades in the Data space, featuring in CDO’s 40 Under 40 Data Leaders and DataIQ’s top 100.
She is a graduate of Economics from Newcastle University and is based, with her family, in Manchester, England.

Mark Williamson

AVP Retail Media Costco Wholesale

Mark Williamson is AVP of Retail Media at Costco Wholesale, where he leads the strategic expansion of the retailer’s advertising ecosystem. A veteran of the commerce media industry, Mark brings a wealth of experience, having successfully built and scaled retail media programs at Sam’s Club, Ahold Delhaize USA, and Epsilon/CitrusAd before joining Costco in 2023.
At Costco, Mark and team are architecting a retail media platform fundamentally designed "the Costco way." Under his leadership, the network prioritizes member trust, merchant alignment, and long-term value over short-term ad monetization. Mark is highly focused on leveraging omnichannel data to bridge the gap between digital discovery and physical warehouse sales, delivering a transparent, closed-loop platform that drives provable outcomes for brand partners and optimizes experiences for members

Matthew Goynes

Co-Founder & Co-CEO Grocery Dealz

Matt Goynes is a seasoned marketing and technology executive with a proven track record of driving growth, innovation, and digital transformation across the retail and consumer sectors. With more than two decades of experience in mobile marketing, e-commerce, and customer engagement, Goynes has built a reputation as both an industry pioneer and strategic leader.

Prior to joining Grocery Dealz, Goynes held leadership roles at tech startups Pixability, InMar, and InMarket, where he spearheaded initiatives that delivered measurable growth, expanded customer acquisition channels, and leveraged emerging technologies to reshape the consumer experience. Known for his ability to blend visionary strategy with hands-on execution, he has been recognized as a thought leader in mobile commerce and omni-channel marketing.

At Grocery Dealz, Goynes plays a key role in shaping the company's growth strategy and innovation roadmap, helping position the brand at the forefront of the evolving retail media landscape. His expertise in mobile engagement, data-driven marketing, and consumer insights will be instrumental in driving long-term value creation for the company, its partners, and its investors.

Mert Damlapinar

Founder ecommert

Mert Damlapinar is top voice on LinkedIn a multi-award-winning eCommerce executive with over 18 years hands-on global experience. He held director and VP roles in eCommerce, digital marketing, and sales at companies like Sabra/PepsiCo, Mondelez and L’Oreal. He talks to digital leaders of global CPGs all around the world and shares his research and insights with eCommert.

He holds a master’s degree in applied business analytics from Boston University, executive management degrees in integrated digital marketing from Cornell University, and applied data science and digital transformation degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He published his second book, Agile Analytics for Startups, in October 2022, and he's currently working on his 3rd book.

Neil Saunders

Managing Director GlobalData

Neil is Managing Director of GlobalData’s retail division – a practice that was born out of the retail analyst firm Conlumino he founded in 2011, which was subsequently acquired by GlobalData. In his role he oversees the development of the company’s proposition and its research output. He also works with major retail clients worldwide to help them understand the retail, shopper, and market landscapes – advising them on how best to develop, evolve and implement business strategies. Prior to his current role, Neil 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. Neil lives in Scottsdale, Arizona and in Maui, Hawai’i.

Neil Stern

CEO Good Food Holdings

Neil Z. Stern is the Chief Executive Officer of Good Food Holdings, which operates premium and natural & organic supermarkets spanning from Seattle to San Diego under five grocery banners: Bristol Farms, Lazy Acres Natural Market, Metropolitan Market, New Seasons Market, and New Leaf Community Markets.
Prior to joining Good Food Holdings, Neil was a senior partner at McMillanDoolittle specializing in the area of strategic planning and the development of new retail concepts. During his 35+ year career, Neil has developed strategies and new concepts for a diverse variety of world class clients across the retail industry.
Neil serves on the Board of Directors at Shafer Vineyards, Northeast Grocers, Imperial Distributors and Vroom Delivery. Neil is the author of two books, Winning At Retail and Greentailing and Other Revolutions in Retailing.

Parbinder Dhariwal

VP, General Manager, CVS Media Exchange (CMX) CVS Health

Parbinder is the Vice President / General Manager of CVS Media Exchange (CMX), CVS Health’s top-ranked retail media network. He oversees sales, strategic development, operations, marketing, business intelligence, product, and strategic operations.

Parbinder has spent his career building and transforming world-class teams in the digital advertising ecosystem, with growth and consumers at the core. Before joining CVS in 2022, he led and in-sourced the media business for Walmart Connect. Joining Walmart in 2019, he oversaw everything Beauty, Personal Care, and Health and Wellness, leading a multidisciplined team that helped grow Walmart Connect’s Supplier and Merchant partnerships across the category.

From 2018-2019, he worked with leading media industry CEOs, consulting to drive strategic change, digital growth, and change management. From 2016 until he left at the end of 2017, he was the VP of Global Accounts at Spotify, working across the business's largest Global advertisers to transform partnerships across the platform, building the discipline of dealmaking with critical partners across the streaming giant.

Between 2012 and 2015, he and his family resided in Barcelona, where he was the CRO, leading the global sales and operations for Softonic, a software download company. And previously to this, he worked on various businesses as VP and Director in London and New York for CBS Interactive.

Parbinder resides in Brooklyn, New York

Peter Strong

Partner The Partnering Group

Peter Strong is a Partner at The Partnering Group, where he specializes in helping retailers, consumer products companies, and technology companies accelerate growth through digital commerce, strategic transformation, and capability building.
Peter brings deep expertise at the intersection of eCommerce, digital strategy, and organizational change, advising clients on how to modernize commercial models, unlock online growth, and build the internal capabilities required to sustain performance. His work focuses on translating strategy into execution—aligning teams, processes, and technology to deliver measurable business impact.
He partners closely with senior leaders to:
•            Define and activate eCommerce and omnichannel growth strategies
•            Design digital-first operating models that integrate sales, marketing, and supply chain
•            Lead enterprise transformation initiatives, including change management and capability development
•            Strengthen retailer–supplier collaboration in an increasingly digital ecosystem
Prior to joining TPG, Peter held leadership roles across both retail and CPG, including leading digital commerce at Mars Wrigley and omnichannel initiatives at Meijer. This dual perspective enables him to bring a pragmatic, partnership-oriented approach to solving complex commercial challenges.
Peter is also an active thought partner in the industry, contributing to the advancement of digital commerce capabilities and next-generation retail strategies.

Rachel Dalton

Head of Retail Insights, North America Kantar

Rachel is the Head of Retail Insights, Americas, at Kantar, focusing on digital commerce, omnichannel acceleration, and retail strategies. She leads a team of subject-matter experts who deliver industry-leading thought leadership across all channels within the Americas marketplace. She has an extensive background in brand and global business management from her work leading strategic planning, new product development, commercial planning, and a range of marketing initiatives across a variety of CPG brands and categories. Rachel holds a bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College and an MBA from Cornell University. Rachel also co-hosts the Kantar Retail Sound Bites podcast and has been featured and quoted in numerous media outlets as a sought-after retail expert.

Rachel Tipograph

Founder & CEO MikMak, a SPINS Company

Rachel Tipograph has considered herself amongst the digerati since the moment she became an eBay power user at 13. After joining Gap as the company’s youngest-ever Global Director of Digital and Social Media, where she oversaw strategy, implementation and measurement, Rachel traveled the world for 100 days and then founded MikMak, a global eCommerce enablement and analytics platform for multichannel brands.

Since then, MikMak has earned recognition for its workplace culture and DE&I efforts as a “Fastest Growing Company in America” and “Best Place to Work” by Inc Magazine, “#10 Startup in the United States” by LinkedIn, “Breakthrough Brand” by Interbrand and “Nineteen Technologies Underpin AI And Analytics For Retail” by Forrester.

Rachel has also been recognized as a thought leader by leading media publications including Forbes (“30 under 30 Who Are Changing The World”), Fast Company ("The Most Creative People in Business") AdAge ("The Most Creative People of The Year"), Adweek ("The Young Influentials Shaping Business and Culture"), Entrepreneur ( "50 Most Daring Entrepreneurs" and "100 Women of Impact"), Inc (“Female Founders 100”), Marie Claire ("The 50 Most Influential Women in America"), Business Insider (“New York Tech’s Coolest People"), Goldman Sachs ("100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs"), Refinery29 ("Rising Female Tech Stars"), The Wrap ("The 11 Change Agents Disrupting Hollywood"), and LinkedIn ("Next Wave: Top Professionals 35 & Under"). She has also been named to the "Advertising Hall of Achievement” by the American Advertising Federation.

Sabrina McPherson

SVP Publicis Sapient

Sabrina McPherson is a Senior Vice President at Publicis Sapient, where she co-founded the management consulting practice. Sabrina is a recognized leader in AI-powered business transformation, regularly partnering with leading retailers and consumer product organizations to design agentic solutions that deliver measurable shareholder value and groundbreaking enterprise growth. Her expertise fuses business strategy, consumer experience, and technology/data to drive pioneering change—from next-generation e-commerce and digital loyalty to core operating model reinvention. As a trusted strategic advisor, Sabrina has guided Fortune 500 CPG and retail clients through digital-first business model innovation, cultural transformation, and large-scale AI adoption, resulting in agile, customer-centric organizations equipped for the future of commerce. Her work is distinguished by a relentless focus on enabling clients to move beyond incremental digital adoption, unlocking true business agility and market differentiation.

2026 Grocery Industry Icons and Innovators

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