Sunday, January 16

11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Lunch & Golf Tournament

11:45 a.m. – 3:30 a.m.

Lunch & Recreation

6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Welcome Reception

Monday, January 17

7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Registration & Information Desk Open

7:00 – 7:30 a.m.

Breakfast

7:45 – 8:00 a.m.

Welcome

Sandy Kennedy, President, Retail Industry Leaders Association
Bill Rhodes, Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer, AutoZone, Inc.; Chairman, Retail Industry Leaders Association

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

Opening Dialogue

9:15 – 10:15 a.m.

CEO Spotlight: Joe DePinto, 7-Eleven, Inc.

7-Eleven CEO Joe DePinto is probably more recognizable now than before his appearance on “Undercover Boss,” a TV reality show that ran in early 2010. His undercover stint as a new employee taught him “how hard our folks work, day in and day out.” Joe will share his “servant leadership” philosophy, honed during his career in the U.S. Army, as the 2011 Leadership Forum’s CEO Spotlight. Since joining the convenience store leader in 2005, Joe has inverted the organizational pyramid and put the customer on top and front and center. He’s earned not only the respect and admiration of his employees, but also strong numbers for his company.

Joe DePinto, President & Chief Executive Officer, 7-Eleven, Inc.

10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Industry Panel

11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Spouse Luncheon

11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.

Luncheon & Business Break

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. 

Dialogue Session: Industry Reputation—Telling the Retail Story

Amid a complex and ever-changing environment, the industry needs to better understand and address the expectations key stakeholders have in order to protect, enhance and track reputation over time, as well as quantify its real business effect on the industry and its individual businesses. Margery Kraus, founder and CEO of APCO Worldwide, will present findings from the “Return on Reputation Indicator: State of the Retail Industry” study conducted in conjunction with RILA, which offers a 360-degree view of reputation across all stakeholders, including consumers, community activists, policy-makers, retail employees, and investors and analysts. Following the presentation, Lowe’s Vice President of Strategic Planning and Chair of RILA’s Strategic Planning Working Group, Richard Martzbarger, will lead a roundtable discussion with Margery to get Leadership Forum participants’ reaction to the findings and possible next steps.

Margery Kraus, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, APCO Worldwide
Roundtable Facilitator: Richard Martzbarger, Vice President, Strategic Planning, Lowe's Companies, Inc.

2:15 – 3:00 p.m.

General Session

3:15 – 4:15 p.m.

The U.S. on the World Stage

6:30 – 9:30 p.m.

Reception, Dinner & Entertainment

Tuesday, January 18

7:00 – 10:00 a.m.

Registration & Information Desk Open

7:15 – 7:45 a.m.

Breakfast

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

Progress Through Innovation

Dean Kamen has been called a modern-day Edison. Renowned as the inventor of such devices as a stair climbing wheelchair and the Segway, he is also the founder of FIRST, a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders. In this session, Dean will discuss the need for finding business solutions that can help address some of today’s most serious challenges, the importance of science, math and technology in education, and the important role business leaders need to play to ensure the U.S. remains a global leader.

Dean Kamen, Inventor of the Segway Transporter; Founder, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST)

9:15 – 10:15 a.m.

Industry Panel: Creative Thinking for Effective Talent Management

With the recent economic crisis, retailers were very effective in streamlining their processes to become as efficient as possible in order to reduce costs in the face of lower sales numbers. How does this affect employee productivity and morale? How do you train and retain employees while expecting them to be increasingly flexible in terms of hours, compensation and benefits. Three human resources professionals from leading retailers join together in a panel discussion on the state of the retail employee.

Maureen Ausura, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Lowe's Companies, Inc.
Eva Sage-Gavin, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, Communications & Global Responsibility, Gap Inc.
Other Panelists TBA

10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

The Political Landscape: 2011 & Beyond

What is Obama’s legislative strategy in 2011? How do senior strategists in both parties see the political landscape following 2010’s midterm elections? Who are the favored Republicans to challenge Obama for the White House in 2012? And how will all these storylines converge and interact tomorrow and in the future? Mark Halperin and John Heilemann use their more than twenty years each of experience covering national politics and government to explain it all with insight, wit, insider knowledge and no punches pulled. With an eye on what the latest political maneuvering means for big business, international relations, the American economy and the average citizen, the authors of #1 best-seller Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime weave behind-the-scenes anecdotes about the top players in American politics with his trademark rigorous analysis of policy, politics and the media.

Mark Halperin, Co-author, Game Change; Editor-at-Large & Senior Political Analyst, TIME Magazine
John Heilemann, Co-author, Game Change; National Political Correspondent & Columnist, New York Magazine

11:30 a.m.

Wrap-Up & Book Signing