Retail CEO Forum
Naples, Florida

Last Year's Program

RILA’s cultivated CEO community offers invaluable wisdom, and a one-of-a-kind network to share practices, exchange ideas, and engage with executive peers from leading retail companies. Your attendance offers a rare opportunity to gather with an elite caliber of retail leaders.

Check out last year's program and see what companies attended. 

2021 Virtual Program

  • Wednesday Jan 27, 2021
  • Thursday Jan 28, 2021
2:00 PM – 2:15 PM

Opening Remarks

Speakers
Mary Dillon
Chief Executive Officer
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
Brian Dodge
President
RILA
2:15 PM – 3:05 PM

Microsoft’s Satya Nadella on Digital Transformation, the Future of Work, and Leading Through Challenging Times

COVID-19 accelerated digital transformation that was already in motion, and businesses continue to navigate how to respond, recover, and reimagine their work in the face of rapid, sweeping changes. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will offer his unique perspective on how retailers can accelerate their transformation, keep up with changing customer expectations, and prepare for the future of work. Additionally, he’ll share his thoughts on the role of leaders and corporations during challenging times.

Moderator
Mary Dillon
Chief Executive Officer
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
Speaker
Satya Nadella
Chief Executive Officer
Microsoft Corporation
3:05 PM – 3:15 PM

Break

3:15 PM – 4:05 PM

Kohl’s Michell Gass on Leading Through Change

The impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the retail industry has been significant. Kohl’s CEO Michelle Gass will share how she and her leadership team navigated these unprecedented challenges, including innovating to serve customers in new ways and leaning into the company's omnichannel business when they were forced to close their stores. And, amidst a global pandemic and a rapidly-changing macro environment, hear how Gass has taken the time over these past several months to also reenvision the company's business strategy to position Kohl's for long-term, sustainable growth.

Moderator
Brian Dodge
President
RILA
Speaker
Michelle Gass
Chief Executive Officer
Kohl's Corporation
4:05 PM – 4:15 PM

Break

4:15 PM – 4:55 PM

Facebook’s Sheryl Sandburg on Retail’s Digital Future

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated e-commerce adoption exponentially, and the importance of digital in retail has skyrocketed for small and large businesses alike. Consumers have entirely different expectations of their retail partners from just one year ago, expectations that will likely continue to evolve. This session will explore these major shifts in consumer behaviors and demands, and how digital tools and innovations can help retailers stay nimble and scale to meet their customers’ needs.

Moderator
Mary Dillon
Chief Executive Officer
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
Speaker
Sheryl Sandberg
Chief Operating Officer
Facebook
4:55 PM – 5:00 PM

Closing Remarks

Speaker
Brian Dodge
President
RILA
2:00 PM – 2:05 PM

Opening Remarks

Speaker
Brian Dodge
President
RILA
2:05 PM – 2:50 PM

Target’s Brian Cornell and HACR’s Cid Wilson on the D&I Imperative – Moderated by Ellyn Shook, Accenture

Diversity & inclusion aren’t buzzwords at Target. The retailer, which has had an ambitious D&I strategy for many years, is a model for moving beyond talk to action, which ultimately helps drive growth and business success. Leading companies don’t go it alone; they see external partnerships as an essential component of achieving their D&I goals – to offer cultural intelligence and help infuse D&I throughout their entire organizations. This discussion will highlight lessons from Target’s longstanding partnership with HACR, the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility, along with tangible actions based on the collective experiences of Target, HACR and Accenture about how to create a diverse and equitable workplace, an inclusive customer experience and positive change in our communities.

Moderator
Ellyn Shook
Chief Leadership & Human Resources Officer
Accenture
Speaker
Cid Wilson
President & Chief Executive Officer
Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR)
2:50 PM – 3:00 PM

Break

3:00 PM – 3:50 PM

Best Buy’s Corie Barry on Leading with Purpose

When tough choices had to be made this past year, Best Buy showed leadership by prioritizing the safety of their customers and employees by moving all stores to curbside only at the beginning of the pandemic, even though they were deemed an essential business. While CEOs often balance the revenue goals of their companies with their social responsibilities, the challenges of 2020 came with no playbook. Hear from Best Buy CEO Corie Barry on how she and the company made important decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic and how she and her team continue to learn from those decisions today.

Moderator
Brian Dodge
President
RILA
Speaker
Corie Barry
Chief Executive Officer
Best Buy Co., Inc.
3:50 PM – 4:00 PM

Break

4:00 PM – 4:45 PM

FBI’s David Bowdich on Public Private Partnerships, Civil Unrest, ORC and Beyond

Retailers have long partnered with law enforcement, and the many challenges and unprecedented events of 2020 have made these partnerships even more critical. Hear from FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich, who leads all domestic and international investigative and intelligence activities for the Bureau, as he discusses the responsibilities of the FBI and its role regarding organized retail crime and civil unrest, emerging criminal risks to retailers and how the retail industry and the FBI can work more collaboratively to address threats and criminal activity.

Moderator
Lisa LaBruno
Sr. Executive Vice President, Retail Operations
RILA
Speakers
David Bowdich
Deputy Director
FBI
Martin Butler
Vice President, Consumer Industry Leader, USA
IBM Corporation
4:45 PM – 5:00 PM

Closing Remarks

Speaker
Brian Dodge
President
RILA

RILA gets the top CEOs in the retail industry together to share ideas about future innovation in the industry. I think it’s a very important forum.

Brian Cornell
  • Chairman & CEO
  • Target

2021 Attendee List

  • Academy Sports + Outdoors
  • Advance Auto Parts
  • Altar'd State
  • Ascena Retail Group
  • AutoZone
  • Bed Bath & Beyond
  • Best Buy
  • Blain's Farm & Fleet
  • C&S Wholesale Grocers
  • Chico's
  • Coca-Cola
  • CVS Health
  • DICK'S Sporting Goods
  • Dollar General
  • Energizer Holdings
  • Five Below
  • Gap Inc.
  • Icahn Automotive Group LLC
  • IKEA North America
  • Kohl's
  • L.L. Bean
  • Lands' End, Inc.
  • Levi Strauss
  • Lidl US
  • Lowe's
  • Meijer
  • New Balance Athletics
  • Nordstrom
  • Party City
  • PetSmart
  • PUMA North America
  • RILA
  • Shurtape Technologies
  • Signet Jewelers
  • Southeastern Grocers
  • Target
  • The Home Depot
  • Tractor Supply
  • Ulta Beauty
  • VF
  • Walgreens

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