Retail CEO Forum
Palm Beach, Florida

Forum Program

Last Year's Program

2022 Program Agenda

  • Sunday Jan 30, 2022
  • Monday Jan 31, 2022
  • Tuesday Feb 01, 2022
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Registration & Information Desk

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Executive Committee Meeting & Lunch

Private meeting of the Executive Committee of the RILA Board of Directors.

1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Board of Directors Meeting

Private meeting of the RILA Board of Directors.

5:00 PM – 6:30 PM

Welcome Reception

Kick off the Retail CEO Forum at this casual opening reception, where you can meet and reunite with fellow Forum participants. Dress casually for a relaxed evening of fun and networking.

6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Chairman’s Dinner

Join members of the Board and other invited CEOs at this opening dinner. Invite only.

7:30 AM – 8:15 AM

Breakfast

Please join us for breakfast and networking before the programming day begins.

7:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Registration & Information Desk

8:30 AM – 9:00 AM

Welcome Remarks

The Retail CEO Forum will open with the themes that will drive RILA's work on behalf of the industry for 2022.

Speaker
Brian Dodge
President
RILA
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Resetting Retail through Relevance, Creativity & Brand Purpose

A unifying feature of the post-pandemic landscape is a desire for relevance, community and belonging. The post-pandemic consumer is not simply asking themselves “What do I want?,” but rather, “What is relevant to me, what do I care about, and what should I care about?" In a world of globalization, climate change and rapid advances in technology, personal relevance is under constant attack, with destabilizing consequences for the human psyche. In this session, Accenture Interactive CEO and Creative Chairman, David Droga will explore this new post-pandemic meaning of relevance and brand purpose to create a connection with the modern consumer.

Speakers
David Droga
CEO & Creative Chairman, Accenture Interactive
Accenture
Jill Standish
Senior Managing Director, Global Retail Consulting Practice
Accenture
10:00 AM – 10:20 AM

Networking Break

You value the networking at the Retail CEO Forum most of all, so we’ve added plenty of networking time throughout the day.

10:20 AM – 11:30 AM

Advancing Retail's Business Objectives through Public Affairs

Leading retailers face a variety of complex problems that are barriers to achieving their business objectives. Some aspects of these complex problems can be addressed through public affairs engagement. In this session, RILA public affairs, operations, legal, and communications teams will discuss RILA’s approach to advancing retail public policy priorities through the lens of three critical issues: corporate taxes, organized retail crime, and the supply chain. The discussion will illuminate RILA’s use of cross-functional teams to co-develop and execute long-term creative public affairs strategies that achieve retail business objectives.

11:30 AM – 12:45 PM

Executive Luncheon

Getting to know your peers in the industry is a key opportunity of the CEO Forum, and this informal networking lunch is a perfect setting to meet and connect.

1:00 PM – 1:40 PM

Retail CEO Spotlight – Mark Breitbard, GAP

Mark will share insights on how the iconic worldwide retailer leverages partnerships to amplify their brand and their impact as corporate citizens.

Moderator
Shelley Bransten
Corporate Vice President, WW Retail & Consumer Goods
Microsoft
Speaker
Mark Breitbard
President & Chief Executive Officer, Global Gap Brand
Gap Inc.
1:40 PM – 2:00 PM

Networking Break

2:00 PM – 2:40 PM

Investment Banking Panel featuring Goldman Sachs

Join Tim and Vishaal as they cover the latest macroeconomic and capital markets outlook including inflation, GDP growth trends, consumer sentiment and implications to M&A.

Speakers
Tim Ingrassia
Co-Chairman, Global Mergers & Acquisitions, IBD
Goldman Sachs
Vishaal Rana
Managing Director, Cross Markets Consumer Retail Group, IBD
Goldman Sachs
2:40 PM – 3:00 PM

Networking Break

3:00 PM – 3:40 PM

Retailer Journeys: Personalization at Scale

Consumer shopping behaviors have fundamentally shifted during the last two years. Whether it is an acceleration, the new normal, or just the next phase of retail, these changes to customer expectations and paths to purchase are rightly the focus of retailers looking to differentiate and deepen customer relationships. This session will explore how two retailers seek to better harness data and unique service offerings to deliver personal shopping experience at scale.

Moderator
Krystina Gustafson
Senior Vice President, Content
Shoptalk
Speaker
Prama Bhatt
Chief Digital Officer
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
3:40 PM – 4:00 PM

Networking Break

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Policy and Politics Session: Insights on Political Challenges & Leadership

In what is always a captivating session at the CEO Forum, a panel will discuss the state of policy initiatives and the political landscape in Washington.

Moderator
Anna Palmer
Founder & CEO
Punchbowl News
Speakers
Kelly Ayotte
Former Senator of New Hampshire
United States Senate
Heidi Heitkamp
Former U.S. Senator and Attorney General of North Dakota, ABC and CNBC contributor, and founder of One Country
6:00 PM – 9:30 PM

Evening on the Beach

Join us for sunset and an evening on the beach. Start with pre-dinner cocktails, enjoy a delicious dinner featuring a variety of food stations, then relax for an evening under the stars with live music, networking, desserts and after dinner libations. Resort casual attire and beach appropriate footwear is encouraged.

7:00 AM – 7:45 AM

Breakfast

Please join us for breakfast and networking.

7:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Registration & Information Desk

8:00 AM – 8:05 AM

Welcome Day Two

Speaker
Brian Dodge
President
RILA
8:05 AM – 9:00 AM

Retail Analysts’ Perspective on 2022 and Beyond

Join this panel of retail analysts as they discuss their views of the state of the retail industry, the critical metrics driving valuations and how both have changed, and will continue to change, as consumers and retailers continue to evolve.

Moderator
Harmit Singh
Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President
Levi Strauss & Co.
Speakers
Sara Araghi
Vice President, Research Analyst and Portfolio Manager
Franklin Templeton
Matthew Boss
Managing Director, Equity Research
J.P. Morgan
Dana Telsey
Chief Executive Officer & Chief Research Officer
Telsey Advisory Group - TAG
9:15 AM – 10:15 AM

Breaking the Spell of High Conflict

Conflict, whether political or personal, can escalate and become toxic, as we keep seeing in the news, on social media, in politics. At this level, known as "high conflict," we start sorting the world into good and evil, us and them. Things become suddenly very clear. Our brains behave differently. We tend to exaggerate the differences between ourselves and the other political party or racial or religious group (or sibling or co-worker), without realizing we are doing it. We believe the other side cannot change, even when it can. Eventually, everyone suffers, to varying degrees. To try to understand how people get bewitched by high conflict--and how they get out--Amanda spent four years following a politician in California, a former gang leader in Chicago, a divided synagogue in New York City and other conflict survivors all over the world. She discovered that the secret is not to get out of conflict; conflict itself is essential, and it can be healthy and good. The key is to get out of high conflict. From the stories and the science of conflict, Amanda has identified the "fire-starter" forces that tend to cause high conflict--as well as the practical but counterintuitive rules of "good conflict." This work is surprising and ultimately hopeful, and it has transformed how Amanda operates as a journalist.

Speaker
Amanda Ripley
Investigative Journalist & Best Selling Author
10:15 AM – 11:00 AM

Forum Wrap-Up and Book Signing

Chat with closing speaker Amanda Ripley as she signs her recent best seller, High Conflict.

All times are eastern time. Schedule and program are subject to change.
 

Attend the can’t miss event for retail executives!

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