DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION, THE FUTURE OF WORK, AND LEADING THROUGH CHALLENGING TIMES
January 27, 2021 | 2:15 - 3:05 p.m. ET

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. 

About Nadella

Satya Nadella is Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft. Before being named CEO in February 2014, Nadella held leadership roles in both enterprise and consumer businesses across the company.

Joining Microsoft in 1992, he quickly became known as a leader who could span a breadth of technologies and businesses to transform some of Microsoft’s biggest product offerings.

Most recently, Nadella was executive vice president of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group. In this role he led the transformation to the cloud infrastructure and services business, which outperformed the market and took share from competition. Previously, Nadella led R&D for the Online Services Division and was vice president of the Microsoft Business Division. Before joining Microsoft, Nadella was a member of the technology staff at Sun Microsystems.

LEADING THROUGH CHANGE
January 27, 2021 | 3:15 - 4:05 p.m. ET

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic 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.
 

About Michelle Gass

Michelle Gass is CEO of Kohl’s and is responsible for the company’s long-term growth, profitability, and strategic direction—overseeing its 1,160 store base, ecommerce business, and 100,000 associates across the country. She is committed to building a strong purpose-driven culture, and has accelerated the company’s Diversity and Inclusion efforts and ESG strategies and goals.

Gass has recently set a bold new vision for Kohl's—to be the most trusted retailer of choice for the active and casual lifestyle. During her tenure, she led the transformation of the company’s efforts in becoming a leading omnichannel retailer, brought in and elevated notable national brand partnerships, and evolved Kohl's loyalty program into an industry-leading platform. As a champion of driving continuous reinvention for the future, Gass has forged new innovative partnerships with iconic powerful companies, such as Amazon and Sephora, to anticipate the needs of families for today and for tomorrow.

Joining Kohl’s in 2013 as chief customer officer, Gass was named chief merchandising and customer officer in 2015, with responsibility for Kohl’s marketing, merchandising, planning and product development functions. She was promoted to CEO-elect in October 2017 prior to assuming the CEO role in May 2018. 

Gass has more than 30 years of experience in the retail and consumer goods industries. Prior to Kohl’s, she spent more than 16 years with Starbucks holding a variety of leadership roles across marketing, strategy, merchandising and operations, including president, Starbucks EMEA. She began her career with Procter & Gamble.

Gass has received numerous professional honors, including being named to Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in Business and Businessperson of the Year lists, as well as being named The Visionary 2020 by the National Retail Federation. Gass currently serves on the Board of Directors for PepsiCo. She received her undergraduate degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from the University of Washington.     

RETAIL'S DIGITAL FUTURE
January 27, 2021 | 4:15 - 4:55 p.m. ET

Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg will tap into her deep knowledge of digital trends to address retail’s digital future, including:

• Changing customer expectations after the accelerated e-commerce adoption brought on by the pandemic;
• The major consumer behavior shifts that promise to last well into the future;
• How digital tools and innovations can help retailers stay nimble and scale to meet customer needs.

About Sandberg

Sheryl Sandberg is chief operating officer at Facebook, overseeing the firm’s business operations. She also serves on Facebook’s board of directors. Prior to Facebook, Sheryl was vice president of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google, chief of staff for the United States Treasury Department under President Clinton, a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, and an economist with the World Bank. 

Sheryl received a BA summa cum laude from Harvard University and an MBA with highest distinction from Harvard Business School.

Sheryl is the co-author of Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy with Wharton professor and bestselling author Adam Grant. She is also the author of the bestsellers Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead and Lean In for Graduates. She is the founder of the Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to build a more equal and resilient world through two key initiatives, LeanIn.Org and OptionB.Org. Sheryl serves on the boards of Facebook, Women for Women International, ONE, and SurveyMonkey. 

THE D&I IMPERATIVE - MODERATED BY ELLYN SHOOK, ACCENTURE
January 28, 2021 | 2:05 - 2:50 p.m. ET

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.

About Cornell
Brian Cornell Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian Cornell is board chairman and CEO of Target Corp. He is responsible for Target’s global business, including the company’s nearly 1,900 U.S. stores, digital properties and more than 350,000 team members. 

Cornell joined Target in August 2014 after more than 30 years in escalating leadership positions at leading retail and global consumer product companies, including three CEO roles and more than two decades doing business in North America, Asia, Europe and Latin America. His past experience includes time as both a vendor partner and a competitor to Target, and he brings insights from those roles to the company today. 

Cornell currently serves as the non-executive chairman of the board of directors for Yum! Brands and is the Immediate Past Chairman of the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA). He previously served as a director for other global brands, including The Home Depot and Polaris Industries. 

Cornell is also a board member for Catalyst and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. He earned a bachelor’s degree from UCLA in 1981 and attended its Anderson School of Management.

THE D&I IMPERATIVE - MODERATED BY ELLYN SHOOK, ACCENTURE
January 28, 2021 | 2:05 - 2:50 p.m. ET

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.


About Wilson

Cid Wilson is the President and CEO of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility’s (HACR), bringing more than 20 years of corporate finance and Wall Street equity research experience. Managing a staff of talented and dedicated professionals and working closely with corporate board members, Hispanic organizations, and corporate partners around the country, Wilson directs programs and initiatives aimed at encouraging Fortune 500 companies to include Hispanics in the areas of Employment, Procurement, Philanthropy, and Governance.

His leadership in the corporate sector includes previous service on the Ethnic Advisory Board for PepsiCo, Inc., and the Consumer Advisory Board for Verizon Communications. He is a former board member for the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the former national president of the Dominican American National Roundtable (DANR), and a Gold Life Member of the NAACP.

LEADING WITH PURPOSE
January 28, 2021 | 3:00 - 3:50 p.m. ET

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.


About Barry

Corie Barry is CEO of Best Buy Co. Inc., the leading provider of consumer technology products and services, with approximately 125,000 employees in North America and nearly $44 billion in annual revenue. She also serves on the company’s board of directors.

Under Corie’s leadership, Best Buy is driving toward being one of the best places to work in America, doubling our significant customer relationship events to 50 million and growing annual revenue to $50 billion by fiscal 2025.

Prior to becoming CEO in June 2019, Corie served in several other executive positions, playing a critical role in developing and executing the company’s Building the New Blue growth strategy and related transformation. Most recently, she was the company’s chief financial and strategic transformation officer, overseeing strategic transformation and growth, digital and technology, global finance, investor relations, enterprise risk and compliance, integration management, and Best Buy Health.

Corie joined Best Buy in 1999 and has held a variety of financial and operational roles across the organization, both in the field and at the corporate office. She became CFO in 2016 and, prior to that, served as chief strategic growth officer. She has also served as senior vice president of domestic finance and interim president of Best Buy’s services organization.

Before joining Best Buy, Corie started her career as an auditor at Deloitte & Touche.

A Minnesota native, Corie holds bachelor’s degrees in accounting and management from the College of St. Benedict, where she now serves on the board of trustees. Additionally, she serves on the board of directors for Domino’s Pizza.

PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS, CIVIL UNREST, ORC AND BEYOND
January 28, 2021 | 4:00 - 4:45 p.m. ET

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.


About Bowdich

In March 2018, David Bowdich was appointed to the Deputy Director position. In this role, he oversees all FBI domestic and international investigative and intelligence activities. In April 2016, he was appointed as the Associate Deputy Director of the FBI, where he oversaw the management of all FBI personnel, budget, administration, and infrastructure. Prior to this appointment, he served as Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office from December 2014 to April 2016. While leading the Los Angeles Field Office, Mr. Bowdich led a number of high profile investigations, to include the San Bernardino terror attack and the LAX active shooter investigation.

From September 2012 to December 2014, Mr. Bowdich served as the Special Agent in Charge of the Counterterrorism Division in the Los Angeles Field Office. In that role, he led the Joint Terrorism Task Force, which was responsible for all international and domestic terrorism investigations in the Los Angeles region, surrounding counties, and the extraterritorial region of Southeast Asia. Additionally, Mr. Bowdich was responsible for all crisis management and response assets, which included the SWAT Team, Evidence Response Team, Hazardous Evidence Response Team, Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team, Rapid Deployment Team, Crisis Management Team, and Special Agent Bomb Technicians.

Mr. Bowdich began his career as an FBI Special Agent in 1995 in the San Diego Field Office, where he investigated violent crimes and gangs and served as a SWAT Team operator and sniper. In 2003, Mr. Bowdich was promoted to FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he served in the Criminal Investigative Division and the Director's Office. Mr. Bowdich returned to San Diego and supervised a multiagency gang task force before being promoted to Assistant Special Agent in Charge over all non-white-collar crime criminal violations, the Imperial County Resident Agency, the SWAT Team, and the Evidence Response Team.