2026 Speakers
Speaker Line-Up
A look at the CEOs, policymakers, innovators, and industry experts who have led discussions at past Retail CEO Forums.
Forum Voices
Leaders Who Have Shaped the Conversation
The Retail CEO Forum brings together influential leaders from retail, business, technology, and public policy. The speakers below represent voices who have helped guide conversations at previous Forums.
Bret Taylor
Co-Founder, Sierra
Bret is Co-Founder of Sierra. Most recently, he served as Co-CEO of Salesforce. Prior to Salesforce, Bret founded Quip and was CTO of Facebook. He started his career at Google, where he co-created Google Maps. Bret serves on the board of OpenAI.
Brett Leary
Managing Director, Generative AI Transformation – Global Retail Lead
In his role as Accenture’s Global Generative AI Lead for the firm’s Retail practice, Brett is helping to shape the next evolution of retail powered by AI. Brett is instrumental in educating Accenture's clientele, helping them navigate the rapidly evolving space. He is focused on helping retailers use the emerging technology to unlock value across their business and customer experiences. During his time at Accenture, Brett has also held a leadership role in the firm’s Omnichannel Commerce practice. Before joining Accenture, Brett spent the bulk of his career helping brands and retailers navigate and embrace emerging technologies. From web to mobile and now Generative AI, Brett has been at forefront of many of the technology movements of the past couple of decades. Early in his career, Brett worked for m-Qube, a successful start-up that jumpstarted the mobile commerce and marketing era. Brett also spent 11 years at Digitas — a Publicis Groupe digital agency. At Digitas, he created and led the company’s efforts around several emerging areas, including the company’s commerce offerings, mobile practice and their Connected Commerce Showcase — an award-winning experience focused on the convergence of physical and digital store technologies and shopping experiences. Brett holds a B.A. from Hobart College and his M.B.A. from Babson College.
Brian Dodge
President and Chief Executive Officer
As a public affairs and association professional with more than 12 years’ experience in the retail industry, Brian Dodge became RILA president in January 2020. In this role, Dodge is responsible for identifying industry challenges and opportunities, guiding strategy for the Association, and coordinating activities among partners to achieve shared goals.
Dodge previously served as chief operating officer for RILA, overseeing the organization's public affairs, legal and compliance, human resources and administration, membership, and financial operations. He also helped guide the development and execution of the Association's public affairs strategy.
Prior to joining RILA, Brian worked as the executive director of the Massachusetts Republican Party, where he was a frequent guest on local radio and television and a regular contributor to local and national print media. Earlier in his career, Dodge was a senior associate with the DC-based government affairs firm Cassidy & Associates. A veteran of public affairs, Brian has also served on Capitol Hill and on the staff of two Massachusetts governors.
Chip Bergh
Board Chair
Chip Bergh is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Levi Strauss & Co., an apparel company. Prior to his time at Levi Strauss & Co., he spent 28 years at The Procter & Gamble Co., where he held a variety of executive roles, including Group President of Global Male Grooming, and managed businesses in multiple regions worldwide.
Mr. Bergh brings to the Board extensive experience in executive leadership at large global companies and international business management. From his more than 40 years at Levi Strauss and Procter & Gamble, Mr. Bergh has a strong operational and strategic background with significant experience in brand management. He also brings public company governance experience as a board member and committee member of other public and private companies.
Mr. Bergh currently serves as director of Pinterest, and previously served as director of VF Corporation and Levi Strauss & Co.
Corie Barry
Chief Executive Officer, Best Buy
Corie Barry is CEO of Best Buy Co. Inc., the leading provider of consumer technology products and services, with over 85,000 employees in North America and more than $43 billion in annual revenue. She also serves on the company’s board of directors.
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.
Heather Kennedy
VP, Government Relations and External Communications
Heather Kennedy is the vice president of government relations and external communications. Heather has served in a variety of positions of increasing responsibility at the company for over 23 years. She is responsible for global government relations, federal lobbying and political activity in the Washington, D.C. office as well as state and local government relations across all 50 states. She oversees strategy for external communications including corporate and executive communications, brand PR, public affairs and Foundation communications. Heather graduated summa cum laude from Florida State University with a BA in Business Management and holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Georgetown University. Heather chairs the Governance Committee for the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute, sits on Ford’s Theatre Corporate Advisory Board, the Board of the First Tee of Greater Washington DC, and is a member of the DC Economic Club.
Ian Bremmer
Global Affairs Expert
Ian Bremmer is a political scientist who helps business leaders, policymakers, and the general public make sense of the world around them.
Ian is president and founder of Eurasia Group, the world's leading global research and advisory firm, and GZERO Media, a digital media company providing intelligent and engaging news coverage of international affairs. Ian is an independent voice on critical issues around the globe, offering clearheaded insights through speeches, written commentary, and even satirical puppets (really!).
Ian is credited with bringing the craft of political risk to financial markets, and for establishing it as an academic discipline. His definition of emerging markets— “those countries where politics matters at least as much as economics for market outcomes”—has become an industry standard. “G-Zero,” his term for a global power vacuum in which no country is willing and able to set the international agenda, is widely used by policymakers and thought leaders.
A prolific writer, Ian is the author of eleven books, including The New York Times bestsellers “Us vs. Them: The Failure of Globalism,” which examines the rise of populism across the world, and his latest book, “The Power of Crisis: How Three Threats—and Our Response—Will Change the World,” which considers looming global crises (health emergencies, climate change, and technological revolution) and their potential to create global prosperity and opportunity.
Ian is foreign affairs columnist and editor at large for Time magazine and the host of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, a global affairs program that airs weekly on US public television. Uniquely positioned to bring unbiased analysis on complex geopolitical issues, Ian is a frequent guest on leading broadcast television, digital news, and podcasts— from CNN and MSNBC to FOX and Newsmax— as well as key international media.
In 2023-2024, Ian served as rapporteur of the UN High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence, whose 2024 report marked the first global initiative to address AI-related risks and sharing its transformative potential globally.
Ian holds a master's degree and a doctorate in political science from Stanford University and a bachelor's degree in international relations from Tulane University. He currently teaches at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and previously was a professor at New York University. Ian is also a Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
He lives in New York City with his wife Ann and their wily Norfolk Terrier, Moose.
Ike Boruchow
Managing Director and Senior Analyst, Retailing, Specialty Softlines and E-Commerce
Ike Boruchow is a managing director, and senior Equity analyst covering Retailing, Specialty Softlines and E-commerce. With 18+ years covering the Consumer sector, Ike has been ranked runner-up in the Retailing/Department Stores and Specialty Softlines sector in the Extel (formerly Institutional Investor) All-America survey in 2025, 2024, 2023, 2021, 2020, and 2018, while he was also named a “Rising Star” in 2015. Ike has also been recognized as a “Top Stock Picker” according to Starmine (No. 2 in 2020 and No. 3 in 2018). Ike joined Wells Fargo in 2015 from Sterne Agee where he spent three years covering the Specialty Retail sector. Prior to that, Ike spent more than three years at J.P. Morgan. He earned an M.B.A. in finance from the University of Connecticut. Ike is based in Miami where he lives with his wife and two children.
J.K. Symancyk
Chief Executive Officer
J.K. Symancyk is CEO of Signet Jewelers. He brings over 30 years of retail industry experience across a diverse range of categories and has spent his career in large-scale organizations. Symancyk most recently served for six years as CEO of PetSmart, Inc., overseeing a growth plan and accelerating the company's leadership through proprietary brand development, services expansion, loyalty program creation, and digital and supply chain capabilities enhancements.
Previously, Symancyk served as CEO of Academy Sports + Outdoors from 2015 to 2018, where he led a return to growth and strategic positioning for the company's initial public offering, refining the merchandise strategy and resetting major infrastructure to support a national omnichannel footprint. From 2006 to 2015, Symancyk held roles of increasing responsibility at Meijer, a supercenter chain throughout the Midwest, including Group Vice President, EVP Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Operating officer and President. Symancyk began his career with 12 years at Walmart where he held various leadership roles, ultimately serving from 2004 to 2006 as Divisional Merchandise Manager, Sam's Club Division. Symancyk currently is a member of the Retail Industry Leaders Association and serves on the Board of Directors of Bath & Body Works, Inc. He previously served as a director at Chewy, Inc., from April 2019 to July 2021, and GameStop Corp., from March 2020 to June 2021. Symancyk graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Jill Standish
Retail Industry Lead
Jill Standish is the senior managing director for Accenture's Global Retail Consulting Practice. As the head of Accenture's Retail practice, Jill is responsible for the business strategy and ongoing development and execution of strategy for clients. She also oversees Accenture's offerings and assets, guides growth and capability development and manages the retail industry client portfolio.
Jill has over 20 years of experience with previous leadership positions in sales, marketing and consulting in the retail industry. Throughout her career, she has worked on numerous digital and store transformation projects with leading global retail
clients, including Carrefour, Walmart, Selfridges, Neiman Marcus, Gap, American Eagle and TJX.
Prior to joining Accenture, she was senior vice president and general manager for the Retail Business Unit at Oracle, responsible for the full P&L and go-to-market for the retail portfolio of solutions. Before that, Jill spent almost a decade at IBM in various leadership positions. She was the vice president and global leader for IBM's Global Business Services retail consulting practice, responsible for the vision, strategy and financial growth of the retail business and also held the role of vice president, Retail Store Solutions.
Jill was named by Consulting Magazine as one of their Top 25 Consultants for her vision and strategy in the retail industry. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York and is an active member of the National Retail Federation (NRF). She was a keynote speaker at NRF's 100th Anniversary Big Show in New York City and at the World Retail Congress in Berlin. Jill has been quoted in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Stores Magazine, and has published thought leadership on key industry topics.
Jill is also on the board of directors for the Women's Center of Greater Danbury; a non-profit organization supporting women and teens. She holds a Bachelors in Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Massachusetts, graduating Summa Cum Laude.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Actor, Producer, Host & Activist
Khris Hamlin
Vice President
Khris Hamlin serves as Vice President of Asset Protection. In this role, Khris’s primary focus is to step-in to lead RILA’s AP Committees, support content development for the annual Retail AP Conference, and play a key role in priority initiatives like Vibrant Communities.
Most recently Hamlin served as senior vice president of asset protection, inventory control, and dc/logistics operations in New York for Saks OFF 5TH, a premier destination for luxury off-price fashion. In this role, he led all corporate and store-level asset protection strategies, risk assessments, inventory control, strategic asset protection hiring, learning and development, risk mitigation, distribution center operations, transportation, and logistics, along with total team engagement. He also supported senior leadership as a member of the executive leadership team (executive committee). Hamlin helped drive the strategic planning process for risk management, and he developed objectives that provided operational leverage and industry-leading key performance indicators.
Before joining Saks OFF 5TH, Hamlin served in regional asset protection, regional operations, and store leadership roles with Nordstrom Inc., Belk Inc., and Macy’s Inc.
Hamlin is a member of the International Association of Black Security Executives. He serves on the board of directors as their "director of early career professionals" there. Hamlin has a master's degree in psychology from the University of Baltimore in Maryland and holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from George Mason University.
Matt McDonald
Chief Executive Officer
Matt McDonald is CEO of Penta and has served as a senior counselor to leaders in the public and private sectors for more than two decades, providing guidance at the intersection of communications and business strategy.
In addition to leading Penta, Matt is engaged in client work with a particular focus on finance and technology. His work has ranged from reputation building and thought leadership to strategy development and organizational change. Matt also leads work on crisis communications and debates around issues of intense public scrutiny.
Prior to his current role, Matt was a partner at Hamilton Place Strategies, one of the founding firms of Penta, where he drove innovation in combining deep analytical work with high-profile public policy debates. He was also previously a consultant for McKinsey & Company in its New York and Washington offices. In that role, he helped C-suite executives confronting generational industry and economic upheaval in the aftermath of the economic crisis.
Matt served under President Bush as associate communications director at the White House with responsibility for economic issues and also served in senior roles on three presidential campaigns, including those of Governor Romney and Senator McCain. In 2004, he was the rapid response director for President Bush’s reelection and served in a similar leadership role as a senior advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger’s reelection victory in California. Previously, he was a speechwriter for governors and members of Congress.
Matt was named to PRWeek’s Top 50 Power List and PRovoke Media People to Watch for 2024. He is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society, a premier global professional association for senior strategic communications leaders. Matt holds a degree in economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.
Michael O'Brien
CEO
Michael O'Brien leads Highwire with a collaborative vision as CEO, connecting client storytelling to the reputation drivers that work hardest for their success. His approach centers on meeting audiences where they are and building trust through sophisticated marketing strategies that interpret complex realities into simple, measurable solutions that advance business goals.
Michelle DeLaune
President
Michelle DeLaune is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Since she began her career at NCMEC two decades ago, DeLaune has held numerous positions, most recently serving 8 years as its Chief Operating Officer. During her tenure at NCMEC, she witnessed first-hand the evolving threats that face our children and has expanded NCMEC's programmatic response to both missing and exploited children.
NCMEC continues to see an explosion in cases of children going missing from the child welfare system as well as children being sexually trafficked. In addition, incidents of child sexual exploitation online continue to grow exponentially. Under her leadership, new programs have been implemented to better serve these vulnerable populations including a child sex trafficking recovery-planning team and NCMEC's Child Victim Identification Program which has contributed to the identification and rescue of thousands of children from sexually abusive situations.
Emphasizing the human element, DeLaune has championed a reignited focus on the importance of survivor informed responses where those with lived experience provide valuable input into NCMEC programs. She's helped establish multiple survivor expert working groups to amplify the voices of those impacted by these crimes and inspire change in the world.
Embracing new technology has transformed NCMEC and its impact. DeLaune created the first-ever data science program as a discipline at NCMEC. Data mining allows NCMEC to provide timely, meaningful information to better protect children.
DeLaune is the first woman to lead the non-profit organization since it opened its doors in 1984.
On numerous occasions, DeLaune has testified before the U.S. Congress about matters pertaining to the sexual exploitation of children and has represented NCMEC at high-level events around the world. She has written articles regarding the importance of identifying child victims depicted in sexually abusive material. She received a B.A. with a major in psychology from George Mason University and an M.A. in Criminology from the University of Maryland at College Park.
Niraj Shah
Chief Executive Officer, Co-Chairman & Co-Founder
Mr. Shah is our co-founder and has served as our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our Board since 2002. Prior to founding Wayfair, Mr. Shah served as Chief Executive Officer for Simplify Mobile Corporation, an enterprise software company he co-founded in 2001, and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Greylock Partners, a venture capital firm, in 2001. Mr. Shah served in various roles at iXL Enterprises, Inc., including as Chief Operating Officer and a director, from 1998 to 2000, and as Chief Executive Officer of Spinners Incorporated, an IT consulting company he co-founded, from 1995 to 1998. Mr. Shah received a B.S. from Cornell University.
Phil Daniele
President and Chief Executive Officer, AutoZone
Philip B. Daniele, III was named President and Chief Executive Officer and appointed to the Board of Directors on January 2, 2024. Previously, Mr. Daniele served as Executive Vice President – Merchandising, Marketing and Supply Chain from 2021 to 2023 and Senior Vice President – Commercial from 2015 to 2021. Mr. Daniele has also held several other key management positions with the Company, including Vice President – Commercial Support, Vice President – Merchandising and Divisional Vice President – Store Operations.
Sally Jewell
Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior
Sally Jewell has been a director since January 2020. From June 2019 until May 2020, she served as the interim Chief Executive Officer of The Nature Conservancy, a global environmental non-profit organization, where she continues to serve as a global board member. She served as U.S. Secretary of the Interior under President Barack Obama from 2013 to 2017. Prior to her government service, she was CEO of Recreational Equipment Inc., a retailer of outdoor recreation equipment and services, from 2005 to 2013, COO from 2000 to 2005 and a board member from 1996 to 2013. Previously, she worked in commercial banking for 19 years, including in various executive capacities. She serves as chair of the board of Symetra Financial Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Life Insurance Company. Mrs. Jewell’s qualifications to serve on the Board include her extensive board service at other public and private corporations and non-profit organizations, and her diverse experience, including serving in leadership positions in government, academia, retail and environmental sustainability.
Sandra Cochran
Board Member, Lowe's
Stacey Shulman
Vice President - Client Computing Group; GM - Health, Education and Consumer Industries
Steve Smith
President and Chief Executive Officer
Steve currently serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of L.L. Bean. Steve began his career in 1992 at J. Walter Thompson. Following a decade of working in merchandising, marketing and customer relationships for companies including Resort Sports Network, Hannaford Supermarket and the Delhaize Group, Steve joined Walmart International in 2011.
He held a variety of leadership roles for Walmart China, Asda (a Walmart-owned food, fashion and general merchandise business in the United Kingdom) and Yihaodian (part of Walmart Global eCommerce – a Shanghai e-commerce business).
Susan Morris
Chief Executive Officer
Susan Morris is the Chief Executive Officer of Albertsons Companies, Inc., a leading food and drug retailer in the United States. In this role, Susan leads the Company’s growth and innovation through the accelerated strategy to earn Customers for Life, with a focus on digital engagement in e-commerce, loyalty, pharmacy and health, and in-store, as well as connecting retail brands with shoppers around the joys of food through the Albertsons Media Collective.
Four decades ago, Susan began her career at a customer service desk at an Albertsons store in the Denver market. Today, she is an accomplished leader with a deep knowledge of all aspects of the retail grocery business. Throughout her career, she has invested in the personal and professional growth of associates and led high-performing teams that continually raise the bar for Albertsons Cos. customers and the communities they serve.
Before becoming CEO, Susan served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer from 2018 to 2025. She led the retail operations of the Company and oversaw more than 2,200 stores across 35 states.
Her experience also includes serving as Executive Vice President of Regional Operations, Division President in two markets, and various other leadership roles across merchandising and operations.
She serves on the Boards of Directors of IDACORP, Inc. (NYSE: IDA) and the Food Marketing Institute. Previously she served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Albertsons Companies Foundation, which is committed to reducing food insecurity and lifting up communities the Company serves.
Tamara Asher
Member, Board of Directors
Tamara is the New Ventures Relationship Manager for Seaman Corporation. She is responsible for establishing and growing strategic customer relationships for Seaman’s early-stage R&D solutions. In this role she will help guide Seaman’s entrance and commercial expansion into new and adjacent markets.
Prior to her position at Seaman, Tamara was a Director of Member Engagement for the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). She provided consultative services to senior-level executives at manufacturing companies with an annual sales revenue of approximately $100 million to an excess of $1 billion.
Before the NAM, Tamara served as a senior FBI Intelligence Analyst for approximately 13 years. She worked criminal, cyber, counterintelligence and counterterrorism matters in California, Washington, D.C., Indonesia and South Africa. Tamara delivered timely information to law enforcement, the intelligence community and the private sector furthering joint FBI investigations. Tamara also served as the FBI Director’s daily briefer in Washington, D.C. where she provided actionable intelligence to senior executives on emerging domestic and global threats. Tamara earned the Intelligence Community Advanced Analytic Program certification and is also the recipient of the FBI Medal of Excellence and National Meritorious Unit Citation award.
Tamara received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles. During this time, she worked alongside NCMEC and DOJ to advocate for kidnapping victims, their families and survivors. She provided keynote addresses at NCMEC fundraising, corporate and community liaison events and co-authored a survivors’ guide. Tamara also completed a summer internship with NCMEC and was an FBI Honors intern.
In the summer of 2002 when Tamara was a teenager, she survived being kidnapped. The state of California authorized the use of its first AMBER Alert which resulted in law enforcement locating and rescuing her. That experience initiated and continues to fuel Tamara’s passion to prevent the exploitation of children.
Teresa Tung
Cloud First Chief Technologist
Teresa Tung is Accenture's Cloud First Chief Technologist leading incubation and scaling of breakthrough technologies in cloud. Most prolific inventor at Accenture with 220+ patents and patent applications. Specializes in bridging the "enterprise gap" taking innovation from startups, academia, digital natives and making it work at enterprise scale and with enterprise requirements. Ph.D. from UC Berkeley.
Timothy Baer
Managing Partner
Mr. Baer is the Managing Partner of TRB Partners, LLC, an independent corporate governance and performance advisor to corporate boards of directors.
Previously, he worked for 23 years at Target Corporation, retiring in 2016 as executive vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary. As part of his retirement transition, he also served as a senior advisor to the corporation’s Board of Directors, CEO and senior management team. During his career at Target, Mr. Baer’s areas of responsibility included the law department, government affairs, corporate security, media relations, compliance, assets protection and Target Brands, Inc., the corporation’s brand management subsidiary. He holds a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Princeton University.
Vera Khan
Senior Equity Research Analyst
Vera Khan is a Senior Equity Analyst covering the retail industry with over 25 years of investment experience. Prior to joining TCW in 2007, she was a Director at Telsey Advisory Group, an independent equity research firm in New York, following specialty retail stocks. She also covered footwear/apparel companies at Wedbush Morgan Securities in Los Angeles, where she served as Vice President. She began her research career at Morgan Stanley in New York where she followed specialty retail companies. Ms. Khan holds a BA in Russian Studies from Bryn Mawr College and an MBA from American University with a concentration in Finance. Ms. Kahn is fluent in Russian and Ukranian.
