2025 Food Marketing Conference Agenda

Stay tuned as information for sessions, events and more are added here leading up to The FMC 2025!

Tuesday, March 25

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. | Welcome lunch

Lunch will be served in the Radisson Plaza Hotel.

12:30 to 12:45 p.m. | Conference kickoff

Speaker: Dr. Russell Zwanka, director of the food marketing program at Western Michigan University

12:45 to 1:15 p.m. | Embracing Changing Customer Needs

Speaker: Don Sanderson, chief merchandising and marketing officer at Meijer

1:15 to 2:00 p.m. | Collaborating for the Future of Food panel

Moderator: Leslie Sarasin, president and CEO at FMI – The Food Industry Association

Speakers:

Kristina Cole, chief customer officer and president of sales at Danone
Erin Sanchez, vice president of grocery merchandising at Kroger
Carrie Sander, chief customer officer at Kellanova

2:00 to 2:30 p.m. | Embracing Your Leadership Role as an Agent for Meaningful Change

Speaker: Spencer Baird, CEO at Inmar Intelligence

2:30 to 3:00 p.m. | Power of Relationships in Driving Customer Success

Speakers:

Derek Steele, group vice president, marketing and customer strategy at Meijer
Kristen Williams, chief technology officer and group vice president at Meijer

3:00 to 3:30 p.m. | Networking break

Networking break

3:30 to 4:00 p.m. | Art of the Comeback: Embracing the Journey of Transformation

Speaker: Amy Bosek, area vice president at The Kraft Heinz Company

4:00 to 4:45 p.m. | Data Strategy for the Future: Aligning Business Priorities With Next-Gen Data Access panel

Moderator: Katie Hotze, Founder of Grocery Shopii

Speakers:

Meagen Arensdorff, vice president of C.A. BUILD at C.A. Fortune
Deepak Jose, vice president, head of data sciences and business intelligence at Niagara Bottling
Sunny Yurasek, head of advanced analytics and RGM at Wells Enterprises

4:45 to 5:15 p.m. | A New Kind of Corporate Philanthropy

Speakers:

Gema Alvarado-Guerrero, workforce wellness facilitator at Hormel Foods
Stephanie Postma, agile transformation lead at Hormel Foods

5:15 to 5:45 p.m. | Leading with Purpose

Speaker: Tammy DeBoer, president at Harris Teeter

5:15 to 7:00 p.m. | Reception

Sponsored by Constellation Brands, Gallo and Founders Brewing Company.

Wednesday, March 26

8:30 to 9:00 a.m. | Food marketing update and awards

Speaker: Dr. Russell Zwanka, director of the food marketing program at Western Michigan University

9:00 to 9:30 a.m. | The Future of Commerce

Speaker: Elizabeth Buchanan, president of North America at NielsenIQ

9:30 to 10:15 a.m. | Leading with Impact panel

Moderator: Heidi Reale, founder and CEO at SparkShoppe

Speakers:

Jill Blanchard, industry leader
Amanda Gleason, senior vice president, sales at Constellation Brands
Jackie LaPointe, director of retail, Southwest market at PepsiCo

10:15 to 10:45 a.m. | Networking break

Networking break

10:45 to 11:15 a.m. | Will Private Brand Growth Continue?

Speaker: Jim Griffin, president, North America at Daymon

11:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. | Beyond the Shelf: What’s Next for Category Management in the Age of AI and Sustainability panel

Moderator: Amanda Lai, director, food industry practice at McMillanDoolittle

Speakers:

Michael Doss, president and CEO at Graphic Packaging International
Don Fitzgerald, partner at The Partnering Group
Dr. Brian Harris, global thought leader on retail and category management

12:00 to 1:00 p.m. | Lunch

Lunch will be served in the Radisson Plaza Hotel.

1:00 to 1:30 p.m. | How to Win the Convenience-Minded Shopper

Speaker: Lori Stillman, vice president of research and education at NACS

1:30 to 2:00 p.m. | The Aisle to Success: How I Got My Brand on Store Shelves

Speaker: Psyche Terry, co-founder at UI Global Brands

2:00 to 2:45 p.m. | Embracing the Zigzag: Why the Best Career Paths Aren’t Always Linear panel

Moderator: Lynn Petrak, senior editor at Progressive Grocer

Speakers:

Sarah Ludmer, chief wellbeing and sustainable business officer at WK Kellogg Co
LeQuan Page, regional president at Sysco
Jim Seidler, grocery sales manager at Jewel-Osco
Patricia Wilcox, co-founder at Awestruck Ciders

2:45 to 3:15 p.m. | Networking break

Networking break

3:15 to 3:45 p.m. | Leadership Lessons from a Lifetime in Grocery

Speaker: Amy McClellan, executive vice president, chief customer officer at SpartanNash

3:45 to 4:15 p.m. | Creating Signature Moments

Speaker: Anthony Kyles, chief customer officer at Campbell’s