PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Jay H. Baker Retailing Center at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Retail Leaders Circle today announced the speaker lineup for the 2022 CEO Summit, to be held on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in New York City. Under the theme “Values + Purpose: Leading the Neo-Renaissance,” the daylong summit will feature mission-driven leaders and companies that are doing an extraordinary job of capturing consumers’ attention and loyalty, while helping light the way for a more conscious and purposeful retail industry.
In addition, the event organizers announced that Tory Burch will be honored the night before the summit with the Retail Excellence Award in recognition of her industry leadership and support of women entrepreneurs. Burch launched her eponymous brand in 2004 with a boutique in New York City, creating a unique retail environment that felt like a home, an aesthetic that carries through to today in the brand’s 345 stores around the world, including its new global flagship on Mercer Street in NYC’s Soho. Omnichannel was also integral to her vision and she launched with e-commerce, which was unusual at the time. From the beginning, Burch has prioritized social responsibility and in 2009 she launched the Tory Burch Foundation to advance women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship by providing access to capital, education and digital resources, and tackling stereotypes that hold women back.
The invitation-only, power-packed CEO Summit program will bring together 150 of the most senior retail and brand executives, including members of the Baker Center’s boards and selected industry partners. The day’s programming will offer an inside view of how leading organizations are driving profitability by aligning their business model with new consumer priorities and working to create an entirely ethical value chain.
Confirmed speakers to date include:
- Neil Blumenthal, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Warby Parker
- Danny Meyer, Founder and CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group
- Jeff Raider, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Harry’s
- Debra G. Perelman, President and CEO of Revlon
- James Reinhart, Co-Founder and CEO of thredUP
- Lori Coulter, Co-Founder and CEO of Summersalt
- Cami Téllez, Founder and CEO of Parade
- Trina Spear, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of FIGS
- Rob Smith, CEO and Founder of The Phluid Project
- Sally Susman, Executive Vice President, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of Pfizer
- Walter Robb, Principal at Stonewall Robb Advisors; former Co-CEO of Whole Foods Market
- Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, Founder of BrainTrust Founders Studio
“During the past two years, the retail industry has undergone unprecedented transitions as e-commerce has boomed, the role of the store has been redefined, and consumers have adapted their behavior to the pandemic world,” said Thomas S. Robertson, Joshua J. Harris Professor and Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. “Consumers are increasingly focused on companies’ values, purpose and mission and shoppers are more conscious than ever of the effects of their consumption on the world. These changes have challenged brands and retailers to fundamentally rethink their strategic positioning as they closely align their mission and values with their business models.”
In the wake of the global health crisis, consumers are more interested than ever in shopping from retailers and brands that share their values across issues such as DEI, health and wellness, sustainability, vaccination efforts, mental health, philanthropy and body positivity. The daylong CEO Summit will offer an inside view of how select companies across fashion, wellness, lifestyle, food and beverage, and other industries are leading and driving profitability by aligning their business model with their mission.
“Following the unprecedented changes and uncertainty this pandemic has brought, there has never been a more critical moment for retail leaders to connect,” said Panos Linardos, Executive Director, Retail Leaders Circle. “Our focus this year is to navigate this new landscape and explore how leading brands and retailers can trigger bold new strategies to build a resilient, sustainable and thriving industry future.”
About the Baker Retailing Center:
The Jay H. Baker Retailing Center is an interdisciplinary industry research center at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The Center influences research and encourages discussion on trending retail topics through programs and resources with faculty, students, and industry leaders. It was established in 2002 through a generous gift by Jay and Patty Baker. Jay Baker, former president and director of the Kohl’s Corporation, is a graduate of the Wharton School, class of 1956. Learn more about the Baker Retailing Center at bakerretail.wharton.upenn.edu.
About the Wharton School:
Founded in 1881 as the world’s first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With a faculty of more than 235 renowned professors, Wharton has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, Executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year 13,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education’s individual, company-customized, and online programs. More than 100,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. For more information, visit wharton.upenn.edu.
About Retail Leaders Circle:
Retail Leaders Circle (RLC) is an international platform, powered by the New York Institute of Management, for expert-led debate between CEOs, industry innovators, and influencers with the power to shape the future of the retail agenda. It is focused on inspiring leaders to think collectively and creatively about disruptive intersections between industry and innovation, with the ultimate goal of promoting and catalyzing growth development and partnership. Over each year and across the US, Middle East, and Asia, RLC is producing powerful and inclusive convenings that elevate voices and perspectives across all retail to advance critical conversations around the industry’s most pressing topics. Discover more at retailleaderscircle.com.