Elephants in the Boardroom: A Succession Planning Kickstart for Founders & Senior Leaders

Lynn Ducharme

Your business was built to create impact that outlasts you. In this bold session, Harry T. Jones from Cultivating Impact helps founders confront the elephants in the boardroom and begin building a plan to Finish Well with purpose and momentum.

Scott Halpern, Leigh Ann Schwarzkopf

Food licensing has exploded and now accounts for almost $22B at retail! Famous and emerging brands are licensing out their IP to grow their brand footprint and manufacturers are licensing in food brands (and flavors!) to reach new consumers and open new channels of distribution.

Daniel J. Smith

Daniel Smith of BSI provides an overview of evolving environmental considerations for the food packaging industry, most notably regulatory trends and requirements associated with emerging contaminants such as Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), microplastics and phthalates. The presentation will also briefly discuss Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs and why the food packaging industry may be more impacted than other industries. Although these emerging environmental issues are not intended to target the food industry, the nature of materials used and manufacturing processes implemented will have a significant impact on the industry and the future of how products are made, tracked and managed. This presentation will provide an overview of recent regulatory trends and some of the specific regulations that will directly affect the food packaging industry as well as risk management strategies to identify and prioritize activities to mitigate risks.

Angela Dodd

The food and beverage industry is making meaningful investments in flexibility, leadership development, and culture-building — yet newly collected data reveals persistent gaps between what companies offer and what women actually experience at work. These insights highlight a powerful opportunity for leaders to align intention with impact and strengthen the systems that fuel advancement, engagement, and retention.