In-Person Launch of Meetup for Women Reaffirms Dedication to Diversity in Retail

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 21, 2024 / Shoptalk, the leading global event for retail innovation, today announces the industry's first all-woman mainstage keynote lineup at Shoptalk Fall 2024 (October 16-18 at the McCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago).

Kecia Steelman, COO of Ulta Beauty; Jennifer Hyman, Co-Founder and CEO of Rent the Runway; Sharon Price John, CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop; and Michaela Tod, CEO of women's health technology company Elvie, are among the first speakers confirmed to Shoptalk Fall's historic mainstage lineup, with additional speakers to be announced over the coming weeks. Two-thirds of the speakers confirmed to date across all five stages of the event are women, and all are power players from across the retail landscape, including:

• Jennifer Wilson, SVP, Chief Marketing Officer, Lowe's

• Alicia Waters, President, Crate & Barrel and Crate & Kids

• Christina Hennington, EVP, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer, Target

• Behnaz Ghahramani, Chief Marketing Officer, Old Navy

• Siobhán Mc Feeney, Chief Technology & Digital Officer, Kohl's

• Natalie MacLennan, CEO of Dockers, Levi Strauss & Co.

• Shannon Garcia, Global Chief Operating & Digital + Technology Officer, Pizza Hut, Yum! Brands

• Kate Fannin, Executive Director, Global Consumer Technology, The Estée Lauder Companies

• Marie Suter, Chief Creative Officer, Glossier

• Wendi Eriksen, SVP, Chief Data Officer, The Wendy's Company

• Dara Meath, SVP, Chief Technology Officer, Build-A-Bear Workshop

• Michelle Peterson, Chief Marketing Officer, Kendra Scott

• Jill Renslow, Chief Marketing Officer, Mall of America

They will join over 4,000 executives and 150+ speakers from the leading consumer brands, retailers and technology providers who will come together to reimagine the current state of retail. Building on the trusted digital-first strategies and content that retailers have come to rely upon at Shoptalk Spring, Shoptalk Fall will deliver new and innovative programming dedicated to help retailers deliver fully integrated unified commerce experiences.

Shoptalk also announces that after several years as a successful virtual event series, Meetup for Women will make its physical debut at Shoptalk Fall to inform, empower and inspire. Open to all women ticketholders, Meetup for Women participants will be able to connect and network with other women executives in a series of double opt-in meetings throughout the course of the three-day event. Leveraging Shoptalk's signature scheduling platform, this ensures all participants have access to meaningful opportunities to build their professional networks, find new mentors and allies and create new business ventures. Meetup for Women at Shoptalk Fall will be the largest ever in-person meetings program for women in the retail industry, with 2,500+ meetings expected to be scheduled during the event. Retailer and consumer brand participants in Meetup for Women will also have the opportunity to network with peers via Shoptalk's Tabletalks, a series of informal discussions focused on building a leadership toolkit for corporate careers.

"With the inaugural edition of Shoptalk Fall, we saw an opportunity to highlight some of the most dynamic women leaders within our industry while addressing the continued lack of gender diversity that persists within retail's C-Suite," said Sophie Wawro, Global President, Shoptalk. "Coupled with the in-person launch of Shoptalk's much-loved Meetup for Women, we will continue to leverage the power of our platform as a catalyst for professional growth, collaboration, and relationship-building to create new opportunities for women to take their place in shaping the future of the retail ecosystem."

Among the organizations joining in Shoptalk's commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion is the Women of Color Retail Alliance (WOCRA), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for women of color in the retail industry through hard and soft skills training, leadership development and networking opportunities.

"I am thrilled to announce Women of Color Retail Alliance's participation in Shoptalk's Meetup for Women this Fall in Chicago. This partnership marks a pivotal moment for us at WOCRA, as we continue our mission to build a supportive community and close the leadership and pay gaps for women of color in the retail sector, said Kimberly Lee Minor, CEO of WOC Retail Alliance. "Together with Shoptalk, we are committed to ensuring that all women not only succeed but thrive in our industry. We look forward to the opportunities ahead and the impact we will create together."

Registration for Shoptalk Fall 2024 (including Meetup for Women) is now open. For more information about the event and to register, please visitfall.shoptalk.com.

About Shoptalk

A Hyve Group event, Shoptalk is widely known for organizing retail's best and fastest-growing events and bringing together thousands of industry changemakers to collaborate at unparalleled scale across a broad range of online and offline use cases and innovative new formats, including Tabletalks, Hosted Meetings and Meetups. Since 2016, Shoptalk has defined the retail industry's community of innovators by bringing established retailers and brands together with direct-to-consumer and tech startups, large tech and Internet companies, venture capital investors, real estate developers, equity analysts, media and others. For more information, visit Shoptalk.com.

Media Contact:

George Morin
Director, Press and Partnerships
Shoptalk
pr@shoptalk.com

SOURCE: Shoptalk