Leading Retailers, Technology and Brand Executives to Deliver Breakthrough Insights at Arizona Conference

TUCSON, Ariz., March 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing at the University of Arizona today announced the 2018 presenters at its 22nd Annual Global Retailing Conference, April 19-20 at the Westin La Paloma Resort in Tucson.

The retailing center, with its leading position as one of the industry's largest and most advanced academic programs, brings together students, faculty and industry executives in a forum to present and discuss breakthrough insights. As retailing in all forms is moving and emerging faster than ever, presenters and participants will examine how innovations in technology and marketing are reimagining retailing – both currently and into the future. The annual conference has evolved over more than two decades to become a "must-do" event for those who want to understand trends as they develop.

Among the speakers are senior executives from retailing, technology and consumer brand companies such as Macy's, Walmart, Walgreens, Google, Alibaba, Samsung, Yum! Brands and Hilton.

Speakers for the event include:

• Terry J. Lundgren, Macy's, Inc. Chairman and CEO, Retired
• Greg Creed, CEO, Yum! Brands, Inc.
• Tony Rogers, Chief Marketing Officer, Walmart U.S.
• Jonathan Pelosi, Head of Industry, Mobile Apps Americas, Google
• Karen Katz, recently retired CEO, Neiman Marcus
• Lee McCabe, VP of North America, Alibaba Group
• Rachel Shechtman, Founder and CEO, STORY
• Andrew Critchell, Digital Manager, Walgreens
• Michael Forrest, Senior VP for Retail, Samsung Electronics America
• Shawn Gensch, Chief Marketing Officer, Sprouts Farmers Markets
• Kian Gould, CEO and Founder, AOE
• Rich Lennox, Chief Marketing Officer, Macy's, Inc.
• Ken Muench, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Collider at Yum! Brands, Inc.
• Sarah Quinlan, Senior VP, Market Insights, MasterCard
• Tom Schwarztrauber, Director, Global Category Management and Strategic Planning, Nestle Purina
• Mark Weinstein, Senior VP and Global Head of Customer Engagement, Loyalty and Partnerships, Hilton.

Details on the conference, including a complete agenda, are posted on  www.globalretailingconference.org, with pages on Facebook.com (keyword Global Retailing Conference) and Twitter.com/globalretailcon.  

"This Global Retailing Conference is unique in that it represents the confluence of academia and industry professionals with insights that bridge the world of retailing, technology and global brand management. It is important to have this holistic view to understand where retailing is today, especially in light of bold innovations in technology and marketing, and the directions our industry is heading into the future," said Terry J. Lundgren, Macy's, Inc. chairman and CEO, Retired, who will deliver opening remarks. "The future of our industry is more than a story of disruption. It involves new and innovative ways of serving consumer needs, presenting brands, developing talent and delivering convenience and value in ways we could never have imagined in the past. We are in an era of reimagination, and this conference helps bring thought leaders from numerous aspects of the retail, wholesale, fashion, marketing and technology worlds into focus in an environment where some of our next-generation talent can contribute to the conversation."

Registrations for a limited number of attendees are currently being accepted. 

The GRC is presented through the support of sponsors that include Macy's, SAP, Connection, Kenneth Mink Fine Rug Gallery, Samsung Electronics America, Tyco Retail Solutions, Supima, VMWare Airwatch, Walgreens, Gordon Brothers, JDA Software, Leonisa, PetSmart, Veras Retail, Yelp, Mastercard and Helping Hands for Freedom.

For more information on attending the event, visit www.globalretailingconference.org and follow to the registration page. Or email Kimberley Brooke, associate director of the Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing, at [email protected].

The Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing is part of the University of Arizona's John and Doris Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences. It brings together the resources and expertise of academia and the retail industry, with a shared goal of developing strong future retail professionals and leaders. The school's Retailing and Consumer Sciences program undergraduate degree is considered one of the top retail business programs in the country. About 500 students currently are enrolled in classes.

Media Contact:
Kimberley A. Brooke
Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing
The University of Arizona
520-626-7952

SOURCE University of Arizona