General Mills CEO Kicks Off CBA Leadership Series
The Consumer Brands Association (CBA) has launched its own leadership and education series, an effort that will kick off July 15 with a virtual conversation featuring Jeff Harmening, chairman and CEO of Minneapolis-based General Mills.
The CPG Speaks program “will bring together the sector’s leading voices for conversations on the issues defining CPG’s future,” the Arlington, Virginia-based association said. “In collaboration with [PricewaterhouseCoopers], the series will offer weekly sessions through the end of 2020.”
In the July 15 introductory session, Harmening will “share how the company remained nimble in an ever-changing environment during the onset of COVID-19, what consumer behavior he was most surprised by, the leadership lessons he learned in guiding his team and how the company is planning for the future,” CBA noted.
“While companies in our industry compete with each other every day, we recognize the importance of coming together to better our businesses, our world and the consumer experience,” said Harmening. “I’m proud to be part of CPG Speaks and am looking forward to both participating in the first session and learning from my peers throughout the series.”
The scheduled CPG Speaks sessions and speakers so far are:
- July 15: “Choosing to Lead” with Jeff Harmening
- August 19: “Managing Unprecedented Demand” with Benno Dorer, chair and CEO, and Troy Datcher, SVP and chief customer officer, The Clorox Co.
- September 9: “Stepping up for Equality & Inclusion” with Carolyn Tastad, group president, North America and chief sales officer, The Procter & Gamble Co.
Other trade groups have similar sessions that might appeal to food and other types of retailers. For instance, the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) latest edition of the NRF Leadership Series featured Target CEO and Chairman Brian Cornell talking about what long-term planning means for retailers amid the COVID-19 outbreak, among other issues.
The next NRF Leadership Series virtual discussion is scheduled for July 1 and will feature Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison talking about “leadership challenges and opportunities, rapidly changing consumer preferences in home improvement, and workforce skills needed in a time of unprecedented digital acceleration,” according to the Washington, D.C.-based trade group.
