NEW to Salute ‘Diversity Heroes’ at Leadership Summit

Ten industry leaders will be inducted into the Network of Executive Women’s (NEW) newly established CPG Retail Diversity Hall of Fame at a red carpet celebration in conjunction with the organization’s 10th anniversary Leadership Summit at the Buena Vista Palace Hotel, Orlando, Fla., on Sept. 19, 2011.

Dubbed the William J. Grize CPG Retail Diversity Hall of Fame Award in honor of the late Ahold USA CEO and longtime diversity champion who died in January 2010 at the age of 63, the 10 honorees who will be recognized for their outstanding achievement in driving diversity and inclusion in the consumer products and retail industry include: Linda Dillman of Hewlett-Packard, honored for her work at Walmart; Jeri Dunn of Bacardi, honored for her work at Tyson Foods; Tom Greco of PepsiCo; Don Knauss of The Clorox Co., also recognized for his work at Coca-Cola; Jeff Noddle, retired CEO of Supevalu; Kay Palmer of J.B. Hunt; Judy Spires of Kings Super Markets, formerly with Acme Markets; and James White of Jamba Juice Co., honored for his work at Safeway. The Network will also induct two companies: Delhaize America and Procter & Gamble.

“These honorees were early advocates of gender diversity and inclusion in CPG/retail and have shown true leadership in providing women and underrepresented groups real opportunity for career advancement,” said Joan Toth, president and CEO of the Chicago-based NEW. “Their actions provided early evidence of the business case for the power of workplace diversity.”

The NEW Leadership Summit 2011 will celebrate the Network's 10th anniversary and focus on “advancing women and building business -- the next 10 years.”

Nearly 1,000 leaders and emerging leaders are expected to register for the Summit, which kicks off Monday, Sept. 19, with special meetings and bonus pre-event NEW Leadership Academy workshops.

General sessions on Tuesday, Sept. 20, will include keynotes by age-wave expert Maddy Dychtwald and mountaineer Alison Levine. One of the industry’s most powerful women -- Walmart International CFO Cathy Smith -- will discuss what it means to be a female leader in the industry today

The Summit will also feature a dozen concurrent sessions on such topics as “managing brand you,” with Jerry Wilson, SVP/chief customer and commercial officer for The Coca-Cola Co.; tips for balancing work/life with Christy Consler, VP, sustainability and corporate social responsibility for Safeway Inc.; and how to leverage social networking by Steve Knox, former CEO of Procter & Gamble’s Tremor word-of-mouth ad agency. An optional half-day corporate athlete workshop will be offered Wednesday morning, Sept. 21.

Attendees who register before Aug. 18 will receive a $100 discount on the $745 regular fee.

For more information visit newonline.org/summit.