Top Women in Grocery Set to Converge in Orlando

After months of anticipation, Progressive Grocer's 2015 Top Women in Grocery are gearing up to converge in Orlando this week for the ninth annual gala awards celebration and daytime leadership platform, set for Nov. 12 at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress.

The plush, spacious Florida resort setting will provide the perfect backdrop for this year's Top Women in Grocery winners and guests to network, share, learn, relax and celebrate at what promises to be a memorable, magical occasion.

The festivities will begin with a daytime leadership development program designed to enhance the experience and further the professional development of its honored guests. A welcome breakfast for all attendees, sponsored by Post Consumer Brands, begins at 9:00 a.m., followed next by opening keynoter Deanie Elsner, recently appointed president of U.S. Snacks at Kellogg Co., from 10:00 -11:00 a.m.

Next up on the daytime lineup is a moderated "Tips from the Top" panel discussion featuring a brain trust of some of the retail food industry’s most accomplished and respected women leaders, including: 2015 TWIG Trailblazer recipient Meg Ham, president of Food Lion; Janel Haugarth, EVP and president of Independent Business/Supply Chain Services, Supervalu Inc. and 2014 Top Women in Grocery Trailblazer; Lynn Marmer, group VP, corporate affairs, The Kroger Co. and 2012 inaugural Trailblazer recipient; and Deanie Elsner.

Peer Circle Discussions Feature Stellar Lineup

After breaking for lunch at noon, Nancy Krawczyk and Eileen Tarjan, both of the Network of Executive Women (NEW), will lead a Strategic Networking Primer from 12:45 p.m. to 1:15 p.m., which will set the stage well for concurrent peer circle breakout discussion groups.

The closed peer circles will be led by some of the most talented and engaging women leaders from across the food industry, including:

• Becky Estby, VP, Human Resources and Organizational Development, Coborn’s Inc.
• Lois M. Fruhwirth, Associate Director, Retail Supply, Procter & Gamble NA Grocery Channel
• Jewel Hunt, Group VP, Bakery, Albertsons/Safeway
• Nancy Krawczyk, VP, Marketing & Corporate Partnerships, Network of Executive Women (NEW)
• Michele Murphy, EVP, HR and Corporate Communications, Supervalu
• Eileen Tarjan, Manager of Learning, Network of Executive Women (NEW)
• Rachel Rogers, VP, U.S. Category & Insights, The Hershey Co.

Following free time for relaxation and recharging beginning at 2:30, evening festivities get under way with a cocktail reception at 6:00 p.m., which will lead directly into the Top Women in Grocery gala dinner and formal awards presentation at 7:00 p.m.

2015 Top Women Trailblazer: Meg Ham, President, Food Lion

A highlight of the gala dinner celebration will be the presentation of the 2015 Top Women in Grocery Trailblazer award to Meg Ham, president of Salisbury, N.C.-based Food Lion. Established in 2012 by Progressive Grocer and the Network of Executive Women (NEW), the Trailblazer award recognizes a single executive whose leadership, vision and influence have helped break new ground for women in the retail food industry.

Another key highlight of the gala event will find Leslie G. Sarasin, president and CEO of Food Marketing Institute (FMI), presiding as host during the awards presentation ceremony for Top Women in Grocery attendees.

The celebration continues at 9:15 p.m. with a decadently delicious after-dinner dessert and dance party, courtesy of lead sponsor, The Hershey Co.

Social Sharing

Attendees can follow and share updates and photos of their experience via Twitter @pgrocer or on Facebook, using the hashtag #TopWomen.

Now in its ninth year, PG’s Top Women in Grocery awards program recognizes the integral role women play across all areas of the dynamic retail food industry within the retailer and supplier communities in three sectors: Senior-Level Executives, Rising Stars and Store Managers. This year, a slate of 300 women hailing from some of the most admired organizations in the U.S. supermarket industry have been named as 2015 Top Women in Grocery. The full list of PG’s 2015 Top Women in Grocery can be found here.