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GS1 Connect: Thrive | June 4-6, 2024 | Orlando, Florida

That's a Wrap on the Premier Supply Chain Event of the Year

Strategic insights & tactical solutions—only at GS1 Connect

2024 Keynote Speakers

FPO

Morris Morrison

Disrupt Yourself: Driving Change on Purpose
Keynote & Cocktail Reception | Wednesday, June 5, 2024, 4:45 PM-6:30 PM ET

A world-class entertainer, futurist, author, and entrepreneur (as well as a volunteer, husband, and father), Morris Morrison of Windmill Park Media empowers his audience to drive change and own results across every aspect of their business. Orphaned first as a child and then as a teen, Morris overcame both personal tragedy and several odds to graduate from Fairmont State University and the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University. He applied the knowledge he gained there to embark on his own bold path of entrepreneurship.
In his book, “Disrupt Yourself: Choosing Courage Over Comfort, On Purpose,” Morris invites you to choose intentional, daring disruption over comfortable routine and to overcome both personal and professional obstacles—just as he has throughout his career.

Presented by GS1 US:

Get to the Future Faster, Together

Tuesday, June 4, 2024, 3:00 PM-4:00 PM ET

In 1974, a group of visionaries collaborated on a single idea that changed the way we check out at the grocery store. This idea, and the infamous “beep” associated with it, became a catalyst for change and a foundation for the future of commerce.

Fifty years later, GS1 Connect® brings together the next generation of leaders who can create another catalyst for change by addressing today's pressing business challenges. Join us as we contemplate what it takes to get to the future faster.

Get to the Future Faster, Together

2024 Panelists

Bob Carpenter Headshot

Bob Carpenter (Moderator)

President and Chief Executive Officer, GS1 US

As President and Chief Executive Officer of GS1 US®, Bob Carpenter leads the company’s strategic direction, including business solutions, education and training programs, industry initiatives, and community engagement focused on driving broader adoption and use of GS1 Standards. With more than 2 million customers across 150 countries globally, GS1 Standards for unique, persistent identity—from product origin to disposition—represent a critical foundation for today’s connected commerce and the technologies available to industry. 

Brad Spickert Headshot

Brad Spickert

Senior Vice President of Supply Chain, The Coca-Cola Company

Brad Spickert is the Senior Vice President of Supply Chain for the North America Operating Unit. In this role, he is responsible for leading all aspects of Coca-Cola’s Supply Chain operations in the U.S. and Canada, including company-owned operations, co-manufacturing, operational procurement, engineering, productivity, customer solutions, quality/safety/environmental and sustainability, forecasting and planning, and order-to-cash management.   

Prior to this role, Brad was the Senior Vice President of Innovation and Commercialization leading development and commercialization of all product innovations for North America’s Sparkling, Still, Juice, and Foodservice businesses.  Previously Brad was the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the glacéau/hydration brands (DASANI, Smartwater, Vitaminwater, and Powerade). 

Brad joined Coca-Cola in 2006 as the Group Director of Strategic Initiatives, working primarily on overall strategy and M&A opportunities, including the acquisition of the glacéau and FUZE businesses. Brad has also served as Vice President of Marketing for the Foodservice & On-Premise Business Unit, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for North America, and Vice President of On-Premise Marketing & Commercial Capability.

Prior to joining Coca-Cola, Brad was an Engagement Manager with McKinsey & Company in the Atlanta office, working primarily with clients in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) and transportation industries on key strategic issues such as pricing, long-range planning, and operational performance improvement. Brad started his career in product development with Boeing’s Commercial Aircraft Group in Seattle, Washington as an Aircraft Performance Engineer.

Brad graduated from The University of Kansas, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering and earned his MBA degree from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Brad resides in the Morningside neighborhood of Atlanta with his wife, Kate, and children Daniel, Morgan, and Emmett.

Brian Dick Headshot

Brian Dick

President and Chief Executive Officer, Golden State Foods

Brian formerly served as Corporate Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, overseeing all global food manufacturing and logistics operations for Golden State Foods (GSF), a diversified, $6 billion supplier to the foodservice industry, servicing more than 200 leading brands from its 50+ locations on 5 continents. He provides strategic leadership and direction for all worldwide activities to ensure the attainment of all quality, cost, timeliness, safety, and customer satisfaction objectives and company financial and growth goals.

A GSF associate for more than two decades, Brian joined the company as Business Development Manager for GSF Egypt, where he was based for three years, and has since contributed to much of GSF’s success in diversifying the company’s Liquid Products and Protein businesses domestically and overseas. He held multiple business development roles after transferring to the U.S. and later assuming leadership of the U.S. sales force as Group Vice President of Sales and Marketing.  

In leading GSF Liquid Products as Group Vice President and General Manager, Liquid Products, Brian helped the Conyers Liquids team earn various customer Supplier of the Year awards, as well as GSF’s highest company honor, the Chairman’s Challenge Award, in 2011. As the Corporate Vice President and President, Liquid Products, North America, Brian continued to expand GSF’s national footprint in Liquid Products, while forming the structure of that business, which still remains in place today. Active in the GSF Foundation, Brian chaired the Foundation’s 2012 Vendor Campaign, with outstanding results, and serves on the board of the foundation today.

Brian’s leadership expanded internationally as Corporate Senior Vice President and President, Global Liquid Products and GSF Fresh! Produce, and then as Corporate Senior Vice President and President, Global Manufacturing. He developed a solid structure in GSF’s food manufacturing groups that met the company’s strategy, in order to grow its customer bases profitably.

Originally from Belfast in Northern Ireland, Brian earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and modern languages from Queen's University in Belfast, Ireland. He and his wife, Amy, have four children.

Leonardo Balbinot Headshot

Leandro Balbinot

Vice President of Technology, Amazon; Chief Technology Officer, Whole Foods Market

Leandro Balbinot is Chief Technology Officer at Whole Foods Market and has more than 30 years of technology and transformation experience in consumer package goods, beverage, physical retail, and quick-serve industries. At Whole Foods Market, Leandro oversees all strategy, design, development, delivery, and support for all technology within Whole Foods Market, including large-program delivery, infrastructure, enterprise architecture, portfolio planning, and security.

Leandro is passionate about the customer experience and creating, improving, and scaling technology to enhance the way we live. Throughout his career, Leandro has held leadership roles in engineering and product management for both custom and package software. He spent three years as Senior Vice President of Global Technology and Digital at McDonald’s. Prior to that, he held different leadership positions for six years at The Kraft Heinz Company, like Senior Vice President of Digital Product Development and Engineering and Global Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Heinz. Leandro also served as Head of E-commerce and Global CIO for a large fashion retail company in Latin America, after many leadership roles at Anheuser-Busch InBev in Europe, the U.S., and Latin America.

In his free time, Leandro enjoys staying active with bike riding and tennis; he is an avid traveler, lifelong surfer, and unofficial grill master. Leandro enjoys spending quality time with his family as well, including his wife and three children.

FPO

Presented by Fast Company and GS1 US:

Sustainability: Why Circularity Solutions Are a Supply Chain Imperative

Thursday, June 6, 2024, 11:30 AM-12:15 PM ET

When supply chains become sustainable, both businesses and consumers win. But achieving a circular economy lies beyond the scope of any one technology, policy, or industry—it demands a resilient ecosystem that promotes collaboration across sectors. In this panel session, we’ll explore powerful case studies driving the shift toward a more sustainable supply chain. You’ll hear from global business leaders that are achieving sustainable growth, powering consumer confidence, and leading the way for progress and innovation.

Sustainability: Why Circularity Solutions Are a Supply Chain Imperative

2024 Panelists

Stephanie Mehta Headshot

Stephanie Mehta (Moderator)

Chief Executive Officer & Chief Content Officer, Mansueto Ventures

Stephanie Mehta is Chief Executive Officer and Chief Content Officer of Mansueto Ventures, publisher of Inc. and Fast Company. She previously served as editor-in-chief of Fast Company, where she oversaw digital, print, and live journalism. Under her leadership, Fast Company was a National Magazine Award finalist in design for three years in a row, and the title added two new annual conferences. She has worked as a writer and editor at Vanity Fair, Bloomberg Media, Fortune, and The Wall Street Journal.

Mehta sits on the boards of the American Society of Magazine Editors; the Women’s Forum of New York; and Airbel Impact Lab, the research and innovation arm of the International Rescue Committee.

Mehta began her career as a business reporter at The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia. She received a B.A. in English and an M.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University. A Chicago-area native, she now lives with her husband and two children in Scarsdale, New York.

Natasha Franck Headshot

Natasha Franck

Founder & Chief Executive Officer, EON

Natasha Franck is Founder and CEO of EON, the leading digital ID platform enabling brands and retailers to unlock new revenues and business models, while driving sustainability, transparency, and customer lifetime value. Prior to founding EON in 2017, Franck worked in smart cities and sustainable urbanism, serving as Senior Vice President of Global Business Development at Delos and in design and development at Jonathan Rose Companies. She holds a B.A. in Art History from Georgetown University.

Bridging the gap between the digital and physical world, EON creates and manages the Digital ID for each physical product, enabling brands to turn their products into intelligent, interactive, revenue- and data-generating assets. 

As retail’s leading Product Cloud platform, EON is leveraged by some of industry's largest brands to power portfolio-wide product digitization.

Heather Howard Headshot

Heather Howard

Chief Supply Chain Officer, Rothy’s

As Chief Supply Chain Officer at Rothy's, Heather Skidmore Howard leads a vertically integrated operation, overseeing the entire product lifecycle—from conception (product development) to customer experience (CX). This includes production, factory operations, technology, and core supply chain functions. This unique structure allows Rothy's to optimize sustainability at every stage, from initial design and ideation to product fulfillment.

Heather's expertise extends to enterprise technology, having recently spearheaded a successful global implementation of SAP. With a passion for problem-solving and a keen eye for growth, Heather unites Rothy's diverse teams to chart a successful course for the company's global expansion.

Rothy's takes a whole-brand approach to sustainability in manufacturing, transforming recycled materials into beautiful shoes, handbags, and accessories.

Chris Joyce Headshot

Chris Joyce

Director of Distribution, Patagonia

Chris Joyce is responsible for Patagonia’s North American distribution operations, supporting two regional multi-channel service centers and the reverse logistics components, including product resale, repair, and recycling. Prior to Patagonia, Chris spent 25 years with REI in a variety of retail, distribution, and vendor relations start-ups and leadership roles.

After joining Patagonia, he helped eliminate poly bag outer mailers and led teams that found recycling outlets for thousands of pallets of end-of-life garments. Recently, Chris led the efforts to transfer Worn Wear product trade-in and resale operations from a third party to the Patagonia Reno, Nevada, service center.

Chris enjoys fly fishing local waters like the Truckee River and Pyramid Lake but occasionally leaves the country to also not catch anything, just further from home.

Conference Updates

Share your contact information and follow us on social media. We’ll share exciting announcements for GS1 Connect 2025, taking place in Nashville, Tennessee.

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+1 937.230.9889 | GS1ConnectConcierge@gs1us.org

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