The Consumer Goods Forum’s Global Summit: Industry Comes Together Seeking Growth Through New Retail Models to Satisfy New Consumer Needs

• The annual event for industry CEOs convenes in Vancouver on 11^th-14^th June 2019, this year featuring the Start-Ups Zone for the very first time; 
• Ongoing disruption in the consumer goods industry is presenting exciting opportunities for businesses, and collaboration is key to achieving positive impact at scale; and
• CEOs and senior executives from the world’s leading retailers, manufacturers and service providers, including Chobani, Google Cloud, Grupo Bimbo, Honest Tea, Johnson & Johnson, Kroger, L’Oréal, Loblaw, McCain, Nestlé and P&G are coming together to learn and network.

Peter Freedman, Managing Director, The Consumer Goods Forum: “Our industry continues to face huge disruption, presenting challenges for existing players but also significant opportunities for growth. As part of their response, leading companies are building their strategies around a purpose beyond profit, responding to consumers’ desire to see companies as a force for good. Digital technologies are central to this reinvention of the industry. The Summit will play a key role in bringing together retailers, manufacturers and service providers to discuss these trends, share best practices and collaborate through the CGF’s working groups”.

The Global Summit brings together 1,000+ CEOs and C-level executives from 50+ countries. This year’s flagship, member-exclusive event will feature a packed agenda, where members will be able to hear from renowned experts in the industry. This year, the message is clear: companies need to look for new ways to collaborate, to reach customers and innovate in order to remain successful, relevant and competitive.

The opening keynote speech will be delivered by Canada’s Minister of Finance Bill Morneau, revealing that the challenges the industry faces today are too large for any one company, industry, or government to solve alone. Collaboration is absolutely essential to achieving positive, long-term change at scale, especially in today’s climate where issues such as environmental sustainability and consumer health require immediate action.

FMCG industry leaders – including Jean-Paul Agon, Chairman and CEO, L’Oréal; Sarah Davis, President, Loblaw; Alex Gorsky, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Johnson & Johnson; Max Koeune, President and CEO, McCain; Tina Lee, CEO, T&T Supermarket; Judith McKenna, President and CEO, Walmart International; Stefano Pessina, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, Walgreens Boots Alliance; and Mark Schneider CEO, Nestlé — will be coming together to discuss how ongoing disruption in the consumer goods industry is presenting exciting opportunities for growth. This year’s distinguished list of speakers also includes key players from start-ups and established players, industry outsiders and insiders, from developing and developed regions alike, promising a discussion focused on driving genuine change at every level of every business.

The Global Summit Special Sessions will provide delegates with valuable strategic overviews, trends, and insights on leading challenges facing the industry today. The sessions and speeches will link in with the Global Summit’s overarching theme, ‘Growth Through New Retail’. There are three key messages in particular that will run through the programme this year:

• The continuing role of new technologies to rapidly reshape business models, particularly in the new Start-Ups Zone
• The power of ‘purpose’ to inspire both consumers and employees
• The importance of new forms of collaboration to achieve impact at scale

For the first time, the Global Summit welcomes the introduction of the Start-Ups Zone. Here, The Consumer Goods Forum is showcasing the very best start-ups looking to improve industry efficiency and take the technology world by storm. A few select start-ups – Catchpoint, Maistering, Punchh, TeakOrigin and WhyteSpyder – will present their visions of the future in a specially-designed area within the new and improved I-Zone.

The I-Zone is the place to be to learn more about the latest developments and retail trends. This year, the CGF is demonstrating an all-new, enhanced networking and exhibition area, allowing delegates to meet with fellow peers and to interact with leading companies in an experiential and interactive way.

The Global Summit brings an unparalleled opportunity to network with CEOs from some of the world’s most successful companies, and gain insights into the challenges faced by retailers, manufacturers and their service providers in the consumer goods industry. More: www.tcgfsummit.com

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About The Consumer Goods Forum

The Consumer Goods Forum (“CGF”) is a global, parity-based industry network that is driven by its members to encourage the global adoption of practices and standards that serves the consumer goods industry worldwide. It brings together the CEOs and senior management of some 400 retailers, manufacturers, service providers, and other stakeholders across 70 countries, and it reflects the diversity of the industry in geography, size, product category and format. Its member companies have combined sales of EUR 3.5 trillion and directly employ nearly 10 million people, with a further 90 million related jobs estimated along the value chain. It is governed by its Board of Directors, which comprises more than 50 manufacturer and retailer CEOs. For more information, please visit: www.theconsumergoodsforum.com.

For more information, please contact:

Lee Green
Director Communications
The Consumer Goods Forum
l.green@theconsumergoodsforum.com