More than any other reason, CMA-SIMA annual conference attendees surveyed each year tell us that they attend for best-in-class educational and industry content. Seeking new ideas also is a popular reason, too, the second-most important to last year’s attendees in San Antonio, in fact.

With this feedback in mind — your feedback, the industry’s feedback — we’re proud to unveil our list of keynote and breakout speakers for the 2026 CMA|SIMA Elevate Conference in Las Vegas Feb. 15-18 at Caesars Palace. Below is a closer look at the sessions; to peruse the speakers page and bios and to keep up on new additions to the page (because we’re not done adding yet!), be sure to bookmark the page here. And a special shout out to our emcees, Renee Balliet and Melanie Saffell of CMA member Wells Enterprises.

We're know you’re busy, with a lot to read other than this. We promise it's worth your time. But as a courtesy, here's a TLDR — too long, didn’t read — summary of the principles we applied when selecting speakers for our 2026 Conference:

Shopper Focused: All our shopper insights programming is centered on why, and how, to put the shopper first. As much as any industry theme we’ve heard in the second half of 2025 — and this includes AI! — getting back to the basics on meeting shoppers where they are is top-of-mind for stores and brands.
Career Spark: It’s been a year of change in retail and CPG. But this opens the door for industry professionals like you to succeed like never before, particularly if you can lean into and leverage AI, now.
The Rise of Omnichannel: E-commerce is soaring, but in-store sales still comprise a majority of retail dollars. Winning across all channels has never been more imperative. And don’t look now, but our friend AI is shaking things up here, too.
Elevating Space Planning: The physical store today has to surprise, delight and captivate — and it better be shoppable for browsers, spear fishers, e-commerce pickers and everyone in-between. More than ever, space planners must lead the charge to level-up retail space.
Health & Wellness Trends: GLP-1s continue their march to dominance, and shoppers are increasingly health-conscious generally. In short, there are many levers brands and retailers should be pulling to meet the moment for a public that isn’t eating (and drinking!) like it used to.

Here is a full list of announced sessions for the 2026 CMA-SIMA Conference, along with a preview of what to expect.

Keynotes

GLP-1s: Shaping Consumer Choice and Retail Futures | Caleb Silver, Editor-in-Chief, Investopedia
The Foundations of AI | Yves Boussemart, Chief Technology Officer, XGS.ai
Human-Centered Connected Commerce: From Store to Site | Stephen Wurth, Director of Shopper Innovation & Experience, Purina; James Kristof, VP & Managing Director of eCommerce Sales, Purina; Tracey Johnson, Director of eCommerce Marketing, Purina; Jody Wasbro, SVP, Strategy & Experience Design, WD
Pivot: The Only Move that Matters is Your Next One | Jenny Blake, Career Coach & Co-Creator of Google’s Career Guru Program
Imagine That | Nik Modi, Managing Director, RBC Capital Markets
Partnerships for Growth in an Omnichannel World | Mark Samuels, Vice President of Assortment Planning, Albertsons
Category Management 360⁰: Responding to ALDI’s Expansion & the Discount Challenge | Markus Schröder, Global Category Management Strategist
Agentic Commerce: The Next Frontier of Consumer-Led Retail | Deborah Weinswig, Coresight Research

Summary: This compelling keynote roster has something for everyone. Silver, who played to rave reviews at 2025 Conference and followed that with several high-rated appearances at CMA events this year, is back for a powerhouse look at the economy, with a focus on what the rise of GLP-1s means for stores and brands. Modi, meanwhile, will also double-click on the economy, with an exclusive look at RBC's Imagine study, which has unearthed key five-year themes with major implications for retail and CPG. For those wanting a lens into how new ideas make all of the difference for brands at-shelf, you won’t want to miss Purina’s presentation on its LAB9 Innovation Center. If omnichannel is top of mind, Albertsons’ Samuels keynote is can’t-miss. And make time for Schröder's eye-opening look at ALDI's sweeping success in Europe, and the lessons you can apply to your business. And how about AI? We’ve got you covered there, too, with Boussemart’s practical tips on scaling AI, and Weinswig’s compelling look on the acceleration of agentic commerce. Finally, in a time of change, our Career keynote on successful pivots from Blake — an author of three award-winning books and a Google alum — is perfect for the moment.

Breakout Sessions | The Shopper

Finding the Balance: National Brands & Private Label Winning Together | Elizabeth Beilman, Category Insights Team Lead, Meat & Seafood, Empire Marketing; Mark Bosse, Senior Category Insights Manager, Empire Marketing
Turning Shopper Signals into Sales Success | Gina Zilleox, Senior Director, Category Management, Glanbia; Matt Clement, Senior Category Management, Glanbia
See More Closely Through a Human Focus | Andy VanOfferen, Director of Insights and Analytics, Clorox
Hidden Health Trends Reshaping Business in 2026 | Steve Zurek, Vice President of Thought Leadership, NIQ; Sherry Frey, Vice President, Total Wellness, NIQ
Health and Wellness Top Trends | Kelsey Butler, MS & RDN
See More Clearly Through a Human Focus | Luke Cahill, CEO, REAL Insight

Summary: Those wanting a lens into how private label is altering categories — and how to compete with store brands — won’t want to miss Empire Brands’ data-driven breakout, with real-world examples of success. Glanbia’s breakout, meanwhile, is a story of a shopper-centric triumph at Costco (and who doesn’t like that?). You also won’t want to miss Real Insight and Clorox’s deep dive into how a human focus is needed for truly elevated shopper and category data analysis. And you couldn't get a better lens into shopper health and wellness trends than the 1-2 punch of ARC's Butler and NIQ's Zurek and Frey.

Breakout Sessions | Omnichannel

The Evolving Omnichannel Landscape and How it Shapes Category Strategy | Jessica Schmidt, Senior Vice President, C.A. Fortune
Driving Category Growth in Partnership with Walmart Data Solutions | Dan Brody, Vice President, Category Leadership, Conagra
Future-Ready: Tech’s Impact on Category Management | Dave Nolen, Vice President of Category Management and Shopper Insights, Kraft Heinz; Amy Levine, Director, Clarkston Consulting
Meijer: A Transformational Model for Category Leadership | Shana Ward, Director of Category Management, Macro Space & Assortment Planning, Meijer; Tyler Schutz, Vice President, Retail Accounts, dunnhumby
Unlock the New Rules of Convenience Retail | Mindy Asper, Partner, Impulse Marketing

Summary: CMA member C.A. Fortune is growing fast, and Schmidt is one of their leaders charting a bright future as broker and partner for countless brands navigating a changing omnichannel landscape. You won’t want to miss her insights. Nor will you want to miss Conagra’s Brody, an industry leader, on leveraging Scintilla’s invaluable Customer Perception module. We’re also pleased to have longtime CMA stalwart and market-leader Kraft Heinz and Clarkston Consulting team up for a fascinating session. Meijer and dunnhumby, meanwhile, offer a category leadership blueprint tailormade for today. Finally, impulse-shopping expert Asper returns to Conference to explore how to win in convenience retail.

Breakout Sessions | Space Planning

The Connected Store: How Shopper Pathing Unlocks Conversion | Dale Clark, Senior Director, U.S. Category Management, Hershey; Olivier Delangre, CEO and Co-Founder, Amoobi
Macro-to-Micro: Turning Big Consumer Shifts Into Precise Omnichannel Activation | Roopa Madvesh, Senior Director, Category Strategy, WK Kellogg Co.; Stacey Ring-Sanders, Vice President, Category and Industry Leadership, WK Kellogg Co.; Gram Bowsher, President and Head of Client Consulting, Nailbiter
Macro Space Analytics Fundamentals and Organizational Navigation | Brian Riffle, Retail Merchandizing Strategist

Summary: Macro- and micro-space experts will want to check out this trio of breakouts. Hershey’s Clark and Amoobi’s Delangre will team up for a captivating look at merging CatMan, space planning and shopper behavior analysis. Another must-see session comes courtesy of Nailbiter and WK Kellogg, which will unveil a framework for winning the omnichannel path to purchase. And Riffle, a longtime retail executive, is set to present an eye-opening session on how macro space analytics inform winning space strategy decisions.

Breakout Sessions | Careers

Showcase Your Work: From Task Lists to Impact Stories | Ellen Bird, founder of Eunice Consulting

Summary: A former Google recruiting leader, Bird knows what it takes to truly stand out in a world where that’s tougher than ever. This session explores how industry professionals like you can start, now, to begin crafting the stories of your career successes to inform your internal conversations (think performance reviews) and external opportunities (that raise and title you deserve).

Workshops

CTRL + ALT+ OMNI: Rebooting Category Management | Chris Perry, Chief Learning Officer, firstmovr
The Power of Business Storytelling | Janine Kurnoff, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, The Presentation Company
ARC Advisors | Mike Gervasio, Sue Toy, Chris Conroy, Kathy Rietschel

Summary: Perry’s omnichannel expertise has informed and delighted CMA members over the years, and he’s back at Conference to conduct an interactive workshop on the six persistent blockers to omni success. Kurnoff also returns for a business storytelling workshop that’s one of the best bets of Conference 2026 to play in front of a packed house. (The fire marshal even showed up a couple years ago for a standing-room only set in Dallas. Seriously.) Arrive early and get your seat. Finally, we'll also soon announce a special panel workshop led by our ARC Advisors.

Be sure to book your Conference registration now, while we’ve got our $250 discount running through Jan. 15. We’ve got even more speakers set to join us, and we can’t wait to share those details soon.

See you in Las Vegas.