The University of Arizona's Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing has announced the presenters for its 22nd annual Global Retailing Conference, which will take place April 19 and 20 at Westin La Paloma Resort and Spa in Tucson.

The annual conference brings together students, faculty and industry executives in a forum to present and discuss breakthrough insights.

As retailing in all forms is moving and emerging faster than ever, conference presenters and participants will examine how innovations in technology and marketing are reimagining retailing, now and into the future.

The headliner for this year's event will be American clothing designer Kenneth Cole.

The other speakers include:

• UA alumnus Terry J. Lundgren, Macy's Inc. chairman and CEO (retired) 

• Greg Creed, CEO, Yum! Brands Inc. 

• Tony Rogers, chief marketing officer, Walmart U.S. 

• Jonathan Pelosi, head of industry, Mobile Apps Americas, Google 

• Karen Katz, recently retired CEO, Neiman Marcus 

• Lee McCabe, vice president for North America, Alibaba Group 

• Rachel Shechtman, founder and CEO, STORY 

• Andrew Critchell, digital manager, Walgreens 

• Michael Forrest, senior vice president for retail, Samsung Electronics America 

• Shawn Gensch, chief marketing officer, Sprouts Farmers Markets 

• Kian Gould, CEO and founder, AOE 

• Rich Lennox, chief marketing officer, Macy’s, Inc. 

• Sarah Quinlan, senior vice president, market insights, MasterCard 

• Tom Schwarztrauber, director, global category management and strategic planning, Nestle Purina 

• Mark Weinstein, senior vice president and global head of customer engagement, loyalty and partnerships, Hilton

Details on the conference, including a complete agenda, are posted on the Global Retailing Conference website, with additional pages on Facebook and Twitter. 


"This Global Retailing Conference is unique in that it represents the confluence of academia and industry professionals with insights that bridge the world of retailing, technology and global brand management," said Lundgren, who will deliver opening remarks. "It is important to have this holistic view to understand where retailing is today, especially in light of bold innovations in technology and marketing, and the directions our industry is heading into the future.

"The future of our industry is more than a story of disruption. It involves new and innovative ways of serving consumer needs, presenting brands, developing talent and delivering convenience and value in ways we could never have imagined in the past. We are in an era of reimagination, and this conference helps bring thought leaders from numerous aspects of the retail, wholesale, fashion, marketing and technology worlds into focus in an environment where some of our next-generation talent can contribute to the conversation." 


Registrations for a limited number of attendees are currently being accepted.

The conference is presented through the support of sponsors that include Macy’s, SAP, Connection, Kenneth Mink Fine Rug Gallery, Samsung Electronics America, Tyco Retail Solutions, Supima, VMWare Airwatch, Walgreens, Gordon Brothers, JDA Software, Leonisa, PetSmart, Veras Retail, Yelp, Mastercard and Helping Hands for Freedom. 


For more information on attending the event, visit http://www.globalretailingconference.org and follow to the registration page. Or email Kimberley Brooke, associate director of the Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing, at kbrooke@arizona.edu. 


The Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing is part of the UA's John and Doris Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences. It brings together the resources and expertise of academia and the retail industry, with a shared goal of developing strong future retail professionals and leaders.