As a lead up to The Amsterdam Produce Summit — which this year is themed: Retail Strategies: Seizing Success In The Omni-Channel Future — we’ve run a series of “sneak preview” articles with our key speakers:
WALMART (Rand Waddoups)
RETAIL DETAIL (Jorg Snoeck)
KANTAR WORLDPANEL (Stephane Roger)
CORNELL UNIVERSITY (Miguel Gómez)
FRESH PRODUCE MARKETING (Lisa Cork)
MARKON COOPERATIVE (Tim York)
FRUITDAY (Loren Zhao)
It is a formidable array of talent and expertise gathered together in Amsterdam, an Iconic innovation city in the Netherlands, the very heart of the global produce trade.
The subject of Omni-Channel is an important one for the produce industry. It lies at the center of how, as an industry, we will bring our products to market. Yet because it is not obviously relevant to a particular job classification in produce, it is not an easy event to sell tickets to. But we felt an obligation to help advance the industry on this crucial topic.
In addition to presentations, at the event we will also have a spirited discussion about the intersection of Omni-Channel and the produce industry. Our key speakers will be joined by Maarten van Hamburg. He is a powerhouse in the Dutch produce industry. He is the general manager of Bakker Barendrecht, which is the service provider and strategic partner for Albert Heijn. This type of service provider is almost unknown in America, with only FreshPro and Kings Food Markets in New Jersey having a similar relationship, but he will root our discussion in the realities of today’s produce and retail business.
It is our pleasure to unveil the 2018 Thought-Leader Panel at The Amsterdam Produce Summit:
LISA CORK
Owner
Fresh Produce Marketing
Auckland, New Zealand
Lisa Cork is an award-winning strategist who transforms produce businesses from being production–centric to consumer-centric, helping them to increase sales, own their category and become suppliers that stand out in a crowded marketplace. Over her 30-year career, she has shaped current thinking on produce marketing and branding through her writing, speaking and industry involvement. Working with clients globally, she regularly travels the world, enabling her to incorporate the latest international trends and insights into her client work.
As CEO of Fresh Produce Marketing, Lisa is passionate about helping fresh produce companies challenge their status-quo thinking and implement strategies that future-proof their business and deliver a substantial return on investment.
Outside of work, Lisa loves to travel and summit mountains in exotic locations. You can follow her on LinkedIn: LisaSCork and Twitter @LisaCork_FPM.
MIGUEL GÓMEZ
Associate Professor
Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York
Miguel I. Gómez Is Associate Professor in the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University. He is also a Faculty Fellow, Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, Cornell University. Professor Gómez concentrates his research and extension program on two interrelated areas under the umbrella of food marketing and distribution, with emphasis on fruits and vegetables: Assessment of competitiveness and sustainability of food value chains; and the study of business-to-business and business-to-consumer food markets. The scope of his research and outreach program is global, emphasizing food value chains in Latin America.
STÉPHANE ROGER
Global Shopper and Retail Director
Kantar Worldpanel
Barcelona, Spain
Stéphane has been working in the French & Spanish Fasat Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry for 25 years in several agencies and manufacturers in a range of client-facing, marketing and team management roles.
His current job is to help global manufacturers and retailers to drive value, understanding how shoppers are likely to behave and change in the future. He is the author of papers on e-commerce and omni-channel. His latest release is “finding growth in reinvented retail,” issued in June 2018.
JORG SNOECK
Founder
RetailDetail
Antwerpen, Belgium
Jorg Snoeck, aka Captain of Retail, is the founder of RetailDetail, the leading communication and networking platform for all professionals in retail and FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) in the Benelux. By sharing knowledge and inspiration, RetailDetail has grown to become a vital partner in the world of retailing.
He is also the founding father of the travelling experience center Future of Shopping Roadshow and of the knowledge center RetailHub, where industry professionals can immerse themselves into the future of retail and FMCG. As the newest addition to the RetailDetail network, RetailHub is more than a place; it’s a dynamic platform, where new trends, evolutions and questions are treated.
Jorg Snoeck is on a personal mission to ensure more entrepreneurs and business can continue to thrive in the challenging and rapidly changing retail landscape. That’s why his aim is to enlarge the common brain of this industry in turmoil. Given his degree and background in marketing, his passion especially lies with the analysis of shopping behavior and the scrutiny of the changing consumer.
MAARTEN VAN HAMBURG
General Manager
Bakker Barendrecht
Handelsweg, The Netherlands
Maarten van Hamburg is General Manager of Bakker Barendrecht, a Greenyard company.
Bakker Barendrecht is one of The Netherlands’ major fresh produce companies with a long-lasting relationship with its most important retail customer, a leading Dutch supermarket chain. Maarten is a graduate of Higher Hotel Management School Maastricht, and holds an MBA of TIAS University. Maarten has over 20-years experience in food retailing, Wholesale and produce. Before he joined Bakker Barendrecht 5 years ago, he has worked for Laurus, a Dutch supermarket retailer, part of Groupe Casino and Metro Group.
RAND WADDOUPS
Director, Omnichannel
Walmart USA
Rand Waddoups is the senior director of Omnichannel for Walmart US where he works at the intersection of physical and digital retail with Walmart stores and ecommerce. In this role, he is at the forefront of retail’s digital transformation developing strategy, in-store processes, and in-app experiences that enable a seamless customer experience.
Previously, he led a team of buyers that managed a wide range of electronics and accessories products, from computers to phone cases. He also developed Walmart’s private brands in electronics and led “retailtainment” for properties like “The Avengers” and “Angry Birds.”
Prior to his work in entertainment/electronics, Rand was fortunate to lead Walmart’s product sustainability strategy. With a small team, he focused on Walmart’s aspirational goals: 1) to have zero waste, 2) to use 100% renewable energy, and 3) to bring sustainable products to customers. The sustainability team was awarded Walmart’s highest honor, the Sam M Walton Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Rand also spent several years as a buyer/category manager where he worked on a broad spectrum of food products; from frozen Brussels sprouts to flaming-hot cheese puffs. Walmart recognized him as a Buyer of the Year and the food manufacturing community voted him one of the nation’s Top 5 Buyers of Frozen and Refrigerated Food.
Rand is a father of two, a husband, and an active member of the community. He has a background in public service including two years in the Philippines. Additionally, he has a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Arkansas and an undergraduate in Economics from Brigham Young University.
TiIM YORK
President
Markon Cooperative, Inc.
USA
Tim York is the President of Markon Cooperative Inc. Markon is a purchasing, marketing, and logistics cooperative serving North America’s leading independent foodservice distributors. Based in Salinas, California, Markon distributes produce to over seventy facilities in the U.S. and Canada.
Mr. York has over forty years’ experience in the produce and foodservice industries. Mr. York joined Markon in 1985 as Purchasing Director and was promoted to President in 1990.
Mr. York was instrumental in the industry addressing food safety and was instrumental in the formation of the Center for Produce Safety in 2007, serving as its Chairman from 2007-2012.
LOREN ZHAO
Owner
Fruitday Co., Ltd
China
Loren is the Co-Founder of Fruitday Co., Ltd., Shanghai, which is China’s largest fresh fruit e-commerce company in terms of sales revenue. Fruitday provides an end-to-end, home-delivery service to ensure customers receive products two days from ordering. Fruitday has six distribution centers, and its fresh-delivery service covers more than 300 cities in China and has more than 5 million members. Pioneering omni-channel retailing in China, recently Fruitday invested in City Shop, a high-end supermarket chain with locations in Shanghai and Beijing. Fruitday now offers its more than 100 million online users a physical experience center at City Shop while offering overseas fresh produce suppliers a more direct reach to the Chinese consumer.
It is very important to understand that none of these people have to come and share their insights with the broader industry. We are deeply appreciative to each one and to their companies and organizations for allowing them to share so much with the industry at large:
The Amsterdam Produce Summit gathers the best and the brightest for education and interchange to understand and to help create a new tomorrow for the produce industry.
Join us in Amsterdam and position yourself and your organization to be a winner in the years ahead.
- You can register for The Amsterdam Produce Summit right here.
- If you need a hotel room in our headquarters hotel, just let us know here.
- If you want more information about the Spouse/Companion Program, just ask here.
- And let us know here if you want information on the tours, conducted on November 14, one day after our one-day conference.
- We still have a few sponsorship opportunities, if you have an interest in positing your company as a leader, just let us know here.
This is the only event of its type in the world. Come be a part of it. Come to The Amsterdam.
