Diageo, Dole, headline food & beverage focus at 2025 NextGen Supply Chain Conference

The 2025 NextGen Supply Chain Conference is spotlighting the food & beverage industry as one of its four central focus areas, bringing some of the most recognized brands and associations in the space to Nashville.

From navigating shifting regulatory frameworks to scaling mid-size operations with innovation and flexible manufacturing, this track features food leaders shaping the next decade of supply chains.

The food & beverage program includes a Visionary Award keynote from Lisa Drane of Diageo, insights from Phil Kafarakis of IFMA on regulatory evolution, and a fireside chat with Our Home’s Timothy Egan on scaling hypergrowth. The track also explores practical last-mile strategies with Walmart and others, and concludes with a forward-looking keynote from Dole Packaged Foods’ Todd Stillwell on driving innovation and efficiency.

The 2025 NextGen Supply Chain Conference, taking place Oct. 22–24 at the W Nashville, will gather more than 50 senior executives and thought leaders across industries. Alongside food & beverage, the agenda includes tracks on CPG, life sciences, and 3PL/logistics.

Food & Beverage session speakers

Thursday, Oct. 23

10:05 a.m. CT

• Speaker: Timothy M. Egan, Senior Director, Warehousing & Logistics, Our Home
• Moderator: Brian Straight, Editor in Chief, Supply Chain Management Review
• Session title: Fueling Hypergrowth: Building a Resilient Supply Chain at Our Home

11:00 a.m. CT (Room 4)

• Speaker: Phil Kafarakis, President & CEO, IFMA – The Food Away From Home Association
• Session title: Navigating Evolving Food Regulations in the Supply Chain

12 pm CT (Room 2)

• Speakers: Ian Johnston, VP Customer Success, AutoScheduler and Kellanova (speaker TBD)
• Session title: From Firefighting to Forward Planning: A Fireside Chat with a Leading CPG Innovator

1:45 p.m. CT – Visionary Award Keynote

• Speaker: Lisa Drane, Director, Procurement Supply Innovation, Logistics & Warehouse, Diageo

2:45 p.m. CT

• Moderator: Douglas Kent, EVP, ASCM
• Panelists: Sri Thirumalia, Director of Last Mile, Walmart; Scott DeGroot, University of Tennessee; Girish Gupta, Director Supply Chain, Guardian Drug Company
• Session title: Winning the Last Mile: Strategies for Customer-Centric Delivery

Friday, Oct. 24

8:30 a.m. CT – Keynote

• Speaker: Todd Stillwell, VP Supply Chain & Manufacturing, Dole Packaged Foods
• Session title: Scaling Mid-size CPG Supply Chains for Growth & Innovation

11:25 a.m. CT

• Speakers: Patrick Gibbons, President, The Emerson Group, and Nura Kruciak, SVP, GEODIS
• Session title: Secrets to Success: How to Achieve Scalability With Your 3PL

Other companies featured across focus areas

Beyond food & beverage, the 2025 conference features leaders from (among others):

• Consumer Packaged Goods: Walmart, Gap, Kohler, GNC
• Life Sciences/Healthcare: Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson MedTech, Regeneron, Imbed Biosciences, Medline
• 3PL/Logistics: Uber Freight, Maersk, RXO, Kenco, C.H. Robinson
• Food & Beverage: Diageo, Dole Packaged Foods, IFMA, Our Home

Conference registration is now ongoing.

Who are the 2025 NextGen Award Winners?

Visionary Award

Diageo

End User Awards

• Artificial Intelligence: FedEx Supply Chain
• Digital Transformation: Sysco
• Robotics: GNC

Solution Provider Awards

• Artificial Intelligence: Quickcode.ai
• Digital Transformation: Easy Metrics
• Robotics: Corvus Robotics

Startup Award

Dexory

To register, visit NextGen Supply Chain Conference

What keynotes are scheduled?

Thursday morning keynote

• Speaker: Val Marchevsky, EVP & CTO, Uber Freight
• Session title: Reimagining Logistics with AI: Turning Intelligence into Action

Thursday afternoon Visionary keynote:

• Speaker: Lisa Drane, director of procurement supply innovation at Diageo.
• Session title: Visionary Award presentation

Friday morning keynote:

• Speaker: Todd Stillwell, VP Supply Chain & Manufacturing, Dole Packaged Foods
• Session title: Scaling for Innovation and Growth with Flexible Manufacturing and Data-Driven Forecasting

Networking and sponsorship opportunities

The W Nashville is offering group hotel rates (three days before and after the event, subject to availability). Networking highlights include rooftop receptions, entertainment and small-group discussions.

Sponsors

• Diamond (awards sponsor): Zion Solutions Group
• Gold: Shippeo
• Silver: Hai Robotics, TGW Logistics, Cycle Labs, GreyMatter by GreyOrange, AutoScheduler, Imaginnovate, eSoft Labs
• Bronze: Corvus Robotics, enVista, Gnosis Freight, Herowear
• Associate: Arvist, Loadsmart, Pelican Robotics, Made4Net, Third Wave Automation

Attendees will also hear from leaders at companies including Walmart, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, Kenco, Kohler, Maersk, Medline, Blue Tiger International, IBM Consulting, Moody’s, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Gap, Kenvue, Imbed Biosciences, C.H. Robinson and more. A full list of speakers is available here. The agenda can be found here.

Now in its seventh year, the NextGen Supply Chain Conference brings together senior executives, thought leaders, and technology innovators to explore the future of supply chain management. With a program featuring keynote presentations, breakout sessions, and the annual NextGen Supply Chain Awards, the event spotlights the technologies and strategies shaping tomorrow’s supply chains.

Registration and the full agenda are available at NextGenSupplyChainConference.com.

Register to attend now

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