Start the day with a relaxed networking opportunity over breakfast.

Kick off the event with a brief welcome from our President and Co-Founder Jennifer DiPasquale, who will provide an overview of the day’s schedule.

Consumers increasingly expect brands to stand for something beyond their products and services. When done authentically, cause marketing can create strong emotional connections, build trust, deepen loyalty, and generate meaningful community impact.

Join Jill Podzimek and Kelly Perry for a candid conversation on how brands are leveraging cause marketing to strengthen customer relationships, including the growing importance of purpose among younger consumers and how social impact initiatives support Ulta’s broader loyalty strategy. Drawing on lessons from their partnership campaigns, Jill and Kelly will share what it takes to align purpose with business goals, engage customers in meaningful ways, and build programs that resonate with both communities and brands.

Attendees will walk away with practical insights on creating authentic cause-driven initiatives that foster trust, drive engagement, and deliver value.

Each year, Women in Retail Leadership Circle partners with a nonprofit that gives back to our community in a meaningful way. Join us as we welcome this year’s nonprofit, the American Heart Association (AHA). The nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization, the AHA is dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke.

Tarte has spent 25 years moving early, from clean beauty to social commerce. When the brand outgrew its previous commerce stack, Theresa Cowing, vice president of direct-to-consumer and social commerce, led the DTC side of a five-month move to Shopify. In this conversation with Shopify’s Génesis Miranda Longo, Theresa shares how Tarte aligned technology, merchandising, and operations around the launch, brought key marketing channels back online within hours, and gave business teams more control over the storefront. She’ll also discuss what the new foundation is enabling across TikTok Shop, international growth, and AI-driven commerce, and what other retail leaders can learn from building for speed while protecting the brand voice that made Tarte successful.

Recharge and connect with fellow attendees through a lively networking activity designed to spark conversation and new connections.

Take an extended break to connect with other attendees and reflect on the morning’s sessions

What’s it like to be a part of the Women in Retail Leadership Circle? Hear directly from a member of this amazing community of women.

AI is everywhere, but turning it into something useful for a retail organization is much harder. Hill House Home and Triple Whale will unpack the realities of adopting AI, from knowing where to start and building a data foundation teams can trust to identifying where AI can have the greatest impact. They’ll share how Triple Whale and Moby can help teams put AI to work in practical ways, grounded in Hill House Home’s real-world experience navigating the journey.

In this TED-style segment, three retail leaders deliver powerful 15-minute talks centered on health, wellness, and more.

• Ancient Wisdom, Modern Women: What 5,000 Years Can Teach Us About Hormonal Health
• The Power of Movement: Why Moving Your Body Matters for Your Well-Being
• The Missing Piece: Why Intimate Wellness Belongs in the Wellness Conversation

Take a break, enjoy lunch, and connect with fellow retail leaders through engaging conversations designed to spark new ideas and relationships.

From brand partnerships to cultural moments, successful collaborations have become a powerful driver of growth, relevance, and customer connection. In this conversation, retail leaders will share how they identify the right partners, build mutually beneficial relationships, measure success, and turn collaborations into meaningful business impact. Hear the strategies, lessons learned, and behind-the-scenes stories behind some of today’s most impactful partnerships.

Iconic brands have decades of consumer recognition and loyalty, creating a powerful foundation for what’s next in commerce. In this fireside chat, Kaitlin Hutchinson, senior vice president of e-commerce at Authentic Brands Group, joins Al Repetto, vice president of retail at Rokt, to explore how Authentic is building on the strength of its globally recognized brands to drive the next phase of e-commerce growth. Drawing on Rokt’s experience helping leading e-commerce businesses create more relevant customer experiences, they’ll discuss how brands can deepen engagement, strengthen loyalty, and unlock new opportunities for growth. 

Recharge and connect with fellow attendees through a lively networking activity designed to spark conversation and new connections.

Take an extended break to connect with other attendees and reflect on the afternoon sessions.

As AI transforms the workplace, the role of leaders is evolving just as quickly. In this engaging keynote, AI expert Sharon Gai explores how today’s executives can cut through the hype, leverage AI to increase productivity, and focus their time on the uniquely human qualities that drive innovation, creativity, and sound judgment. Based on insights from her latest book, Sharon offers a practical framework for helping leaders—and their teams—do more with less while preparing for the future of work.

An opportunity to unwind, network, and continue discussions in a more informal setting.