The Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF) announced that Buffalo Wild Wings CEO Sally Smith, Coca-Cola chairman and CEO Muhtar Kent, and McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson will keynote the 2015 WFF Annual Leadership Development Conference.
The conference will be held March 8-11 at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida. The lineup will also include best-selling author Daniel Pink and long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad.
This year’s theme is “Changing the Face of Leadership” and marks the culmination of a celebration of WFF’s 25-year anniversary.
“It’s amazing that WFF emerged out of the vision of 14 women who came together to discuss the state of women in foodservice 25 years ago and has blossomed into meeting the needs of our industry’s companies and thousands of individuals on an annual basis,” says Hattie Hill, WFF president and CEO. “We expect nearly 3,000 women and men ranging from emerging leaders to mid-level, senior, and C-suite executives in the foodservice industry from across the United States and Canada to attend this year’s conference.”
The three-day event delivers content, builds meaningful and strategic industry connections, and develops core leadership competencies. In addition to dynamic keynote addresses, there will be numerous educational sessions on topics ranging from strategic thinking to increasing employee engagement to the art of leadership storytelling.
“I’m pleased to be part of an organization that is focused on helping diverse talent not only understand what is possible in our industry, but also build the competencies needed to create strong careers, great businesses, and a pipeline of ready talent,” says Kat Cole, WFF’s 2015 board chair and president of Cinnabon, Inc.
“As WFF embarks on the next 25 years, we will continue to help foodservice-related companies and professionals maximize their success in elevating and retaining women leaders and strengthening the business and leadership capabilities of diverse talent,” she says.
Brinker International, The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, and Sysco Corporation are among the top supporters of the 2015 WFF Annual Leadership Development Conference, Hill says.
