Agenda

Explore the Agenda: Insightful. Actionable. Forward-Thinking.

Our 2026 Agenda is as follows:

Track 1
Track 2

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Breakfast Networking Reception

9:00 AM – 9:05 AM

My Digital Shelf Welcome Speech

Sarah Kingham

Director, My Digital Shelf

9:05 AM - 9:15 AM

Chairperson's Introduction and Event Overview

Andrene Dos Anjos

Retail Media Manager, North America, FGF Brands

9:15 AM - 9:40 AM

TBA

Lesley  Conway

Head of Walmart Connect, Walmart Connect

9:40 AM - 10:05 AM

AI User Consumer Panel: What Shoppers See and How AI Recommends

Paul Lees

Founder & CEO, CheckoutSmart

  • Uncover the real questions, concerns, and decision factors consumers bring to AI before choosing a product, based on insights from our AI User Consumer Panel

  • Learn how LLMs interpret categories, surface recommendations, the sources they use and reshape brand visibility at the point of decision

  • Walk away with practical actions eCommerce and marketing teams can take today to strengthen the signals AI and shoppers rely on

10:05 AM - 10:30 AM

Canada's Favourite Breakfast: How Bimbo & Kraft Heinz Joined Forces to Drive Cross-Category Growth

Leigh Fenwick

Director Omnichannel Marketing, Bimbo Bakeries

Jeanette D'Souza

Associate Director, Omni Channel, Kraft Heinz

  • Discover how Dempster’s & POM breads partnered with Kraft Peanut Butter & Philadelphia Cream Cheese to deliver a quick, delicious breakfast made by Canadians, for Canadians

  • Learn how the campaign aimed to drive cross-category purchases among millennials by positioning bread and spreads as the perfect breakfast pairing

  • Explore how in-store co-displays, social media, retailer loyalty programs and retail media were activated to drive cross-category purchase and build the basket

10:30 AM - 10:55 AM

Networking Coffee Break

10:55 AM - 11:20 AM

TBA

Genevieve Castonguay

Vice President of Marketing, ShopLiftr

11:20 AM - 11:45 AM

Cultural Commerce at Scale

Eva ZHU

Marketing Director Kérastase Canada, L’Oréal Canada

  • Learn how to architect distinct online + offline touchpoints to drive incremental recruitment and maximise LTV

  • Explore localised storytelling and influencer strategies that resonate across Toronto, Montreal and Calgary

  • Discover how to authentically tap into cultural moments to build deeper brand affinity, with lessons from the Canadian Asian Love Plan

11:45 AM - 12:10 PM

TBA

Michael Silverman

Chief Executive Officer, Flipp 

12:10 PM - 12:35 PM

From the Grandstand to the Grocery Basket: How brands can covert passion into purchase

Doyle Brown

Director of Marketing, Barilla Group

  • Explore the Sponsorship 4Cs Framework: Culture, Credibility, Conversion & Community

  • Discover how Catelli Protein+ x Toronto Blue Jays is fuelling Canadian families’ fandom

  • Learn how Barilla x F1 Montreal turned race weekend into a shared meal occasion

​12:35 PM - 1:35 PM

Networking Lunch Break

1:35 PM - 2:00 PM

Building AI to Power the Future of Retail Analytics at Loblaw

Sarah Wool-Smith

GM, Ad products, Loblaw Advance

2:00 PM - 2:25 PM

The Two-Way Street: How Category Insights Shape Strategy and Shelf

Ghazi Rasheed

Director, Category Management, Mondelēz International

  • Explore how changing demographics, persistent inflation and flat population growth are reshaping the equation for category growth in Canada

  • Learn how Category Management can act as a two-way bridge, using retailer and shopper insights to influence both customer collaboration and internal business strategy

  • Discover how AI is changing retail decision-making and why Category Management teams must evolve from explaining what happened to understanding why it happened and focusing more on foresight

2:25 PM - 3:00 PM

Networking Coffee Break

3:00 PM - 3:25 PM

Role of a Family Caregiver – there’s “#NoLoveLikeIt”

Mark Settle

Marketing Director, Essity

  • Explore the often invisible physical, mental and emotional realities of family caregiving

  • Discover how TENA's #NoLoveLikeIt campaign shines a spotlight on the complex emotions experienced by family caregivers

  • Learn how TENA is drawing on over 60 years of experience to provide guides, information and support tools for people on the caregiving journey

3:25 PM - 3:50 PM

Marketing Strategy in a Difficult Economic Environment

Moasser Ahmed

Senior Marketing Manager, Maple Leaf Foods Inc

  • How to create consumer value

  • Growth story of a leading brand

3:50 PM - 4:15 PM

Demand Generation in the AI Shopping Era: Navigating the Non-Linear Consumer Journey

Sucheta Mehra

Senior Manager - Demand Generation, BISSELL Homecare Inc.

  • Explore how AI, search, and retail platforms are reshaping shopper behavior and breaking the traditional funnel

  • Learn how to capture demand across fragmented touchpoints with an omnichannel, full-funnel approach

  • Discover strategies to connect retail media, search signals, and creator-led commerce to drive measurable business impact and retail/Amazon velocity

4:15 PM - 4:25 PM

Chairperson's Event Summary and Closing Remarks

Andrene Dos Anjos

Retail Media Manager, North America, FGF Brands

4:25 PM - 4:30 PM

My Digital Shelf Thank you and Closing remarks

Sarah Kingham

Director, My Digital Shelf

4:30 PM – 5:30 PM

Networking Drinks Reception

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Breakfast Networking Reception

9:00 AM – 9:05 AM

My Digital Shelf Welcome Speech

Sarah Kingham

Director, My Digital Shelf

9:05 AM - 9:15 AM

Chairperson's Introduction and Event Overview

Ariane Friesen

Director Consumer Experience & Digital Commerce, Mondelēz Canada

9:15 AM - 9:40 AM

Commerce Without Silos: Building a Connected Commerce Engine

Monia Staropoli

Director Commerce Marketing, Conagra Brands

  • Learn how AI is shifting the rules of commerce, making connected teams and trusted content critical competitive advantages

  • Discover why Connected Commerce wins over individual channels, bringing content, retail media, promotions and in-store execution together

  • Explore how to achieve personalisation at scale by tailoring solutions across retailers, regions and cultural moments

9:40 AM - 10:05 AM

TBA

Sam Lam

VP of Innovation, MIQ Digital

Amith Vikram

Product  Director, MIQ Digital

10:05 AM - 10:30 AM

Retail Media Is Rewriting the Omnichannel Playbook

Jamie Armstrong

GM Media Intelligence, Loblaw Advance

  • Learn what separates effective omnichannel strategies from fragmented activation, from starting with the right business objective to using commerce data to understand shoppers

  • Explore how to give each channel a distinct role and get audience, creative, budget and timing right

  • Discover how closed-loop measurement can turn every activation into evidence for making the next one better

10:30 AM - 10:55 AM

Networking Coffee Break

10:55 AM - 11:20 AM

AI User Consumer Panel: What Shoppers See and How AI Recommends

Paul Lees

Founder & CEO, CheckoutSmart

  • Uncover the real questions, concerns, and decision factors consumers bring to AI before choosing a product, based on insights from our AI User Consumer Panel

  • Learn how LLMs interpret categories, surface recommendations, the sources they use and reshape brand visibility at the point of decision

  • Walk away with practical actions eCommerce and marketing teams can take today to strengthen the signals AI and shoppers rely on

11:20 AM - 11:45 AM

Owning the Tracks: A Practical Story of Retail Search Transformation

José Garcia Gomez

Director, eCommerce Excellence, Nestlé Canada

  • Hear how a major CPG built retail search capability in-house, what it really takes, and the change management behind the shift

  • See how an in-house model unlocks faster decisions and stronger retailer partnerships

  • Leave with a grounded perspective to reflect on for your own commerce journey

11:45 AM - 12:10 PM

How to be recommended by AI Answer Engines: A Framework for the era of Agentic Commerce                              

Max Sinclair

Co-Founder & CEO, Azoma

Erica  Meagher

Head of eCommerce, Beiersdorf Canada Inc.

  • Explore the 5 Cs Framework for Agentic Commerce Optimisation: Completeness, Context, Citations, Correctness and Customer Acquisition

  • Learn how to optimise your brand for AI-powered shopping assistants by improving product data, trusted-source visibility and correcting AI hallucinations

  • Discover how to move beyond fragmented AI experiments with a measurable strategy that drives customer acquisition and sustainable growth

12:10 PM - 12:35 PM

TBA

Lesley Conway

Head of Walmart Connect, Walmart Connect

12:35 PM - 1:35 PM

Networking Lunch Break

1:35 PM - 2:00 PM

From the Digital Shelf to Connected Commerce: A CPG Brand Playbook for the Connected Shopper

Tricia Williams

Managing Partner & Client Success Leader, geekspeak Commerce

Isaac  Wanzama

Founder & Chief Strategist, geekspeak Commerce

  • Explore how product discovery is expanding beyond the digital shelf and what this means for CPG brands

  • Learn how to connect content, data, media and measurement across the shopper journey

  • Discover practical ways to improve brand discoverability and prepare for what comes next

2:00 PM - 2:35 PM

Panel Discussion: Beyond Media Metrics: Building Retail Media That Drives Commercial Growth

Panel Moderator

Anca Badea

Head of Category and Insights, Pet Nutrition, Mars

Jennifer Downie

Retail Media Key Partnership Manager, North America, Circle K

Jason Bennicoff

Vice-President, Retail Media, Sobeys Inc.

Natasha Demopoulos

Senior Manager, OMNI & Shopper Marketing, Mars

Juliana Nodwell

Retail Media Manager, Kraft Heinz

Usman Moorad

Head of Account Management - CPG Health & Beauty, Amazon

2:35 PM - 3:00 PM

Networking Coffee Break

3:00 PM - 3:25 PM

Delivering Growth with Instacart

Graham Edward

Senior Director, Brand Partnerships, Instacart

Juliette Oliver

Senior eCommerce Manager, Groupe Bel Canada

  • Explore Instacart’s unique role as a leading technology company in the Canadian grocery space

  • Learn how brands can strategically partner with Instacart to unlock new growth opportunities

  • Discover how a data-driven collaboration between Instacart and Bel unlocked the healthier snacking category

3:25 PM - 3:50 PM

TBA

Louise Jansen

Director Commercial Strategy, WK Kellogg Co

3:50 PM - 4:15 PM

TBA

Maggie Kamel

Senior Manager, CRM & Digital Technology, Nestle Purina Canada

4:15 PM - 4:25 PM

Chairperson's Event Summary and Closing Remarks

Ariane Friesen

Director Consumer Experience & Digital Commerce, Mondelēz Canada

4:25 PM - 4:30 PM

My Digital Shelf Thank you and Closing remarks

Sarah Kingham

Director, My Digital Shelf

4:30 PM – 5:30 PM

Networking Drinks Reception

Download the Summit Brochure
Download Brochure
Stay Informed!

Be the first to receive updates on speakers, agenda releases, and early-bird tickets.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Connected
Commerce
Summit
October 22nd, 2026
The Ritz-Carlton
Toronto

Join CPG & Grocery Retail industry leaders in one action-packed day of learning and networking in an exclusive and intimate environment.

Get Involved

Become a SponsorBecome a SpeakerRegister

Pages

HomeAgendaBrochureSpeakersSponsorsGlobal Events

Useful Links

VenueAbout UsContact UsPrivacy PolicyTerms & ConditionsUnsubscribe

My Digital Shelf    •   Copyright © 2025