The Women's Foodservice Forum (WFF) announced that industry icons Buffalo Wild Wings CEO Sally Smith, Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO Muhtar Kent, and McDonald's outgoing CEO Don Thompson will keynote the 2015 WFF Annual Leadership Development Conference to be held on March 8–11, 2015 at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida. The lineup of renowned thought leaders 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 year-long celebration of WFF's 25th 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 best-in-class 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. "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 adds. “As part of one of the largest industries in the country employing more than 13.5 million people, we have an opportunity and an obligation to build diverse talent, drive top performance, and be an industry of choice for generations to come. WFF will be a catalyst in that effort."
"We are pleased that Brinker International, the Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, and Sysco Corporation are among the top supporters of the 2015 WFF Annual Leadership Development Conference and are committed to our mission of advancing women leaders in our industry," Hill says.
