FEIA 2020
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2025 Speakers

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Alysson Breske

Accounts Payable Solutions Executive, Transcepta AP Automation

  • Breakfast Bites on May 20, 2025 7:40 AM
Aly has educated companies in the discipline of Accounts Payable Automation for her entire career. She joined Transcepta because she wanted to be a part of the only AP platform that delivers true touchless AP processing. Her vertical focus has centered in Retail sectors including food, apparel, and automotive. She is an expert in consulting Finance executives in the use of AI in Accounts Payable and Payment Automation.
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Scott Brown

Vice President of Client Services, PRGX

  • Breakfast Bites on May 19, 2025 7:15 AM

Scott Brown is the Vice President of Client Services at PRGX, bringing 29 years of expertise in the Recovery Audit Industry. As an accomplished Operations Leader and Client Relationship Manager, Scott specializes in the Retail and Grocery sectors. He has been instrumental in developing PRGX's construction audit practice, scaling it to over 200 audits annually.

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Suneel Chirunomula

EVP, Head of Growth, Viewpost

  • Breakfast Bites on May 19, 2025 7:15 AM

After more than a decade leading B2B payment solutions and working capital strategies for American Express and C2FO, Suneel joined Viewpost to grow enterprise sales and accelerate channel partnerships. With a client-focused mindset, Suneel draws on a unique combination of card, B2B payments, and working capital experience that helps payment leaders solve problems, increase efficiency, and add value to their organizations.

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Barret Cook, CPA

Senior Manager - Deals, Capital Markets Accounting and Advisory Services, PwC

  • Accounting & Internal Audit Update on May 19, 2025 1:30 PM

 Barret is a Senior Manager in PwC's Deals – Capital Markets Accounting and Advisory Services practice, based in Seattle. With eight years at PwC, including two years in the Frankfurt, Germany PwC office, Barret specializes in helping companies navigate complex accounting changes under US GAAP—whether due to transactions like IPOs, acquisitions, or divestitures, or shifts in their products or regulatory environment. He has advised clients ranging from early-stage startups to Fortune 50 companies across a wide variety of industries, including aerospace and defense, and consumer markets.

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Peter Cooke

Co-Founder, Ratio Institute

  • How to Leverage Operational Sustainability to combat Inflation, Tariffs, and Economic Uncertainty on May 20, 2025 2:35 PM
Peter Cooke has over twenty years experience in developing sustainability tools and programs for businesses, government, academia, and non-profits. He co-founded Ratio Institute to develop tools and resources for food retailers. He has worked with over 1,000 grocery stores since 2012 and performed sustainability audits at over 600 grocery stores. Peter is ISO 14001 Lead Auditor certified, Commercial Energy Auditor trained, Building Operator Certified, and Hazardous Waste Operations certified. 
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Ben Crabtree

Senior Manager, Transformation Solutions, UHY Consulting

  • Conquering Internal Audit Challenges: What’s Ahead in Risk, Tech & Transformation on May 20, 2025 2:35 PM

With over a decade of experience in professional services as both a CPA and trusted consulting advisor, Ben delivers results-oriented project leadership with a focus on modernizing legacy systems for large-scale organizations. He specializes in guiding clients through complex technology transformations by redesigning and optimizing current-state processes into future-state architectures that align with strategic business goals. Ben also develops customized database solutions that streamline operations throughout the project lifecycle—designing ETL tools for data migration and implementing automated reconciliation processes that improve data integrity and reporting accuracy across enterprise technology ecosystems.

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Sherif Fahmy

Vice President, Retail Sales-Martech East, Inmar

  • Beyond the Basket: Exploring Alternative Revenue Streams in Food Retail on May 19, 2025 2:35 PM
As an omnichannel strategist, practical innovator and leader, Sherif brings a balanced perspective on solving business problems with +20 years of agency-based innovation, commerce activation and retail media experience, coupled with time spent at CVS Health leading incentive / loyalty strategies with manufacturers. He's built and led scaled businesses that focus on commercial optimization, productivity and profitability. His versatile background across numerous channels and clients, and the pioneer of several retail-based companies/tools prove there’s a solution for every kind of problem.
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Gabriela Foster, CIA, MBA

Internal Audit Manager, SpartanNash

  • From Auditor to ERM Champion: Driving Internal Audit's Collaboration with Business Leaders on May 19, 2025 2:35 PM

Gabriela joined the Corporate Audit department at SpartanNash in 2019. Gabriela has extensive experience working in the consumer goods industry, putting her risk analysis and internal control assessment skills to good use.

Gabriela has a BA in Accounting from Davenport University and a MBA with emphasis on Strategic Leadership from the same university. She holds a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) designation, COSO Internal Controls certification, and is Yellow Belt certified (Lean Six Sigma).

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Andy S. Harig

Vice President, Tax, Trade, Sustainability & Policy Development, FMI

  • Policy and Regulatory Shifts Under the New Administration on May 20, 2025 11:25 AM

Andrew S. Harig currently serves as Vice President, Tax, Trade, Sustainability & Policy Development at FMI-The Food Industry Association. In this position, he is responsible for lobbying Congress and the Administration on behalf of FMI members, with a primary focus on agriculture, taxes, trade, sustainability, food waste, and pensions. Prior to joining FMI, Andy was an associate trade advisor and speechwriter for the Senate Finance Committee under its Chairman, Max Baucus (D-MT).  From 1999-2001, he was the senior research associate for the Global Economic Policy Project at the New America Foundation, a Washington, DC-based think tank. Andy holds a B.A. from the College of William and Mary and an M.A. from DePaul University in Chicago, IL.


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Dave Haronik

Risk Consulting Manager, RubinBrown, LLP

  • From Auditor to ERM Champion: Driving Internal Audit's Collaboration with Business Leaders on May 19, 2025 2:35 PM

Dave Haronik is a Manager in RubinBrown’s Business Advisory Services Group with more than 20 years of experience in auditing, in both public accounting and large public companies in the technology, pharmaceutical, medical devices, manufacturing, distribution, food and beverage, financial services, and real estate industries.

A majority of Dave’s career has been dedicated to Enterprise Risk Management, Internal Audit, Sarbanes-Oxley, and FCPA Audits.

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Gary Hawkins

CEO & Founder, CART

  • Retail Tech Innovation: Past, Present, and Future on May 20, 2025 3:55 PM

Gary Hawkins has led the consumer goods retail industry toward the future by pioneering technology-driven innovations in shopping. Founder and CEO of CART (Center for Advancing Retail & Technology), Hawkins aims to connect retail with emerging technologies through education, events, and strategic programs. CART helps retailers, wholesalers, brands, and providers foster innovation with strategic development, tech roadmaps, and systems assessments. Hawkins serves on boards and advises select companies introducing transformative market capabilities. His personal blog, Retail Mindsteps, captures insights from his articles and papers, simplifying retail tech innovation. Hawkins is the author of three books, including Retail in the Age of ‘i’, exploring tech's role in retail’s future. A frequent keynote speaker, he is also a guest lecturer at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.

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Diana Krawisz

Senior Internal Audit Manager, Topco Associates

  • From Auditor to ERM Champion: Driving Internal Audit's Collaboration with Business Leaders on May 19, 2025 2:35 PM
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Michael T. Lockard

Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, Weis Markets, Inc.

  • Unlocking Insights: Benchmarking Financial Operations within Food Retail on May 19, 2025 10:20 AM

Michael T. Lockard is Weis Markets, Inc.’s SVP, CFO and Treasurer. Founded in 1912, Weis Markets, Inc. (NYSE: WMK) is a Mid Atlantic food retailer operating 197 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and West Virginia.

Michael joined the company in January 2021 overseeing the day-to-day management of the accounting, auditing and financial functions. Prior to Weis Markets, Inc. (Sunbury, PA), Michael worked in Finance & Accounting leadership roles at K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc. (Abingdon, VA), Walmart Inc. (Bentonville, AR), and United Parcel Service, Inc. (Louisville, KY).

Michael earned a BA in Accounting and Business Administration and an MBA from Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified Finance Manager (CFM), and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). He is a frequent conference attendee and speaker regarding relevant finance, accounting, and technology topics impacting organizations.

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Steve Markenson

Vice President, Research, FMI

  • Unlocking Insights: Benchmarking Financial Operations within Food Retail on May 19, 2025 10:20 AM

In his role at FMI, Markenson oversees the research & insights practice. He leads the discovery process on the latest industry trends and operational insights that champion FMI as a credible voice of the food retail industry. Markenson is a market research executive with 30 years of progressive experience in his field. His diverse experience includes research design, information/data collection and analysis and strategic planning.

Markenson was formerly the president of WBA Research, a national market research firm founded in 1987, where he oversaw more than 30 full-time professionals, along with a part-time staff of more than 100 telephone interviewers, field interviewers and support staff. Earlier in his career, Markenson worked at Snyder Communications, where he directed all aspects of more than 90 annual market research studies and presented results to brand management, market research departments, advertising and promotion agencies.

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Marco Monge

Deloitte Advisory Senior Manager, Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory

  • Cybersecurity in Food Retail: Risks, Regulations, and Resilience on May 20, 2025 9:00 AM
Marco Monge is a Deloitte Advisory Senior Manager in Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory. Marco Monge joined the organization in October 2009 in Costa Rica.  His experience includes Privacy, Internal Audit, SAP Security, GRC (Governance, Risk & Compliance), Controls and Cyber security roles. Industry experience includes industrial products, retail, and financial institutions, providing services including a variety of operational reviews, knowledgeable solutions, project management and compliance.
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Mark Monocello

Risk & Regulatory Director, PwC

  • Accounting & Internal Audit Update on May 19, 2025 1:30 PM

 Mark is a Director in PwC’s Risk & Regulatory – Enterprise Risk & Controls practice, based in Seattle. Mark specializes in delivering Compliance, Risk Management and Internal Audit services to companies in the Consumer Markets sector. Mark has worked with multiple Fortune 500 companies where he was responsible for building and executing their SOX compliance / internal audit programs. Mark also has extensive experience with assisting companies with their IPO readiness activities, including SOX 404 and other regulatory requirements.

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Scott Moses

Partner and Head of Grocery, Pharmacy & Restaurants Investment Banking, Solomon Partners

  • Market Update: The Big Picture – Macroeconomic and Grocery Market Trends on May 19, 2025 9:00 AM

Scott Moses is Partner and Head of Grocery, Pharmacy & Restaurants Investment Banking at Solomon Partners and a member of the Firm’s Operating Committee. Specializing in mergers, acquisitions, sales and divestitures of traditional and specialty grocers, he has advised on over $50 billion in transactions, working on major deals for Kroger, Albertsons, Sprouts and dozens of family-owned grocers. Recognized among the “Top 50: Americas M&A Dealmakers” by Global M&A Network, Scott has also appeared on “40 Under 40” lists by IDD (2011) and The M&A Advisor (2015). Quoted widely in media such as Bloomberg, WSJ and Yahoo Finance, Scott also writes a quarterly column in Supermarket News. A graduate of UPenn, he holds a JD/MBA from Columbia. Scott sits on the Board of UpLift Solutions, which was founded to expand grocery access in underserved areas, and is a Fellow of the Culinary Institute of America. He is the author of the acclaimed book, A ‘Grocery’ Christmas Carol: The Ghost of Supermarkets Future.

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James Robilotta

Leadership Author & Motivational Speaker

  • Leading Imperfectly: The Value of Authentic Leadership in a High-Stakes World on May 19, 2025 8:00 AM

James Robilotta, CSP, is a leadership author, motivational speaker, emcee, and trained improv comedian. After years of building, training, and leading teams, James followed an entrepreneurial dream and built two successful businesses. The first is an organization that incorporates freestyle rap into improv comedy (a success story for another day). And the second is his speaking and coaching business (a success story for today).  

James has been speaking internationally to willing and unwilling audiences since 2009 and has found that quality humor is the secret to hosting powerful conversations that make a genuine impact. His attendees leave feeling recharged, introspective, and ready to get out of their own way. 

With years of research (and a few too many real-life case studies within his work), James has learned everything he can about fighting apathy and building strong company cultures. He uses this insight to help leaders manage and retain talent and give feedback that sticks, and to help organizations create community buy-in using curiosity.  

James’ cornerstone concept is that we as humans can’t learn from people who are perfect, we can only learn from people who are imperfect. And companies like American Express, GE, Accenture, and Afterpay have gravitated toward this message and found the insights to be invaluable in shifting the way their people show up for each other. James is working to bring humanity and community back into the workplace. He is on a mission to ensure that people are seen, heard, respected... and giggling a little, too.  

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Jennifer Ruckman

Director of Accounting, Schnuck Markets, Inc.

  • Unlocking Insights: Benchmarking Financial Operations within Food Retail on May 19, 2025 10:20 AM
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Richard Sigmon

CPA, CFF, CGMA, Corporate Internal Audit Director, Alex Lee

  • From Auditor to ERM Champion: Driving Internal Audit's Collaboration with Business Leaders on May 19, 2025 2:35 PM
Richard has been attending the FMI Internal Audit Conference since 1999 and diligently  serves on the conference planning committee.  He has over 35 years of experience in the accounting and auditing profession and has been with Alex Lee, Inc., for over 19 years. His responsibilities include overseeing the Lowe’s Foods Store Audit functions as well as overseeing and performing operational and financial audits throughout all Alex Lee subsidiaries.  Richard is a graduate of Western Carolina University.
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Jeffrey Strasser

General Manager – US Retail & Consumer Goods, Microsoft

  • The AI Advantage: Practical Applications to Elevate Operations on May 20, 2025 8:00 AM
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Jim Sweeney

Managing Director, the Stores Consulting Group

  • Controlling Shrink in Trying Times on May 20, 2025 1:30 PM
Jim is one of two Managing Directors at the Stores Consulting Group.  He cofounded the company after serving as a partner at both Accenture and Capgemini.  Over the past 14 years he has led key store SG&A, store labor effectiveness, manager effectiveness, fresh item management, customer service , in stock improvement and shrink programs at different channels of retailers. Jim has created and developed new capabilities at the organizations he served that frequently became the baseboard on multiyear continuous improvement programs. Jim has spoken at numerous FMI and NRF conferences. Jim ran supermarkets for a regional chain prior to going into consulting.
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Jaclyn Teinert

Director of Accounting at United Supermarkets, LLC

  • Breakfast Bites on May 19, 2025 7:15 AM
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Michael Wolf

Global Economist, Senior Manager, Deloitte

  • Economic Update on May 19, 2025 3:55 PM
Michael Wolf is a global economist at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd. He provides commentary and analysis on global economic issues that affect the firm and its clients. He has been quoted by various media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and NPR. Wolf began his career as an economist at the US Labor Department and has since held economist positions at Moody’s Analytics, Wells Fargo Securities, and PwC. He has two graduate degrees, one in economic policy from Columbia University, and the other in statistics from Baruch College. He also has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Maryland.

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