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Agenda

  • Wednesday, February 26
  • Thursday, February 27
  • Friday, February 28
12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Event Check-In Open

Location: Lobby Atrium

1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Consumer Brands Legal Community Member Gathering

By invitation only

Location: Britannia/Cambria

Consumer Brands will welcome members of the legal community who are attending CPGLF for a meeting to discuss priority legal affairs issues and network. A calendar invite will be shared.

2:30p.m. - 2:45 p.m.

Break

2:45 - 3:45 p.m.

Sustainability Claims Workshop

Presented by Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

Location: Britannia/Cambria

New for 2025, this session will feature perspectives from outside counsel working in collaboration with Consumer Brands. This 60-minute session will be part of our in-person pre-conference programming to follow our Legal Community Member Gathering and preceding the Ethics Session. This content will include practical exploration of climate science and claim substantiation vetting, as well as discussion of compliance strategies for federal guidance and the ever-changing patchwork of state regulations on environmental laws affecting the CPG industry. As with all our programming, CLE will be available for select jurisdictions.

Speakers:
Claire Chapla, Counsel, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Arianna Scavetti, Partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

3:45 - 4:00 p.m.

Break

4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

AI & Ethics for CPG Attorneys

Location: Britannia/Cambria

Presented by Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP

This session will provide up to 1.5 Ethics CLE credits(s) and the content will align with requirements as defined by each state’s CLE guidelines.

Speakers:
Jane Metcalf, Partner, Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP
Jason Vitullo, Partner, Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP
Steve Zalesin, Partner, Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP

6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Welcome Reception

Location: Bay Terrace

Presented by Husch Blackwell, Stinson LLP

7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Event Check-In 

Location: Lobby Atrium

7:00 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.

Breakfast

Location: Bay Terrace

Presented by Jenner & Block LLP

7:00 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.

General Counsels Breakfast

By invitation only

Location: Marina and Sunset (Crown Landing Restaurant)

8:15 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Keynote: The Honorable Melissa Holyoak
Federal Trade Commission

Location: Commodore CDE

Moderated by Svetlana Gans, Partner, Gibson Dunn

9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.

Keynote: Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch
Partner, Paul, Weiss

Location: Commodore CDE

9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Networking Break

Presented by Jenner & Block LLP

10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Concurrent Sessions

Business: Know Thy … Self-Regulatory Decisions: How Industry Self-Regulatory Programs Drive Advertising Legal Dynamics of CPG Products

Location: Commodore B
Presented by BakerHostetler LLP

Attorneys with extensive experience counseling CPG companies discuss claims made, claims substantiated, and everything in between and how these have driven traffic at the NAD, the FTC, class action litigation and other legal dynamics.

Speakers:
Jeffrey Greenbaum, Managing Partner, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz
Donnelly McDowell, Partner, Kelley Drye
Amy Ralph Mudge, Partner, BakerHostetler LLP
Ronald Urbach, Partner/Co-Chair, Davis+Gilbert

Regulatory: Unpacking EPR and CPG: Becoming a Pro at Circularity Overviews and Compliance Strategies

Location: Commodore A
Presented by Hogan Lovells LLP

California, Colorado, Oregon, Maine and Minnesota are among the most recent crop of states passing new extended producer responsibility laws. Learn the nuances of these states, how the CPG lawyer should be mapping out compliance and interplay with environmental marketing claims.

Speakers:
John Hewitt, Senior Vice President, Packaging & Sustainability and State Affairs, Consumer Brands Association
Kristine Kruger, Senior Counsel, Perkins Coie
Meshach Rhoades, Partner, Crowell & Moring
Erin Sindberg Porter, Partner, Jones Day

Litigation: Staying Classy: Recent Metrics and Holdings on Class Action Certification in CPG Litigation

Location: Commodore CDE
Presented by DLA Piper LLP

This session will cover circuit splits on rule 23 including limited issue certification and predominance requirements, waivers, no-injury and piggyback actions, ascertainability class formation and discovery, anti-removal presumptions, pre- and post cert dynamics, leveraging experts for substantive and damages issues, winning defense challenges and circuit splits.

Speakers:
Grant Ankrom, Partner, Dentons
Rory Collins, Associate, Faegre Drinker
Cort Lannin, Partner, Covington
Jane Metcalf, Partner, Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler

10:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Networking Break

Presented by Jenner & Block LLP

11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

Concurrent Sessions

Business: Antitrust Session — Competition Legal Landscape in CPG

Location: Commodore B

Presented by BakerHostetler LLP

CPG industry represents a highly diverse and competitive industry with a healthy amount of M&A activity. But with continuing new updates to the HSR process, and transaction challenges with the nation’s top antitrust agency, the Federal Trade Commission and the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, CPG lawyers need to be especially mindful of the current regulatory developments and enforcement dynamics.

Speakers:
Daniel Bitton, Partner, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP
Bill Stallings, Partner, Mayer Brown
Ryan Tisch, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery
Laura Turano, Partner, Paul, Weiss

Regulatory: Jumping on the Banned Wagon Here, There and Everywhere: Examining How Ingredient and Chemical Bans are Shaping Regulatory Practices in CPG in the United States and Abroad

Location: Commodore A

Presented by Hogan Lovells LLP

 This session will examine the growing friction around additive safety, how multinational and NGO groups are influencing regulatory environments abroad and shaping state and federal landscapes. This conversation will include a review of current bans in the United Sates as well has proposals that may signal new legislation and operational risk.

Speakers:
Mara Burr, Vice President, Regulatory & Technical Affairs, Consumer Brands Association
Francesco Planchenstainer, Global Head of Food Law, Nestlé
Desiree Ripo, Head Counsel – Food Law & Regulatory, Ferrero
Brian Sylvester, Partner, Perkins Coie

Litigation: Settling … for Less in CPG Litigation
Location: Commodore CDE

Presented by DLA Piper LLP

Practical strategies from recent trends and noticeable settlements across the CPG litigation landscape, leveraging settlements to help guard against future claims, strategies for claim objectors, and the interplay of settlements with recalls and personal injury claims.

Speakers:
William Cole, Partner, Amin Wasserman Gurnani
Shannon Dudic, Of Counsel, DLA Piper
Jamal Faleel, Head of Litigation and Disputes, Norton Rose
Erik Swanholt, Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP

11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Networking Lunch

Location: Bay Terrace

Presented by Venable LLP

1:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

General Session

Highway to the Danger Zone?! A Holistic Review of Analytical Testing Issues for CPG Products

Location: Commodore CDE

Plaintiffs’ lawyers are increasingly testing products, or taking advantage of tests performed by others or media reports, to file consumer lawsuits alleging that food products contain minimal traces of chemicals. These are typically substances that are present in the environment or the manufacturing process. But while many tests or results of test are often misapplied, CPG lawyers providing regulatory counsel must stay abreast of a range of testing protocols to vet product safety and confront ongoing compliance and litigation risk. From mass spectrometry use, NGO and media pressure to pseudo-science, this session will provide actionable strategies for coordinating and containing risk.

Speakers:
Mark Danis, Vice President – Deputy General Counsel, Clorox
Cindy Kruger, Legal Senior Director, PepsiCo
Amy Lally, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP
Kate Spelman, Partner, Jenner & Block
Bill Tarantino, Partner, Morrison Foerster

1:45 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Networking Break

Presented by Jenner & Block LLP

2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions

Business: Navigating Investigations: Strategies for Responding to Government Inquiries and Structuring Internal Reviews

Location: Commodore B

Presented by BakerHostetler LLP

With a range of issues spanning recalls, pricing and antitrust, alleged whistleblower actions, FCPA matters, and an alphabet soup of enforcement entities that can span civil and criminal matters, CPG lawyers should be prepared for anything and everything with portfolios that span highly regulated products. This session, featuring a lineup of former government attorneys with enforcement experience, will help CPG lawyers draft a roadmap for navigating investigative demands and enforcement actions.

Speakers:
Cynthia Cordes, Partner, Husch Blackwell
Gus Eyler, Partner, Gibson Dunn
Nina Frant, Special Counsel, Freshfields
Steve Swaney, Partner, Venable

Regulatory: Prop 65 — Our Least Favorite California Regulation

Location: Commodore A

Presented by Hogan Lovells LLP

This session will explore the latest, and even not so greatest developments with Prop 65. This panel will provide a comprehensive, if clear and reasonable overview of filing trends, crucial federal court cases to track, and interplay of the listing process and CPG business imperatives.

Speakers:
Dale Giali, Partner, King & Spalding
Jeff Margulies, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright
Will Wagner, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Jasmine Wetherell, Partner, Perkins Coie

Litigation: Always and Forever: Managing PFAS

Location: Commodore CDE

Presented by DLA Piper LLP

This session will put PFAS issues under the microscope with discussion on litigation headwinds, how PFAS issues interface with consumer perception of key claims based on current orders and rulings, and how CPG in-house lawyers can work with regulatory and technical affairs experts to manage risk.

Speakers:
Emily Broach, Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel, Colgate-Palmolive
Sam Jockel, Partner, Alston & Bird
Dean Porter, Senior Associate, Arnold & Porter
Michelle Ramirez, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP

2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Networking Break

Presented by Jenner & Block LLP

3:00 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions

Business: Unsubscribing from Data Risks — Cyber, Privacy and Crisis Management

Location: Commodore B

Presented by BakerHostetler LLP

Aside from product ingredients and claims, one of the most crucial aspects of business ERM is how CPG brands can safeguard and compliantly shepherd consumer and business data. From data breaches, to increasing state regulatory traffic, to ensuring transparency on how the cookies crumble, our speakers cover the best practices and teachable moments from CPG and other industries.

Speakers:
Sukrat Baber, Assistant General Counsel, Employment & Compliance, Ferrara
Sam Goldstick, Senior Counsel, Foley & Lardner LLP
Bethany Lukitsch, Partner, BakerHostetler LLP
David Saunders, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery

Regulatory: Managing Recalls in CPG

Location: Commodore A

Presented by Hogan Lovells LLP

Scaling legal risk, preventative strategies to curtail litigation, crisis management development, determining how/when to notify relevant authorities and the interplay of recall with litigation and reputational challenges.

Speakers:
Stefanie Fogel, Partner, DLA Piper
Martin Hahn, Partner, Hogan Lovells
Ron Rothstein, Partner, Winston & Strawn
Jackie Welch, Vice President, Litigation, The J.M. Smucker Company

Litigation: Defense and Offense — Leveraging Constitutional Law and Federal Resources Post Loper Bright

Location: Commodore CDE

Presented by DLA Piper LLP

The First Amendment, Preemption and Primary Jurisdiction have been some of the consistent resources for CPG litigation over the years but the Supreme Court decision in Loper Bright/Relentless significantly modified agency deference. Several important cases and decisions related to agency authority, deference, and reviewability of agency actions have been published over the past year and have created more uncertainty on the ability to leverage these theories in litigation especially at the crucial motion-to-dismiss stage.

Speakers:
Hannah Chanoine, Partner, O’Melveny
Stephen Cole, Senior Counsel, KDP
Brian Liegel, Partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges
Trent Norris, Partner, Hogan Lovells

3:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Networking Break

Sponsored by Jenner & Block LLP

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

General Session

From the Corner Office: A General Counsel Fireside Chat

Location: Commodore CDE

The role of the general counsel as the head of legal strategy has continued to evolve with a wide portfolio of leadership imperatives for CPG companies. This session will explore practical considerations from the toughest challenges to operationalizing efficiency and promoting innovation.

Speakers:
Nancy Dowling, General Secretary, Danone North America
Dara Kendall, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, The Procter & Gamble Company
Beth Kotran, General Counsel – North America, Ferrero U.S.A., Inc.
Stacy Papadopoulos, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, Consumer Brands Association

5:00 p.m. -5:15 p.m.

Break

5:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.

Sponsor Roundtables & Happy Hour

Location: Bay Pavilion

6:15 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.

Break

6:45 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Pre-Cruise Docked Reception

Location: Marina Excursion Dock

7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Networking Dinner Sets Sail

Location: All Aboard the California Spirit

Presented by Arnold & Porter, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, Greenberg Traurig, Jones Day, Norton Rose Fulbright, and Weil Gotshal & Manges

7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.

Breakfast

Location: Bay Terrace

Presented by Davis+Gilbert

8:30 a.m. - 9:20 a.m.

General Session

Preparing for the Inevitable: Leveraging Legal Acumen for Crisis Communications and Corporate Culture

Location: Commodore CDE

The General Counsel and senior legal roles in most CPG companies are becoming increasingly defined by a growing focus on holistic risk management. Whether its product recalls; health, safety and environmental incidents; customer relations conflicts; labor disputes; or investor relations, deliberate and calculated partnership by legal and communications is crucial to navigate the inevitable range of challenges that span short term, long term and crisis planning. This panel will draw upon the intersection of these issues to help inform how to structure strategic programs for alignment, efficiency and efficacy in the midst and aftermath of challenges. 

Speakers:
Inés Bahachille, Chief Legal Counsel, Mondelēz International
Kimberly Branscome, Partner, Paul, Weiss
Sarah Brew, Partner, Faegre Drinker
Alice Kessler, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Jill B. Louis, Managing Partner, Perkins Coie

9:20 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

General Session

CPG & ESG

Location: Commodore CDE

This session will provide a broad overview of how evolving standards for environmental, social and governance issues are shaping legal and business considerations. From state to federal and domestic to international, brands need to be keenly aware of standards for greenwashing, navigating anti-ESG backlash, leveraging legal for visibility and accountability across the supply chain whether on climate, ingredients or labor issues.

Speakers:
Joseph Aquilina, Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Consumer Brands Association
Michael Duvall, Partner, Dentons
Perlette Jura, Partner, Gibson Dunn
Raqiyyah Pippens, Partner, Arnold & Porter
Arianna Scavetti, Partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges

10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Networking Break

Presented by Davis+Gilbert

10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

General Session

On the Docket: The CPG Litigation Horizon

Location: Commodore CDE

From class action to mass torts and everything in between, CPG industry is confronting a comprehensive spectrum of litigation risk. Our panelists discuss the big takeaways from the last year, and how new developments in litigation are shaping current and future business considerations.

Speakers:
Dean Panos, Partner, Jenner & Block LLP
Charles Sipos, Partner, Perkins Coie
Angela Spivey, Partner, Alston & Bird
Tyler Young, Partner, Faegre Drinker

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

General Session

Protect this House: Company Heads of Litigation That Have Seen It All

Location: Commodore CDE

CPG Brands faces a range of litigation risks from class actions on product and ingredient claims, ESG, labor and employment, to supply chain, trade spend and liaising with government agencies. These in-house litigators share what keeps them up and night and how they work to protect and promote company positions.

Speakers:
Suzana Blades, Vice President, DGC Litigation, Government Relations & Legal Operations, Kimberly-Clark
Kelley Grady, Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Campbell’s
Steve Mahieu, Deputy General Counsel, Litigation & Intellectual Property, The Kraft Heinz Company 
Hank Turner, Vice President & Chief Counsel, Conagra Brands

Moderated by: Joseph Aquilina, Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Consumer Brands Association

12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Lunch

Location: Bay Terrace

*Pacific Standard Time (PST)