NEW names conference co-chairs

CHICAGO — Eva Kohn of Valassis Inc. and Subriana Pierce of Supervalu were named co-chairs of the Network of Executive Women CPG Retail Diversity Forum 2012 scheduled for March 6 to 8 in Dallas. The NEW Diversity Forum, formerly the Multicultural Workforce Conference, is the consumer products and retail industry’s leading diversity and inclusion event.

“Eva Kohn and Subriana Pierce are well recognized by their industry peers as thought leaders on the subject of workplace diversity and its bottom-line benefits,” said NEW president and CEO Joan Toth. “They both bring significant real-life experience to the table, which has enhanced the NEW Diversity Forum’s program, making the event relevant and valuable for women and men across CPG retail functions.”

Kohn serves as SVP strategic accounts at Valassis where she is responsible for more than $1 billion in revenue and oversees the firm’s largest retail clients. Pierce serves as SVP sales and merchandising for Albertsons Southern California Division, leading a team of more than 50 people responsible for developing sales and merchandising strategies at 258 stores throughout Southern California and Las Vegas.

As co-chairs of the CPG Retail Diversity Forum, Kohn and Pierce will oversee an event focused on such pillars of workplace diversity as managing diverse work teams, marketing to multicultural consumers and leveraging supplier diversity. Speakers scheduled to participate in the event include Tom Greco, president of Frito-Lay North America, Anthony Carter, global chief diversity officer for Johnson & Johnson and Linda Clement Holmes, chief diversity officer and SVP of global business services for Procter & Gamble.