Craig Dubitsky
Friendly Founder, hello products & former Chief Innovation Strategist, Colgate-Palmolive 

Craig is the friendly founder of hello products and former Chief Innovation Strategist of Colgate-Palmolive.  hello, the world’s first naturally friendly™ oral care brand, was acquired by Colgate in January of 2020. hello became the fastest-growing oral care brand in the US, with products now available in over 45,000 food, drug, and mass retailers.  hello was named by Inc Magazine as one of the Best Places to Work, as well as “One of the 25 Companies That Are Changing the World”. Dubitsky himself was named to Advertising Age’s Creativity 50, the publication’s annual list of the most influential and innovative creative thinkers, and one of the 100 Most Inspirational Marketers in the World by The Internationalist.  
Prior to hello, Craig was a co-founder and creative lead at eos products, a founding board member at Method Products, and a strategic advisor to Seventh Generation, Boots, and various private equity funds.  
Craig is an inductee in the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO) Hall of Fame, an Entrepreneur in Residence at Babson, and serves as an Advisory Council Member at the Ain Center for Entrepreneurship at The Simon School of Business at The University of Rochester. Craig loves people, design, brand, packaging and people. Yes, he said people twice. 

Hakim Ghanem
Director, Advent 

Hakim is part of Advent International’s operating team. At Advent, he partners with management teams across the North America portfolio to improve performance and realize the fund’s underlying investment thesis. He joined Advent from JPMorgan where he led large scale transformation programs and launched digital platforms for middle market clients. Prior to that, Hakim was the COO of E*TRADE’s trading business and spent the first years of his career as a strategy consultant, most recently at Booz & Company and Bain & Company. Hakim received a master’s degree in engineering from Ecole Centrale, a master’s degree in management from ESSEC in Paris, and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Outside of work Hakim enjoys running, cycling, and experimenting with coffee. He lives in Chicago with his wife, their three young boys and shih poo. 

Ben Macedo
Senior Vice President, BASES, NIQ

LinkedIn

Ben Macedo, Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer of NIQ BASES, has been consulting on new product innovation with both Fortune 500 companies and start-ups for over 20 years. His areas of expertise include identifying “white space” opportunities, ideation, sales forecasting, and honing launch activation with pack design and other marketing levers. In his tenure with BASES, Ben has seen thousands of new product ideas and launches and is adept at understanding the factors that differentiate the winners from the rest of the pack.

Tracey Massey 
Chief Operating Officer, NIQ

LinkedIn  

 Tracey Massey currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of NIQ. As COO, Tracey is responsible for all commercial and product aspects, including revenue, product development plans, business units’ strategies, and all market-facing aspects of NIQ.  
 
Tracey is an accomplished global executive with over 30 years of experience and a successful track record in enhancing and expanding global businesses. Her philosophy of winning with clearly articulated strategies coupled with the infusion of trust and resources allows Tracey to empower people and nurture highly engaged teams.  
 
Prior to joining NIQ, Tracey served as Global President and Chief Executive Officer of Mars Pet Nutrition, where she led the world’s largest pet food business, revamping its product portfolios for continuous growth. Prior to that role, she was Regional President Mars Confectionary Americas, where she successfully led her team through the integration of Mars Chocolate Americas with the Wrigley Co. Americas.  
 
Tracey has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Loughborough University in England, and is a published thought-leader and speaker on topics such as women’s success in STEM and embracing the power of diversity. 

Michael Movitz
Co-founder, Brandjectory

Michael Movitz is a 32-year natural products CPG industry veteran.  

Michael is the co-founder of Brandjectory, an innovative platform dedicated to connecting early-stage CPG founders with CPG investors, nurturing those relationships, and helping founders prepare for, and navigate, the capital raise process. Michael is also Managing Partner of The Movitz Group, an advisory group of industry experts helping early-stage conscious brands raise capital and build go-to-market strategies. 

Michael’s tenure over the last 32 years includes 7 years as an advisor and consultant to early-stage CPG founders, 16 years with SPINS in various senior level positions, sales for the natural products division of the JM Smucker Company, and a natural products broker. Michael began his career at an independent natural products retailer in 1990. 

Michael serves as an advisor to Rule Breaker Snacks, 12 Tides Seaweed Snacks, Just Date, and others. Michael is a selection committee member of the Nutrition Capital Network, a mentor to brands in the Emerge Network, an industry thought leader, and a proud member of Naturally Chicago, among other organizations supporting the industry.

Alyssa Vescio
Senior Vice President of Merchandising, Center Store, Whole Foods

As the Senior Vice President of Merchandising, Center Store, Alyssa has responsibility for Grocery, Wellness, Beauty, Local Merchandising, Merchandise Presentation, and Merchandise Execution. Alyssa celebrates what makes Whole Foods Market so special — unique products, industry leading quality standards, incredible supplier partners, and talented team members — and pushes our growth by continuing to advance our Merchandising capabilities and deliver operationally-sound programs. 

Alyssa is known as an all-in, purpose drive leader who values authenticity, connectivity, and collective strength. She aims to create a culture that inspires individuals to be their best in service of the greater good. 

Alyssa became SVP in November of 2020, after 3 years leading Wellness and Beauty and almost 20 years in Merchandising. Her experience spans product categories and merchandising disciplines including product selection, supplier partnership, promotional planning, pricing, presentation, and exclusive brands. Her passions for purpose, people, and product drive her forward in this role.