GS1 Connect Keynote Speakers

Meet the industry leaders who will take the stage at the premier supply chain event of the year. 

Jon Acuff headshot

Dream, Plan, Do, Review: The Simple System the Best Teams in the World Always Use

Keynote Session | Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 4:00 PM CT

It’s a complicated world. How do successful teams and leaders make sense of all the chaos? Pulling from his 10 books of research and resources, Jon Acuff, bestselling author and Inc. Top 100 Leadership Speaker, will take center stage in his keynote address at GS1 Connect 2025 to unleash tactical, actionable ways you can immediately apply the simple system the best teams in the world always use: Dream, Plan, Do, Review.

Acuff has spoken to hundreds of thousands of people at conferences, colleges, and companies around the world including Chick-fil-A, Comedy Central, FedEx, Microsoft, and Range Rover. Known for his insights wrapped in humor, Acuff shared the stage with an American icon when he opened up for Dolly Parton at the Ryman Auditorium. Jon lives outside of Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Jenny, and two daughters.

FPO

Fast Company and GS1 US Present:

Future-Proofing Supply Chains: Lessons Learned in the Last Five Years

Tuesday, June 10, 2025, 3:00 PM CT

The economic turmoil of the pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in the global supply chain but also accelerated the adoption of transformative technologies and reshaped the way we do business.

From real-time tracking to 2D barcodes, cutting-edge technologies are revolutionizing supply chain visibility, inventory management, and logistics, empowering corporations like never before.

As businesses now prioritize resilience and responsiveness to consumer demands, predictive technologies are playing a pivotal role in refining demand forecasting and enhancing supply chain flexibility. The question now is: Which pandemic-driven changes have endured, and how are they strengthening supply chains against future disruptions?

In this panel, industry leaders will explore the lessons learned and the innovations shaping supply chains for the next generation of consumers.

Fast Company & GS1 US Present:

The Panelists

Stephanie Mehta headshot

Stephanie Mehta (Moderator)

Chief Executive Officer & Chief Content Officer, Mansueto Ventures

Stephanie Mehta is chief executive officer and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures, publisher of Inc. and Fast Company. She previously served as editor-in-chief of Fast Company, where she oversaw digital, print, and live journalism. Under her leadership, Fast Company was a National Magazine Award finalist in design for three years in a row, and the title added two new annual conferences. She has worked as a writer and editor at Vanity Fair, Bloomberg Media, Fortune, and The Wall Street Journal

Mehta sits on the boards of the American Society of Magazine Editors, the Women’s Forum of New York, and Airbel Impact Lab, the research and innovation arm of the International Rescue Commission. 

Mehta began her career as a business reporter at The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia. She received a BA in English and an MS in journalism from Northwestern University. A Chicago-area native, she now lives with her husband and two children in Scarsdale, New York.

Bob Carpenter headshot

Bob Carpenter

President & Chief Executive Officer, GS1 US

As President and Chief Executive Officer of GS1 US®, Bob Carpenter leads the company’s strategic direction, including business solutions, education and training programs, industry initiatives, and community engagement focused on driving broader adoption and use of GS1 Standards. GS1 has more than 2 million customers across 150 countries globally. GS1 Standards for unique, persistent identity—from product origin to disposition—represent a critical foundation for today’s connected commerce and the technologies available to industry.

Greg Cathey headshot

Greg Cathey

Senior Vice President, Walmart US Transformation and Innovation

Greg Cathey has been with Walmart for over 30 years. He began as an hourly associate in 1994 at Store 318 (Arkadelphia, AR). Since then, he has served in a variety of ways throughout the organization. Greg spent 10 years at Sam's Club and served as the VP/Regional General Manager in Operations, VP Sam's Club Global Leverage, and the lead merchant over Electronics. He also worked in Walmart International as the VP of Partnership Services and Franchise. In 2019, Greg was named CEO of Sam's Club Mexico, where he oversaw all 165 Sam's Clubs in Mexico, supporting Merchandising, Operations, E-Commerce, Marketing, and membership. Currently, Greg works as the SVP of Transformation for the End-to-End organization. In this role, Greg is responsible for the strategic direction and transformation of Walmart's Supply Chain, Store Operations, and Last Mile & Delivery network. Here, he oversees a team of 10,000+ associates across operational transformation, Asset Protection, data & analytics, Customer Care, and general merchandise & food quality. Greg has an impressive background of experience and is most passionate to serve the people he works alongside. Personally, Greg has been a longtime resident of Northwest Arkansas with his wife of 30 years and their four children.

Sudarsan Thattai headshot

Sudarsan Thattai

Chief Information Officer & Chief Transformation Officer, Lineage

As Chief Information Officer & Chief Transformation Officer at Lineage, Sudarsan Thattai is responsible for all facets of the company’s technology and digitization efforts. He and his team focus on optimizing technology to drive customer value, expand service capability, and make a global impact. Previously, Thattai served as SVP of IT Services at UTi Worldwide and held technology leadership positions at Cisco Systems and DFS Group.

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