2026 Food Industry Summit Speakers

President and CEO, Nissin Foods USA

Brian Huff is the President and CEO of Nissin Foods USA, the manufacturer of iconic brands such as Cup Noodles and Top Ramen. A seasoned food and beverage executive, Brian has more than 35 years of leadership experience across some of the industry’s most recognized companies, including Kellogg’s, Diamond Foods, and Whole Earth Brands. Known for his strategic vision and ability to drive transformational growth, he has built a career focused on innovation, market expansion, and developing high-performing teams.

During his 24 years at Kellogg’s, Brian led major business units and ultimately served as President of U.S. Snacks, overseeing iconic brands such as Pringles, Cheez-It, Keebler, and Kellogg’s snacks. He later held senior leadership roles at Merisant, Whole Earth Brands, and Diamond Foods, where he consistently strengthened organizations and unlocked new growth opportunities.

Brian joined Nissin Foods USA in January 2024. Under his direction, Nissin has launched multiple nationally distributed product innovations, driven high-impact, limited-time offerings, and advanced sustainability initiatives, including transitioning Cup Noodles to a paper cup and removing the outer paper sleeve. He is also leading the development of Nissin’s new world-class manufacturing facility in Greenville, South Carolina, supporting long-term growth and job creation.

Throughout his career, Brian has been recognized for his people-first leadership style, integrity, and ability to align teams around a shared vision. His leadership reflects a legacy of progress, collaboration, and lasting impact.
 

Director of Business Intelligence, Marketing Strategy and Brand Development, C.A. Ferolie

Matthew Chiocchi is the Director of Business Intelligence, Marketing Strategy and Brand Development at C.A. Ferolie where he leads the company’s analytics vision and drives insight‑powered growth strategies across the business. Known for blending deep data expertise with a marketer’s instinct, Matthew helps brands uncover opportunities, sharpen their competitive edge, and tell clearer, more compelling stories.

He began his career at C.A. Ferolie, working closely with national brands to elevate category performance using Nielsen, Numerator, and other advanced consumer intelligence platforms. As he advanced through roles in marketing and business intelligence, Matthew became a key architect of the company’s analytical frameworks modernizing reporting, strengthening client narratives, and shaping strategies.

In 2025, Matthew stepped into the role of Director, taking on broader leadership of the organization’s strategic communications, new business storytelling, and insights roadmap. His work has been instrumental in transforming data into actionable direction for both internal teams and external partners, positioning the company as a more insights‑driven, forward‑looking player in the evolving retail landscape. He is a two‑time Golden MarCom Award winner, recognized for excellence in external marketing communications.

Matthew also serves on the Academy of Food Marketing & Food Marketing Educational Foundation Advisory Committee at Saint Joseph’s University, contributing industry perspective to the next generation of food marketing leadership.

He holds both a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Science in Food Marketing from Saint Joseph’s University.

Driven by clarity, curiosity, and strategic impact, Matthew focuses on elevating how data informs decisions, inspires innovation, and shapes the future of category and brand growth across the CPG industry.

Former Chief Marketing Officer, Crayola

Victoria Lozano is the former Chief Marketing Officer of Crayola and an award‑winning marketing leader recognized as a 2025 Forbes Entrepreneurial CMO. Before Crayola, she held senior marketing leadership roles at Cadbury and other global consumer companies.

President, North America and Board Director, TCC Global

Julie Lyle is President, North America and a board director at TCC Global, where she helps guide loyalty, data and marketing programs for leading retailers and brands worldwide. She previously held senior global roles including CMO and corporate officer at Walmart, CMO for Prudential Corporation Asia and executive leadership positions at Barnes & Noble, Raytheon and hhgregg. An experienced independent director and investor, she has served on multiple corporate and advisory boards and is recognized for driving digital transformation, brand innovation and sustainable growth across both startups and large multinational organizations.

Vice President, Di Bruno Bros. Brand, Wakefern Food Corp., 

Emilio Mignucci serves as Vice President of the Di Bruno Bros. Brand at Wakefern Food Corp., the nation's largest retailer-owned cooperative with supermarket banners that include ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage, Fairway Market, Morton Williams and Di Bruno Bros. In his role, Mignucci oversees the Di Bruno Bros. Brand development and growth strategy.

He joined Wakefern in 2024, following the cooperative’s acquisition of the Di Bruno Bros. portfolio of 65 branded Italian and European specialty products. A third-generation grocer and Di Bruno family member, Mignucci grew up in his family’s business and helped grow the specialty grocer into a much-loved Philadelphia brand. He previously served as Vice President of Culinary Pioneering for Di Bruno Bros., and under his leadership the family business evolved from one small store to six retail locations in the Philadelphia area with a strong omni-channel and wholesale business focused on specialty foods, artisan cheese, natural wine and craft beer, gift collections, catering services and more. 

An expert cheesemonger, Mignucci also tapped into his passion for food to expand the Di Bruno Bros. cheese selections, both in-store and online, from 50 varieties to well over 1,000 from all over the world. The Di Bruno Bros. product line includes some of the finest cheeses and spreads, signature meats and specialty pastas, sauces, oils, vinegars, crackers, sweets and more.

He has been a member of the American Cheese Society since 2002 and helped develop the Certified Cheese Professional Exam, the nation’s highest standard for cheese professionals. Emilio also served on the board of the American Cheese Society from 2012 to 2017. In 2015, he helped launch The Good Food Retailers Collaborative – a group of independently owned markets that support American craft food producers. He has also served as a Board of Director for the Specialty Food Association from 2016 to 2024. 

In 2010, the Italian Trade Commission honored Mignucci for his “Distinguished Service” in importing, representing and advancing Italian food and culture. The James Beard Foundation has also recognized Emilio for his role in making Philadelphia a world-class food city. 

Emilio still works Saturdays in the Italian Market store, where it all began.
 

Business Insights Manager, C.A. Ferolie

Kassidy Mulryne is a Business Insights Manager at C.A. Ferolie, known for bringing fresh perspective and energy to the industry. She specializes in uncovering consumer insights and identifying the “why” behind evolving shopping behaviors across categories and channels.

CEO, Carbone Fine Food

Eric Skae serves as CEO of Carbone Fine Food, maker of the fastest-growing national pasta sauce. The only major center-store CPG brand that merges premium food and pop culture, Eric has led Carbone to the #2 position in Natural and #6 in Grocery and MULO in five short years since its 2021 launch. Behind a unique “food as lifestyle” positioning, Eric has implemented a virtuous flywheel of “events drive social drives events ...” The results are 80%+ YOY growth, category-highest indexes against millennials and $100K+ shoppers, and category leadership in absolute dollar growth – all against Eric’s goal of making Carbone a billion-dollar brand. Eric earlier led successful reorganizations, rebrands and sales at RTE popcorn brand Popcornopolis and Rao’s Specialty Foods.

Chair of Retail and Industry Relations for Consalo Family Farms

Judith Spires is a veteran retail supermarket executive who has dedicated her entire career to the industry. Starting as a part-time cashier at Acme Markets, she became the first female management trainee in the company's history and rose to the position of President in 2005.

With over 40 years of management experience, Ms. Spires has served as President of the Albertsons Rocky Mountain and Dallas-Fort Worth Divisions. In 2010, she was appointed President and CEO of AG Supermarket Holdings, overseeing Kings and Balducci’s gourmet markets, before being named Chair in 2020. In 2022, she became the CEO of InSpire Inc Consulting, and in 2025, she assumed her current role as Chair of Retail and Industry Relations for Consalo Family Farms.

Ms. Spires is passionate about fostering employment opportunities and enhancing the customer shopping experience. Her contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including the Philadelphia Paradigm Award, the LaSalle University Leadership Award, and the Top Women in Retail award. She holds an MBA and a BA from La Salle University, as well as an honorary doctorate from the St. Joseph’s University Haub School of Business.

Deeply committed to community service, Ms. Spires has served as Chair of the Community Food Bank of NJ and the New Jersey Food Council. A long-term member of the St. Joseph’s Food Marketing Board, she served as Chair for ten years and was named an Executive in Residence at the Haub School of Business in 2022. She also serves as a trustee and finance committee member for St. Damien’s RC Parish in Ocean City, New Jersey. She considers her greatest achievement to be her family: her husband, Bob; their son, Rob, and his wife, Hayley; and her grandchildren, Sloane and Wyatt.