Higher Education

Leadership Program

Immersion Program

For over 55 years, Cornell’s Food Executive Program has been the world’s premier transformational learning experience for executives in the Food and Consumables Sector as well as their immediate successors.

The five-day program is built around a broad-based curriculum that covers emerging food industry trends, personal leadership style, work-life balance, best-in-class food retailing strategies, and the economic environment. Held in July* on the beautiful Cornell University campus in Ithaca, NY, this unique program offers an unmatched opportunity for food industry leaders to develop skill sets, obtain new perspectives, advance careers, and make a difference.

Attendees interact with world-class instructors and thought leaders in an intimate learning environment. Participation in simulation and group activities fosters the building of lasting peer networks with the brightest minds in the industry.

*If it is not possible to travel to the Cornell campus due to COVID-19 restrictions, you will have the option to transfer to a future date or receive a refund for your registration.

SCHEDULE (Subject to change)

• Sunday, July 11 6:30pm – 8:00pm
  • Opening Reception and Orientation Dinner
  • The Statler Hotel, Cornell School of Hotel Administration
• Monday, July 12 8.00am – 6:00pm
  • Today’s Food Industry: Setting the Stage – Ed McLaughlin
    • A strategic overview of the food industry and a discussion about the major issues facing retailers, manufacturers, and wholesalers.
  • Digitize Your Business – Clarence Lee
    • In a world where more and more activities are centered online, digital marketing is one of the most effective ways to build customer relationships and promote your organization’s products or services. By the time you complete this session, you will have developed a toolkit and strategy to move to the next step in manifesting your digital innovation journey.
  • Food Retailer Turnaround: Supermarket Simulation – Bill Drake and Dan Hooker
    • Teams compete by operating a retail food company in a computerized simulation of a dynamic and competitive market. Decisions are made regarding promotional strategy, pricing, labor, procurement, inventory, and capital expenditures.
• Tuesday, July 13 8.00am – 7:00pm
  • Personal Leadership Style – Mike Hostetler and Ken Blanchard
    • Mike will examine four different paradigms of leadership and their relationship to food industry dynamics, the main factors related to leadership success and derailment and the implications for leadership development, and key challenges facing leaders today.Leading at a Higher Level
    • Ken, the best-selling author of “The One Minute Manager,” gives a spellbinding presentation on the fundamental truths and principles behind “raving fan” customer service and encourages you to take a leadership role for customer advocacy within your organization.
  • Business of Politics and Politics of Business – Glenn Altschuler
    • Glenn has been an animating force in the American Studies Program. His year-long survey of Popular Culture in the United States, 1900-Present, is one of the most popular courses at Cornell. In this session, Glenn will discuss the intersection of business and politics, in particular its impact on the country, business, and the food sector.
  • Food Retailer Turnaround: Supermarket Simulation – Bill Drake and Dan Hooker
    • Sessions 2 and 3
  • Cocktail Reception 5:15pm – 7:00pm
• Wednesday, July 14 8:00am – 5:30pm
  • Wall Street’s View on the Food and Consumables Sector – Speaker TBD
    • Financial discussion that will focus on how the food industry is facing disruption as well as the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead as companies, markets, consumers, and the industry adapt.
  • Strategic Imperatives in the Food Industry – Bryan Gildenberg, SVP of Commerce, Omnicom Commerce Group
    • Our industry is evolving at a rapid pace. The pandemic has accelerated everything from how a customer shops to how they get their groceries delivered. Now more than ever, firms must have a clear strategy but also be agile enough to adapt and do it quickly. Fast and roughly right decision making must replace the slower, more precise planning that we’re accustomed to. It’s during these volatile times we need strategy the most. This session will cover the most relevant and important topics in the Food and Consumables Sector.
  • Food Retailer Turnaround: Supermarket Simulation – Bill Drake and Dan Hooker
    • Sessions 4 and 5
• Thursday, July 15 8:00am – 8:30pm
  • Food Retailer Turnaround: Supermarket Simulation – Bill Drake and Dan Hooker
    • Session 6
  • Food System Sustainability – Miguel Gómez
    • The food industry is facing formidable challenges to balance economic and sustainability goals. This session reflects on how increased pressure to improve sustainability performance in multiple dimensions (environmental, nutritional, social, and economic) is reshaping the food industry. It explores food industry responses to such challenges as well as opportunities for food businesses to simultaneously increase profits and sustainability performance.
  • Strategic Sleep for Top Performance – Ana Krieger
    • Interactive presentation on identifying strategies to enhance sleep and optimize performance on a regular basis.
  • Senior Executive Panel – Ed McLaughlin
    • Ed moderates a candid discussion of corporate vision, management philosophies, and critical industry issues with an invited panel of leading food industry senior executives.
  • Celebration Dinner at Taughannock Falls State Park 4:30pm – 8:30pm
• Friday, July 16 8:00am – 11:30am
  • Forecast for the Future – Ed McLaughlin
    • In a provocative and interactive session, participants create their own consensus forecast for the future of their industry and, in turn, develop strategies that will enable their firms to cope with and be prepared for the future.
  • Certificate Presentations and Program Wrap-Up