Oracle Retail Cross Talk Summit Agenda

Registration Open (sponsored by Retail Consult)

Chicago Promenade, 4th floor

AI Changes Everything: the Art of Becoming Frictionless

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

Mark Hura, President of Global Field Operations, Oracle

Shifts in consumer behavior are redefining what great retail experiences look like—and what it takes to deliver them. The retail industry winners will be those whose technology allows for seamless interactions with customers everywhere. At this keynote, learn how a pragmatic, industry-informed approach to AI can turn existing systems into a unified platform for personalization, agility, and growth, preparing retailers for the next era of customer engagement.

AI Inspired Retail: Driving Product Innovation across the Connected Retail Journey

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

• Paul Woodward, Group VP of Retail Product, Oracle
• Sunil Kumar, Senior Director of Engineering, RH

Paul Woodward will outline the Oracle Retail Product Group’s AI strategy, particularly as it applies to improving assortment and inventory planning, enhancing supply chain collaboration, and supporting a retail marketplace—helping retailers, suppliers, and partners improve efficiency, accelerate innovation, and drive growth. Woodward will then be joined by Sunil Kumar for a fireside chat on how RH (formerly Restoration Hardware) is leveraging Oracle Retail AI capabilities to drive innovation.

“Vans Off the Wall” Thinking, on the Ground Impact: The Power of Partnership

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

• Stephen Badger, VP, Digital Activation and Operations, VF Corporation
• Nick Reinbold, Managing Director, Accenture
• Jim Kelly, Group VP, Retail Applications, Oracle

Discover how lifestyle apparel retailer VF Corporation worked with Accenture to roll out the new Oracle Retail Xstore POS UX across VF’s Vans stores nationwide. This session explores how the partnership improved operational efficiencies and elevated in-store experiences at Vans, a premier action-sports brand selling footwear, apparel, and accessories, with a focus on skateboarding and street culture. This discussion will provide practical insights for retailers seeking to modernize their operations, featuring candid reflections on lessons learned.

Day One Wrap-Up

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

Jim Kelly, Group VP, Retail Applications, Oracle

Welcome Reception and Dinner (sponsored by Accenture and Deloitte)

Chi Bar, 3rd floor

This event promises a delightful blend of networking and live entertainment, infused with the vibrant spirit of St. Patrick's Day.

Mindful Crystal Bowl Sound Experience

Michigan A/B, 2nd floor Join Oracle’s Kristy Mills for 30 minutes of relaxing sounds to start your day off refreshed, grounded, and ready to learn. Come in comfy clothes.

Networking Breakfast (sponsored by Capgemini)

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

Registration Open

Chicago Promenade, 4th floor

Day Two Opening

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

Laura Calin, Senior VP, Consumer Industries, Oracle

Building the Retail Champion Experience: Execution, Loyalty, and Competitive Advantage in the AI Era

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

Ornella Urso, Research Director, IDC

This presentation, which draws on IDC’s latest research, will explore how retailers can build a “Gold Medal” customer experience. Topics include agentic AI, omnichannel integration, hyper-personalization at scale, and next-generation loyalty models, all within the context of building a synchronized, enterprise-wide operating model.

Three Retailer Journeys, Three Different Paths to Value: Casey’s, Hot Topic, and Waldo's

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

• Mary Hodapp, Senior Director of IT Engineering, Casey’s
• Apple Canonazo, Director of Business Systems, Hot Topic
• Laura Andrade, Chief Information Officer, Waldo’s
• Lara Livgard, Senior Director of Customer Value & Adoption, Oracle

Join a dynamic panel of IT leaders as they share insights from their Oracle journeys. Representing brands that provide pizza-fueled convenience, alternative pop-culture fashion, and value-priced everyday essentials (including motorcycles!), they’ll discuss how to turn technology into measurable business impact and the importance of change management. You’ll also hear how partnering with Oracle’s Customer Value & Adoption team helped their organizations boost user engagement, accelerate user adoption, and derive more value from their Oracle solutions.

How Kroger Modernized Operations at Scale: The Power of Oracle Fusion Applications, AI, and Unified Data

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

Elizabeth Ferrell, Assistant Corporate Controller & Finance AI Leader, The Kroger Co.

Join Ferrell for a candid discussion of Kroger’s retail transformation and the role of Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications and AI. Learn how connecting finance, HR, supply chain, and merchandising enabled a faster financial close and produced important data-driven insights for Kroger decision-makers. Discover why Kroger prioritized a unified Oracle application suite over point solutions, and hear hard-won lessons on change management, governance, and building practical AI use cases.

Networking Break

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

Breakout Sessions

Oracle Retail Marketplace: What It Is and Why It Matters (for Retailers and Partners)

Chicago Ballroom VIII, 4th floor

Jamie Hack, Retail Global Alliances Director, Oracle

As retailers look to extend their core technology platforms, they’re looking for faster, lower-risk ways to integrate new solutions and capabilities. Oracle Retail Marketplace connects retailers and partners through a curated ecosystem of applications and services that extend Oracle Retail solutions, helping reduce integration effort and accelerate time to value, while reducing complexity. Oracle leaders and partner representatives will explain how Oracle Retail Marketplace helps retailers build more flexible, connected retail technology stacks.

From Complexity to Consistency at Scale: RH Modernizes Enterprise Merchandising and Inventory Management

Chicago Ballroom IX, 4th floor

• Sunil Kumar Koul, Senior Director of Engineering, RH
• Vikas Rai, Solution Architect, RH
• Carla Anderson, Senior Cloud Architect, Oracle

To support its growth globally, RH embarked on a bold strategy to unify its disconnected systems and standardize its merchandising, operations, inventory, and finance processes—while maintaining SOX compliance. Learn how RH is using Oracle Retail Merchandising Cloud Services and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure to support its rapid market expansion into Europe.

Empowering Store Associates: Delivering Personalized Experiences in Retail

Chicago Ballroom X, 4th floor

• Chris Foster, Director, Store Systems, Total Wine & More
• Chris Moore, Senior Director, IT, Bachman’s
• Jennifer Polumbo, Product Strategy Director, Oracle Retail

This interactive panel discussion explores the importance of training store associates to deliver tailored recommendations and exceptional service—whether customers know exactly what they want, are seeking expert advice, or are buying a gift outside their own expertise. Our panelists share strategies for providing associates with the right tools—such as inventory lookups, customer attribute insights, and purchase histories—to help them confidently support every shopper’s journey. Panelists will delve into training approaches, the importance of matching complex orders to experienced staff, and creative ways retailers can use events and experiential retail to showcase their associates’ expertise.

Beyond Implementation: Lowe’s Story of Seamless Cloud ERP Transformation and AI Adoption

Mayfair, 2nd floor

• Renuka Narsetti, Senior Director, Software Engineering, Lowe’s
• Amanda Allen, Principal Solution Engineer, Oracle

Join this fireside chat as explore Lowe’s journey to implement Oracle ERP. Discover firsthand insights from project preparation and go-live, to hypercare and ongoing optimization. The session will also dive into Lowe’s current exploration and adoption of AI capabilities. Attendees will gain practical lessons learned, strategies for navigating change, and perspectives on integrating AI in a post-implementation cloud environment.

Networking Lunch (sponsored by Infosys)

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

Breakout Sessions

Optimize Retail Assortment and Inventory with AI

Chicago Ballroom VIII, 4th floor

• Amanda Woodly, Senior Product Strategy Director, Oracle
• Mary Vorus, Retail Product Strategy Director, Planning, Oracle

This session explores how AI is changing the way retailers manage their assortment and inventory planning, improving efficiency, personalization, and profitability. Gain practical insights to harness AI for better assortments, inventory control, and pricing.

Stronger Together: How Retail Peer Connections Support Helzberg’s and Rural King’s Continuous Evolution

Chicago Ballroom IX, 4th floor

• Amanda Hahn, Director, Merchandising Systems and Business Process, Helzberg Diamonds
• Kasey Wickiser, Business Process Manager, Rural King
• Sergio Ferreira, Merchandise & Inventory Strategy Director, Oracle

Helzberg and Rural King discuss how engaging with their customer communities has accelerated their success well beyond their initial go-lives of Oracle Retail merchandising applications. The panelists will share lessons from their implementations, including tips on overcoming hurdles. And they’ll explain how their ongoing participation in Oracle customer forums (CAB and SIG), as well as events such as Cross Talk Summit and NRF, have helped them strengthen change management, solve problems faster, and continuously improve their Oracle footprint. They will also share what’s next.

Ulta Beauty: Scaling Operations by Migrating to Oracle Retail Xstore Office Cloud Service

Chicago Ballroom X, 4th floor

Derek Chaput, IT Director, Ulta Beauty

Chaput will explain how Ulta Beauty transformed its in-store experience by upgrading to Oracle Retail Xstore POS v23 then migrating to Oracle Retail Xstore Office Cloud Service across more than 1,500 stores in just six weeks. Discover how this rapid, large-scale rollout enabled Ulta Beauty to accelerate time to value and reduce operational risk. Executed ahead of the peak holiday season, the initiative ensured seamless high availability, empowered store associates with modern tools, and established a robust foundation for ongoing retail innovation.

Oracle End-to-End Data and AI platform: Go Faster and Further

Mayfair, 2nd floor

• Mark Lawrence, Product Strategy Director, Oracle
• Jukka Paajanen, Senior Director, Cloud Engineering, Oracle

Oracle’s merchandizing, POS, and horizontal finance, supply chain, and other enterprise cloud applications are a cornerstone of many retail companies and contain their most critical data. For retailers to maximize the value of AI, this data needs to flow seamlessly among the core and surrounding applications. In this session, we’ll showcase Oracle’s end-to-end application and data platform and its capabilities for avoiding data replication hell, data transformation pain, the plague of misaligned calculations, and aggregations that don’t add up. We’ll show how retailers can achieve their AI and data goals without replacing existing data backends.

Networking Break

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

Breakout Sessions

Mr Price: Best Practices for Moving to the Cloud

Chicago Ballroom VIII, 4th floor

Ebenezer Adams, Head of IT, Retail, Mr Price

Learn how apparel and homeware retailer Mr Price transitioned their Merchandise Financial Planning from on-premises systems to a cloud-based approach, as it focused on improving reliability and reducing security and other risks. Gain practical insights for planning and executing your own company’s cloud transition.

AI-Powered Merchandising: Create Supply Chain Synergy for Retail Success

Chicago Ballroom IX, 4th floor

Sergio Ferreira, Merchandise & Inventory Strategy Director, Oracle

This session will delve into the ways AI can revolutionize retail merchandising strategies and create a ripple effect of efficiency across the supply chain.

Always Open: Mars’ Zero-Downtime Global Xstore Modernization at Flagship Scale

Chicago Ballroom X, 4th floor

• James Nasto, Global Point of Sale Application Lead, Mars
• Jennifer Polumbo, Product Strategy Director, Oracle Retail

Join this fireside chat for a deep dive into Mars’ rollout of Oracle Retail Xstore POS systems at its M&M’S retail stores worldwide. Learn how Mars managed this cloud system rollout with no downtime, how it executes overnight system refreshes in one of the world’s highest-volume retail environments, and how it manages store openings without the need for on-site POS support teams. Additionally, hear how Mars is using the latest Xstore technology—including mobile capabilities and “invisible” infrastructure—to expand checkout capacity, enhance personalization, and sustain operations during record-breaking transaction days. This session will conclude with a look at what’s next on Mars’ omnichannel roadmap.

Serving Up Success: How Portillo's Delivers Financial Precision with Oracle Cloud

Mayfair, 2nd floor

• Girlie O'Donoghue, VP, Controller, Portillo’s
• Christine DeCicco, Assistant Controller, Portillo’s
• Amanda Allen, Principal Solution Engineer, Oracle

Finance teams in the restaurant industry face an à la carte menu of challenges—controlling costs with thin margins, supporting rapid growth, and closing the books fast enough to enable timely decisions. Portillo’s, the fast-casual brand known for its Chicago-style favorites, will share how it addressed these challenges by moving from legacy systems to Oracle Cloud ERP, SCM and EPM. This session will explore strategies for driving adoption, the impact of improved visibility and faster close cycles, and how Portillo’s moved from implementation to continuous optimization in Oracle Cloud Financials.

Networking Break

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

Breakout Sessions

How Five Below Accelerated Merchandising Integrations with Oracle Integration Cloud

Chicago Ballroom IX, 4th floor

• Siddhartha Saran, Senior Director of Software Engineering, Five Below
• Chad Timm, Senior Director of Retail Product Management, Oracle

In this panel discussion, we explore how specialty discount retailer Five Below streamlined its integration of Oracle Retail Merchandising applications by moving to Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC). Learn how that integration helped Five Below improve operational agility and enable greater automation. This session will also cover key lessons learned.

The Evolution of Engagement-Based Loyalty: Create Lasting Customer Connections

Chicago Ballroom X, 4th floor

• Brett Herskowitz, Senior Manager, Loyalty, The Vitamin Shoppe
• Michael Colpitts, Senior Product Strategy Director, Oracle Retail
• Emily Rudin, VP, Loyalty Product Strategy & Growth, Oracle

Loyalty experts from The Vitamin Shoppe and Oracle share insights and strategies for building meaningful long-term customer relationships. They’ll go beyond points and perks, focusing on how to align internal teams and deliver personalized experiences to surpass customers’ expectations. Attendees will take away practical and fresh perspectives to improve their own loyalty strategies.

Central National-Gottesman (CNG): Leveraging AI to Transform Order Processing into Measurable Margin

Mayfair, 2nd floor

• Sampath Vuluvala, Director Business Solutions, Central-National Gottesman
• Moe Khan, Director, Cloud Engineering OCI & AI, Oracle

Traditional EDI can stall transformation with rigid, rule-based workflows. This fireside chat explores an AI Native EDI platform on Oracle Cloud, powered by Oracle GenAI, that makes data interchange self-learning—understanding, predicting, and optimizing transactions. Using OCI Document Understanding, CNG converted unstructured PDFs into accurate ERP orders, automating order and transportation flows, reducing manual exceptions, improving governance, and exposing margin leakage.

Networking Break

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

Breakout Sessions

The Hibbett Experience: Lessons from a Multiphase Digital Transformation

Chicago Ballroom VIII, 4th floor

• Mike Bonamy, VP, Selling Applications Architecture, Solutions Development, Delivery & Support, Hibbett
• Alicia Kahn, VP, Planning & Allocation, Hibbett
• Becky Wrzosek, VP, Retail Consult
• Erica Triplett-Cella, Consulting Practice Director, Oracle Retail

Join this panel discussion to learn how Hibbett, the sport-inspired fashion retailer, achieved remarkable efficiency and agility in its multiphase digital transformation. Learn about strategies for rolling out and leveraging Oracle Retail solutions, including cloud-based merchandising, inventory management, and POS systems.

FedEx: Oracle Retail Cloud Journey

Chicago Ballroom IX, 4th floor

• Venkat Ramamurthy, Domain Architect, FedEx Office

FedEx will share its transformation journey to Oracle Retail Cloud, highlighting how the organization modernized retail operations across 2,000+ stores. FedEx will walk through the company’s business landscape, key drivers for adopting Oracle Cloud, the application ecosystem, and the strategies used to ensure a successful migration. This session will also cover lessons learned, business benefits, and how FedEx is leveraging Customer Value & Adoption (CVA) to unlock new capabilities and continuous innovation.

Plan First, Upgrade Fast: Lessons from Belk's Xstore POS Upgrade

Chicago Ballroom X, 4th floor

• Amjad Shaik, Senior IT Director, Belk
• Jennifer Polumbo, Product Strategy Director, Oracle Retail

Join this fireside chat with Belk’s Amjad Shaik as he shares insights from the department store’s latest Oracle Retail Xstore POS upgrade. This session explores what it takes to modernize in a complex retail environment, including planning multi-version jumps, aligning business objectives, piloting rollout schedules, and overcoming challenges such as large-scale customizations and training. Learn tips for navigating UX changes and establishing an ongoing upgrade cadence.

Bus Departure to Evening Event

Hotel Lobby

Networking Dinner (sponsored by Accenture and Deloitte)

Join us for an engaging evening at Flight Club Chicago, where you'll enjoy cocktails, dinner, music, and games. This event presents a unique opportunity to connect with colleagues and industry peers in a relaxed and entertaining setting.

Bus Departure Back to Hotel

Fun Run

Meet in hotel lobby

Networking Breakfast (sponsored by KPMG)

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

Retail’s New Mandate: AI, Adaptability — and the "Glue" Connecting It All

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

• Annette Franke, VP of IT, Gorilla Glue
• Rudy Kulas, Global Oracle Retail Leader, Deloitte Consulting LLP

Join us for a fast-paced tour of Deloitte’s 2026 Global Retail Outlook: What’s changing, why that matters, and what leading retailers are doing now. We’ll focus on the expanding role of AI, as pilots move to production environments. Then we’ll reveal the "glue" that connects the modern retailer: shared data and unified processes, leading to faster decision-making from planning to execution. Gorilla Glue will relate lessons from its Oracle journey.

Mr Price: Transformation in Motion — Insights from Ongoing Cloud Modernization

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

• Marilize Redelinghuys, Head of Retail Modernization, Mr Price Group

Hear how Mr Price has continued its transformation journey beyond its cloud ERP go-live. The session shares lessons from recent cloud initiatives, including Oracle Merchandise Financial Planning and Order Management, and how the experience has informed the company’s thinking on platform maturity, solution selection and sequencing change. Learn how Mr Price is positioning the business for future modernization through architecture-led design and stronger integration discipline.

Networking Break

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

Journey to the Cloud: Transforming Wholesale and Retail Operations

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

• Mark Knisely, Senior Director Commerce Consulting, Oracle
• Liquor retailer/wholesaler

Join us for a fireside chat exploring a multi-year transformation journey from legacy systems to a modern, cloud-based platform. We'll discuss how a liquor retailer/wholesaler revamped its back-office, wholesale, and retail processes, and upgraded customer-facing web properties. Learn about milestone achievements, including the rollout of new point-of-sale systems across hundreds of stores and thousands of terminals. Discover practical insights on leveraging Oracle solutions—including OCI and Oracle Fusion—in large-scale, integrated transformation programs.

How AI Is Changing the Retail Landscape

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

Amanda Woodly, Senior Product Strategy Director, Oracle

Woodly, an Oracle Retail AI expert, explores the evolution of AI and its profound impact on the retail industry. Woodly will take attendees on a fast-paced journey from the early stages of AI through recent breakthroughs in Generative AI and real-world success stories.

The Future of the Oracle Retail Customer Community: Powered by Retailers, Built for Impact

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

Dana Levitan, VP, Customer Services, Oracle Retail

Levitan will sit down with Oracle Retail Customer Community leaders for a conversation about the value of the ORCC and its exciting future. Learn how ORCC leaders collaborate with Customer Advisory Boards (CABs) and Solution Insider Groups (SIGs) to influence product strategy and strengthen peer connections. Hear how active participation helps retailers build trusted relationships that support smoother implementations and smarter innovations.

Summit Wrap-Up

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor

Jim Kelly, Group VP, Retail Applications, Oracle

Networking Lunch (sponsored by Wipro)

Chicago Ballroom 6/7, 4th floor