Richard McPhail is Executive Vice President and CFO of The Home Depot, the world's largest home improvement retailer with more than 2,300 stores and approximately 475,000 associates. He is responsible for the company's financial operations and functions that drive the company's growth and strategy to create the most seamless, interconnected experience in retail. This includes financial performance management, capital allocation, financial services, controllership, investor relations, tax, treasury, real estate, corporate strategy and strategic business development.

Richard joined The Home Depot in 2005 and has worked in senior roles in strategic planning, financial planning, business development, international financial management and served as the primary finance partner to all main commercial functions. Prior to joining the company, he gained international experience leading corporate development at Marconi Corporation and held positions at Wachovia Securities and Arthur Andersen. Richard earned bachelor's degrees in economics and business management from North Carolina State University and a master's degree in business administration from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Richard serves on the executive committee of the Metro Atlanta Chamber and sits on the board of The Westminster Schools and Woodruff Arts Center.

Salim is a sought-after business strategist, who presents globally to the leaders of many of the world's largest companies and Heads of State. His book “Exponential Organizations” is considered by many to be the go-to guide for 21st century organizations. The data shows that corporations that follow the ExO attributes deliver 40x shareholder returns compared to those that don't.

He has been featured across a vast array of media outlets, including The New York Times, CNBC, Bloomberg, BusinessWeek, Fortune, Forbes, WIRED, Vogue, Fox Business and the BBC.

He is the Founder and Chairman of OpenExO, which helps companies to implement the lessons from Exponential Organizations by emulating the world's fastest growing companies. They inspire innovators to replace incremental innovation with 10X improvements, implement groundbreaking technologies and profitably achieve large-scale social impact. They have created billions of dollars of return on investment over the past 4 years for clients, including Procter & Gamble, HP, Visa, BHP, and Stanley Black & Decker. Salim is the author of Exponential Organizations published originally in 2014, and now the much anticipated second edition, Exponential Organizations 2.0 released in 2023. Both are global best-sellers.

Salim is a serial entrepreneur, having founded several technology companies including Ångströ, which was acquired by Google. As a VP at Yahoo, he led Brickhouse, Yahoo!'s internal incubator. He was the Founding Executive Director of Singularity University and serves on the Board of the XPRIZE Foundation. These associations give him extraordinary access to the most influential innovators of our time, plus technologies and business ideas while they are in stealth mode.

Salim's breadth of work experience combined with his global outlook (he has lived in eight countries for at least a year each) give him a uniquely macro vision of how the institutions that underpin our society and economy are broken and should be fixed. His epiphany-inducing presentations are known for impressing even the most skeptical listeners.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a third-generation racer in a family forever connected to American motorsports. His innate ability and intrinsic instincts behind the wheel have propelled him to 50 victories and two championships in NASCAR's top two national touring series, but his common-sense charisma and down-to-earth disposition has catapulted his popularity well beyond the race track, resulting in a record 15 consecutive NASCAR Most Popular Driver awards. His performance on the track and off resulted in his election to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2021.

Earnhardt Jr. won 26 NASCAR Cup races and is one of only 12 drivers to have multiple victories in the sport's most prestigious race, the Daytona 500, winning in 2004 and 2014. As owner of JR Motorsports, Earnhardt Jr.'s NASCAR Xfinity Series team has won 64 races and series championships in 2014, 2017, and 2018. In 2018, Earnhardt Jr. joined NBC Sports Group as an analyst and influencer in its NASCAR coverage. Also in 2018, Earnhardt Jr. penned Racing to the Finish: My Story, with ESPN scribe Ryan McGee, detailing his battle with multiple concussions that affected his life, his livelihood, and his future in the sport. The book earned critical acclaim and hit the Best-Seller lists from the New York Times, USAToday and the Wall Street Journal.

Earnhardt's business sense extends beyond the track. In 2006, he started Hammerhead Entertainment, a one-stop-shop production company that produces shows for multiple national television networks. In April 2008, Earnhardt extended his entrepreneurship into the Charlotte, North Carolina, entertainment scene, as he opened Whisky River, an uptown bar and nightclub located in the EpiCentre. In May 2015, Whisky River expanded to include a location at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Earnhardt launched “Dirty Mo Radio,” a podcast network, in February 2013, which features race recaps as well as behind-the-scenes insight from Earnhardt, team members, family members and others. He is also the co-owner of FilterTime, High Rock Vodka and the CARS Tour.

While the obligations of being a driver and team owner occupy much of his time, Earnhardt is active in charities and non-profit organizations. In 2007, he launched The Dale Jr. Foundation, a charity dedicated to giving underprivileged individuals, with a focus on youth, the resources to improve their confidence, education and the opportunity to achieve extraordinary goals.

Grammy Nominated Comedian, Actor, Writer, Producer, two-time New York Times best-selling author, three-time Emmy winning top touring performer, and multi-platinum-selling recording artist

Jim Gaffigan is an eight-time Grammy nominated comedian, actor, writer, producer, two-time New York Times best-selling author, three-time Emmy winning top touring performer, and multi-platinum-selling recording artist. He is known around the world for his unique brand of humor, which largely revolves around his observations on life. His 11th special, The Skinny, premiered on Hulu last winter as the streamer's first ever original stand up special for their new comedy vertical, Hularious, and garnered almost 100 million clip views online. Gaffigan is currently on his, Everything is Wonderful standup comedy tour.

Gaffigan is a top ten comedian according to Forbes' most recent comedy list and top ten earning comedian in Pollstar. He released his 10th comedy special, Dark Pale, in 2023 on Amazon Prime Video, an unprecedented achievement for the comedian/actor. Dark Pale was met with critical fanfare with The New York Times calling it, 'his best yet.” Gaffigan recently finished co-headlining with Jerry Seinfeld for a sold-out multi-city arena tour and in May of 2024, sold out two shows at The Hollywood Bowl during the Netflix Is Joke Festival.

In 2021 Gaffigan released his 9th special, Comedy Monster, on Netflix which was nominated for a Grammy Award. He was also recently awarded for being the first comedian to reach one billion streams on Pandora.

Gaffigan can currently be seen opposite co-stars Jerry Seinfeld, Melissa McCarthy, James Marsden, and Hugh Grant in Netflix's Unfrosted, which debuted as the #1 movie in the world on Netflix last May. He can also currently be seen as the lead in the well-reviewed and certified fresh Sci-Fi drama, Linoleum, which was named one of Vulture.com's best movies of 2023 and is currently streaming on Hulu after a theatrical release.

Gaffigan starred as Mr. Smee in Disney's Peter Pan and Wendy, opposite Jude Law and Yara Shahidi. Also premiering recently, Gaffigan joined the cast of HBO Max's Full Circle, a limited series from Steven Soderbergh and Ed Solomon which follows an investigation into a botched kidnapping, connecting multiple characters and cultures in present day NY.

On the silver screen, his many credits include Three Kings, Super Troopers 1 & 2, and Chappaquiddick. 2019 was Gaffigan's biggest year in film to date with an astonishing eight films releasing, three which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival including Troop Zero with Viola Davis and Alison Janney, Them That Follow and Light From Light - with many festival goers and press calling Gaffigan the “King of Sundance.” Gaffigan was also recently heard in Disney/Pixar's highly anticipated animated film, Luca, opposite Jacob Tremblay and Maya Rudolph.

Gaffigan had two films recently in which he debuted as the lead. The comedic film Being Frank, and American Dreamer, a dark thriller which features him as a ride share app worker who moonlights as a private driver for a drug dealer. Gaffigan can also currently be seen opposite Ethan Hawke in IFC Films Tesla, as well as opposite Josh Hartnett in Saban Films' Most Wanted.

In addition to two seasons of the critically acclaimed semi-autobiographical The Jim Gaffigan Show, which he wrote and produced with his wife Jeannie, Gaffigan has guest starred on many television comedies and dramas, ranging from Portlandia and Bob's Burgers to the HBO cult hits Flight of the Concords to dramatic roles in Law & Order.

Gaffigan regularly does humorous commentaries on CBS Sunday Morning for which he has won 3 Emmys. In 2018 Jim served as master of ceremony at The Al Smith Memorial dinner. In 2015, Gaffigan had the great honor of performing for Pope Francis and over 1 million festival attendees at the Festival of Families in Philadelphia.

He and his wife currently live in Manhattan with their five loud and expensive children.

Stacy Atherton is Chairwoman of Steel King Industries, a third-generation family business and one of the nation’s premier manufacturers of rack systems and material handling products. As a woman executive in a traditionally male-dominated sector, Stacy is passionate about connecting people, ideas, and solutions to drive innovation and inclusion across the supply chain.

Stacy’s leadership is defined by her commitment to setting a bold vision for the future and aligning teams, processes, and technology to achieve long-term strategic goals. She is an active member of the Community Subcommittee of the Young Professionals Network and the Member Engagement Committee of the Rack Manufacturers Institute (RMI) within MHI, as well as an advisory board member for the FMA’s Tube and Pipe Association. Through these roles, Stacy champions mentorship, professional development, and the advancement of women in supply chain.

Before joining Steel King and the material handling industry in 2018, Stacy built a career in business-to-consumer marketing, holding key roles at Fortune 500 companies and privately held businesses in social media, digital strategy, and integrated marketing communications. Her experience navigating career transitions and leading diverse teams informs her perspective on building resilient, inclusive organizations.

Stacy holds a BA in International Relations and Spanish from Tufts University and an MBA in Strategy and Marketing from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.

As a panelist at the MODEX® Women in Supply Chain 2026, Stacy brings a real-world perspective on leadership and the importance of building strong networks to support women’s advancement in supply chain. She is dedicated to fostering collaboration, self-advocacy, and opportunities for the next generation of women leaders.

Annette joined Barnes & Noble in September 2024. She oversees all operations for the Barnes & Noble Distribution Centers.

Prior to joining the company Annette was Chief Supply Chain Officer at Penguin Random House where she had a long career culminating in the oversight of both the U.S. and U.K. distribution operations of the publisher. She joined Bantam Doubleday Dell in 1996 as an industrial engineer working through the merger first with Random House, and then with Penguin.

Annette is honored in the Supply Chain Xchange Outstanding Women in Supply Chain Award 2024; is a member of the Board of Governors of the Material Handling Industry; is also on the advisory council for the Warehouse and Education Research Council; was an adjunct professor at Towson University from 2020-2022, and has an EMBA with concentration in Global Supply Chain from The Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee.

Ms. Danek-Akey received in 2024 the Supply Chain Xchange Outstanding Women in Supply Chain Award and in 2025 she was recognized by Women We Admire as one of the top 25 Chief Supply Chain Officers.

Maria is Director of Strategy and Performance at Ankura, a global expert services and advisory firm.

Maria is a transformational leader with a wealth of diversified experience in Technology, Program Management, Change Management, Process Optimization, Operations Excellence, and Supply Chain. She excels at bringing value to organizations with a Vision-To-Value Delivery approach, assessing operations, developing strategies, evaluating technologies, operationalizing plans, and leading teams for results.

Maria is a compassionate, inclusive leader who builds effective teams by fostering authentic, collaborative relationships. She has a strong track record of delivering results in complex and dynamic environments, across different industries and geographies.

Before joining Ankura, Maria led the Transformation, Productivity and Technology program for Hasbro’s Fulfillment Organization. She established the Center of Excellence (COE) for Warehouse Distribution at Carrier Corp. and served as Program Manager for TMC / C.H. Robinson, leading software implementations for multinational clients across various industries. Prior to that, she held Supply Chain and Logistics roles with increasing leadership responsibility at Eaton and United Technologies.

Maria holds an MBA from Purdue University and is a Northwestern University – Kellogg Executive Scholar. A lifelong learner with a passion for technology, she recently earned a Digital Transformation certificate from Stanford University, AI certifications from the Project Management Institute, and Healthcare Technology credentials from HIMSS.

Maria is committed to giving back to both industry and the community. She serves as an advisory member of WERC (Warehouse Education & Research Council) and volunteers with Junior Achievement, where she shares her expertise and supports initiatives that make a meaningful impact.

Maria is happily married and blessed with 2 kids. Maria enjoys learning about new technologies, attending conferences, travelling, and spending time with family and friends.

Kristi is a visionary executive and innovation catalyst with over 30 years of experience in driving transformation and customer-centric growth across the supply chain industry. As the leader of Kenco Innovation Labs, Kristi spearheads the development of cutting-edge solutions by cultivating a culture of collaboration, leading cross-functional teams, and building high-performing talent focused on delivering measurable value for clients.

Her expertise spans strategic frameworks including design thinking, lean startup methodologies, technology scouting, and the facilitation of value creation workshops—efforts that have collectively generated over $100 million in customer value. Kristi is widely recognized for her ability to translate emerging trends and technologies into scalable, real-world innovations.

Kristi holds a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management from Covenant College and is a Certified Specialist in Design Thinking and Innovation. In 2024, she was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by Supply & Demand Chain Executive for her longstanding contributions to the industry.

A passionate advocate for supply chain transformation, Kristi actively engages with professional and community organizations including MHI, WERC, the Chattanooga Technology Council, and STEM education initiatives. She also dedicates her time to nonprofit service through her church and local community programs.