Bill Creelman is the Founder of Spindrift Beverage Co., Inc. Founded in Charlestown, MA in 2010, today Spindrift is one of the fastest-growing brands in the country. Inspired by his upbringing in Western MA, his summers spent living and working on the island of Nantucket, and his longtime passion for unprocessed, seasonal, and fresh ingredients, Bill started Spindrift in 2010. At the time, no one had created sparking beverages using real squeezed fruit - so Bill and team were not only inventing a product but also an entire process. From sourcing the best-tasting fruit from farms to creating production processes to respect and celebrate that fruit. Through many years of trial and error, Spindrift has become a household name. Today, Spindrift products are available nationwide in retailers like Target, Costco, and Starbucks, and the Spindrift team has grown to over 175 passionate employees who are dedicated to making every beverage a positive force of nature. Bill lives outside of Boston with his wife, Harley, and their 4 kids.

Chris Lansing is a seasoned Chief Executive Officer known for her transformative leadership in both entrepreneurial and Fortune 500 environments. With a proven track record spanning companies such as Health-Ade, Nature’s Bakery, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, PepsiCo, Hershey’s and Procter & Gamble, Chris excels in driving growth and profitability across a breadth of consumer brands and categories.   Combining big CPG business discipline with entrepreneurial zeal, Chris specializes in revitalizing consumer brands and strengthening business models while preserving their entrepreneurial values and agility. Her strategic prowess extends across the business, with equal focus on driving consumer preferred innovation and topline growth and improving core business operations to improve overall cost structure.   Recognized for her team-building skills, Chris fosters a culture of collaboration and innovation, empowering teams to achieve ambitious goals and drive organizational excellence. Her commitment to talent development and mentorship has been instrumental in cultivating high-performing teams capable of navigating complexities and seizing opportunities.   Chris holds an M.B.A. from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and a Bachelor’s in Economics and Public Policy from Swarthmore College. With expertise in growth acceleration, turnarounds, M&A, and strategic planning, Chris is poised to continue shaping the consumer industry with her visionary leadership and unwavering dedication to driving meaningful results.

Maria Stipp is the CEO of Suja Life, the leading functional wellness platform and parent company of Suja Organic and Vive Organic. She has an impressive leadership track record and a deep understanding of the food and beverage market. Her most recent role was with Sapporo-Stone Brewing Company where as CEO she doubled the size of the business and oversaw its successful acquisition by Japanese beer manufacturer Sapporo. Previously, Stipp was the CEO of Lagunitas Brewing Company where during her tenure, the company achieved the number #1 IPA in the US. She sits on the board of Siete Family Foods, California Olive Ranch and Monte Vista Farms. Prior to entering the craft brewing world, Stipp was President of ecoATM, an automated kiosk business that enables consumers to sell or recycle their electronics for instant cash. Following her pivotal role in developing the commercial strategy for Redbox and Coinstar, The New Venture Team at Redbox, later oversaw the acquisition of ecoATM. Before joining ecoATM, Stipp was the Executive Vice President of the Owned Properties Business Unit at Activision. Maria was responsible for the Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, and Tony Hawk franchises as well as the task of new IP invention. She also successfully launched Skylanders, a new IP that became a $1 billion franchise. Previous roles include working in sales, marketing, and new business development at Vivendi Universal Games, Miller Brewing Company and Kellogg Sales Company. Stipp started her career in retail management at the Nash Finch Company. Stipp holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa, and is a proud mother of teenage twins (boy and girl), enjoys running and spending time with her family.

Kim Route is a Category Manager at INFRA, where she curates strategic promotions and identifies emerging trends across snacks, candy, chocolate, and beverages. With experience spanning both conventional and natural grocery, she is passionate about helping independent retailers thrive and advancing a more sustainable food system. Outside of work, Kim enjoys time with her three dogs, trying new recipes, exploring local breweries, and serving on the Advisory Board for Minnesota State University’s Women in Leadership program.

Kyle Watson serves as Chief Brand Officer of Celsius Holdings, Inc., where she’s responsible for stewarding brand equity, driving consistency across marketing, advertising, and communications, and deepening consumer loyalty across the portfolio. She is also responsible for advancing the brand’s DNA and cultural relevance, ensuring consistency and resonance across consumer touchpoints. Since 2019, Kyle has served as the Head of Marketing and led innovation strategy for CELSIUS North America, establishing a proven track record of pioneering campaigns that have elevated consumer engagement, accelerated loyalty, and driven sustained sales growth. From 2016 to 2019, Kyle served as Head of Marketing at Hiball Energy, where she architected and executed a comprehensive national strategy that strengthened brand positioning and facilitated the company’s acquisition by Anheuser-Busch in 2017. Earlier in her career, she held progressive marketing leadership roles across the retail, sports, and consumer packaged goods sectors, where she consistently delivered innovation, growth, and market impact. Kyle holds a bachelor’s degree in Advertising from Florida State University. She resides in South Florida.

A 25-year consumer packaged goods industry veteran, Bob is Managing Director of First Bev, a private equity firm that invests in innovative and transformational beverage brands, helping them grow and stand out in a dynamic and competitive industry. In addition to Health-Ade, First Bev has backed other industry-leading brands including Essentia Water, Q Mixers, Laws Whiskey and Drizly. Bob’s background includes two years at KeVita, maker of sparkling probiotic drinks and kombucha, where he led a high growth commercial strategy that accelerated the company’s already steep growth trajectory and resulted in PepsiCo’s largest acquisition in over 5 years, paying a premium multiple to buy a leader in the emerging functional beverage space.  Prior to KeVita, he spent 17 years at PepsiCo in leadership positions across business development, customer development, strategic planning and product commercialization and developed a strong track record for architecting and staffing teams for growth and leading them to above-plan results.  Bob lives in South Pasadena, CA with his wife, Kelly, and their two daughters. His volunteer work includes two terms on the Board of Trustees of the Mayfield Junior School in Pasadena where he chaired the Finance and Audit Committee. In addition to spending time with his family, he enjoys playing ice hockey in Pasadena’s adult leagues. He holds a BA from Denison University, where he also played on the men’s soccer team.

Melissa Angle is the Vice President of Natural Category Merchandising and Supplier Relationship Management for United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI), a premier grocery wholesaler delivering a wide variety of fresh, branded, and owned brand products to more than 30,000 locations throughout North America, including natural product superstores, independent retailers, conventional supermarket chains, ecommerce providers, and food service customers. Melissa began her career at UNFI in 1998 as a Custom Flyer Coordinator in the Dayville, Conn. facility. She quickly moved into a Category Management role for Grocery. In 2001, Melissa joined BIN Sales & Marketing, a natural broker, where she served as Brand Manager and later Director of Marketing before returning to UNFI in 2006. Over the years, Melissa has held several key positions of increasing responsibility at UNFI, including National Director of Marketing – East and West, East Region Director of Supplier Relationship Management, National Sr. Director of Supplier Relationship Management, and Vice President of Supplier Relationship Management. She’s played a pivotal role during numerous mergers, acquisitions, and organizational transformations, including the formation of UNFI and integrations with Millbrook, Haddon House, Trudeau, Tony’s, and SUPERVALU. Outside of work, Melissa enjoys spending time with her two adult children, Ashleigh and RJ. She’s an avid pickleball player, a home project enthusiast with a passion for painting, and is currently diving back into sourdough baking.