CHESS 2026: Refortifying the Value of the Human Touch
Technology has become a fast-advancing cost of entry to viability and success in all aspects of business. But will it come at the expense of organic intuition and innovation?
CHESS 2026 will examine the dynamics of a home and housewares marketplace on the doorstep of renewed growth amid ongoing volatility. It is a period that will be defined by how companies balance the irresistible pull of game-changing agentic and generative automation with the dependable value of interpersonal ideas and practices that for generations have served an industry built on bringing people together.
Learn how breakthrough technology and the human touch can join forces to lead the home and housewares industry into a new phase of sustainable growth.
Featured Keynote Speaker
Mara Sirhal
SVP, Merchandising Home
Target
Mara Sirhal joined Target in November 2025 and leads the merchandising strategy for one of the company’s most dynamic and valuable categories. With more than 20 years of experience in merchandising, brand development and sourcing across department and specialty retail, Sirhal brings a customer-first mindset and a passion for innovation.
Sirhal will discuss Target’s plans to reinforce and reinvent its Home operation.
CHESS—Chief Housewares Executive SuperSession
CHESS is the International Housewares Association’s (IHA) annual senior-level conference for industry leaders. This strategic education and networking event allows attendees to access high-profile industry experts directly and share information and ideas with other housewares and home goods decision-makers. Held every fall, CHESS attracts the chief officers of IHA’s most prominent member companies. The program includes keynote speakers, panel discussions, general sessions and networking opportunities—the most valuable part of the 2-day event according to past participants.
Additional 2026 speakers, sessions and details coming soon.
CHESS is the International Housewares Association’s (IHA) annual senior-level conference for industry leaders. This strategic education and networking event allows attendees to access high-profile industry experts directly and share information and ideas with other housewares and home goods decision-makers. Held every fall, CHESS attracts the chief officers of IHA’s most prominent member companies. The program includes keynote speakers, panel discussions, general sessions and networking opportunities—the most valuable part of the 2-day event according to past participants.
2026 speakers, sessions and details coming soon.
2026 Sessions
Tuesday, September 29
Wednesday, September 30
Tuesday, September 29
9:30 A.M.
10:00 – 10:30 A.M.
Presenters: Derek Miller, President & CEO, International Housewares Association; Tom McMahon, President, Jura Inc., Incoming Chairman, International Housewares Association
10:30 – 11:30 A.M.
For this annual CHESS kickoff panel discussion, industry insiders will share how they have integrated AI into their businesses. What has worked. What hasn’t. And how the technology is enabling them to optimize their teams and organizations for future success.
Moderator: Peter Giannetti, Editor-In-Chief, HomePage News
Panelists: TBD
11:30 A.M. – 12:30 P.M.
Session description coming soon.
Speaker: Joe Derochowski, VP, Home Industry Advisor, Circana
12:30 – 2:00 P.M.
2:00 – 2:30 P.M.
Beyond the AI hype and hand-wavy hacks are a new generation of housewares leaders who are using technology to generate deep insights, scalable automation, and competitive intelligence to maximize profitable growth across ecommerce marketplaces, social commerce and agentic platforms. Join John LeBaron, CRO at Pattern, for a hands-on, interactive workshop that will give you free access to the tools and insights that can unleash the next level of growth for your organization.
Speaker: John LeBaron, Chief Revenue Officer, Pattern
2:30 – 3:15 P.M.
Join Dennis Cantalupo, CEO of Pulse Ratings, for a timely update on the retail landscape and the financial health of key retailers. The discussion will cover recent retailer results and forward-looking outlooks, along with key macro factors influencing the consumer.
Speaker: Dennis Cantalupo, CEO, Pulse Ratings
3:15 – 3:45 P.M.
The founders of Conduit AI will demonstrate how AI can augment housewares suppliers’ day-to-day workflows while amplifying team performance and value. The session will incorporate interactive surveys assessing and analyzing audience responses to questions about 20 different areas of potential AI implementation and the hurdles to such implementation to outline the potential positive impact on staff productivity, sales and profits.
Speaker: Rohan Shah, Co-Founder & CEO, Conduit AI; Anand Prabhu, Co-Founder & COO, Conduit AI
3:45 – 4:00 P.M.
4:00 – 5:00 P.M.
New Target leadership under CEO Michael Fiddelke has put in motion a strategy to drive growth by refortifying the retailer’s reputation as a design-, style- and trend-forward mass merchant with unique items at affordable prices. In her CHESS keynote, Sirhal – who joined Target in November of 2025 as senior vice president of merchandising for home — will provide insights on the significant role home products play in these plans.
Speaker: Mara Sirhal, Senior Vice President, Merchandising, Home, Target
Wednesday, September 30
7:00 A.M.
8:15 – 9:00 AM
Rafe Morrissey of IHA’s Washington D.C. office will update CHESS attendees on key legislative issues impacting the home and housewares business. Morrisey will be joined by trade attorney David Forgue to discuss the latest tariff developments, including the recently imposed Section 301 “forced labor” duties, IEEPA refunds and more.
Presenters: Rafe Morrissey, CEO, Morrissey Strategic Partners; David Forgue, Partner, Barnes, Richardson & Colburn, LLP
9:00 – 9:30 A.M.
Craig Akers of the International Housewares Shippers Association will examine the global shipping industry, highlighting recent transformative shifts to project future trends. He will analyze the impact of geopolitical realignments, volatile trade policy, economic fluctuations and ongoing supply-chain adjustments on shipping lanes, freight volumes and pricing with the aim to equip shippers with insights for informed decision-making and supply-chain resilience in an uncertain environment.
Speaker: Craig Akers, Executive Director, International Housewares Shippers Association
9:30 – 10:30 A.M.
10:30 – 11:30 A.M.
Shoppers no longer scroll — they ask. David Rapps of Wholescale will sit down with a retail marketplace executive to examine the trust-building connection between a strong base of product reviews and AI systems that are now reading reviews as a critical component of product recommendations. The session will demonstrate how AI is now shopping alongside your consumer; why marketplaces are a prime outlet for AI-guided shopping; and why AI systems are prioritizing authentic reviews.
Moderator: David Rapps, Founder & CEO, Wholescale
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Session description coming soon.
12:00 – 1:15 P.M.
Speaker: Peter Giannetti, Editor-in-Chief, HomePage News
12:15 P.M.
Additional 2026 speakers, sessions and details coming soon.
CHESS—Chief Housewares Executive SuperSession
CHESS is the International Housewares Association’s (IHA) annual senior-level conference for industry leaders. This strategic education and networking event allows attendees to access high-profile industry experts directly and share information and ideas with other housewares and home goods decision-makers. Held every fall, CHESS attracts the chief officers of IHA’s most prominent member companies. The program includes keynote speakers, panel discussions, general sessions and networking opportunities—the most valuable part of the 2-day event according to past participants.
Participating in CHESS enhances your seniority position for exhibition space at The Inspired Home Show in 2028.
CHESS—Chief Housewares Executive SuperSession
CHESS is the International Housewares Association’s (IHA) annual senior-level conference for industry leaders. This strategic education and networking event allows attendees to access high-profile industry experts directly and share information and ideas with other housewares and home goods decision-makers. Held every fall, CHESS attracts the chief officers of IHA’s most prominent member companies. The program includes keynote speakers, panel discussions, general sessions and networking opportunities—the most valuable part of the 2-day event according to past participants.
Participating in CHESS enhances your seniority position for exhibition space at The Inspired Home Show in 2028.
2025 CHESS Sponsors
2025 Speakers
Craig Akers
Executive Director
IHSA
Craig Akers, with a deep background in logistics and technology, serves as executive director of the International Housewares Shippers Association (IHSA). In this role, he oversees all aspects of IHSA’s operations, from marketing and sales to IT and contract negotiations. Under Akers, IHSA has fostered corporate alliances, expanding its reach and cultivating strong relationships with clients and vendors. Akers leverages his extensive experience in the industry, combined with his academic background in computer science and information technology, to keep IHSA at the forefront of the ever-evolving shipping landscape. IHSA was formed to benefit IHA member companies and their freight shipping needs.
Craig Brightup
CEO
The Brightup Group
Craig Brightup, CEO of The Brightup Group LLC, a government relations consulting firm, leads the International Housewares Association’s Government Affairs office in Washington D.C. Brightup has worked for more than 20 organizations since 2009, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and he is a founding member of E Street Partners, a bipartisan consortium providing public policy services to corporations, associations and coalitions.
Previously, he was vice president, government relations, for the National Roofing Contractors Association and before that headed congressional relations for the Federal Trade Commission by appointment of President Reagan. In 2000, he was named to Fortune Small Business magazine’s POWER 30 list of “influential insiders” in Washington. He recently served as president of the Washington Industrial Roundtable.
Jamie Jo Cockrell
SVP, GMM
At Home
Jamie Jo Cockrell has more than 15 years of experience in the retail industry, specializing in home furnishings, decor and housewares. She has served as the Senior Vice President and General Merchandise Manager of At Home since 2020. Cockrell joined the At Home team in 2015 and has held various buying and leadership roles spanning merchandising, brand management and product development. She has led brand transformational efforts contributing to more than $1 billion in growth.
Prior to joining At Home, Cockrell spent the early part of her retail career at JCPenney. She graduated with dual majors from TCU and received her EMBA from SMU Cox School of Business.
Joe Derochowski
VP, Home Industry Advisor
Circana
Joe Derochowski is vice president and home industry advisor for Circana, the new market research firm formed by the merger of IRI and The NPD Group. An expert at parsing data, Derochowski has been helping product developers and retailers for more than 30 years to identify growth opportunities through innovation, marketing, sales and merchandising.
David Duecker
President
SynergyOps
Dave Duecker is president of SynergyOps, the contract manufacturing subsidiary of Regal Ware. Duecker, former CEO of Denago Electric Bikes and a prominent leader within the consumer durable goods sector, brings to SynergyOps a track record of fostering substantial growth and consistently delivering results. He has held leadership roles for such brands as Schwinn and Mongoose Bicycles, Fiskars, and Milwaukee Electric Tool.
John Dick
Founder & CEO
Civic Science
John Dick is founder and CEO of consumer research and insights company Civic Science. Dick has extensive experience in new business formation, business development, and marketing. He is the host of the successful podcast, “The Dumbest Guy in the Room” and author of “What We’re Seeing,” the weekly email newsletter for business leaders, policymakers and celebrities. He is also a frequent speaker at the Carnegie Mellon University Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, a contributing writer for AdAge, Microsoft News, and Forbes and has appeared on Good Morning America, Yahoo! Finance, Cheddar, and AXS-TV. He also is lead singer of Moscow Mule, an alternative rock cover band, a recipient of the Jefferson Award for his charitable works.
Scott Friedman
Chief Credit Officer
Pulse Ratings
Scott Friedman joined Pulse Ratings as Chief Credit Officer in June 2023. Prior to joining Pulse, Friedman served as the principal at Scott Friedman Consulting/Olympus Peak Consulting since 2009, providing in-depth credit analysis, financial market insight, insolvency valuation work and credit risk mitigation alternatives to clients that include some of the world’s largest consumer product companies. He also served as the head of trade claims and a member of the investment team at Olympus Peak Asset Management, a credit fund with assets under management in excess of $1.7 billion. Prior to starting his own firm, Friedman was a vice president in the Trade Claims and Vendor Finance group at Avenue Capital, a global fund with assets under management that exceeded $15 billion. Before joining Avenue Capital, Scott he was a vice president at F&D Reports.
Peter Giannetti
Editor-In-Chief
HomePage News
Peter Giannetti joined IHA in March 2021 as director, editorial, content and education. In his role with IHA, Giannetti directed the development and launch of HomePage News, the authoritative B2B news platform for the home and housewares business, and has helped create exclusive IHA research reports, including the IHA Occasions Report, HomePage News Consumer Outlook Report and the just-released HomePage News InSight Trend Index.
He has reported on the home and housewares business since 1990. Before joining IHA, Giannetti served for 14 years as editor-in-chief and 14 years before that as editor of HomeWorld Business, a leading B2B print and digital publication.
John Hermann
Executive Advisor
Design Molded Products, Inc.
John Hermann has 35 years of experience in the management of manufacturing companies, including 25 years in the plastics molding industry. He began his career at the 3M Company as an engineer, later moving to manufacturing as manager of four separate manufacturing operations. In addition, Hermann has several years of experience in private equity managing portfolio companies as President of the Operations Group for Valor Equity Partners. In 2006, Hermann purchased Genesis Plastics Technologies, LLC, in Cleveland. He sold Genesis to Design Molded Products, Inc. in 2024.
Jack Hough
Partner
Grove Product Group
Jack Hough is a product management and marketing executive who has driven growth through innovation for more than 30 companies and brands, including Apple, Nike, Pyrex, CorningWare, Brunswick, Life Fitness, Herman Miller, and Whirlpool. Jack holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Bachelor’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design from the University of Michigan.
Henry Liu
President & CEO
Cangshan Cutlery
Henry Liu, president and CEO of Cangshan Cutlery, established the company in 2015. Created from a passion for innovation, Cangshan’s focus is on high-end kitchen knives. Liu also developed and serves as president of New Star Foodservice, an independent sister company to Cangshan, which focuses on commercial kitchenware and equipment.
Allen Morrison
Senior Professor
Thunderbird School of Global Management
Allen Morrison is a senior professor of global management and the former CEO and Director General of the Thunderbird School of Global Management. A globally recognized authority on strategy and competition with China, his work on China has been featured in Harvard Business Review four times. He is the author of 14 books, including the recent bestseller Enterprise China: Adopting a Competitive Strategy for Business Success.
Professor Morrison served on the board of a NASDAQ-listed Chinese technology company and held visiting professorships at two of China’s leading business schools. He has advised and led executive programs for more than 50 of the world’s largest corporations.
Morrison equips leaders with the strategies they need to compete—and win—on the global stage.
Rafe Morrissey
President
Morrissey Strategic Partners
Rafe Morrissey has more than 20 years of public policy experience. Before starting Morrissey Strategic Partners, LLC, he managed legislative and public policy issues on behalf of clients for EnGage, LLC, primarily in the areas of postal affairs, consumer privacy and regulatory matters. In 2012, he was promoted to vice president, public affairs for the Greeting Card Association.
Before launching MSP, Morrissey served as senior vice president, government relations, for Evans Capitol Group, a public policy firm specializing in corporate, non-profit and trade association representation. He managed a wide range of issues including labor and employment policy, tax, trade, telecommunications and Internet privacy issues.
President & CEOLee Roberts
Partner, Managing Director
Creative Planning
Lee Roberts is a partner and managing director of Creative Planning Business Services, for which where he leads 600 business professionals across the United States. Under Lee, Creative Planning Business Services has grown from $4 million in revenue in 2006, when he joined, to $135.1 million in 2024.
Pamela Stafford
President & CEO
Hestan Culinary
Pamela Stafford joined Hestan Culinary in 2016 as director and was promoted to managing director in 2021. As co-founder of this premium cookware brand, she partnered with Stanley Cheng, founder and CEO of Meyer Corporation and Hestan. Before joining Hestan, Stafford served as president of Brady Marketing Company from 2007 to 2016, where she was instrumental in building several premium housewares brands, including All-Clad and Shun. She began her career in housewares in 1986 as a merchandise manager at Jordano’s Marketplace, a Santa Barbara retail store specializing in gourmet kitchenware.
Cze-Chao Tam
CEO
TRINITY International Industries
Cze-Chao (Sue) Tam became CEO of Trinity International Industries in 2014 and has overseen expansion of company’s offerings from a single product to more 500 products in storage, organization, and home solutions with a focus innovation, quality and sustainability.
In 2024, Tam spearheaded the launch of Renew, housewares brand under the Trinity umbrella that brings her vision for environmental responsibility to life by using reclaimed, upcycled chopsticks in every design. The U.S. factory for Renew produces a wide array of home décor and serveware, diverting more than eight million bamboo chopsticks from landfills and transforming into stylish, functional pieces for the home.
Warren Tuttle
Founder
Aspire Open Innovation
Warren Tuttle has for many years overseen the Open Innovation product programs for several industry leading companies, including publicly traded Lifetime Brands in the housewares and tabletop markets; Techtronics Industries Power Tool Group in the power tool and hardware industries; and Merchant Media in the direct response television business. Tuttle was also behind the launch of several highly successful consumer products including MISTO, The Gourmet Olive Oil Sprayer and the SmartSpin Storage Container System. Warren also served as the Open Innovation Director for MarketBlast, the premier platform for innovators submitting new, unique & innovative products directly to leading companies and currently is active as a partner in Aspire Open Innovation. Tuttle served for 12 years as the President of the United Inventors Association, and he is a member of the National Pro Bono Patent Council (PBAC) and served on the Department of Commerce Council for Innovation Inclusion (CI2). He co-chairs the Creator Committee for the US Intellectual Property Alliance (USIPA). Tuttle’s book, Inventor Confidential: The Honest Guide to Profitable Innovation, is published by Harper Collins and available on Amazon.
Don Unser
President, Thought Leadership
Circana
Don Unser leads thought leadership for Circana. Unser’s expertise in consumer and retail trends spans a wide range of categories, making him a trusted advisor to some of today’s most successful brands. He is a frequent guest in the C-suites of companies such as Target, Apple, Best Buy, Newell. And many others, that rely on him for insight into industry and category performance, the state of retail, and winning strategies of best-in-class companies. He is also a member of the Retail Industry Leaders Association board of directors.
Prior to joining Circana, Don was a 20-year veteran at Hewlett-Packard and held a variety of positions with the company, including vice president, retail sales.
CHESS Pricing
Members
Exhibiting – $1,000
(Additional Attendees $800)
Non-Exhibiting – $1,500
(Additional Attendees $1,200)
Non-members
Exhibiting – $2,000
Non-Exhibiting – $3,000
Manufacturer Representatives
$1,000
Location
Hilton Rosemont
5550 N River Rd
Rosemont, IL 60018
+1 847.696.1234
Please click this link to receive the group rate if you require hotel accommodations for the event. You can also call Hotel Reservations and mention the Group Code “CH26” at +1 888.452.6943. The last day to make a reservation with the discounted rate is Monday, September 14.
Become a CHESS Sponsor
A Look Back at CHESS 2025
Presentations from CHESS 2025 are available for download for event attendees only.
