Speakers

Mark Baum currently serves as Chief Collaboration & Commercial Officer & Senior Vice President, Industry Relations for FMI - The Food Industry Association. In this role, Baum engages retailer, manufacturer, supplier, and service provider C-Suite executives to further trading partner collaboration, leading to operational improvements and growth opportunities across all segments of the food retail supply chain.

Baum is known for his intricate knowledge of almost every aspect of the food, beverage, consumer packaged goods (CPG), and retail industry. He is also recognized as one of the foremost experts in the design, management, and execution of strategic and commercial sales, marketing, and merchandising models across consumer facing industries.

Additionally, Baum is a Managing Partner of MARCAT Group, LLC, an advisory firm specializing in the active outdoors marketplace. Prior to that, he was a Partner and led the CPG/Retail Practice at Diamond Management & Technology Consultants (NASDAQ: DTPI), now owned by Pricewaterhouse Coopers, LLP (PwC). Earlier, he was Executive Vice President of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA). Formerly, Baum was the President & CEO of the Association of Sales & Marketing Companies (ASMC). He joined GMA in 2001 after leading the merger with ASMC.

Earlier in his career, Baum served as Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Retail Insights, a division of Maclean Hunter Media/Progressive Grocer Associates – producers of Supermarket Insights, Convenience Store Insights and Restaurant Insights – and prior to that, held significant management positions at Food Distributors International. Baum’s career in the food, beverage, and CPG industry spans over 35 years and began at Paragon, a New York based snack food/candy distributor.

Mark Baum serves on the Board of Directors of KeyImpact Sales & Systems, a national foodservice broker in the United States. He is an Industry Venture Partner (IVP) with Loft Growth Partners, a private-equity firm, providing growth capital and industry expertise to emerging branded consumer products businesses. To promote diversity initiatives, Baum is a Founding Champion of the NextUp, a CPG/Retail industry organization dedicated to providing career opportunities for women and minorities. Baum also is a Director on the Board of Oswego State University (NY), his alma mater.

ADDITIONAL INTERESTS & ACTIVITIES: Mark Baum is a supporter of several active outdoors sporting/recreation and conservation groups. He is a past Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Access Fund; a Boulder, CO based climbing advocacy organization and land trust. He is also a Board Member of the Student Conservation Association. Baum is also active on the National Wildlife Federation’s President’s Advisory Council and serves as a Director of Nature’s Best Photography.

EDUCATION / CHARITIES / OTHER: Mark Baum and his wife, Cathy, are residents of Reston, Virginia where they are involved in and support a variety of local charities, civic, and cultural organizations. Baum received his undergraduate degree at Oswego State University (NY) where he majored in political science/economics and completed his graduate course work in marketing and organizational development at Marymount University