Ready to work in the “new normal” as we transition out of the pandemic?
Join our panel of experts for a unique webinar on how your role as a product steward can make an impact. You’ll learn strategies you can use to support your organization during business disruptions.
This webinar includes a facilitated panel discussion with real-world examples provided of product stewardship management in the aftermath of disruptive events like the pandemic. Specific examples will be shared to illustrate how product stewards can help organizations successfully transition from incident management to recovery and resume operations in a “new normal.”
While focused on the pandemic, the key takeaways from this webinar are applicable to other emergency situations that impact business continuity.
Learning Objectives
- Highlight your role as a product steward in transitioning from business interruption to the “new normal.”
- Describe the importance of the product steward in helping to ensure business continuity after a disruptive event.
- Use of an operational checklist with key highlights for the practicing product steward.
Presenters
Robert P. DeMott, PhD, DABT
Managing Principal, Ramboll
Dr. Robert P. DeMott is board-certified in toxicology and specializes in risk assessment and stewardship for products. He has completed and directed risk analyses of chemical components of toys, electronic devices, apparel, shipping materials and building materials, and pesticide formulations. He has more than 25 years of experience evaluating human health and environmental risks associated with the production, distribution, use, and disposal of ingredients and products.
Dr. DeMott has completed audits of product portfolios for compliance with state product safety programs, pesticide programs, and for evaluating risks and liabilities associated with product lines and supply chains in the M&A context. He has directed evaluations of alternative ingredients in packaging and plastics and guided efforts by toy suppliers to analyze and monitor supply chain compliance with restricted substances listings and other controls on product content.
Dr. DeMott has directed evaluations under international toy safety standards, US federal pesticide regulations, and California Proposition 65. He has designed and implemented studies to measure consumer exposures to BPA, phthalate and trace metals in pet foods and from handling of electronic and medical devices and toys.
Andre LaMere
Deputy General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Risk & Safety, UNFI
Andre LaMere serves his colleagues at UNFI with a passion for safe and secure workplaces. He brings strategic leadership and roll-up-your-sleeves hard work to the areas of occupational safety, food safety, insurance, loss prevention, business continuity, and corporate security. Andre began his career in the airline industry which ignited his passion for emergency management as a voluntary member of the emergency accident team. He then spent the next decade working in private practice as an employment lawyer advising all manner of employers in developing and sustaining workplaces that were fair, engaging, and productive. In 2011, he moved to the grocery industry – a long passion of his – where he has held a variety of roles, including Chief Human Resources Officer.
Because UNFI is North America’s largest grocery distributor, it was clear from the early days of COVID-19 (before it was classified as a pandemic) that the stability of its operations would be critically important to maintaining this important piece of North America’s infrastructure. Through tenacity, important public/private partnerships, transparency, trial by error, and seeking and following expert advice, UNFI persevered through the pandemic protecting its associates while continuing to supply tens of thousands of grocery stores.
Carmen Reznik, PhD
General Manager Product Stewardship, Shell
Carmen Reznik has over 20 years of experience working in the chemical industry and currently oversees Product Stewardship delivery across the various businesses, sectors, and technology platforms at Shell. In addition to Product Stewardship leadership, her experience includes chemical R&D, supply chain, new technology development and deployment, and environmental testing. Over the course of the last four years, Carmen has managed a global team through a number of significant business disruptions caused by external factors which impacted many, most notably the COVID-19 pandemic and extensive flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Each of these disruptions has required a multifaceted approach to maintain business continuity, with a few of the critical factors being maintaining wellbeing of staff and resilience of response, and developing updated processes and new capabilities where merited. Learnings from this base of experience will inform the panel discussion, with an opportunity to share approaches and ideas.
Lesa Rice-Jackson, CPPS, PhD
Managing Principal Consultant, Rice Jackson Health Safety and Regulatory Consulting Services LLC (RJHSRC)
Lesa Rice-Jackson has been a prominent leader in the regulatory compliance field with over 30 years of advanced training, technical application, and leadership acumen in the oil and gas industry. RJHSRC offers a simplified and practical approach using product stewardship principles to help solve health, safety, and regulatory compliance chemical problems.
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