WFF Outgoing Chair and Interim President Linda Pharr brought the annual meeting to order by introducing the next chapter in the organization’s history by passing the gavel to Mary O’Broin, VP Marketing, Americas, Unilever Foodsolutions, to serve as the 2009-2010 Chair.

In addition to looking ahead, the Conference also celebrated the WFF’s 20-year history of elevating women leaders honoring the founding members and past chairs. Edna Morris, one of 14 founding WFF members, presented a commemorative book celebrating the mission and importance of WFF to attendees. The book, “Women at the Table,” was underwritten by past chairs and dedicated to the future women leaders in the foodservice industry. Copies are available for purchase at www.800CEOREAD.com.

“We’re grateful to the industry’s visionary leaders and emerging leaders for recognizing now more than ever the importance of this conference, and either attending or approving the attendance of their staff,” said Linda Pharr, WFF Outgoing Chair and Interim President. “Through individual member support and the generous, unwavering support from our sponsors, we are as energized as ever in our mission of elevating women leaders.”

Keynote speakers Robin Roberts, co-anchor, ABC News’ Good Morning America, Julia Stewart, CEO/Chair of DineEquity, Inc., and Tim Sanders, former leadership coach at Yahoo! joined in the industry discussion sharing their insights on how to continue elevating women leaders. Roberts offered some practical advice, encouraging attendees to “dream big and focus small,” while Stewart advised attendees that the road to advancement isn’t always direct and requires an ongoing curiosity to realize rewarding career advancements. And, based on his experience at Yahoo!, Tim Sanders reminded attendees of the important role that sanctity, gratefulness, confidence and generosity play in a successful career and overall company.

At Conference, three leaders were honored for their significant impact on the foodservice industry. Dr. Rohini Anand, Senior Vice-President and Global Chief Diversity Officer at Sodexo, Loria Danage-Scott, Vice-President of ARAMARK, and Barbara Kane, Assistant Vice-President of Ecolab, as recipients of the 2009 WFF Trailblazer Award, WFF Leadership Award and WFF Volunteer of the Year Awards, respectively.

In addition to the general sessions, Conference included more than 50 educational events across three professional tracks – emerging leader, emerging executive and executive - and the enhancement track of entrepreneurial. Attendees also discussed building multi-cultural teams, closing the gap on the generational divide and how to hone financial acumen.