The CBA’s 104th Annual Spring Meeting is just around the corner, and this year’s virtual program is packed with expert voices covering the issues that matter most to cookware and bakeware professionals right now. From legislation and sustainability to market trends and the rise of AI, the May 12–13 agenda delivers two days of insight you won’t want to miss. Here’s a look at who’s taking the virtual stage.
Tobias Gerfin | Kuhn Rikon / FEC
How the US and EU Legislation Activity Differs and EU Movement on PFAS Legislation
Tobias Gerfin brings a scientist’s rigor and a global executive’s perspective to one of the industry’s most pressing conversations. As CEO of Swiss cookware company Kuhn Rikon AG — whose products reach 40 countries — and Vice President of the European Association for Cookware, Cutlery and Flatware (FEC), Gerfin is uniquely positioned to map the diverging regulatory landscapes in the US and EU, with a particular focus on where PFAS legislation is headed in Europe.
Lynette Burk | Close The Loop
Circular By Design: How Close The Loop Keeps Materials in Motion
Sustainability isn’t just a value statement — it’s a business strategy. Lynette Burk of Close The Loop will walk attendees through how her company helps manufacturers reduce waste and transition from linear product models to circular economies. Close The Loop has built its reputation managing recycling, take-back, and recovery programs for Fortune 500 companies, and Burk’s presentation will explore how those principles translate for the cookware and bakeware industry.
Joe Derochowski | Circana
Turning Up the Heat: How the Cookware & Bakeware Market Can Take Action in Today’s Market to Maximize Opportunities
Joe Derochowski has spent more than 30 years helping manufacturers and retailers connect consumer behavior to growth strategy. As Vice President and Home Industry Advisor at Circana, he brings data-backed perspective on where opportunities exist right now — and why the time to act is today. A frequent speaker at industry conferences and a go-to source for outlets like The Wall Street Journal and CNBC, Derochowski is known for turning market intelligence into clear, actionable direction.
Peter Giannetti | IHA / HomePage News
State of the Industry Report
Few people have watched the home and housewares industry as closely, or for as long, as Peter Giannetti. Now Editor-in-Chief at HomePage News and Vice President of Editorial, Content & Education at the International Housewares Association, Giannetti has covered this space since 1990. His State of the Industry Report will give attendees a grounded, informed look at where the broader home goods market stands — and what it signals for cookware and bakeware.
Steve Burns | Cookware Sustainability Alliance (CSA)
Legislation Update
Steve Burns is a Partner at Mercury Public Affairs with decades of experience guiding companies through complex state-level policy environments, with a particular focus on California. As a voice for the Cookware Sustainability Alliance, Burns will set the stage on where US legislation currently stands — providing essential context for the legal deep-dive that follows.
Tom Lee | Latham & Watkins LLP
Beyond Food Contact Surfaces: A Complete Update on Legislation Impacting Consumer Products
Tom Lee is a partner at Latham & Watkins whose practice centers on chemical regulation, PFAS, and environmental compliance across state and federal frameworks. His presentation goes beyond cookware’s traditional legislative focus to address the full scope of regulations now affecting consumer products — from Proposition 65 and TSCA to state-level chemical initiatives. For companies navigating today’s regulatory environment, this is the briefing you need.
Kelly Mariotti | Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM)
Industry Update from the Appliances Industry
What’s happening in appliances has direct implications for cookware and bakeware. Kelly Mariotti, President and CEO of AHAM, brings a wide-angle lens to the adjacent industry — drawing on her background in association leadership, manufacturing, and law to share where the appliances sector is headed and what it means for the broader kitchen ecosystem.
Doug Murless | ChatFeatured
Your Next Big Opportunity: AI Answer Engine Optimization — Does AI Recommend Your Brand?
When consumers ask an AI assistant for a product recommendation, whose brand shows up? That’s the question Doug Murless helps companies answer. As an AI visibility and content strategy specialist, Murless works with brands to ensure AI systems can find them, understand them, and recommend them at the right moment in the buyer journey. His presentation will make the case for why AI answer engine optimization is the next competitive frontier — and what your company can do about it now.
Register Before May 6, 2026
The CBA’s 104th Annual Spring Meeting takes place virtually on May 12–13, 2026. Registration closes Wednesday, May 6.
CBA Members:
- $150 for one attendee
- $250 for 2–10 people from the same company
Non-Members:
- $400 for up to two virtual seats from the same company
Not yet a member? Here’s an added incentive: if you attend the meeting and apply for CBA membership by May 18, 2026, your ticket price will be deducted from your first-year dues.
Register at cookwareandbakeware.org/spring-meeting and join us for two days of conversation, insight, and connection that will carry your business forward.
