CHICAGO — This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Network of Executive Women (NEW), and the group is celebrating the milestone with a host of activities designed to advance women and diversity in the consumer products and retail industries while raising awareness of NEW.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Network of Executive Women (NEW), and the group is celebrating the milestone with a host of activities designed to advance women and diversity in the consumer products and retail industries while raising awareness of NEW.

Activities will include a special magazine, regional celebrations and a CPG Retail Diversity Hall of Fame.

"In the past 10 years the Network has grown from a small band of visionaries into a mission-driven organization with more than 4,000 members, 70 national sponsors and 17 regional groups," says Joan Toth, president and chief executive officer of NEW. "This outreach is more than a celebration; it’s part of a yearlong effort to recognize the achievements of those driving diversity in the industry and to prepare our members for the next 10 years of change."

The NEW Leadership Summit will be held in Orlando, Fla., on September 19 and September 20. In addition to a reception, awards banquet and party, the agenda includes keynote speeches by demographic expert Maddy Dychtwald, mountaineer Alison Levine and Cathy Smith, chief financial officer of Walmart International, who will discuss what it’s like to be a female leader in today’s industry.

The new CPG Retail Diversity Hall of Fame will also induct 10 honorees, who will receive the William J. Grize Diversity Hall of Fame award, named for the late chief executive officer of Ahold USA. Early this month NEW’s Time Machine website will serve as a portal for all of the anniversary content.