With a focus on collaboration and building sustainable, long-term relationships, a new edition of the Latin Consumer Summit – Chapter Chile was developed, an event organized by Grupo Ohla, Adolfo Ibáñez University (UAI), and Touch, which brought together prominent figures from the retail and consumer industry. The meeting was held as a precursor to the 4th Latin Consumer Summit 2026, which will take place on May 14 and 15 at FIU in Miami.

The main protagonist of the day was Tom Muccio, a legend at Procter & Gamble, known for promoting a model of collaboration between brands and retailers that continues to be used today in the industry.

Muccio traveled from Bentonville to Chile at the invitation of Grupo Ohla to give the masterclass “The Power of Collaboration,” where he shared learnings and experiences on how to build strategic, long-term partnerships between companies.

According to Tom, at first, promoting a collaborative model between P&G and Walmart “was not easy.” “At P&G, there was resistance to change and some arrogance. Walmart also did not trust that we would change, so they didn’t want to invest time. We were stuck, and Sam Walton (founder of Walmart) told us: ‘we need to change because if the relationship with P&G changes, other mass consumer companies will follow us.”

During his speech, Tom explained how his team created the “one-company” model, which managed to break down internal silos, short-term thinking, and self-interest, paving the way for a focus based on transparency, trust, and information exchange. This change allowed P&G's sales with Walmart in the United States to increase from US$350 million to US$8 billion over a fifteen-year period.

According to Tom, this level of integration was only achieved when the consumer was placed at the center and the teams aligned their goals.

Panel Discussion “Brands + Retail: Building Value for the Consumer”

After the masterclass, the panel “Brands + Retail: Building Value for the Consumer” took place, featuring the participation of Rodrigo Camacho, CEO of Nestlé Chile; Alejandro König, commercial manager of Walmart; and Francisco Irarrázaval, corporate general manager of Falabella, moderated by Paula Loyola, director of companies and professor of the MBA at UAI.

During the discussion, they addressed how collaboration between brands and retailers has evolved and how this model has been strengthened with the arrival of retail media.

“Today, for a brand that advertises at Falabella, we can tell them exactly what their return on investment is, where they sold, and to whom they sold. We really provide them with a very clear vision of what is happening with the resources they invest in marketing, and that level of collaboration today is comparable to what drove the idea of integrating the product of P&G and Walmart 37 years ago,” commented Francisco Irarrázaval, corporate general manager of Falabella.

For his part, Alejandro König from Walmart recalled that in the past “the relationship with suppliers was very transactional.” “The focus was on selling a little more, without a joint or strategic perspective. Today it is different: suppliers are strategic partners, and we need each other to grow. The relationship is based on collaboration,” he stated.

From Nestlé, they highlighted that creating value alongside retailers is a central axis of their strategy. “In these planning sessions, all areas of the company participate, and we do it together with the retailer. This is how we build plans that generate trust. Retailers tell us that this is the type of relationship they want: one that adds value to the shopper, increases traffic to stores, and allows us to execute daily what we commit to together,” emphasized Rodrigo Camacho, CEO of Nestlé Chile.

Antonio Monckeberg, CEO of Grupo Ohla, highlighted the strategic importance of the meeting. “The Latin Consumer Summit – Chapter Chile is part of our commitment to connect industry leaders with ideas and trends that are shaping the market. Collaboration has ceased to be a tactical option; today it is a condition for competing, growing, and creating value for the consumer,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, Ricardo Úbeda, vice-dean of Postgraduate Studies at the Business School of UAI, emphasized that “this event reflects one of the main objectives we promote from the Business School: connecting the industry with the university and placing the company at the center of society as a key player in solving social problems. We firmly believe that collaboration with professionals and companies is the way to nurture both the industry and the Business School.”

The Latin Consumer Summit – Chapter Chile is part of the event circuit of Grupo Ohla, which includes meetings in Mexico, Colombia, Panama, Peru, Chile, and Miami. This initiative brings together executives, experts, and regional leaders connected to retail, consumption, technology, and market trends, with the aim of anticipating major changes and opportunities in consumption and sales in Latin America.