Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders

ICR

In the increasingly crowded and competitive corporate and financial ecosystem, it’s harder than ever for companies to break through the clutter and be heard. The media, investors, agenda-driven influencers, even customers and competitors, are defining your business story on their terms. Therefore, it is imperative that companies take control and proactively drive the conversation with stakeholders in an effort to build & maintain equity value. In Welcome to the Arena from ICR, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman of ICR, Tom Ryan, interviews key business and financial players who influence the fate of public or aspiring public companies in the capital markets. As a former Wall Street Journal ranked sell-side equity analyst and the founder of one of the largest strategic communications firms in the world, Tom understands what it takes to navigate this complex environment. This is a forum for CEOs, CFOs, institutional investors, sell-side analysts, financial journalists, private equity professionals and other financial community participants to share their stories and give advice in an open and candid conversation. For more information, visit http://www.icrinc.com

  1. JAN 28

    Tara Comonte, President and CEO, Weight Watchers – The Future of Weight Loss: Embracing medical innovation while maintaining personal connection

    Weight Watchers became one of the most trusted brands in weight-loss by emphasizing the importance of human connection. Now, medications like GLP-1's have completely changed the weight loss landscape, and Weight Watchers has adapted their platform and product offerings to meet the moment.   Tara Comonte became the President and CEO of Weight Watchers in February of 2025 after serving as a director since June of 2023. Tara has over two decades of executive leadership experience across corporate and digital strategy, technology, operations, and finance. That includes serving as CEO of Tomorrow Life Sciences, CFO of Shake Shack, Chief Financial and Business Affairs Officer at Getty Images, and CFO of McCann World Group, the world's largest marketing communications business.   Today, Tara takes us through a whirlwind year for Weight Watchers, and discusses her plans for reinvigorating the brand through innovation, while maintaining their emphasis on personal connections. Highlights: History of Weight Watchers (2:15)Brand Positioning (6:50)Pharmaceutical Company Collaborations (10:03)Rebranding Weight Watchers (11:38)Product Innovations (13:25)Brand Partnerships (15:39)Marketing Strategy (17:50)Weight Watchers' B2B Strategy (20:48)Using AI and Maintaining Human Connection (22:34)Outlook for 2026 (24:35) Links: Tara Comonte LinkedIn Weight Watchers LinkedIn Weight Watchers Website ICR LinkedIn ICR Twitter ICR Website Feedback: If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, joe@lowerstreet.co.

    27 min
  2. JAN 21

    Alex Faherty, CEO and Co-Founder, Faherty Brand — Coast to Curb: A family-owned clothing brand blends beach-comfort with urban-style

    Alex and Mike Faherty built a clothing brand inspired by their origins as surfer kids on the Jersey shore, and their later years living in Manhattan. And even as the company has grown, they've always tried to stay true to that original vision, and the values that have made them a beloved brand for so many.   Alex Faherty is the co-founder and CEO of Faherty Brand, a family-owned lifestyle apparel company. Since its founding in 2013, he and his twin-brother have built a nine-figure omnichannel business, with nearly 80 stores, a large e-commerce presence, and a robust wholesale business with partners like Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, and numerous specialty stores across the country.   Alex joins us to discuss the origins of Faherty, their plans for international expansion, and how they plan on growing while remaining authentic to who they are.   Highlights: Faherty origins (1:46)Alex's PE Background (5:06)What is Faherty Brand? (7:21)Faherty Customers (8:51)Fashion Innovation (10:16)Embracing Wholesale (12:06)Faherty's Retail Strategy (14:01)Authenticity (16:35)Sustainability (18:34)Technology and AI (20:49)New Product Offerings (22:23)Competitive Landscape (24:58)10-year Vision for Faherty (26:34) Links: Alex Faherty LinkedIn Faherty Brand LinkedIn Faherty Brand Website ICR LinkedIn ICR Twitter ICR Website   Feedback: If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, joe@lowerstreet.co.

    29 min
  3. JAN 14

    Brittany Kaiser, CEO, AlphaTON Capital — A Treasury and More: TON, Telegram and the Future of Privacy

    Everyone is clamouring to integrate AI into their businesses and personal lives, but our guest today is concerned that some AI companies aren't taking the necessary steps to protect personal data. Thankfully a privacy-centric option does exist, through Telegram, and today's company is helping to build it. Brittany Kaiser is the CEO of AlphaTON Capital (ATON), the world's leading technology public company scaling the Telegram super-app, with an addressable market of a billion plus monthly active users.   Brittany is a globally recognized expert at the intersection of digital assets, public policy, and the capital markets. She's spent her career guiding companies and governments through technological and legislative changes.  Brittany joins us today to walk us through her incredible career, demystify the Telegram ecosystem, and explain AlphaTON’s myriad strategies for value creation.    Highlights: Brittany's career (2:26)The Telegram Ecosystem (4:23)What is TON? (9:21)AlphaTON's Growth Strategy (13:44)A Treasury and More (19:38)Brittany's Approach to Risk Management (20:38)Evolution of Privacy Centric AI (23:40)The AlphaTON Management Team (27:56) Links: Brittany's LinkedIn AlphaTON LinkedIn AlphaTON Website ICR LinkedIn ICR Twitter ICR Website   Feedback: If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, joe@lowerstreet.co.

    32 min
  4. JAN 7

    Tim FitzGerald, CEO, The Middleby Corporation – One-Stop Shop: How one firm's platform services all of your kitchen needs

    Anyone working in the food service industry knows the importance of operating efficiently, providing a quality product, and always prioritizing customer experience. Today's company, with its impressive roster of brands, has solutions to help with all of that. Tim Fitzgerald is the CEO of the Middleby Corporation, which trades on NASDAQ under the symbol MIDD. Middleby is a worldwide manufacturer of solutions for the commercial kitchen, as well as residential, indoor, and outdoor appliances, and systems for industrial processing, packaging, and baking. Tim was named CEO in 2019. Before that, he served as Chief financial Officer, a position he held since 2003. Since joining Middleby over 25 years ago, Tim has been heavily involved in company-wide strategic decisions and has led acquisition and business development activities, which has led to their portfolio of roughly 120 brands. Today, Tim walks us through the impressive breadth of Middleby's offerings, their strategy for long-term value creation, and their ongoing commitment to innovation.   Highlights: Middleby's Evolution (2:15)Spinning off Food processing (6:02)Share Buybacks (10:09)The Middleby Advantage (12:12)Commitment to Innovation (14:01)Sustainability in Kitchens (16:52)Middleby's go-to-market strategy (19:04)Food Service Trends (21:29)Opportunities on the Horizon (23:39) Links: Tim FitzGerald LinkedIn Middleby LinkedIn Middleby Website ICR LinkedIn ICR Twitter ICR Website   Feedback: If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, joe@lowerstreet.co.

    27 min
  5. 12/17/2025

    Patrick Horsman, CIO, BNB Plus – Building a Better DAT: How one digital asset treasury is creating real value for investors

    For those who might be newer to the space, Digital Asset Treasuries, or 'DATs' for short, can be a good way to start investing in crypto. Not all of these treasuries do a great job of creating value for users, but today's company uses an innovative model that includes several different strategies for yield generation. Patrick Horsman is the Chief Investment Officer at BNB Plus, a digital asset treasury company that trades under the symbol BNBX. The company unlocks institutional-grade access to the Binance ecosystem through non-directional yield strategies and long BNB exposure.   Patrick has been the founder or co-founder of several hedge funds and businesses operating in the world of decentralized finance, including Coral Capital, Esoteric Strategies, and Innovation Shares. He's also the founder of Verified Organic, an Ethereum based blockchain application designed to bring transparency and accountability to the organic food production process from farm to table. Today, we get into BNB Plus' different yield generation strategies, what makes the Binance ecosystem unique, and the general state of the DAT market now that some of the initial euphoria seems to have waned. Highlights: Patrick's path into DeFi (2:15)The BNB Plus Mission (5:48)DeFi Explained (8:34)What makes Binance unique? (10:24)Patrick's BNB Optimism (14:35)BNB Plus' Yield Generation Strategies (16:14)The BNB Plus Team (22:11)Binance's potential impact in the US (24:48)The state of the DAT market (25:34)BNB Plus' approach to risk (29:15) Links: Patrick Horsman LinkedIn BNB Plus LinkedIn BNB Plus Website ICR LinkedIn ICR Twitter ICR Website Feedback: If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, joe@lowerstreet.co.

    32 min
  6. 12/10/2025

    Demond Martin, CEO and Co-Founder, WellWithAll – Inclusive Capitalism: Building a business that empowers communities

    In this country, health outcomes are too often dictated by your ZIP code, but one company is working very hard to fix those inequities. Demond Martin, is the CEO and co-founder of WellWithAll, a health and wellness company dedicated to advancing health equity for underserved communities. Operating under ‘inclusive capitalism’, WellWithAll reinvests 20% of its profits into health initiatives tailored to specific community needs, tackling health disparities, and ensuring a targeted approach to wellness. Before WellWithAll, Demond was a senior partner at Adage Capital Management, where he invested in the consumer sector for 21 years. Earlier in his career, he served in the Clinton administration, and he has served on numerous nonprofit boards, including the Berkeley College of Music, The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the Obama Foundation.   Today, we get into what WellWithAll does, how they're giving back to the community, and Demond's journey from a trailer in North Carolina to CEO of this incredible company. Highlights: Demond's background (2:21)Stories from the White House (3:50)Working at a hedge fund (5:58)Lessons about investing (8:32)The origins of WellWithAll (11:42)Health inequities (13:54)How WellWithAll has evolved (15:08)Getting in with large retailers (17:08)Sources of funding (18:57)The Obama Foundation (20:19)A career in politics? (21:00)Demond's mentors (22:14)27th ICR Conference (24:04)) Links: Demond Martin LinkedIn WellWithAll LinkedIn WellWithAll Website ICR LinkedIn ICR Twitter ICR Website Feedback: If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, joe@lowerstreet.co.

    26 min
5
out of 5
83 Ratings

About

In the increasingly crowded and competitive corporate and financial ecosystem, it’s harder than ever for companies to break through the clutter and be heard. The media, investors, agenda-driven influencers, even customers and competitors, are defining your business story on their terms. Therefore, it is imperative that companies take control and proactively drive the conversation with stakeholders in an effort to build & maintain equity value. In Welcome to the Arena from ICR, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman of ICR, Tom Ryan, interviews key business and financial players who influence the fate of public or aspiring public companies in the capital markets. As a former Wall Street Journal ranked sell-side equity analyst and the founder of one of the largest strategic communications firms in the world, Tom understands what it takes to navigate this complex environment. This is a forum for CEOs, CFOs, institutional investors, sell-side analysts, financial journalists, private equity professionals and other financial community participants to share their stories and give advice in an open and candid conversation. For more information, visit http://www.icrinc.com

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