China expert and author Peter Navarro is set to give the keynote address at the 2008 Chief Housewares Executives SuperSession (CHESS), a conference for senior-level housewares executives set for September 9-10 in Chicago.  

CHESS is open to all chief executive officers of IHA member companies.

Navarro is a business professor at the University of California-Irvine, a regular CNBC contributor and author of the bestselling book, “The Coming China Wars.” His video series, “The China Effect” appears on YouTube.

In addition to Navarro’s talk, the CHESS agenda includes sessions on creating innovation through design, making sustainability a part of a company’s marketing strategy and the impact of consumer trends on future business initiatives. Breakout session topics include emerging markets for sourcing, dealing with retail bankruptcies and protecting intellectual property.

A retailer panel on how to be a top-tier supplier is set to close the CHESS program.