Advisory Council

Our Advisory Council is comprised of senior retail executives, industry thought leaders and academics with decades worth of knowledge and insight spanning consumer marketing, connected commerce and more. Our advisory council helps curate thought leadership across our mediums such as podcasts, periodicals and digital media.

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Ricardo Belmar
Sr Partner Marketing Advisor for Retail & CPG at Microsoft, Retail Tech Advisor & Marketing Strategist at Retail Razor

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Ricardo helps retail organizations deliver omnichannel customer experiences and drive digital revenue through digital transformation. As a trusted advisor, Ricardo works with emerging retail tech organizations to develop go-to-market strategies, leveraging his 20+ years of industry experience leading marketing & product teams, and media and analyst relationships. A Top 10 influencer at the NRF’s annual event, he is a featured member of RetailWire’s BrainTrust panel and a former ICX Association director. He was named Social Media Mayor by RIS News at multiple retail conferences and is a contributing blogger for Retail Customer Experience.

DeAnn Campbell
Chief Strategy Officer at Hoobil8

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DeAnn Campbell is an accomplished strategist with over 20 years of experience forecasting the future of retail, uncovering consumer and business truths and developing successful change strategies. What began with a degree in Architecture has evolved into leading strategy and insights initiatives and designing activations that help top global retailers significantly improve profit margin and customer experience. Her experience spans a wide range of retail sectors, including Samsung, Boar’s Head, Aramark, Unilever, Academy Sports, Sally Beauty, Macy’s, Medtronic, Butterball Farms, NCB/Universal and Cirque du Soleil. DeAnn is a recognized retail media writer and public speaker and serves on the advisory board of a global retail tech company and several non-profits.

Tony D’Onofrio
CEO, TD Insights

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Michael LeBlanc
Founder, Strategic Advisor, Keynote Speaker, Podcaster at “The Voice of Retail”

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Michael is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. He has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions with C-level executives and participated on thought leadership panels worldwide.
Michael is also the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts, including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus the Remarkable Retail podcast with best-selling author Steve Dennis, Global E-Commerce Tech Talks and The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Canada’s foremost expert on the food industry, all available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon and all major podcast platforms.

Jason McNary
Board Member and Advisor, NED, Investor

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As a fashion and business executive with over 25 years of organizational experience, Jason McNary has consistently leveraged his analytical, entrepreneurial, and strategic acumen to increase the profits and decrease the losses of global, multimillion-dollar luxury brands.
Jason has served as President of Brandon Blackwood NYC and Chief Executive Officer/Management Board Member of the North and South American markets of UNOde50.
Jason has also served as the President of the self-named brand of French fashion designer Agnès B. and held executive positions with Hoss Intropia, B.C.B.G. Max Azria, and Abercrombie and Fitch. Jason also serves on the Diversity and Inclusion Board with Spring Place, is an Advisor with RETHINK Retail and member to the Board of Directors with Faherty.

Paula Rosenblum
Co-founder & Managing Partner, Retail Systems Research

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Paula Rosenblum is widely recognized as a leading retail technology analyst and has been selected as one of the “Top 50 Retail Technology Influencers” since 2014. She writes a blog for Forbes and is frequently quoted in major media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, LA Times and NPR Marketplace. She serves on the advisory board of three consumer goods import companies. She spent 20+ years as a retail technology executive and CIO at companies such as iParty, Hit or Miss, Morse Shoe, Domain Home Fashions and more.

Christine Russo
Retail Consultant and Founder of the Retail Creative and Consulting Agency

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Christine Russo is an industry thought leader and founder of a content-led website of tech-founder interviews for small, medium, and enterprise retailers to discover and assess technology and providers to meet their challenges.
As the former CSO of the Robin Report, Christine has experience creating compelling content, engaging in strategic partnerships, and collaborating across the industry.
Michael is also the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts, including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus the Remarkable Retail podcast with best-selling author Steve Dennis, Global E-Commerce Tech Talks and The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Canada’s foremost expert on the food industry, all available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon and all major podcast platforms.

Ian Scott
Owner of Ian Scott Retail Consulting

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Ian Scott is an independent retail consultant, with over 20 years experience within the retail display sector. His work has included design and implementation of retail stores and displays, store research and behavioral psychology, and global innovation and trends.
He advises clients on retail strategy, as well as providing insights on
global retail trends and innovations. He travels extensively, visiting stores to capture best practices and new innovations within the retail landscape.
Ian has also worked with brands that include LEGO, Coca Cola, Dyson, P&G, The Body Shop, Estee Lauder and GSK.
Jason currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer and a Management Board Member of the North and South American markets of UNode50.
Jason has also served as the President of the self-named brand of French fashion designer Agnès B. and held executive positions with Hoss Intropia, B.C.B.G. Max Azria, and Abercrombie and Fitch. Jason also serves on the Diversity and Inclusion Board with Spring Place, is an Advisor with RETHINK Retail and a new member to the Board of Directors with Faherty.

Andrew Smith
Co-founder at ThinkUncommon, Author, Speaker, Strategist

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Andrew Smith is a passionate retail transformation leader who focused on the future of retail and customer experience.
He is a regular contributor across many retail publications and podcasts, host of several online retail trends discussions and a commentator to retail publications across the globe. He is the co-founder of ThinkUncommon, a global retail innovation advisory and action firm that helps retailers innovate.
He has worked with startups, retail technology partners, and retailers alike to increase their speed and success of change.
He is the co-author of the book “Retail Innovation Reframed”, an action-focused guide on how to transform operations and use change to thrive. He is also the co-founder and CEO of shopsproutly.com – a sustainable retail marketplace and support community to help grow a greener retail by supporting sustainable retail brands.

Veronika Sonsev
Partner at Chameleon Collective & Co-founder at CommerceNext

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Veronika Sonsev is a leading retail industry consultant, contributor, speaker and successful entrepreneur. She currently heads the retail practice for Chameleon Collective and is a co-founder of the CommerceNext summit. Her entrepreneurial success, combined with her digital knowledge and advocacy for women in business, has earned Sonsev a spot on Fast Company’s League of Extraordinary Women and TechWeek’s Top 100 digital leaders in New York.

Carol Spieckerman
President & CEO, Spieckerman Retail

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Sanford Stein
Founder and moderator of RETAIL SPEAK, Forbes Contributor

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Gautham Vadakkepatt
Assistant Professor of Marketing at George Mason University

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Gautham Vadakkepatt is an award-winning researcher, educator, and founding director of George Mason University’s Center for Retail Transformation. His research focuses on managerially and societally relevant issues in the domains of social media, technology, innovation and non-product market strategies (e.g., sustainability, government-business relationships, corporate activism), with a specific interest in the retail sector. His research has been published in leading marketing journals. His research is a recipient of the 2015 MSI/H. Paul Root Award and was a finalist for the 2020 Sheth Foundation/Journal of Marketing Award for long-term contributions to the field of marketing. He serves on the editorial review board of the Journal of Business Research (Retail) and the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing. Prior to starting his academic career, Gautham worked at General Electric. He has also consulted with several companies on their go-to-market, marketing, digital and/or data strategies.

Venkatesh Shankar
Coleman Chair Professor of Marketing and Director of Research at the Center for Retailing Studies, Mays Business School at Texas A&M University

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Venkatesh (Venky) Shankar is a Coleman Chair Professor of Marketing and Director of Research at the Center for Retailing Studies, Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. His expertise covers retailing, artificial intelligence, and digital business. His recognitions include World’s Most Influential Scientific Mind, Top 1% of Marketing Scientists, and Top 10 Innovation Scholar.
He is a winner of Lifetime Retailing Achievement Award, AMS Outstanding Educator Award , Mentoring Award, and Mahajan Award for his lifetime contributions. He is Co-Editor of Handbook of Marketing Strategy and author of Shopper Marketing. He serves on CMO council and is a three-time winner of Krowe outstanding teaching award. He has been a visiting faculty at Stanford University, MIT, INSEAD, Singapore Management University, SDA Bocconi, Chinese European International Business School, and Indian School of Business. Venky has a Ph.D. in marketing from Kellogg School, Northwestern University. He has worked with many companies, including Deloitte, Ahold, IBM, and Microsoft.

James Tenser
President, VSN Media, LLC, dba VSN Strategies

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B2B Expert Storyteller Jamie Tenser has spent a lifetime explaining how consumer goods are made, marketed, moved and merchandised. Part business journalist, part media ecologist, all retail nerd, he has relentless fascination with the world’s most pervasive industry. As a lead editor at The Discount Merchandiser, VisionMonday, Supermarket News, BrandMarketing and VStoreNews, he broke stories and unpacked innovations that defined food, drug, mass, specialty and e-
commerce. In his consulting practice, VSN Strategies, and as a long-standing member of the RetailWire BrainTrust, he continues to offer his uniquely informed perspective on all things retail.

Join Our Advisory Council

Want to help shape the future of RETHINK Retail and increase your thought leadership presence?

Submit your profile for review below. Eligible advisor profiles include:

Senior retail executive
Academic or analyst with a focus on retail
Industry thought leader or influencer

Please note the RETHINK Retail Advisory Council is updated once a year. Submissions are accepted year-round and must be submitted December 31st to be considered for the following calendar year.

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