2026 Grocery Industry Icons and Innovators
At Groceryshop 2026, over 150 industry leaders will share their insights on the latest trends shaping the grocery and CPG industries. Take a look at our early confirmed speakers below.
Chris Rogers
CEO Instacart
Chris Rogers is the Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair of Instacart. He has more than 20 years of experience across consumer goods, technology, retail, and media, building scaled platforms through deep partnerships and operational execution. Before becoming CEO, Rogers served as Instacart’s Chief Business Officer, leading the company’s commercial operations, including retailer partnerships, advertising and data, enterprise solutions, partnerships, M&A, Instacart Business, and Instacart Health. Prior to Instacart, Rogers spent nearly 11 years at Apple, most recently as Managing Director of Apple Canada, and began his career at Procter & Gamble managing national grocery retail relationships. Rogers holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University
Jostein Solheim
CEO, Unilever Wellbeing Unilever
Jostein Solheim is the CEO of Wellbeing at Unilever, overseeing a portfolio of seven category-disrupting brands that include Nutrafol – the No.1 dermatologist-recommended hair growth supplement brand, and Liquid I.V. – the No.1 powdered hydration brand in the U.S. The brands deliver consistent growth, with the business unit delivering its 21st consecutive quarter of double-digit, volume-led growth.
Named to this role in June 2021, Jostein is building a collective of brands at the forefront of innovating and transforming the health and wellbeing industry, helping people live healthier lives across every stage of life.
Prior to leading Unilever Wellbeing, he served as head of Unilever’s North America Foods and Refreshments division and was CEO of Ben & Jerry’s. During his eight years as CEO of Ben & Jerry’s, he successfully expanded the iconic business across 38 countries while further increasing its social mission reach and impact.
Earlier in his career, Jostein spent 15 years in Unilever’s ice cream businesses across Europe, Eastern Europe, and North America. Prior to that he worked within Unilever’s Corporate Strategy department supporting the global foods business. Jostein graduated from the London School of Economics.
Yael Cosset
EVP & Chief Digital Officer Kroger
As Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer of The Kroger Co., Yael is responsible for leading Kroger’s digital strategy, focused on building Kroger’s presence in the marketplace in digital channels, personalization and e-commerce. He is also responsible for Kroger’s alternative profit businesses, including Kroger’s data analytics subsidiary, 84.51˚ LLC and Kroger Personal Finance.
Mr. Cosset was elected Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer in March 2025 and is responsible for leading Kroger’s digital strategy, focused on building Kroger’s presence in the marketplace in digital channels, personalization and e-commerce. He is also responsible for Kroger’s alternative profit businesses, including Kroger’s data analytics subsidiary, 84.51˚ LLC, and Kroger Personal Finance. From May 2019 to March 2025, Mr. Cosset served as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Prior to that, he served as Group Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, and also as Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Information Officer of 84.51° LLC. Prior to joining Kroger, Mr. Cosset served in several leadership roles at dunnhumby USA, LLC, including Executive Vice President of Consumer Markets and Global Chief Information Officer.
Loretta Franks
SVP, Global Chief Data & Analytics Officer Mars Snacking
Loretta Franks is Global Vice President, Chief Data & Analytics Officer, at MARS (formerly Kellanova / Kellogg Company).
She is passionate about unlocking the full value of data, partnering with functional leaders to develop bold and creative data strategies, enabling agile execution with leading capabilities and driving accelerated qualitative and quantitative value creation.
Loretta joined Kellogg Company in 2007. She is an authentic executive leader with a successful career working across a number of functions and regions at the $13bn global consumer goods company.
Leading large diverse high performing teams across IT, Finance and GBS functions, she and her teams have delivered multiple large scale global programs transforming operating and sourcing models, organizational designs, cloud migrations and large-scale change programs to drive maximum return on investments.
She focuses on harnessing the power of data, AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics whilst also driving change management and championing data and AI literacy across the enterprise.
An advocate for women in STEM, Loretta is a dedicated mentor, committed to developing talent, and fostering a positive culture. She is an active member of the Shoptalk Europe Advisory Board and has received several accolades in the Data space, featuring in CDO’s 40 Under 40 Data Leaders and DataIQ’s top 100.
She is a graduate of Economics from Newcastle University and is based, with her family, in Manchester, England.
Krystyna Kostka
Chief Supply Chain Officer BJ's Wholesale Club
Krystyna Kostka is the Chief Supply Chain Officer at BJ’s Wholesale Club, a major U.S. retailer with approximately $20 billion in annual revenue and 260+ club locations. Krystyna has responsibility for planning and allocation, distribution center operations, and transportation logistics. In addition, she leads BJ’s robotics and automation efforts across clubs and distribution centers. Krystyna holds an MBA from Babson College.
Andy Fang
Co-Founder, Head of LaunchPad DoorDash
Andy Fang is the co-founder of DoorDash, one of the world's leading local commerce platforms that helps businesses of all kinds grow and innovate, connects consumers to the best of their neighborhoods, and gives people fast, flexible ways to earn. Since its founding in 2013, DoorDash has expanded to more than 40 countries, using technology and logistics to shape the future of local commerce and broaden access to opportunity.
Andy’s focus is on creating breakthrough products and services that expand what is possible for merchants, consumers, and Dashers alike.
Andy co-founded DoorDash in 2013 while he was a student at Stanford, and later graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science.
Padma Hari
Chief Digital Officer Nestle Purina
Ganesh Rao
VP, Worldwide Grocery Partnerships & Amazon Fresh International Amazon
Ganesh is the VP for WW Grocery Partnerships & Amazon Fresh International responsible for driving the strategic growth of Amazon’s grocery offering globally. He has worked at Amazon for 18 years, holding a variety of leadership roles across the Retail business across Hardlines, Media, and Consumables. He began his grocery journey in 2015 as the US leader of Prime Now as it scaled from a single zip code in Manhattan to 30+ cities nationally. He holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BA in Computer Science and Art: Semiotics from Brown University.
Christine Foster
Group VP Kroger
Christine Foster leads Kroger Precision Marketing (KPM), the retail media, consumer insights and loyalty marketing business of Kroger. She is responsible for casting the long-term vision and overseeing the daily operations that fuel brand growth through partnerships with Kroger. As the leader of a retail data powerhouse, Christine is passionate about using precision audiences to build enduring emotional connections between brands and consumers.
Christine was honored as part of the 2025 class of Ad Age Leading Women in advertising. In 2024, she was recognized as a Retail Innovator Award winner by Retail Touchpoints, a Top Woman in Grocery: Senior-Level Executive by Progressive Grocer and Women of Excellence: Industry Impact by Path to Purchase.
Prior to 84.51°, Christine held multiple positions in digital marketing. Her career has spanned all sides of media. Christine currently serves on several industry advisory boards and holds a Bachelor of Science in telecommunications and broadcast journalism from Lee University.
Parbinder Dhariwal
VP, General Manager CVS Media Exchange
Parbinder is the Vice President / General Manager of CVS Media Exchange (CMX), CVS Health’s top-ranked retail media network. He oversees sales, strategic development, operations, marketing, business intelligence, product, and strategic operations.
Parbinder has spent his career building and transforming world-class teams in the digital advertising ecosystem, with growth and consumers at the core. Before joining CVS in 2022, he led and in-sourced the media business for Walmart Connect. Joining Walmart in 2019, he oversaw everything Beauty, Personal Care, and Health and Wellness, leading a multidisciplined team that helped grow Walmart Connect’s Supplier and Merchant partnerships across the category.
From 2018-2019, he worked with leading media industry CEOs, consulting to drive strategic change, digital growth, and change management. From 2016 until he left at the end of 2017, he was the VP of Global Accounts at Spotify, working across the business's largest Global advertisers to transform partnerships across the platform, building the discipline of dealmaking with critical partners across the streaming giant.
Between 2012 and 2015, he and his family resided in Barcelona, where he was the CRO, leading the global sales and operations for Softonic, a software download company. And previously to this, he worked on various businesses as VP and Director in London and New York for CBS Interactive.
Parbinder resides in Brooklyn, New York
Adam Houston
SVP, Event Director Groceryshop
Adam started at Shoptalk and Groceryshop in 2019 as a sales director, ultimately working with key accounts across both the North American and European portfolio. After five years, he followed his passion for innovation in food and agriculture to lead Groceryshop as its event director.
Lisa Selk
SVP, Brand Fuel Hormel Foods
As senior vice president of Brand Fuel, Lisa Selk directs key centers of excellence—innovation, consumer insights, brand equity, digital media services, and packaging design—ensuring the company stays closely connected to consumers and ahead of emerging market trends.
Hormel Foods is a global branded food company with over $12 billion in annual revenue. Its brands include PLANTERS®, SKIPPY®, SPAM®, HORMEL® NATURAL CHOICE®, APPLEGATE®, COLUMBUS®, WHOLLY® guacamole, HORMEL® BLACK LABEL® and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named one of the best companies to work for by U.S. News & World Report, one of America’s most responsible companies by Newsweek, recognized by TIME magazine as one of the World’s Best Companies and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts.
Selk began her career with Hormel Foods in 1998 as a food scientist in the research and development area and has since held brand management and innovation leadership roles in multiple divisions. She served as the marketing director over a portfolio of well-known Hormel Foods brands in the Grocery Products division before assuming leadership of CytoSport, Inc., in 2017. Selk was named director of Hormel Health Labs and Century Foods International following the sale of the Cytosport business to PepsiCo in 2019. She was promoted to vice president of marketing for meat products in 2020 and the vice president of Retail Marketing – Convenient Meals & Proteins in 2022. She assumed her current role in 2023.
A graduate of North Dakota State University, Selk received a bachelor’s degree in food science and a master’s degree in cereal science, followed by a master’s degree in business administration from the University of St. Thomas and has completed the Kellogg Executive Development Program at Northwestern University.
She volunteers her time in non-profits boards and community youth development programs.
Arthur Sylvestre
VP, Media & Digital Danone North America
Arthur is a dynamic marketeer animated by a real passion in advertising and digital. Being an experienced professional in brand management and digital media, Arthur is operating today as the VP of Media & Digital Strategy and Planning for Danone North America (Activia, OIKOS, Evian, International Delight).
Before joining Danone North America in New York, Arthur has worked for L’Oréal Canada, Danone Canada, and Rocket Internet in Germany.
Carla Buzasi
CEO WGSN
As CEO of WGSN, the world’s leading trend forecasting company, Carla leads a global team of specialists, delivering insight, data analysis and consultancy services, predicting the future for the world’s most successful brands. Since being acquired by Apax Partners in 2024, WGSN has expanded its offering into new industries and sectors, including the acquisition of global bev/alc data business IWSR. When not advising business leaders on future trends, she is also a commentator for TV and radio shows, a regular keynote speaker at events, including SXSW, Cannes Lions and Web Summit, and the podcast host of Lives of Tomorrow
Benoit Vatere
Chief Media Officer Liquid Death
Benoit Vatere is the chief media officer of Liquid Death, one of the fastest growing non-alcoholic beverage brands. Liquid Death uses comedy and entertainment to make health and sustainability 50 times more fun. It takes low-calorie beverages and packages them into infinitely recyclable cans that compete with the fun marketing of unhealthy brands across beer and junk food. Its product lines include mountain water, soda-flavored sparkling water, iced tea, and energy. A portion of Liquid Death’s proceeds helps kill plastic pollution.
Prior to Liquid Death, Benoit founded Mammoth Media, a digital-to-retail technology company where he built and executed strategic digital media campaigns with focus on incrementality for leading CPG brands such as Pepsi, Lemon Perfect, 7 Eleven, and Siete. Before Mammoth Media, Benoit served as the CEO of mobile gaming monetization platform Playhaven and co-founded conversion optimization company magnify360.
Benoit holds a master's degree in engineering and a marketing degree from Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Sciences Agronomiques de Bordeaux
Ben Miller
VP, Original Content & Strategy Groceryshop
Ben is vice president of original content across the global Shoptalk and Groceryshop portfolio. Original Content are proprietary insights produced exclusively for the Shoptalk and Groceryshop community. A regular at Shoptalk events for many years, he joined the team in the Fall of 2022.
Brian Bell
VP, Strategy & Planning Church & Dwight Co., Inc
Brian is vice president of IT strategy and planning at Church & Dwight. In this role, he leads global IT strategy, innovation, project and portfolio management, strategic partnerships, and enterprise data management capabilities. He has been with the manufacturer for over twelve years after starting his career in IT and digital consultancy.
Chris Walton
President & CEO Omni Talk
Chris is the co-CEO at Omni Talk, one of the fastest-growing media outlets covering retail. Chris is also a senior contributor for Forbes and a former vice president of innovation at Target.
Brian Monahan
SVP & General Manager Albertsons Media Collective
Rachel Tipograph
Founder & CEO MikMak
Cristina Marinucci
VP, Global Growth & Omni Commercial Insights Mondelēz International
Cristina Marinucci is a visionary leader in Global Insights & Analytics at Mondelēz International, where she currently serves as the Global Head of Shopper Excellence. Here she spearheads initiatives that transform shopper behavior and insights into actionable, unified omni strategies, driving significant revenue growth. Her work is central to positioning Mondelēz as a world-class Shopper organization, with a focus on elevating Shopper Insights within the Commercial organization.
In this role, Cristina leads the development of Global Category Growth Drivers, integrating market-level 6P activation inspiration, pioneering proprietary Pricing & Promotion tools that encompass the omni shopper journey as well as advancing best-in-class Shopper & Digital capabilities across the organization.
Prior to this role, Cristina led eCommerce Insights and Analytics for Johnson & Johnson North America, where she oversaw all aspects of NA eCommerce Analytics, including pure play, DTC, and omnichannel strategies.
Cristina has a proven track record in thought leadership, pioneering new capabilities, and driving organizational transformations in the shopper and digital domains. Her experience spans across some of the largest FMCG companies, including PepsiCo, Pernod Ricard, Reckitt Benckiser, M&M Mars, GlaxoSmithKline and Johnson & Johnson.
Cristina is recognized as an innovative and performance-driven commercial leader, with a strong ability to challenge paradigms and act as a catalyst for change. Her versatile expertise across Sales, Marketing, and Analytics allows her to forge meaningful connections between retailers, brands, and consumers, while creating holistic full-funnel strategies that drive superior performance.
As a frequent speaker at industry events such as CMA, GroceryShop, Shoptalk, and GDS, Cristina shares her insights on the future of shopper behavior and category growth. She holds a B.S. in Marketing and International Business from Manhattan College and an MBA from NYU Stern.
Jacob Tveraabak
Group CEO StrongPoint
Jacob Tveraabak is the CEO of StrongPoint, a grocery technology company focused on making grocery retailers more efficient and sustainable, which serves grocery retailers in over 20 countries.
Jacob previously led business development and digital strategy at REMA 1000, one of Northern Europe’s largest discount grocery chains. He has also been a board member of Oda, Scandinavia’s leading pure-play online grocer.
Earlier in his career, he spent over a decade at McKinsey, advising leading retailers on strategy and operational improvement. He also founded Nabobil, a peer-to-peer car sharing startup, which was later sold to global mobility provider Getaround.
Leigh O'Donnell
Head of Shopper & Category Insights Kantar
Leigh O’Donnell leads the Shopper and Category Insights practice for Kantar North America. Leigh is a pioneer in shopper and consumer research, creating rich data- and story-driven solutions to guide action for clients. At Kantar, Leigh provides research and thought leadership to multinational brands, retailer, and agency clients, including Kantar’s long-running shopping attitudes tracker, ShopperScape®. Leigh is focused on driving insights and consulting across many of the critical questions in commerce today: evolution of shopping behavior, category disruption at retail, and the massive impact GLP-1 usage has on brands and retailers.
Prior to Kantar, Leigh held insights and analytics leadership roles at top consumer brands, including Mars Petcare, Mars Wrigley, Kirkland’s Home and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Leigh has studied at both Lawrence University and University of Chicago. She and her family live in Nashville.
Deborah Weinswig
Founder & CEO Coresight Research
Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder of Coresight Research Inc., leads the Coresight Research team to provide actionable insights and solutions for retailers and brands that accelerate innovation and growth in the fast-changing retail and technology landscape.
Deborah has been a trusted thought leader at the crossroads of technology, finance, and retail for nearly two decades. As a leading analyst and strategist, Deborah also has deep expertise in AI, Metaverse, China, livestreaming, retail media, supply chain, commercial real estate, and data monetization. In 2023, Deborah conceptualized and launched the first AI Council for the retail industry. This invitation-only organization has proven invaluable in helping brands, retailers, and technology companies navigate business in the artificial intelligence age. A member of the prestigious LinkedIn Top Voices program, Deborah is recognized as one of the top retail influencers in the world and has received multiple awards and honors for her industry leadership and impact. Deborah is passionate about fostering conversation and collaboration among the retail and technology community and supporting social and environmental causes through her research and advocacy.
Deborah has been invited to share her insights and Coresight Research data at over 200 events across the world including the Consumer Electronics Show, ShopTalk, World Retail Congress, NRF, ICSC, Money 20/20, Retail Innovation Conference & Expo, Future Stores Summit, NACDS, Total Retail Tech, Groceryshop, Women in Retail, NACS and more. Across the globe, media outlets frequently request Deborah as a guest to provide a pulse on current industry trends and retail industry newsmakers. She has been featured on CNBC, Bloomberg, in Barron’s, The Street, NASDAQ, Fast Company, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, CNN, Marketwatch, Yahoo Finance, and more.
Before establishing Coresight in 2014, Deborah was the Managing Director of Fung Global Retail and Technology, the Group's first internal think tank and research department. Before that, she was the Managing Director of Cit1 Research's Global Staples: Consumer Discretionary team.
Deborah serves on the advisory board of the World Retail Congress, as well as several accelerators, and on the board of directors for Primaris Canada, GUESS?, Inc., Xcel Brands, Inc., KIABI, American Apparel & Footwear Association, YPO, Goodwill Industries New York/New Jersey, and Street Soccer USA. Additionally, she is a Board Member and Co-Founder of RetailersUnited, a 501(c)(3) established to aid small brands and retailers in pandemic recovery.
Deborah is a Certified Public Accountant and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Deepak Jose
VP & Head of Data & Decision Intelligence Niagara Bottling
Deepak Jose is a purpose-led executive leader in digital transformation, data, analytics and AI with a proven track record of driving profitable growth leading a diverse, global end to end analytics team. He is currently the VP and Head of Data & Decision Intelligence at Niagara. Deepak is also a co-founder and executive director and board member of FuturED Ai, a non-profit focusing on Ai Education. He is an in-demand speaker, and analytics thought leader in the Data, Analytics and AI focusing on CPG, Retail and Manufacturing Industry. He is a member of the Forbes Tech Council, AWS Retail & CPG Executive Advisory Forum, Industry standards associations, Editorial Board for CDO magazine, and Advisor for startups and AI/ Analytics service companies.
Deepak has experience across all major global markets in multiple categories such as beverage, confectionary, gum, food, and Health & Wellness. Before Niagara, Deepak was part of global brands like Coca-Cola, Mars and ABB in strategic roles driving business growth. At Mars, as the global Head of One Demand Data and Analytics Solutions, he started the Mars AI lab driving multiple proprietary patented solutions. Deepak has an MBA from George Washington University and a Mechanical engineer from NIT Calicut, India. He completed an executive education program from Oxford University Said School of Business in Economics of Mutuality.
Deepak was awarded the Consumer Good Visionaries by CGT and RIS news, Data IQ 100 2023, 24 &25 – the 100 most influential person in Data and AI, Top 100 leaders in Data by CDO Magazine, Top 100 Innovators in Data & Analytics in by Corinium Intelligence, AI 100 - Top 100 Influencers in AI in the US by AIM Media House, Direct 60 Award for Brand Leaders at the Forefront of the Direct-to-Consumer by The Lead and. Deepak’s team is recognized by Data IQ as Best Place to work in Data and AI in 24’. He is a Distinguished Toastmaster, and he is from Kerala, India
Ben Lewis
Co-Founder & CEO Little Spoon
Ben Lewis is an entrepreneur, operator, and angel investor with deep expertise at the intersection of consumer brands, food innovation, supply chain, and technology. Over the past decade, Ben has developed a comprehensive understanding of launching, capitalizing, scaling, and operating modern consumer brands.
Currently, Ben is CEO and Co-Founder of Little Spoon, the #1 online baby and kids food brand, recognized as one of the largest and fastest-growing direct-to-consumer food companies in the U.S. On a mission to make parents' lives easier and kids healthier, Little Spoon feeds nearly 3% of American babies and has delivered more than 100 million meals nationwide
Under Ben's leadership, the company has cultivated a highly engaged and loyal customer community, while setting new standards for quality, transparency, and innovation. His work has helped raise the bar across the industry, pushing forward a more modern, values-driven model for how brands serve families.
A founder-operator at heart, Ben previously founded and scaled several ventures, including a CPG yogurt brand and a national food and beverage distribution company with a nimble, just-in-time perishable supply chain. Along the way, Ben spotted early trends and helped cultivate new categories such as cold pressed juice and cold brew coffee – helping to pioneer them from niche, emerging concepts to everyday staples.
As an active angel investor and startup advisor, Ben has invested in more than 30 disruptive, high-growth companies across a variety of consumer sectors. He also partners with investment funds to scout, vet and advise companies for their portfolios. For his own companies, Ben has raised nearly $100 million of venture capital and growth equity.
Ben has been honored as a EY Entrepreneur of the Year nominee, a recognition of his impact and leadership in shaping the future of consumer brands. Equally important to him is building strong company cultures – he takes pride in leading teams known for their high retention, deep engagement, and lasting impact.
Ben thrives on innovation, thoughtful design, healthy living, food, and finding simple solutions to complex challenges. Originally from Pittsburgh, Ben splits his time between New York City and Miami.
Flavia Takey
Head of Supermarket, LATAM Mercado Libre
Flavia Takey is Mercado Libre's Head of Supermarket for Latam. She has been workinng at Mercado Libre since 2021. Flavia, in partnership with Meli's Marketplace, Product/IT and Operations, has been leading the turnaround of the Supermarket business to revamp its value proposition, regain profitability and grow sustainably. Prior to Meli, Flavia has worked for 15 years at Boston Consulting Group in Brazil, where she was leader of the Retail practice, with focus on Grocery and CPG. MercadoLibre hosts the largest online commerce and payments ecosystem in Latin America, enabling e-commerce and digital and mobile payments on behalf of its customers by delivering a suite of technology solutions across the complete value chain of commerce. It is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and present in 18 countries across Latam, including: Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, Venezuela and Peru.
Karen Fang Grant
Managing Director - Global Research Lead Accenture
Karen is an Innovation, Thought Leadership Managing Director, and Global Industry Research lead at Accenture. Her team of 100+ experts explores consumer trends and market and technology disruptions, and shapes perspectives on the future of industries. Ongoing collaborations include work with the World Economic Forum and global consumer goods and retail leaders.
Gaurav Pant
Co-Founder & Chief Insights Officer Incisiv
Gaurav Pant, Co-Founder & Chief Insights Officer at Incisiv, is a leading digital transformation expert primarily focused on the consumer industries of retail, consumer products, lodging and restaurants. He is a frequent speaker and various global industry conferences and events.
Gaurav’s prior experience includes founding EKN Research and driving transformation programs at large global retailers during his time leading Retail & Consumer Goods products and services for Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Gaurav is based in New York and is an active advisor and investor in early-stage consumer industry start-ups. He is a fan of FC Barcelona.
Gregor Murray
Co-Founder & Chief So-What Officer Digital Commerce Global
Gregor Murray is Co-founder and Chief “So What” Officer at Digital Commerce Global, where he helps the world’s leading CPG manufacturers turn digital commerce ambition into measurable growth.
Gregor has spent his entire career in CPG, working across manufacturers, retailers, and agencies, giving him a rare, end-to-end view of how digital commerce actually works in practice. For more than half of that time, he has specialised in digital commerce, leading customer accounts, building strategies, and now advising global organisations on how to develop the capabilities required to scale profitable, sustainable growth.
At DCG, Gregor works with some of the industry’s largest manufacturers to benchmark their performance against peers, identify capability gaps, and prioritise the actions that drive real commercial impact. His work focuses on cutting through noise, helping leadership teams move from opinion to evidence, and from activity to outcomes.
Known for his direct, practical style, Gregor is a regular speaker at industry events, where he challenges conventional thinking and brings clarity to the biggest questions in digital commerce today.
Joe Laszlo
Global Head of Insights Groceryshop
Joe is Global Head of Insights at Shoptalk. He has overall responsibility for the content direction and themes across all of Shoptalk's growing portfolio of shows, contributes to original content, and builds and maintains shoptalk's reputation as an expert source on the future of retail and consumer brands.
Jordan Berke
Founder & CEO Tomorrow
Jordan Berke, Founder and CEO of TOMORROW, is one the world’s pre-eminent digital retail advisors. Renowned for his transformative omnichannel leadership, Jordan spearheaded Sam's Club and Walmart’s e-commerce endeavors in China, pioneering Walmart’s innovative alliances with JD and Tencent. His vision led Walmart's eCommerce business in China to reach the highest level of growth and penetration among Walmart's 20+ countries.
Recognized with Walmart’s esteemed Sam Walton Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2018, Jordan also served as Chairman of the company’s Global Omnichannel Forum, shaping Walmart’s digital priorities worldwide.
At TOMORROW, Jordan and his team advise global retailers on accelerating digital growth and profitability. His insights are sought after by industry leaders and regularly featured in the Wall Street Journal and on CNBC, NPR, and Bloomberg
Kelly Lindenau
Content Director Groceryshop
Kelly serves as the Content Director of Groceryshop, where she’s responsible for recruiting speakers and helping develop the agenda themes, topics and sessions for the annual in-person event. She brings seven years of media experience, previously serving in editorial roles to shape narratives across marketing technology and the pet industry.
Lauren Livak Gilbert
Executive Director The Digital Shelf Institute
Lauren Livak Gilbert is Executive Director of the Digital Shelf Institute (DSI) and co-host of the Unpacking the Digital Shelf podcast. With over 10+ years of experience in digital commerce and design, Lauren is a sought-after commerce strategist for hundreds of global omnichannel brands. While at Johnson & Johnson, Lauren launched a new, successful digital strategy for its Consumer North America business. At Salsify she worked with more than 100 global brands to develop a comprehensive commerce strategy, including staffing, technology investments, and performance-based processes. And at the DSI she connects with brands, retailers, tech partners and agencies to help advance the industry with her research and content.
Mario Mijares
VP of Insights, Loyalty, Marketing and Monetization Platforms 7-Eleven
Matthew Goynes
Co-Founder & Co-CEO Grocery Dealz
Matt Goynes is a seasoned marketing and technology executive with a proven track record of driving growth, innovation, and digital transformation across the retail and consumer sectors. With more than two decades of experience in mobile marketing, e-commerce, and customer engagement, Goynes has built a reputation as both an industry pioneer and strategic leader.
Prior to joining Grocery Dealz, Goynes held leadership roles at tech startups Pixability, InMar, and InMarket, where he spearheaded initiatives that delivered measurable growth, expanded customer acquisition channels, and leveraged emerging technologies to reshape the consumer experience. Known for his ability to blend visionary strategy with hands-on execution, he has been recognized as a thought leader in mobile commerce and omni-channel marketing.
At Grocery Dealz, Goynes plays a key role in shaping the company's growth strategy and innovation roadmap, helping position the brand at the forefront of the evolving retail media landscape. His expertise in mobile engagement, data-driven marketing, and consumer insights will be instrumental in driving long-term value creation for the company, its partners, and its investors.
Mark Williamson
AVP Retail Media Costco Wholesale
Mark Williamson is AVP of Retail Media at Costco Wholesale, where he leads the strategic expansion of the retailer’s advertising ecosystem. A veteran of the commerce media industry, Mark brings a wealth of experience, having successfully built and scaled retail media programs at Sam’s Club, Ahold Delhaize USA, and Epsilon/CitrusAd before joining Costco in 2023.
At Costco, Mark and team are architecting a retail media platform fundamentally designed "the Costco way." Under his leadership, the network prioritizes member trust, merchant alignment, and long-term value over short-term ad monetization. Mark is highly focused on leveraging omnichannel data to bridge the gap between digital discovery and physical warehouse sales, delivering a transparent, closed-loop platform that drives provable outcomes for brand partners and optimizes experiences for members
Mert Damlapinar
Founder ecommert
Mert Damlapinar is top voice on LinkedIn a multi-award-winning eCommerce executive with over 18 years hands-on global experience. He held director and VP roles in eCommerce, digital marketing, and sales at companies like Sabra/PepsiCo, Mondelez and L’Oreal. He talks to digital leaders of global CPGs all around the world and shares his research and insights with eCommert.
He holds a master’s degree in applied business analytics from Boston University, executive management degrees in integrated digital marketing from Cornell University, and applied data science and digital transformation degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He published his second book, Agile Analytics for Startups, in October 2022, and he's currently working on his 3rd book.
Neil Stern
CEO Good Food Holdings
Neil Z. Stern is the Chief Executive Officer of Good Food Holdings, which operates premium and natural & organic supermarkets spanning from Seattle to San Diego under five grocery banners: Bristol Farms, Lazy Acres Natural Market, Metropolitan Market, New Seasons Market, and New Leaf Community Markets.
Prior to joining Good Food Holdings, Neil was a senior partner at McMillanDoolittle specializing in the area of strategic planning and the development of new retail concepts. During his 35+ year career, Neil has developed strategies and new concepts for a diverse variety of world class clients across the retail industry.
Neil serves on the Board of Directors at Shafer Vineyards, Northeast Grocers, Imperial Distributors and Vroom Delivery. Neil is the author of two books, Winning At Retail and Greentailing and Other Revolutions in Retailing.
Neil Saunders
Managing Director GlobalData
Neil is Managing Director of GlobalData’s retail division – a practice that was born out of the retail analyst firm Conlumino he founded in 2011, which was subsequently acquired by GlobalData. In his role he oversees the development of the company’s proposition and its research output. He also works with major retail clients worldwide to help them understand the retail, shopper, and market landscapes – advising them on how best to develop, evolve and implement business strategies. Prior to his current role, Neil worked for the John Lewis Partnership where he was involved, among other things, in the planning and relocation of new stores, the development of the ecommerce business, and the creation of technical and information systems. Neil lives in Scottsdale, Arizona and in Maui, Hawai’i.
Peter Strong
Partner The Partnering Group
Peter Strong is a Partner at The Partnering Group, where he specializes in helping retailers, consumer products companies, and technology companies accelerate growth through digital commerce, strategic transformation, and capability building.
Peter brings deep expertise at the intersection of eCommerce, digital strategy, and organizational change, advising clients on how to modernize commercial models, unlock online growth, and build the internal capabilities required to sustain performance. His work focuses on translating strategy into execution—aligning teams, processes, and technology to deliver measurable business impact.
He partners closely with senior leaders to:
• Define and activate eCommerce and omnichannel growth strategies
• Design digital-first operating models that integrate sales, marketing, and supply chain
• Lead enterprise transformation initiatives, including change management and capability development
• Strengthen retailer–supplier collaboration in an increasingly digital ecosystem
Prior to joining TPG, Peter held leadership roles across both retail and CPG, including leading digital commerce at Mars Wrigley and omnichannel initiatives at Meijer. This dual perspective enables him to bring a pragmatic, partnership-oriented approach to solving complex commercial challenges.
Peter is also an active thought partner in the industry, contributing to the advancement of digital commerce capabilities and next-generation retail strategies.
Rachel Dalton
Head of Retail Insights, North America Kantar
Rocquan Lucas
VP, Content Groceryshop
Rocquan is Groceryshop's vice president of content. He oversees the agenda development and speaker recruitment for the Groceryshop event. He also plays a key role in programming for Shoptalk.
Sabrina McPherson
SVP Publicis Sapient
Sabrina McPherson is a Senior Vice President at Publicis Sapient, where she co-founded the management consulting practice. Sabrina is a recognized leader in AI-powered business transformation, regularly partnering with leading retailers and consumer product organizations to design agentic solutions that deliver measurable shareholder value and groundbreaking enterprise growth. Her expertise fuses business strategy, consumer experience, and technology/data to drive pioneering change—from next-generation e-commerce and digital loyalty to core operating model reinvention. As a trusted strategic advisor, Sabrina has guided Fortune 500 CPG and retail clients through digital-first business model innovation, cultural transformation, and large-scale AI adoption, resulting in agile, customer-centric organizations equipped for the future of commerce. Her work is distinguished by a relentless focus on enabling clients to move beyond incremental digital adoption, unlocking true business agility and market differentiation.
Sarah Marzano
Principal Analyst, Retail & Commerce Media EMARKETER
Sarah is a principal analyst covering retail and commerce media at EMARKETER. Her coverage areas also include retail and ecommerce, seasonal and holiday shopping, and the impact of consumer facing technology on the retail landscape.
Sebastian Bak
Managing Director & Partner BCG
Sebastian is a managing director and partner at BCG, where he leads global work in AI and advanced analytics. He has supported more than 100 client projects, driving enterprise-wide transformation in pricing, marketing, and supply chain. He is also a leader in generative AI.
Stewart Samuel
Director of Retail Futures IGD
Stewart is a recognised thought leader in the retail industry, with a deep understanding of retailer strategies, format evolution, and emerging technologies. He leads IGD’s Retail Futures team, exploring the trends and innovations shaping the future of global retail.
As part of IGD Consulting, Stewart partners with international business leaders on strategic projects to drive growth and profitability. His expertise is widely sought after, leading to frequent speaking engagements and regular commentary in the media on key industry developments.
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