2025 Grocery Industry Icons & Innovators

Lori Schafer is an award-winning software executive, entrepreneur, and recognized authority in AI, analytics, digital commerce, and merchandising, with over 30 years of experience transforming the retail and CPG industries. As CEO and Co-Founder of Digital Wave Technology, she leads the company behind the ONE℠ Platform, an enterprise Master Data Management (MDM) platform with AI, Generative AI, and Agentic AI natively built in. ONE enables rapid development of enterprise-grade solutions that drive intelligent execution, automation, and insight across the business. It also includes a built-in Data Science Studio for advanced analytics and model development.

 

Lori brings a deep understanding of the grocery industry, having spent the first 20 years of her career focused on it, first at Procter & Gamble in IT and brand management, and later as Chairman and CEO of Marketmax, where she worked with many of the world’s leading grocers on category management, space planning, and merchandising transformation.

 

A pioneer in applying Agentic AI to real-world business operations, Lori helps global brands and retailers unlock end-to-end automation, decision intelligence, and cross-functional collaboration. Her leadership spans both high-growth startups and global enterprise organizations. Prior to founding Digital Wave Technology, she served as SVP at SAS Institute, leading the Global Retail and Consumer Brands Division.

 

She co-authored the business bestseller Branded! and has served on the boards of several public and private companies, including the National Retail Federation. Lori holds a BS in Operations Research and Mathematics from Miami University, graduating summa cum laude.

 

Recent honors include:
• 2025 Consumer Goods Technology Data Leadership Award
• 2024 & 2025 Rethink Retail Top Retail Expert
• 2024 Women of Excellence, Path to Purchase Institute
• 2024 MMR Most Influential Women in Mass Market Retail
• Member of the Forbes Technology Council