Technology

Oliver Guy is the global industry director, retail at Software AG, specializing in retail digital transformation and omnichannel technology strategy.

Oliver advises retailers across the globe on their technology strategy and decisions. With more than 20 years focused in technology, Oliver has worked with major names in global retail helping them improve their business through the use of innovative technology. Prior to joining Software AG, Oliver was part of the European Management team at Oracle Retail, his team being responsible for Retail focused Solution Consulting across Europe. Oliver started his career in technology implementing Supply Chain Planning and Optimisation solutions for customers across multiple industries in both Europe and Asia Pacific with Manugistics (JDA).

Jim Gilbert has had a storied career in direct and digital marketing resulting in a burning desire to tell stories that educate, inform, and inspire marketers to new heights of success. 

After years of marketing consulting, Jim decided it was time to “put his money where his mouth was" and build his own e-commerce company, Premo Natural Products, with its flagship product, Premo Guard Bed Bug & Mite Sprays. Premo in its second year is poised to eclipse 100 percent growth. 

Jim has been writing for Target Marketing Group since 2006, first on the pages of Catalog Success Magazine, then as the first blogger for its online division. Jim continues to write for Total Retail.

Along the way, Jim has led the Florida Direct Marketing Association as their Marketing Chair and then three-term President, been an Adjunct Professor of Direct and Digital marketing for Miami International University, and created a lecture series, “The 9 Immutable Laws of Social Media Marketing,” which he has presented across the country at conferences and universities.

Tim Ash is the author of the bestselling book Landing Page Optimization, and CEO of SiteTuners. A computer scientist and cognitive scientist by education (his PhD studies were in Neural Networks and Artificial Intelligence), Tim has developed an expertise in user-centered design, persuasion and understanding online behavior, and landing page testing. In the mid-1990s he became one of the early pioneers in the discipline of website conversion rate optimization. Over the past 15 years, Tim has helped a number of major US and international brands to develop successful web-based initiatives. Companies like Google, Expedia, Kodak, eHarmony, Facebook, American Express, Canon, Nestle, Symantec, Intuit, AutoDesk and many others have benefitted from Tim's deep understanding and innovative perspective.
Connect with Tim on Google+

Alberto Jimenez is the director of order management and mobile payments, Watson Commerce. Currently, Mr. Jimenez is the retail payments leader for Watson Commerce. He is responsible for IBM’s global product strategy and execution. 

Sarah Engel serves as the chief marketing officer and chief people officer for the digital leadership company, January Digital, a company reimagining how brands and retailers rapidly grow and adapt to evolving consumer shifts and changing market conditions. The strategic consultancy and full funnel digital agency identifies and solves the most difficult marketing challenges with connected data, technology, digital strategy and award-winning media execution.  With more than 20 years of marketing, communications and human resource management experience, Engel came to January Digital from fashion brand Lilly Pulitzer, where she served as the vice president of marketing and creative communications. She has held executive roles at consumer brands, media agency and retail technology companies, and serves on the advisory board of Shoptalk and advisory committee for NRF Next.

Sarah Clark is the president of Mitchell, an award-winning public relations firm that creates real conversations between people, businesses, and brands through strategic insights, customized conversations, and consumer engagement. The agency is headquartered in Fayetteville, Ark., with offices in Chicago and New York City.

Mitchell is part of Dentsu Aegis Network, which is made up of nine global network brands and supported by its specialist/multimarket brands. Dentsu Aegis Network is Innovating the Way Brands Are Built for its clients through its best-in-class expertise and capabilities in media, digital, and creative communications services. Offering a distinctive and innovative range of products and services, Dentsu Aegis Network is headquartered in London and operates in 145 countries worldwide with over 30,000 dedicated specialists.

Clark is one of the top strategic communications professionals in the country, with more than 25 years of experience in corporate communications and an exceptional track record in protecting corporate reputations and redefining perceptions in key areas of business.

Aaron McLean is the COO of Stuzo, a leading digital product innovation company, offering connected commerce technology solutions and product strategy, design and engineering services that drive business outcomes for the retail industry.

Juliana Martins is the director of client services at ExpandLab. 

Ryan Urban is the Co-Founder and CEO at BounceX, a global marketing technology company. Under his leadership, BounceX has been ranked number one overall for both employee retention and career development by ComputerWorld, named one of the best places to work in NYC by Crain’s New York, and honored as one of Fortune’s best places to work. A veteran of the e-commerce space, Ryan was formerly Director of Acquisition at Bonobos and prior to that, Head of Ecommerce at Brickhouse Security. He has served on the advisory boards of both BabyAge.com and Bonobos.

Bill Zujewski is executive vice president of marketing for Tulip Retail, an iOS mobile platform built exclusively for next generation retail store associates to offer a world-class omnichannel experience.

Kurt serves as the Chief Marketing Officer of Reflektion, the artificial intelligence-driven customer engagement platform for top retailers and brands worldwide. Kurt is an innovative and dynamic marketing professional with a track record of success communicating a company’s unique value proposition to potential customers, partners and market influencers through strategic and creative means.

Mike Maughan is the head of brand growth and global insights at Qualtrics, a research and experience software company.

Alex Hertel is the CEO of Xperiel.

Jake Rheude is the Director of Business Development for Red Stag Fulfillment, an e-commerce fulfillment warehouse that was born out of e-commerce. He has years of experience in e-commerce and business development. In his free time, Jake enjoys reading about business and sharing his own experience with others.

Luke built his first ecommerce website in 1997 and has more recently focused on bringing software that improves customer experience and drives revenue to ecommerce retailers for the past 5 years. He has led product, development and customer service teams and brings his experience in print advertising and media to digital and offline marketing and growth. At Linc, his primary goal is to connect retailers with the knowledge and tools that drive stronger customer relationships and transform one time purchasers into lifetime shoppers.

Larry Alton is an independent business consultant specializing in tech, social media trends, business, and entrepreneurship. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Dr. Anil Kaul is the co-founder and CEO of Absolutdata, a company specializing in big data analytics, marketing analytics and customer analytics.

Anil has over 22 years of experience in advanced analytics, market research, and management consulting. He is very passionate about analytics and leveraging technology to improve business decision-making. Prior to founding Absolutdata, Anil worked at McKinsey & Co. and Personify. He is also on the board of Edutopia, an innovative start-up in the language learning space. Anil holds a Ph.D. and a Master of Marketing degree, both from Cornell University.

Kevin Brown is the vice president of strategic partnerships and marketing at Wirecard, a company that employs innovative financial technologies to build complete digital ecosystems and end-to-end solutions throughout the payments value chain.

Greg Schmitzer is the President and Founder of Mad Mobile-- a recognized leader in Unified Commerce with a proven platform that empowers store associates to engage with customers, enhance the in-store shopping experience, and sell more.

CEO, 4INFO

Paul Dobbins is National Director of Sales & Account Management for Fortegra Financial Corporation. Fortegra and its subsidiaries comprise a single-source insurance services provider that offers a range of consumer protection options including warranty solutions, credit insurance, and specialty underwriting programs. Delivering multifaceted coverage with an unmatched service experience for both partners and their customers, Fortegra solves immediate, everyday needs, empowering consumers to worry less and Experience More. 

Kristina Stidham is the digital content director at Total Retail and sister brands Women in Retail Leadership Circle and Women Leading Travel & Hospitality at NAPCO Media. She is passionate about digital media and handles video, podcast and virtual event production for all brands. You can often find her at WIRLC, TR, WLT&H or industry events with her camera and podcasting equipment⁠—or at home on Zoom⁠—recording interviews with thought leaders and business executives.

Kristina holds a B.A. in Media Studies and Production from the Temple University Klein College of Media and Communication in Philadelphia. Go Owls! When she's not in the office, she loves to go on long walks, sing around the house, hangout with her family and two pet guinea pigs, and travel to new places.

Founder, inVRsion

VP Marketing, PragmatIC

Michael Witty is a director at Information Services Group (ISG), a leading technology insights, market intelligence and advisory services company.

Stephan Schambach is the founder and CEO of NewStore, an omnichannel retail platform.

Head of Global Payments, Magento

Ronen Luzon is founder and CEO of MySizeID, an innovative measurement technology company that allows retailers the ability to capture a person’s measurements using smartphone sensors.

Tom Buiocchi is the executive director, president and CEO of ServiceChannel, the leader in facility management software and contractor sourcing.

VP Product Marketing, VoltDB

Zephrin Lasker is the VP of E-Commerce at Viber.

Industry analyst and founding partner, Kaleido Insights

Tim Rowland is CEO of Badger Technologies, a product division of Jabil. He is responsible for driving sales, development, delivery and service for the organization’s suite of retail automation solutions. Rowland brings more than 38 years of engineering, manufacturing test, sales and strategy experience to the position. Previously, Rowland served in various engineering roles at Lexmark, where he drove the development of innovative retail automation offerings. He also spent a decade at IBM in a variety of manufacturing test engineering, development and research roles. Rowland has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech.

Bart Mroz is CEO at SUMO Heavy, a digital commerce strategy firm. The company builds, connects, expands and invests in growing online retailers. This group of experienced strategists, consultants, designers and developers works to build solid brands and to create effective online retail solutions. Bart is an expert in e-commerce, business consulting, and technology strategy.

Kris Fitzgerald, Chief Technology Officer, NTT DATA Services

Brooke Patton is a research content specialist at GutCheck, a global, agile market research firm based out of Denver.

Chaitanya Chandrasekar is the CEO and Co-Founder of QuanticMind. Prior to this role, he built and managed the traffic acquisition platform and was part of the Data Science team at NexTag. His experience in the industry and knowledge of platforms led to his co-founding of QuanticMind. He strongly believes in the power of data technology, which can help decipher Big Data to unlock new ideas and opportunities. Chaitanya earned his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.

Saoirse Hinksmon is a Digital Content Marketing Manager at SmartBear, a software company that provides testing, monitoring, and developer tools.

Parry is a well-known digital marketing dude. He has worked with countless brands and media outlets to help them optimize their online results, and is one of the world’s leading experts on email marketing (which he blogs about here sometimes.) He started his career coding middleware for CRM software, then sent out millions of emails for global brands, before running the strategy department for an ESP. He holds a BBA (1st) in Marketing & Statistics and can probably beat you in an Excel-off. On weekends, he helps wayward youths see the error of their ways through the magic of interpretive dance.

Angelo is a serial entrepreneur and investor in AR/VR technologies. He is the founder and CEO of Zakeke, a platform revolutionizing e-commerce through visual technologies. Zakeke serves over 8,000 customers across more than 400 sectors in over 130 countries, collaborating with major brands like Valentino, HP, Etsy, Uber Eats, Zapier and Printful. He holds a cum laude degree in Economics and Commerce from the University of Bari and a Master in Innovation Management from the Iacocca Institute at Lehigh University, USA. Angelo began his career in marketing consultancy, founding multiple companies and achieving multiple exits. He led BookingShow S.p.A. and 18months Srl to successful exits. His experience extends to leadership roles in various IT companies and as President of Innovup, supporting Italian startups and scaleups. Angelo's insights into AI's role in retail underscore his commitment to innovation and vision for Zakeke in visual commerce.

Hannah Jarrett is the director of product marketing at Elastic Path.

Business is my sport. I am passionate about leading teams and leveraging technologies to grow and transform companies with a laser-focus on driving enterprise value and cash flow.

Repeat business success across many business sizes ($4 B to $10 mm) and growth phases has come by quickly aligning resources to strategies that defend existing businesses and create new cash flows.

Global experience includes developing strategy in uncertain times, leading cultural change, creating/launching/scaling new products, acquiring/integrating companies, turnarounds & harmonizing competing channels.

Career themes include vertical integrations, scaling multi-sided platforms, creating subscription businesses and working seamlessly across consumer and commercial audiences.

Industry experience spans technology, media, gaming, entertainment, commerce, and nonprofits.

Leadership style includes a 'get-stuff-done' mindset, simplifying complexity, candid feedback loops, organizational agility, developing untapped talent, building diverse teams who represent those we serve, continuous learning and removing friction with limited risk.