The Retail Realities of COVID-19

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Todd Szahun
Senior Vice President
Todd leads the eCommerce and new retail insights team. Before joining Kantar, Todd held simultaneous corporate and operational roles within WPP, leading the expansion of practice areas including eCommerce, digital, data strategy, and shopper marketing across many of WPP’s top 50 clients. With deep client expertise in CPG; technology; entertainment; pharmaceuticals; and beer, wine, and spirits, Todd brings a wealth of experience building and deploying end-to-end marketing activities, including research, activation, amplification and measurement, that enable a broad view of what works across channels and sectors. Todd holds a B.A. in political science and an MBA with a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship. He is a published author, frequent speaker at industry events, and startup adviser.
Ted Riedel
Doug Hermanson
Principal Economist
Doug specializes in data management, forecasting, and applied economics for the economist and home improvement teams. He contributes economic, retail, and consumer insights through customized research, presentations, and syndicated publications. He is also a key developer of the econometric models and methodologies used in the channel, category, and country-level retail market forecasts produced at Kantar. He holds an M.S. in economics from The Ohio State University where he developed research on regional retail market development and financial commodity markets.
Mary Brett Whitfield
Senior Vice President
Mary Brett leads the shopper insights research and content development team for Kantar and also directs development of the company’s apparel retailing content. Mary Brett has extensive experience helping retailers and suppliers leverage shopper insights and other primary research data for performance improvement. She has worked at retail companies in market research, strategic planning, and sales development roles and has a strong background in industry and company analysis and competitive positioning work. Mary Brett earned a B.A. in economics from Smith College and an MBA from the University of Oklahoma.
Joyce Williamson
Senior Director of Research, Consulting
Ray Gaul
Senior Vice President of European Retail Insights
Based in London, Ray is an expert in global retail trends. He typically works with clients looking to understand how retail is changing across multiple countries and continents. He currently focuses on pan-European retail topics, such as the success and expansion of grocery discounters, the rise of buying groups in Europe, and M&A activities among big retailers. Ray also sits on Kantar’s global center of excellence for eCommerce. In addition, Ray leads Kantar’s dedicated forecasting teams that provide clients with future views to aid in key channel/account planning. Ray joined Kantar in 2000 having worked previously in Ukraine for three years. He holds a B.A. in economics and an M.A. in international relations with a focus on international economic policy.
Amar Singh
Principal Analyst
Amar is a principal analyst, focusing on Canadian retail and eCommerce. He creates insights that inform strategic decisions related to key grocery, mass merchandising, drug, club, home improvement, and digital channels. Amar is a seasoned brand, shopper, and advertising researcher. Before joining Kantar in 2018, he managed consumer insights at a leading CPG brand in Canada, which included brand management, packaging optimization, and product innovation. Amar has an MSc in marketing and consumer studies from the University of Guelph.
David Marcotte
Senior Vice President
David leads Kantar’s insights into the current and future state of international retail, complex business processes, and technology. He covers a range of retail channels, including home improvement, consumer electronics, and food service. David is a provocative keynote speaker for events across the Americas and Asia. He is an experienced leader of international teams, a veteran executive consultant, and a retail solutions architect. Before joining Kantar, David was the global business intelligence lead for retail and CPG at IBM, advising retail clients on POS infrastructure, merchandising, loyalty programs, IT design, loss prevention, supply chain, and large data solutions. Before IBM, David spent 20 years working at every level of retail, from the shop floor to executive management, within discount, grocery, chain drug, and food service operations. He is a past member of the Efficient Consumer Response Category Management Standards Group and the Association for Retail Technology Standards. David’s publications include  The Store of the Future .
Tim Campbell
Director
Tim leads research and insights for Kantar’s club channel coverage. He is responsible for developing syndicated content, hosting event presentations, and delivering custom work related to the three major U.S. club retailers: Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s Wholesale. He also coordinates coverage for Walmart International in addition to providing topical support for private label and more general brick-and-mortar retail insights. He has been cited by NPR, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and other media outlets. Tim joined Kantar in December 2013. He holds a B.A. in economics and political science from Gordon College.
J. Walker Smith
Chief Knowledge Officer for Brand & Marketing
Rachel Dalton
Director, eCommerce/Omnichannel
Rachel leads eCommerce content and insights development for Kantar Retail IQ and Kantar events with a focus on Amazon and forecasting. She has a background in brand and global business management from her work leading strategic planning, new product development, and marketing initiatives across several CPG brands and categories. Rachel holds a B.A. from Connecticut College and an MBA from Cornell University.