We believe we are only as good as our people. Luckily, our teams are filled with some of the most talented experts imaginable. Our people share a passion for helping clients overcome their hurdles and win in digital commerce every single day.
Jack O’Leary is a Senior Analyst for eCommerce Insights at Edge by Ascential. Jack leads the group’s research on Ecommerce & Digital Ecosystems. Jack's insights on retail, technology, and eCommerce have been featured in the New York Times, Business Insider, Retail Touchpoints, Supermarket News, MarketWatch, GQ Australia, and more. He also piloted and runs the Amazon Monthly Briefing, a webcast series where he presents key developments from Amazon with insights and analysis for brands and retailers operating on, or competing with, the platform. Jack received his BS in Finance and Economics from Boston College.
Boris Planer is Director, Go-To-Market Intelligence. As markets and consumers continue to evolve, he finds, highlights and makes accessible opportunities for brands across countries, channels and categories. Boris has been in the business since 2000.
Nick has over 20 years’ experience in retail, strategy and insight roles. As a senior member of our advisory team, he delivers bespoke and tailored projects for our clients, focusing on go-to-market strategies, future retail trends and how to win in an ecommerce-driven world. Prior to joining Edge by Ascential in 2015, Nick spent over 11 years at IGD, where he was Director of Retail Insight and began his career at Tesco and Safeway, in a variety of roles including store location analysis and buying.
Jill is an expert when it comes to analytics, data mining, modeling, and all topics related to retail analytics. She prides herself on anticipating her clients' needs and wants, and delivering those results before they asked for them. Jill has over 12 years of experience with analytics and consulting, with 5 years focused specifically on the ecommerce space in both China and Korea. Prior to her time with Edge by Ascential, Jill was employed with Nielsen Analytical Consulting for 7 years, beyond that Jill boasts 6 years of experience in a biomedical lab. Jill is passionate about helping her clients find success through our data and insights.
Anna has over four years of experience in market research and project management. She has been at Edge by Ascential since 2017 and has had the pleasure of working with many of our clients, including Barilla, Reckitt Benckiser, Mondelez, Glaxo Smith Kline, Bayer, Nike, Converse, PUMA, Tissot, Cross and Clarks. Anna is multilingual and can speak Mandarin, English and Spanish.
Kurt has been working in eCommerce for almost 10 years. Originally working for a small janitorial retail site and private label company, Kurt joined WellPet where he managed both eCommerce and Omni-channel accounts. With his experience at both WellPet & LEDVANCE, he has been responsible for managing the retailer partnership, negotiations, advertising, P&L management, forecasting, and budgeting. Now as a member of the Edge by Ascential Insights team, he provides clients with actionable plans and strategic opportunities to help teams remain at the forefront of the ever-changing digital landscape.
Muni is based up in Seattle and is a former "Amazonian". He spent 4.5 years at Amazon working in a variety of functions including finance, buying, and operations and supply chain. Generally speaking, he considers himself a data-driven nerd who is interested in using data to solve or curate simple answers to otherwise complex problems. This past year at Edge by Ascential, Muni was a member of our Insights team, working closely with our clients to help them maximize their value and also navigate this complex ecommerce ecosystem. Outside of work he enjoys traveling and being introduced to new cultures. If stuck around town you’ll find him outdoors hiking, biking, overlanding.
Tom has over 10 years of experience in Ecommerce across Category Management, Digital Marketing & Sales. Currently, he is helping top FMCG brands drive online sales & share through data. Tom's key customer experience includes L’Oréal, Nestle, Mars, Pepsico, Mondelez, Danone, Tesco and Rakuten Marketplace.
Graduate from the Institut Léonard de Vinci in Courbevoie, France with an MBA in Digital Marketing in 2018, Karine now helps customers to drive their ecommerce business providing key insights and actionable recommendations.
Robert has over 20 years’ experience in analyzing research trends and is an expert on global trends and the changing retail landscape. Robert previously worked for Retail Intelligence and Mintel’s European retail team. As part of his current role, Robert helps FMCG companies maximize the opportunities by helping them align themselves against future trends. He is a regular contributor to global industry events.
Michael is the Director of Advisory for North America at Edge by Ascential. He supports leading FMCGs and retailers in competitive benchmarking and the development of long term growth strategies with a focus on the “Store of the Future.” Michael is a graduate of Babson College with a concentration in Strategic Management.
Gemma Pinedo is the Director, E-Commerce Advisory EMEA. Gemma is an ecommerce leader with over 15 years' experience in ecommerce business development. Prior to joining PlanetRetail RNG, Gemma led the EMEA Digital Strategy team with Kimberly Clark.
Hannah Donoghue is PlanetRetail RNG’s VP, Global Advisory & Education, leading the firm’s global research & advisory work. Hannah graduated from Boston College with a B.A., cum laude, in Economics and Hispanic Studies.
Shyla Killion leads our NA Ecommerce Advisory practice. She is an ecommerce leader with 10 years of experience deploying commercial and operational efforts for the top 20 global markets. She was previously a Sr. Manager, Global Ecommerce at Hasbro.
Chris Perry, VP of Education at Edge, is on a mission to help empower Leaders of Change — both people and brands — to win in a digital commerce-driven world. As a 10-year FMCG ecommerce practitioner, he led ecommerce across RB, WellPet and Kellogg's driving $350MM+ in sales growth and joint partnerships with Amazon, Walmart and other top retailers.
Chris Elliott is an Insight Manager at Edge by Ascential focusing on demonstrating how the group’s portfolio of products can provide value to prospects and clients. Chris is adept at distilling large quantities of data into actionable insight. Chris’s insights and commentary have featured in The Financial Times, The Guardian, Daily Telegraph, BBC, ITV and more.
Boren has been leading ecommerce businesses for over 12 years. During that time, at some point he has been a customer and user of all four of Edge’s products, giving him a unique, customer-centric perspective. Prior to Ascential, he spent 5 years as Head of eCommerce and Digital for Kimberly Clark EMEA, and 12 years at Whirlpool Corporation leading Digital, as well as leadership roles in customer service, supply chain, strategy, and product development.
Boren studied Chemical Engineering at Michigan Technological University, holds a Masters in Operations Management from the University of Michigan and is an alumnus of Harvard Business School. He is happily married to his wife Jenny for 15 fantastic years and has 2 beautiful daughters. The family loves to travel, cooking and being active in sports.
Welcome to the Edge 2-minute challenge. Here, some of our people share their Edge experience and answer some of the most pressing questions about retail (and of course, themselves): all in only 2-minutes!
Who answered the most questions? Find out below!
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