Meet our experts

Jack O’Leary is Head of Advisory, North America at Edge by Ascential. Jack leads the group’s research on Ecommerce and 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. 

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. 

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.

Shi Ling comes with 10 years of professional marketing research experience with a demonstrated history of working across categories, clients and countries, predominantly in the Customer Insights and Innovation spaces. She has rich experience in helping clients across different industry to turn data and analytics into rich insights, devise strategies to help with their retail business growth.

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 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.