The Voice of Retail

In this episode of The Voice of Retail podcast, host Michael LeBlanc sits down with one of retail technology's most accomplished leaders: Julie Averill, former Chief Information Officer of Lululemon and REI, and author of the new book Chief Impact Officer: Real Transformation Comes from Human, Not Just Artificial Intelligence . Joining the conversation is Menachem Salinas, Co-Founder and Chief Rev...

In this Encore episode of The Voice of Retail, I’m joined by James B. Smith, Founder and CEO of Rare Placement, for a wide-ranging conversation on modern leadership, executive search, and the future of talent in the retail industry. James brings an exceptional career journey to the mic, beginning in advertising with agencies like Grey and Ogilvy, moving into marketing leadership at Citibank, in le...

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming retail, but are retailers giving away too much decision-making power to algorithms? On this episode of The Voice of Retail, host Michael LeBlanc welcomes back retail strategist, educator, speaker and author Carl Boutet to the podcast to discuss his latest book, The Flip . Drawing on more than three decades of retail experience and his work advising o...

In this very special live edition of The Voice of Retail podcast — the first live recording in nearly 550 episodes on the main-stage at Retaiul Council of Canada's STORE conference — host Michael LeBlanc takes the stage at Retail Council of Canada's STORE Conference in Toronto with three of Canadian retail's most compelling leaders: Julia Freeman, CEO of The Jilly Box, David Brownstein, President...

As global trade faces unprecedented disruption, international eCommerce remains one of the most compelling growth opportunities for retailers and brands. On this episode of The Voice of Retail, host Michael LeBlanc welcomes Matthew Merrilees , CEO North America at Global-e , with special guest co-host Jim Okamura , co-founder of the Global eCommerce Leaders Forum, for a deep dive into the future o...

On this episode of The Voice of Retail, host Michael LeBlanc welcomes Jackie Swanson, Managing Partner at Gartner Consulting, for a wide-ranging and highly practical conversation about artificial intelligence, agentic commerce, and the rapidly changing future of retail. Swanson brings Gartner’s global perspective to one of the most urgent strategic issues facing retailers today: how AI is fundamen...

On this episode of The Voice of Retail , host Michael LeBlanc welcomes back Deb Craven to the podcast, President of Longo’s and Retail Council of Canada’s Distinguished Retailer of the Year for 2026, for an in-depth conversation about leadership, grocery innovation, Canadian retail growth, and what it takes to scale a beloved regional brand while preserving culture and customer trust. Recorded on...

On this episode of The Voice of Retail , host Michael LeBlanc sits down with Stephen Bailey, Chief Marketing Officer of Vancouver's John Fluevog Shoes—one of North America’s most distinctive independent retail brands. For over 56 years, Fluevog has built a fiercely loyal customer community by doing something most brands struggle to sustain: staying unapologetically unique. With 20 stores across Ca...

Recorded live from the stage at the SIAL Innovation Show in Montreal, this special episode of The Voice of Retail dives headfirst into one of the most disruptive forces reshaping commerce: artificial intelligence and its growing influence on how consumers discover, evaluate, and purchase food and grocery products. Michael welcomes Guillaume Mathieu, Co-Founder and Partner at Montreal’s ilot, a str...

In this high-energy live episode of The Voice of Retail , Michael welcomes two dynamic voices shaping the future of retail and consumer brands: Jake Karls and Carl Boutet. Recorded live on location, this spontaneous conversation delivers powerful insights into what it takes to build a modern consumer brand in an increasingly crowded, algorithm-driven marketplace. Jake Karls shares the remarkable g...

In this special ENCORE episode of The Voice of Retail , host Michael LeBlanc sits down with Mat Povse, President of Best Buy Canada , live on the stage in Vancouver at Retail Council of Canada's 2025 Retail West stage for a wide-ranging and candid conversation on leadership, innovation, omnichannel retail, and the future of consumer technology in Canada. Povse begins by unpacking what is currently...

In this special cross-over episode from the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast from the Global eCommerce Leaders Podcast , hosts Michael LeBlanc and Jim Okamura welcome Jes Crownover, Vice President, e-Commerce & Digital Solutions, to discuss the rapidly changing world of cross-border e-commerce. From tariffs and customs compliance to de minimis, data readiness, AI, and reverse logistics, this episo...

In this episode of The Voice of Retail , host Michael LeBlanc sits down with Rohit Sriram, Senior Vice-President eCommerce at Loblaw Companies Limited , for an exclusive preview of the ideas, strategies, and thought leadership he’ll be bringing to the stage at the Retail Council of Canada’s highly anticipated STORE Conference this June in Toronto. For retail leaders planning to attend STORE—or tho...

In this episode of The Voice of Retail , host Michael LeBlanc welcomes Trinadha Kandi, Managing Director – Customer & Marketing at Deloitte Digital, for a deep dive into how artificial intelligence is transforming personalization, customer engagement, and retail growth strategies. Kandi begins by addressing one of the most persistent challenges in retail: the widespread confusion between targeting...

In this special ENCORE episode of The Voice of Retail , Michael LeBlanc sits down with Mark Ryski, Founder & CEO of HeadCount and three-time retail author , to explore why store traffic remains one of the most underutilized and misunderstood metrics in modern retail. With over two decades of experience pioneering traffic and conversion analytics, Mark shares insights from his new book, Store Traff...

In this special ENCORE episode of The Voice of Retail , host Michael LeBlanc sits down with Jean-Pierre Lacroix, President of SLD (Shikatani Lacroix Design) and keynote speaker at the upcoming RCC STORE2026 conference in Toronto , June 2-3, 2026.  Jean-Pierre is a global design visionary whose work has shaped retail and brand experiences for more than three decades. Lacroix joins the podcast to sh...

Recorded live in person at Hopson Grace in Toronto, this inspiring episode of The Voice of Retail features host Michael LeBlanc sitting down with two leaders who are shaping the intersection of craftsmanship, culture, and commerce: Martha McKimm , Co-Founder of Hopson Grace , and Shelley Simpson , Founder of Mud Australia . Together, they unpack the art and business of building brands that thrive...

Retail crime in Canada has reached a critical point. In this episode of The Voice of Retail podcast , host Michael LeBlanc welcomes back Rui Rodrigues , a veteran loss prevention leader and advisor working with the Retail Council of Canada, to unpack the rapidly escalating challenges facing retailers across the country. Rodrigues brings more than 30 years of experience in retail security and loss...

Recorded live at the NRF Big Show in New York, this episode of The Voice of Retail features Matthew Guiste, Global Retail Technology Strategist at Zebra Technologies , for a strategic discussion on how AI, RFID, and frontline enablement are redefining modern retail. Zebra Technologies, a $5+ billion global enterprise and pioneer in barcode scanning, now powers retail operations through mobile comp...

In this episode of The Voice of Retail , Michael LeBlanc sits down with Tara Conway, retail strategist and co-founder of Commerce Rewired, for a wide-ranging discussion on AI in retail, digital transformation, customer experience innovation and leadership in an era of disruption. Tara’s retail career spans decades — from growing up in a family general store to senior leadership roles at Blacks Pho...

Recorded live at the NRF Big Show in the Narvar podcast studio, Michael LeBlanc sits down with Rachel J. Calhoun, Global Leader, Retail, Consumer Goods & Travel at Kyndryl , for a fast-paced and insight-rich conversation on the future of retail technology, AI integration, and enterprise transformation. Rachel shares Kyndryl’s evolution since spinning off from IBM, moving beyond managed infrastruct...

Why do smart strategies fail so often? According to Kevin Ertell, the problem isn’t a lack of ideas—it’s execution. In this episode of The Voice of Retail , Michael LeBlanc sits down live in person at the NRF Big Show in New York in The Remarkable Retail Narvar podcasting studio with Kevin Ertell, founder of Mistere Advisory, veteran retail operator, and former Vice President of Global Retail at N...

Recorded live from the Narvar podcasting studio at the NRF Big Show in New York, this 500th episode of The Voice of Retail features Michael LeBlanc in conversation with Jim Okamura, Partner at McMillanDoolittle and Co-Founder of the Global E-Commerce Leaders Forum (GELF) . With nearly three decades of NRF attendance, Jim brings rare perspective on how retail has evolved—and why this year’s show fe...

In this episode of The Voice of Retail , host Michael LeBlanc is joined by Jayme Johnson, Partner and Industry Leader, Consumer and Travel & Transportation Industries, IBM Consulting Canada, for a wide-ranging conversation that blends real-world store insights from New York City with a forward-looking discussion on AI, agentic commerce, and the future of customer experience. The episode begins wit...

Live from NRF, The Voice of Retail welcomes Caila Schwartz, Director of Consumer Insights and Strategy at Salesforce , for a data-driven conversation on what truly shaped Holiday 2025—and what retailers must prepare for next. Salesforce sits at the center of global commerce, analyzing transactions from more than 1.5 billion consumers across digital and physical retail. That scale gives Caila a rar...