The Voice of Retail

Something different on the podcast for this episode: Meet Ariela Nerubay, EVP & Chief Marketing Officer at Curacao retail stores, a fellow 2024 ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert and leader in ethnic and modern marketing strategies and tactics.  You might not recognize the LA-based retail stores she leads, but the insights, challenges and opportunities translate well on the mic and across the border...

The past, current and future state of Retail Media Networks are in the spotlight in this dynamic, live interview from the ReThink Retail podcasting studio on the NRF Big Show show floor in New York City with Aran Hamilton , Co-Founder & CEO of Toronto's Vantage .  Aran is a pioneer in the retail media space and offers valuable lessons and powerful insights for retailers and brands of all sizes reg...

Meet Toronto-based Michael Bungay Stanier, best known for The Coaching Habit, the best-selling coaching book of the century, today talking with me about his most recent book, How to Work with (Almost) Anyone. It's a fantastic conversation. Michael is a thoughtful and engaging guest, and we talk about the hard truth: most of us leave the health and fate of our at-work relationships to chance. We sa...

Jim Harris, one of North America's foremost thinkers on disruption and innovation, is back on the podcast sharing his experiences and insights from CES, the world's biggest technology conference, and the World Economic Forum in Davos. Jim has been attending these important events for decades and takes us inside with his informed perspective for retailers. Note that we had some technical glitches t...

The one and only  Kristina Rogers , Global EY Consumer Chairwoman, is back on the podcast with the latest powerful insights from her 13th Future Consumer Index report. Climate change is becoming a growing reality for people worldwide and Canada, disrupting ingrained consumption habits. If you think COVID-19 shocked consumer behaviour, brace yourself for what happens next.    About Kristina As EY G...

Welcome to a new year, and maybe a new you, regarding your perspectives around leadership.  My special guest is Steve Worthy, who, with over 27 years of North American on the front lines as a senior retail store leader and operator, brings a unique mix of executive coaching, training, and real-world experience to senior retail leaders and corporate teams.     About Steve Steve Worthy, Founder and...

In this episode, a lift from my Global eCommerce Leaders #podcast presented by StreamCommerce, meet the force of nature that is  Jenna Flateman Posner,  just two months into her new gig with innovative home products brand, wholesaler and direct-to-consumer retailer Solo Brands. We cover a lot of ground in this interview, not unlike what Jenna did as a University athlete and member of the USA Women...

In a wide-ranging conversation, meet two of Best Buy Canada's standout veteran retail leaders: Mat Povse, Senior Vice President of Operations, and Eric Stockner , Vice President and Category Officer for Food, Home, and Baby. Mat and Eric join me on the mic to talk about big-picture trends, the current and future state of product innovation, this year's Black Friday performance (and what the point...

Meet Michael Appel , a seasoned senior executive with over 50 years of experience in the retail industry, including turnaround CEO at Rue21.  As the Managing Director at New York-based Getzler Henrich & Associates, he leads the Retail Practice for the firm, specializing in operational turnarounds for retail businesses.   We talk about the state of retail today, the role of social media and the Chi...

Live from the main stage at RCC's Retail Sustainability conference in Toronto, my discussion with two visionary retail leaders, Geraldine Huse , President of P&G Canada, and George Soleas , President and CEO of LCBO, as they offer invaluable insights from their respective organization's journeys to net zero, spotlighting the innovations, cultural changes, triumphs and tribulations on their paths t...

Back on the pod for what has become an annual Holiday tradition just like Turkey and egg nog, Eric Morris, Managing Director and Head of Retail for Google Canada, joins me on the mic, sharing the kind of insights that retailers need to know from a trusted partner whose hand is on the pulse of the zeitgeist of our times.  Oh, and we talk about AI and retail! Here is Google Trends .  About  Eric Eri...

The one and only Rob Garf, Vice President and GM for retail at global powerhouse Salesforce, is back on the pod sharing exclusive insights and strategies for retailers on how to win Holiday and helping us get ready with predictions for an unpredictable 2024 Find all your holiday Salesforce stats at https://www.salesforce.com/resources/shopping-insights/ About Rob Rob Garf is VP and GM for Retail a...

Meet Selwyn Crittendon , IKEA Canada's new dynamic and engaging CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer.  Selwyn shares highlights of his twenty-year journey at IKEA, first impressions of the business environment, and ambitions for growth and diversification for this purpose-led retail brand in Canada for 47 of its 80 years of this global home furnishing and lifestyle powerhouse. About Selwyn Selwyn...

In this Encore Episode from Summer 2022, meet Marianne Lewis , Dean of the Carl H. Lindner College of Business and co-author of the breakthrough book from the Harvard Business Review Press, Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems in this Encore Episode from Summer 2022. "An insightful and inspiring book on using "both/and" thinking to make more creative, flex...

On this episode, Mylène Champagne , Director of Environmental and Technical Risks for Metro & Sam Kashani , Country Director for Too Good To Go Canada, continue the original discussion that we had at RCC's Retail Sustainability conference live on the stage with me about why collaboration is the only effective, measurable way to fight food waste at a mass scale and why profitability doesn't have to...

Meet Emily Hosie, Founder & CEO of Toronto-based Rebelstork .  Emily recognized a massive void in a baby retail market ripe for innovation. She leveraged her experience at TJX and Saks Off Fifth as a top buyer, building an AI-powered platform for overstock, open box and quality used baby gear. Rebelstork has saved over 150,000 pieces of baby gear from ending up in landfill, and it is just getting...

In this episode, meet Patrice Mousseau, CEO & Founder Satya Organic Skin Care, an inspiring West-Coast based skincare entrepreneur who's travelled a unique journey. Starting from a media background, she's built a breakthrough skincare brand over the past decade. As an award-winning indigenous entrepreneur, her approach to product development differs, promoting inclusivity. Patrice reflects on the...

Lee Jeyes is back from a cross-Canada tour and on the mic ready to share his insights and advice around pragmatic retail innovation informed by years of experience, most formerly as Walmart Canada's Head of Innovation.  Get ready for a great conversation as we explore Where Retail Meets Innovation, and hear Lee's advice for retailers and brands of all sizes on how they can drive the innovation age...

Meet Silicon Valley trailblazer Atif Rafiq , who shares his extensive background and insights gleaned from a comprehensive and pioneering experience at Amazon, Volvo, and McDonald, the distinction of being the first Chief Digital Officer in the history of the Fortune 500. We're together to discuss his new book, Decision Sprint: The New Way to Innovate into the Unknown and Move from Strategy to Act...

Welcome to The Voice of Retail podcast. My name is Michael LeBlanc, and I am your host. This podcast is produced in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.  Live from Dublin, meet Martin Bailie, a global retail executive with an impressive 30 years of proven expertise and experience within the global food and fashion retail industries, including c-Level roles at Lidel, Primark and Tata/Tesco in...

Welcome to The Voice of Retail podcast. My name is Michael LeBlanc, and I am your host. This podcast is produced in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.  Meet veteran retail marketer Kathy Tsolakos, Vice President Marketing, Ecommerce & Visual Presentation- PENN. at Reitmans Canada Ltée/Ltd. She takes us through an exciting career and prepares us for her panel, "Modern Marketing: Where Story...

Welcome to The Voice of Retail podcast. My name is Michael LeBlanc, and I am your host. This podcast is produced in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.  Back on the podcast in a new role, veteran retailer Corey Gillon joins us as the CEO at Peninsula Co-op , a Victoria, B.C.-based multi-business unit retailer specializing in fuel & convenience, liquor and grocery.  Tons of great insights fr...

Welcome to The Voice of Retail podcast. My name is Michael LeBlanc, and I am your host. This podcast is produced in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.  Meet Chief Strategy Officer and now author Chelsey Paulson as she takes us through her experience accelerating business cultures for long-term success, articulated in her fabulous new book The Culture Climb: How To Build A Work Culture That...

Welcome to The Voice of Retail podcast. My name is Michael LeBlanc, and I am your host. This podcast is produced in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.  Meet Alison Hartnoll , Vice President, Unified Commerce and Marketing at Mastermind Toys, as she takes us inside this Canadian specialty retailer's e-commerce and retail story and gives us a preview of her panel "A Marketer's Guide to Seaml...

Welcome to The Voice of Retail. I'm your host Michael LeBlanc. This podcast is brought to you in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada. Meet Albert Chow , the Co-Founder and CEO of Silk & Snow , a digitally native retailer of thoughtfully made sleep essentials, ranked as one of Canada's top-growing companies by the Globe & Mail and Canadian Business and joining Endy and Casper as a recent addi...