Vend’s Top 100 Retail Influencers

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Vend’s Top 100 Retail Influencers

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Welcome to Vend’s roundup of Retail Influencers! This list features 100 of the industry’s top experts, analysts, consultants, and journalists.

Check them out!

Matthew Shay

01 Matthew Shay

President and CEO at National Retail Federation

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

01

Deborah Weinswig

02 Deborah Weinswig

CEO and Founder at Coresight Research

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

02

Bob Phibbs

03 Bob Phibbs

CEO of the Retail Doctor

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

03

Neil Saunders

04 Neil Saunders

Managing Director and Retail Analyst at GlobalData Retail (formerly Conlumino)

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

04

Steve Dennis

05 Steve Dennis

Leading Retail Influencer | Keynote Speaker | Retail Strategy & Innovation Consultant | Author | Top 5 LinkedIn Voice

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

05

Doug Stephens

06 Doug Stephens

Founder & President, Retail Prophet

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

06

Nicole Reyhle

07 Nicole Reyhle

Retail Minded Founder | Independent Retailer Co-Founder | Author of Retail 101 | Writer | Speaker

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

07

Helen Dickinson

08 Helen Dickinson

Chief Executive of the BRC

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

08

Mary Portas

09 Mary Portas

Chief Creative Officer at Portas

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

09

Steve Dresser

10 Steve Dresser

Retail Advisor and Consultant

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

10

Graham Soult

11 Graham Soult

Retail Consultant

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

11

Scott Galloway

12 Scott Galloway

Clinical Professor of Marketing, NYU Stern & Founder, L2

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

12

Jason Goldberg

13 Jason Goldberg

Chief Commerce Strategy Officer, Publicis Communications

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

13

Sucharita (Mulpuru) Kodali

14 Sucharita (Mulpuru) Kodali

Retail Industry Analyst

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

14

Melissa Gonzalez

15 Melissa Gonzalez

#RetailwithMelissa Regular Contributor at ABC News Radio KMET1490AM | LinkedIn Top Voices 2018

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

15

Anil Aggarwal

16 Anil Aggarwal

CEO, Shoptalk & Groceryshop

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

16

Andrew Busby

17 Andrew Busby

Founder & CEO at Retail Reflections

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

17

Alan Hawkins

18 Alan Hawkins

Alan Hawkins Bsc (Econ) , FCA, FCIB

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

18

Natalie Berg

19 Natalie Berg

Retail Analyst, Author & Founder at NBK Retail

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

19

Brian E. Kilcourse

20 Brian E. Kilcourse

Managing Partner at RSR Research

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

20

Paula Rosenblum

21 Paula Rosenblum

Managing Partner at RSR

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

21

Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender

22 Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender

Consumer Anthropologists, Speakers, Authors, Influencers, Consultants and Authors of #Retail Adventures Blog.

Twitter  ∙  Website

22

Cathy Hotka

23 Cathy Hotka

Retail Insider. RIS News "Movers and Shakers," RetailROI; RetailWire Braintrust

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

23

Stacey Widlitz

24 Stacey Widlitz

Founder, SW Retail Advisors & CNBC Contributor

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

24

Lauren Thomas

25 Lauren Thomas

Retail Reporter at CNBC

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

25

Barbara Thau

26 Barbara Thau

Senior features editor, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

26

Bryan Eisenberg

27 Bryan Eisenberg

Keynote Speaker, & NY Times Best Selling Author, Optimization Expert

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

27

Maureen Hinton

28 Maureen Hinton

Group Research Director - GlobalData Retail

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

28

Diane J. Brisebois

29 Diane J. Brisebois

President & CEO of Retail Council of Canada

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

29

Greg Buzek

30 Greg Buzek

President at IHL Group and Donor Trustee of Retail Orphan Initiative

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

30

Chris Brook-Carter

31 Chris Brook-Carter

Managing Director, Retail Week and World Retail Congress

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

31

Nick Bubb

32 Nick Bubb

Retail Consultant

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn

32

Miya Knights

33 Miya Knights

Head of Industry Insight, Eagle Eye Solutions

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

33

George MacDonald

34 George MacDonald

Deputy Editor at Retail Week

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

34

Clare Bailey

35 Clare Bailey

Director and Co-founder, Mobaro Retail

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

35

Paul Greenberg

36 Paul Greenberg

Founder of NORA Network/Advisory Board Member Afterpay Touch Group, National Retail Association.

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

36

Courtney Reagan

37 Courtney Reagan

Retail Reporter at CNBC

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

37

Dana Telsey

38 Dana Telsey

Chief Executive Officer/Chief Research Officer at Telsey Advisory Group

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

38

Brian Walker

39 Brian Walker

CEO & Founder: Retail Doctor Group | Advisor | Consultant | Speaker | Author

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

39

Cate Trotter

40 Cate Trotter

Head of Trends at Insider Trends

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

40

Bryan Roberts

41 Bryan Roberts

Global Insights Director at TCC Global

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

41

Robin Lewis

42 Robin Lewis

CEO The Robin Report

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

42

Kasey Lobaugh

43 Kasey Lobaugh

Chief Innovation Officer for Retail & Wholesale Distribution, Principal and Owner at Deloitte

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

43

Richard Hyman

44 Richard Hyman

Founder at Richard Talks Retail

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

44

Chris H. Petersen

45 Chris H. Petersen

Consultant | Keynote Speaker | Blogger Specializing in Retail, Omnichannel, and Measurement

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

45

Bryan Gildenberg

46 Bryan Gildenberg

Chief Knowledge Officer, Retail/Sales/Shopper at Kantar Consulting

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

46

Jason Del Rey

47 Jason Del Rey

Senior Editor, Commerce at Recode

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

47

Jeff Roster

48 Jeff Roster

VP of Retail Strategy at IHL Group

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

48

Harry Wallop

49 Harry Wallop

Freelance Consumer Journalist. Feature Writer. Broke the #Marmitegate Story.

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

49

Tony D'Onofrio

50 Tony D'Onofrio

Private Equity, Board of Directors, Consulting, Motivational Speaker, CEO, CCO, Top 100 Influencer, Social Media Leader

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

50

Shelley E. Kohan

51 Shelley E. Kohan

Retail Pundit, Thought Leader, Professor, Speaker, Retail Influencer, Strategic Partner.

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn

51

Krystina Gustafson

52 Krystina Gustafson

VP Content at Shoptalk

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

52

Richard Kestenbaum

53 Richard Kestenbaum

Partner at Triangle Capital LLC, Contributor at Forbes.com

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

53

Vaughan Fergusson

54 Vaughan Fergusson

Founder at Vend & OMG Tech! Vice Chair of the NZ Hi-tech Trust

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

54

Carol Spieckerman

55 Carol Spieckerman

Retail Speaker & Strategist to Brands, Agencies & Solution Providers

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

55

Karl McKeever

56 Karl McKeever

Founder & Managing Director, Visual Thinking | Retail Transformation Specialist | Industry Commentator | Keynote Speaker

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

56

Susan Reda

57 Susan Reda

Editor at STORES Media

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

57

Greg Girard

58 Greg Girard

Program Director, World-Wide Omni-Channel Retail Analytics Strategies at IDC Retail Insights

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

58

Ellen Davis

59 Ellen Davis

President, NRF Foundation and SVP, Research and Strategic Initiatives at National Retail Federation

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

59

Pano Anthos

60 Pano Anthos

Managing Director at XRC Labs

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

60

George Anderson

61 George Anderson

Editor-in-Chief/Associate Publisher at RetailWire.com

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

61

Joe Skorupa

62 Joe Skorupa

Editorial Director RIS News

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

62

Glynn Davis

63 Glynn Davis

Founder of Retailinsider.com

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

63

Ian Jindal

64 Ian Jindal

Leadership and Transformation in Multichannel Retail and Ecommerce.

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

64

Leslie Hand

65 Leslie Hand

Vice President, IDC Retail Insights

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

65

Carl Boutet

66 Carl Boutet

Retail Strategist

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

66

Andria Cheng

67 Andria Cheng

Senior Contributor at Forbes

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

67

Phil Wahba

68 Phil Wahba

Senior Writer at Fortune Magazine

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

68

Fiona Briggs

69 Fiona Briggs

Editor at Retail Times

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

69

Laura Heller

70 Laura Heller

Director of External Communications at Performics

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

70

Ian Middleton

71 Ian Middleton

Entrepreneur and Writer

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

71

Sarah Nassauer

72 Sarah Nassauer

Retail Reporter at The Wall Street Journal

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

72

Cathy Wagner

73 Cathy Wagner

CEO at RETAIL Mavens

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

73

Kevin Graff

74 Kevin Graff

President of Graff Retail TV

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

74

John Ryan

75 John Ryan

Stores Editor, Retail Week, European Ed, VMSD & Frame

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

75

Debbie Hauss

76 Debbie Hauss

Editor-in-Chief at Retail TouchPoints. Retail Content Specialist. Retail Analyst. Thought Leadership

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

76

Matt Bradley

77 Matt Bradley

Event Director at Reed Exhibitions

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

77

Sarah Halzack

78 Sarah Halzack

Retail Columnist at Bloomberg

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

78

Anne D'Innocenzio

79 Anne D'Innocenzio

National Retail Writer at The Associated Press

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

79

Sarah Butler

80 Sarah Butler

Retail Correspondent at The Guardian and The Observer

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

80

Debra Templar

81 Debra Templar

Keynote Speaker, Retail Consultant, Business Coach, MC, Listener and Handholder

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

81

Keith Anderson

82 Keith Anderson

Product Strategist, Analyst, Advisor, Speaker for Retail, Ecommerce, CPG, and tech

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

82

Sanford Stein

83 Sanford Stein

Founder and moderator of RETAIL SPEAK on LinkedIn

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

83

Andrea Wasserman

84 Andrea Wasserman

Senior Executive - Retail, Fashion, Technology, Beauty

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

84

Marina Strauss

85 Marina Strauss

Retailing Reporter at The Globe and Mail

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

85

Jasmine Glasheen

86 Jasmine Glasheen

Contributing Editor at RetailWire, Contributor at Retail Minded

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

86

Diane Wehrle

87 Diane Wehrle

Marketing and Insights Director at Springboard Research Ltd

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

87

Jennifer Creevy

88 Jennifer Creevy

Content Director at Retail Week

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

88

Ben Sillitoe

89 Ben Sillitoe

Freelance Editor, Journalist and Copywriter

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn

89

Khadeeja Safdar

90 Khadeeja Safdar

Journalist at The Wall Street Journal

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

90

Suzanne Kapner

91 Suzanne Kapner

Reporter at The Wall Street Journal

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

91

Daphne Howland

92 Daphne Howland

Reporter. Writer. Film Critic. Photographer.

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

92

Rebecca Thomson

93 Rebecca Thomson

Head of Commercial Content at Drapers

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

93

Ashley Armstrong

94 Ashley Armstrong

Retail Editor at Telegraph Media Group

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

94

Allison Enright

95 Allison Enright

Editorial Director at Vertical Web Media

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

95

Caroline Baldwin

96 Caroline Baldwin

Editor at Essential Retail

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

96

Richard Hammond

97 Richard Hammond

CEO at Uncrowd & author of Smart Retail

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

97

Sarah Dunn

98 Sarah Dunn

Editor and Associate Publisher of NZ Retail Magazine

LinkedIn  ∙  Website

98

Phillip Russo

99 Phillip Russo

Founder / Publisher / Editor

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn  ∙  Website

99

Ross Crombie

100 Ross Crombie

Coach and Mentor at Crombie Consulting

Twitter  ∙  LinkedIn

100

How did we come up with this year’s list?

To identify this year’s influencers we used tools such as Buzzsumo and Klear, which helped us surface notable analysts, consultants, and journalists in the retail industry.

From there, we looked into each individual to gauge their authority and influence in the industry. We read their articles, checked out their speaking engagements, and examined their presence in retail events and publications. We then used all that information to determine their place on our list.

What do we mean by "retail influencers"?

We define influencers as individuals that retailers turn to for insights, news, and advice. These are analysts, consultants, and journalists who are constantly sharing insightful content and commentary about retail, and they’re actively helping merchants build and run thriving retail businesses.

How can you be part of this list?

Being an active member of the retail community is important. If you’re consistently providing great content and you have a strong presence in retail gatherings and in the media, then we want you on this list. It also doesn’t hurt to have an engaged social following!

If you’d like to be part of the list or would like to nominate someone, get in touch with us and we’ll be sure to include them in our evaluation process for next year.

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