Our Analysts & Experts

Waleed Ali
Analyst

Waleed is an analyst on the Market Insights team based in London. His primary focus is on the French retail landscape, with a particular interest in Carrefour, Auchan, and Leclerc. Waleed joined Kantar through its graduate scheme and gained experience and insight across disciplines like shopper insights, growth strategy, and ecommerce, where he developed a how-to-win playbook for a leading French pet care brand. Waleed graduated from the University of Warwick with a B.A. in French that included a year abroad teaching in Bordeaux

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Christina Anderson
Senior Director, eCommerce & Omnichannel

Christina is Senior Director of eCommerce & Omnichannel on the Kantar team. Before joining Kantar, Christina worked at an eCommerce data and software firm where she partnered with global manufacturers on eCommerce performance optimization, eCommerce data and reporting integration, and global structure and strategy best practices. She also has a fundamental understanding of the technology stack involved in operationalizing eCommerce, particularly from a content management perspective. Christina graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in business administration.

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Ben Antenore
Analyst

Ben supports drug channel research at Kantar. As an intern at Kantar, Ben also covered the drug channel, researching and creating syndicated content on CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens Boots Alliance. He graduated summa cum laude from Colgate University in 2017 with a B.A. in political science and peace & conflict studies.

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John Barry
CEO, Retail, Sales & Shopper Americas

As CEO of Kantar’s Retail, Sales & Shopper offer, John leads strategic development for the Americas business with responsibility for content, client, and product portfolio development. John has more than 20 years of consumer packaged goods experience in customer development, sales strategy, brand management, shopper marketing, and category management. Before joining Kantar, John held senior leadership roles at Keurig Green Mountain, Johnson & Johnson, Gillette, and Procter & Gamble. John received an MBA from Babson College and a B.S. in business administration from Northeastern University.

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Megan Bateman
Analyst

Megan is an analyst on the Market Insights team based in London, with a specialist interest in brand-led thought leadership. Since joining the team, she has produced a broad range of syndicated content that has included monthly innovation reports as well as market reports. As a graduate at Kantar, Megan worked across our consulting offer, which included brand strategy, shopper insights, innovation, and futures. With previous work experience in the advertising industry, she holds a B.A. degree with honors from University College London.

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Karl Berner
Associate Director

Karl advises key clients; crafts relevant solutions leveraging customized research, educational programs, or advisory support; and executes custom research programs. Karl’s experience in applying primary and secondary research insights enables clients through fact-based, future-focused planning. His strong quantitative and qualitative research skills bring efficiencies and drive research ROI for clients. Before joining Kantar, Karl was a client relationship leader and solutions architect at sister company Lightspeed. Karl holds an M.A. in applied sociology from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

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Timothy Campbell
Director

Tim leads research and insights for Kantar’s club channel coverage. He is responsible for developing syndicated content, hosting event presentations, and delivering custom work related to the three major U.S. club retailers: Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s Wholesale. He also coordinates coverage for Walmart International in addition to providing topical support for private label and more general brick-and-mortar retail insights. He has been cited by NPR, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and other media outlets. Tim joined Kantar in December 2013. He holds a B.A. in economics and political science from Gordon College.

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Anusha Couttigane
Principal Analyst

Listed as one of Drapers 30 Under 30 Rising Stars of the Fashion Industry for 2018, Anusha is one of Kantar’s leading experts in fashion, covering everything from cut-price clothing to luxury labels. Leading a new vertical in Kantar’s consulting practice, Anusha tracks all the latest trends in fashion, from mass market offerings to luxury strategies. Her expertise extends to digital drivers, clicks-to-bricks strategies, new routes to market, and artificial intelligence in fashion retailing. Before joining Kantar, Anusha was senior fashion analyst at Verdict Retail (formerly Conlumino) where she led its U.K. research across the clothing and footwear, health and beauty, and jewelry and watches sectors. A regular on the fashion circuit, Anusha is routinely quoted in the press and is often enlisted as an expert commentator by broadcast media. Anusha holds a degree in English and history from the University of Oxford, where she wrote her thesis on Dior.

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Rachel Dalton
Director, eCommerce/Omnichannel

Rachel leads eCommerce content and insights development for Kantar Retail IQ and Kantar events with a focus on Amazon and forecasting. She has a background in brand and global business management from her work leading strategic planning, new product development, and marketing initiatives across several CPG brands and categories. Rachel holds a B.A. from Connecticut College and an MBA from Cornell University.

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Caroline Dumas
Analyst

Caroline is an Analyst on the Shopper Insights team, contributing to content creation and analyzing ShopperScape® data for clients. Prior to joining Kantar in 2018, Caroline worked for a custom research firm executing and managing quantitative and qualitative research for clients. Caroline earned a B.B.A. in marketing from Georgia College and State University in 2016 and a master’s in marketing research from the University of Georgia in 2017.

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Lei Duran
Senior Vice President

Lei leads Kantar’s insights into Walmart and big-box retail. She has 20 years of experience as a marketing and merchandising strategist. She was a senior-level client for most of her career at Fortune 100 companies, including Delta Airlines, Miller, Walmart, and then on the agency side with WPP Geometry. She spent the most recent 15 years working in the Walmart ecosystem, including 10 years as a marketing and merchandising leader with a multibillion-dollar P&L. She most recently worked with top CPG suppliers using her deep understanding of Walmart to grow sales and distribution via marketing and advanced strategic planning. She is passionate about the fast-paced nature of commerce and has an innate curiosity about what drives shopper behavior. Lei holds a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

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Karolina Fiedler
Global Data Manager

Karolina manages Kantar’s global database of more than 1,200 retailers. She coordinates analyst and data team communication and workflows, ensures overall data and forecast quality, and is responsible for the publication of various data reports and retailer rankings. As a part of the London-based Market Insights team, Karolina also researches and publishes insights on European retail with specific coverage of Metro Group, where she worked as a financial analyst. Karolina frequently participates in research projects that cover the evolution of EMEA retail and that size and identify fast-growth retail channels in developed and emerging markets. Karolina holds a master’s degree in finance and accounting.

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Desiree Fung
Director, Strategic Advisory Services and Client Development

Desiree leads advisory services in EMEA, designing custom research solutions to address specific business challenges across the FMCG, retail, and professional services sectors. She also manages the development of strategic partnerships with some of KR's largest clients in EMEA. Desiree has a strong background in market research, retail insights, and business strategy. She brings a wealth of FMCG experience and international perspectives, having worked in multiple roles for multinationals such as Coca-Cola FEMSA and Kraft Foods in multiple countries across the Americas and Europe. She holds an MBA from INSEAD, France.

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Taylor Galland
Senior Analyst

Taylor is a senior analyst on the Kantar Market Insights team based in Boston. She is responsible for syndicated content, events, and custom strategic work centered on large-format stores in the mass, club, and home improvement channels. Before joining the Insights team, Taylor managed key client relationships and custom assortment planning initiatives for Kantar’s Perfect Category offer. She has a background in market research and comparative analysis. She holds a B.S. in economics and political science from Trinity College.

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Ray Gaul
Senior Vice President of European Retail Insights

Based in London, Ray is an expert in global retail trends. He typically works with clients looking to understand how retail is changing across multiple countries and continents. He currently focuses on pan-European retail topics, such as the success and expansion of grocery discounters, the rise of buying groups in Europe, and M&A activities among big retailers. Ray also sits on Kantar’s global center of excellence for eCommerce. In addition, Ray leads Kantar’s dedicated forecasting teams that provide clients with future views to aid in key channel/account planning. Ray joined Kantar in 2000 having worked previously in Ukraine for three years. He holds a B.A. in economics and an M.A. in international relations with a focus on international economic policy.

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Pam Goodfellow
Director, Retail Insights

Pam is a director on the Kantar Market Insights team, focusing on Target and US grocery. Pam has an extensive background in market research and consumer insights, having led syndicated and custom research in previous roles before joining Kantar. Pam has worked with a variety of clients, including mass, big-box, and specialty retailers, as well as CPG companies, financial institutions, and agencies. Pam is a former contributor to Forbes and has been cited by The New York Times, USA Today, Fortune, CNBC, NPR, and other media outlets. Pam graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in economics and marketing from Otterbein University and holds an MBA from Capital University.

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Reid Greenberg
Executive Vice President

Reid leads Kantar’s global eCommerce and digital advisory business. He has an extensive background in Amazon first- and third-party strategies, pure-play online retailers, eCommerce efforts of more traditional brick-and-mortar retailers, multichannel best practices, digital path to purchase, emerging digital/eCommerce trends, and the evolving impact of the connected omnichannel shopper. Reid’s opinions and commentaries have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Chief Information Officer, and other media banners. He was recently named one of the top eCommerce influencers to follow by Prisync.com. Reid has over 20 years of experience in a variety of senior eCommerce, digital, marketing, and leadership roles at companies such as eBay, Keurig Green Mountain, and Seventh Generation. Most recently, Reid served as president/CEO of Vermont’s Original, the 120-year-old manufacturer of the iconic Bag Balm brand of skin care.

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Tory Gundelach
Senior Vice President

Tory leads Kantar’s insights for Target and the grocery channel. She has a rich background in retail that helps her spot emerging trends and understand both the strategic and tactical implications. Before joining Kantar in 2018, Tory held numerous roles in insights, merchandising, and strategy with 84.51°/dunnhumby and Target. She holds an MBA and a bachelor of science in business from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.

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Derya Guvenc
Principal Analyst

Derya is a principal analyst on the Kantar Market Insights team in London. She covers big-box and small-box grocery retail in the EMEA region, with a significant emphasis on the convenience channel and the U.K.’s Big Four retailers (Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, and Morrisons). Her current areas of focus are channel blurring, store transformation, micro retail, and the future of shopper missions. Before Kantar, Derya covered the Central and Eastern European grocery market, with a strong focus on Russia, Turkey, and Poland. Before moving to London in 2012, Derya spent three years in retail market research in Istanbul. She holds a B.A. in economics from Boğaziçi University in Turkey and an M.A. in development studies from the Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands.

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Doug Hermanson
Principal Economist

Doug specializes in data management, forecasting, and applied economics for the economist and home improvement teams. He contributes economic, retail, and consumer insights through customized research, presentations, and syndicated publications. He is also a key developer of the econometric models and methodologies used in the channel, category, and country-level retail market forecasts produced at Kantar. He holds an M.S. in economics from The Ohio State University where he developed research on regional retail market development and financial commodity markets.

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Tiffany Hogan
Principal Analyst

Tiffany leads Kantar’s research on US apparel retailers, such as Macy’s and Nordstrom, tracks disruptive new retailers, such as Primark and Stitch Fix, and monitors the apparel industry at large. She also tracks Ulta, Sephora, and beauty at fashion retailers. Before joining Kantar in 2014, Tiffany worked in merchandising and store planning at Limited Stores.

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Simon Johnstone
Director

Simon Johnstone is a director on the Kantar Market Insights team based in Boston. He focuses on in-depth coverage of the discounter and convenience channels, including global coverage of Lidl and Aldi. Simon holds a B.A. in German from Royal Holloway University of London.

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Vadim Khetsuriani
Director, Central and Eastern Europe

Based in Moscow, Vadim leads Kantar insights on Central and Eastern Europe, including Russia and emerging modern retail markets. He helps FMCG clients understand the implications of the fast-changing retail landscape and the consolidation and rise of hybrid retail channels that are disrupting established segmentation and distribution strategies. Since 2008, Vadim has led Kantar’s consulting practice in Russia and Central Europe with a special focus on suppliers’ organizational capability development, annual strategic planning for key accounts, and preparing for negotiations with top retail customers. He also supports Kantar forecasting teams with analysis and forward-looking insights into leading Russian and Eastern European retailers. Vadim joined Kantar in the U.S. in 2000 before relocating to London in 2006 and Moscow in 2008. He holds as a B.S. in business administration from Boston University and an MBA in strategic market management from Babson College.

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Howard Lake
Senior Content Manager

Howard is senior content manager on the Kantar Market Insights team in London, responsible for overseeing content outputs across the EMEA team. Prior to Kantar, he held a senior editorial role at leading global retail analyst specialists. He also has extensive experience in print and digital publishing. While possessing a wide global retail knowledge base, his specialist interests include Asian eCommerce, omnichannel growth, and developing markets. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Winchester.

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Harriet Leach
Senior Analyst

Harriet is a senior analyst in Kantar’s eCommerce and digital practice based in London. Her focus is on the European online channel, analyzing digital and eCommerce trends and developing actionable insights through syndicated content, global events, and advisory. She focuses on Amazon and Alibaba strategy, as well as on disruptive players in new markets, online category management, and online brand strategy for FMCG clients. First joining Kantar as a graduate, Harriet worked on shopper research and on the Market Insights team, later moving into consulting and specializing in go-to-market and category growth strategy. Harriet holds a distinction in MRS market research and a B.A. in history and politics with honors from the University of Leicester.

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Jim Leonard
Senior Vice President, Strategic Advisory Services

Jim leads Kantar's custom and applied research solutions and facilitates training and planning for key clients around the globe. He works with Kantar's analyst teams as well as thought leaders from WPP's sister companies to create and apply market assessment and growth strategies for CPG/FMCG clients and select retailers. Jim brings a strong background in benchmarking work and translating best practices into actionable insight for manufacturers, retailers, and activation agencies. He also creates skill-building and case-based training solutions to improve capabilities and planning effectiveness. Jim previously served as commercial manager and editor of Kantar's online and print publications. His background includes product development and content syndication, classroom training, publishing, and database marketing. Before joining Kantar, Jim worked for a research and marketing firm and a multinational business publisher. He has also served as an adjunct university instructor. Jim holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from Boston College.

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Ioli Macridi
Senior Analyst

Ioli is a senior analyst on the Market Insights team based in London. Focusing on nonfood categories including health and beauty and pharma, Ioli also covers new routes to consumer, disruptive business models, and store-of-the-future research through both syndicated content and advisory work. Having previously worked for a global retail analyst business, Ioli has been providing cross-category strategic insights to FMCG brands for over five years on topics including digital disruption, ecommerce, and store innovation. Ioli holds a B.S. in strategic management from Babson College.

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David Marcotte
Senior Vice President

David leads Kantar’s insights into the current and future state of international retail, complex business processes, and technology. He covers a range of retail channels, including home improvement, consumer electronics, and food service. David is a provocative keynote speaker for events across the Americas and Asia. He is an experienced leader of international teams, a veteran executive consultant, and a retail solutions architect. Before joining Kantar, David was the global business intelligence lead for retail and CPG at IBM, advising retail clients on POS infrastructure, merchandising, loyalty programs, IT design, loss prevention, supply chain, and large data solutions. Before IBM, David spent 20 years working at every level of retail, from the shop floor to executive management, within discount, grocery, chain drug, and food service operations. He is a past member of the Efficient Consumer Response Category Management Standards Group and the Association for Retail Technology Standards. David’s publications include The Store of the Future.

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Paida Mugudubi
Director

Paida drives thought leadership on FMCG retailing with a particular focus on grocery and health and beauty. She focuses on insights that deliver a positive impact on both the top and bottom line. Before joining Kantar, Paida worked for a global FMCG manufacturer, initially heading strategy and planning for the U.K., Ireland, and Channel Islands markets and then the global travel retail business. She has also worked in global and regional consulting roles covering consumer, shopper, and retail insights across a broad range of FMCG categories. Paida holds an MSc in strategic management from the University of Bath.

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Ivana Nikolic
Senior Director, Strategic Advisory Services

Ivana builds custom research solutions and advisory services powered by Kantar’s syndicated data, insights, and expertise. She’s a technical expert in the selling process, creating product marketing collateral and sales toolkits to drive our eCommerce and digital offers, as well as managing key client relationships through ongoing research/training programs and retainers. Ivana brings a strong background in secondary and primary market research, qualitative and quantitative data analysis, and project management. Before joining Kantar, Ivana was a senior consultant at a consumer research and consulting firm in Boston. Ivana holds an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Boston.

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Brian Owens
Senior Vice President

Brian leads Kantar’s global syndicated health and wellness and drug channel research. Before joining Kantar, Brian held a variety of senior leadership positions in trade marketing, account management, purchasing, and finance at Reckitt Benckiser, Procter & Gamble, and Gillette. In those roles, he worked with a broad range of retailers in the mass, dollar, and drug channels. Brian has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Women’s Wear Daily, Chain Drug News, and on NPR. An expert on health and wellness, he has addressed the National Association of Chain Drug Stores. Brian earned an MBA from the George Washington University School of Business and a B.A. from Colgate University.

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Himanshu Pal
Principal Consultant, Kantar Middle East North Africa

Himanshu is Principal Consultant at Kantar’s Retail, Sales & Shopper practice. Based out of Dubai, he is responsible for delivering client projects around go-to-market strategy, business planning, commercial negotiations, and shopper and trade marketing in the Middle East, Turkey, and North Africa. Himanshu is also responsible for driving thought leadership on developing and emerging markets of Africa, Middle East, the Sub-Continent, and Southeast Asia. Prior to his current role, Himanshu was Vice President at Kantar’s Market Insights unit in Europe, where he led the practice on big-box (hypermarket and supermarket), convenience, and drug retailing; as well as being a subject matter expert on key global customers, such as Carrefour, Tesco, and Auchan. Himanshu is a frequent commentator on retail issues for the media and a key speaker at Kantar’s events and other trade conferences. He holds master’s degrees in business administration and finance.

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Kelly Petropoulou
Analyst

Kelly is an analyst on the Market Insights team based in London, mainly covering health and beauty and fashion through syndicated content and advisory work. She first joined Kantar as a graduate working with the Market Insights, Shopper Insights, and consulting teams where she focused on category growth strategy, channel landscaping, and shopper behavior. Kelly holds a BSc in psychology from the University of Bath and an MSc in organizational psychology from University College London, where she specialized in consumer behavior.

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Malcolm Pinkerton
Vice President

Based in London, Malcolm leads Kantar’s eCommerce and digital insights practice for Europe. He is responsible for delivering impactful market insights to help clients validate or form their eCommerce and digital strategies. In addition to highlighting future trends and their business implications, his team critically assesses the eCommerce and digital strategies of marketplaces, pure players, and traditional physical retailers to identify best practices and innovation. Malcolm has been analyzing retail and shopper behavior for 15 years. During that time, he has worked with some of the world’s leading retailers and consumer goods manufacturers to develop eCommerce strategies and deal with the disruption caused by the ever-changing omnichannel shopper. He holds a BSc in industrial systems and business management from the University of Westminster.

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Ellie Pinto
Analyst

Ellie is an analyst on Kantar’s grocery team and assists on Canadian grocery, developing syndicated content and insights on emerging trends within the channel. Prior to her grocery channel work, Ellie contributed to Kantar’s organizational performance offer. She also worked as an intern and then full time on Kantar’s Shopper Insights team in 2018. She has experience conducting primary and secondary shopper research and analyzing shopper behavior and attitudes. Ellie has a B.A. from Hamilton College with a major in economics and a double minor in anthropology and sociology.

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Amar Singh
Principal Analyst

Amar is a principal analyst, focusing on Canadian retail and eCommerce. He creates insights that inform strategic decisions related to key grocery, mass merchandising, drug, club, home improvement, and digital channels. Amar is a seasoned brand, shopper, and advertising researcher. Before joining Kantar in 2018, he managed consumer insights at a leading CPG brand in Canada, which included brand management, packaging optimization, and product innovation. Amar has an MSc in marketing and consumer studies from the University of Guelph.

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Todd Szahun
Senior Vice President

Todd leads the eCommerce and new retail insights team. Before joining Kantar, Todd held simultaneous corporate and operational roles within WPP, leading the expansion of practice areas including eCommerce, digital, data strategy, and shopper marketing across many of WPP’s top 50 clients. With deep client expertise in CPG; technology; entertainment; pharmaceuticals; and beer, wine, and spirits, Todd brings a wealth of experience building and deploying end-to-end marketing activities, including research, activation, amplification and measurement, that enable a broad view of what works across channels and sectors. Todd holds a B.A. in political science and an MBA with a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship. He is a published author, frequent speaker at industry events, and startup adviser.

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Liz Thayer
Senior Analyst

Liz is a senior analyst on Kantar’s Market Insights team based in Boston. She is responsible for developing syndicated content, delivering event presentations and custom work for the convenience channel, and researching and tracking developments in the cannabis market. Before joining the Insights team, Liz managed client engagement for Kantar’s Perfect Category offering. She graduated from Cornell University in 2018 with a B.S. in food science.

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Jill Trefz
Shopper Research Manager

As a member of the Shopper Insights team, Jill develops and manages the monthly ShopperScape® survey and periodic deep-dive surveys. Before joining Kantar in 2019, Jill was a market research analyst for a private label credit card provider whose clients included specialty apparel, beauty, and home goods retailers. Jill earned an MBA in marketing and a B.S. in fashion merchandising from The Ohio State University.

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Juliana Vivas-Avila
Associate Director

Based in London, Juliana is responsible for managing and delivering bespoke research projects within our Advisory Services team. She has considerable experience leveraging syndicated data and qualitative and quantitative market research methodologies to help global FMCG suppliers identify actionable insights they can use to develop and align their marketing, retail, and new product development strategies. Before joining Kantar, Juliana was an innovation consultant, leading projects on consumer trends, product development, and category white-space opportunities. Juliana holds an MSc in business management and innovation from Imperial College Business School in London and a B.A. with honors in industrial design from Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia.

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Mary Brett Whitfield
Senior Vice President

Mary Brett leads the shopper insights research and content development team for Kantar and also directs development of the company’s apparel retailing content. Mary Brett has extensive experience helping retailers and suppliers leverage shopper insights and other primary research data for performance improvement. She has worked at retail companies in market research, strategic planning, and sales development roles and has a strong background in industry and company analysis and competitive positioning work. Mary Brett earned a B.A. in economics from Smith College and an MBA from the University of Oklahoma.

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