Reshaping the Future of Retail
The conference, organized by the Bensadoun School of Retail Management and sponsored by KPMG, took place in Montreal on September 16, 2022. Participants had the unique opportunity to learn from industry practitioners and academics about the latest innovations and trends reshaping the retail landscape.
Didn't have the chance to join us? Here's what you missed!
Subtitles/closed captions (cc) are available in French. Les sous-titres (cc) sont disponibles en fran莽ais.
Speakers
Canadian Tire Corporation 鈥 Cornell University / Amazon Science 鈥 DLT Labs Inc. 鈥 Government of Canada 鈥 HBS 鈥 Kenan-Flagler Business School 鈥 KPMG 鈥 McKinsey 鈥 Meta 鈥 Sobeys 鈥 Walmart Canada 鈥 Wharton School
Sponsored by
Speakers
Click on the speaker's name for a full bio.
Ayelet Israeli
Chair Professor
Harvard Business School
Morris Cohen
Panasonic Professor, Manufacturing & Logistics
Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Vinayak Deshpande
Chair Professor of Operations
Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina
Garrick Tiplady
VP Global Business Group
Meta
Susan O'Brien
Chief Brand & Customer Officer
Canadian Tire Corporation
Tracey Spack
Director of Plastic Regulatory Affairs Division, Environment & Climate Change Canada
Government of Canada
Amir Danak
Associate Partner
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Jean-Fran莽ois Letarte
Partner, Supply Chain Advisory Practice
KPMG
Francis Lalonde
Vice President Transportation
Walmart Canada
Loudon Owen
CEO
DLT Labs Inc.
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Huseyin Topaloglu
Chair Professor
Cornell University
Scholar
Amazon Science
Presentation title: Joint Assortment Optimization and Customization
Ayelet Israeli
Chair Professor
Harvard Business School
Ayelet Israeli is the Marvin Bower Associate Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School Marketing Unit. She teaches the Rethinking Retail course in the MBA elective curriculum (EC), the Data Driven Marketing course in the Harvard Business Analytics Program (HBAP), and in various Executive Education programs. She has previously taught the Marketing course in the first year MBA required curriculum (RC), and the E-Commerce: Strategy, Growth, and Analytics course in the EC.
In her research, Ayelet studies omni-channel and e-commerce markets. In particular, she focuses on pricing, channel management, online marketing, and marketing analytics in the context of retail. Her research has been published in leading marketing journals including Marketing Science, Journal of Marketing Research, and Management Science. Her dissertation won the 2014 INFORMS Society for Marketing Science Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Award, and she was named a finalist for the 2018 and the 2019 Frank M. Bass Award. Her work has been cited by The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, MSN Money, and Harvard Business Review.
Ayelet received her PhD in marketing from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She holds an MBA from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she also earned her MSc and BSc in computer science. In addition to her academic experience, Ayelet served as a lieutenant in the Intelligence Corps of the Israeli Defense Forces and worked as an engineer at Israel Aerospace Industries and at Intel Corporation in Israel.
Presentation title: The Value of Descriptive Analytics: Evidence from Online Retailer
Morris Cohen
Panasonic Professor, Manufacturing & Logistics
Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Morris A. Cohen is the Panasonic Professor of Manufacturing and Logistics in the Operations (emeritus), Information and Decisions Department of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.听 He is also Co-Director of Wharton鈥檚 Fishman-Davidson Center for Service and Operations Management.
Morris has been a visiting faculty at Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Technion in Israel, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Kobe University in Japan, the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore, the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade, and the Interdisciplinary University in Israel.听 He also has served as an editor for Operations Research, Journal of Operations Management, Journal of Manufacturing and Operations Management, Naval Research Logistics, Supply Chain Management Review, the Journal of Production and Operations Management, Service Science and as department editor for the Journal of Manufacturing and Service Operations Management.听听 He is a Fellow of the Institute for Operations Research and Management Science, and a Senior Fellow of the Manufacturing and Service Operations Management Society. Morris is a recipient of awards for best paper IISE Transactions (2020), Wharton School Teaching Commitment and Curricular Innovation (2015), the Tibbets Award from the National Science Foundation (2007) and best paper IIE Transactions (1999).
Morris鈥檚 research interests include analysis of the drivers of global supply chain sourcing strategy and product-service system modeling with a focus on performance-based incentives and buyer-supplier coordination to support resilience and agility.听 He has also developed and implemented advanced optimization tools for supply chain resource planning.听 His recent application and consulting work include development of planning systems for supply chains in industries such as aerospace & defense, consumer electronics, health care technology, oil and gas, automobile, semiconductor equipment, computers, telecommunications, food, military logistics, process equipment, pharmaceutical, capital equipment leasing, and industrial paper/plastics.
Until recently Morris was founder and chair of the board of MCA Solutions, a software company specializing in after-sales logistics planning systems, which merged with PTC, a leading provider of decision support systems.听 He also has been a member of the Board of Directors of Vlasic Foods International, Inc., the Engineering Advisory Committee of the National Science Foundation and the Advisory Board for the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics.听 He recently founded a startup (AD3 Analytics LLC), whose vision is to help companies build agile and resilient supply chains through data driven decisions.听 He currently is the CEO of AD3.
Morris holds a B.A.Sc. in Engineering Sciences from the University of Toronto, as well as an M.S. in Industrial Engineering and a Ph.D. in Operations Research from Northwestern University.
Vinayak Deshpande
Chair Professor of Operations
Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina
Garrick Tiplady
VP Global Business Group
Meta
Garrick Tiplady is a global business leader with twenty years of experience managing and advising businesses at innovative, mission-driven companies. As Meta鈥檚 Vice President, Global Business Group for North America and Canada Country Director, Garrick helps businesses across the United States and Canada unlock new growth opportunities, while ensuring Meta is a positive contributor to Canada鈥檚 economic, social and cultural fabric. He leads a team across North America with a long-term vision focused on inspiring innovation to drive transformative growth. Garrick brings a strong sense of purpose in all areas of the business - whether impacting the innovation ecosystem in Canada, working across industries and borders with businesses of all sizes, or building community at a global scale - and is a passionate advocate for the power of technology to create new opportunities.
Garrick鈥檚 expertise draws on years of experience at Rogers Communications, as the SVP of Customer Experience, and the Boston Consulting Group, as a Principal within the Technology and Communications Practice. He has founded and run several successful start-ups, including Vemba Corporation, an enterprise platform for premium video distribution, and VSBLTY, a world leader in Proactive Digital Display. Garrick is the Chair of the Board of Koru, a venture fund created by the Ontario Teachers鈥 Pension Plan, a Director of Right to Play, an international non-profit organization that empowers vulnerable children to rise above adversity, and he serves on the Board of The Power Plant, Canada's leading public gallery devoted exclusively to contemporary visual art.
Susan O'Brien
Chief Brand & Customer Officer
Canadian Tire Corporation
Susan O鈥橞rien is the Chief Brand & Customer Officer at Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC). She oversees all aspects of CTC鈥檚 brand, aligning the curation of the entire customer experience across all channels and marketing programs. Susan also leads the long-term strategy around customer insights and is responsible for CTC's sponsorship, community, and ESG initiatives.
Susan is an expert in all things branding, positioning, and customer engagement. She has played a critical role in reinforcing CTC as a purpose-driven, values-based Company through the evolution and rollout of CTC鈥檚 Brand Purpose 鈥 We Are Here to Make Life in Canada Better 鈥 along with its Core Values. Susan has been integral to the reinvention of the Canadian Tire brand through award-winning programs like We All Play for Canada and Tested for Life in Canada. She spearheaded the launch of Triangle Rewards 鈥 one of the most strategically important initiatives in the history of CTC 鈥 connecting the entire group of companies under one loyalty and credit card program. Her work has contributed to the Company earning the 2013 Marketer of the Year Award from Marketing Magazine, as well as it being named Canada鈥檚 Most Admired Brand by L茅ger in 2019 and 2021 and one of Canada鈥檚 Strongest Retail Brands by Brand Finance in 2019.
Since joining the Company in 2008, Susan has held several progressively senior roles. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice-President, Marketing; prior to that, she was Senior Vice-President, Marketing & Corporate Affairs and Vice-President, Marketing for Canadian Tire.
Susan sits on the Boards of the Canadian Marketing Association and Enactus Canada. She holds an MBA in General Management from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario and a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) from Dalhousie University. Susan鈥檚 marketing acumen has consistently received industry-wide recognition, from her nomination for Marketing Magazine鈥檚 Top 30 under 30 awards to being named one of Toronto鈥檚 Brand Stars by Ad Week to one of Strategy Magazine鈥檚 Marketers of the Year. Most recently, she was named among the Globe and Mail鈥檚 Report on Business 50 Best Executives in 2022.
Presentation title: Leadership Driven Pride in Retail
Luc L鈥橝rchev锚que
Chief Merchandising Officer
Sobeys
Luc L'Archev锚que, who completed a Bachelor's degree in operations and production management at the 脡cole des Hautes 脡tudes Commerciales, began his career as a Buyer 鈥 Fresh meat division at Metro before joining Sobeys Quebec in 1997 as a Buyer for the grocery division. Over the next 8 years, he successively occupied the positions of Marketing Coordinator and Category Manager, grocery division.
In 2006, after spending a year with Mars Canada, he returned to Sobeys Quebec as Senior Director, Merchandising - Multi-Banner. Following his transfer to the IGA grocery merchandising team in December 2016 as Senior Director, he was promoted to Vice-President, Merchandising 鈥 Grocery for the IGA and IGA Extra banners in April 2017. Before being promoted as Chief Merchandising Officer in May of 2022, he occupied the role of Senior Vice President, Merchandising Grocery and Community.
Liam Sobey
VP Merchandising
Sobeys
Tracey Spack
Director of Plastic Regulatory Affairs Division, Environment & Climate Change Canada
Government of Canada
Dr. Tracey Spack has worked in the field of environment and health for the last 15 years, most recently as the Director for the Plastics Regulatory Affairs Division where she is responsible for developing and implementing regulations to control and manage plastic waste and pollution, including the Single Use Plastic Prohibition Regulations that were published on July 22, 2022. She holds a doctorate in Medical Anthropology from the University of Alberta and has a Master鈥檚 Certificate in Public Management from the Sprott School of Business, Ottawa and in the Strategic Management of Regulatory and Enforcement Agencies from the Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge.
Presentation title:听 Creating a Circular Economy through Environment and Climate Change Canada鈥檚 Plastics Regulatory Agenda
Amir Danak
Associate Partner
QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey
Amir Danak is an Associate Partner and Senior Expert in QuantumBlack, McKinsey鈥檚 Artificial Intelligence (AI) practice, with a focus on transforming businesses across different industries, leveraging advances in big data and advanced analytics. He has over a decade of experience building data science teams and data science products, and supports clients to develop the comprehensive data strategy, tech strategy, talent strategy, and the change management strategy needed to realize the full potential of data and analytics transformation. He holds a PhD degree in Engineering from 平特五不中 with a focus on developing adaptive data-driven decision support systems using reinforcement learning.
Presentation title: The Evolution of AI in Retail
Jean-Fran莽ois Letarte
Partner, Supply Chain Advisory Practice
KPMG
Jean-Fran莽ois Letarte is a Partner in the Supply Chain Advisory practice of KPMG and cumulates over 17 years of experience in Industry and Advisory Services, in the field of supply chain performance improvement, strategic sourcing and procurement. Jean-Fran莽ois acts as National Subject Matter Advisor in Procurement Transformation and is the Lead Partner for KPMG鈥檚 Coupa Alliance in Canada.
His areas of specialization include Strategic Sourcing and Procurement Technology Enablement, Logistics and Distribution Network Optimization.听
Since joining the management consulting field, he has been advising clients on supply chain related matters. Jean-Fran莽ois鈥 particular area of interest and expertise lies in advising clients in leveraging and adopting technology to propel procurement and sourcing capabilities.
Jean-Fran莽ois has led engagements in a variety of private industrial sectors, focusing namely on performance improvement, targeted cost reduction, as well as strategic investment decisions, including: Financial Services, Commercial Real Estate Operations, Consumer Product Goods, Retail and Distribution, Pharmaceutical as well as Industrial Manufacturing. He has also led and acted as subject matter expert for many Procurement and Supply Chain engagements serving Provincial government, Crown corporations, Public Utility and Federal government.
Francis Lalonde
Vice President Transportation
Walmart Canada
Francis is responsible for leading Walmart Canada鈥檚 fleet and transportation operations.
Prior to joining Walmart in 2018, Francis held a number of leadership roles including Vice President Operations for Eastern Canada with Sysco and Director of Integrated Business Planning for Dyno Nobel, one of the top three explosives manufacturers globally.
With extensive experience in both retail and distribution operations, Francis鈥 passion for the business, operating a safety-first organization, commitment to investing in people, and focus on continuous improvement is second to none.
Francis holds a master鈥檚 degree in international relations, a bachelor鈥檚 degree in political science, and is also a six-sigma green belt.
Loudon Owen
CEO
DLT Labs Inc.
Loudon Owen is CEO of DLT Labs Inc., which has developed a leading platform for digital transformation, with a complete suite of digital ledger technologies for enterprise.
Loudon has over 30 years of building businesses around the globe as an international businessman, venture capitalist, and lawyer. He previously co鈥恌ounded McLean Watson Capital, one of Canada鈥檚 premier venture capital firms.
In particular, he has decades of experience in technology ventures, including 3D imaging software, deep mining technology, xml data management, and now digital transformation and distributed ledger technology.
A champion of intellectual property rights he is recognized as one the world鈥檚 leading intellectual property strategists (IAM 300). He holds a BA (University of Toronto), a JD (Osgoode Hall Law School), and an MBA (INSEAD).
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Schedule
Friday, September 16, 2022
Time | Activity |
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7:30听am |
Registration/Breakfast |
8:15 am |
Welcome Remarks |
8:30听am |
Susan O鈥橞rien Leadership Driven Pride in Retail |
9:05听am |
Garrick Tiplady Beyond reality: The future of multi-dimensional discovery commerce |
9:40听am |
Morris Cohen Vinayak Deshpande A novel approach to achieving supply chain resilience using optimized machine learning |
10:15听am |
Break |
10:30听am |
Ayelet Israeli The Value of Descriptive Analytics: Evidence from Online Retailers |
11:05听am |
Luc L鈥橝rchev锚que Liam Sobey Feeding the Algorithm: Advanced Analytics in Food Retail |
11:40听am |
Amir Danak The Evolution of AI in Retail |
12:15 |
Lunch |
1:45听pm |
Huseyin Topaloglu Joint Assortment Optimization and Customization |
2:20听pm |
Tracey Spack Creating a Circular Economy through Environment and Climate Change Canada鈥檚 Plastics Regulatory Agenda |
2:55听pm |
Jean-Fran莽ois Letarte Francis听Lalonde Loudon听Owen Blockchain: Solving supply chain challenges in the retail industry |
3:30听pm | Closing cocktail reception |
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Sofitel Montreal Golden Mile
1155 Sherbrooke St W
Room: Picasso/Monet-Chagall
Montreal, Quebec H3A 2N3