Omnichannel
LeadershipExecutive Summit
June 23-26, 2025 at Cornell Tech

in NYC

Neil Reynolds has worked within the commercial functions of CPG business for 24 years, spending 20 years in total at Mars.  He has worked across Customer Leadership, Strategic Sales and broader Demand Leadership roles and has led teams and business across both Food and Non-Food categories.  

In 2016 Neil joined Johnson & Johnson where he led the UK Consumer business, before re-joining Mars in 2019 to design and lead Global Transformation Programs across both the Supply and Sales functions.  He was appointed Global VP Digital Commerce in June 2022, and after 2.5 years being immersed in the fascinating world of Digital Transformation became Global Chief Customer & Digital Commerce Office in November 2024.  Neil is based in Wokingham, UK with his wife Rachel and their three young boys aged 10, 8 and 5. 

Karan Girotra, Professor of Operations, Technology and Information Management (OTIM), is the recipient of the Charles H. Dyson Family Professor of Management chair, for a 5-year term. This chair was given by Rob Dyson, MBA ’74 to support a founding faculty position for Johnson instruction at Cornell Tech, in honor of his father, the founder of the Dyson-Kissner-Moran Corporation.

Karan Girotra is a Professor at Cornell Tech and in the Johnson School at Cornell University. Karan collaborates with companies building new business models in the areas of urban living, smart transportation and e-commerce, helping them build rigorous research based solutions.

Karan’s research team has been recognized by multiple awards including the prestigious Wickham Skinner Early Career Research Award and multiple best paper awards. He has also won teaching awards for his teaching on entrepreneurship and new business models and was featured in the Poets and Quant’s Best 40 under 40 business professors lists.

In addition to his academic work, Karan was one of the founders of Terrapass Inc., which the New York Times identified as one of the most noteworthy ideas of 2005. Since then, TerraPass has helped businesses and individuals reduce over hundred million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Karan holds PhD and AM degrees from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

Christi is a transformative strategy and marketing executive with 20+ years of success in leading brand building, omni commerce, media, innovation, and insights for some of the world’s largest CPG companies and agencies. With insatiable curiosity, she is a lifelong learner and futurist who excels at demystifying ambiguity by unearthing and translating breakthrough opportunities into bold growth strategies. A champion of people and the power of possibilities, Christi unites and energizes teams to creatively solve complex business challenges and build iconic brands, while having a great time together. Expect her to lean into uncertainty with positivity and relentlessly asking “What if…?” and “What’s next?”.

Visiting professor of marketing, founder of Bohling Consulting, a brand strategy and digital marketing agency, chief marketing officer, chief communications officer, and chief enrollment officer, recognized for teaching excellence and top-tier research productivity, building and transforming entrepreneurial and multi-billion dollar businesses and institutions, and delivering exceptional and purposeful results in both mature and growth markets. For over two decades, across both industry and academia, significant contributions have been made in teaching and leading marketing, communications, admissions, operations, and strategy functions both domestically and internationally, serving on industry and academic boards, and publishing several research papers in scholarly academic journals.

Tim’s research portfolio is centered on both scholarly rigor and practitioner relevance in areas of digital marketing, brand and customer management, and innovation adoption.

Dan Hooker is a global retail and consumer packaged goods executive with broad experience across diverse business environments and formats, leading traditional food retail operations and merchandising, as well as product development, consumer and category analytics, sourcing and procurement, global trading, national sales, and e-commerce. An outstanding strategist and general manager, he has led the successful startup of multiple diverse businesses. Known for and recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on retailers’ proprietary brands, Mr. Hooker has shaped clients’ programs across four continents and eight classes of trade. His passion is in helping companies recognize their unique DNA and positioning then creating actionable marketing and sales strategies essential for their success.

Parag Shah is co-founder and Chief Growth Officer at Think Blue, a consulting firm that helps transform businesses by melding digital innovations with traditional expertise.

Formerly, at The GIANT Company, Mr. Shah led the Center Store and Omnichannel Merchandising initiatives, guiding a dedicated team to blend traditional retail excellence with digital innovation, significantly enhancing both customer experience and business performance. Mr. Shah’s tenure at Wakefern Food Corporation saw him ascend through various pivotal roles, culminating in a vice-presidential position where he spearheaded initiatives that transformed merchandising practices and nurtured collaborative success across the cooperative.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Mr. Shah is passionately committed to mentorship and advocacy, particularly focusing on educational empowerment for underprivileged communities and fostering diversity within the industry. His goal is to inspire and uplift, sharing the knowledge and insights he’s gained to nurture the next generation of industry leaders.

As SVP Commerce Marketing, Kathryn is a marketing professional with expertise in digital marketing, media, analytics, content development and paid partnerships with social media influencers. Before AUC, Kathryn spent her previous decade at Hasbro. Her previous experience in integrated marketing including brand strategy, digital marketing and media, and analytics, is critical in breaking down internal silos and unifying shopper and ecommerce teams into one integrated omni account group.

Doug Baker is a grocery retail industry relations vice president for FMI, where he facilitates professional, non-competitive collaboration among member communities responsible for private brands, supply chain, technology and business continuity issue areas.

As the Vice President of Industry Relations at FMI, Doug leads initiatives to promote industry advocacy and innovation, collaboration, and professional development. His role involves overseeing key industry initiatives related to digital and technology transformation, business growth and continuity, and associate and customer safety.

Prior to FMI, Doug began his career in the food retail industry in 1984 with Fry’s Food Stores. His 40 years in food retail have included leadership roles at Fry’s (a division of Kroger), Kraft/Nabisco and Federated Foods, with focuses on retail operations, consumer packaged goods, private brand development, and marketing.

Dr. Li Chen is a Professor of Operations, Technology and Information Management and Breazzano Family Term Professor of Management at Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. Dr. Chen’s research interests concern supply chain management, operations strategy, and Bayesian methods for predictive and prescriptive analytics. He has published research works in top journals in the operations management field, such as Management Science, Operations Research, and Manufacturing, Service and Operations Management. Prior to joining Johnson School, Dr. Chen was an Associate Professor of Business Administration at The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. Before his Duke appointment, Dr. Chen spent four years at TrueDemand Software, a supply chain software company in Silicon Valley, where he was the cofounder and lead scientist of the company. Dr. Chen obtained his PhD in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University in 2005.

With over 30 years of experience with the companies of Ahold Delhaize and more than 20 years working in grocery eCommerce, Daniël started his career as a parttime associate at Albert Heijn in The Netherlands. He worked in various store leadership roles for the brand, before joining Albert Heijn’s Online division. With Albert Heijn Online, Daniël held various roles that helped shape the brand’s eCommerce strategy, including, eCommerce Project Lead, Inbound Supply Chain Manager and Manager of Logistics and Replenishment.

In 2013, Daniël moved to the U.S. to join Peapod as part of an expatriate program to exchange knowledge on eCommerce between Europe and the United States. He made the decision to stay in the U.S. as Ahold Delhaize USA was standing up Peapod Digital Labs, ADUSA’s former eCommerce shared services organization. With PDL, Daniël held various leadership roles including, Senior Director of Fulfillment Strategy.

Daniël studied business administration at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam and holds an executive masters in logistics from the Dutch Association of Logistics Management. Daniël is a guest lecturer on Omnichannel Strategy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s MicroMasters in Supply Chain Management program.

Matt Geddie is the co-founder and partner who leads strategy and the CPG Practice at The Maker Group. Before joining TMG, Matt was COO/Co-Founder of Chiavaye, which was acquired by NeilMed Pharmaceuticals, Partner at The Gap Partnership, along with President of Skinny & Co., which he co-founded, where he served as both President and Chairman of the Board.

As VP Media at Advantage Unified Commerce, Megan Jordan is an acquisition and growth marketing leader who specializes in market research and media planning, buying and sales. Before AUC, she was the Head of Growth Marketing at Droplette and has a proven track record of excellence in performance marketing and digital innovation.

Gordon Reid serves as President of Stop & Shop, a great local brand of Ahold Delhaize USA. Founded in 1914, Stop & Shop now has more than 400 stores across the Northeast and employs nearly 54,000 associates.

Prior to joining Stop & Shop in 2019, Gordon Reid served as President of Giant Food and led the brand to the number one market share position in each of its local markets. Under his leadership, the company made healthy eating easier and affordable, while also growing home delivery and transforming the shopping experience with the customer top of mind.

Reid has more than 35 years of international retail experience. Before joining Giant Food, he worked as CEO of China and Deputy Regional Director of North Asia for The Dairy Farm Group in Hong Kong. Previously, he spent time at Tesco in various leadership roles and worked in a variety of countries such as Hungary, India and China. He also previously worked at Boots in the United Kingdom for 15 years, where he held general management roles, and at A.S. Watson Group spending time in Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea. He started his career as a pharmacist in 1984.

Reid holds a bachelor’s of science in pharmacy from Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, U.K., and a Master’s of Business Administration from Nottingham University Business School in the U.K. He serves on the Board of Directors at the Greater Boston Food Bank and Partnership for a Healthier America. Reid also serves on the National Academy of Sciences’ Roundtable for Obesity Solutions representing Stop & Shop, which was the first-ever grocery retailer to join this group in their work to address the obesity crisis. Gordon and his wife reside in Boston, Mass.

Brent Oakley is a serial entrepreneur and retail disruptor with a passion for building what’s next. After founding and scaling multiple retail business locations, Brent turned his focus to transforming the in-store experience through media. In 2018, he launched Vibenomics, which quickly became the nation’s largest programmatic in-store audio advertising network—connecting major brands to millions of shoppers in real time.

Now, as President of In-Store Marketplace (ISM), Brent is leading the charge again—this time launching the first platform to unify audio and digital display into a single, scalable retail media solution. His ability to anticipate industry shifts and build technology that powers commerce has made him a go-to voice in the evolving world of retail media.