BONUS EPISODE: Rounding Out NRF Big Show Global Insights with Kate Ancketill, Founder CEO, of GDR Creative Intelligence, and Alberto Serrentino, Founder Varese Retail

We have a special bonus episode for you today; hot on the heels of the NRF Big Show, we reached out to two Retail Experts who graced the stage in New York, all the way from the U.K. and Brazil to get a more global take on the significant trends and the year in retail ahead, from London, Kate Ancketill, Founder, CEO and chief story-teller at GDR Creative Intelligence, and from São Paulo, Alberto Serrentino, Founder, advisor, board member, speaker and author, Varese Retail.

Presented by Celonis

Don't miss the World Retail Congress to be held April 16-18 in Paris. Each year, top retail leaders from around the world join together to hear great speakers, join in amazing conversations, and much much more!

For the second year in a row the Remarkable Retail podcast is delighted to be a media partner and to offer a 20% discount on registrations for a limited time.

Simply go to https://lnkd.in/ekk3_s4 for more info and to pre-register by using our special registration codes.

Non-Retailer: REM-SPONR
Retailer: REM20

About Kate

As CEO and founder of Business Futurist consultancy GDR, Kate is a ‘wayfinder to the future’ and a retail guru with tech, consumer, retail and brand specialisation. GDR is the innovation partner to around 30 of the world's largest consumer brands, including: Target, P&G, Costa Coffee, Coca-Cola, Clorox, Danone, Carlsberg, Google, Microsoft, Jaguar Landrover, Tesco, Sainsburys, Waitrose and Lego.

Kate delivers compelling big picture narratives explaining how retail, brands and experiences are changing as a result of climate, economic, cultural and social shifts, the technology revolution and the cost of living crisis. She advises on the near to medium term future of customer experience, how marketing is evolving, and how best in class global players are using tech to meet emerging environmental and customer demands.

Kate takes a cross-sector, global view of innovation, which includes any interaction between brand and consumer, on or offline. Her goal is to make the audience feel inspired about their industry and their own ability to create, shape, or transform the future. She has the ability to clearly explain complex trends, societal shifts, or emerging technologies in a way that is relatable for any audience.

You can expect a charismatic performance, whether on a large stage, at a corporate event, in the boardroom, or as a panelist. Every presentation Kate gives has the WOW factor and will contain tailored research and analysis, Kate is renowned for inspirational WOW factor talks that are customised to each audience with bleeding edge innovation sourced by GDR's research and strategy teams. Much of the thinking will have been road-tested with the world's largest consumer-facing corporations, often at board level.

Kate is the 'Wayfinder to the Future’ for the world's largest retail conference, the NRF Big Show, having been invited to speak on future trends for the last 8 years. To read more from Kate follow the link below to her blog.

Company website with newsletter signup link: www.gdruk.com

My speaking biog: www.kateancketill.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateancketill/

X, Insta etc: gdruk

About Alberto

Advisor, board member, author and speaker.Founder of Varese Retail, a retail strategy, digital transformation and thought leadership boutique. He has over 30 years of experience in the retail and consumption industries. Serves on several boards of directors, innovation and digital acceleration committees of various retail companies and of the Brazilian Retail Consumption Society (SBVC). As an international speaker, he has made over 700 presentations, including 20 editions of the National Retail Federation’s Annual Convention (NRF Big Show). He authored and co-authored 9 books and published over 300 articles. Served as an invited professor at the Fundação Getúlio Vargas’ business school (FGV), and the University of São Paulo (USP). Appointed as the Only Latin-American Top Retail Influencer 2023by RETHINK Retail.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alberto-serrentino-4588691/

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor, board member, and keynote speaker focused on strategic growth and transformation and the impact of digital disruption. He is the author of the bestselling book Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption and the forthcoming Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption , which will be published in March 2024 and is now available for pre-order at book retailers everywhere. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior contributor and on social media..

Don't forget to join Steve's new Linked Group for his new book.

Michael LeBlanc is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice, a keynote speaker around the world and consumer growth consultant. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus Global eCommerce Leaders podcast, and The Food Professor , Canada's top food industry podcasts and one of the top management podcasts in the nation according to Apple, with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois. You can learn more about Michael on LinkedIn.

Be sure and check out Michael's Last Request Barbecue, his YouTube BBQ cooking channel!

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.