Spark Plug

Mark Ross-Smith is an award-winning global airline loyalty industry leader, and he is CEO & Co-founder at StatusMatch.com, helping airlines grow and manage their most valuable customers. Mark has worked with major brands like Emirates, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Frontier, Spirit, El Al, Copa, Royal Air Maroc, LATAM & more. Known as “Mr Loyalty”, Mark is the most followed airline loyalty leader on social media, and he won Loyalty Magazine’s ‘Loyalty Royalty’ 30 under 40 Award in 2022. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audio Spark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use Spark systems today.

Pavel Los is a global leader in the world of loyalty marketing. He has a wealth of experience from working in multicultural organizations on both a national and regional level. For 20 years he served Shell Oil in a variety of leadership positions, starting off on the marketing side and working his way up to Country Chairman for the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Pavel is currently the Consumer Engagement & Loyalty Strategist at Oracle, a cloud technology company that provides organizations around the world with computing infrastructure and software to help them innovate, unlock efficiencies and become more effective. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audio Spark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use Spark systems today.

With over 25 years of leadership experience in the retail industry, Mike Robinson is currently on the founding team of The Eighth Notch, a technology platform focused on sustainable last-mile deliveries. His expertise in digital retail growth, operations, and product management, gained through executive roles at Macys.com, Gap Inc., IBM, and PwC Consulting, make him a sought-after strategic advisor to several early-stage start-ups. Additionally, Mike serves as an Independent Board director of Vista Outdoors, Inc. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audio Spark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use Spark systems today.

John-Pierre Kamel is the Managing Director of RFID Sherpas, a boutique retail consultancy that has helped many retailers and brands craft their RFID and Omni-channel strategies as well as optimize the operational execution and profitability of their programs. John-Pierre has over 20 years of retail solutions experience and is a recognized leader in the commercial dynamics impacting the pace of adoption of RFID in Retail. He is a regular speaker on the value of RFID and has sat on several standards bodies and industry forums, including EPC Global's Strategic Advisory Council and GS1 Canada's Standards & Services Governance Board. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audio Spark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use Spark systems today.

John Gregory is the Global Category Development Officer for Retail, QSR and Travel at Spotify. He and his team work to grow these verticals through product innovation and being responsive to advertiser needs and industry trends. Prior to Spotify, John was Head of Retail Industry Strategy at Pandora and the Category Development Officer for Retail at AOL. John is a member of the elite NRF Digital Council, an invite-only group of senior-level experts who discuss best practices and solutions in the retail industry. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audio Spark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use Spark systems today.

Simon Severino is an expert at scaling startup businesses and accelerating sales for companies large and small. He’s the author of the book Strategy Sprints, and he created the Strategy Sprints™ Method that helps entrepreneurs double revenue in 90 days. His team is trusted by Google, Consilience Ventures, BMW, Roche, Amgen, AbbVie and hundreds of frontier teams. He is a TEDx speaker, and has appeared on over 800 podcasts. He writes for Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazine, and we’re excited to have him on the podcast today. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audio Spark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use Spark systems today.

Neil Saunders is Managing Director at GlobalData Retail, a retail research agency and consulting firm. Neil and his team work with many of the world’s leading retailers to help Them maximize success through developing a thorough understanding of the sector and its likely future performance. As a retail analyst, Neil studies many aspects of the industry, including consumer behavior, brand preferences, channel dynamics, competitive strategies, and market forecasts. Neil is a contributor and speaker known for sharing retail analysis that is understandable, relevant, actionable, and exciting. Yes, analytics can be exciting! Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audio Spark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use Spark systems today.

Gina Fleck is VP and Head of Loyalty Experience Consulting at Merkle, a global customer experience partner for Fortune 1000 companies and nonprofits. Gina is an expert in customer engagement, loyalty and retention and highly skilled in creating strategic, global consumer-facing marketing initiatives that lead to measurable results. She is also an expert in using gamification and other emerging technologies in loyalty experiences. Prior to Merkle, Gina led loyalty strategy at HelloWorld and Expedia. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audio Spark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use Spark systems today.

Andrea Leigh is an eCommerce educator, speaker, writer, and co-host of the popular CPG Guys podcast. With over 20 years of eCommerce experience working with thousands of brands, her deep expertise has unlocked sustainable growth opportunities for brands of all sizes. A ten-year former senior executive at Amazon, she helped launch Amazon’s automated pricing system programs, and ran Amazon Prime for Amazon Canada. She is a recognized thought leader in the commerce industry and a frequent keynote speaker at various conferences and corporate events.and we’re excited to have him on the podcast today. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audio Spark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use Spark systems today.

Melissa Burdick is an innovative Business Strategist and E-commerce thought leader, with almost two decades of ecommerce experience. In 2018 she co-founded Pacvue, an enterprise platform for E-commerce advertising, sales, and intelligence. Pacvue helps brands and sellers to grow their business across Amazon, Walmart, Instacart, and other marketplaces. Previously, Melissa had a decade of success working at Amazon, where she helped launch the Consumer Packaged Goods retail business on Amazon.com. She Joined Amazon Media Group at inception, launched the first vendor display ad and helped monetize Amazon’s programs such as Family, Student, Prime, Studios, and Fresh. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audio Spark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use Spark systems today.

Steve Dennis returns for another insightful conversation on the Spark Plug podcast! Steve is a strategic advisor, keynote speaker, and bestselling author, and he is widely considered one of the foremost and influential voices in retail. Steve's groundbreaking book--"Remarkable Retail"--is a perennial international business bestseller. During his career as a C-suite executive at two Fortune 500 retailers, Steve worked with dozens of retail, consumer, luxury and social impact brands to design their journey to remarkable results. He is currently the President of SageBerry Consulting. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audio Spark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use Spark systems today.

Dr. Jonathan Reichental is the founder of Human Future, a global business and technology advisory, investment, and education firm. He is a recognized global thought leader on urban innovation, sustainability, and digital transformation. He has written three books on the future of cities and just released his fourth book, Data Governance for Dummies. Jonathan has landed on several national and international lists of top CIOs. He also instructs at several universities and regularly creates online video courses for LinkedIn Learning. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audio Spark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use Spark systems today.

Sravana Kumar Karnati is the SVP and CTO at Walmart International, the world’s largest big box retailer. He has a strong background not only in retail and technology, but also in agile methodologies and software development. Sravana is a former Amazon executive with experience managing global teams and leading technology transformation with a focus on improving IT service levels, product quality testing, and customer satisfaction. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audio Spark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use Spark systems today.

Jennifer Nolfi is the Executive Director at Center for Retail Leadership, a program within Portland State University’s Business School where students and industry professionals are rewriting the story of retail. Prior to joining PSU, she served as the Director for Partnership Development at Looptworks, a design firm that uses excess premium materials to craft limited edition clothing and accessories. Jennifer counts among her key accomplishments spearheading a public-private research partnership that culminated in the first comprehensive market study of the Athletic and Outdoor Industry. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audio Spark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use Spark systems today.

Michelle Grant is Director of Strategy and Insights for Retail & Consumer Goods at Salesforce. She is a globally-recognized expert in the retail industry, regularly tapped by The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Shoptalk, and World Retail Congress for her insights and speaking engagements. Footwear News honored her as one of 6 Powerful Women in Tech in 2021, and RETHINK Retail named her as one of their Top Retail Influencers of 2022. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audio Spark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use Spark systems today.

Andrew Smith is the Co-Founder & Managing Partner at ThinkUncommon, a company that works with retailers and retail partners of all sizes to build crafted programs to support their innovation agendas. With a background in analysis, retail insights, business development, and more, Andrew is well-versed in creating business and creative strategies as well as predicting consumer trends. He is also an author, educator, on-air contributor, and keynote speaker. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audio Spark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use Spark systems today.

Hitha Herzog is Head of Retail Research and a Chief Retail Analyst at DONEGER | TOBE, “a people-first insights agency delivering consumer, commercial, and creative strategies to keep brands relevant .” With a background in analysis, retail insights, business development, and more, Hitha is well-versed in creating business and creative strategies as well as predicting consumer trends. She is also an accomplished author, educator, on-air contributor, and keynote speaker. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audio Spark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use Spark systems today.

Paul do Forno is a Managing Director for Commerce & Content at Deloitte, a leading consultancy specializing in audit & assurance, consulting, risk and financial advisory, risk management, tax, and much more. He’s been named one of the Top 100 E-commerce Influencers in the world by Retail Technology Innovation Hub. In this episode, Paul discusses the rise of livestream shopping, how e-commerce and physical retail are merging, virtual shopping, AI in retail and why loyalty matters in retail. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audio Spark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use Spark systems today.

Michael Zakkour is the Founder of 5 New Digital, a global retail and digital consulting firm with offices across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. He has worked with hundreds of companies on their retail, eCommerce, marketing, technology, and international growth strategies for more than 25 years. Additionally, Michael is one of “Rethink Retail’s 2022 Top 100 Retail Influencers," the author of two Amazon bestsellers, “The New Retail” and “China’s Super Consumers,” and a 5-time “Alibaba Global Digital Influencer.” Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audio Spark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use Spark systems today.

Spiffy’s Co-founder and CEO, Scot Wingo, is a 4-time serial entrepreneur from the Research Triangle Park, NC region. Scot is an industry thought leader in E-commerce, E-service, and the future of mobility. He has appeared on CNBC and The Today Show, and has contributed thought leadership to the WSJ, New York Times, Forbes, and many other publications. Scot is co-host of The Jason & Scot Show podcast, and regularly speaks about E-commerce and mobility across the country. Thanks for listening to Spark Plug -- find all our episodes at Sparkplug.audio Spark Plug is brought to you by SnowShoe.io, the leading provider of SparkLoyalty -- the leading retail loyalty and customer engagement system. 3 million happy shoppers around the world use Spark systems today.