State of the Consumer: Feeling the Pinch this Back to School Season

Hosted by

• Guest speaker
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  Rick Stringer SVP, Global Consumer & Customer Leadership Center @ Crayola

  Functional Leadership: Consumer & Shopper Insights, Business Intelligence, Category Management, Merchandising 30 years experience in the CPG industry 22 years with Crayola Based in Crayola’s Corp. HQ in Easton, PA

• Guest speaker
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  Benjamin Lepse Associate Director, Customer Insights & Strategy – Seasonal @ Walmart

  A long-time researcher and insights professional, Ben knows the importance of understanding your customer and how their preferences and behaviors may shift based on the occasion or season. Ben has 10+ years of insights experience, coming to Walmart from Decision Insight where he led market research projects predominantly for a variety of CPG brands. In his time with Walmart, Ben has led insights covering several business units - Seasonal, Baby, Beauty and Home. In his current role as Associate Director of Seasonal Insights, Ben leads customer research and consulting to understand Walmart’s Customer and their preferences and behaviors during these Seasonal timeframes – think National Holidays, and larger “seasons” such as Back to School and Winter Holidays. Outside of work, Ben can be found playing hockey, golf, or spending time with his wife and daughter.

• Guest speaker
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  Katie Gross Chief Customer Officer @ Suzy

  A long-time MRX veteran, Katie Gross knows the importance of bringing your consumer into every business decision. Her deep understanding of the full market research value chain stems from 18 years of international experience across every facet of the industry — working with insights agencies Mintel and Stylus to individual brands at Avilton Foods, and even within the world of programmatic survey sampling at Cint and Toluna. Now in her role as Chief Client Officer, she manages the Sales, CS, and Market Research Center of Excellence teams to provide best-in-class customer service for Suzy’s impressive roster of enterprise clients. Outside of work, Katie tirelessly advocates for women in the workplace, with an added focus on fostering financial independence. She counts herself a member of Women In Research’s WIR exec program, all-female leadership network Chief, and the Financial Gym. She can be found kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding on the lakes of Northern New Jersey.