The Consulting Report is pleased to announce The Top 25 Consumer and Retail Consultants and Leaders of 2022. These exceptional executives have deftly led their firms across segments of the consumer and retail sector, advancing their clients’ objectives and consistently driving exemplary results.
We honor Greg Portell, Lead Partner of Kearney’s Global Consumer Practice, for his broad thinking and philosophy of collaboration; Jill Standish, Senior Managing Director and Global Lead of Accenture’s Retail Industry Group, for her vision and thought leadership; and Bill Watts, Crowe LLP’s National Consumer Markets Leader, for his ability to manage change, navigate complexity, and unlock value to thrive in an ever-changing world.
We selected these industry leaders from a class of talented nominees, noting their keen insight, proven expertise, and reputation for excellence. Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top 25 Consumer and Retail Consultants and Leaders of 2022.
1. Leon Pieters, Deloitte
Title: Global Consumer Industry Leader
Leon is the Global Consumer Industry Leader at Deloitte, covering retail, consumer products, automotive as well as travel and hospitability and representing $10.6 billion in global revenue. He is also the Global Sector Leader for Consumer Products, serving C-suite clients around the world, especially in the Food and Beverage and Apparel and Footwear business.
Pieters has more than 25 years of experience in complex business and digital transformation projects, supply chain optimization projects and revenue improvement initiatives for large multi-nationals in these sectors. He is leading multi-disciplinary teams across countries and regions, with a focus on “making it happen and making it stick.”
Pieters also serves as the Global ESG leader for Clients and Industries at Deloitte. He is passionate about sustainability, reducing carbon emissions, and supporting a resilient global supply chain. In this role, he helps senior executives at major companies accelerate initiatives to address climate change.
2. Greg Portell, Kearney
Title: Lead Partner, Global Consumer Practice
Greg Portell is a Partner and Global Lead in Kearney’s Consumer and Retail practice with more than 20 years of management consulting experience working with consumer-centric companies. He counsels on topics including rapid earnings expansion, activist investor engagement, digital transformation, growth, and organizational leadership.
Portell has a wide range of expertise within consumer industries and frequently provides commentary to top tier media publications. Using a consumer-first point of view, he has developed solutions for clients on how to address needs with meaningful benefits as well as published materials through the Kearney Consumer Institute, Kearney’s Inside the Mind podcast, and other legacy reports.
In addition to his work at Kearney, Portell sits on the advisory board for University of Tennessee’s Global Supply Chain Institute and has held speaking, moderator, and panelist positions at nationally-recognized consumer industry conferences. He received his Master of Business Administration from Washington University, Olin Business School, and his Bachelor’s degree in Economics and French from DePauw University.
3. Jill Standish, Accenture
Title: Senior Managing Director and Global Lead of Accenture’s Retail Industry Group
Jill Standish is the Senior Managing Director and Global Lead of Accenture’s Retail Industry Group. In this role, she is responsible for the overall vision, thought leadership, and strategy. Key elements of the role include defining the portfolio of clients, offerings, and strategic alliances with software providers, as well as the makeup of the talent to serve the retail industry globally.
Standish has more than 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and consulting in retail. Prior to joining Accenture, she was Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Retail Business Unit at Oracle, responsible for the full P-and-L and go-to-market for the retail portfolio of solutions. Before that, Standish spent much of her career at IBM in various leadership positions. She was the Vice President and Global Leader for IBM’s Global Business Services retail consulting practice, responsible for its vision, strategy, and financial growth. She was also Vice President, Retail Store Solutions.
In 2017, Retail Leader named Standish as one of the industries “Women to Watch in Retail.” She was honored by Women’s Wear Daily as one of the 2017 Women Leaders in Business, and Consulting Magazine included her in its Top 25. Standish regularly publishes thought leadership in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, WWD, USA Today, Chain Store Age, and Forbes. Standish serves on the Board of Directors for the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA). She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Massachusetts, graduating summa cum laude.
4. Sajal Kohli, McKinsey
Title: Senior Partner, Global Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods Practices
As a Senior Partner with McKinsey & Company, Sajal Kohli leads the firm’s Global Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods Practices and works with retail and consumer-goods companies to guide commercial and operational transformations. Kohli has worked for McKinsey for more than 25 years. The oldest and largest of the "Big Three" management consultancies, and a trusted advisor to the world's leading businesses, governments, and institutions, the firm employs more than 30,000 professionals working in more than 130 cities worldwide.
Before joining the firm, Kohli was an executive for a retail and consumer goods company in Asia and Europe. He has provided keynote addresses at the APAS Show, Consumer Brands Association, The Food Marketing Institute, Google Retail Advisory Council, and National Retail Federation. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Commerce, Accounting, and Economics from the University of Delhi Sriram College of Commerce, a Master of Management from S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), and a Master of Business Management from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.
5. Bill Watts, Crowe LLP
Title: National Consumer Markets Leader
Bill leads Crowe's firm-wide Consumer Markets group, covering audit, tax, consulting, and advisory services for the firm. He specializes in the market segments of consumer branded products, retail, packaged food, and beverages. He assists organizations with leading-edge expertise and insights to manage change, navigate complexity, and unlock value for thriving in an ever-changing world. Watts has spoken at several national and international conferences on consumer markets, as well as published articles and thought leadership papers.
He has worked with business of all sizes, from Fortune 500 to middle-market companies and private equity groups. Watts focuses his expertise in the areas of accounting and financial reporting, cybersecurity, merger and acquisitions, and business process outsourcing. He also leads Crowe's Consulting Accounting Advisory practice, and previously served as the firm’s Retail Leader and Partner in Charge of the National Internal Audit practice. Additionally, he has held leadership roles in enterprise risk management, corporate governance, and process optimization. Prior to Crowe, Watts held leadership positions in business risk services and retail at EY, Emerson Electric, and Deloitte.
6. Oliver Wright, Accenture
Title: Senior Managing Director, Global Lead of Accenture’s Consumer Goods & Services Industry Group
As Accenture’s global Consumer Goods and Services Industry group lead, Oliver Wright helps clients strategize, innovate, and increase agility for a new era of growth. With more than 20 years of experience in this sector (at Accenture, Bain and Company, Ernst and Young, and others), he sees enormous opportunity everywhere—for incumbents and new entrants. Wright is committed to progress and sustainable advancement in this sector.
He has co-authored key industry thought leadership for Accenture and contributed to industry discussion in numerous publications. Also, he has led the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Consumer Group for four years (2016 to 2020), addressing issues such as operating models of the future, the future of retail and, most recently, the role of consumer data in creating new models of responsible consumption.
7. Mirko Warschun, Kearney
Title: Senior Partner, Managing Director, and Consumer and Retail Business Lead, Europe
Dr. Mirko Warschun is a Senior Partner and Managing Director with KEARNEY, where he leads the Consumer and Retail Practice in Europe. In more than 25 years of global professional experience (consulting, M&A, VC/PE), Warschun has deep functional expertise in CEO advisory, strategy, growth, corporate governance, and large-scale transformation - with an increased emphasis on digital transformation. In this capacity, he is a trusted advisor to CEOs and boards of several major companies in the consumer goods and retail sector. He is actively facilitating change as a mentor, advisory board member, and investor in startups around the world.
Warschun has a passion for consumer industries and digital business models and is frequently interviewed on trends in major business journals and digital media. He is regularly featured as a speaker, panelist, and moderator at leading industry conferences and board meetings. In addition, he is a member of the Strategic Board of CEMS – The Global Alliance in Management Education.
Warschun holds a Master in International Management from CEMS for his studies at the Stockholm School of Economics, a Doctor of Philosophy in Management from the University of Oldenburg, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Cologne. During his career, he attended a senior executive program at the London Business School.
8. Kostya Polyakov, KPMG Canada
Title: Partner and Canadian National Industry Leader, Consumer & Retail
Kostya Polyakov is KPMG Canada’s National Industry Leader for the Consumer and Retail practice. He has more than 20 years of experience advising businesses across Canada and the U.S., primarily those in the retail, hospitality, and restaurant sectors. Polyakov works with both public and private companies and focuses on advising boards, shareholders, and executives on key strategic business decisions, including go-public transactions, mergers and acquisitions, as well as corporate governance and other board-level issues.
Polyakov’s clients range in size from large, complex, mature multi-national organizations with more than $3B in revenue, to high-growth small and mid-sized private companies. Polyakov previously led the technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) practice for KPMG in the greater Vancouver area and has had significant experience outside of KPMG as an operations and sales leader for one of Canada’s top distribution and manufacturing companies. Polyakov’s blend of retail, technology, and operational experience has led to his advising some of Canada’s fastest growing and most recognizable retailers, as well as some of Canada’s largest and most established restaurant chains.
Polyakov was previously recognized by Business in Vancouver as a Top 40 Under 40 award recipient for his achievements both professionally as well as in the community, where he has held numerous Board of Directors positions serving a number of not-for-profit organizations. Polyakov currently serves on the Board of Directors of Vancouver’s iconic Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival.
9. Maki Kurosawa, Arthur D. Little
Title: Partner and Leader, Healthcare and Life Sciences and Consumer Goods Practices, Japan
Maki Kurosawa is a Partner at Arthur D. Little’s (ADL) Tokyo office, where she heads the Consumer Goods and Retail Practices and leads the Consumer Health Competence Center in Global Healthcare and Life Sciences Practice. ADL has been at the forefront of innovation since 1886. The company has extensive consulting experience within the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), Healthcare, and Life Sciences sector, supporting projects including strategy development and product development.
With more than 30 years of consulting experience, Kurosawa covers mid- and long-term corporate and growth strategy development, overseas business expansion, research and development, technology innovation, sustainability management, and commercial due diligence. She has extensive experience supporting leading Japanese and multinational companies in the fields of FMCG, nutraceutical ingredients, and consumer healthcare from B2B to B2C, helping clients to succeed in a changing business environment driven by disruptive technologies.
Kurosawa is a well-known expert and author on topics related to FOSHU and nutraceutical strategy development in the Japanese food and healthcare sector. She received a degree from Tohoku University in Japan, majoring in Biochemistry and Plant Biotechnology.
10. Kristina Rogers, Ernst & Young
Title: EY Global Consumer Leader
As a Global Consumer Leader for EY, Kristina Rogers is responsible for defining and implementing the firm’s strategy for consumer products companies and retailers. Among her roles, Rogers is also Chairwoman of the newly established EY Consumer Industries Global Executive Board. She ensures that EY’s global clients are well served across geographies, leading more than 30,000 professionals worldwide. Founded in 1989, EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world, with 700-plus offices in more than 150 countries around the world. Among its accolades, the company has made Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list every year for more than two decades.
Rogers has been a valuable member of the EY team since 2013, working as a Partner with various roles in the consumer products sector. Before joining the firm, she was a Corporate Advisory Board Member and Strategy Advisor for Medtronic. She was also a Partner and Executive Vice President for the MENA division of Monitor Deloitte, as well as a Partner and management team member for the Monitor Group (now Deloitte Strategy). She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honors) from Queen’s University and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
11. Frédéric Thomas-Dupuis, Oliver Wyman
Title: Partner and Head of Retail and Consumer Goods, North America
Frédéric Thomas-Dupuis is a Partner and Head of the Americas Retail and Consumer Goods Practice at Oliver Wyman, a global leader in management consulting and a business unit of Marsh McLennan. In his role, Thomas-Dupuis focuses on large-scale transformations and value creation, both of which are often supported by deploying advanced decision support tools and analytics. Additionally, he manages the firm’s Montreal offices. Founded in 1984, Oliver Wyman is a respected management consulting firm formed by former Booz Allen Hamilton partners Alex Oliver and Bill Wyman. The company employs more than 5,000 professionals, with offices in more than 70 cities across 30 countries.
Thomas-Dupuis joined Oliver Wyman in 2004, working as a Recruiting Partner for the firm’s Canada practice before becoming a Partner in the retail practice. In his career, he has led major transformations of retail companies in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. He is also fluent in French and English. He holds Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Engineering degrees from McGill University.
12. Gill Hide, Tata Consultancy
Title: Managing Partner, Global Consulting - Retail and CPG
For more than a decade, Gill Hide has been a trusted leadership member for Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and currently serves as the Managing Partner within the Consulting and Service Integration unit for Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG). Founded in 1968, TCS is an Indian multinational information technology (IT) services and consulting company headquartered in Mumbai, India, with nearly 500,000 employees worldwide. The firm is the second largest Indian company by market cap and is among the most valuable IT services brands worldwide.
During her tenure at TCS, Hide has worked as Managing Consultant and Head of Consulting for the retail/CPG vertical in the U.K. and Europe. Previously, she held management positions in the retail divisions of Charteris PLC and Conchango. Hide began her career with a 13-year tenure at Marks and Spencer, working in numerous leadership roles. She is a qualified Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel and Development and is involved in supporting Diversity and Inclusion initiatives within TCS. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Kingston University London.
13. Rohan Sajdeh, Boston Consulting Group
Title: Managing Director & Senior Partner; Global Leader, Consumer Practice
Rohan Sajdeh is the Global Leader of the consumer practice for Boston Consulting Group (BCG), one of the “Big Three” American management consultancy firms. Founded in 1963, BCG is a global consulting firm that partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. The company boasts a workforce of more than 22,000 professionals and experts worldwide, as well as annual revenue in excess of $8 billion. The firm is also renowned as a top workplace, ranking high on the Glassdoor Best Places to Work and Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For lists in multiple years.
Sajdeh has been a valued member of the team at BCG for more than 25 years, serving in leadership roles in consumer goods and as Global Co-leader for sports. He also founded the firm’s differentiated Demand Centric Growth approach. In addition to his decade-plus experience in sports consulting, he has also played professional-level cricket in England and Premier Division field hockey in Sydney. He holds degrees in Accounting and Finance from the University of Technology Sydney and International Relations from the University of Cambridge, and a Master of Business Administration from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.
14. François Faelli, Bain & Company
Title: Partner, Brussels, Global managing partner of ESG and Consumer Products
François Faelli is a Partner and the Global Managing Partner of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Consumer Products for Bain and Company. Founded in 1973, Bain is one of the “Big Three” American management consulting firms, advising Fortune 500 companies on issues such as private equity investments, mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy, finance, operations, and market analysis. With nearly 18,000 employees in 63 offices in 38 countries around the world, Bain is regularly recognized as a top workplace by Glassdoor and Consulting Magazine, along with other accolades.
Based in the firm’s Brussels office, Faelli spearheads Bain’s push to create a more sustainable, equitable, and inclusive world for itself and its customers, and advises key consumer goods executives throughout Europe, Asia, North America, and Australia. He joined the firm in 1998 as an analyst, quickly graduating to management. He was named a Partner in 2008 and became Global Practice Leader of Consumer Products in 2018. He received a Master of Business Administration from Solvay Brussels School of Economics & Management.
15. Duncan Brewer, EY-Parthenon
Title: Partner, Consumer Products and Retail
With 20 years of industry experience, Duncan Brewer is a partner in the Retail and Consumer Products team for EY-Parthenon, the global strategy consulting arm of Ernst & Young. EY-Parthenon is one of the largest global strategy consulting organizations, with more than 7,700 professionals across 45 global offices. The firm provides business leadership clients with corporate, transaction, and turnaround strategies that are actionable and impactful and that help deliver long-term, sustainable value. In his role, Brewer is passionate about helping retailers and consumer packaged goods companies deliver growth through better decision-making.
Brewer joined EY-Parthenon in 2021, operating from the London offices. Previously, he enjoyed a 14-year tenure with Oliver Wyman, where he was a partner and a principal. He served as a member of the board of trustees with FoodCycle and a Research Analyst for the Royal United Service Institute. He began his career as an engineer with MBDA. He holds a Master of Engineering from the University of Cambridge.
16. Pedro Yip, Oliver Wyman
Title: Partner, Head of Retail and Consumer Goods, Greater China
Pedro Yip is the Head of Retail and Consumer Goods for the Greater China region for Oliver Wyman. He has consulting experience in retail (especially ecommerce and omni channel), consumer goods, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, advanced data analytics, supply chain, and store operations. Yip joined Oliver Wyman in 2015 as a Principal focused on retail and consumer goods and specialized in supply chain and online retail. In 2018, he was named Partner and has continued with the same focus, adding data analytics to his responsibilities.
Yip has worked extensively with retailers and consumer goods companies to help them solve problems with pricing and promotion, growth strategy, supply chain, and organization challenges. He is also an expert in applying machine learning in pricing and promotion optimization and in supporting a variety of organizations in their digital transformations. Prior to Oliver Wyman, Yip worked for BCG as a Consultant and then Project Leader. He also spent more than four years as a Strategic Marketing Manager and Head of Supply Chain at Ocado and two years as a Business Analyst at McKinsey. He received his Master of Engineering as well as his Bachelor’s in Electrical and Information Engineering from the University of Cambridge, and he spent a year at MIT studying Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
17. Robert Holston, Ernst & Young
Title: EY Global Consumer Industries Consulting Leader
Robert Holston is the EY Global Consumer Industries Consulting Leader, advising Fortune 100 consumer-facing companies and pioneering consumer technology startups on using data and analytics to transform retail experiences and define new markets. His expert analysis and points of view on retail marketing and brand strategy have been featured in Brand Week, Fortune, AdAge, and The Financial Times. He is often invited to speak on topics related to application of consumer analytics and insights to drive business performance.
Before joining EY, Holston held executive and operating committee roles at leading data, analytics, and digital professional services firms such as Accenture as well as top-50 global consumer brands including The Coca-Cola Company. He has been a board member of the Marketing Sciences Institute and is a Founding Advisory Board Member of Columbia University’s Center for Pricing and Revenue Management. He currently serves on the Presidential Advisory Board for Drexel University. Holston earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Marketing from Drexel University and a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and Operating Science from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.
18. Isabelle Allen, KPMG
Title: Global Head of Consumer & Retail; Partner, KPMG International
Isabelle Allen became Global Head of Consumer and Retail of professional services network KPMG at the beginning of the year. She drives global investments and strategy, the use of innovative technologies, disruptive entrants, and emerging consumer behaviors, working with more than 25,000 sector professionals as well as global alliance and ecosystem partners. Throughout her career, Allen has been involved in the consumer and retail sector, holding the Global Lead Partner role for a number of flagship clients in the sector.
Allen served as a member of KPMG’s Global Management Team as the Global Head of Clients and Markets. She has also been involved with and supported a number of organizations and initiatives focused on advancing diversity across the workplace. She received a Master of Business Administration from Emlyon Business School in France.
19. Wil Schoenmakers, PA Consulting
Title: Global Head of Consumer, Retail and Manufacturing
As the Global Head of Consumer, Retail, and Manufacturing, Wil Schoenmakers leads PA Consulting’s activities in consumer goods, retail, and manufacturing globally, partnering with many of the world’s largest organizations to identify, develop, and launch new solutions that create opportunity from complexity. He first came to the company as a Partner, collaborating with the world’s largest consumer product companies and retailers.
Prior to joining PA Consulting, Schoenmakers held various global management roles at Procter and Gamble during a nearly 12-year tenure, culminating in his appointment as Head of Global Device and Delivery System Innovation, Cost Savings, and Supply Chain Development. He studied Chemical Engineering at Technische Universiteit Delft.
20. Paul Martin, KPMG UK
Title: Chair Global Retail Steering Group and Head of Retail
Paul Martin is KPMG’s Head of Retail for its business in the U.K. He is an experienced international business professional with more than 15 years of experience in consulting, market research, and operational roles focusing on the retail sector. His main areas of experience are internationalization and digitally enabled customer-centric channel agnostic transformation programs.
Martin joined KPMG through its acquisition of Boxwood, where he co-led the consulting practice for the retail and consumer sector. He previously held the role of Managing Director at global retail analyst firm Planet Retail and worked for the Economist Intelligence Unit and T-Mobile Stores. He is a recognized thought-leader and disruptive thinker in addition to being a regular conference speaker, sharing his insightful views on the global retail market. Martin earned a Master of Arts in Modern European History and Foreign Affairs from the University of Augsburg.
21. Nishant Gupta, Tata Consultancy
Title: Partner- CPG & Retail, IMEA, Consulting
Nishant Gupta is a Partner in CPG and Retail, IMEA, and Consulting for Tata Consultancy. He is an experienced professional and entrepreneur passionate about building new businesses and growth strategies, operating models, and supply chains. His experience spans market entry strategy and go-to-market, key account management, sales and distribution, after-sales service, last mile logistics, efficiency improvements via Lean Six Sigma, and P&L management within sectors including Dairy, FMCG, Consumer Electronics, Outsourcing Services, and Consumer Internet.
Gupta came to Tata from KPMG India, where he was the Director of Consumer Markets handling growth and expansion feasibility, route to market, and cost optimizations. Over a long and diversified career, he managed to build his own startup—a farm-to-fridge dairy ecommerce business called Farmery—and has also gained professional experience with TCS, Nestle, Accenture Strategy, and Genpact. He received a PGDIM in Business Management from the National Institute of Industrial Engineering.
22. Amitabh Mudaliar, Infosys
Title: Vice President and Regional Head - Retail, CPG and Logistics
As the Vice President and Regional Head of the Infosys Retail, CPG, and Logistics practice in the Americas, Amitabh Mudaliar is responsible for improving and maintaining the company’s global supply chain competency. He first came to Infosys as an AVP and client partner, with leadership over client engagement and sales for a large portfolio of clients in the Americas.
Mudaliar preceded his Infosys career as a principal and director for Capgemini’s Retail, CPG, Supply Chain, and Merchandising SME, where he also served as a lead for large transformation programs. Prior to that, he worked in Accenture’s retail practice as a Senior Consulting Manager and also as a Senior Principal for Infosys, where he gained experience leading transformation programs for clients. He began his career with PwC as an SAP Sales and Distribution Consultant. Mudaliar received a Master of Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta as well as a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Bharathiar University.
23. Stephen Hewett, Capgemini Invent
Title: Vice President - UK Head of Digital for Retail, Global CPR Leader in Retail Customer Transformation
As a Vice President and Customer Transformation Leader with Capgemini, Stephen Hewett leads Capgemini Invent’s thought leadership, asset, and offer development for retail customer experience, engagement, and loyalty. Drawing on more than 15 years of deep experience as a retail transformation leader, he helps customers develop new marketing, engagement, store format, ecommerce, and loyalty propositions. At Capgemini, he focuses on experimenting with and testing new services, experiences, and offers in order to develop strategic business cases and support clients as they shape and align operational structures on the transformation journey.
Hewett arrived at Capgemini following his tenure as a Digital Transformation Manager for Accenture, where he enhanced customer experiences and drove performance optimization in industries such as retail, financial services, government, and telecommunications. Before that, he was a Digital Marketing Consultant with High Position and worked in various operational retail roles for Somerfields and SPG Group. Hewett earned a Master of Science in Ecommerce Technology from the University of Essex.
24. Michael Endres, Capgemini
Title: Senior Sales Executive, Marketing and Commerce, Consumer Products & Retail
Michael Endres, a Senior Sales Executive in Marketing and Commerce for Capgemini, is a veteran digital marketing sales leader with more than 20 years of experience selling digital strategy, creative, and technology services. In his Capgemini role, Endres is responsible for selling digital marketing and commerce engagements in the Northeast U.S. and Canada.
In his previous position at Deloitte, he was the lead sales executive for Deloitte Digital's Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Commerce Cloud practices. Prior to that, as Vice President of Business Development for SapientRazorfish, Endres assembled and led a team of six quota-carrying sales professionals and five BD managers. In that time, he helped the Northeast region’s Team Acela more than double its business. Endres also spent time on the management team at NavigationArts (now EPAM), growing the firm into a leading regional user experience consultancy. Preceding that, he was a founder and partner at Siteworx, a software development firm, and before that, a founder and CEO of The New Media Group, a regional internet design company. Endres holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from George Washington University.
25. Niraj Singh, Cognizant
Title: Assistant Vice President, Retail and Consumer Goods
Niraj leads the India Business Consulting team for the Retail and Consumer Goods industry practice for Cognizant. Cognizant is one of the largest IT services firms in the world, known for its deep domain expertise and client centricity while delivering solutions that help modern businesses improve everyday life. Cognizant partners with some of the leading Retail and Consumer Goods organizations, including 24 of the Top 30 Retail and CPG companies in the world. Singh’s team drives key digital transformation engagements across the value chain for these clients, including in areas such as customer experience, revenue growth management, merchandising, store operations and supply chain.
Singh brings deep expertise in areas of logistics and fulfillment, which are becoming critical for retailers and CPG companies in today’s world of Q-Commerce and two-hour deliveries. He also served as the Venture Leader for Cognizant’s Control Tower venture, bringing together capabilities on analytics, automation, and process mining to drive customer service orientation in supply chain functions. He has also helped incubate centers of excellence such as RFID and Automation, working with technology partner teams to set up these capability units. With more than 20 years of experience, Singh has worked for leading clients in North America, Japan, Europe, and India. He completed his post-graduate degrees from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow and his engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.
