2020 Grocery Digital Maturity Deep Dive: The Last Mile Imperative

Steve Paro is a product development and technology veteran with over 20 years experience in building retail supply chain, ecommerce and logistics software solutions. Steve is passionate about building enterprise technology products, made for people, that help businesses solve problems, add value and grow. After spending several years implementing traditional WMS based solutions to solve the problem of in-store eGrocery fulfillment, Steve knew there had to be a better way, and from that ShopperKit was born. As co-founder and CTO, Steve is excited about the future of eGrocery and the opportunities it affords to partner with some of the most notable retailers in North America and Europe as we collectively work to evolve the way that people get food to their tables.

As Vice President, Marketing at Mercatus, Fairhurst leads the development of the company’s overall marketing and brand strategy and related programs. He’s also co-host on The Digital Grocer podcast and brings to the show a marketer’s perspective on the rapidly evolving grocery tech landscape. He applies a strategic lens focused on a continual search for the next big trends and best practices. Mark enjoys exploring not just how things are changing in grocery retail, but also why they’re changing — and where they’re headed. Prior to Mercatus, Fairhurst held senior marketing positions at leading business software companies including GS1, Solera and Intelex.

Jeff Baskin is the Executive Vice President of Global Partnerships for Radius Networks, responsible for the strategic direction, growth, and expansion of FlyBuy, a location platform for BOPIS/Curbside pickup, contactless payments, drive-thru, and delivery. As a seasoned professional with 20+ years of omni-channel retail experience, Jeff has a proven track record in the origination and management of strategic partnerships with multi-million dollar revenue outcomes. Prior to leading the FlyBuy team, Jeff was responsible for business development, sales, customer success, product development, and implementation across all at EVERFI as well as Simplexity which was later acquired by Walmart.

Gaurav Pant, Co-Founder & Chief Insights Officer for Incisiv, is a leading digital transformation expert focused on the consumer industries of retail, consumer products, lodging and restaurants. Gaurav is a frequent speaker at industry forums such as NRF, Convenience Retailing University and RIS News.

Gaurav brings a unique perspective to digital transformation by combining customer experience expertise with a strong focus on operational excellence. Gaurav leads Incisiv’s Digital Executive Council – a membership community of over 7,500 retailer and brand executives where he curates thoughtful peer-to-peer collaboration and dialogue.

Gaurav’s prior experience includes founding EKN Research, and driving transformation programs at large global retailers during his time leading Retail & Consumer Products products and services for Tata Consultancy Services. Gaurav is based in New York, and is an active advisor and investor in early-stage consumer industry start-ups.

Jon Springer is executive editor of Winsight Grocery Business with responsibility for leading its digital news team. Jon has more than 20 years of experience covering consumer business and retail in New York, including more than 14 years at the Retail/Financial desk at Supermarket News. His previous experience includes covering consumer markets for KPMG’s Insiders; the U.S. beverage industry for Beverage Spectrum; and he was a Senior Editor covering commercial real estate and retail for the International Council of Shopping Centers. Jon began his career as a sports reporter and features editor for the Cecil Whig, a daily newspaper in Elkton, Md. Jon is also the author of two books on baseball. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English-Journalism from the University of Delaware. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. with his family.