The Retail Razor: Retail Transformers Podcast

S2E8 Cole Moir on what replaced the CMO role, the four hires that matter, and how he'd manage budget for a $200 million brand.
 
31% of Fortune 500 companies don't have a CMO right now. Starbucks, Walgreens, and General Motors are three of them.
 
That number is the cleanest way to describe what's happened to the CMO role.
 
Cole Moir has spent close to 20 years inside the shift. He led brand marketing at TCL, where the company became the fastest-growing consumer electronics brand two years running. Before that, Samsung, Sony Entertainment, and Motorola. Before that, agency yea...

S2E7 Louisa Loran on Why Retail Transformation Stalls in the AI Era
 
What if the biggest obstacle to retail transformation isn't your tech stack or your budget, but the people sitting in the corner offices? In this episode of Retail Transformers, Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden sit down with Louisa Loran, former executive at Google, Maersk, Moet Hennessy and Diageo, board member, and author of Leadership Anatomy in Motion, to unpack why so many transformation efforts stall even when the strategy looks perfect on paper.

Louisa makes the case that the real constraint in r...

S2E6 Julie Averill, Chief Impact Officer, on Retail AI Transformation & Human-Centered Leadership
 
Everyone in retail is chasing AI right now, and most of them are about to learn an expensive lesson. In this episode of Retail Transformers, Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden sit down with Julie Averill, the former Global CIO of Lululemon and author of the new book Chief Impact Officer, to talk about why AI projects fail and what real retail AI transformation requires.

Julie’s core argument is the one every retail leader needs to hear today: AI doesn’t fix your...

S2E5 The voice of the frontline reveals the truth about 80% retail turnover, and what corporate keeps missing about stores
 
What corporate keeps getting wrong about the store floor, told by someone who actually ran it. In this episode of Retail Transformers, Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden sit down with Kit Campoy, a 25-year retail store leader, author of The Retail Leader's Field Guide, and the writer known across the industry as the Voice of the Frontline from her Substack newsletter. Kit has managed store teams at PacSun, Lucky Brand, Anthropologie, Tilly's, Old Navy, and Buckle, and t...

S2E4 Agentic Commerce Is Here: Scot Wingo on How AI Agents Are Rewriting the Rules of Retail
 
What happens when your next customer never visits your website because their AI agent already bought what they needed? And what does it mean for your brand when your product catalog is essentially invisible to the AI doing the shopping?
 
In this episode of Retail Transformers, Ricardo and Casey sit down with Scot Wingo — e-commerce legend, co-host of the iconic Jason and Scot Show, host of the Retailgentic podcast and newsletter, and CEO of ReFiBuy — to unpack the ri...

S2E3 Primark’s US Expansion: How Style, Quality & Affordability Are Rewriting the Rules of Retail
 
In this episode of the Retail Transformers Podcast, we sit down with Rene Federico, the US Head of Marketing for Primark, for a deep dive into Primark’s US expansion, the brand’s bold growth strategy, and why the in‑store retail experience remains the most powerful engine for customer connection.

Primark has been a global powerhouse for more than 50 years - but in the US, the brand is still in the early chapters of its growth story. Rene shares how Prima...

S2E2 Your Strategy Isn’t Failing - Your Execution Is. Here’s How to Fix It.
 
Most strategies don’t fail in the boardroom - they fail in the real world. In this episode of Retail Transformers, Ricardo and Casey sit down with Kevin Ertell, longtime retail operator and author of The Strategy Trap: Why Companies Fail at Execution and How to Get It Right. Kevin shares why 67% of well‑crafted strategies fail, the early warning signs leaders miss, and how his Six Cs framework helps teams turn strategy into real‑world results.

As Kevin explains, “...

S2E1 Ulta Beauty’s $2B Digital Transformation: Michelle Pacynski Reveals the Retail Innovation Playbook
 
In this season‑opening episode of The Retail Razor: Retail Transformers, Ricardo and Casey sit down with Michelle Pacynski, former VP of Innovation and Consumer Technology at Ulta Beauty, to unpack one of the most compelling retail transformation journeys in modern retail.
 
Michelle shares how Ulta scaled its digital business from $125M to over $2B, built a mobile‑first strategy before the rest of the industry caught up, and created an innovation team that ultimately became the company’s AI Center of Excelle...

The Boldest Voices in Retail Return | Season 2 Trailer
 
Season 2 of Retail Transformers is here, and this year, we’re going deeper into the ideas, innovations, and leadership philosophies redefining the retail industry. Hosted by Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden, this season brings you candid conversations with the executives, innovators, and bold thinkers transforming commerce from the inside out.
 
In this trailer, Ricardo and Casey reflect on the powerful insights from Season 1. From April Sabral’s purpose-driven leadership mindset to Dave Finnegan’s exploration of AI, identity, and trust. You’ll hear how leaders like Vicki Cantrell, Matt Marco...

S1E6 From Anthropology to AI: Dave Finnegan on What Retail Leaders Must Understand Now
 
AI isn’t just a technological shift, it’s a cultural revolution. In this powerful episode of The Retail Razor: Retail Transformers, Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden sit down with retail innovation leader Dave Finnegan. Dave is a former CIO of Build‑A‑Bearand CIO/CMO of Orvis, explorer, anthropologist, and member of NRF’s CIO and CMO Councils. Get ready for one of the most thought‑provoking conversations of the season!
 
Drawing from his global anthropology journey and decades of retail leaders...

S1E5 Retail Resilience & Innovation | Bobby Johnson on Mentorship, Culture, & AI
 
In this episode of the Retail Razor: Retail Transformers Podcast, hosts Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden sit down with retail veteran Bobby Johnson, former people-first COO of BrandsMart and now co-founder of Spinjoy, a groundbreaking wash-and-fold laundry service in partnership with Walmart.
 
Bobby shares his remarkable journey from appliance manager to C-suite executive, leading BrandsMart through decades of growth, resilience during the 2008 recession, and the challenges of COVID. His retail leadership philosophy is simple yet powerful: it’s never about the business; it’s always about...

S1E4 - From Pilot to Scale: How Anna Farberov Drives Innovation at PepsiCo Labs
 
In this episode of the Retail Transformers Podcast, hosts Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden talk with Anna Farberov, GM of PepsiCo Labs, about how one of the world’s largest CPG companies scales startup innovation from pilot to enterprise-wide transformation.

Anna shares her journey from finance and strategy into corporate innovation leadership, revealing how PepsiCo Labs built a structured playbook for startup partnerships that achieves a remarkable 50% success rate. She explains how to avoid innovation theater, define clear KPIs for pilots, and...

S1E3- Why Compliance Isn’t Enough: Matt Marcotte on Fostering True Commitment
 
In this episode of the Retail Transformers podcast, part of the Retail Razor Podcast Network, hosts Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden sit down with retail legend Matt Marcotte — founder of M2 Collaborative, former COO of Bergdorf Goodman, retail executive at Apple, Tory Burch, and The Gap, and former Global Industry Advisor at Salesforce. Matt shares insights from his new book, Built On Belief: Why Cultures of Commitment Are The Competitive Advantage, exploring why commitment-driven cultures outperform compliance-driven organizations. You'll learn how belief can transform both...

S1E2 - Transforming Retail: Vicki Cantrell on Building Community, AI, and Human Connections

In this episode of The Retail Razor: Retail Transformers, hosts Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden sit down with Vicki Cantrell — retail executive, technology leader, and CEO & Co‑Founder of Vendors in Partnership (VIP) — to explore her extraordinary journey from wrapping gifts in a small shop to leading technology and operations at luxury brands like Tory Burch, Giorgio Armani, and Gucci Group, and shaping the future of retail communities as SVP of Community at the National Retail Federation.

Known across the industry as “The Fair...

S1E1- Transforming Retail: April Sabral on Mindset and AI
 
Welcome to the first episode of The Retail Razor: Retail Transformers podcast! Hosts Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden dive into candid conversations with top innovators, change-makers, and disruptors in the retail industry. In this episode, they welcome April Sabral, a renowned leadership and mindset expert, who shares insights on the power of purpose-driven leadership, building deeper connections, and fostering a positive mindset within teams. The conversation dives deep into embracing AI in retail, building emotional resilience, and fostering a positive workplace culture. April shares insights from h...

S1 Trailer - Insider’s Guide to the Visionaries Shaping the Future of Retail
 
In this trailer for The Retail Razor: Retail Transformers, hosts Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden introduce our new podcast series, part of The Retail Razor Podcast Network, focused on the individuals driving real transformation in the retail industry. Highlighting the importance of bold leadership, cutting-edge technology, and innovative strategies including AI-driven personalization, next-gen in-store experiences, and reimagined supply chains.

Plus, we'll revisit past Retail Transformers guests from The Retail Razor Show for updates on their latest innovations and insights, in addition to...