Welcome to the The Voice of Retail , I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada

In this special episode I’m picking up my conversation with two retail’s brightest thinkers live from the virtual stage of the Retail Council of Canada’s Retail Marketing  Forum in late October.

It was my pleasure to welcome Jeff Tate, Chief Innovation Officer at Henry’s, and Ian Rosen, Executive Vice President, Strategy & Digital, with Harry Rosen.  

We delve into the dynamics of managing and building a high performance team through the COVID era, and how to bring the values of DEI to life inside each and every retail organization. 

Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of The Voice of Retail.  Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss out on the latest episodes, industry news, and insights. If you enjoyed  this episode please consider leaving a rating and review, as it really helps us grow so that we can continue getting amazing guests on the show.

I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company, and if you’re looking for more content, or want to chat  follow me on LinkedIn, or visit my website meleblanc.co!

Photo by Redd on Unsplash

Jeff Tate

A senior marketing leader with over 15 years of experience working with some of the largest, most recognized retail brands in North America.

Skilled in using customer insights, analytics and competitive analysis in the approach of omni channel marketing management, strategy development and execution with a fluency in efficiently managing multi million dollar budgets and sales numbers in the multiple billions.

A leader that understands that effective marketing starts with the customer and is well versed in utilizing both traditional and digital marketing tactics to build effective campaigns knowing people now utilize a wider media base to consume more content than ever before with more access.

A strategic, analytical leader with the ability to coach as well as build relationships across a business both internally and externally with cross functional groups and agencies at all levels of an organization.

An accountable individual that leads by example and is not afraid to "roll up his sleeves and get into the weeds" when necessary but also understands that success comes from the sum of a strong team and everyone has a role to play.

A strong, effective communicator with the ability to tailor the approach to fit the audience while also being able to prioritize and manage multiple initiatives at one time in a fast paced environment.

Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur.  He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. 

Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada’s Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google.  He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.

Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer.  If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael’s cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.

Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.