What inspires me:
Helping retailers become more competitive and more successful.
How I inspire my team:
We’re changing the retail landscape, so I try to excite the people who work with me by consistently reminding them that we are a part of this massive industry transformation.
How RFID has transformed the industry:
To start, it offers 65 percent to 95 percent inventory accuracy, which has an enormous impact on a business’ bottom line. It also optimizes omnichannel and digital, which are key elements of any marketing strategy.
The business case for RFID:
Aside from improving inventory management and off-the-chart efficiencies, it typically pays for itself in less than a year. The average is six months.
What new industries do you envision adopting RFID technology?
Food is an obvious one. Inventory accuracy is a big factor in driving fresh food sales and reducing waste of perishables. It’s not just about saving money, it’s also about sustainability. When this segment fully adopts RFID, it will be much bigger than RFID in apparel. Other markets include cosmetics and health and beauty where specific products drive heavy traffic to retailers and they want to know the product is there. Availability is key.
What was your path to this role?
I joined Avery Dennison in 2009 as a market development manager and played a key role in building the RFID business. In 2013, I was promoted to head of Global RFID Market Development and since that time, we have evolved and grew the market, positioning Avery Dennison as a global leader in RFID, and enhancing our customer relationships. Before Avery Dennison, l was a global account executive with Paxar and held various leadership roles with eBay, Marinemax, and Motorola.
Best career advice I’ve received:
Always put the customer first. At the end of day, if you build customer trust it’s the core of a long-term business partnership. That has served me well.
How do you exhibit the RBIS core values?
In my role as market development, always putting the customer first is core to our business.
