Strategy and Emerging Technology Leader
Resume:
RICK OLSON
************@*****.*** www.linkedin.com/in/rickolson01
Retail Technology & Strategy Leader
Retail AI & Strategy Executive with 20+ years of success driving digital transformation for Fortune 500 brands. Proven record in scaling AI/ML and data solutions for merchandising, CX, marketing, and supply chain. Trusted advisor to CXOs, delivering actionable insights and revenue growth. RETHINK Retail Top Expert 2025. Hands-on experience with:
Merchandising
Supply Chain
Store/ Digital Operations
Business Continuity
Customer Experience
Emerging technology
AI/ML Solutions
Vendor/ client partnership
Experiential Marketing
Data Analytics
E2E Project Management
Cross-functional teams
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
RO CONSULTING, Minneapolis, MN
Owner/ Principal Retail Consultant (Sept 2023 - Present)
Spearheaded a multimillion-dollar construction project, achieving strategic goals and a 30% increase in operational efficiency by orchestrating cross-functional teams and implementing communication plans.
Executed the workflows, development and training of AI models to enhance retail merchandising and media strategies and operational efficiency, leading to a 50% increase in client effectiveness metrics.
Amplified brand visibility and influence on predictive analytics, AI for Retail and market analysis, reaching an audience of 4000+ industry professionals through thought leadership in blogs and webinars.
Tata Consultancy Services, Remote (Corporate location Edison, NJ)
Sr. Business Consultant; Retail (Jan 2023 - Sept 2023)
Successfully navigated executive outreach in complex business structure, amplifying brand awareness and new engagements by strategically building key client relationships, leading to a 80% increase in Executive position engagement.
Developed innovative consulting strategies for top retail clients, identifying supply chain, merchandising, retail media and customer experience opportunities. This strengthened client relationships and drove business growth by 18%.
GENESYS, Remote (Corporate location Menlo Park, CA)
Head of Industry Strategy; Retail, Travel & Hospitality, CPG (April 2021 - October 2022)
Created a retail three-year CX strategic growth plan, engaging over 30 new client’s year one and elevating brand visibility through engagement and market trend thought leadership, as evidenced by the top rating on the Gartner CX Quadrant.
Formulated comprehensive business strategies to tackle retail challenges from the ground up, boosting operational efficiency by 25% through the application of validated retail insights and customer experience.
Designed the Retail Experience Index ©, a pioneering platform for gauging CX success, which resulted in a 20% uplift in client engagement metrics by leveraging targeted KPIs and performance indicators.
RO CONSULTING, Minneapolis, MN
Owner/ Principal Retail Consultant (May 2017 - April 2021)
Launched a boutique retail consulting firm, serving Fortune 500 clients globally, and led digital transformations with emerging technologies and operating multiple high-impact Pop-Up retail events.
Identified and led client workshops which led to a strategic overhaul of retail performance improvement with retail merchandising and warehouse planning and inventory management operations for a Fortune 500 company, achieving significant improvements in operational efficiency and customer engagement through change management and updated technology integrations.
Orchestrated the project management of a 16-store new retail concept from inception to operational execution, including inventory and supply chain analysis, significantly enhancing the retail experience.
TARGET CORPORATION, Minneapolis, MN
Director, Supply Chain and Automation for the Store of the Future (May 2016 - May 2017)
Differentiated Target Corporation's guest shopping experience by implementing advanced supply chain systems, achieving a 96% accuracy in tracking over 80K SKUs and reducing inventory ownership by 40%, leveraging RFID, EPC, ESL, guest screens, mobile, micro-fulfilment and robotics technologies.
Demonstrated exceptional vendor management, stockroom and fitting room digital screen design, and staffing optimization, significantly enhancing inventory accuracy and operational efficiency, supporting unified commerce and 'deliver-to-person' processes across multiple ERP and OMS systems.
Led the development of system logic flows that underpinned a cutting-edge supply chain solution, facilitating a seamless integration of digital and physical retail operations. Setting a new standard for inventory management and operational efficiency at Target.
TARGET CORPORATION, Minneapolis, MN
Manager, Special Events, Merchandise Operations, Business Continuation (May 2004 - May 2016)
Coached a team in supply chain and data analytics, achieving 5-9% sales revenue growth across 1700+ stores, as measured by implementing strategic process enhancements that balanced instocks and inventory levels, while mentoring over 30 retail executives in leadership and operational excellence.
Inspired a team managing over $20B in inventory, enhancing store, warehouse capacity planning, and merchandising processes by 2000bp, as measured by orchestrating cross-functional teams to achieve strategic goals using planning technologies for Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP), Integrated Business Planning (IBP), Demand Planning (DP), Supply Planning (SP).
Orchestrated 150+ Special Events and hundreds of Crisis/ Business Continuation response efforts, ensuring seamless operational continuity and safeguarding against potential disruptions, as measured by maintaining 100% operational stability during critical periods with “top in class recovery” communicated by FEMA.
TARGET CORPORATION, Minneapolis, MN
Manager, Special Events/ Crisis Management (Jan 2004 - May 2004)
Engineered resilient business continuity strategies for Merchandising, safeguarding a $30B revenue stream against disruptions, as measured by maintaining 100% operational stability during critical periods.
Served as a pivotal connector between Technology Services (IT) and business units, developing actionable plans that mitigated critical failure points, as measured by optimizing inventory flow and instituting comprehensive disaster response plans.
Led the integration of emerging technologies such as RFID, mobile POS, Scan to Cart, and AR, revolutionizing the retail Pop Up experience and operational efficiency, as evidenced by enhanced customer interaction and streamlined resource allocation and supply chain processes
Designed and implemented analytic dashboards to monitor real-time response efforts, significantly enhancing decision-making processes and operational efficiency, as measured by a marked improvement in inventory management and business continuity planning.
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE
Advisory Board Member, Paycon Technology, Pazo, Iterate.AI
Minnesota Collegiate DECA, Chairman of the Board, Minneapolis, MN
EDUCATION
Master of Science (MS), Internet Marketing and New Media; FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY, Winter Park, FL
Business in the Metaverse Economy, WHARTON EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science (BS), Business Administration and Marketing; UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT, Menomonie, WI
CERTIFICATIONS
Google GenAI Six Sigma Green Belt Mini Master of Business CERT Power BI SAP Use Cases
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