As Group Vice President, Leslie Hand is responsible for the research direction and teams supporting IDC Retail Insights and IDC Financial Insights. Hand works closely with the teams to help guide technology suppliers and buyers to develop best practices and strategies, aligned with where they are, and where they want to go, leveraging IDC quantitative and qualitative data sets.

Ms. Hand’s specific research focus includes a particular emphasis on the digital transformation of the future “store”, which operates in real time, is AI-enabled and connects omni-channel customers to the frictionless, “touch-free”, and secure experience that they desire. The research will dig into how Retailers are building platforms and solution sets that enable real-time, AI-supported customer and employee experiences that improve the new metrics of retail, including customer lifetime value, return on customer, and return on employee. Retail operations coverage will illuminate the accepted vision for the future of retail, and how retailers are applying technology to drive more resilience, innovation in the entire retail ecosystem.

BACKGROUND:

Before joining IDC, Ms. Hand spent 28 years in the retail industry, with 5 years in operations and 23 in retail information technology and technology strategy. While in retail operations she managed stores and was instrumental in defining new customer centric and more efficient operational processes. While in retail technology she has guided strategy, technology selection, development, deployment and support efforts for the full gamut of retail technologies, in a variety of retail segments that include grocery, drug store, and specialty.

EDUCATION/INDUSTRY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• MIT Sloan Executive Certificate in Technology, Operations, and Value Chain Management
• B.A. in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania
• Leslie won IDC’s most prestigious and highest honor for research excellence, The James Peacock
  Award, in January 2013
• Leslie has repeatedly been named a top 10 retail influencer
• Leslie has been widely acknowledged at the person that coined the term “omni-channel”.
• Frequent speaker, presenter and moderator at industry conferences.
• Interviewed regularly and quoted often by multiple media outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Bloomberg and various retail trade journals.

Follow Leslie on Twitter @lesliehand.