Wendy Liebmann, Founder, CEO & Chief Shopper, WSL/Strategic Retail

Wendy Liebmann is founder, CEO & Chief Shopper of WSL/Strategic Retail, retail strategists and shopping futurists. WSL/SR produces How America Shops, a nationwide survey that, since 1989, has tracked shoppers' mood, mindset and shopping behavior and how it all plays out for retailers and manufacturers. Liebmann founded WSL/SR to "get marketers out of their ivory towers to meet their shoppers on the selling floor"—whether that floor is real or virtual. Her philosophy is if you are passionate about shoppers every day, if you stay close to their needs, wants, dreams, lifestyles, their "shopping life," the chance of success is great. Liebmann has extensive global experience in strategic marketing, retailing and research, first in her native Australia where she learned to be a passionate shopper, then globally. She writes The EDGE, a monthly trendletter on emerging shifts in the global shopping landscape. She is frequently called upon by the media to provide insight into the retail environment and shopping, and is regularly cited by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press and appears on CBS, NBC and ABC Evening News, The Today Show and CNN, among others. She is a recognized speaker, addressing organizations in the United States and internationally. Liebmann holds a degree in business and psychology from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.