Wendy Liebmann

Founder, CEO & Chief Shopper WSL Strategic Retail

Wendy founded WSL Strategic Retail, a global consultancy that helps clients anticipate and activate change through innovative shopper-led retail strategies. She is recognized as an innovator of shopper insights and retail futures. Her goal: “To get executives out of their ivory towers and out of their aisles to meet shoppers where they are, where they are going, to understand where and how they want to spend their money – be it a physical or digital space.”

WSL Strategic Retail consults to such industries as retail, health, beauty, fashion, food, beverages, home, personal care, entertainment, publishing, and financial services. It publishes How America Shops®, a highly regarded survey, that since 1990, has tracked shoppers and retail, and successfully predicts where both are headed. As one of the world’s leading retailers says, “We trust WSL to help us look at our business through a different lens. Their insights help us anticipate the changing competitive environment, where shoppers are headed, and the opportunities that arise. They’ve helped us develop new businesses as a result. And Wendy is never afraid to tell us when we are not being bold enough.”

Wendy has extensive global experience in marketing, retail and research, beginning in her native Australia where she learned to be a passionate shopper. She holds a degree in business and psychology from the University of New South Wales in Sydney. Wendy is noted for her unique combination of Australian earthiness, global retail vision, provocative viewpoint, and inspirational story telling.

Wendy is frequently called upon by media to provide insight into consumers, retail and shopping. She is a regular contributor to Bloomberg’s Last Call, and cited by Fortune, The New York Times, Washington Post, WWD amongst others. She is a noted speaker, addressing business and educational organizations around the world, and moderates WSL’s “Future Shop” podcast.

Wendy has been recognized by the National Retail Federation as one of “The Influencers Shaping Retail’s Future”, as a “A Women of Excellence” by the Path to Purchase Institute and “One of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Beauty” by Women’s Wear Daily/Beauty Inc.“ and “A Woman of Influence” by MMR.

She is vice chairperson of the advisory board of the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Master’s degree program in Cosmetics & Fragrance Marketing and Management, sits on the board of Cosmetic Executive Women, is a Distinguished Faculty Member of the Path to Purchase Institute, and is a board member emeritus of Women In Need, an organization that helps homeless women and children build productive lives.