Port Washington, N.Y. — The NPD Group has announced changes to its senior management.
“Rapid change in our industry, combined with our new retailer partnerships, more robust infrastructure, and next-generation delivery tools, make this a time of great opportunity for NPD and our clients,” said NPD CEO Tod Johnson. “Our new organization leverages NPD’s core strength of industry expertise while also positioning us to grow our business through accelerated product innovation and strategic global expansion.”
Key changes include the following:
Karyn Schoenbart, president and COO, will continue to oversee NPD’s commercial practice areas and product functions around the world. In addition, IT and operations will now report to Schoenbart. Closer alignment of these areas will drive greater efficiency as NPD enhances offerings across a wide range of industries, NPD said. Schoenbart will continue to report to Johnson.
Steve Coffey, chief research officer, will shift his focus from overseeing the firm’s research science team to a more visionary role, reporting to Johnson. Coffey, a director and past chair of the Advertising Research Foundation, will focus on emerging technology and shifting consumer and retail trends to develop and implement research and marketing solutions for the future.
Randy Smith has been named group president, product management and development, a new position. He was previously group president, U.S. food/automotive/Canada/Latin America.
In this role, Smith will lead all product management and product development within NPD’s growing portfolio of services, including industry-focused consumer and retail tracking services, price evaluation, forecasting and other business solutions. He will also oversee NPD’s research science and advanced analytics teams. Smith will continue to report to Schoenbart.
Dennis Brown has been named group president, Americas commercial business, a new position. He was formerly group president, technology and hardlines. In this new role, Brown will oversee the commercial teams for all industry sectors, including technology, hardlines, softlines and food in the U.S. He will also oversee the firm’s Canada and Latin America businesses. Brown will continue to report to Schoenbart.
“We believe we are in a unique position to meet our clients’ needs by being faster, more responsive, and more flexible,” Schoenbart said. “We are confident that the new organization will allow us to better engage with our clients and deliver more innovative solutions to enhance collaboration between manufacturers and retailers and facilitate better business decisions for all of our clients.”
