THE NPD GROUP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- President, Global Solutions
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Chief Technology and Transformation Officer
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- President, Strategic Initiatives
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Industry Analyst
- Executive Director, Industry Analyst, Footwear and Accessories
Beth Goldstein is an executive director and industry analyst at The NPD Group covering the footwear and accessories markets. With expertise based on more than 20 years of retail and market research experience, she provides data-driven insights and guidance for brands, manufacturers, and retailers within these softlines businesses, including state of the industry presentations.
Beth shares her expert insights and analyses on the NPD blog and with major media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, CNBC, Washington Post, Business of Fashion, and Footwear News, among many others. She also serves on the Accessories Council Board of Directors.
Beth joined NPD in 2003 following her retail buying roles at Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue. She holds an MBA from NYU's Stern School of Business and a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University.
Beth lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.
Blake Kleinman is a board member for Circana (formerly IRI and NPD).
Kleinman joined Hellman & Friedman in 2001 and focuses on the software, internet, financial services, and information services sectors. He was active in H&F's investments in Arch Capital, Axel Springer, Gartmore Investment Management, IRI, IRIS Software, Mondrian Investment Partners, NPD, Scout24, SSP, ProSiebenSat.1 Media, and Wood Mackenzie. Prior to H&F, Kleinman worked in the Mergers, Acquisitions and Restructurings Department at Morgan Stanley & Co. in New York.
Kleinman is also currently a director of Allfunds, AutoScout24, and TeamSystem. He was formerly a director of Gartmore, IRIS, Scout24, SSP, and Wood Mackenzie.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, Connected Intelligence
Brad Akyuz has been with NPD's Connected Intelligence® practice since late 2010. He is responsible for the development and production of various quantitative solutions for the Connected Intelligence practice, focusing primarily on all products and services encompassing the mobile broadband ecosystem.
As an industry analyst, he has been quoted in major print and online publications including The Wall Street Journal, Wireless Week, RCRNews, Forbes.com, Information Week, and The Washington Post. He was also featured as a speaker in RCR Wireless' webinar titled "The Current State of Mobile Devices."
Prior to joining The NPD Group, Brad served as a Senior Device Analyst for Current Analysis' Wireless Research division for six years, focusing on the consumer device space, tracking the competitive landscape and providing analysis in pricing, promotion, and channel availability of mobile devices. Prior to this role, Brad provided qualitative and quantitative market research consulting to several companies operating in the wireless and real estate industries. In particular, he completed a full-scale perception analysis for an upcoming product line for a major wireless accessory manufacturer.
Brad also served as an associate at the San Diego State University Business Consulting Program and has administered several marketing research studies for various corporations in the wireless, entertainment, and finance industries. Brad holds a Master of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing from San Diego State University.
Job Titles:
- Industry Advisor
- Senior Vice President, Industry Advisor, Food and Foodservice
David Portalatin is The NPD Group's industry advisor for the food and foodservice industries and author of NPD's annual "Eating Patterns in America," which is a compilation of the food and foodservice research the company conducts over the year. In his role as senior vice president, industry advisor, David provides information, insights, and analysis on how U.S. consumers eat and drink, their attitudes and motivations, diet and nutrition, snacking, personal characteristics, and their usage of restaurants and other foodservice outlets. He works closely with food manufacturers and retailers and foodservice distributors, manufacturers, and operators in providing strategic business insights into current and future eating patterns in America and the state of the U.S. foodservice industry.
His diverse background and experience give him an in-depth understanding of consumer behavior and foodservice industry dynamics. Prior to his current role, he was NPD's industry analyst in the convenience retailing industries, automotive aftermarket, and motor fuels. Portalatin held various positions in foodservice wholesale distribution and convenience retailing before joining NPD in 1999.
He is a frequent featured speaker at food and foodservice industry events, corporate conferences, and executive meetings. Portalatin also serves as a media source and his comments have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and other nationally recognized media outlets.
Dimitri Panayotopoulos is a board member for Circana (formerly IRI and NPD).
Panayotopoulos is a former vice chair of Procter & Gamble, where he was responsible for the full portfolio of P&G's brands and business units representing more than $80 billion of global revenues. Following his 37-year career at P&G, which spanned many of its international operations, he became a senior advisor at Boston Consulting Group.
Panayotopoulos also serves on the boards of British American Tobacco Company and JBS Foods International, and previously was a board director of Logitech International.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Industry Analyst
- Executive Director, Industry Analyst in the NPD Group 's Sports
Dirk Sorenson, executive director, industry analyst in The NPD Group's Sports practice, covers the bicycle, outdoor, and team sports equipment categories. Dirk travels extensively to provide insight on the U.S. sports landscape to the cycling and outdoor equipment manufacturing and retail communities. Dirk's knowledge of data-bound product management strategies is sought after by top global manufacturers.
He has been a speaker at industry tradeshows including Outdoor Retailer, Bicycle Leadership Conference, Interbike, Paddlesports Retailer, and The Running Event.
Dirk joined NPD in 2015 following product management and marketing roles for brands including Raleigh Bicycle, Redline Bicycle, Dagger Kayak, and Perception Kayaks. He holds a Master's degree in Transportation Geography with an emphasis in quantitative techniques from the University of Kentucky. Dirk enjoys cycling and camping with his family and lives in Boulder, Colorado.
Job Titles:
- Chief Human Resources Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Interim Chief Financial Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
Ismael covers the Mexican toys and video games industries. With over 15 years of marketing, pricing, and analysis expertise, Ismael provides in-depth insights and industry expertise to many of the leading manufacturers in the toys market. Prior to joining The NPD Group, Ismael was Commercial Director at Bayes Forecast. Throughout his professional career he has been invited to participate as a speaker in various forums.
Job Titles:
- Board Member for Circana
- Strategic Executive Advisor at Vestar Capital Partners
Jeffrey Ansell is a board member for Circana (formerly IRI and NPD).
Ansell is strategic executive advisor at Vestar Capital Partners since 2017. Previously, he was chair, president and CEO of Sun Products Corporation, a leading North American fabric and household products company and former Vestar portfolio company. Ansell played a critical role in the successful sale of Sun Products to strategic buyer Henkel AG for $3.6 billion. Prior to joining Sun Products, Ansell served as CEO and board member of Pinnacle Foods Group, a company of iconic food brands. He began his career at Procter & Gamble and in his 25-year career held positions of increasing responsibility spanning multiple business units and geographies. He was appointed Corporate Officer and member of P&G's Global Leadership Council in 2001.
Before the IRI/NPD merger, Ansell served as a member of the IRI board for over a decade, including four years as board chair. He presently serves as Board Chair of Dr. Praeger's Sensible Foods since Vestar's majority investment in 2021. Ansell also serves as Board Chair of Pet Honesty, a leading manufacturer of high quality pet wellness supplements, a Board Member of Roland Foods, and Board Chair of the American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog, located in New York City.
As Director, Industry Analyst, Beauty, Jennifer Famiano leads the Beauty Category team that is responsible for insights and market intelligence across the prestige skincare, makeup, fragrance, and hair categories. Jennifer works to identify opportunities and white space and advise marketing strategies for prestige global beauty clients. Prior to joining the Beauty team, Jennifer delivered strategic analyses to beauty retail partners using her unique insight as not only a fan of the category, but as someone who has also worked for cosmetic manufacturers.
Before joining The NPD Group in 2006, Jennifer spent several years working for Clarins and Shiseido. She has been able to integrate this experience with her ability to interpret and synthesize insightful findings using NPD's portfolio of point-of-sale (POS) and consumer behavior information and make actionable recommendations to beauty clients.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- President, Consumer Packaged Goods
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, Industry Advisor
Jochen Pinsker has tracked European foodservice and consumer behaviour trends for more than 20 years. He now sets the course for The NPD Group's foodservice industry tracking in Europe and the Middle East, while also supporting clients and partners as NPD's foodservice industry advisor.
Jochen came to NPD as an account manager servicing NPD's first clients in Germany, and his regional and functional responsibility has grown over the years. As director of the company's Europe Foodservice practice, and now as senior vice president, he has been integral to the rise of the practice from two European countries in 1998 to nine countries today.
Jochen consults with some of the largest operator and manufacturer clients across Europe, and he is frequently a featured speaker at various global food industry events and corporate conferences. A trusted source for reliable industry information, Jochen has been widely quoted in leading industry publications, such as foodservice europe and Nation's Restaurant News.
Prior to joining The NPD Group, Jochen's career included managing sports organizations in Germany. He transitioned to the foodservice industry in 1996 as head of events and catering at a large, multi-functional arena in Germany.
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Vice President, Industry Advisor
John Buffone is a vice president, industry advisor, for The NPD Group's Connected Intelligence® practice. With over 20 years of experience in the consumer research and entertainment industries, John has advised many of the largest media and consumer technology brands in the industry.
He offers his industry expertise on trends that focus on how connected devices are rapidly changing the way consumers use technology at home and on the go. His research focuses on the confluence of digital content distribution and consumer electronics trends. As an industry analyst, he is regularly quoted in the press.
Prior to joining NPD's Connected Intelligence team in 2012, John held positions as Director of Product and Director of Client Development for NPD's Entertainment practice. In these roles John led NPD's home video client service team that supported the evolving digital market intelligence needs of the major movie studios and video retailers. He developed NPD's Blu-ray Disc research portfolio, Digital Video Tracking service, as well as the Home Automation and Digital Distribution Advisory services.
Joseph Ghobrial is a board member for Circana (formerly IRI and NPD).
Ghobrial joined Hellman & Friedman (H&F) in 2014 and rejoined the firm in 2018 after business school. He is currently a Director at H&F, as well as Board Member for Applied Systems and IRI/NPD, and he was active in H&F's investments in Ellucian, PointClickCare, Renaissance Learning, and Genesys. Prior to H&F, Ghobrial was employed by the Technology Investment Banking Group at Goldman Sachs in San Francisco.
Job Titles:
- Board Member for Circana
- Co - Founder and Managing Director of Duo Partners Consulting
Karyn Schoenbart is a board member for Circana (formerly IRI and NPD).
Schoenbart is the co-founder and managing director of Duo Partners Consulting, LLC, a New York-based consulting and investment firm. She served as CEO of NPD prior to her integral role in the successful NPD/IRI merger. Under her leadership, NPD was named one of the Best Companies to Work For in New York State and was recognized as one of the most respected firms in its industry. Schoenbart has received numerous awards recognizing her impact as a female business leader and wrote the book "Mom.B.A: Essential Business Advice from One Generation to the Next" based on the business lessons she has learned.
She currently serves on the boards of Arpalus, CivicScience, Revuze and Stylitics, and was previously on the board of the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA). Schoenbart also serves on the advisory board of The Resolution Project, a nonprofit organization that develops socially responsible young leaders.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Board Member for Circana
Kirk Perry is a board member for Circana (formerly IRI and NPD).
Perry serves as the president and CEO of IRI and NPD. He joined IRI in May 2021, leading the company through its successful merger with NPD in August 2022. Perry is a seasoned consumer products and brand strategist with more than 30 years of CPG and technology experience at two of the world's largest and most respected companies, Procter & Gamble and Google. At Google, Perry served as president of Global Client and Agency Solutions, with responsibility for driving Google's global revenue and growing its relationships with the world's largest advertisers and advertising agencies. He previously spent 23 years at P&G in several roles of increasing responsibility, culminating in a position as president of Global Family Care, in which he led growth and innovation at the company's multibillion-dollar global paper business.
Perry also serves on the boards of The J.M. Smucker Company and Chick-fil-A, Inc., and is a member of the Cincinnati Innovation District Advisory Council. He also had several prior board affiliations with several nonprofit organizations, including The Ronald McDonald House, The CityLink Foundation, City Team, The United Way Campaign Cabinet, March of Dimes (national and regional), the University of Cincinnati Foundation, and the University of Cincinnati's Bicentennial Commission.
Job Titles:
- Chief Strategy Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- President, Operations
Job Titles:
- Chief Marketing Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Director
- Board Member for Circana
- Founding Partner, President, and Co - Head of Investments at Vestar Capital Partners
Norm Alpert is a board member for Circana (formerly IRI and NPD).
Alpert is a founding partner, president, and co-head of investments at Vestar Capital Partners. He is also on Vestar's Management Committee, which oversees investment strategy and firm operations. Alpert began his career in 1980 as a commercial banker at Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company as a member of the Special Finance Division. He joined the Management Buyout Group at The First Boston Corporation in 1984, before leaving in 1988 to launch Vestar Capital Partners.
During his time at Vestar, Alpert has served as a director on over 30 corporate boards. In addition to the IRI/NPD Board, he currently serves on the boards of Accanto Behavioral, Friday Health Plans, and Quest Analytics. Alpert is also a trustee emeritus of both Brown University and White Plains Hospital, is president of American Friends of Shalva (the association for mentally and physically challenged children in Israel) and serves on the board of the National Rowing Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Board Chair or Director of 3E
- Managing Director at New Mountain Capital
Peter Masucci is a board member for Circana (formerly IRI and NPD).
Masucci is managing director at New Mountain Capital and joined the company in 2004. He was previously associated with Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., where he focused on private equity investments across several industries. From 1997 to 2000, Masucci was an analyst in the Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate Finance Departments of Goldman Sachs, where he evaluated and executed a number of strategic transactions.
Masucci also serves as board chair or director of 3E, Homrich Berg, and Lincoln Investment. He previously served as the chair of SNL Financial and ACA Compliance Group and was the lead director or director of Blue Yonder, Deltek, DRB Systems, InComm, Inmar, Legends Hospitality, OneDigital, Sparta Systems, and Valet Waste.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Executive Chair of Hellman & Friedman
Philip Hammarskjold is a board member for Circana (formerly IRI and NPD).
Hammarskjold is the executive chair of Hellman & Friedman, is chair of the Firm's Investment Committee, and is a member of the Compensation Committee. He previously served as H&F's CEO from 2009 to 2017 and its co-CEO in 2018, after originally joining the firm in 1992. Prior to H&F, Hammarskjold was employed by the Corporate Advisory Department of Dominguez Barry Samuel Montagu in Sydney, Australia, and by the Merchant Banking Department of Morgan Stanley & Co. in New York.
Hammarskjold currently also serves on the boards of Cordis and Caliber. Additionally, he is chair of the UCSF board, the vice chair of the Princeton board of trustees, and serves on the board of advisors of the International Rescue Committee. He previously served as a director of numerous portfolio companies, including AlixPartners, Catalina, Change Healthcare (formerly Emdeon), Digitas, DoubleClick, GeoVera Insurance Group, Goodman Global, Grocery Outlet, Texas Genco, and Young & Rubicam.
Job Titles:
- Chief Legal Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- President, General Merchandise
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, and Director of the Advertising Research Foundation
- Co - Founder and Managing Director of Duo Partners Consulting
Tod Johnson is board chair for Circana (formerly IRI and NPD).
Johnson is the co-founder and managing director of Duo Partners Consulting, LLC, a New York-based investment and consulting firm. He was previously executive chairman of NPD and led the company from 1971 until the NPD/IRI merger. Considered an innovator in his field for more than 50 years, Johnson has led many industry initiatives with POS data, consumer data, and online data collection, and is the lead patentee on the methods patent for in-home scanning. His research expertise is in the areas of brand loyalty and brand equity. He was elected to the Market Research Council Hall of Fame in 2011.
Johnson has been a chairman, vice chairman, secretary, and director of the Advertising Research Foundation and was a founding chairman and director of the Council for Marketing and Opinion Research. He also serves as a vice chair of the Carnegie Mellon University Board of Trustees, chair of the Executive Committee of the Metropolitan Opera, a board member of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and chair of the board of CivicScience, a Pittsburgh-based new survey technology firm. He was CEO and founder of Media Metrix from 1995 to 2001 and is a past member of the JPMorgan Chase Regional Advisory Board.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- President, Retail