News & Media
Remaking Retail - Distinguished Retailer Speaker Series 2021
Date Published: February 1, 2021
About
In the age of digital disruption, retailers have had to make big changes in order to adapt to the new world that we live in today. The pandemic has dramatically accelerated this disruption, and according to retail analysts, this massive shift is here to stay as retailers begin to blur the lines between digital and physical.
To discuss this ever-changing landscape and how to stand out by "choosing remarkable", the David Sobey Centre is honored to host two outstanding retail experts. Jeff Leger, President, Shoppers Drug Mart and this year's Distinguished Retail Speaker, and Steve Dennis, Senior Forbes Contributor, Best Selling Author, Consultant, and named one of the top 5 Retail Influencers in the industry.
***The FIRST 150 PEOPLE TO REGISTER AND ATTEND WILL RECEIVE AN ADVANCED FREE COPY OF STEVE'S NEW BOOK "REMARKABLE RETAIL: HOW TO WIN & KEEP CUSTOMERS IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL DISRUPTION" Recently named "the best retail book of all time" by Book Authority*
Speaker Bios
JEFF LEGER
Jeff Leger is President of Shoppers Drug Mart, a leading Canadian pharmacy retailer and one of the most trusted retail brands in the country. Shoppers Drug Mart is a division of Loblaw Companies Limited.
Over the past few years, Shoppers Drug Mart has been named one of the most admired company in Canada on the Leger Reputation Ranking; one of the most trusted brands by the Gustavson Brand Trust Index, a study that gauged consumer trust in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic; and one of the most valuable Canadian brands in the Brandz 2020 report.
In his role at Shoppers Drug Mart, Jeff oversees the enterprise-wide strategy to provide a digitally connected healthcare solution for Canadians. His team is responsible for a number of efforts to make healthcare more accessible to Canadians, including the introduction of the PC Health app, investments in Virtual Care, and the expansion of the retail brand to The Health Clinic by Shoppers, and The Beauty Clinic by Shoppers.
Jeff serves on the Board of 2 Digital Health startups: Maple and League.
He is also the past co-chair of the Loblaw Diversity & Inclusion Council, and is an active contributor to industry associations, including acting as past Chair of the NPAC Board of Directors for several years.
In 2019, Jeff was recognized as Chain Drug Review’s 2019 Retailer of the Year.
A proud native of Moncton, New Brunswick, Jeff is a licensed pharmacist and has worked in the hospital and generic pharmaceutical manufacturing sectors prior to joining Shoppers Drug Mart in 2008 as Director, Category Management. Jeff holds a BSc. Pharm. from Dalhousie University and M.B.A. from Université de Moncton.
STEVE DENNIS
Steve Dennis is a consultant, keynote speaker and author on retail growth and innovation. He has been named a top 5 global retail influencer by multiple organizations and his thoughts on the future of shopping are regularly shared in the media and in his role as a Forbes Senior Contributor.
During a 30 year career as a senior executive at two Fortune 500 retailers – and more recently as a strategic advisor – Steve has worked with dozens of retail, consumer, luxury and social enterprise brands to inspire, catalyze and design their journey to remarkable impact.
As a sought-out keynote speaker, Steve has delivered talks on six continents, sharing his unique take on what it takes to reignite customer growth in a world of nearly constant change and shifting consumer preferences.
He has contributed commentary to Bloomberg/Business Week, the BBC, CNBC, CNN, the Harvard Business Review, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal, among many others.
