Inspiring Innovation: European Retail Trends for Canadian Retailers

Michael is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur.  He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. He has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada’s Retail Secure conference with leaders from The Gap and Kroger talking about violence in retail stores, keynotes on the state & future of retail in Orlando and Halifax, and at the 2023 Canadian GroceryConnex conference, hosting the CEOs of Walmart Canada, Longo’s and Save-On-Foods Canada.   Michael brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi’s, Black & Decker, Hudson’s Bay, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.

Michael also produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in North America, Remarkable Retail,

Canada’s top retail industry podcast; the Voice of Retail; Canada’s top food industry and the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor, with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois.

Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail influencers for the fourth year in a row, Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer, and you can tune into Michael’s cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.

Diana S. Dimitian is the Senior Vice- President, and Managing Director of South Europe for Levi Strauss & Company.  She leads the important region within Levi Strauss Europe, including 17 countries.  Dimitian was appointed to this position in October 2018, and the company moved her to Paris in January 2019 to manage and grow this important cluster of countries for Europe, Africa.  Dimitian was recruited by Levi Strauss & Company, the America’s Region, in May 2015, and appointed Vice-President, and Managing Director for Canada. Within her first three years leading the market, she tripled the women’s Levi’s business, grew both Levi’s & Dockers Men’s market share, expanded the denim leader into new lifestyle categories, launched Ecommerce within Canadian market, and practically doubled the country’s business whilst losing their second largest retailer. Prior to Levi Strauss & Company, Dimitian was a highly accomplished, and regarded footwear executive. She worked for Wolverine World Wide for over sixteen years holding various senior executive positions in both the Canadian, and USA markets.  She led sales, marketing, merchandising, brand management teams for International brands such as Hush Puppies, and Harley-Davidson.