James Connell

With over 20 years of senior leadership experience in operations, omnichannel implementations, market expansion, digital transformation, ecommerce, and marketing, I am a global, seasoned strategic leader and a customer experience pioneer. I have a proven track record of driving customer-centric experiences in category-leading global omnichannel retail and e-commerce environments while also being recognized as the Canadian Marketer of the Year.

Currently, I am a marketing consultant, guiding brands, businesses, charitable organizations, and high-net-worth individuals to maximize revenue, value, and efficiency from their owned digital platforms and consumer data. I strongly focus on integrating environmental sustainability into ecommerce in Southeast Asia and India, where I also hold a Singapore EntreePass visa. I am certified by MIT Sloan Executive Education in Business Process Design for Strategic Management and Digital Business Strategy. I have a broad skill set that spans apparel, accessories, footwear, beauty, and FMCG. I am passionate about leveraging technology, insights, creativity, and collaboration to deliver innovative and profitable solutions that make a positive impact.

Currently, I am guiding brands, businesses of all sizes, charitable organizations, & high-net-worth individuals to maximize revenue, value & efficiency from owned digital platforms & consumer data. Clients have added followers, lifted conversion rates, and raised over $1M while becoming more globally competitive.

Previously, at retailer Roots, I reported to the CEO, with eleven direct reports, 50+ associates and 30+ vendors in eCommerce, Marketing, Creative Services, Operations, Visual Merchandising, and Customer Experience globally. Directed various marketing programs, celebrity/KOL partnerships and campaigns, PR, social media, in-store consumer communications, creative content development, ecommerce solutions, CRM initiatives, and partnerships. Oversaw P&L, growth, strategy, KPIs & forecasting for company departments. Grew eCommerce business to $100M+ (~50% of direct-to-consumer sales generated through eCommerce), with a CAGR often exceeding 30%-50% & administered significant budgets for Marketing, Distribution & Contact Centers.

Recently I have completed certificates in Digital Transformation and Digital Adoption from MIT and additional courses in AI.