Mass Market Retailers and Chain Drug Review honor 2025 “People Who Made a Difference”
The annual recognition, featured in the January issue of Mass Market Retailers, highlights individuals who consistently demonstrate excellence in leadership.
People Who Made a Difference
People Who Made a Difference: Amiee Bayer-Thomas, Chief Retail Officer, Ulta Beauty
Bayer-Thomas’ ability to anticipate the needs of consumers, coupled with her understanding of what a retailer needs to do to satisfy them, qualifies her as one of MMR’s People Who Made a Difference for 2025.
People Who Made a Difference: Liz Buchanan, President, North America, NielsenIQ
"We need to simplify access and create the types of activation that are going to be efficient. This is where NielsenIQ can play such a big role — creating the signals that are going to be the most meaningful for each use case.”
People Who Made a Difference: Darren Caudill, Chief Sales Officer at Wakefern Food Corp.
Caudill has over four decades of experience working in both grocery wholesale and retail
People Who Made a Difference: Amanda Coussoule, Chief Customer Officer, Kenvue
‘Our job is to be clear in our goals but flexible in how we reach them.’
People Who Made a Difference: Zach Dennett, Vice President of Merchandising, CVS Health
Building on CVS’ expertise in health care, Dennett is focused on educating consumers about options in the over-the-counter and nutritional supplements aisles.
People Who Made a Difference: Tonya Douglas Senior VP, Omnichannel Merchandising, and Chief Merchant, Giant Food
‘The most successful partnerships are based on shared goals and customer centricity. ’
People Who Made a Difference: Derek Gaskins, Head of Guest Experience, bp
‘I have always believed that everything begins with the guest.’
People Who Made a Difference: Renee Guthrie, lead pulmonary and transplant pharmacist at Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy
She forms personal connections with her patients by offering tailored education, in-depth consultations and hands-on support with new medications, including injection training and side effect management
People Who Made a Difference: Jim Kirby, Chief Commercial Officer at Kroger Health
As much as Kroger has played a leading role in Nourishing Change, Kirby stresses that the movement extends well beyond one company
People Who Made a Difference: Isaac Shapiro, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Cleanlogic
‘In the 21st century, you have to be thinking about accessibility for all.’
People Who Made a Difference: Matthew Simonsen, Senior Vice President of Real Estate and Development, Dollar General
‘My team and I have a strong passion in making sure every store matters.’
People Who Made a Difference: Herb Smith, Vice President of Retail National Customers and Control States, E&J Gallo
Currently the vice president of retail national customers and control states, he manages both sales and category management for the organization as well as managing customer relationships.
People Who Made a Difference: Daniel Wallace, Co-founder and CEO, Force Factor
‘The goal is to make performance nutrition more approachable.’