Chris is a passionate and self-motivated pure-play e-commerce expert with over 14 years of advanced end-to-end working knowledge of international luxury and FMCG retail sectors. He has covered all aspects of e-commerce, from marketplaces and brand development through to ownership of the online presence, including P&L responsibility and advanced working knowledge of multichannel digital marketing. He has specialist knowledge of driving CRO/UI/UX/CRM strategies to deliver a best-in-class experience.

Omar H. Fares is a lecturer at the Ted Rogers School of Retail Management. He researches consumers’ interaction with novel digital innovations and the impact of digital innovations on retailers. Fares has worked for leading institutions such as Walmart, CIBC, and Fairstone Bank.

Matt Johnson is the author of the best-selling consumer psychology book, Blindsight (2020), and Branding That Means Business (2022). Following his PhD in cognitive neuroscience from Princeton University, his research has probed the science of brand storytelling, experiential marketing, and consumer behaviour. Matt is passionate about helping brands harness insights from neuroscience, and, to this end, he consults with a wide array of organisations, including as an expert-in-residence for Nike. In 2023, he was inducted into Thinkers50 Radar as one of 30 'business thinkers with ideas most likely to shape the future'.

Anastasiia Fedorova is a senior insights editor at Canvas8. A writer, curator and cultural strategist, she specialises in art, fashion, design, technology and visual culture. Her personal work explores sexuality, identity and queer communities while interrogating our place in a world shaped by rapidly changing technologies. As an avid sci-fi fan since teenage years, she is always interested in thinking about multiple and diverse futures.

Rebecca Smith is the Head of Toolkit at Canvas8. With a background in psychology, she has worked with global clients such as Google, Nike, and Mars, exploring everything from what people want from a fake tan to Gen Z’s relationship with social media. Outside of work, you’ll find her binge-watching reality TV, listening to hyperpop, or with her nose buried in a fantasy novel.

Alex Strang is a senior insight editor at Canvas8 who used to be in a punk band that was signed, shaped, and spat out. He enjoys using his experience of being the product to help brands understand how to sell theirs. After studying philosophy and critical theory, he found his feet in the market research world and has been over-analysing consumer behaviour ever since, including his own. He can usually be found playing board games, watching Seinfeld, or trying too hard to make his daughter laugh.