April 14th, 2021, 10:00 am PT / Category: Interviews
How Can Retailers Evolve in a Digitally Enhanced Landscape?
Parag has experience of over 20 years in the Retail/Supermarket Industry. He excels in creating customer-focused business strategies and leading them to execution. Parag is highly analytical and entrepreneurial with a proven track record of managing high-performing teams. As a servant leader Parag takes pride in success and development of team members. He has also taken an active interest in creation of Diversity & Inclusion Strategy at Wakefern and is a member of the DEI Council.
He has worked at Wakefern Food Corporation for the past two decades in roles of increasing capacity, where currently he serves as Vice President leading the Grocery/ DSD/ Specialty Division. Parag’s responsibilities include full oversight of Procurement, Category Management, Supply Chain, Pricing & Promotions, Marketing Initiatives, Retail Merchandising and Joint Business Planning functions. In addition to managing day-to-day operations he has successfully implemented several strategic initiatives driving incremental top line sales and margin contribution. Transformation of DSD business, Growth of Specialty and expansion of SJBP across the organization are some of his key accomplishments.
Parag serves as an change agent with deep strategic influence on Own Brands, Digital Commerce, Organizational Design and Format Development. He is particularly passionate about Omni-channel business where he has played an active role in growth of Digital Coupons, On and Off Platform Advertising, Programmatic Media, Digital Shelf and Personalization. Parag’s hallmark has been creating deep partnership across the industry and he frequently gets invited to be a guest speaker where he shares his passionate views on growth and future of Supermarket Industry. He has done speaking assignments at Acosta, Unilever, Rutgers University, Tie Network, Netelixir, Network of Executive Women and Italian Trade Association to name a few.
Parag is an Executive Board Member at Category Management Association and Member of Supplier Diversity Committee at FMI. Outside of the industry, he is involved in the local Economic Development Committee of South Brunswick Township, where he resides. He coaches Robotics teams at the First League and volunteers his time as a mentor at the Rutgers University’s Teamup Mentor Program. He is an Mentor at Face2Face Health, an upcoming healthcare education startup.
In his free time Parag loves to travel, read books, watch cricket and occasionally cook Indian food. As a native of Bombay (Mumbai) India, he lives with his wife and 2 kids in New Jersey.
