Daniel O’Connor

Dan O’Connor is a recognized industry analyst thought leader, adviser, and educator working with the world’s most innovative brands, retailers, and digital platform companies.

Currently, Dan is an Executive in Residence with the Harvard Business School (HBS), Managing the Future of Work project. Prior to this, he served as a Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow in 2017.

Dan is an entrepreneur who has founded and scaled multiple businesses. Prior to his time in the HBS Managing the Future of Work project, Dan founded RetailNet Group (RNG), an advisory and insights firm that works with leading retailers and consumer brands worldwide. (RNG was sold to Ascential Insight, PLC in 2015)

Dan’s board/governance experience has extended over 20 years with companies such as Daymon Worldwide (now Bain Capital investment), publicly traded firms such as Coinstar (Redbox), DemandWare (NYSE and now Salesforce), as well Premier Retail Networks, a division of Thomson (NYSE).

Earlier in his career, Dan founded MVI/Kantar Retail, a syndicated research firm that followed the world’s largest retailers. He sold this company to WPP Group in 2001.

Troy Beeler

Troy Beeler is the co-founder and general manager of the Future Commerce Initiative (FCI). FCI educates and advises today’s senior commercial leaders in retail and consumer products organizations in the future of commerce and work. FCI’s uniqueness is it is well-grounded casework, faculty, and engaged alumni.

Before FCI, Troy was an early team member at RetailNet Group (RNG), an advisory and insights firm that works with leading retailers and consumer brands worldwide. During his time at RNG, Troy ran the Advanced Retail Strategy Program, an executive education program taught at the UCLA Anderson School of Management with over 1500 alumni from 20+ countries. (RNG sold to Ascential Insight, PLC in 2015)

Troy started his career with the Grocery Manufacturers of America (now called the Consumer Brands Association) in Washington, DC.

Sarah Hoit

 Sarah Hoit is a social entrepreneur, executive, consultant, and healthy aging expert who has made significant contributions in both the private and public sectors regarding social impact, technology, brain health, Food as Medicine, senior living, and national service.

Hoit is the Co-Founder and Chairman of the Global Brain Health Initiative with Social Impact Partners, a nonprofit organization dedicated to driving collaboration, innovation, education, and investment to create change and combat neurodegenerative diseases globally. Sarah is also the Founder and CEO of Every Day Matters, LLC., a worldwide consulting and strategy operation focusing on bringing new products, services, and solutions to organizations by infusing longevity, Food as Medicine, and brain health into their workplace and leadership offerings.

 Sarah has held executive leadership roles with Connected Living (Co-Founder and CEO), BioVie(Chief Social Impact Officer), White House (Deputy Director of National Service), and Explore Inc. (CEO and Chair). Her passion and influence extends to board and advisory positions with HelloGard Robotics, CaringKind, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, Dementia Friendly America, Tenacity, and Argentum’s Women in Leadership. Sarah holds a BA with Honors from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School (HBS), where she was awarded a public service fellowship.