Lori Schafer and Sandy DeFelice of Digital Wave Technology Named Top Retail Experts for 2026 by RETHINK Retail
- Tori Hamilton
- 11 hours ago
- 2 min read
PONTE VEDRA, Fla. — Digital Wave Technology today announced that Lori Schafer, Chief Executive Officer, and Sandy DeFelice, Senior Vice President of Revenue and Strategic Accounts, have been named Top Retail Experts for 2026 by RETHINK Retail.
This recognition marks the third consecutive year both executives have earned a place in the Top Retail Experts (TRE) community, one of the most respected global distinctions in the retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry.
The Top Retail Experts program honors individuals across categories including Technologists, Analysts, Consultants, Media, Finance, and Specialists who have made outstanding contributions to the retail and consumer industries. Selection is based on industry impact, thought leadership, and measurable influence on how retailers and brands evolve.
“Lori and Sandy lead with clarity, conviction, and a deep understanding of what retailers need to operate and compete in an increasingly complex environment,” said Sara Meza, SVP, Chief Digital Officer. “This recognition reflects not just individual excellence, but sustained leadership that’s helping shape the future of modern retail.”
Under Ms. Schafer’s leadership, Digital Wave Technology has focused on solving one of retail’s most persistent challenges: fragmented data across the enterprise that slows decisions and breaks execution. The AI-native ONE℠ Platform unifies data, intelligence, and workflows on a single, governed master data foundation, delivering traditional AI, GenAI, and Agentic AI natively so retailers and brands can move from insight to execution faster and with confidence.
Ms. DeFelice has been instrumental in bringing this platform to market, working closely with enterprise customers to translate unified data and AI-driven execution into measurable gains in speed, revenue, and margin.
The 2026 Top Retail Experts cohort represents a global community of leaders whose work continues to influence how retail organizations adapt, innovate, and grow. View the full list of Top Retail Experts here.