Julie Vargas, Vice President and General Manager of Avery Dennison Identification Solutions, has been recognized as one of the 2024 Top AI Leaders by RETHINK Retail. This honor is part of RETHINK Retail’s newly launched AI in Retail (AiR) program, which highlights 150 industry leaders across 10 categories, including retailers, brands, technology experts, investors, and ethicists, who are driving innovation in AI.
RETHINK Retail defines Top AI Leaders as individuals who are leading the way in the application of AI within the retail sector. Vargas was recognized for her leadership in four critical areas:
- Inventory and Supply Chain Management
- Sustainability and Waste Reduction
- Checkout and Payment Solutions
- Customer Behavior and Foot Traffic Analysis
"It’s a privilege to be recognized alongside such a distinguished group of leaders," said Vargas. "At Avery Dennison, we bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds to solve complex challenges. We’re helping clients embrace automation and digital identification, creating high-fidelity data sets that are increasingly valuable for AI models. This is already enabling faster, better decision-making across many industries."
Honorees, including leaders from companies such as Diebold Nixdorf, Microsoft, Intel, PwC, and Rocketium, will join RETHINK Retail’s existing communities of Top Retail Experts and Global Retail Leaders. Together, they will collaborate to address key challenges facing the retail industry.
The announcement follows AI-focused events at NRF’s Big Show and ShopTalk earlier this year, where industry executives discussed the fast-paced development of AI solutions for retail. "The response to these events underscored the need for a dedicated, trusted resource for AI in retail," said Paul Lewis, co-founder and managing director of RETHINK Retail.
