Our Speakers

Ben Arnold covers consumer electronics with an emphasis on video and audio products. A veteran analyst, he has covered the media and technology industries for more than 10 years with an eye on trends in consumer habits and usage.

Arnold offers expert insight and commentary on these and other industry related topics: audio and video electronics sales and trends, consumer demographic and usage profiles, consumer attitudes at retail and trends in device feature sets. His work has been featured extensively in industry publications TWICE and Dealerscope and has been quoted in news and business outlets including the Financial Times, MSNBC.com, PCMag, The Verge, The Washington Post and Forbes. He has presented and served on panels at industry events including CES and Digital Media Conference. In addition to his tenure at NPD, Arnold has experience as a senior director at the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) and as a senior analyst at USA TODAY.

Stephen Baker offers expert insight and commentary to clients and the media about consumer technology sales and trends across the U.S. and regionally. His perspectives cover retail and e-commerce, computer hardware and peripherals, holiday and yearly sales results, and analysis of new products and their impact on the consumer technology market.

Baker has been tracking and analyzing the technology industry for more for 30 years. He is quoted extensively in industry publications such as TWICE, CNET and CE Daily, and in business and news publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Verge, Engadget, USA Today, Investor’s Business Daily, Business Week and The San Jose Mercury News. He has appeared on CNBC, Fox News and CNN and presented and served on panels at industry events such as Electronics Retail Summit, CTA Research Summit, CES and E3.

A founding employee at Staples in 1986, Baker helped to open the first office superstore in the U.S. He spent nine years with the company, where he gained extensive knowledge and understanding of retail and the office supplies and consumer technology industries. Baker joined The NPD Group upon its acquisition of PC Data Inc. in March 2001; he had been PC Data’s principal hardware analyst and director of the overall hardware point-of-sale business. Prior to joining PC Data, Baker was a senior analyst in the distribution channels service at International Data Corporation (IDC).

Marshal Cohen is a nationally known expert on consumer behavior and the retail industry. He has followed retail trends for more than 30 years at NPD and as the head of leading fashion and apparel manufacturers as well as major retailers. Cohen is the author of two books, Why Customers Do What They Do (2006) and Buy Me! How to Get Customers to Choose Your Products and Ignore the Rest (2010).

A regular contributor to many major media outlets, Cohen is frequently quoted in publications like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Women’s Wear Daily. Additionally, he appears on various television news programs including “Today,” “Good Morning America,” “CBS Sunday Morning,” and has been a regular guest on Bloomberg TV and Radio. He is also a sought-after speaker at key industry events such as MAGIC, The Fairchild CEO Summits, The National Retail Federation’s (NRF) Annual Convention and The American Apparel and Footwear Association’s (AAFA) Annual Executive Summit. Recently, Cohen was the only industry expert who appeared in the documentary, “God Save my Shoes,” (godsavemyshoes.com) produced by Caid Productions.

Since joining NPD in 1999, Cohen has held a variety of positions analyzing and interpreting NPD’s uniquely combined consumer and point-of-sale tracking services for the apparel, footwear, accessories and sports industries. His career began in the training program at Bloomingdale’s, where he worked his way up to merchandise manager. From there, he became president of WilliWear and subsequently president of Stanley Blacker. He was also founder, owner and president of Motive Marketing Group.

In addition to his duties at NPD, Cohen is currently a member of several boards of directors and was recently appointed to the Cotton Board and American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA). He is also a guest professor at North Carolina State University, School of Textiles. There he is introducing students and faculty to techniques for analyzing and applying data. Cohen has been a guest lecturer at the Wharton School of Business, the Fashion Institute of Technology and Savannah College of Art and Design. He has also been twice named to the Footwear News Power 100 list.

Andrew Dent is known for his integrated approach to problem solving. He has worked in both academia and industry at Cambridge University, Rolls Royce, the U.S. Navy, NASA and the British Ministry of Defense. For more than 20 years Dent has helped clients from start-ups and Fortune 500 companies take their products and spaces to the next level through innovative material selection and a unique cross-industry perspective.

He is co-author of the Material Innovation book series published by Thames & Hudson and a frequent speaker on sustainable material strategies at events such as TEDxGrandRapids and TEDNYC.

Madeline Di Nonno is the Chief Executive Officer of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, the leading research driven advocacy organization working within the entertainment and media industry to create gender balance, foster inclusion and reduce negative stereotyping in family entertainment media.

Di Nonno leads the Institute’s strategic direction, fundraising, programs, research, financial and operational activities. Di Nonno brings a track record of successful executive leadership in the entertainment, non-profit, digital and consumer packaged goods industries.

Di Nonno is an Executive Producer on the Emmy nominated, People’s Choice and Gracie award winning television series Mission Unstoppable and the Gracie award winning feature film documentary This Changes Everything.

Previously, Di Nonno served as President and CEO of On The Scene Productions, a leader in streaming content creation and distribution. Di Nonno lead the company’s new business development and streaming platforms for clients such as Nike, Gatorade, Iconix, and PepsiCo.

Prior to On The Scene, Di Nonno served in executive positions for Anchor Bay Entertainment/Starz Media and Echo Bridge Home Entertainment where she led global brand marketing, franchise development, acquisitions, and digital media initiatives in North America, United Kingdom and Australia.

As Executive Vice President and GM for formerly Nielsen EDI a leading research provider of theatrical distribution measurement and information, Di Nonno developed new digital product offerings, generatednew business revenue and supervised client management for studio theatrical distribution and exhibition.

Previously, Di Nonno served as Senior Vice President, Marketing Alliances and Digital media at the Hallmark Channel. Di Nonno launched the cable channel and established marketing, digital media, e-commerce, and corporate alliance initiatives. Di Nonno drove revenue-generating, integrated marketing programs with companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Fuji, Universal Pictures, Target, Sony Pictures, Chrysler, and Baskin Robbins. Di Nonno pioneered the Channel’s digital media platforms.

Di Nonno served as an executive at Universal Studios Home Entertainment as Vice President, Strategic Marketing and launched the division’s DVD and digital media platforms. Di Nonno supervised marketing campaigns for theatrical, direct-to-video and library releases such as the Jurassic Park franchise, the Land Before Time Franchise and Universal Classic Monsters Franchise.

Di Nonno’s career started at ABC Television Network in corporate publicity working on communications campaigns for mini-series, sports and daytime, including “The Winds of War,” “The Thorn Birds” and the 1984 Olympics.

Di Nonno is U.S. State Department Speaker Specialist and is also a frequent speaker at global conferences, corporations, governmental organizations and festivals, such as AdWeek, Cannes Lion, Chatham House, CES, Kidscreen, London Film Festival, New Zealand Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, The White House, UNESCO, and the United Nations. Di Nonno has been featured in global media outlets such as Adweek, Ad Age, Cosmo, Fast Company, FOX 11, Forbes, Glamour, The Guardian, MediaWeek, Huffington Post, Spectrum TV, The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Vanity Fair and Variety.

Leatrice (Lee) Eiseman heads the Eiseman Center for Color Information & Training on Bainbridge Island, Wash., and is also executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.

Fortune Magazine named Eiseman one of the 10 “Top Decision Makers” for her work in color consulting and forecasting. She conducts color seminars for trade shows, a variety of industries, professional groups and museums.

Eiseman is an allied member of the American Society of Interior Designers, the Industrial Design Society of America and Fashion Group International, and a founding member of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. She teaches a Color Design program online and is the author of 10 books on color.

Larissa Jensen is an expert in the prestige skincare, makeup, fragrance and hair categories. She travels globally to lend her knowledge of the U.S. market to the beauty industry, which includes the evaluation of new business opportunities for top beauty manufacturers around the world.

Jensen shares her expert insights and analysis on The NPD Group Blog, and contributes to major media outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Women’s Wear Daily, Vogue, The Business of Fashion, HAPPI and GCI magazine. She has delivered keynotes and trend presentations at established beauty events and conferences for Cosmetic Executive Women, HBA Global Expo, Cosmoprof and The Society of Cosmetic Chemists.

A guest lecturer at Columbia University Business School and The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Jensen also is an advisory board member for FIT’s CFMM master’s program and on the Board of Advisors for Beauty Packaging magazine. She joined NPD in 2005 following marketing roles at The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc. and L’Oréal USA.

Since joining Beanstalk in 2007, Kaufman has grown the licensing programs for several corporate and celebrity clients and played an active role in the launch of two new divisions within Beanstalk: Manufacturer Representation and Tinderbox. He also spent four years in Los Angeles deepening Beanstalk’s relationship base on the west coast and expertise in the world of celebrities and entertainment licensing.

Michelle Lamb provides trend strategies and consulting, color-and-trend forecasts, color specifications, retail reconnaissance studies, trend seminars and workshops for retailers, manufacturers and trade associations around the globe. In 2021, Marketing Directions will celebrate its 34^th anniversary. Lamb began her career at Target in inventory management and buying positions for a broad range of categories. Acknowledging her keen eye for color and trend, Target named her the company’s first hardlines trend merchant.

David Portalatin is The NPD Group’s national analyst on all aspects of food and beverage consumption in- and away-from-home.  He provides information, insights and analysis on how U.S. consumers eat and drink, their attitudes and motivations, diet and nutrition, snacking, personal characteristics and their usage of restaurants and other foodservice outlets. He works closely with food manufacturers and retailers; foodservice distributors, manufacturers and operators; and media outlets in providing strategic business insights into current and future eating patterns in America.

Portalatin’s diverse background and experience gives him an in-depth understanding of consumer behavior and purchase patterns. Prior to his current role, he was NPD’s industry analyst in the automotive aftermarket, motor fuels and convenience retailing industries. He held various positions in petroleum marketing, convenience retailing and foodservice wholesale distribution before joining NPD in 1999.

He is a frequent featured speaker at food industry events and corporate conferences/meetings with distributors, manufacturers and retailers. Portalatin’s comments have appeared in USA Today, CNBC, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times and other nationally recognized media outlets.

Salamah joined IHA in 2018. Along with directing marketing activities for The Inspired Home Show, she concepted, supervised a team of experts and wrote the 2020 IHA Market Watch report, which identified five macro consumer lifestyle trends that shape how, what and where home and housewares products are being purchased. As the architect of IHA Market Watch, Salamah has been a frequent speaker during industry webinars on consumer trends and led a Market Watch series examining shifts in the trends in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, including implications for both suppliers and retailers.