Katie Thomas leads the Kearney Consumer Institute, where she studies how consumer behavior is changing and what those shifts mean for brands, retailers, and business strategy. Her work brings a consumer-first lens to questions of growth, retail strategy, and the gap between what consumers say and how they actually behave.

Katie has more than 15 years of experience across consumer, retail, and media, spanning consulting, brand management, and thought leadership. She works with Fortune 500 companies and draws on large-scale consumer research to help businesses understand changing consumer priorities and translate those insights into strategic decisions.