IGA CEO & President John Ross is responsible for domestic and global operations for the
Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA), the world’s largest independent supermarket network with
7,500 IGA supermarkets in 25 countries worldwide.
During his career, John has served as president, Inmar Promotions network; CEO, IPG Shopper
Sciences; and president, IPG Emerging Media Lab. He has held leadership positions with smaller independents and larger retailers like Home Depot, in roles ranging from CMO, store management,merchandising, advertising, marketing, and e-commerce.
John’s experience spans many industries and areas of focus. He has worked in operations;
merchandising and marketing; new, traditional and digital media; and analytics and big data for
some of the largest brands in the world, including Coca-Cola, P&G, Schwab, Publix, Walmart,
Chrysler, Fiat, Sony, Bose, Google, AOL, and so many more. He has also helped launch and grow some of the world’s largest propriety brands at retail. He is the co-author of the Google Book ZMOT: Zero Moment of Truth, and author of Fire in the Zoo,
a book about shopper influence, marketing mania, retailer chaos, advertising pitfalls, consumer
confidence, converting customers, and how screaming at people usually doesn't work.
John is a champion of data-driven decision making, shopper-focused marketing, and active listening.
John has BA, BS, and MBA degrees from Tulane University in New Orleans, and serves on a number of retail industry boards, including The Consumer Goods Forum, The Food Industry Association,
National Grocers Association, and Inmar. He and Marie, his wife of over 25 years, live in Atlanta,where they have three kids and too many pets.