GfK has appointed Gary Schanzer to lead its Point-of-Sale (POS) teams in North America – including pet, optics and tire retail panels – and GfK’s Value-Added Services in e-commerce content, discount ad tracking, and technology research for investment firms.

For the past four years, Schanzer has guided GfK’s Shopper & Retail Strategy team in North America, managing many of the group’s larger and more complex engagements. As Managing Director of POS Tracking, he will work closely with sales, client service, and operations to expand GfK’s North American retail panels and revenue generation in Pet Specialty Retail, Optics, Farm Feed, and Tires.

Schanzer also will lead GfK’s diverse North American businesses in Value-Added Services:

• E-commerce content development (also known as GfK Etilize)

• Print discount ad tracking in the US and Canada (Promotion and Causal Retail)

• Telecom, consumer electronics, and IT research for investment firms and others (GfK Boutique)

“Our POS Tracking and Value-Added businesses provide top quality information and services to extremely diverse clients, from contact lens manufacturers to Wall Street firms,” said Gary Cofer, GfK’s Regional Chief Commercial Officer for North America. “We are fortunate to have a leader of Gary’s experience and wisdom to take these businesses to new levels. He excels in the organizational intelligence and client focus that are essential ingredients of success for these teams. And he will help turn our syndicated data into actionable insights that can provide increased value to our clients.”

Driving strategic decision making based on data and research has been a centerpiece of Schanzer’s career. After a stint in investment banking, he moved into marketing and brand management at BestFoods, with a specific focus on improving the organization’s approach to retail and trade promotion analytics. Schanzer then began his consulting career, at Information Resources and later Meridian Consulting, running analytically driven engagements in food, healthcare, beauty, pet food, appliances, and other industries.

In 2004, Schanzer co-founded Interscope, a sales and marketing consultancy focused on building brands through retail that is now part of GfK.

Schanzer earned an MBA in marketing, with additional concentrations in decision sciences and legal studies, from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as an AB in economics from Princeton University.