Retail Keynote Speaker Ryan Jenkins
Wall Street Journal Bestselling Leadership Author
and Award-Winning Keynote Speaker
Build More Connected Retail Teams
Retail may be transformed by technology, but it’s still powered by people. Every customer experience is influenced by the employees creating it, and by how connected those employees feel to their managers, teammates, and organization.
Today’s retailers are navigating frontline turnover, talent shortages, changing customer expectations, rapid advances in AI and automation, and a multigenerational workforce with up to five generations working side by side.
Today's retail organizations are working to:
Strengthen teamwork and communication across stores, frontline teams, operations, and corporate functions
Connect a multigenerational workforce with different expectations, experiences, and communication styles
Attract, engage, develop, and retain Gen Z and the next generation of retail talent
Equip frontline managers to build stronger relationships and lead increasingly diverse teams
Create greater consistency and connection across locations and distributed workforces
Embrace AI and technology while preserving the human experiences that build customer loyalty
Ryan equips retail professionals with practical, research-backed strategies to build stronger relationships, communicate more effectively across generations, and create teams where people feel connected and equipped to perform.
Whether speaking to executives, store leaders, frontline managers, sales teams, emerging leaders, or industry associations, Ryan delivers an engaging keynote experience with actionable insights that strengthen workplace culture, improve collaboration, and prepare people for what’s next.
Exceptional customer experiences start with connected employee experiences.
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Ryan’s Keynote Topics for
Retail Organizations
Connectable
Strengthening Relationships to Improve Teamwork, Engagement & Customer Experience
Retail is a relationship business. The connections employees have with their managers and teammates directly influence engagement, retention, performance, and the experience they create for customers.
Ryan reveals practical strategies to strengthen workplace relationships and create cultures where people feel seen, supported, and connected.
Strengthen relationships between frontline employees and managers.
Improve teamwork across stores, departments, shifts, and locations.
Create greater connection and belonging across the workforce.
Build stronger employee experiences that positively impact the customer experience.
Generational Connection
Leading & Working Across Generations in Retail
Retailers aren’t just employing a multigenerational workforce…they’re serving a multigenerational customer base.
Ryan helps leaders and employees move beyond generational stereotypes to understand the experiences and expectations shaping each generation and how those differences influence work, communication, and customer behavior.
Understand what motivates different generations at work.
Equip managers to lead Gen Z and younger employees more effectively.
Improve communication and teamwork across generations.
Attract, engage, develop, and retain the next generation of retail talent.
Better understand how generational differences influence customer expectations and experiences.
Team Binding
The Relationship Advantage in the Age of AI
Retail teams are often dispersed across stores, shifts, departments, distribution centers, and corporate offices. Communication may be constant, but that doesn’t mean teams are truly connected.
Ryan introduces the practical habits and systems that help teams continuously strengthen trust, alignment, and support.
Build stronger, more connected teams across locations and shifts.
Strengthen trust, alignment, and collaboration.
Improve connection between frontline employees and leaders.
Help teams navigate AI, automation, and continuous change.
Move beyond episodic team building and create continuous team binding.
Every leader needs
to hear Ryan.
-Patrick Lencioni
Who Should Book Ryan Jenkins for Retail Events?
01
Retail Executives & Senior Leaders
Equip leaders with practical strategies to strengthen culture, improve teamwork, navigate generational differences, engage frontline employees, and prepare their workforce for what’s next.
02
Store Managers & Frontline Leaders
Give the leaders closest to the workforce practical tools to build trust, communicate across generations, engage employees, and create stronger teams.
03
HR, Talent & Emerging Leader Programs
Help current and future leaders attract, engage, develop, and retain a multigenerational workforce while building the next generation of retail leaders.
04
Retail Conferences & Industry Events
Bring an engaging, research-backed keynote speaker to your leadership meeting, annual conference, manager summit, sales meeting, or industry event with timely insights on generations, teamwork, employee engagement, human connection, AI, and the future of work.
Retail Organizations Ryan Has Worked With
Amazon
Walmart
The Home Depot
Carter’s
CVS Health
Wells Fargo
Sargento
Pepsi
Snack Food Association
Johnson & Johnson
Dell Technologies
Kellanova
John Deere
Delta Air Lines
Chick-fil-A
Coca-Cola
Advance Auto Parts
Shoppers Drug Mart
Les Schwab Tires
Bank of America
Bruster’s Ice Cream
Pinch A Penny
Sun Tan City
Farm Retail Association
The Impact of Ryan Jenkins'
Keynotes on Retail Organizations
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Stronger Teamwork & Team Connection
Create more connected teams that communicate better, collaborate more effectively, and build greater trust across stores, shifts, functions, and locations.
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Greater Employee Engagement & Retention
Strengthen the relationships employees have with managers, teammates, and the organization—creating a workforce where people feel supported, valued, and more likely to stay.
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Better Generational Collaboration
Bridge communication gaps across generations and equip managers to better understand, engage, and lead employees with different experiences and expectations.
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Stronger Frontline Leaders
Give managers practical tools to build trust, strengthen relationships, communicate effectively, and lead increasingly multigenerational teams.
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Better Customer Experiences
Create stronger employee experiences that translate into more engaged teams and more consistent, human, and memorable experiences for customers.
THE BUZZ
Excitement from Engaged Audiences:
“Ryan sparked insights and ideas that I can apply in my team and across our company."
- Donna Kimmel, Chief People Officer at Citrix
“The best speaker we’ve ever had!”
- Ashley Breedlove, Director at CVS
“Ryan was phenomenal!”
- Kaylin Orr, Kimberly-Clark
“Great feedback from ALL attendees!”
- Mariana Fagnilli, VP at Liberty Mutual
"Utterly groundbreaking! Ryan equipped us to build a more connected organization with improved engagement.”
- Melissa Bernstein, Co-founder of Melissa & Doug
Why Book Ryan Jenkins for Retail Events?
Retail-Relevant, Research-Backed Insights
Ryan has worked with leading retailers and consumer brands and understands the people challenges shaping today’s frontline workforce—from Gen Z and generational differences to employee engagement, teamwork, manager effectiveness, and technological change. Every keynote translates research into practical strategies your people can use immediately.
Engaging, Practical & Actionable
Ryan combines compelling stories, humor, audience interaction, and practical takeaways to create an experience that's both inspiring and immediately useful. Attendees leave energized—and equipped with ideas they can put into practice the very next day.
Customized for Your Organization
No two retail organizations or workforces are the same. Ryan customizes every keynote around your people, culture, workforce dynamics, customer experience, organizational challenges, and event objectives so the message feels relevant and specific.
Ready to Build a More Connected Retail Workforce?
Strengthen teamwork, bridge generational gaps, engage frontline employees, develop stronger managers, and create the employee connections that lead to exceptional customer experiences.