Forty Under 40: Jay Dennis

Jay Dennis has deepened his retail expertise under multiple business models and on a global scale. He’s worked in consulting and technology, supply chain technology, and consumer insights — always as they apply to retail and consumer packaged goods, with a primary focus on Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Dennis now leads a team that supports Walmart to understand its marketplace, identify opportunities for growth and measure results.

Dennis joined Nielsen in January. The son of a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, he is an Arkansas native and earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from the University of Tennessee. He worked for Gartner Inc., and 13 years for IBM as a sales executive focused on Walmart International. He was previously named to the Memphis Business Journal’s list of Top 40 Under 40.

Dennis aspires to lead by influence and vision. He identified his strengths as keeping a team focused and maintaining a holistic view of analytics, supply chains, retail economics and retail finance.

“It’s a historic moment that exists in our world today; the rules of retailing are being rewritten,” he said.

In addition to enjoying strong business mentors throughout his career, Dennis credits his success to leadership influences within his family — particularly his father, father-in-law, and his wife.