How Catalyst Brands Uses Data and AI to Scale Across Retail Brands

What does it take to turn a portfolio of legacy retail brands into a scalable technology platform? In this episode of Technovation, Kumar “Kartik” Kartikeya, SVP and Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Catalyst Brands, shares how he is building a shared operating model across data, AI, and customer experience to unlock enterprise value at scale. Leading technology for a $9B multi-brand retail ecosystem, Kartikeya explains how selective centralization enables faster innovation while preserving brand identity. Key insights include: How shared data and AI capabilities drive cross-brand scale Why “one plus one must equal three” in platform strategy The role of Consumer 360 in personalization and growth How AI is improving both employee productivity and customer experience Why CSAT is the most important KPI