Jay Margolis joins the Plant Based World Advisory Council as a mission-driven leader and the newly appointed CEO of SPINS. With over two and a half decades of experience under his belt, Jay brings a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and a deep-seated passion for the health and wellbeing of people, communities, and the planet. His journey reflects a commitment to fostering informed and sustainable consumption through the power of data and technology.

“I’ve personally been eating plant-based for 25 years, so I consider myself an OG in the space,” he states, highlighting his long-term commitment to plant-based living.

Before his leadership role at SPINS, Jay honed his skills and vision at IQVIA, where as Senior Vice President and General Manager, he was at the helm of the U.S.-based data and technology business focused on healthcare.

His transition to SPINS represents a unique convergence of his professional experience and personal passions. “I spent 20 years prior to my role at SPINS with a company that leveraged data for improvements in the healthcare space and now I get to combine that experience with my passion for natural foods to fuel growth in the marketplace.” This statement underscores Jay’s vision for SPINS — to harness the transformative power of data analytics to propel the natural and plant-based foods industry forward.

Under Jay Margolis’s leadership, SPINS stands at the forefront of the evolving retail landscape, poised to drive significant growth and innovation in plant-based foods and other categories falling under the “natural” umbrella. As a speaker at Plant Based World Expo in London this past fall, Jay offered data to a European audience to better understand the marketplace for plant-based foods in the United States.

It is clear to Jay that companies across the CPG world are facing challenges, and data can be leveraged to navigate a turbulent retail landscape. His perspective on the plant-based market, in particular, looks beyond the hype around animal-alternatives to all areas of the retail store.

“I feel there has been an over emphasis on meats and cheeses, when so many other categories are performing well”, he offers, encouraging retail buyers to look to categories such as creamers, functional foods, frozen foods and all areas of the grocery store for continued growth in the plant-based realm. Stay tuned in the coming months as we tap further into the wealth of resources provided by Jay’s team at SPINS to better understand the current trends of the marketplace.

As a veteran in the world of plant-based living, Jay’s leadership is a beacon of progress, signaling a data-driven future for the natural products industry and sustainable consumption practices worldwide.