Stuart Aitken is the President and CEO of Circana. He brings more than 25 years of experience in data, insights, analytics, technology, and media including at leading retailers.

Aitken joined Circana from Kroger where he was chief merchant and marketing officer and responsible for several key business functions including sales, pricing, analytics and execution, e-commerce, digital merchandising, marketing, and more.

Prior to his role at Kroger, Aitken was a founder and served as CEO of 84.51°, Kroger’s data analytics arm, and CEO of dunnhumby USA, LLC for six years. He also served as executive vice president and chief marketing officer for retailer Michaels, and he led marketing strategies, loyalty marketing, data analytics, innovation, and category management at Safeway.

Aitken was also previously a software programmer in Silicon Valley and a technology professor in Scotland, where he taught AI, analytics, and small business management.

He holds a BA and an MS in Information Management and lives in Cincinnati with his wife and two children.