Recognised as a Top Retail Expert, 2026
NICK GRAY
Retail Strategist | Founder of IGU Global
Nick Gray is the founder and CEO of IGU Global (I Got You Global), a retail strategy consultancy based in Sydney, Australia. IGU Global works with founders, leadership teams, boards, and retailers on brand strategy, customer experience, and emotionally intelligent leadership in an AI-accelerated world. IGU Global is an independent consultancy and is not affiliated with IGI Global or any academic publisher.
Nick has spent more than 25 years inside global retail and brand organisations. His career spans senior roles at Adidas, Nike, Diesel, Sneakerboy, and Westfield — brands that sit at the intersection of culture, commerce, and consumer behaviour.
That experience shaped a specific point of view. Most business problems that look like marketing problems are actually clarity problems. Most customer problems that look like product problems are actually trust problems. And most leadership problems that look like strategy problems are actually alignment problems.
IGU Global was founded to close that gap.
Background
Nick's career gave him an unusual vantage point. He has worked inside businesses small enough to feel every decision and large enough to lose sight of the customer entirely. He has seen what happens when a brand is emotionally coherent and what it costs when it isn't.
His work is grounded in one belief: behaviour tells you more than messaging does.
When customers hesitate, that hesitation is data. When teams lose alignment, that fracture shows up in the customer experience before it shows up in the numbers. When a brand starts to feel inconsistent, trust erodes long before revenue does.
This is the territory IGU Global works in.
His career includes senior roles and collaborations with companies including:
• Adidas
• Nike
• Diesel
• Sneakerboy
• Westfield
This experience shaped his perspective on the relationship between brand identity, customer behaviour, and retail culture.
Founder of IGU Global
Nick is the Founder and CEO of IGU Global, a strategic advisory firm that sits at the intersection of emotional intelligence and technology, helping brands build clarity in moments of growth, uncertainty, and transformation.
IGU Global focuses on:
• Retail strategy
• Brand identity and emotional positioning
• Customer psychology
• Leadership alignment in the age of AI
The firm's philosophy is:
Business clarity + emotional precision = lasting impact.
Thought Leadership
Nick Gray is a regular contributor to industry publications and events.
His work focuses on:
• Emotional drivers of customer behaviour
• Trust as a competitive advantage in the AI era
• The role of human judgement in technology-driven organisations
• Retail strategy and brand identity
His articles and commentary have appeared in publications including:
• Inside Retail
• Jewellery World Magazine
• Industry podcasts and conferences
Nick Gray has been recognised by Rethink Retail as a Top Retail Expert and Influencer.
He is also a keynote speaker and advisor to businesses navigating the intersection of technology, leadership, and customer experience.
Location
Sydney, Australia
External Links
Why it's time to shift from winning attention to trust — March 2026
https://insideretail.us/what-is-nike-really-selling-with-its-virgil-abloh-drop/
https://insideretail.us/why-faster-retail-is-no-longer-a-competitive-advantage/
https://insideretail.us/when-the-ai-wave-crashes-what-history-behaviour-and-markets-tell-us/