Coworking with Jay Amburkar

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Jay Amburkar is SVP and market director of retail, CPG, travel and transportation at tech consultancy Thoughtworks.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? I’m essentially a translator between the future and the present. I help global retailers and brands keep up with customers whose expectations and behaviors are changing much faster than the legacy systems they’re built on. Think of it this way: The modern shopper is living in 2026, but many of the world’s biggest supply chains and data architectures are still stuck in 2015. My job at Thoughtworks is to help those brands close that gap, ensuring their technology isn’t just reactive, but a proactive innovation engine that can pivot as quickly as the people it serves.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? LinkedIn does a great job showing the conferences, the events, the strategy sessions, but it doesn’t show the “quiet” work. I religiously block time on my calendar every week to do absolutely nothing: no phone, no books, no podcasts. In a role that demands constant input and problem-solving, I’ve found that the richest thought happens when you give your brain the space to wander.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? Building out retail media networks (RMNs) for some of the world’s largest retailers has been an incredible journey. It started as a way for retailers to monetize their first-party data, but watching them evolve has been the real thrill. Now, we’re seeing RMNs reshaped by generative AI and a radical shift in how discovery happens. We’ve moved from simple “sponsored search” to complex systems where AI agents help consumers discover products in ways that feel organic rather than intrusive. Seeing that transformation from a revenue stream to a foundational part of the shopper’s digital identity is why I love this space.

Which emerging retail trend are you most excited about right now, and why? I’m tracking two major disruptions that are currently converging. The first is agentic commerce, which is the shift from a “search and browse” retail world to a “prompt and act” world. We’re moving toward a future where the customer isn’t navigating a website anymore; their AI agent is doing it on their behalf. This means product data and APIs have to be more than just accurate; they have to be trustworthy and precise enough for a machine to make a purchase decision. The second is what I call biological disruption, specifically the impact of GLP-1 medications. This is a massive, system-wide demand signal that the industry isn’t quite ready for. We’re seeing consumers shift from impulse buys to highly intentional, “functional” purchasing. Because this behavior is so new, it’s going to show up as “noisy” or inconsistent data in legacy models before it stabilizes. The retailers who win won’t be the ones living in annual planning cycles; they’ll be the ones who build for “fluid commerce” and execute with precision.

What’s your go-to coffee order? It depends on the zip code! On travel days, it’s a grande extra hot half-decaf oat milk latte—the “half decaf” is my version of living on the edge. On non-travel days, I go full decaf. People are usually shocked to find a consultant who survives without a caffeine addiction, but I consider it a medical miracle!

Worst piece of advice you’ve received? “Don’t rock the boat.” Early in my career, I was told that fitting in and following the established playbook was the safest path to leadership. I learned very quickly that the opposite is true. In an industry being disrupted as fast as retail, the “boat rockers” are usually the only ones building the future. If you aren’t questioning why things are done a certain way, you’re just managing a slow decline. I’d much rather be a builder than a passenger.

What was your favorite retail product when you were 15, and what’s your favorite retail product now? At 15, it was Lakmé eyeliner. Growing up in India, it was one of my very first tools for self-expression. Long before I had the professional vocabulary to talk about “brand identity” and “consumer choice,” I understood the power of a product that helped me show up as the person I wanted to be. Now honestly, it’s still eyeliner. The brands have shifted. I’m a loyalist to Lancôme and I’m still holding out hope for a Kat Von D comeback at Sephora (if you know, you know)—but the core idea remains the same. The best retail products are the ones that help people show up as their most authentic selves.