Don't Miss These Three CMOs Redefining AI in Retail at EEE Miami 2026
- Jessica de Meillon
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
The intersection of human creativity and artificial intelligence is reshaping modern commerce—and three marketing leaders will explore exactly how this transformation is unfolding at EEE Miami 2026. Rick Cadotte (Chief Marketing Officer at LegacyBox), Max Lishansky (Chief Marketing Officer at Cuyana), and Brooke Cullsion (VP of Media & Acquisition at Neuro Gum & Mints) will take the stage February 4-5 at The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne for the panel "The Future of Commerce: Human Creativity in an AI-Driven World."
The Retail AI Council is proud to sponsor the EEE Miami afterparty and highlight these three executives who are actively demonstrating how AI can enhance—not replace—the human elements that build lasting brands.
Rick Cadotte: Balancing AI Performance with Brand Storytelling
As Chief Marketing Officer at LegacyBox, Rick Cadotte operates at the intersection of brand and performance marketing, bringing experience across e-commerce, brand operations, private equity, and M&A. His work spans scaling e-commerce brands, restaurant groups, and multinational operating businesses, with a consistent focus on building durable brands while driving measurable, long-term growth.
Cadotte's perspective on AI is distinctly practical. He focuses on using automation and AI not just to optimize performance, but to enhance customer connection and drive sustainable growth. As he described his approach earlier in 2025, he focuses on "using automation and AI not just to optimize performance, but to enhance customer connection and drive sustainable growth."
At EEE Miami 2025, Cadotte participated in a panel on "Leveraging AI Innovation to Improve Performance and Efficiency," where he and fellow panelists shared actionable insights on leveraging AI to enhance decision-making, automate workflows, and drive sustainable growth. The discussion explored real-world applications from predictive analytics and personalized customer experiences to AI-powered inventory management and marketing automation.
What sets Cadotte's approach apart is his commitment to balancing data and efficiency with brand storytelling and human insight. He has led teams through the integration of AI-driven personalization, funnel testing, and content systems—always maintaining this critical balance. His work demonstrates that AI's role in marketing extends beyond mere optimization to creating deeper customer connections.
Max Lishansky: Data-Driven Growth with Customer-Centric Technology
Max Lishansky brings over 15 years of marketing experience to his role as Chief Marketing Officer at Cuyana, the sustainable fashion brand built on a "fewer, better" philosophy. His background spans direct response marketing, multi-channel customer acquisition, and growth optimization across both established brands and startups.
At Cuyana, Lishansky has championed technology platforms that empower marketing teams to work more autonomously while maintaining deep customer insights. In 2024, he described the company's platform transition approach: "The customer data and event tracking capabilities of Klaviyo are amazing. The intuitive usability of the platform is great. It is best-in-class."
Lishansky's growth strategy centers on new customer acquisition, particularly reaching out-of-market audiences through emotionally resonant storytelling. In October 2025, he explained Cuyana's YouTube strategy: "Our growth strategy is centered on new customer acquisition, particularly reaching out-of-market audiences. YouTube gives us a scalable opportunity—especially in the video format, where we can connect with audiences in emotionally resonant, compelling and memorable ways."
His approach recognizes that different platforms require tailored strategies. "YouTube requires storytelling that's created for its unique pacing and audience behavior, so repurposing from other channels doesn't work," he noted. This philosophy—combining creative storytelling with analytical rigor—positions him perfectly to speak on how human creativity can accelerate performance and build long-term brand equity in an AI-driven world.
Brooke Cullsion: Scaling Brand Visibility Through Strategic Media Acquisition
As VP of Media & Acquisition at Neuro Gum & Mints, Brooke Cullsion leads strategies that drive customer acquisition and scale brand visibility across digital and traditional channels. Her work at Neuro has coincided with explosive growth for the functional gum and mints brand.
Under Cullsion's media leadership, Neuro has achieved remarkable expansion across both retail and digital channels. The brand now appears in over 20,000 brick-and-mortar retail locations including CVS, Whole Foods, Albertsons, and Target. In the digital space, Neuro's strategic platform approach has yielded impressive results—the company generates approximately $7 million in monthly revenue across all channels, with TikTok Shop alone contributing an average of $3.32 million monthly.
Neuro's TikTok Shop journey exemplifies Cullsion's strategic approach to media acquisition. The brand officially launched on TikTok Shop in January 2024, but rather than rushing into aggressive promotions, the team focused on testing, optimizing, and refining their approach. By July 2024, sales began accelerating significantly. This patient, data-informed strategy demonstrates how media acquisition in the AI era requires both technological capabilities and human strategic insight.
Cullsion's experience spans DTC and media leadership at Liquid I.V., digital marketing at start-ups, and programmatic advertising with Quantcast and DSPolitical. This diverse background positions her to speak authoritatively on how media strategies must evolve to drive customer acquisition and scale brand visibility in an increasingly AI-driven media landscape.
The Future of Commerce: Where Human Meets Machine
The panel these three leaders will participate in—"The Future of Commerce: Human Creativity in an AI-Driven World"—addresses one of retail's most pressing questions: As AI accelerates everything from content creation to customer support, how does human creativity become a brand's ultimate differentiator?
The panel description frames the central challenge: "As AI accelerates everything from content creation to customer support, human creativity becomes a brand's ultimate differentiator. Learn how today's leading teams blend human insight with machine intelligence to innovate faster, stand out, and unlock new growth."
Each panelist brings a distinct perspective to this conversation. Cadotte demonstrates how AI can enhance customer connection while maintaining brand storytelling. Lishansky shows how data-driven growth strategies can remain emotionally resonant. Cullsion exemplifies how strategic media acquisition at scale still requires human insight and patience.
Why This Matters for Retail AI
The retail industry is at an inflection point with AI adoption. As of 2025, 87% of retailers report that AI has had a positive impact on revenue, and 94% have seen it reduce operating costs. Yet the most successful implementations aren't those that simply automate—they're the ones that strategically blend AI capabilities with human creativity and insight.
EEE Miami 2026 brings together 500 ecommerce executives, brand leaders, and tech innovators for two days of strategic insight and high-impact connections. Unlike large trade shows, the conference's curated, retreat-style format fosters meaningful peer-level learning and actionable strategy.
For the Retail AI Council's members focused on practical AI implementation, this panel represents exactly the kind of real-world expertise that drives successful AI adoption—not theoretical frameworks, but battle-tested approaches from executives actively scaling brands in an AI-driven landscape.
Join the Conversation
EEE Miami 2026 takes place February 4-5 at The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne. The Retail AI Council is proud to sponsor the EEE Miami afterparty, creating additional opportunities for retail leaders to connect and continue these critical conversations about the future of AI in commerce. To learn more about EEE Miami 2026, visit eeemiami.com.
To explore how the Retail AI Council helps retailers implement practical AI solutions, visit retailaicouncil.com.
The future of commerce isn't about choosing between human creativity and machine intelligence—it's about strategically blending both to innovate faster, stand out, and unlock new growth. These three leaders will show how it's done.
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