Melissa Gonzalez

Melissa Gonzalez is an award-winning retail strategist, Principal at global design and architecture firm MG2, and Founder of MG2 Advisory, now part of Colliers Engineering & Design. With a background that spans Wall Street leadership and entrepreneurial success, Gonzalez advises brands and retailers on how to translate forward-looking consumer insights into innovative strategies—from concept through implementation—advancing the industry through experiential design.

A pioneer in the evolution of experiential retail, Gonzalez has helped shape the integration of physical environments and emerging technologies, partnering with legacy brands such as Nordstrom and Victoria’s Secret, as well as digital-first leaders including Good American and Kizik. Her work continues to push the boundaries of how brands create meaningful, human-centered experiences that drive both connection and ROI.

Gonzalez is the author of The Pop-Up Paradigm: How Brands Build Human Connections in a Digital Age, which helped catalyze the modern pop-up movement across luxury and specialty retail. Most recently, she authored The Purpose Pivot: How Dynamic Leaders Put Vulnerability and Intuition into Action. Her leadership has been widely recognized: Women’s Wear Daily named her one of the “25 Most Influential Women Leaders,” The New York Business Journal included her among “10 Executives to Watch,” and the Path to Purchase Institute honored her as a Woman of Excellence.

A sought-after global speaker, Gonzalez has presented at NRF Retail’s Big Show, SXSW, Shoptalk, World Retail Congress, Vogue Business Summit, and more. In 2024, she delivered the keynote at the 21st Annual Retail Congress in Peru and is frequently tapped to moderate high-profile executive conversations.

She is also the creator and host of the Retail Refined podcast and a contributor to leading industry publications including The New York Times, Business of Fashion, Forbes, and WWD. Gonzalez and her team have delivered hundreds of brick-and-mortar experiences nationwide, while remaining deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of retail leaders.