About Us

Elizabeth Donovan has spent her career at the intersection of media, data, and customer experience, helping some of the world's most recognized brands build new ways to connect with consumers through commerce media. Her experience spans sales leadership, omnichannel strategy, technology, and marketing innovation, with a track record of launching and scaling media businesses across retail, hospitality, financial services, and beyond.

Today, Elizabeth serves as Executive Vice President, Global Head of Retail & Commerce Media Networks at Acxiom Omnicom, where she leads global strategy, technology innovation, activation, and revenue growth for a rapidly expanding portfolio of commerce media networks. She brings the perspective of a builder - helping organizations unlock new revenue streams while creating more meaningful, data-driven experiences for both brands and consumers.

Elizabeth is perhaps best known for architecting and launching the Marriott Media Network, the industry's first hospitality media network. She built the business from the ground up, leading everything from go-to-market strategy and operations to technology infrastructure and commercial growth, helping redefine how hospitality brands think about advertising and customer engagement. Prior to Marriott, she spent nearly a decade at AccuWeather, where she led strategic enterprise partnerships and helped expand innovative first-party data and omnichannel advertising solutions across digital, mobile, out-of-home, and emerging platforms.

Known for blending strategic thinking with practical execution, Elizabeth is passionate about helping organizations navigate what's next in commerce and media. She believes the best ideas come from candid conversations, diverse perspectives, and a willingness to challenge conventional thinking—principles that are at the heart of Unlocked.

In addition to co-hosting the podcast, Elizabeth mentors emerging leaders, serves on advisory boards, and was named to The Drum's Commerce Media Power 100 in 2026. Outside of work, she's a devoted mother, avid traveler, and gardener who finds joy in cultivating both ideas and community.

Austin Leonard has spent more than 20 years at the intersection of media, technology, and retail, helping shape the evolution of retail media from its early days into one of the industry's fastest-growing channels. His career has taken him from the radio industry to leadership roles at eBay, Walmart, Sam's Club, Publicis/Epsilon, and now Dollar General, where he has helped build and scale industry-leading retail media businesses, led high-performing teams, and partnered with many of the world's largest brands to rethink how they connect with shoppers.

More than anything, Austin brings the perspective of an operator who has built retail media businesses from the inside. Having worked alongside retailers, brands, agencies, and technology partners throughout the industry's evolution, he believes the best conversations go beyond headlines and buzzwords to uncover the decisions, lessons, and leadership moments that shape where the industry goes next.

Today, Austin serves as Vice President & General Manager of Dollar General Media Network, where he's helping redefine how one of America's largest retailers creates value for shoppers, supplier partners, and the business through an integrated approach to retail media and enterprise marketing.

Previously, Austin served as Senior Vice President of Retail Media at Epsilon, leading retailer and commerce partnerships across the Publicis Connected Commerce organization. Before that, he was a founding member of Walmart Connect, helping launch and shape one of the industry's most influential retail media businesses, before leading sales and partnerships for Sam's Club retail media business Member Access Platform (MAP - now called Sam's Club Connect).

Austin was named to The Drum's Commerce Media Power 100 in 2026 and received the Path to Purchase Retail Media Pioneer Award in 2023. He has spoken at dozens of industry conferences, appeared multiple times on The CPG Guys podcast, and serves as a founding member of the Ascendant Network's Retail Media Bootcamp and ReThink Retail's Media in Retail (MiR) community.

He holds an MBA from Georgia State University and a B.S. in Business Administration with a minor in Economics from the University of Florida (Go Gators!).

When he's not talking retail media, Austin enjoys connecting with industry leaders to understand not just what they're building, but why. That's the spirit behind Unlocked - bringing together thoughtful conversations that explore the stories, decisions, and experiences shaping the future of commerce.