Meet Marcio Andre Porcher — product builder, strategist, and founder of I Love Flats, a brand built on a radical idea: stylish shoes should be comfortable. Marcio started his career in Brazil, navigated the complexities of manufacturing in Asia, and eventually made his way to New York, where he’s helped global brands like Coach and Vionic stay competitive in an ever-changing market.

In this episode, Marcio and Elena talk about what it takes to grow a brand without losing your identity — even as you adapt to vastly different cultural and production norms. From Italian aesthetics to Chinese manufacturing shortcuts, Marcio shares how he’s defended his commitment to natural materials, comfort-first design, and sustainability. The brand began with leftover leather — a sustainability-first foundation that evolved into bold, colorful, comfort-driven design. One standout: a pointy-toe Oxford silhouette in multicolor, both classy and rebellious.

They also explore how politics and inflation shape pricing strategies in Brazil, the difference between selling through retailers and going direct, and why staying true to your product values can be a global growth strategy.

TagTalks is a podcast about the people behind retail — the category leaders, store managers, pricing directors, and frontline operators who make commerce happen every day. Hosted by Elena, Chief Marketing Officer at Data Operations, each episode dives into a real-world retail career and unpacks the decisions, projects, and pivots that define success in today’s fast-moving retail landscape. The show is produced by Data Operations, a retail technology company focused on intelligent dynamic pricing and assortment optimization in the U.S. market.

Find out more about Data Operations: https://dataoperations.org

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dataoperations

Team:

Host: Elena, Chief Marketing Officer with Data Operations

Guest: Marcio Andre Porcher

Production: Hatch Up

Meet Evgeny Nelepko, Chief Growth Officer at Uzbekistan’s leading grocery chain. Early in his career, consulting businesses wasn’t enough for him —Evgeny wanted to build the things he was advising on. That drive led him to Leroy Merlin, where a collaborative culture, unlimited budgets and timelines gave him room to experiment. One of those experiments? A feedback simulator for managers, where a virtual employee would stand up and walk out if treated poorly. Evgeny says it felt like Ready Player One.

In this episode, Evgeny and Elena talk about retail media, scaling both startups and global companies, and how AI and LLMs are reshaping the customer experience. He also shares why marathon training has been his secret weapon for career breakthroughs — like the one he's about to make now.

TagTalks is a podcast about the people behind retail — the category leaders, store managers, pricing directors, and frontline operators who make commerce happen every day. Hosted by Elena, Chief Marketing Officer at Data Operations, each episode dives into a real-world retail career and unpacks the decisions, projects, and pivots that define success in today’s fast-moving retail landscape. The show is produced by Data Operations, a retail technology company focused on intelligent dynamic pricing and assortment optimization in the U.S. market.

Find out more about Data Operations: https://dataoperations.org

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dataoperations

Team:

Host: Elena, Chief Marketing Officer with Data Operations

Guest: Maya Shapiro

Production: Hatch Up

Maya Shapiro’s retail journey started at 14, selling gemstone figurines and helping customers feel the energy of each piece. Years later, she was leading multimillion-dollar operations in one of Russia’s largest Decathlon stores. In this premiere episode of TagTalks, Maya shares how she transitioned from hospitality to retail leadership and what it really takes to grow within a decentralized retail organization. We explore the career pivots, tough calls, and people-first strategies that shaped her path—plus how she handled a literal waterfall inside her store.

Maya discusses what makes a retail leader effective today, from hands-on warehouse logistics to team culture and store KPIs. For pricing managers, retail operations leaders, and directors responsible for store performance and workforce development, her experience sheds light on how long-term growth often depends not just on business results, but on the ability to connect, coach, and adapt.

This episode touches on team mentoring systems, internal career mobility, and how retail companies can build cultures of responsibility and initiative. We also hear how Maya’s understanding of meta skills and self-organization helped her evolve as a leader across multiple retail markets.

TagTalks is a podcast about the people behind retail — the category leaders, store managers, pricing directors, and frontline operators who make commerce happen every day. Hosted by Elena, Chief Marketing Officer at Data Operations, each episode dives into a real-world retail career and unpacks the decisions, projects, and pivots that define success in today’s fast-moving retail landscape. The show is produced by Data Operations, a retail technology company focused on intelligent dynamic pricing and assortment optimization in the U.S. market.

Find out more about Data Operations on https://dataoperations.org

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dataoperations

Team:

Host: Elena, Chief Marketing Officer with Data Operations

Guest: Maya Shapiro

Production: Hatch Up