Geoffroy van Raemdonck, former chief executive officer of Neiman Marcus Group, has joined Verneek, an AI tech company that helps retailers and brands deepen their customer engagement and helps shoppers discover products.
Van Raemdonck has joined as both a member of the advisory board and a strategic investor.
Verneek credited van Raemdonck for “shaping and accelerating the transformation of some of the world’s most recognizable brands across the full spectrum of global premium, luxury and multibrand retail. Van Raemdonck steps into Verneek as the company accelerates its growth in redefining end-to-end retail operations and customer experiences.”
Van Raemdonck served as NMG’s CEO for nearly seven years until Saks Global bought the business last December. He has been serving as a senior adviser to the Boston Consulting Group.
Through its AI-native operating platform, Verneek transforms enterprise data into vertically integrated custom solutions for front- and back-office retail functions. Van Raemdonck joins at a pivotal moment, as retailers prioritize AI to respond to shifting consumer behavior while dealing with issues surrounding inventory, merchandising, store operations, marketing, clienteling, e-commerce and other areas.
Prior to the Neiman Marcus Group, van Raemdonck was an executive at Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren.
“Retail is being rewritten through AI. Consumer shopping behavior is shifting rapidly and so are their expectations,” van Raemdonck said in a statement. “I am excited to invest in Verneek and join its advisory board to contribute to shaping the future of retail through Verneek’s transformational technology benefiting retailers, brands and consumers.
“Verneek is partnering with some of the world’s most recognizable brands,” he said. “The differentiated value is in providing a unified AI-native solution across all customer touchpoints.” Nordstrom Inc. is among Verneek’s clients.
Van Raemdonck transformed the culture at NMG by, among other things, strengthening brand experiences through a strategy that was called “retail-tainment,” providing stylists and selling associates with tools to communicate with customers in different ways, and navigating NMG through a bankruptcy and the pandemic.
Verneek’s CEO and cofounder, Nasrin Mostafazadeh, an AI scientist, said in a statement: “Geoffroy is known for leading iconic brands through very complex transformations. 2026 will be defined as the year of AI for shopping. Geoffroy’s timely counsel and deep industry relationships strengthen our commitment to ensuring that retailers can implement AI-native solutions that drive top-line growth and curtail cost structures, while profoundly enhancing customer experiences.”
Other members of Verneek’s advisory board include Karenann Terrel, a former chief information officer of Walmart; Kathy Waller, a former chief financial officer of Coca-Cola; Colleen McKeown, former chief human resources officer of Prologis and Zulily.
