RSPA Appoints Schijns, Boutet as Advisory Board Members

RALEIGH, NC – The Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA) has appointed industry leaders Janet Schijns and Carl Boutet to serve one-year terms as Advisory Board Members on the RSPA Board of Directors. 

A channel leader for over 25 years, Janet Schijns is the CEO of JS Group, a go-to-market acceleration firm dedicated to achieving results in the ever-evolving partner ecosystem. Schijns is known for her expertise in routes to market, branding, sales, channel programs, solution development, as-a-Service business models, IoT, security, and more. 

Schijns has worked with vendors, distributors, and VAR/MSP partners in a wide range of technology areas including mobility, services, communications, data, cloud and advanced solutions. As EVP and CMO at Office Depot, she led a major transformation to drive traction in B2B services, generating revenue from higher-margin solutions. She also served as Chief Channel Executive, Chief Marketing Technologist, and ran business products for Verizon Business, and led the channel organization for Motorola Enterprise & Government. She is a current board member of AvePoint and WireSurfer. 

Schijns’ awards and honors include Brand 50 Top Brander, Channel Influencer of the Year, Top 10 CEO Disruptor, Top 10 Women in Technology, Top 50 Technology Influencer, and Top 50 Channel Influencer. In 2017, she co-founded the non-profit Tech World’s Half to address the issue of women dropping out of the tech industry. In 2023, she co-founded Advancing Leadership Network to help women accelerate their leadership journeys. She is a past Board Member for CompTIA, the world’s largest technology association. 

Carl Boutet is a business strategist and executive advisor with 25+ years of hands-on operational, marketing, and retail executive experience. He has worked across an array of business environments from the very large, including 10 years with Costco Wholesale, to commercial applications lead for a global B2B security technology company. 

As the founder of Studio RX, Boutet advises executives, B2C/B2B solution providers, and all types of ecosystem partners on how to tailor their solutions according to customers’ evolving needs and build effective commercial strategies to meet them. In this role he advises several technology startups, industry associations, and innovation labs. 

A RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert, Boutet is the principal advisor for the McGill University Retail Innovation Lab in Montreal, a course instructor at McGill Masters in Retail Innovation (emerging technologies and new business models), and an adjunct digital marketing faculty at Asian Institute of Technology MBA School of Management. Boutet has keynoted, chaired, and/or moderated the largest retail conferences around the world, and he spoke at the 2023 RSPA Canadian Community Networking Event in Toronto. 

Schijns and Boutet succeed Jay McBain and Michael LeBlanc who served the maximum two years as RSPA Board Advisors.  

“We thank Jay and Michael for sharing their expertise and for recommending Janet and Carl as our new Board Advisors,” said Jim Roddy, RSPA President & CEO. “The retail IT channel continues to change at an accelerated pace, and the RSPA needs to be the place where our members find the information they need. Having Janet and Carl help the RSPA Board see what’s around the corner will move our community forward and help RSPA deliver greater value to the retail IT industry.” 

For more information about the RSPA, visit www.GoRSPA.org or email the RSPA Member Services Team of Peggy Fry, Nicole Greene, and Ashley Naggy at Membership@GoRSPA.org. 

About RSPA (Retail Solutions Providers Association) 
The RSPA is North America’s largest community of VARs, software providers, vendors, and distributors in the retail, restaurant, grocery, and cannabis verticals. The mission of the RSPA is to accelerate the success of its members in the retail technology ecosystem by providing knowledge and connections. The organization offers member-to-member warm introductions, education, legal advice, industry advocacy, and other services to assist members with becoming and remaining successful. RSPA is most well-known for its signature events, RetailNOW® and Inspire®, which provide face-to-face learning and networking opportunities. Learn more by visiting www.GoRSPA.org.