The Foundations of Pricing Leadership: Driving Strategy, Credibility, and Tech Readiness with Lee Mackedanz

In this episode of Pricing Heroes, we speak with Lee Mackedanz, Founder and Managing Partner of Value Capture Consulting, and a veteran pricing executive with leadership roles at Kohl’s, JCPenney, Fossil Group, Office Depot, SuperValu, and Advance Auto Parts. Lee shares his journey from merchant at Best Buy to becoming a pricing leader responsible for more than $700 million in incremental sales and margin improvements. He explains what it takes to build credibility with merchants, lead organizational change, and lay the right foundations before investing in technology.

Key Topics:

• Transitioning from merchandising to pricing leadership
• Competing with Amazon by pricing to value, not just price
• Building pricing maturity at Kohl’s and winning buy-in for a new discipline
• Why persuasion, influence, and small wins drive change management success
• How to structure promotions and discounts as strategic resources
• The foundations required for AI pricing — data, governance, and clear strategy
• Why courage, collaboration, and transparency define great pricing leaders

Recommended Resources:

• The Pricing Roadmap by Ulrik Lehrskov-Schmidt
• ChiefPricingOfficer.com

Connect with Lee Mackedanz:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leemackedanz-mba/

Get in touch with us

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For more information about AI pricing solutions, visit Competera.ai.