Mike Hardy heads to London and Retail Technology Show as he takes on Chief Growth Officer role at Ocasta

Frontline operations platform specialist Ocasta has appointed Mike Hardy as Chief Growth Officer.

He was previously at StoreForce, where he spent almost nine years, most recently serving as Vice President of Client Experience. Hardy has also worked on the retailer side of things, including Nicole Farhi and Nigel Hall Menswear.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: "Retail Technology Show at Excel London is the one trade show I always look forward to. Not because it’s where my old stomping ground was. Not because it’s in one of my favourite parts of London (the Docklands).

“Because the people there genuinely care. The conversations are better, the challenges are real and the focus is always on helping retailers improve what actually happens on the ground."

"I’ve seen retail from both sides, as a retailer and from within retail tech and one thing is clear, retail operations is changing fast. The retailers that will thrive are the ones backing technology that moves with their needs, not against them. That’s a big part of why I’m excited to have joined Ocasta and will be representing our company at RTS this week alongside a passionate team of people who genuinely care about helping frontline businesses perform better."

He added: "Recently I had the pleasure of meeting one of our customers for the first time and came away thinking the same thing: this is what a proper partnership looks like. Close collaboration, honest conversations and a shared focus on building around real operational needs. Looking forward to seeing familiar faces, meeting new ones, and talking about where retail operations goes next. Drop by stand E40."

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Frontline operations will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.