Industry veteran Jim Gruskin named new head honcho at First Insight succeeding founder Greg Petro
First Insight, a predictive intelligence platform that helps companies understand what customers are likely to choose before making significant commercial investments, has appointed Jim Gruskin as Chief Executive Officer. Gruskin has three decades of experience building and scaling businesses centred on AI and data. He succeeds Founder Greg Petro.
Gruskin has spent his career as an executive, investment banker and investor. He led Global Knowledge and served on the executive team of its parent, Skillsoft. He previously held senior strategy and finance roles at Dex One and worked as a media and technology investment banker at Morgan Stanley as well as an investor at Prudential Capital.
Gruskin says: “What attracted me to First Insight was not simply its technology. It was the combination of nearly two decades of predictive modelling, direct feedback from real people and proof that better customer evidence can change where a company invests. That foundation is difficult to replicate, and it has become more valuable as customer behaviour changes faster, companies face more choices, and leaders face greater pressure to produce measurable returns from AI and make decisions quickly, with little margin for error.
“Our next chapter is about building on what our customers already rely on, making that intelligence easier to use and bringing it into the workflows where consequential decisions are made. When the evidence shows stronger demand, companies can invest with greater confidence. When consumers see less value, teams can change direction before development costs, inventory or marketing dollars are locked in. That is how First Insight turns customer intelligence into financial impact.”
“I’ve backed technology companies for 35 years, and the ones that break out get two things right: a product the market truly needs, and leadership that can take it to full scale,” says Barry Goldsmith, Operating Partner and Co-Founder at Updata Partners and a member of First Insight’s board of directors. “First Insight has established a strong position in its market with global reach. Jim is the right CEO to build on that and accelerate what’s next. We are proud to support this team.”
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
AI 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.
