Karin Gerlach
Karin Gerlach is a seasoned marketing and retail media leader currently serving as Senior Manager of the Retail Media Network, North America at Circle K. With more than 15 years of experience across retail, advertising, and consumer packaged goods, she has built a reputation for developing innovative, results-driven marketing strategies and scaling high-impact programs. In her current role, Karin leads the development and growth of Circle K’s retail media network, driving revenue through strategic partnerships with vendor and non-endemic brands while delivering measurable value across the convenience retail landscape.
Karin’s career journey reflects a deep and evolving expertise across multiple facets of the industry. She began her career at an advertising agency, where she spent five years building a strong foundation in media and client strategy. She then joined Kroger, where over the course of more than eight years, she progressed from print advertising into digital marketing with increasing responsibility. Her success led to a transition to Fry’s Food Stores in Phoenix, where she led the marketing and advertising team. She later expanded her experience into the CPG sector as Vice President of Marketing for an independent beverage company, further strengthening her understanding of brand growth and consumer engagement. Her interest in the convenience channel, particularly its critical role within the CPG ecosystem, ultimately brought her to Circle K.
At Circle K, Karin has played a pivotal role in building the retail media network from the ground up. Since stepping into her current position, she has been entrusted with significant autonomy to establish and grow a high-performing team, now consisting of eight members. Under her leadership, the team successfully achieved its first-ever revenue target, marking a major milestone for the organization. Karin is also an active voice in the industry, regularly participating in webinars and speaking at events such as the Connected Commerce Summit. Known for her collaborative approach, she is especially passionate about relationship-building—working closely with partners to create meaningful, mutually beneficial connections that drive long-term business success.
• Northern Kentucky University - BA, Journalism
• Ascendant
• Board of Directors for Arizona Pet Project (over 2 years)
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to perseverance and hunger. I feel like I am constantly hungry - hungry for knowledge and hungry to make sure that while I'm showing up to be my best, I'm also supporting other people to show up to be their best as well. I just have this hunger and drive to show up and be the best that I can be, and hopefully that rubs off on everybody else to do the same. But I don't want to be so work-centric all the time. For example, in my weekly team meetings, I have an icebreaker every single time because I think it's really good to not just jump into work, but also have a little fun and learn something new. We've done trivia on St. Paddy's Day, or clean your desk day on spring cleaning day. I think it's these little things that are really important to make success happen. And I think everybody's definition of what success looks like is different, but that's at least what mine looks like.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I've ever received is to be kind, not nice. It flows across the board in both work and your personal life. Niceness is polite and surface level - it focuses on appearances. But kindness is deep because it requires you to act in another's best interests. This advice has shaped how I approach both my professional relationships and my personal life.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say that imposter syndrome is absolutely real. I see so often that women think because they're not checking off every single thing on a job profile, they're not going to go for it because they're afraid they may not be fully qualified. I think it is so important to push that aside and go for something you're interested in, even if you don't check all the boxes. The least you can do is try and ask, because if you don't, you'll have a 0% success rate. Don't be afraid to ask. Don't be afraid to push. You see it all the time where men do it and women don't. Being able to get over that hurdle of knowing it's okay to ask, and don't shrink yourself, will take you so much further in life. We're wired differently than men, and that's okay. We just have to be cognizant of it. We just need to be aware of what's happening and aware that we may not be thinking like that.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Retail media networks within the convenience space are very new and are constantly changing, especially with AI. Understanding how new technology like AI is going to impact business in the next 3 to 5 years is so important. I think educating yourself as much as possible and not being scared of new technology and new ways of thinking is going to be the biggest challenge. There are so many times where we get stuck and say 'this is the way it's supposed to be working, this is what we've always done' - and that's going to be detrimental to business. We have to be able to try and keep up with the times and keep up with some serious incremental changes without being so stuck in the mud. I just attended a boot camp for Ascendant up in New York, and I think half of the conference talked about AI, what's next, what that's going to look like, and how that's going to impact business in the future.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My biggest value is to do what you're going to say - if you say that you're going to do something, then take care of it and handle your business. I think that stretches across anything, whether it's a personal relationship or at work. It really goes back to your word is your bond. I also really live by the golden rule of treating others how you would want to be treated, so I always try to lean into compassion and have a smile on my face, because you have no idea how somebody else's day is going, and that smile could make a difference. I try to have a little bit more patience with people. We're all so busy, and the least that we can do is just have a little patience and grace with people, because you have no idea what's going on with their day. And as I mentioned before, I believe in being kind, not nice - kindness is deep and requires you to act in another's best interests.