Meet the Team
Wayne Pfeffer
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​Product-centric executive with 20+ years of Apple experience across a variety of roles, blending retail & e- commerce leadership with a background in analytics.
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Generated billions in revenue through thousands of products; identifying unmet areas of consumer demand and ideating, innovating, and launching.
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Entrepreneurial mindset balancing data and intuition in decisions.
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Experienced Ultra Marathon runner with multiple 100 and 200 mile race finishes.
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Outdoorsman that can be found in the woods or on the lake with his family on the weekends.
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Passionate youth sports coach that enjoys competition and teaching the game of baseball.
Brendan O'Donnell
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15+ years of Apple Retail experience in Supply Chain, Merchandising, and Product Development leadership roles.
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Most recently led Apple's Worldwide Accessories Team for Apple Retail Stores and Apple.com.
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Passionate about brand storytelling, end-to-end customer experience, and elevating brands beyond algorithms.
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Enthusiastic proprietor of a 45-acre family ranch in Half Moon Bay, CA with his wife and 3 kids.
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Marine Corps Veteran who served from 2001-2007 in the Signals Intelligence field.
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Avid sports fan who rarely misses a Naval Academy Football game!
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20+ years helping emerging electronics and Apple ecosystem brands go-to-market.
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Growing network of relationships to accelerate go-to-market in today’s fast changing economy.
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Focused on executing omni-channel expansion for partners that is scalable and profitable.
Mike Smart
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Proud Girl Dad of two daughters as he enters the empty nest stage with his wife of 20+ years.
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Can be found walking his 4 dogs around his neighborhood in Lodi, California and informing people he is not a professional dog walker.
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Loves his New England sports teams from growing up in Massachusetts, even naming his German Shepherd “Big Papi.”
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6+ years as Managing Director and General Manager of Best Buy Asia.
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Experienced in Global Sourcing and product development for Best Buy In-House Brands.
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Based in Shanghai and focused on being the critical liaison between partners in Asia and the United States.
Charlie Xu
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Enthusiastic in charity activities to help the career development of college students from rural areas.
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A big fan of playing tennis, watching soccer and reading paper books.
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Lived in Minnesota for one year, survived the winter there!
Why Partner With Catalyst
Experience
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Long-tenured merchandising experience with best-in-class retailers.
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In-depth knowledge on a wide range of brands and products — from start-ups to well-established.
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Maintain a 360° perspective on the retail sales cycle.
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“Win Together” team mentality.
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Resource Optimization
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Speed — get to “ready” faster.
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Invest in knowledge and network vs. growing internal headcount.
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Avoid the echo chamber — get a buyer’s point of view in advance.
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Brands need to accomplish more with fewer internal resources.
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Preparedness
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Every touchpoint is a moment of truth with your commercial channels.
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You have 3 seconds to grab attention on the shelf, 5 seconds with an email, and the first 5 minutes of a presentation — Brands need to make every moment count!
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Preparation + Storytelling + Empathy = Retail Success