Smarter inventory decisions, grounded in real retail operations.
Helia is a systems thinker who helps retailers move from stockouts and disconnected ways of working to inventory systems built for growth.
Trusted by leading retailers
A scientist with a fashion retail accent.
Helia brings data science and systems thinking to retail inventory and operations. She looks beyond the visible problem to understand how a business really works, where its systems break down, and how people, processes, data and technology can work better together. The result is practical solutions that help teams make confident decisions, operate efficiently and continue improving long after her work is done.
She is the founder of MontWave Consulting, where she helps retailers tackle their toughest supply chain and forecasting challenges.
With 18+ years in retail, her work sits at the intersection of merchants, distribution centers, store teams, IT, and executives. Her job, more often than not, is to translate: turning a COO's strategy into a system configuration, or a frustrated store manager's reality into a forecasting fix. She holds a PhD in Operations Management and has led analytics and inventory planning at Simons, and partnered with Harry Rosen and Psycho Bunny. But the work she's proudest of isn't a model, it's the cross-functional room that finally agreed on what the numbers meant, and acted on it.
Outside of work she mentors newcomers and PhD students, rides her bike, eats well, and stays loyal to sharp observational comedy.
The approach
How Helia works.
Start with the business. Follow the connections.
Helia approaches inventory problems as part of a wider business system. She begins with the retailer's goals, follows how products, data and decisions move across the organization, and works with the people closest to the problem to build practical solutions they can own.
Understand what success means
Clarify the business vision, customer promise, financial priorities and operating constraints before changing a model or technology.
Trace how the system really works
Follow inventory, data and decisions across planning, merchandising, IT, distribution, stores and e-commerce, including the handoffs and overrides between them.
Find where change matters most
Separate symptoms from root causes and focus on the few changes that can improve performance across the business.
Build with the people who will use it
Translate the solution into workflows, technology and skills that teams understand, trust and can continue improving.
Selected impact
Where rigor meets execution.
Inventory performance rarely breaks down in just one place. Helia looks across planning, IT, distribution centre, store operations, e-commerce and merchandising to uncover the connections and leverage points that create lasting improvement.
200%+
lift in e-commerce forecast accuracy during Black Friday
40%+
forecast accuracy gains all year round across all product categories, stores and online
50%
reduction in online order fulfillment lead time during Black Friday
I
Forecasting, rebuilt from the floor up
When forecasts underperformed and planners relied on manual overrides, Helia looked beyond the model. She traced the problem to data integrity, seasonal and promotional logic, system configuration and how teams used the outputs, then worked with IT and technology partners to build a more reliable forecasting foundation.
This work improved overall forecast accuracy by more than 40%, creating the proof needed to bring more merchants and executives on board with the new technology. Greater trust in the forecast supported better inventory availability and customer satisfaction while reducing manual intervention for planners.
II
Inventory that respects the channel
Inventory was moving to stores too early, leaving the distribution centre short for online demand and shifting fulfilment pressure to store teams. Helia connected e-commerce forecasting, channel priorities, allocation rules and operational capacity.
By correcting seasonal measures and promotional forecasting for peak periods, she improved e-commerce forecast accuracy by more than 200% during Black Friday. This allowed more inventory to be reserved for online demand, cutting store-fulfilled units and online delivery lead time by 50%.
III
Teams that can run and improve the system
The allocation platform had capabilities the organization could not fully use or trust. Helia brought IT, operations, merchandising, planners and the technology vendor into the same conversation, translated the system for different audiences and helped build an in-house analytics team that could adapt it as the business evolved.
A voice for the next era of retail operations.
Helia writes, speaks, and advises on the operational realities behind inventory performance, helping leaders cut through noise and focus on the decisions that actually move the business.
"The future of retail belongs to organizations that play the long game.
The most successful retailers understand that operational excellence cannot be achieved through technology alone. Retail performance sits at the intersection of people, process, data, and technology.
The retailers that will win in the coming decade are the ones that connect people, process, and technology into a continuous feedback loop, redesign workflows enabled by AI, and use data to drive decisions at every level of the organization. Their teams and systems continuously learn, adapt, and improve.
Rigorous analytics. Human leadership.
What I admire most about Helia is her ability to complete tasks efficiently while streamlining processes for the future, ensuring satisfaction for all involved. … She consistently exceeds expectations as a director, mentor, and team player, and I am confident she will thrive in any role and overcome challenges with ease.
Gary Craig
Retired, Former VP of IT, Simons
With a robust Ph.D. in Supply Chain Management, Helia consistently translates her evolving academic knowledge into data-driven solutions that deliver tangible value to businesses. … Helia's commitment to continuous learning and her genuine desire to help make her a standout professional in her field.
Stoffel Moreau
VP of Transformation & Lean, BRP · Former VP of Supply Chain, Simons
Lors des années de collaborations que nous avons partagées, Helia par sa forte capacité d'analyse, a réussie avec succès a améliorer la précision des réapprovisionnements, de la distribution et de la gestion des inventaires. Un impact significatif sur l'efficacité de nos opérations. … Il ne faut surtout pas négliger les qualités humaines d'Helia, son engagement et son intégrité. Une collaboratrice de haut niveau !
Éric Léveillé
VP of Logistics & Distribution, Must Society · Former Logistics Director, Simons
Helia's ability to analyze the data as it pertains to La Maison Simons business direction ensured that other areas of the business that depended on her and her team can pinpoint areas of improvement and highlight areas of success. … Over the 5 years working with Helia, she has exhibited professionalism with me and was a great team leader and mentor to her growing team.
Mark Smyth
Customer Success Manager, o9 Solutions · Former Sr. Director, Retalon
Where you can find me next.
Upcoming
Aug 10
2026
6:00 – 9:00 PM
Toronto, ON
TechTO · Toronto
Together Toronto
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Location
U of T: Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus, 108 College St, Toronto, ON M5G 0C6
Work with Helia
Helia builds inventory solutions that grow with the business. Work with her through consulting, team workshops or speaking engagements.