Expana, the world’s leading agrifood-focused Price Reporting Agency and market intelligence provider, today announced that Julie Harris has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, effective January 26, 2026. She will succeed Spencer Wicks, who has decided to retire after more than seven years of leadership.

Julie joins Expana with an extensive track record in the global data and analytics sector. Most recently CEO of IWSR, the beverage-alcohol data and insight provider, she led the company through major product expansion, platform modernization and a successful sale to WGSN in 2025. Her career includes senior roles at Immediate Media, Upper Street Events and Comparison Technologies, and at WSGN earlier in her career. Julie brings global experience, having worked and lived in Europe, North America, and Asia.

Under Spencer’s leadership since 2018, Expana has grown into a unified global intelligence business, expanding its position as the agrifood industry’s independent benchmark provider. He oversaw the acquisition and successful integration of Agribriefing, bringing together Urner Barry, Mintec, Feedinfo, Stratégie Grains, and other specialist intelligence units under one company. The group recently launched its next-generation platform, transforming how customers access price data, forecasts, cost models, and analysis from the food industry’s pre-eminent subject-matter experts in commodity prices. 

Reflecting on the transition, Spencer Wicks commented: 
“Leading Expana has been the privilege of my career. The business is in a strong position, with a world-class team and a product set that is transforming how organizations make decisions in volatile agrifood markets. Julie is the right leader to take Expana forward and I’m delighted to be handing over to someone with her experience and perspective.”

Speaking about her appointment, Julie Harris said: 
“Expana is an essential partner for organizations navigating uncertainty in global supply chains, a role that has never been more important. I’m delighted to join the team at such a pivotal moment, building on the group’s strong foundations and accelerating the development of its platform, pricing benchmarks and intelligence products. I am most grateful to Spencer for ensuring a seamless transition, and I look forward to meeting our customers and partners over the coming months and developing partnerships across the supply chain.”

Representing the board, Vivek Kumar, Partner at Five Arrows, commented: 
“We wish Spencer the best for his retirement. Expana has become the pre-eminent source for agrifood commodity data and has a compelling product and service offering. Julie brings exactly the blend of sector experience, strategic ambition and people leadership we were looking for, and we are confident she will build on this momentum in the years ahead.”

Philip Shapiro, Managing Partner at Synova, added:

“Having worked closely with Spencer over many years, I’ve seen first-hand how his leadership shaped the evolution of the business. He unified a complex set of brands, strengthened the company’s foundations and set a clear strategic direction. Julie’s experience and conviction make her exceptionally well placed to lead Expana through its next chapter and we look forward to supporting her in that journey.”

Spencer will continue as CEO until January 23, 2026, working closely with Julie to ensure an orderly transition.