MEET OUR PRINCIPALS

TOD JOHNSON

Managing Director

Tod Johnson is the co-founder and managing director of Duo Partners, a New York-based investment and consulting firm.

Tod was the executive chairman of The NPD Group through July 31, 2022, a company he had led since 1971. On August 1, 2022, he became the chair of the board and a consultant after The NPD Group’s acquisition and subsequent merger with IRI, remaining the chair through 2025. The combined global company was rebranded in March 2023 as Circana, a leading technology, analytics, and data provider.

Considered an innovator in his field for more than 50 years, Tod has led many industry initiatives with point-of-sale and consumer data, online data collection, and other market research innovations. He is the lead patentee on the methods patent for in-home scanning. His research expertise is in the areas of brand loyalty and brand equity.

He has been a chairman, vice chairman, secretary, and director of the Advertising Research Foundation and was founding chairman and director of the Council for Marketing and Opinion Research. He was elected to the Market Research Council Hall of Fame in 2011.

Tod is president and chief executive officer of the board of The Metropolitan Opera and a member of the board of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Charm.io, and QualSights. He is chairman of the board of CivicScience, a Pittsburgh-based new data collection technology firm. He is also co-founder, board member, and executive chairman of Tenetic. He was CEO and founder of Media Metrix from 1995 to 2001, and he is a past member of the JPMorgan Chase Regional Advisory Board. He is a former vice chair of the Carnegie Mellon University Board of Trustees, where he has been the longest-serving trustee for the university. He was the second recipient of the university’s Founders Medal.

Tod received undergraduate and graduate business degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, where he also taught in the business school.

KARYN SCHOENBART

Managing Director

Co-Founder & Managing Director, Duo Partners | Former CEO, The NPD Group | Author | Board Director

Karyn Schoenbart is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Duo Partners, a New York-based investment and advisory firm she founded with longtime business partner Tod Johnson. Duo Partners invests in and helps scale disruptive AI and data companies transforming the consumer and retail industries. Since its founding, Duo Partners has realized two successful portfolio exits: ViralMoment, acquired by Sprinklr, and Arpalus, acquired by Instacart.

Previously, Karyn served as Chief Executive Officer of The NPD Group, one of the world’s leading providers of market information and advisory services. Under her leadership, NPD became one of the most respected firms in its industry, and Karyn played an integral role in its successful 2022 merger with IRI to create Circana, a leading global advisor on consumer behavior.

Karyn continues to serve on the Board of Directors of Circana, as well as the boards of several innovative growth companies, including Charm.io, CivicScience, QualSights, Revuze, Stylitics, Tastewise, Tenetic, and TruRating. She also serves on the advisory boards of Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW), The Authors Guild Foundation, and The Resolution Project.

Passionate about developing the next generation of leaders, Karyn is the author of Mom.B.A.: Essential Business Advice from One Generation to the Next, a practical guide based on the real-life lessons she accumulated throughout her career. She is also a highly sought-after keynote speaker, moderator, and panelist on topics including leadership, consumer behavior, entrepreneurship, AI and data, and the advancement of women in business.

Karyn has received numerous awards recognizing her impact as a business leader, including the Accessory Council’s HERO Award, the Long Island Brava Award, and the Legacy Award from Women in Consumer Technology. She was named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Women of the Mid-Market by CEO Connection for four consecutive years and was inducted into the Long Island Business Hall of Fame.

Elevating women throughout their careers is one of Karyn’s longstanding passions. In addition to mentoring and coaching women across industries, she brings senior women leaders together through her Conversation & Cocktails events, creating opportunities for meaningful connections, candid conversations, and shared learning.

Karyn is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Massachusetts. She and her husband divide their time between New York and Florida. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, tennis, relaxing on the beach, and spending time with her family.

Follow Karyn on LinkedIn and learn more about Duo Partners at www.duopartners.com