John Matas

John Matas

Founder & Principal Consultant

Blacklight Strategy


John is a retail industry consultant with over 30 years of experience in omni-commerce fraud, organized retail crime, asset protection, and investigations. John has extensive knowledge in asset protection, criminal investigations, retail operations, open-source intelligence, and organizational team development.

Previously, John was the Vice President of Investigations, Fraud, and Organized Retail Crime for Macy's Inc for over 25 years. He established and directed all investigative programs, strategic planning initiatives, profit protection, and advanced business technology.

Most recently, John served as the Global Head of Risk & Fraud for Etsy Inc., responsible for the organization's fraud strategy and framework. He structured policies, processes, and tools to ensure the prevention, detection, and investigation of fraud, organized crime, and suspicious activity in a highly regulated environment.

John is a regular speaker for the National Retail Federation, Retail Industry Leaders Association, International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators Merchant Risk Council, and Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. John is also the co-host of the popular industry podcast The Securing Success Show now entering its third season devoted entirely to interviewing retail leaders, sharing their advice on career development and team leadership. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and a Certified Financial Crimes Investigator (CFCI). John graduated from Kean University with a BA in Political Science and Criminal Justice and is studying Applied Machine Learning at Columbia University.

Speaking in:

Tuesday Jun 9

10:00am - 10:45am

Total retail protection unification: Beyond omni-commerce

Retail is no longer “brick vs. click”—it’s one connected battleground where omni‑channel shopping reshapes both customer behavior and criminal tactics. Organized retail crime now moves fluidly between digital fraud and in‑store theft, exposing the limits of siloed teams. 

This session reveals where the industry is headed: unification. Using LPRC survey findings, real-world stories, and current AI/ML solutions, Matas will show evidence that convergence under asset protection leadership isn’t just possible—it’s underway. Attendees will leave with a clear view of emerging risks, new opportunities, and a practical roadmap for unifying fraud, AP, and solution providers into a proactive, future‑ready defense.