His areas of expertise include strategic marketing, marketing analytics, digital marketing, artificial intelligence (AI) in marketing, consumer behavior, and social innovation. His research focuses on the impact of empathic AI agents in marketing, particularly in retail, healthcare, and sustainability. He is a Research Affiliate at the University of Zurich, where he co-founded the AI Empathy Research Lab in 2024 with an international team of senior scholars to investigate how empathic AI assistants influence consumer behavior. He also developed Cary Ally, an empathic AI companion designed to enhance the wellbeing of older adults.
Dr. Mari has published in leading academic journals, including the Journal of Business Research and the Journal of Interactive Marketing, and is the recipient of the Stanley C. Hollander Award from the Academy of Marketing Science.
During his doctoral studies, he completed research training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Oxford, and the University of St. Gallen. He has also served as an invited lecturer at leading business schools, including SDA Bocconi School of Management, Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, Thammasat Business School, and Northwestern University in Qatar.
Prior to his academic career, Dr. Mari accumulated more than a decade of industry experience in marketing, holding leadership positions including Global Director of Digital Marketing at Sonova and Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble. He later served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of two technology startups and advised senior executives through more than ten consulting engagements.
