Thomas Wagner

Thomas Wagner is a Lecturer at the Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine. He brings extensive industry experience in marketing and strategy, having served as Vice President of Consumer Insights & Brand Planning at Taco Bell for 24 years. He holds an MBA in Finance from UC Irvine and a BS in Applied Economics from UC Davis.

His educational background includes:

• MBA in Finance, UC Irvine
• BS in Applied Economics, UC Davis

Wagner's research and professional interests center on marketing, with a strong focus on consumer insights, brand strategy, and innovation. His industry expertise spans strategic planning, new product development, and competitive analysis in the fast-food and consumer goods sectors. He has worked on over 5,000 product concepts and launched more than 200 nationally.

While no recent publications are listed, his professional work reflects a deep engagement with practical marketing research and strategic decision-making in large-scale retail environments.

Mr. Wagner has no listed scientific awards or formal research grants. However, he provides executive-level consulting through his firm, The Wagner Group LLC, specializing in insight marketing, brand strategy, and pipeline innovation.

He is involved in mentoring and industry engagement, notably through the CRE-NAIOP Fellowship at UC Irvine, though no formal advisees are listed. He maintains an active role in bridging academic learning with real-world business strategy.