As Head of Insights at Carbonate, Leith helps clients understand where hospitality is headed—and how to act on it. With insight shaped by more than two decades of hands-on experience—including cooking in professional kitchens–she leads the agency's annual Hospitality Trends Report, serves as Editor in Chief of Carbonate’s weekly trends publication, Insight Out, and translates emerging shifts in consumer behavior, food and beverage, travel, and culture into actionable opportunities for Carbonate clients. Drawing on her deep knowledge of wine, Leith also spearheaded Carbonate's first-ever Wine Report, The Next Era of Wine: Strategies for a Changing Industry.

After receiving a B.S. in Design & Environmental Analysis from Cornell University, Leith earned a Culinary Arts degree from Le Cordon Bleu. She began her career cooking in professional restaurant kitchens including stages in Europe. After five years, she went on to join af&co., one of the country's leading hospitality consulting firms, as the agency's fourth employee, helping build the firm's reputation while working with many of the industry's most recognized restaurant brands. She later spent six years living in Italy, leading food and wine experiences, supporting hospitality ventures, and deepening her expertise in Italian wine, including completing her first-level Sommelier course (in Italian!).

When she’s not checking out restaurants and wineries, Leith might be found on her next world adventure — or, ideally, doing all three at once. She brings that same exploratory mindset to Carbonate’s insights work, always looking for ways to help clients adapt to emerging trends.