Where tech and retail meet to transform elevated consumer experiences

Alex Schellenberger

Chief Brand and Marketing Officer

Mandarin Oriental

Amit Keswani Manghnani

Chief Omnichannel & AI Officer

Chalhoub Group

Amit serves as Chief Omnichannel and AI Officer at Chalhoub Group and is a member of the Executive Committee, where he leads the organisation’s omnichannel strategy and artificial intelligence initiatives. In this role, he oversees the complete customer journey, spanning analytics and digital marketing to product technology and loyalty programmes, while driving the Group’s AI transformation across all touchpoints.  

With over 15 years of experience in digital and omnichannel retail, Amit joined Chalhoub Group in February 2023. Prior to this appointment, he spent more than a decade with two of Southeast Asia’s largest retailers, where he spearheaded digital transformation by launching innovative online initiatives and loyalty programmes. His work enabled these organisations to evolve and adapt in the digital space, delivering customer-focused solutions for prestigious global brands including Zara, Sephora, Converse, Foot Locker, and Starbucks. 

Born and raised in Spain to Indian parents, Amit has cultivated a truly global perspective through his experiences living in 12 cities across multiple continents, including Indonesia, Malaysia, India, the United States, Europe, and now the Middle East. This international exposure provides him with unique insights into diverse consumer behaviours and luxury retail markets, enabling him to approach innovation through a distinctive multicultural lens.

Amit holds Executive MBAs from ESADE Business School in Barcelona and Aalto University in Helsinki. Beyond his professional pursuits, he is an avid tennis player and maintains a keen interest in technology trends, sports, and men’s fashion, which further inform his approach to retail innovation and customer experience.

Bettina Goesele

Chief Digital Officer

Victoria Beckham Beauty

Bettina Goesele is a seasoned digital and marketing executive with over 15 years of experience driving high-impact brand strategies across luxury, beauty and lifestyle industries. As Chief Digital Officer at Victoria Beckham Beauty, Bettina leads the brand’s digital roadmap, overseeing e-commerce, integrated marketing, creative and customer experience to elevate brand desirability and global growth. Prior to this role, she held senior marketing positions at global players including L’Oréal, LVMH and Sotheby’s Auction House, where she honed her ability to merge storytelling and data-driven activation in high-stakes luxury environments. 

Bettina draws on her experience to explore how social and digital signals can serve as strategic levers to stay ahead of evolving consumer expectations. With a global perspective, Bettina helps luxury brands translate heritage and craftsmanship into digital-first experiences that engage, convert and retain the discerning customer.

Francesco Bottigliero

Chief of Humanistic Technology

Foro delle Arti & Brunello Cucinelli

Francesco Bottigliero is the Chief of Humanistic Technology at Brunello Cucinelli and Foro delle Arti, the group’s holding company, whose mission is to discover, nurture, and invest in new technologies, ideas, and projects with a focus on human sustainability. He is also the CEO of Solomei AI, the research company established by the group to explore and develop new AI-driven initiatives.

Francesco has served as iCEO at Brunello Cucinelli for more than a decade. Since joining the fashion house in April 2012, he has led all digital projects, including B2C and B2B e-commerce, cross-channel initiatives, and digital marketing strategy, while also overseeing ICT and innovation.

Before this role, he was Chief Executive Officer of e-Pitti.com, part of the Pitti Immagine Group, where he worked to transform the trade show industry through digital technologies. From 2003 to 2010, Francesco was Managing Director and partner at Kora, an international digital agency with offices in Milan, Paris, and Barcelona. Earlier, he served as Chief Executive Officer at Altoprofilo (2000–2003), as a management consultant at Bossard–Cap Gemini, and as a junior product manager at L'Oréal.

Francesco holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration from Bocconi University.

Gabby Chen

President, Global Markets

Florasis

Gabby is a highly accomplished executive with over 18 years of experience in the Asia Pacific region. She has recently been appointed as the Global Markets President of Florasis 花西子, a leading Chinese beauty brand, where she is responsible for bringing the brand to the international market. 

With her deep understanding of consumer insights, strategic acumen, and ability to forge key partnerships, Gabby is well-positioned to drive Florasis 花西子's growth in the highly competitive global beauty market. 

Prior to joining Florasis 花西子, Gabby held the position of Head of Beauty in China for the Lane Crawford Group, where she was responsible for the company's China Beauty Department. During her tenure, Gabby led the charge in expanding the brand's footprint across China, driving significant growth and profitability. 

Before her role at Lane Crawford, Gabby founded Mood Editing Cosmetics, a joint venture with NetEase, one of China's leading internet technology companies. She successfully introduced the trendy fashion brand KENDALL+KYLIE to the Asia- Pacific region, becoming the sole distributor for the Kardashian family's brand. 

Aside from her corporate career, Gabby is also a passionate entrepreneur and investor. She is the founder of Janes & Hooch, a renowned speakeasy bar in Beijing that has been recognized as one of the world's top 50 bars. Gabby is also involved in the Mercedes ME Beijing F&B management project and is an angel investor in Alesca Life, an agricultural technology company that builds indoor, vertical farms and farm management software to make food production more efficient and environmentally friendly. 

With her track record of building successful brands, forging key partnerships, and driving growth, Gabby is poised to lead Florasis 花西子 into its next phase of expansion, establishing the brand as a global leader in the beauty industry.

Gareth Locke

Chief Data & Analytics Officer

LuxExperience

Krishna Nikhil

CEO

Hunza G

Laurent Lenoir

Chief Ecommerce Officer, APAC

Lacoste

Laurent is currently leading the eCommerce business and digital initiatives for Lacoste fashion brand within APAC region, where he is driving the brand strategy to more localization and better understanding of the fragmented landscape of Asian customers. Prior to Lacoste, Laurent has been navigating through both China and APAC consumer digital ecosystem, defining western brand strategy to become more relevant in those markets, both within L’Oréal Group and as a consultant for Luxury brands. Fully convinced that APAC is leading the new trends of eCommerce, he is also helping MNC to anticipate the future of what digital can bring to consumers and to brands within Western markets.

Marie-Theres Mangelsdorf

Chief Client & Digital Officer

Montblanc

Marie-Theres is a senior international executive with deep experience driving digital, ecommerce and client-centric transformations in global luxury and fashion. As Global Chief Client & Digital Officer at Montblanc, she leads the brand’s worldwide digital, ecommerce and client practice. Her remit spans ecommerce commercial leadership, digital experience and technology (including MarTech), client activations and global client services. In this role, she has strengthened Montblanc’s digital capabilities, elevated customer engagement and anchored data-driven decision making. 

Before joining Montblanc, she held several senior leadership positions at PVH Europe, most recently as Vice President Tommy Hilfiger Ecommerce & Omnichannel Transformation. In this capacity, she shaped the digital and omnichannel roadmap for Tommy Hilfiger, advancing initiatives in personalization, customer journey innovation, marketplace development, digital product creation and retail technology. She also led the international rollout of the “Store of the Future” concept and modernized retail operations across multiple markets. 

Marie-Theres holds a CEMS Master in International Management from the London School of Economics and ESADE, and a Bachelor in Business Administration. 

Recognized for her ability to lead large multicultural teams and navigate complex digital transformations, she is regarded as a thought leader in modern retail, omnichannel strategy and customer-centric innovation.

Leonie Foster

Chief Operating Officer

Selfridges

Miral Youssef

PresidentMiddle East & Africa

Kering

Miral Youssef is the President of Kering Middle East & Africa, based in Dubai, where she plays a pivotal role in shaping the Group’s strategic vision, growth trajectory, and brand presence across a diverse and fast-evolving region.

With a deep understanding of the market and a passion for excellence, Miral’s mission is to unlock growth opportunities and forge authentic connections with local communities and strategic partners, accelerating the expansion of Kering’s Houses across eight countries in the Middle East and Africa. Miral is known for amplifying Kering’s collective voice while navigating the dynamic intersection of global luxury leadership and regional cultural depth.

In addition to championing brand authenticity, she fosters a strong sense of community and engagement within the Group both internally and externally in alignment with Kering’s long-term values and purpose-driven vision.

Miral joined Kering in 2019 as the Middle East General Manager at Balenciaga, where she led the brand’s establishment and growth across four countries, successfully overseeing all business operations in the region until 2023.

She brings a distinguished career in the luxury industry, marked by strategic leadership and innovation.

Before joining Kering, she held roles at internationally renowned fashion houses including Vivienne Westwood, Theory, and Ralph Lauren in the UK, where she contributed to brand development and market positioning.

Her journey then led her to Chalhoub Group, a leading luxury retailer in the Middle East, where she played a pivotal role in shaping the regional retail landscape. There, she oversaw commercial and franchise operations for a portfolio of prestigious brands, while also spearheading new retail concepts and driving business development initiatives across the Group.

Miral is deeply committed to mentoring and empowering women in the early stages of their careers, actively supporting initiatives that champion female leadership and foster professional growth within the industry.

Her commitment to nurturing the next generation of talent extends well beyond her executive role.

She also serves on several advisory boards including the Arab Fashion Council and Heriot-Watt University, where she contributes her expertise to advancing education and the future of the luxury and fashion industries.

Born in London, Miral holds a Master’s degree in Fashion Culture and Media from the London College of Fashion.

Oliver Cooke

Chief Marketing Officer

Stone Island

Oliver is an executive brand-leader with 18 years of experience building brands and product in the fashion and design space.  

Oliver currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer for Stone Island. He focuses on driving brand and business worldwide, evolving the brand and honouring Stone Island’s clarity of vision - a focus rooted in decades of research and material science, that has led to its deep sub-cultural influence around the world. 

Prior to Stone Island, Oliver worked within a number of visionary organisations big and small, from agencies and start-ups to Burberry, Giorgio Armani and JW Anderson.