Speakers

Vera Wang

Founder & Creative Director Vera Wang

Daniel Grieder

CEO Hugo Boss

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

He is responsible for Company Strategy, Global Marketing, Creative Direction, Global Product Development, Licenses Management, HR as well as Corporate Communications. 

Daniel Grieder was born in Washington, D.C., USA, in 1961. While studying at the University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration in Zurich (HWZ Hochschule für Wirtschaft) he founded Max Trade Service AG in 1985 (later renamed Madison Clothing Ltd.), which, in addition to manufacturing and selling leatherwear to leading department stores throughout Switzerland, also distributed internationally renowned brands such as Pepe Jeans, Tommy Hilfiger, Stone Island and C.P. Company in Switzerland, Austria and Eastern Europe.

With the launch of the American brand Tommy Hilfiger in the European market in 1997, Grieder was largely responsible for the successful establishment of Tommy Hilfiger there over the following years. In 2004, Daniel Grieder was named Vice President of Commercial Operations at Tommy Hilfiger Europe, and two years later as Chief Operating Officer and President Tommy Hilfiger Europe. This was followed by his appointment as Chief Executive Officer Tommy Hilfiger Europe in 2008. After the integration of the Tommy Hilfiger brand into the Phillips-Van Heusen (PVH) Corporation in 2010, Grieder became Chief Executive Officer and President of Tommy Hilfiger Global and PVH Europe in 2014.

In June 2021, Daniel Grieder joined the HUGO BOSS AG Managing Board as Chief Executive Officer.

Grieder is married, has two sons and lives in Switzerland.

Philippe Zuber

CEO Kerzner International

Kristina Blahnik

CEO Manolo Blahnik

Alex Schellenberger

Chief Brand Officer Mandarin Oriental

Miral Youssef

President Middle East & Africa, Kering

Michael Chalhoub

CEO Chalhoub Group

Michael Chalhoub is the Chief Executive Officer of Chalhoub Group, the leading luxury partner across the Middle East. Under his leadership, the 

Group is committed to delivering Vision 2033 through innovation, growth, and global expansion. 

Since joining Chalhoub Group, Michael has transformed the Group’s strategy, driving diversification into new categories, expanding into untapped regions, and revitalizing the investment portfolio. He has also strengthened joint venture partnerships, creating a solid foundation for sustained growth. 

Michael’s vision focuses on balancing growth with operational excellence. He is dedicated to expanding the Group's proprietary brands internationally while enhancing its portfolio through strategic acquisitions. 

Strengthening existing partnerships remains central to his strategy, solidifying Chalhoub Group’s position as a regional leader with a global presence. 

An entrepreneur at heart, Michael has launched several startups, including Sport360, a leading media group in the GCC that grew to a 75-person organization generating over $10M in annual revenues within just four years. He also supported multiple ventures through the Harvard Innovation Lab. 

Before becoming CEO, Michael served as President of Joint Ventures and Strategy, Growth, Innovation, and Investment at Chalhoub Group with prior roles at L’Oréal USA, Michael Kors, and in consulting. 

Michael is a Harvard Business School MBA Baker Scholar and holds master's degrees in Finance and International Affairs from Paris Dauphine University.

Sunday Riley

Founder & CEO Sunday Riley

Elie Barnes

Chief Marketing & Digital Officer Bremont Watch Company

Elie Barnes is a creative and strategic leader with a proven track record of integrated marketing excellence and digital innovation in an ever-changing consumer landscape. 

With over 17 years of experience, a decade of which within the luxury sector, with LVMH // Bang & Olufsen and Bremont Watch Company, leading Global Marketing // brand strategy development, digital transformation, revolutionary product launches and strategic partnerships, Elie has a dynamic and unique understanding and appreciation for consumer marketing and communication strategies.

Elie is passionate team and people leader, who strives to ignite excitement and possibility among people from all corners of the world then inspire them to contribute their best work. As a lifelong athlete, having competed on the international sporting stage for 15 years, Elie works with a firm belief in the power of a team and a fierce commitment to bring out the best in each player.

Ken Feyder

CIO, Americas Region Hermes

Kerry Byrne

CEO Belstaff

Mona Kattan

Founder & CEO Kayali Fragrances

Kristyna Smetanova

Managing Director, Consumer True Search

Julie Bourgeois

Global President ANINE BING

Marie-Theres Mangelsdorf

Chief Client & Digital Officer Montblanc

Michael Ward

Managing Director Harrods

Joshua Hirsch

CEO Danielle Frankel

Noura Sakkijha

Co-Founder & CEO Mejuri

Jessica Schinazi

CEO Away

Axel Winter

Chief Digital Officer Siam Piwat

Axel Winter is a pioneering technology executive at the forefront of luxury retail innovation. As CEO of Xponential, part of Siam Piwat Group, he leading force behind the OneSiam SuperApp. Siam Piwat is the visionary owner of iconic Thai destinations like ICONSIAM and Siam Paragon. He also serves as a Partner at a venture capital firm, advising on the next wave of tech innovation. Previously, Axel drove global transformation at Central Group and served as Global Chief Architect for Standard Chartered Bank. His career was founded on shaping technology strategy for global clients with Deloitte and Accenture.

Nicholas Brown

Managing Partner Imaginary Ventures

Jennifer Woo

Chairman & CEO The Lane Crawford Joyce Group

Stacie Henderson Capece Minutolo

Chief Marketing Officer, Americas TOD’s Group

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.

Candice D'Cruz

VP, APAC Hilton Luxury Brands

Stacy Lilien

President LoveShackFancy

Maxime Girardeau

VP, AI Strategy & Transformation – Innovation Lead for Luxury Capgemini

Suzanne Santos

Chief Customer Officer Aesop

Alexis Mourot

CEO Christian Louboutin

Tawny Brown

SVP, Omnichannel Paige Denim

David Gandy

Model & Founder David Gandy Wellwear

Barbara Campos

CEO Joseph

Born in France, Barbara studied Marketing and Business Management prior to undertaking the Program for Leadership Development at the prestigious Harvard Business School. She started her career holding positions in wholesale at Pringle of Scotland and Hugo Boss. In 2003 she moved to Furla as Managing Director for France and Germany. Between 2010 and 2017 Barbara was Executive Vice President, International at Diane Von Furstenberg, she then moved to Marni where she was the Global Wholesale Director. Barbara joined JOSEPH as CEO in November 2018. Within her role at JOSEPH, Barbara is responsible for the corporate strategy and the commercial growth of business.

Graziano de Boni

CEO Diane Von Furstenberg

Graziano is an accomplished executive with over twenty-five years of senior leadership in the fashion, luxury, and retail industries. A forward and dynamic thinker, Graziano has successfully led several companies through growth trajectories or turnaround phases, always with the goal of building long term brand equity value. As Global President of Valentino, Graziano was instrumental in turning around the business, starting accessories, and launched Valentino.com in 2003 pioneering luxury e-commerce. At Prada Americas, he initiated the direct-to-consumer vision, and as CEO of Armani Americas, he developed a simplified brand and product strategy that embraced technologies with predictive analytics at the center. Engaged in 2023 to evaluate the future of DVF, as CEO of Diane von Furstenberg he has successfully brought back in-house the global business, setting up a unique and disruptive digital-first business model centered on design, brand narrative and the consumer.

Krishna Nikhil

CEO Hunza G

Julia Goddard

CEO Harvey Nichols

Luigi Caterino

Founder & CEO The Longevity Suite

Rajesh Shanmugasundaram

Chief Technology Officer Breitling

Malik Abu-Ghazaleh

Head of Digital, Omnichannel & IT, MEA Region Tiffany & Co.

Malik Abu-Ghazaleh is an accomplished leader in the world of digital transformation and luxury retail. With a passion for optimizing customer experiences, creating engaging content, and addressing global behaviors, Malik has achieved remarkable success in highly competitive industries.

From February 2022 to February 2025, Malik served as Global Chief Digital Officer at Tiffany & Co., where he played a pivotal role in driving the brand's growth through omnichannel experiences. He lead the development and execution of the global strategy for the omnichannel client journey involving a large scale digital and data transformation to ensure seamless and personalized interactions across digital and physical touchpoints. Under his guidance, Tiffany & Co has seen significant enhancements in e-commerce, in-store digital tools, and data driven processes elevating the luxury retail experience for customers.

In March 2025, Malik took on the role of spearheading Tiffany & Co.'s Omnichannel and eCommerce expansion, along with IT responsibilities, into the rapidly growing Middle East & Africa market. Leveraging his regional ties and global experience, he aims to establish the region as a leader in omnichannel retail and a testbed for cutting-edge technologies.

Prior to his current role, Malik served as the Lancôme Global Vice President, Digital at L'Oreal Luxe HQ in Paris, France. During his tenure, he successfully rebuilt the global flagship ecommerce sites with a customer-centric approach, driving brand engagement and record sales. His expertise in digital media, e-commerce, loyalty programs, and online content strategies contributed to the brand's global success.

Throughout his career, Malik has been a collaborative and results-oriented leader, working closely with cross-functional teams to align digital initiatives with overall brand strategies. His strong problem-solving skills and innovative online marketing approaches have earned him a reputation for driving growth and delivering exceptional results always putting the customer at the core of the experience.

John Imah

Founder & CEO SpreeAI

Sapna Parikh

Chief Digital Officer Kendo Brands

Marcella Wartenbergh

CEO AWWG

Oliver Cooke

Chief Marketing Officer Stone Island

Josh Pullan

EVP, Global Head of Luxury Division Sotheby's

Marco Parsiegla

CEO Amouage

Antony Lindsay

CEO Fabergé

A knowledgeable and passionate leader, Antony Lindsay is a results-driven and commercially astute executive with 25 years’ experience shaping the trajectory of world-renowned, hard luxury brands. As CEO of Fabergé, Antony has steered Fabergé through transformative development, reviving the company’s global presence and reaffirming its reputation and status as one of the most iconic names in luxury. Leveraging his expertise in P&L management, stakeholder relations, and international operations, his visionary leadership has been instrumental in expanding the brand’s international footprint. His visionary leadership continues to drive sustainable growth, blending tradition with forward-thinking strategies. In 2020, his leadership expanded further when he was promoted to the Board of Directors of Gemfields UK Ltd (Fabergé’s parent company), complementing his continued contributions to Fabergé's success. Before joining Fabergé, Antony held key positions at iconic luxury brands, including Graff Diamonds and David Morris International, where he honed his expertise. Antony is a certified gemmologist from two of the world’s leading gemmological institutions; a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and former President of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) London Alumni Chapter (2002–2005).

Vikki Kavanagh

Chief Commercial Officer John Lewis & Partners

Fahed Ghanim

CEO, Lifestyle Majid Al Futtaim

Jacobo Hachuel

CEO Nadine Merabi

Yehuda Shmidman

Chairman & CEO WHP Global

Albin Johansson

CEO Axel Arigato

Albin Johansson is the Co-founder and CEO of Axel Arigato, the contemporary fashion brand he launched in 2014 with a vision to challenge the traditional model of building a label. Starting in Sweden as a digitally native, single-category brand, Axel Arigato quickly evolved into a global name with a diverse range of products and a strong multichannel presence. Albin has guided the brand through changing trends and expanding markets, shaping it into a go-to choice for the urban consumer around the world. For him, Axel Arigato is more than just products — it’s a lifestyle and a set of values that have been at the core of the brand since day one.

Adil Mehboob-Khan

CEO Liberty

Adil’s career has taken him to work with Iconic companies such as Procter and Gamble, Wella, Luxottica where he held President/CEO positions and now Liberty group where he has been the CEO since 2018. His reputation is built on brand building , turnarounds, and business/organizational transformation. His retail experience includes working with retail entrepreneurs in the Salon and Optical industry, joint planning with the largest Mass Market retailers in the world, and leading global networks such as Sunglass Hut and luxury retail at Liberty – both as a store and as a global Ecom player. An expert in Beauty and Luxury, he describes his task as basically simple: externally, having a plan to delight customers always; internally, creating an environment where people can express their talent. Having lived mostly in the Uk, Switzerland, Italy and the US, with Pakistani, Italian and Hungarian heritage, he serenely describes himself as being from nowhere in particular. He is married with 2 Children and is passionate about Theatre, Photography and Bridges.

Daniel Herrmann

Managing Director COS

Daniel was born in Stockholm, though has spent much of his life living and working abroad – both with his family as a child and through career opportunities taking him to New York and Germany. Following a BSc degree in Macro Economics & Management at the University of Gothenburg, Daniel joined H&M in 2003 as an intern. This marked the start of a 20-year professional career with the H&M Group, 16 of which were spent in various roles at H&M Brand – from controlling and merchandising, to marketing and communications. In 2019 Daniel joined Weekday as Managing Director, spending two years with the brand in Stockholm before taking on a new venture as a founding partner of Singular Society – H&M Group’s latest subscription-based business model. Daniel joined COS in Spring 2024 as Global Managing Director. Relocating from Stockholm, Daniel now lives in London with his wife and three children.

Larissa Higgins

VP, Digital - North America LVMH

Natalie Lee

VP, Omnichannel & Client Development Louis Vuitton

Venky Rajaraman

Chief Technology Officer SSENSE

Kristen Sosa

CEO, North America Zadig&Voltaire

Kate Hardcastle

Global Broadcaster & The Customer Whisperer Hardcastle Collective

Martin Barthel

Managing Director & Partner BCG X

Martin Barthel is a member of BCG X, Boston Consulting Group’s tech build and design business unit. He leads the growth, ventures, and design teams in Paris with a mission to invent, build, and scale digital-centric businesses, products, and services.

Martin is also a core member of CX for Growth, a BCG X domain dedicated to creating world-class end-to-end customer journeys to boost top-line growth. In addition, he is a core member of BCG's Consumer, and Marketing, Sales & Pricing practices and leads the fashion and luxury team within BCG X in Europe.

Martin brings more than 20 years of experience in building and scaling consumer-centric business models, both in Tech (Meta, eBay) and luxury goods companies (Chanel, Gucci). He has worked across Europe (Germany, UK, France) and in the US (Silicon Valley).

Olof Darpö

Managing Director & Partner BCG

As a core member of the Consumer practice, Olof Darpö leads Boston Consulting Group’s work in ecommerce and marketing in retail for Europe. Olof has significant expertise in many retail industries, with a focus on fashion and luxury and speciality retail. Olof has led several of BCG's largest marketing transformations, spanning the full CMO spectrum including brand positioning, content creation, and excellence in execution across touchpoints.

Olof’s main areas of expertise are data-driven marketing and building high-performing marketing organizations; ecommerce acceleration and building ecommerce organizations that deliver above-market growth through better demand generation, conversion, product offering and pricing, and enabled by world class tech and operations; and data-driven and dynamic pricing including building in-house pricing engines and integrating and tuning existing pricing engines to better reach (often conflicting) core business objectives.

Derek Sulger

Chairman Shanghai Tang

Derek Sulger and his co-owner, Jerry Mao, have redefined how the world’s fastest-growing segment of luxury consumers—young, globally minded, and culturally fluent—engage with taste, art, and experiences through their ecosystem of businesses.

Under their ownership and visionary leadership, SHANGHAI TANG, a heritage fashion house, has been reborn as a modern expression of Eastern elegance, cultural authenticity, and global relevance. Their ecosystem also includes the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, China’s leading independent art institution, which they have expanded into a constellation of four museums with growing global influence and importance. Additionally, it encompasses UNMI, a hospitality group creating culturally authentic, ultra-premium restaurants and experiences, initially established in China, Japan, and the UAE, and now expanding beyond through their own brands and collaborations with global luxury houses such as Louis Vuitton and Golden Goose. Recently, they also launched Nocturne, a hotel development group designed to extend their brands and experiences into destinations that blend architecture, cuisine, and curated programming for a generation seeking more than just accommodation.

Jerry and Derek believe that, in an increasingly commoditised and digitised world, the future lies in creating experiences. They do not follow the traditional evolution of luxury brands—from product to brand to cultural positioning. Instead, they have reversed the playbook, beginning with deep investment in culture, then expanding into lifestyle, and later into luxury products. By doing so, they prioritise meaning before merchandise—soft assets before hard products.

Previously, Derek founded Linktone, one of China’s earliest NASDAQ-listed mobile internet businesses; Intrinsic, a telecommunications software company; and SmartPay JIeyin, a mobile payments business. For his role in founding these ventures, he is widely recognised as one of the earliest successful “new wave” internet entrepreneurs in China.

Derek began his career with Goldman Sachs in New York and London after graduating from Harvard University.

Stephanie Crespin

Founder & CEO Reflaunt

Toni Stoeckl

Chief Marketing Officer Starwood Hotels

Sujata Assomull

Contributing Editor Vogue Business

Emily Essner

President & Chief Commercial Officer Saks Global

Anne-Laure Colcy

Executive Vice President, Head of Global Luxury Capgemini Invent

Gareth Locke

Chief Data & Analytics Officer LuxExperience

Adil Bouhdadi

Founder & CEO Autone

Tiffany James

Global Chief Digital Officer, Miu Miu Beauty L'Oréal Luxe

Christophe Cais

Founder & CEO CXG

Alice Wong

CEO Imaginex

Laurent Malaveille

Chief Digital, IT & Business Support Officer Clarins

Laurent is the Chief Digital, IT & Business Support Officer of Groupe Clarins, a private cosmetics group best known for the CLARINS brand (the #1 high-end skin care brand in Europe and one of the leading prestige beauty brands in the world). 
Prior to joining Groupe Clarins, Laurent has been working for nearly 10 years at LVMH, the world’s largest luxury goods company where he played a key role in introducing digital innovations, pioneering e-commerce in the US (eLuxury.com from 2000) then in Europe (Christian Dior Couture from 2005).  Laurent has also served as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company and later on when he founded his own firm.

Helene Goetzelmann

VP, Client Experience L'Occitane

Helene is the VP Client Experience for the L’OCCITANE en Provence brand globally. She leads a team (of X people) focused on delivering an elevated, emotional and consistent guest experience across the various channels & touch points – from Retail to Web, CRM, Clienteling, Customer Care and Spas. 

Amit Keswani Manghnani

Chief Omnichannel Officer Chalhoub Group

Amit is the Chief Omni-channel Officer at Chalhoub Group, the largest retailer and distributor of luxury brands in the Middle East and North Africa. He brings over 15 years of experience in Digital and Omni-channel retail to his current role, which includes Omni-channel Product, Marketing and Analytics, together with Group Loyalty (Muse and Elite) and One Studio initiatives. Amit joined Chalhoub Group in February 2023, after more than 10 years with two of the largest retailers in South East Asia, helping them evolve and adapt in the Digital Space by launching several Online initiatives and Loyalty Programs in the region, always through a customer focused approach for some of the top Global Fashion and F&B brands such as Zara, Sephora, Converse, Foot Locker and Starbucks. Amit holds Executive MBAs from ESADE Business School in Barcelona and Aalto University inHelsinki. Having spent his early years in Spain, Amit has gone on to experience different cultures through time spent living in Indonesia, Malaysia, India, the US, Europe and now, the Middle East. In his free time, Amit is an avid tennis player, and stays current on all things related to tech, sports, and men’s fashion.

Anne de Vergeron

CEO Repossi

Anne de Vergeron joined the LVMH Group in January 2015, after a 16 year career in Investment Banking in London and in Paris. She has been holding the position of Group Director of Business Development since then. Anne has led the acquisition of Maison Repossi amongst others and overseen Repossi’s development, being appointed CEO in 2020. Anne de Vergeron is also a board member of several LVMH other Maisons : Editions Assouline, Thelios Eyewear, Parfums Francis Kurkdjian Anne is a graduate of ESCP Europe (French Business School) in 1998.

Marc Schmidt

Chief Digital Officer Casablanca Paris

Jessica Warch

Co-Founder & CEO Kimaï

Christian Fiorelli

SVP, Global Ecommerce & CRM Alexander Wang

Christian Fiorelli is the Senior Vice President of E-Commerce & CRM at Alexander Wang, where he leads global digital strategy, innovation, and CRM. With over 15 years of experience in fashion and luxury retail, Christian combines data-driven insights with a deep understanding of brand storytelling to elevate the customer experience across digital channels. Prior to joining Alexander Wang, he held regional and global leadership roles at Giorgio Armani, Max Mara, and YOOX Net-a-Porter, gaining deep expertise across both the Americas and APAC markets.

Marcel Nakam

CEO Jonak

Alfredo Bandini

Co-Founder & CEO Born Outside Italy

Alfredo Bandini is an Italian entrepreneur based in Dubai and the co-founder of Born Outside, the first luxury sneaker brand founded in the GCC and fully made in Italy. His career began in management consulting, where he advised global companies on strategy and growth before deciding to build something of his own—combining his love for product excellence, design, and entrepreneurship.

Growing up in Italy, Alfredo was shaped by two powerful influences: the heritage of Italian craftsmanship and his experience as an outsider challenging norms. His journey took him from playing American football at a national level in Italy and training with the University of Maryland Terps, to navigating the corporate world, and ultimately to starting a brand in one of the most competitive industries—luxury fashion.

As a founder, Alfredo has led Born Outside from concept to international recognition in under a year, securing distribution in tier-one retailers across the GCC and Europe. Alongside building the brand, he is deeply engaged in raisinf his two twin daughters as well as pursuing his endurance endeavors.

Alfredo’s perspective combines strategy, creativity, and resilience. He speaks openly about the challenges of entrepreneurship, the importance of timing and persistence, and the value of rethinking tradition while staying true to one’s identity.

Gianluca Borghi

CEO 10 Corso Como

Gianluca Borghi is Exor Group’s Chief Executive Officer since May 2023, to lead the 10 Corso Como Brand. The executive comes from Richemont Group after spending many years in New York as Head of Retail for North America with the title of Vice President for the Montblanc Brand. Gianluca Borghi, born in Genoa, is an expert connoisseur of the Luxury Industry and he has held solid experiences in executive roles in Retail, Digital Business and Wholesale by working for leaders as Gucci, Pomellato, Boucheron and la Rinascente in Paris, Milan, and New York. He also holds an MBA from SDA Bocconi and a degree in Clinical Psychology. He was most recently Member of the Executive Committee North America at Richemont, a role that enabled him to develop additional talents in strategic planning.

Jamie De Cesare

Chief Technology Officer Orlebar Brown

Stefano Galassi

Co-Founder & Open Innovation Director Limitless Innovation

Lina Söderqvist

Managing Director & Other Stories

Jonathan Saunders

Chief Creative Officer & Other Stories

Nina Briance

Founder & CEO Cult Mia

Alexis Hoopes

VP, Global Head of Fashion eBay

Alexis Hoopes is the Vice President of Global Fashion at eBay, where she plays a pivotal role in shaping the company's vision to become the leading destination for preloved, branded fashion. She joined eBay from Mattel, where, as the Senior Vice President of E-commerce, she was instrumental in advancing Mattel's direct-to-consumer (DTC) strategy and leading digital transformation efforts across various platforms, customer data, marketing, and supply chain. During her tenure at Mattel, Alexis successfully launched two new digital e-commerce platforms and effectively integrated the America Girl e-commerce operations into the DTC organization. Prior to joining Mattel, she spent nearly 15 years at Nordstrom, taking on various leadership roles that spanned strategy, e-commerce, merchandising, and planning. Her vast experience in retail has equipped her with deep insights into scaling digital commerce and improving customer experiences.

John Hadden

CEO Alshaya Group

Simone Oloman

Founder & CEO NIFT

Simon Mitchell

Co-Founder Sybarite

Simon co-founded Sybarite with Torquil McIntosh in 2002, their steely focus has always been retail architecture and design and more recently hospitality and lifestyle. Simon has a collaborative working style and is instrumental in the fostering of the culture of Sybarite where work-life balance remains at the core.

Sybarite has delivered 2,800 projects to date, amongst those, retail and experiential concepts and designs for notable brands and retail operators of varying scales from monobrands through to master planning. Recognisable clients include LVMH, Marni, Ferrari, SKP & SKP-S.
The successful repositioning from Shin Kong Place to SKP in China has resulted in a No1 global department store ranking. Project locations include Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu and Wuhan with more to be announced. In addition to SKP, Sybarite creatively directed and conceived SKP-S, an ongoing next generation retail concept. The pipeline continues throughout China.

Simon maintains a close relationship with Sybarite’s clients in Asia and Saudi Arabia, namely CR Land, Swire and Hongkong Land, The Public Investment Fund (PIF) and KAFD.

Simon is a regular contributor and opinion leader for a host of conferences, discussions, and futures as well as being an active business mentor.

Marie Driscoll

Adjunct Professor The New School

Marie Driscoll is a noted subject matter expert on beauty, fashion, luxury goods, retail, and sustainability. She is a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert 2021-2025 and an NRF 2025 Voice of Retail.  Marie is founder of Driscoll Advisors, providing advisory services to retailers, brands and retailtech firms, a professor at Parsons The New School, FIT and CUNY Baruch College and a frequent contributor to The Robin Report, Inside Retail and media. She has served in key analytical and business development roles in leading financial research firms and was recognized three times in The Wall Street Journal’s “Best on the Street” analyst survey, including first place ranking in the Clothing & Accessories industry. Marie is X-Coresight and X-S&P/CapIQ.  

Sam Atkinson

CEO Swap Commerce

Amal Benichou

Managing Director - Global Luxury Lead Accenture

Melissa Gonzalez

Founder MG2 Advisory

Continually pushing the boundaries of experiential retail, Melissa Gonzalez is an award-winning innovator, seasoned visionary, and brand storyteller. She is the CEO of The Lion’esque Group and Principal and Shareholder at MG2. Always pioneering the integration of physical environments and cutting-edge technologies she works with companies such as Ever/Body, Nordstrom, and Burrow foster foundational consumer engagement and evolve their offering.  

A passionate mentor and strategist, Melissa works hand-in-hand with clients to understand their greatest aspirations. She leads creative teams to deliver authentic solutions from concept to completion, helping clients achieve their ultimate vision. In 2019 she was honored with ‘Women In Design’ award of the year by Contract Magazine and was recognized as one of LinkedIn and design:retail’s ‘Top 10 Retail Design Influencers of the Year’. When she’s not recording podcasts or dreaming up innovative pop-up spaces, Melissa can be found seeking inspiration in unexpected places (like skydiving 10,000 feet above ground). 

Isabel Baert

CEO Neuhaus

Rata Jacquemart

CEO & Founder Differs

Hannah Redfern

SVP, Shoptalk Europe & Shoptalk Luxe Shoptalk

Rebecca Bemhena

VP, Content, Luxe Shoptalk

Rebecca is vice president, content at Shoptalk Luxe. She leads the research, strategy and development of the Shoptalk Luxe agenda, establishing the event as the premier conference platform for global luxury and premium retail. With a background in luxury fashion retail, she has dedicated her career to shaping industry-leading content.

Adam Plom

VP, Content, Europe Shoptalk

Ira Kalish

Chief Global Economist Deloitte

Dr. Ira Kalish is the Chief Global and US Economist of Deloitte.  He is a specialist in global economic issues as well as the effects of economic, demographic, and social trends on the global business environment.  He has written about the economies of Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Mexico and South America, and has also written extensively on global consumer markets.  He is the principal author and editor of Deloitte’s Weekly Global Economic Update.  
 
Dr. Kalish provides thought leadership and perspectives on economic issues, including their expected impact on business operations and trends, to Deloitte clients as well as Deloitte leadership. He has given numerous presentations to corporations and trade organizations on topics related to the global economy.  Dr. Kalish also serves on the Business at OECD Economic Policy Committee which advises the OECD on macroeconomic policy issues.  In addition, he serves on the World Economic Forum’s Community of Chief Economists.  He is widely traveled and has given presentations in 47 countries on six continents. 

Dr. Kalish has been widely quoted in the news media; his remarks have been published by the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Financial Times, Reuters, and The Washington Post.  He has appeared on CNN, CBS News, CNBC, PBS and BBC World Service.
 
Prior to his work at Deloitte, Dr. Kalish was chief economist at Retail Forward, a director at PwC, vice president at Bankers Trust, corporate economist at the Eastman Kodak Company, and researcher at the Institute for International Economics.

Dr. Kalish holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Vassar College and a PhD in international economics from Johns Hopkins University.  He lives in Los Angeles, CA with his wife and has two adult children.
 

Miray Topay

Partner L Catterton

Ms. Topay joined L Catterton in 2024 as a Partner based in London. She previously spent 15 years at Bain Capital in North America and Europe, most recently as Partner and a leader of the European consumer sector team. While at Bain Capital, she invested in companies such as Bugaboo and Maesa, where she served as a Board Member. Prior to joining Bain Capital, Ms. Topay was a management consultant at Bain & Company in New York, advising CPG and financial services clients on strategy and operations. Ms. Topay graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was a Baker Scholar, a Ford Scholar, and the recipient of the Wolfe Award.

Zia Daniell Wigder

Global President, Connected Commerce Hyve Group

Giri Agarwal

Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer Incisiv

Giri Agarwal is Co-Founder at Incisiv, a leading industry research and benchmarking firm, where he drives strategic research initiatives for their consumer and technology industry clients.

Giri previously co-founded EKN Research, an executive network and insights firm. Prior to EKN Research, Giri was part of the Tata Group’s marketing leadership, having led industry marketing for retail, consumer goods, and travel & hospitality in his last role there.

Giri splits his time between New York and Mumbai, and is an active advisor and investor in early-stage consumer industry start-ups.

Ben Miller

VP, Original Content & Strategy Shoptalk

Ben is Shoptalk’s vice president, original content. In this role, he works with internal teams and external research partners to lead content creation across Shoptalk, Shoptalk Europe and Groceryshop.

Carolin Wais

Partner Plug & Play

Carolin is a Partner at Plug and Play Ventures. She has been in the Venture industry for over 8 years. Since joining Plug and Play in 2019, she has led over 50 investments for the firm and oversaw 150+ investments since establishing PnP’s EMEA IC. She has a strong thesis on companies that deliver direct business impact in terms of efficiency, cost cutting or driving revenue. Being an advocate for diversity in the ecosystem, she is supporting multiple female-focused initiatives as a mentor and has backed 10+ female founders in 2022 alone. 

She has always been passionate about entrepreneurship and supporting founders with a bold vision and willingness to challenge the status quo. During her studies at ESCP Europe, where she graduated as Valedictorian of the MiM class, she specialized in venture capital, mentoring multiple startups and founding a student-led tech conference. Prior to Plug and Play Carolin spent 3 years at Next47 and 2 years as an operator at Siemens. 

Deann Evans

Managing Director, EMEA Shopify

Deann oversees the EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) commercial operation for Shopify, the leading global commerce company that provides essential internet infrastructure for millions of modern, high-growth brands including Gymshark, Huel, Lounge Underwear and Ooni.

She leads Shopify’s strategy to help EMEA merchants sell on every surface and drive retail innovation hand in hand with Europe’s most exciting businesses. In her role, she is responsible for regional growth by supporting and developing merchants and entrepreneurs, growing the partner ecosystem, and leading the team culture within Shopify’s EMEA markets.

An experienced technology executive, Deann’s career spans over two decades in a range of leadership and C-level roles for ecommerce and SaaS businesses, such as eBay, Mettr and Sizmek.

Olivier Abtan

Partner & Managing Director AlixPartners

Melissa McDermott

Founder & CEO Reclaim World

Melissa McDermott is the founder and CEO of Reclaim, a circular fashion platform built on one belief: fashion does more than dress the world—it shapes it.

With over 20 years leading product strategy, design, and buying at global brands like Gap Inc., Abercrombie & Fitch, and Mango, Melissa later helped companies like Kering, Zadig & Voltaire, and Decathlon navigate digital transformation, traceability, and circular innovation.

At Reclaim, she’s now building the intelligence layer that makes circularity scalable and profitable, an agentic AI-driven operating system that routes products to resale, repair, or recycling while keeping customers in the loop- literally- turning every product into a connected asset

Her work connects data and decisions to turn every garment into a connected asset with lasting value and every brand into a driver of systemic change.

Max Sinclair

Founder & CEO Azoma AI

Max Sinclair is the founder of www.azoma.ai.  Azoma’s mission is to help brands increase their share of voice in AI-powered conversational search, e.g. ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Amazon RUFUS. Azoma has received the backing of eBay Ventures and other top-tier VCs, and is the trusted partner of the likes of L’Occitane, David Protein and Zappos.com.

Prior to founding Azoma, Max spent 6 years at Amazon in various global leadership roles, including being responsible for Customer’s browsing experience for the launch of Amazon in Singapore; and leading the scale-up of Amazon Third Party Grocery across the EU.

Max was educated at Mila, a leading global Artificial Intelligence Institute. Max is also the host of the New Frontier, the AI for Ecommerce podcast. He speaks globally at Conferences on Generative Engine Optimization (or Answer Engine Optimization), and the impact of AI on ecommerce, society and the future of work. He has also been featured in top-tier publications such as Vogue Business.

Melis Kahya

Managing Director & Head of Consumer EMEA General Atlantic

Ida Palombella

Equity Partner, Global Fashion & Luxury Co-Leader Deloitte

Gemma D'Auria

Senior Partner, Global Leader of Apparel, Fashion & Luxury McKinsey & Company

Georgina Nelson

Founder & CEO TruRating

Georgina Nelson, CEO and founder of TruRating, studied psychology at university, where she became fascinated with how to measure, understand, and predict human behavior. She quickly realized that the key to everything was data you could trust, which required sample sizes not usually seen in traditional market research. 

After graduating, Georgina took a turn into law, working first in finance with Clifford Chance LLP before joining Europe’s largest consumer association, Which?, representing consumer privacy and data issues at an EU and UK Government level. 

It was here that she identified a market need for representative consumer feedback. Putting two and two together, Georgina created TruRating, a consumer feedback and analytics platform that captures feedback from the silent majority of the customer base. 

TruRating integrates the feedback process into the purchase experience by asking one question at the point of sale. This achieves what traditional survey tools fail to do—mass, genuine customer data samples at speed. Understanding how customers feel about the experience and why they buy certain products has never been more important. With TruRating, retailers and their retail media teams can get to the heart of what’s driving customer loyalty and build on excellent service. 

It doesn’t stop there. The ratings are shared with consumers via store profile pages to ensure that the data exchange is fair for both parties. With a billion ratings and counting, TruRating is now the world’s largest platform for validated consumer ratings. TruRating works with globally renowned retailers, including Aldi, JD Sports, Cracker Barrel, Five Below, Canada Post, NAPA Auto Parts, Nike RPG, lululemon, Tim Hortons, Longo's and more. 

Rebecca Griffiths

CEO & Founder Primis CX

Rebecca Griffiths is a visionary entrepreneur and customer experience expert with over 15 years of experience in e-commerce, business development, and CX innovation. 

As the Founder and CEO of Primis CX since March 2020, Rebecca has pioneered next-generation customer experience solutions, empowering businesses to reduce churn, increase revenue, and create lasting brand loyalty. Operating across key global hubs such as London, Cape Town, and Dubai, Primis CX has quickly gained recognition as a “ones to watch” tech startup for 2024 by Sifted, reflecting its innovative approach and rapid growth in the competitive tech landscape .

Rebecca’s career journey is marked by senior leadership roles at industry giants like Amazon Prime, Narvar, and InPost, where she honed her expertise in driving operational excellence and spearheading customer-centric initiatives across diverse global markets. Her time at Amazon, in particular, instilled a deep-rooted focus on customer obsession, which became a cornerstone of her entrepreneurial vision at Primis CX. She has successfully leveraged her extensive background to transform how businesses connect with their audiences, particularly in the retail and e-commerce sectors across the GCC Middle East Region .

Beyond her corporate achievements, Rebecca is a passionate advocate for sustainability and empowering women in tech. Through initiatives like The Female Founders Collective in New York, she actively mentors and supports aspiring female entrepreneurs, fostering a more inclusive tech ecosystem. Her ability to blend strategic vision with actionable insights has positioned her as a thought leader in transforming customer experiences across industries, earning her invitations to speak at prestigious events like WORLDEF in Dubai and Retail CIO Connect .

Rebecca Griffiths has been recognized by Trending 2025 for her transformative contributions to CX innovation, her success in driving sustainable growth for global brands, and her unwavering dedication to reshaping the future of e-commerce through technology-driven solutions. 

Her work continues to inspire a new wave of customer-focused innovation, setting benchmarks for excellence in the industry. As a leader based in dynamic cities like Dubai and London, she remains at the forefront of global trends, ensuring that Primis CX stays ahead in delivering impactful, scalable solutions for modern businesses.

Sarah Engel

President January Digital

Sarah Engel is the President of January Digital, the marketing leadership company and agency of record for clients like Carhartt, Kendra Scott, Interstate Batteries, and Steve Madden. She also serves as a Strategic Advisor to Shoptalk and Groceryshop and was recently named to Adweek 50, honoring changemakers and growth drivers in marketing and technology. 

With more than two decades of multifaceted experience, Sarah has guided teams, served on boards, and held key leadership roles, including President, Chief Marketing Officer, and Chief HR Officer for leading consumer and B2B brands. Notable positions include Vice President of Marketing and Creative Communications at lifestyle brand Lilly Pulitzer and CMO of retail data leader DynamicAction (now Edited). Throughout her career, she has connected consumers and driven growth for the world’s most impactful brands including Travelocity, Match, and Chevrolet. 

She serves on the advisory board of Rebel Nell, a jewelry company empowering marginalized women, and as a board member of LSH, a nonprofit supporting vulnerable communities in Philadelphia. Her contributions to the industry have earned her recognition as a Top Woman in Media and Ad Tech, one of Women’s Wear Daily’s Top 20 Women Leaders in Business, and one of Footwear News’ Six Women in Power Creating Corporate Change. 

Josephine Wylie

Content Director, Luxe Shoptalk

Josephine is content director for Shoptalk Luxe. She supports the development of the Shoptalk Luxe agenda, contributing to the event’s position as a leading platform for global luxury and premium retail. With a background in content creation and production, she brings a sharp editorial perspective to shaping impactful, industry-led programming.

Carla Buzasi

CEO WGSN

As CEO of WGSN, the world’s leading trend forecasting company, Carla leads a global team of specialists, delivering insight, analysis and consultancy services that make the most valuable brands worldwide make assertive decisions. 

With a background as an award-winning editor and journalist, she was the founding Editor-in-Chief of The Huffington Post UK. Carla has received numerous awards and recognition for her work, including being named Editor of the Year and Media Innovator of the Year. She is also a commentator for TV and radio shows, a regular keynote speaker at events, including SXSW, TedX, Cannes Lions, Web Summit and Inspiring Women and a podcast host on Lives of Tomorrow. 

Laurent Claquin

Chief Brand Officer Kering