Speakers & Panellists
Confirmed speakers, in alphabetical order:
Virginie Alem
Executive Committee Member & SVP Marketing
Global Blue, France
Virginie Alem joined Global Blue in 2019 and she has been serving as the Senior Vice President Marketing, Communications and Customer Value Creation since 2021. She gained expertise in the fields of financial communication and investor relations during her years at Accor and Edenred. She was part of the Edenred Executive Committee to manage the Business and Product Development from 2015 to 2019.
Olivier Bron
CEO
Bloomingdale's, USA
Olivier Bron, CEO of Bloomingdale’s, is responsible for overall business strategy and growth for the brand. He leads all facets of the business, including marketing, operations, stores, merchandising and digital platforms. Olivier is also a member of the Macy’s Executive Leadership Team. He is a dynamic leader with over a decade of international retail and department store experience and a foundation of more than 12 years in management and business consulting internationally — including experience working in Thailand, the Middle East, the U.S., France and the UK. Prior to Bloomingdale’s, Olivier Bron was CEO of Central & Robinson Department Stores in Thailand, where he developed and executed the company’s strategy for sustainable growth leading into and following the C-19 pandemic. Also, he served as COO to Galeries Lafayette and BHV Group in Paris. During his tenure, he focused on transformative strategies including digitization, operational excellence, luxury customer growth, cultural transformation and cost control. Olivier also spent over a decade focused on retail, consumer goods and private equity transformation at Bain & Company. Olivier Bron holds a master’s degree in strategic management from HEC Paris and an MBA in engineering from ECAM Lyon. He resides in New York with his wife and three children.
Eren Camurdan
CEO
Boyner Department Store, Türkiye
Eren Camurdan started his career at Altınyıldız Mensucat ve Konfeksiyon Fabrikaları A.Ş. in the Ready-to-Wear Marketing Department and worked as Product Supply Department Manager, Assistant Merchandising Director, Brand and Merchandising Director. In 2008, with the establishment of AY Marka Mağazacılık A.Ş., he became AY Marka General Manager. As of February 2019, he joined Boyner Department Store as CEO. Eren graduated from Yıldız Technical University, Industrial Engineering and holds an MBA from Yeditepe University.
Julius Carrell
Director
Enactor, UK
Julius Carrell joined Enactor 8 years ago and has been a driving force in its growth and expansion, formulating Enactor’s most successful model. Julius specialises in helping Retailers who have complex Unified Commerce ambitions and internal development teams.
Sophie Florian
Head of Insights and Analytics
Google, Europe
Sophie Florian joined Google in 2019, where she leads the Insights & Analytics Team for Retail in Central Europe. In this role, she consults retailers on how to work with data even more efficiently and effectively, how to steer their marketing efforts profitably and how to detect opportunities through changes in the market or consumer sentiment early on. Before joining Google, Sophie completed a doctoral thesis on strategic decision-making and worked for McKinsey as a consultant focused on strategy and digital transformation.
Leonie Foster
Chief Operating Officer
Selfridges & Co., UK
Leonie Foster is Chief Operating Officer at Selfridges, where she leads strategy and the digital, tech, supply chain, property and store design and experience teams. She has 25 years of experience in retail with brands such as Tesco, Dunelm and Sainsbury's. Leonie is expert in customer strategy development and delivery, insight and analytics, proposition development and digital transformation. In 2023, Leonie led and implemented the launch of Selfridges Unlocked, the brand’s first open-to-all membership scheme which offers Keyholders exclusive perks such as first access to events, collaborations and in-store experiences. She is also a Trustee for Shelter, the UK’s leading housing and homelessness charity and Non-Exec Director for the National Gallery.
Scott Fyfe
CEO
David Jones, Australia
Scott Fyfe was appointed CEO of David Jones in 2020 where he has been at the forefront of the turnaround and instrumental change of ownership in early 2023. His vision is to drive the transformation and maximise the potential of the business under the new ownership. Scott is a highly experienced retailer in the Australian and international markets, having held the position of CEO of the Country Road Group for four years, and previously at global market leader, Marks & Spencer, where he worked in a variety of Director roles spanning buying, merchandising and sourcing for a period of twenty years.
Daniel Grieder
CEO
Hugo Boss, Germany
Daniel Grieder held positions, among others, as CEO of PVH Europe and CEO of Tommy Hilfiger Global before he was appointed CEO of Hugo Boss in 2021. With the mandate to steer Hugo Boss back to sales and profit growth he implemented a number of decisive initiatives. Consequently, and under his leadership, Hugo Boss doubled its sales two years earlier than initially planned. With the vision of becoming the world's leading premium driven fashion platform, Hugo Boss, founded in 1924, is pushing digitalization along the entire value chain, setting the company up for the next 100 years.
Simone Heift
Chief Merchandising Officer
KaDeWe GmbH, Germany
Since 2013 Simone Heift is an integral part of the leadership team of KaDeWe, Oberpollinger and Alsterhaus and its buying and merchandising departments. She started as Buying Director before being appointed Chief Merchandising Officer as part of the executive management board in 2023. Her responsibilities oversee the curation of merchandise, presentation and services of all three department stores’ segments, including food and restaurants. Simone’s expertise is reflected in the steady trading-up and modification of the overall brand portfolio as well as a constant drive to excite and delight customers with countless exclusive collaborations and unique events and pop-ups. As Chief Merchandising Officer of KaDeWe GmbH, Simone’s responsibilities include all Marketing activities.
Sungjoo Kim
Chief Visionary Officer & Chairperson
MCM Group, Germany
Sungjoo Kim is regarded as one of the globally leading luxury pioneers. She is respected as a successful female entrepreneur and passionate philanthropist with strong ethics. She received various accolades: representatively, GLT (Global Leader of Tomorrow) by the World Economic Forum at Davos (1997), Forbes Top 50 Asian Business Women (2012), Fortune Asia’s 25 Hottest CEOs (2012). She was honored to become the OBE (Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (2015). With her pursuit of Noblesse Oblige, Sungjoo served as President of Korean Red Cross for three years (2014-2017). She has proactively supported the Global Summit of Women as a key member of the IPC (Int'l Planning Committee) through SUNGJOO Foundation. She studied at Amherst College, London School of Economics and Harvard University; she received Honorary Doctoral Degrees from Amherst College (2000) and University of the Arts London (2017).
Jimin Lee
Founder & Chairwoman
Translatio, China
Jimin Lee’s fashion odyssey commenced in New York City at Saks Fifth Avenue, leading her into the realm of European high-end fashion before she circled back to Asia, joining Joyce in Hong Kong as General Merchandise Manager and Fashion Director. In 2003, Jimin established Translatio in Shanghai, a fashion and lifestyle retail venture specializing in mono-brand retail and multi-label concept development in China, revolutionizing the high-end fashion retail landscape in the region. As a recognized industry expert with an illustrious track record, she was tapped to join the Board of Directors of Acne Studios and served from 2014-2018. Additionally, she forged a collaborative partnership with SKP Beijing, serving as Senior Fashion Director & Advisor.
Gemma Lionello
President
Nordstrom Rack, USA
As President of Nordstrom Rack, Gemma Lionello oversees the strategy and execution of the company’s Nordstrom Rack stores and merchandising. She also helps drive the company’s efforts to provide customers with great brands at great prices and expand the Rack’s reach and convenience with new stores in key markets. Throughout her 35-year tenure with the company, Gemma has held various leadership roles, including multiple regional manager roles for both Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack and nearly a decade successfully leading Nordstrom’s Beauty and Accessories teams as general merchandise manager. Gemma has led several strategic initiatives, including expanding the company’s natural beauty offerings and bringing in new limited distribution brands. She also supported the launch of a new beauty shopping experience at Nordstrom Rack.
Kavindra Mishra
Managing Director & CEO
Shoppers Stop, India
Kavindra Mishra is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in retail, brand management, and business development. Currently serving as Managing Director & CEO at Shoppers Stop, he joined the company in early 2023 as Chief Commercial Officer - External Brands & CEO Home, where he led and revamped the Home Category in the SSL Ecosystem. Prior to his role at Shoppers Stop, Kavindra demonstrated his expertise as the Managing Director & CEO at House of Anita Dongre Limited, where he successfully led the company to achieve significant growth milestones. He also served as the CEO of Pepe Jeans London, where he spearheaded a remarkable turnaround, making it one of the most aspirational denim brands in the country. His extensive experience also includes leadership roles at prestigious brands such as United Colors of Benetton, Tommy Hilfiger, and Nokia India.
Rupert Naylor
Senior Vice President
Mastercard, UK
Rupert Naylor is the Global Business Development and Renewals Lead for Mastercard’s Analytics Platforms. Rupert has had a long career in analytics and insights, having joined Mastercard as part of the acquisition of Applied Predictive Technologies (APT) where he led the EMEA region. Within Mastercard Rupert also spent 4 years in Singapore running Asia Pacific for Mastercard Data & Services. Earlier in his career, Rupert spent many years at Bain & Company, working across Europe, Asia and North America. Prior to that, he spent several years in Japan working in banking for Merrill Lynch and in telecoms. Rupert started his career in the UK Government, including a posting at the Embassy in Tokyo. Rupert was educated at Oxford University and is a Sloan Fellow from London Business School.
Ashley Potter
CEO EMEA, India & LATAM
Ralph Lauren, USA
Ashley Potter is Regional CEO for EMEA, India and LATAM at Ralph Lauren. He is responsible for strategic development, brand elevation and revenue activities across a region that encompasses over 100 countries. Ashley first joined Ralph Lauren in 1990 and spent 14 years in a variety of retail and wholesale roles. He then served as President of Theory Europe and Chief Executive of Charles Tyrwhitt before rejoining Ralph Lauren in 2017 as President of Wholesale and Licensing International, moving to his current role as Regional CEO in 2022.
David Schneider
Co-Founder
Zalando, Germany
David Schneider co-founded Zalando together with Robert Gentz in 2008. Since then, Zalando has grown from a Berlin-based startup to one of Europe's leading online platforms for fashion and lifestyle. David defines and drives the marketing and growth strategy of Zalando’s consumer offerings, bringing together markets, propositions and inspiration to excite customers and brand partners. David holds a diploma in business administration from WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management.
Marc Schumacher
Managing Director
Trendbüro, Germany
Dr. Marc Schumacher is an entrepreneur, networker, columnist, and CEO of the global agency group AVANTGARDE, which has 12 locations worldwide and develops brand, product, and service experiences for clients such as Adidas, Porsche, Fendi, and Deutsche Telekom. As Managing Director of Trendbüro, Germany's leading trend and innovation consultancy, Marc advises brands on future-proof strategies for sustainable success. Marc is a renown keynote speaker and has given inspiring talks for TED X, OMR or Mercedes Benz.
Patrice Wagner
Chairman & CEO
Le Bon Marché Group, France
Patrice Wagner is a seasoned professional in the retail industry. Drawing on his extensive experience in the luxury retail market, he took on the responsibility of overseeing the development of Le Bon Marché Group in 2010. Under his guidance, the department store underwent a significant renovation, expanding its floor area by 4,000m2. Patrice's career highlights include serving as a salesperson and eventually becoming the General Manager of the Breuninger in Karlsruhe, from 1990 to 1998. He also held the position of General Manager at Galeries Lafayette in Berlin from 1998 to 2002, followed by General Manager of KaDeWe, the largest department store in continental Europe, from 2002 to 2006. From 2006 to 2009, he served as the General Manager of the Karstadt Premium division. Patrice holds a BTS in International Business from ESARC in Toulouse, and a diploma from INSEAD. Since 2021, he is also overseeing the travel & accessory luggage brand Rimowa.
Timo Weber
CEO
KaDeWe GmbH, Germany
Since August 1st, 2024, Timo Weber serves as CEO of KaDeWe GmbH. The business incorporates the three luxury department store banners of KaDeWe in Berlin, Oberpollinger in Munich and Alsterhaus in Hamburg. Timo has extensive experience in department store retailing. Prior to the new leadership role, Timo held various key positions as Chief Retail Officer and Retail Director as well as General Manager of KaDeWe and Alsterhaus at KaDeWe GmbH’s predecessor company, The KaDeWe Group GmbH since 2014.