Jessica Alba

Founder The Honest Company

Jessica Alba is a Golden Globe nominated actress, producer, and entrepreneur. She first gained worldwide recognition starring in Dark Angel, created by James Cameron, and has since appeared in more than 25 feature films, including Fantastic Four and Sin City. Most recently, she executive produced and starred in the Netflix thriller Trigger Warning, which debuted at #1 in 67 countries and has been viewed more than 91 million times globally. In 2024, Alba launched Lady Metalmark Entertainment, her production company dedicated to diverse, female-driven, culturally rich storytelling across film and television. Alba is also one of the most recognized entrepreneur-founders of her generation. She founded The Honest Company in 2012 and in 2021 became the youngest Latina to take a company public with its IPO on NASDAQ. She serves on the boards of Yahoo, LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Baby2Baby, and remains a passionate advocate for women, underrepresented communities, and authentic voices across entertainment and business.

Travis Katz

GM & VP, Shopping YouTube

Travis Katz is a seasoned technology executive, entrepreneur, and investor known for scaling global businesses. He joined YouTube as General Manager and Vice President for Shopping in August 2024. At YouTube, he is bringing eCommerce to the platform’s more than 2 billion monthly users, helping brands succeed and creating new monetization avenues for Creators. Previously, Travis was the founding CEO and President of BrightDrop (now part of General Motors) – a software-centric electric vehicle manufacturer focused on decarbonizing last-mile delivery. Travis scaled the business from zero to triple digit millions in revenue, growing the team from 10 to 1600 people across 5 offices. Prior to BrightDrop, Travis served as Vice President, Product for Skyscanner, a $4 billion online travel company, where he led double digit growth across web and mobile platforms. Travis was the Founder and CEO of Trip.com, an online travel company, which he led from inception through a successful exit in 2017. Trip.com was one of the first companies to incorporate AI to drive personalization in travel, reaching more than 60 million travelers, and was named one of the 50 Best Internet Sites by Time Magazine. Before Trip, Travis led the global expansion for MySpace. During his tenure, Travis launched the MySpace businesses in 30 countries and scaled revenue from zero to nearly $100 million. He also formed joint ventures with Softbank in Japan, and pioneered a new model for western companies to enter China. Travis was a co-founder of Fox Interactive Media, News Corp’s digital arm, where he led strategy, and served high tech clients at McKinsey & Company and served as Entrepreneur in Residence at Redpoint Ventures. Travis holds a BSc from Stanford University, an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, and is an advisor and investor in the technology space.

Max Magni

Chief Customer & Digital Officer Macy's Inc.

Max Magni is chief customer and digital officer of Macy’s, Inc. appointed in August 2023.

In this role, Max guides the strategic long-term vision and growth of Macy’s, Inc.’s digital business, aligned on customer-centric strategies that leverage data and analytics to enhance the consumer journey across touchpoints.

These include the company’s e-commerce sites, mobile apps, marketplace, loyalty, and gift registry programs – all focused on presenting great products and differentiated experiences that provide customers with more choice, discovery and inspiration.

At the center of the customer journey, this team enables seamless, personalized, convenient engagement across the digital platforms of Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s and in-store with mobile app enhancements that make shopping more relevant and interactive.

With extensive experience working across a host of iconic brands in apparel, beauty, consumer goods, hospitality, and grocery; Max brings best-in-class e-commerce/digital transformation practices to Macy’s, Inc.

A more than 20-year veteran of McKinsey & Company, Inc., he was most recently a senior partner co-leading McKinsey’s NeXT Commerce and the global leader of the Consumer Growth Practices helping clients develop customer-centric and data-driven initiatives to drive profitable and sustainable growth.

Max has a B.S. in International Economics from Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Barbie Cameron

Chief Stores Officer Macy's Inc.

Barbie Cameron was appointed Macy’s Chief Stores Officer in February 2025.

In this role, Cameron leads the store operations across the Macy’s nameplate, from flagships to small format stores. She is responsible for overseeing in-store experience, staffing and call center operations. Cameron spearheads initiatives to modernize Macy’s, to improve the shopping environment and elevate the customer and colleague experience.

Cameron most recently served as the senior vice president and regional director of stores, East Region and was interim chief stores officer since August 2024. She began her career at Macy’s in 1987 as a sales manager, quickly advancing to store manager and continued to take on more responsibility within the stores organization. Cameron has also held numerous leadership positions across Macy’s, including roles in merchandising execution and buying.

Cameron holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virigina.

Nicola Mendelsohn

Head of Global Business Group Meta

Nicola Mendelsohn is the Head of Global Business Group at Meta, where she leads the company’s relationships with top marketers and agencies. In this role, she also oversees our business engineering, marketing science and creative shop orgs. Nicola previously served as Vice President for Europe, Middle East and Africa for Meta, a role she held from 2013 to 2023. During that time, Nicola spearheaded the growth of EMEA into a multibillion dollar business and led Meta’s expansion into countries like Israel, Norway, Austria and Denmark. She currently sits on the Mayor of London’s Business Advisory Board, and is co-president of the charity Norwood. In 2019, Nicola founded and launched the Follicular Lymphoma Foundation, a charity focused solely on raising funds to help the thousands of people living with Follicular Lymphoma to live well and get well. Prior to joining Meta, Nicola worked in advertising for 20 years at BBH, Grey and Karmarama. Her previous roles include: first female President of the IPA, trustee of The White Ribbon Alliance, chairman of Women’s Aid Development Board, and president of the WACL. She was also a director of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, member of the UK government’s Digital Economy Council and co-chair of the UK Government’s Creative Industries Council. Previously, she served as a director of Cosmetic Executive Women and The Fragrance Foundation in the UK. In 2015, she was awarded a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the creative industries in the UK. Her greatest joy in life comes from her husband Jon and her four children Gabi, Danny, Sam and Zac.

Angie Brown

EVP & Chief Information Officer The Home Depot

Angie Brown is executive vice president (EVP) and chief information officer (CIO) of The Home Depot. In this role, she is responsible for all aspects of the company’s technology strategy, software development, cybersecurity and infrastructure for The Home Depot’s more than 2,300 retail stores, supply chain facilities, store support centers and online systems.

Prior to being named EVP and CIO, Angie served as senior vice president of information technology. She and her team were responsible for developing solutions for merchandising, online, customer, marketing, pro and supply chain functions.

Angie started her career at The Home Depot as an associate systems engineer in 1998 and has held roles of increasing responsibility since then within the technology organization. Angie was honored as the 2022 Woman of the Year in Technology by Women in Technology (WIT).

Angie holds a BBA in Management Information Systems and Services from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business and has completed Harvard Business School’s Authentic Leadership Development Program and Carnegie Mellon Heinz College’s CIO Program. She serves as a board member for Junior Achievement of Georgia.

Hillary Super

CEO Victoria's Secret & Co.

Hillary Super is a dynamic and transformative retail leader with over three decades of experience driving growth and innovation across renowned fashion brands. As CEO and board member of Victoria’s Secret & Co., she combines her deep industry and merchant expertise, creative insight, and operational discipline to drive the company’s transformation and execute long-term strategic initiatives. With a keen understanding of consumer preferences, particularly in the intimates category, Hillary excels at spotting trends and driving brand resonance. She has a talent for assembling high-performing teams and amplifying their ideas into bold, high-impact outcomes. Before joining VS&Co, she served as CEO and board member of Savage X Fenty, where she showcased her ability to understand and cater to consumer needs while staying ahead of market trends. Prior to that, Hillary was the Global CEO of Anthropologie Group, where she successfully led the turnaround of the women’s apparel and accessories business, positioning the brand as a global lifestyle leader across fashion, beauty, and home. Earlier in her career, Hillary held key merchandising and operational leadership roles at Gap, Old Navy, American Eagle Outfitters, and Guess?. Through these roles, she earned a reputation as a visionary leader, trusted for her expertise in women’s retail, brand evolution, and her ability to forge strong connections with customers.

Niraj Shah

CEO & Co-Chair Wayfair

Niraj Shah is the CEO and Co-Chairman of Wayfair. Niraj co-founded Wayfair with Steve Conine in 2002 and the pair rapidly grew the business to become the largest online retailer of home furnishings, housewares and home improvement goods in the U.S., generating $11.9 billion in net revenue for full year 2024. Wayfair has extensive operations in North America and Europe and employs approximately 12,000 people. Wayfair's family of brands include Wayfair, Joss & Main, AllModern, Birch Lane, Perigold, and Wayfair Professional. Before founding Wayfair, Niraj served as CEO and co-founder of Simplify Mobile, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Greylock Partners, COO and a member of the board of iXL, and the CEO and co-founder of Spinners, which was sold to iXL in 1998. Niraj has been included in Fortune Magazine's 40 Under 40, and has won the Ernst and Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award. Niraj is on the board of the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, the Cornell Tech Council, the MIT Presidential CEO Advisory Board, and the MGH President’s Council. He is a former board member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Niraj holds a B.S. in engineering from Cornell University.

Adam Constantine

Founder & CEO ACE Creatives

Adam Constantine is the Founder and CEO of ACE Creatives, a full-service social media agency crafting digital content to maximize ROI and brand affinity. With a decade of experience, Adam has curated captivating content for creators, brands, and Fortune 500 companies, including MrBeast, Amazon, and Champion. Since founding ACE Creatives in 2017, Adam has created digital strategies, social media, and full-scale productions across the retail/e-commerce, hospitality, and automotive industries. A 3x Telly Awards recipient, with a 6’8″ frame and an ever-growing shoe collection, Adam is passionate about the art of digital storytelling and strategies for building a powerful social media presence that connects brands with audiences that matter the most.

Bruce Richards

Head of Industry Strategy and Marketing Retail & Consumer Goods Adobe

Bruce Richards joined Adobe in 2018 and today leads Global Industry Strategy for Consumer Goods with a bold, future-forward vision. With more than 25 years of executive experience across Retail and Consumer Goods, Bruce is a driving force behind Adobe’s industry direction—helping brands innovate, adapt, and win in an environment where consumer expectations evolve by the minute.

A specialist in customer experience, digital transformation, and modern marketing, Bruce partners closely with Adobe’s clients to design standout strategies and build the solution ecosystems that bring them to life. His career spans leadership roles in marketing, consulting, and customer advisory, where he led client services teams supporting some of the world’s most iconic brands, including Macy’s, Estée Lauder, Bloomingdale’s, Beiersdorf, CVS/pharmacy, and Hanesbrands.

Morgan Kuntze

Global Partnerships Lead, Cash App, Afterpay, and Square Block

Morgan Kuntze is Global Partnerships Lead at Block, where she advances partnerships across Cash App, Afterpay, and Square. She works with leading financial institutions, platforms, industry players, and technology partners to expand the reach of Block’s partner ecosystem and accelerate innovation across commerce. Morgan brings more than 15 years of experience building and scaling strategic partnerships at some of the world’s largest technology companies. Before joining Block, Morgan led product partnerships for YouTube Shopping and held multiple leadership roles at Google, including heading financial institution partnerships and global distribution partnerships for Google Pay, as well as strategic partnerships for Google Shopping. Her work focuses on shaping ecosystems that successfully enable businesses, partners, and platforms to scale together, while expanding how the world’s leading technology reaches users worldwide.

Chad Lusk

Partner & Managing Director Alvarez & Marsal Consumer & Retail Group

Chad Lusk is a Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal, Consumer and Retail Group, where he specializes in large-scale transformations across consumer-facing industries, with a focus on growth strategy, commercial excellence, marketing, innovation and operationalizing stand-out customer experience. In his role, Chad brings together nearly 20-years of top-tier consulting and senior executive operator experience, with a track record of accelerating revenue and earnings growth. Following his tenure at McKinsey & Company, he held multiple Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Marketing Officer positions across CPG companies and retail, including Ferrara Candy, Hostess Brands, and Mid-Atlantic Convenience Stores. Whether in client boardrooms or on podcasts and conference stages, Chad brings organizations a unique perspective on consumer behavior that translates into action.

Ashley Schapiro

VP, Marketing, Media, Performance & Engagement American Eagle

Ashley Schapiro is a Global Marketing executive and Vice President of Marketing at American Eagle, where she leads all media, performance, measurement, digital innovation, collaborations, social, talent, video, influencers, and PR. Under her leadership AE marketing has positioned itself as a profit center prioritizing measurement and data fueled decision making. Balancing commercial rigor with an industry-leading partnership strategy, spearheading high-profile collaborations with Sydney Sweeney, Travis Kelce, Coco Gauff, Trevor Lawrence, and The Summer I Turned Pretty cast. Ashley’s ability to bring brands to life while blending purpose with pop culture ensures AE remains a brand that actively shapes the conversation of a generation. Ashley resides in New York with her husband, two children and dog Biggie Smalls.

Baz Saidieh

Managing Partner, Ibex Antler

Baz is a Global Partner at Antler, a venture capital firm that is the world’s most active early-stage investor. He is particularly focused on building impactful innovation models to drive corporate-startup relationships.

Over the past 25 years, Baz has had first-hand experiences with innovation from the perspective of startups, consultants, VCs, and blue-chip corporations. He has been an active investor, advisor, CEO, or founding member of over 40 startups and brings expertise from several industries including retail, consumer goods, technology and healthcare.

Baz was previously the Global Managing Director of Unilever’s innovation business unit, The Foundry. He has served as CEO and Partner of a London-based retail/ consumer venture capital fund, was the founder of Accenture’s Global Medical Technology Practice and the EMEA Lead, and was a founding member of a Life Sciences IoT startup that scaled across Europe and the US.

Whilst recently taking time away to bring up his young family, Baz went on to co-found a startup investment club (The Table Partnership) and serves as a special advisor to a leading family office (Wharton Asset Management).

Ben Harms

Chief Growth Officer Archrival

Ben is a marketing expert known for helping global brands turn actionable insights into strategy and creative that moves the needle. As Chief Growth Officer at Archrival, Ben drives the agency’s overall growth, culture, and vision. He also oversees strategic business partnerships for agency clients, including adidas, Spotify, Google, Netflix, Disney, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Red Bull. Known for his dynamic storytelling, presentations, and workshops, Ben inspires marketing leaders and executives to reimagine their brands’ futures to resonate with the next generation of consumers. Over the last 20 years, he has been a featured keynote speaker for some of the world’s largest brands and has been quoted in leading publications including Vogue Business, AdWeek and AdAge, among others.

Keri McGhee

Chief Marketing Officer Attentive

Keri McGhee is the Chief Marketing Officer at Attentive, the omnichannel marketing platform for 1:1 personalization redefining how brands and people connect at scale. As CMO, Keri leads strategic global marketing to elevate the Attentive brand and drive growth across every stage of the customer journey. She oversees product marketing, revenue marketing, brand and content strategy, events, and partner marketing, ensuring Attentive’s story connects deeply with marketers around the world. With a focus on creativity, innovation, and measurable impact, Keri champions marketing that blends data-driven insights with storytelling to inspire and empower brands to build more personal, lasting customer relationships.

Max Sinclair

Founder & CEO Azoma

Max Sinclair is the founder of www.azoma.ai. Azoma’s mission is to help brands dominate the era of Agentic Commerce & AI Driven Discoverability Azoma has received the backing of eBay Ventures and other top-tier VCs, and is the trusted partner of the likes of Mars, Colgate, Zappos, and others.

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 the BBC & Vogue Business.

Bala Parameshwaran

Partner Bain & Company

Bala Parameshwaran is a leader in Bain’s Technology, Data and retail practices. He serves at the intersection of business strategy and technology execution and helps global clients deliver large-scale transformation and modernization programs. His work navigates complex technology ecosystems—combining product-centric delivery, Agile ways of working, and data platform orchestration—to drive measurable business value and operational excellence. Bala also engages with emerging AI and agentic systems to advance how organizations scale intelligent automation and data-driven decisioning across the enterprise. Prior to Bain, he held senior technology leadership roles and began his career in systems analysis and consulting. He holds an MBA from the Isenberg School of Management and a B.E. in Electronics and Communications.

Rajan Balasundaram

CEO Bayezon AI

Raj Balasundaram is the Founder and CEO of Bayezon AI, the world’s first Agentic Commerce Platform, designed to automate the entire online shopping journey—from discovery and decision-making to checkout and post-purchase support. Raj brings more than a decade of hands-on experience building AI systems that operate at enterprise scale. He has delivered AI platforms for global commerce and CX leaders including Emarsys and Verint, where his work focused on real-time personalization, decision intelligence, and AI-driven customer engagement across high-traffic retail environments. In addition to his industry work, Raj has been invited to speak at TED Talks and executive forums on the practical application of AI in commerce, with a reputation for cutting through hype and focusing on what actually works in production. At Bayezon AI, Raj is solving a critical gap in modern retail: shoppers increasingly arrive from ChatGPT and AI-powered search with clear intent, yet still encounter static PLPs, filters, and rule-based chatbots. Bayezon replaces this with autonomous shopping agents that dynamically generate personalized PLPs and PDPs, guide discovery, and execute cart and checkout actions using a retailer’s live catalog and business logic. Today, Bayezon AI is live with international retailers across fashion, beauty, and specialty retail, delivering conversion rates exceeding 18% and material gains in average order value. Raj regularly speaks on agentic commerce, AI-native retail architectures, and deploying AI at scale in revenue-critical environments.

Andy Lopez

SVP & Head of Global Marketing Behr Paint Company

Andy Lopez serves is the Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing at Behr Paint Company, where he leads a dynamic and creative team driving all facets of the organization’s marketing efforts. The Brand Marketing department includes brand and product advertising, digital innovation, social media, graphic design, retail experience, public relations, market research and corporate communications.

Since joining Behr Paint Company in 2017, Andy has been instrumental in driving remarkable growth and innovation, solidifying Behr’s reputation as the Most Trusted Paint Brand in the industry. Under his leadership, the brand has reached new heights through groundbreaking advertising campaigns, expansion into emerging media channels, and first-to-market digital innovation with the launch of ChatHUE™ in partnership with Google. Behr was also honored as The Home Depot’s Marketing Innovation Partner of the Year, further cementing its leadership in the category.

Andy was recently featured as a 2024 honoree on the AdAge 40 under 40 list which recognizes top marketers leading change across the industry.

Amanda Cole

Chief Marketing Officer Bloomreach

Amanda Cole serves as Chief Marketing Officer of Bloomreach, leading the execution of the company’s marketing strategy to drive further business demand and brand awareness. Amanda is a passionate marketing professional with more than 15 years of experience in helping SaaS companies build impactful brands, communicate differentiated value, and grow high-performing marketing teams. She previously served as the company’s senior vice president of global marketing, having joined in January 2021 through the acquisition of Exponea. Prior to joining Exponea, Amanda served as Vice President of Demand Generation at Blueshift, a Customer Data Platform, and previously held the position of Vice President of Marketing, Americas and Global Programs at Basware, a financial software company. Amanda also serves on the MACH Alliance Executive Board, helping the Alliance to remain true to its vision, mission, and values by providing strategic direction.

Katia Unlu

Chief Commercial Officer Boll & Branch

Katia Unlu is the Chief Commercial Officer at Boll & Branch, where she oversees the brand’s commercial strategy across marketing, ecommerce, retail, wholesale, and customer experience. She is responsible for driving growth, deepening customer relationships, and ensuring a cohesive omnichannel approach as the company continues to scale. Prior to Boll & Branch, Katia held senior commercial and marketing leadership roles at high-growth consumer brand, Birchbox, where she led teams through periods of rapid scale, channel expansion, and brand evolution. She began her career in planning at Macy’s.com, building a strong foundation in omni-channel retail and consumer insights. Known for building brands at the intersection of data, creativity, and customer understanding, Katia brings a sharp commercial instinct and a deeply collaborative leadership style. She is passionate about building high-performing teams and shaping how modern consumers discover, experience, and stay loyal to premium brands.

Lauren Wiener

Managing Director & Senior Partner Boston Consulting Group

Lauren Wiener is a Managing Director & Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group and the global leader for Marketing and Customer Growth. She works across industries with Fortune 100 companies to drive self-funded growth by transforming marketing functions using AI, data, and new operating models.

Her work focuses on large-scale, agentic marketing transformations that embed AI across end-to-end workflows, from insight generation through execution. These transformations have delivered 3x faster execution, 3x increases in content output, and productivity improvements of 30% across consumer, media, and technology businesses.

At BCG, Lauren also founded and launched the firm’s retail media and data monetization business, an example of her work building new growth platforms at the intersection of marketing, data, and technology.

Prior to BCG, Lauren was CEO of Tremor Video DSP and spent over 15 years building and scaling digital businesses. She has successfully exited multiple companies, including the sale of Tremor Video to Taptica International.

Lauren holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Yale University.

Billy May

CEO Brooklinen

Billy May is a fourth-generation retail leader with more than 30 years of experience across apparel, footwear, home, and luxury categories. Recognized for modernizing iconic brands through digital innovation, he has led consumer-centric transformations that reshape how people shop.

As Chief Executive Officer of Brooklinen, the leading direct-to-consumer brand reimaging home essentials, Billy guided the company through a founder transition while positioning it for profitable growth. He rebuilt Brooklinen’s leadership team, diversified its supply chain, and launched a multi-year strategy centered on product design, brand storytelling, and reimagined experiences.

Earlier in his career, Billy served as CEO of Sur La Table and held executive roles at adidas, Abercrombie & Fitch, J.Crew, and URBN. He began his career as a buyer in May Company’s Executive Leadership Program.

Billy earned his BA with honors and distinction from the University of Virginia and a MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. He lives in Westchester, New York with his wife and two children.

Salman Habib

Co-Founder & CEO Burq

Salman Habib is the Co-founder & CEO of Burq, a last-mile logistics platform building scalable delivery infrastructure for some of the largest and fastest-growing companies. Under his leadership, Burq now processes over $500M worth of items annually and was recognized by Fast Company as one of the Best Workplaces for Innovators in 2025. Salman was also named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, listed among Boston’s top tech influencers by BostInno, and recognized as Cambridge’s most inspiring founder by Boston Voyager.

Before founding Burq, Salman served as CEO of Hellofriend, where he led the company’s growth and expansion. His experience extends beyond startups—he previously worked at the United Nations and the U.S. Senate, applying his expertise in policy, global strategy, and operational execution. He also conducted research at Harvard Kennedy School, focusing on nuclear policy and international affairs.

Salman is passionate about technology, entrepreneurship, and shaping the future of business. He is a graduate of Harvard University.

Mark Ruston

VP, Global Retail Lead Capgemini

Mark Ruston is Capgemini Group’s Global Retail Lead, with a career spanning more than 22 years in consulting and transformation leadership. He brings deep expertise in supply chain strategy and execution, helping retailers close the gap between vision and delivery and positioning operations as a true differentiator in the consumer experience.

Mark has a proven track record of guiding large Tier 1 retail and CPG organizations through complex, digitally and AI enabled business transformations—unlocking channel growth, adapting to rapid market change, and delivering measurable outcomes at scale. His ability to bridge business strategy with technology execution has established him as a trusted advisor.

He has partnered with clients across the UK, USA, Australia, Canada, LATAM, the Netherlands, and Germany. Passionate about the transformative potential of AI, Mark champions its use not only to drive superior business outcomes from human-AI chemistry but also to create positive societal impact, from reducing operational inefficiencies to minimizing food and packaging waste.

Jan Arendtsz

Founder & CEO Celigo

Jan Arendtsz is the Founder and CEO of Celigo. Jan started Celigo with the goal of simplifying how companies integrate, automate, and optimize business processes across the enterprise. Now, Celigo enables the commerce operations of thousands of leading B2C and DTC brands including Olipop, SKIMS, and Therabody.

A veteran of the software industry, Jan has more than 25 years of experience in product development, business development, sales, customer success, and marketing. Prior to Celigo, Jan was a Director at NetSuite, the leading cloud-based ERP platform, where he was responsible for their integration strategy. Jan has also worked for Cambridge Technology Partners, where he implemented complex business solutions for customers ranging from internet startups to Fortune 500 companies. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin and now resides in the Bay Area.

Joe Maglio

CEO Cheil Agency Network

In 2025 Joe became CEO of the new Cheil Agency Network, while retaining his role as CEO of McKinney and Barbarian. The Cheil Agency Network includes McKinney, Iris, Barbarian, Attention Arc and CYLNDR Studios.

Joe Maglio was named CEO of McKinney in October 2018 — just the fifth CEO in McKinney’s 56-year history. Since then, the agency has grown to a record size by welcoming new client partners including Little Caesars and Popeyes, expanding into new cities and launching new verticals, such as health & wellness and influencer marketing. During his tenure, McKinney has been named both an A-List Standout Agency and a Best-Place-to-Work by Ad Age, a finalist for Agency-of-the-Year by Adweek and named a Media-Team-of-the-Year by Campaign, in addition to winning countless creative awards.

Previously, Joe held senior roles at Publicis and Havas, which included leading a portfolio of each respective agency's largest clients. Joe is active in the advertising industry and was elected to the 4A’s National Board as a Director-At-Large, and joined the Ad Council Board of Directors in October 2025. His other interests include film production, angel investing, and charitable work — he served as president of the Board of Directors for the 501(c)(3) organization, Safety Saints, and currently acts as a board advisor.

Gabrielle Fonrouge

Retail Reporter CNBC

Gabrielle Fonrouge is an award-winning journalist covering the retail beat for CNBC across its digital and broadcast platforms. She covers specialty retailers, DTC brands and emerging companies with a focus on investigative and enterprise stories.

Fonrouge’s work often focuses on the intersection of retail, politics and finance and she enjoys diving deep into the strategies that are causing companies to both win and lose customers. She’s reported on a wide array of popular consumer companies, including stories about the rise of Shein, Peloton’s turnaround and Bed Bath & Beyond’s bankruptcy.

Prior to joining CNBC, Fonrouge was a national correspondent and investigative reporter at the New York Post where she reported from Germany, Puerto Rico, the southern border of Mexico and just about every pocket of the U.S. Her work has changed laws and garnered a series of awards.

Fonrouge graduated summa cum laude from St. John’s University with a degree in mass communications and a minor in social justice.

Jennifer Yue

SVP, Tapestry & Coach Strategy & Consumer Insights, Coach Collaborations and Coachtopia Coach

Jennifer (Jen) Yue currently holds the role of SVP, Tapestry & Coach Strategy & Consumer Insights, Coach Collaborations and Coachtopia. Jen has been an influential leader since she joined Coach in 2014, having held roles across many areas of the business, including Global Merchandising, Strategy, Licensing, and launching Amazon. She has been instrumental in identifying and better understanding our target consumer, the Timeless Gen Z, evolving our Expressive Luxury strategy, and helping to build strong external partnerships with our licensed partners and Amazon. Prior to joining Coach, Jen held positions across merchandising and strategy at Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, Chanel, and Gap after starting her career in investment banking. Jen is known for inspiring teams with her clear vision, driving significant outcomes, and being a strong voice of our consumer.

Matt Nichols

General Partner Commerce Ventures

Matt has been an investor in and operator of early-stage technology companies for more than 20 years. He leads the firm’s commerce infrastructure/retail technology investment team and is a member of the management committee. He serves on the boards of several portfolio companies, including Kevel and Pensa.

Prior to Commerce Ventures, Matt was the CEO of Gemvara, a disruptive jewelry eCommerce business that was sold to Berkshire Hathaway. Matt also worked as a venture capitalist at Highland Capital Partners and Morgan Stanley Venture Partners where his investments included Bullhorn (Acq’d by Vista Equity Partners), Pixable (Acq’d by SingTel), Avamar (Acq’d by EMC), Tarari (Acq’d by LSI), and Perceptive Software (Acq’d by Lexmark). Matt was a member of Morgan Stanley‘s Technology Corporate Finance team where he was part of the Google IPO team and also spent time in Google’s corporate development group.

Matt studied Economics at Pomona College and earned an MBA with high distinction from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Mike Jacobs

Chief Growth Officer Consortium Brands

Mike Jacobs is a global growth and brand leader who has helped acquire 100M+ customers worldwide and deployed billions in high-ROI media investment across iconic brands including Etsy, Netflix, Yahoo!, Viacom, Verizon, AT&T, Pepsi, Chase, Luxottica, and Jonathan Adler.

He is Chief Growth Officer & Operating Partner at Consortium Brand Partners, where he leads growth across a portfolio that includes Jonathan Adler, Draper James, Outdoor Voices, and California Pizza Kitchen.

Previously, Mike was VP of Growth at Etsy, where he scaled global acquisition and launched Creator Collective, an award-winning influencer initiative, along with Offsite Ads, a multibillion-dollar channel. At Upside, a $3B marketplace backed by Bessemer and General Catalyst, he served as CMO & President of Consumer, owning the full P&L while driving profitable expansion.

Mike has launched products from concept to millions of users, built global marketing engines, and advised leadership teams at Google, Meta, McKinsey, Bessemer, General Catalyst, and leading PE and VC funds. His work has earned multiple industry honors, including Ad Age Marketers of the Year, Influencer Campaign of the Year, Graphis, Hatch, and Performance Marketing Awards.

Mike, his wife Rena, their daughter Molly, their double doodle Lucy, and a collection of way too many guitars split time between New York Cityâ€™s Upper West Side and the Hudson Valley. Fun fact: Mike spent several years as a professional musician.

Gloria Canales

Chief Digital Officer Coppel

Gloria Canales is the Chief Digital Officer of Grupo Coppel, one of the largest privately held retail and financial services companies in Latin America, with operations across Mexico and Argentina. She leads the company’s end-to-end digital transformation, including e-commerce, omnichannel experience, data, digital marketing, and advanced analytics initiatives that serve millions of customers across physical and digital channels.

Prior to joining Coppel, Gloria spent eight years at Amazon, where she held several senior commercial and marketing leadership roles, most recently serving as Marketing and Prime Director for Amazon Mexico, helping scale Prime adoption and customer growth in one of Amazon’s fastest-growing markets.

Gloria holds a BA in Economics and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She also serves as an independent board member and angel investor, supporting innovation and entrepreneurship across the region. She has been recognized by CNN Expansión as one of the Most Powerful Women in Mexico.

Deborah Weinswig

Founder & CEO Coresight Research

Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder of Coresight Research Inc., leads the Coresight Research team to provide actionable insights and solutions for retailers and brands that accelerate innovation and growth in the fast-changing retail and technology landscape.

Deborah has been a trusted thought leader at the crossroads of technology, finance, and retail for nearly two decades. As a leading analyst and strategist, Deborah also has deep expertise in AI, Metaverse, China, livestreaming, retail media, supply chain, commercial real estate, and data monetization. In 2023, Deborah conceptualized and launched the first AI Council for the retail industry. This invitation-only organization has proven invaluable in helping brands, retailers, and technology companies navigate business in the artificial intelligence age. 

Deborah is also a best-selling author, a keynote speaker, and a board member of several prominent retail and technology companies as well as several charitable organizations. A member of the prestigious LinkedIn Top Voices program, Deborah is recognized as one of the top retail influencers in the world and has received multiple awards and honors for her industry leadership and impact.

Lauren Price

SVP of Marketing COS

Lauren Price is SVP of Marketing & Communications for COS in North America, a global fashion brand based in London. She is responsible for the overall omnichannel marketing strategy and execution in North America, including brand and performance marketing, influencer, PR & Communications, and CRM.

Prior to joining COS, Lauren was a part of J.Crew Group where she served as VP of Ecommerce for J.Crew, owning the ecommerce P&L and loyalty program, and earlier as VP of Marketing Strategy for J.Crew, J.Crew Factory, and Madewell where she led marketing planning and measurement, customer insights and analytics. Lauren has over 15 years of experience in marketing and ecommerce. Prior to working on the brand side, Lauren was a trusted consultant and strategist for leading global fashion and luxury brands. She has served as Sector Lead for Retail & Luxury as L2, Inc., VP of Research & Advisory for Retail at Gartner, built the Brand & Retailer Growth team at Lyst, and was a strategist in the Retail Practice at Demandware, now Salesforce Commerce Cloud.

Lauren is a graduate of Vassar College.

Carly Gomez

Chief Marketing Officer Crocs

Carly Fusaro Gomez joined Crocs in August of 2025 as SVP, Chief Marketing Officer. Reporting directly to the Chief Brand Officer, Carly drives continued brand growth through a forward-thinking, digitally led, social-first marketing strategy. With nearly 20 years of omnichannel marketing experience, Carly brings a reputation for leveraging emerging trends and technologies to captivate markets and drive business expansion.

A graduate of Virginia Tech, Carly spent most of her career in Los Angeles with Vans, a VF company, where she left as VP of Marketing, Brand Management, DTC and Social Media for Global and the Americas. She then joined Fabletics, where she served as Chief Marketing Officer. Drawn to Crocs by the culture it displays internally and with consumers, she is excited to share the passion for the brand and win together.

She enjoys challenges, such as launching Channel 66 at Vans during the height of the pandemic, creating a full digital radio station that would broadcast live from a closed store in downtown Los Angeles. Bringing people together in times of uncertainty and highlighting artists and creative voices, Carly thrives when projects can truly connect with the audience, an incredible fit for Crocs.

Growing up the oldest of three sisters in the D.C. area, Carly went on to spend 25 years in Los Angeles. She now enjoys staying active and discovering new restaurants in the Denver area with her husband Joe. In her time outside of work she supports her sister-in-law's nonprofit, Building Futures and Friends (BFF), which provides programs for children and adults with special needs.

Ryan Den Rooijen

Managing Director, AI & Monetization Currys

Ryan is the Managing Director of AI & Monetisation at Currys plc. His role focuses on two key areas: determining how AI will change how we help everyone enjoy amazing technology, and identifying new revenue streams and partnership opportunities. Ryan’s blend of commercial and technology leadership experience gives him a unique perspective on how to create enterprise value. A University of Oxford graduate, Ryan began his career at Google, after which he held chief strategy, ecommerce, and data officer roles in private equity, luxury retail, and consumer technology respectively—consistently delivering double digit incremental growth. An advocate for children’s welfare, he sits on the board of the NSPCC

Hannah Roshetko Raser

AVP, Retail Strategy & Transformation CVS Health

Hannah Roshetko Raser is the AVP of Front Store Strategy & Transformation at CVS Health where she is responsible for front store strategy, customer growth, loyalty programs, loyalty experience, loyalty operations, and customer analytics and insights. Hannah’s leadership enables a holistic strategy that encompasses consumer growth and trends and their connection to our loyalty programs.

Hannah has a track record of transformative leadership, innovation, and collaboration. Over the past 8 years, she led growth for our Retail business by improving omnichannel convenience, loyalty, and personalized customer experiences. Within CVS Health, she has won awards for Innovation and work in Diversity and Inclusion. Before joining CVS Health, Hannah consulted across retail, luxury, and consumer goods and lead growth initiates in publishing.

Hannah earned an MBA from the University of Michigan and a BS from Miami University. She lives outside Boston with her husband, Andrew, and their two children.

Melissa Gallo

Executive Director, Head of Client Success, CVS Media Exchange CVS Health

As Executive Director, Head of Client Success for CVS Media Exchange (CMX), CVS Pharmacy’s retail media network, Melissa is responsible for overseeing and leading all CMX functions related to Account Management, Insights and Strategy, Media Planning, Ad Technology Operations, and Media Performance and Activation.

Melissa is an industry veteran with over 20+ plus years in in Media, Product, and Operations. Most recently Melissa was the SVP, Global Exchange Operations for Yieldmo. Prior to Yieldmo, Melissa ran Revenue Operations for Walmart Connect. In her role, she led the US and India-based team responsible for ad campaign performance and optimization, technical operations, API partner and self-serve Advertiser Support, Ads Trafficking, Billing, and Ads Policy. Before Walmart, she worked at Index Exchange and IAB Tech Lab. At IAB she was responsible for the Modernizing Measurement Taskforce, IAB Tech Lab Content Taxonomy, Header Tag Working Group, OpenRTB and OpenDirect protocols.

Melissa is a cum laude graduate from SUNY New Paltz with a BA in International Relations. Melissa is a mother of two and she and her family are currently based in the greater Philadelphia area.

Amanda Rosen Bailey

Chief Client Officer VML

Amanda is Chief Client Officer and NA Commerce Lead at VML

A bold change agent, fearless and heartful, Amanda partners with some of the most iconic brands in North America to build integrated commerce experiences that connect brand to shelf to drive conversion. Her conviction is simple: commerce is the multiplier of growth.
Versed across a multitude of channels — from the inner workings of retail media networks, marketplaces, and commerce platforms to shopper psychology, agentic commerce, brand building and AI-mediated discovery — Amanda has spent 15+ years at the intersection of where brands are built and where purchases are won.

Whether it's engineering growth on Amazon, Walmart, or TikTok, activating across retail media networks, or preparing brands for the age of AI agents, Amanda brings rare fluency across the full North American brand and commerce ecosystem. As the industry shifts toward algorithm-driven shopping, she's focused on one question: how do brands win hearts, minds — and machines?

She's built a career delivering the kind of commerce growth that moves markets — not just wins awards. The 100+ industry honors across 500+ diverse brands, including 16 Cannes Lions and 30 Effies, demonstrates Amanda's ability to balance creativity and performance to drive real business outcomes.

When she's not accelerating commerce growth, Amanda's passion is in nurturing the next generation of talent to be ready for the future. As founder of the Values Project, her work extends to development through a personal brand immersion that has helped 1,000+ young leaders find their purpose and enter the world with confidence.

Elina Vilk

President & Chief Business Officer David's Bridal

Elina Vilk serves as the President and Chief Business Officer of David’s Bridal. Elina is a forward-thinking business leader who joined the David’s team in 2024 (previously of Hootsuite, Meta, PayPal, and Visa). Elina oversees company growth and innovation, including leading its strategic initiatives, including the acquisition of Love Stories TV in December 2024 and the newly launched tech and media platform, Pearl Media Network. Elina oversees company growth and innovation across marketing, digital, e-commerce, partnerships, sales and more.

Elina is tasked with expanding Pearl’s vendor services and creating a media network and marketplace to help businesses grow. Elina comes to David’s from Hootsuite, where she was CMO. She brings more than two decades of experience leading high-functioning talent. As a trailblazer in marketing and sales strategy for the world’s foremost brands, and as a digital innovator at the forefront of technology, she firmly believes in the power of customer centricity as the driver to every organization.

Prior to joining Hootsuite, Elina led marketing at WooCommerce, where her team focused on democratizing opportunities for small businesses, developers, and creators worldwide. She previously led Small Business Marketing at Meta, where her team enabled small businesses to build their online presence and meaningful customer connections on Facebook’s family of apps, including Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Messenger. Elina also led Global Marketing for the Large Enterprise team at PayPal and led consumer and digital advertising at Visa, including the award-winning “More People Go With Visa” campaign.

Lisa Horton

Chief Communications & Creative Officer David's Bridal

Lisa Horton is Chief Communications and Creative Officer at David’s Bridal, where she leads brand strategy, owned marketing, social media, PR & communications, and creative direction. She is responsible for shaping the company’s voice and vision, driving innovation, and connecting with modern consumers through storytelling, culture, and brand experience. In this role, Lisa oversees all communications and creative output to ensure alignment with business objectives, protect and grow brand reputation, and deliver meaningful engagement across Gen Z and Millennial audiences.

With more than 15 years of experience, Lisa is recognized for her ability to build brands, guide companies through transformative milestones, and tie communications directly to business results. At David’s Bridal, she has led efforts around an acquisition, the launch of a retail media network, C-suite transitions, and high-profile designer collaborations, including Marchesa and Vera Wang.

Lisa previously served as President of ASTRSK PR, where she spent nearly a decade overseeing PR for clients ranging from early-stage startups to unicorns and publicly traded companies across consumer tech, fintech, proptech, health tech, entertainment/media, retail, e-commerce, and lifestyle industries. She developed and executed creative, business-driven communications strategies spanning media relations, thought leadership, crisis comms, brand positioning, event activations, influencer and celebrity partnerships, and more for disruptive brands like Prime Video, Lemonade (IPO), Match Group, Misfits Market, and Industrious. An award-winning expert in crisis comms, investor relations, IPO/SPAC processes, and high-impact brand activations, she has orchestrated major efforts for Amazon Prime Video, A24, and more.

Throughout her career, Lisa has handled communications for 1000+ funding rounds, multiple IPOs and SPACs, acquisitions, and 300+ company and product launches. She has cultivated deep media relationships, securing coverage in outlets including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Fast Company, TechCrunch, WIRED, Glamour, GQ, Bustle, Refinery29, and CNN.

An award-winning leader, Lisa is also experienced in employee engagement, culture-building, and leadership development. Today, she continues to serve as a strategic brand guardian, ensuring communications and creative direction fuel growth, resilience, and cultural relevance.

Rajat Shroff

VP, Head of Product & Design DoorDash

Rajat Shroff is the Vice President, Head of Product & Design at DoorDash, where he oversees the product design, product management and product operations teams, and sits on the company’s executive Management Team. He is responsible for leading the product development efforts to make DoorDash a daily utility for consumers, a trusted partner for merchants, and a flexible source of reliable income for Dashers. Rajat is passionate about building products at the intersection of commerce, experiences, and data, and has built both advertiser-facing and retailer products responsible for driving large amounts of customer engagement and value. Prior to joining DoorDash, Rajat was the Vice President and Head of Product at Groupon. Before Groupon, Rajat was Vice President and Head of Product and Design at Valassis—acquired for $2 billion—where he was responsible for building products that helped local merchants and consumer brands identify and drive shoppers to stores. Prior to that, Rajat has held leadership roles in product development at multiple startups, including Buysight, a self-service eCommerce advertising system that was acquired by AOL to power their performance ad initiatives, and Rhythm NewMedia, a leader in mobile video advertising that was acquired by Blinkx. Early in his career, Rajat was a leader of the engineering team at Oracle building the Application Server product. Rajat holds a BS in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin.

Ekta Chopra

Chief Digital Officer e.l.f Beauty

Bringing over 25+ years of technology experience from private equity and retail companies, Ekta joined e.l.f. Beauty in January 2016 as the Chief Digital Officer. She spearheads the digital transformation at e.l.f. Beauty covers eCommerce, engineering, data ecosystems, enterprise applications, security, Metaverse Web 3 technologies, and, notably, the development of AI-driven products. Ekta's leadership has been instrumental in expanding e.l.f. Beauty's digital presence worldwide. Her journey to e.l.f. began at the James Irvine Foundation, where she crafted and executed a successful technology strategy for their investment portfolio, focusing on enterprise applications, cloud transformation, and initiating partnerships with leading Silicon Valley brands. Before joining e.l.f. Beauty, Ekta was the Vice President of Technology at Charming Charlie, where she played a critical role in expanding the retailer from 17 to 120 stores across the nation.

Ekta holds a Bachelor of Arts in Technology & Operations Management and a minor in Finance from California Polytechnic State University. Her commitment extends beyond her professional endeavors; she is passionate about volunteering for non-profits to enhance their technological capabilities and is recognized as a thought leader in Silicon Valley's CIO/CTO groups. A regular speaker at industry-leading events like SXSW, CES, SHOPTALK, and NRF, Ekta shares her insights on technology, AI, retail, and the future of commerce. In 2022, she was honored for her contributions to STEM by Journal of Diversity, and in May 2023, Rolling Stone magazine featured her as one of "The 20 Marketing Leaders Shaping the Creator Economy," highlighting her expertise in leveraging AI and digital strategies to revolutionize commerce and marketing. She has also been recognized as a "Leader to Watch" and she received the prestigious #CommerceXcellence Award.

Kelly Shah-McDonnell

VP of Global Digital Commerce e.l.f. Beauty

With two decades of digital expertise, Kelly is a digitally native leader who has been driving transformation at the intersection of CPG, technology, and commerce since the early days of social selling.

Kelly spent a decade at The Estée Lauder Companies, where she led breakthrough digital strategies for iconic brands like Bobbi Brown and La Mer. She pioneered several industry-first initiatives, including Bobbi Brown’s Lip Color revival program on Facebook, which was recognized by The New York Times as a standout in early social commerce, and La Mer’s shoppable Pinterest collaboration—among the first of its kind to blend content and commerce at scale.

Today, Kelly serves as the vice president of digital commerce at e.l.f. Beauty, where she oversees the end-to-end digital ecosystem for a powerhouse portfolio that includes e.l.f. Cosmetics, e.l.f. SKIN, Well People and Keys Soulcare. Her work continues to set the pace for what’s next in beauty, with a focus on innovation, accessibility, and brand-building through data-driven experiences.

Jeremey Tahari

CEO & Creative Director Elie Tahari

Jeremey Tahari is CEO & Creative Director of Elie Tahari and Managing Partner of Tahari Capital. In early 2020, he took on the challenge of restructuring his family’s enterprises, including his father’s eponymous fashion label Elie Tahari, into a multi-industry private-equity firm. Under his leadership, this emergent investment firm, Tahari Capital, explores diverse market opportunities, and is focused on necessary core asset classes for their long-term stability. Tahari is known for his ambitious undertakings, clear strategic thinking, driven management style, and relentless attention to detail, born of his roots in the fashion world where every stitch counts. Jeremey’s principal role at Tahari Capital is that of the chief executive officer of the fashion conglomerate Elie Tahari – which grosses over $1B annually – where he not only leads strategic decisions but also leads the creative direction of the brand. Separately, Jeremey founded and manages the firm’s $300M real estate portfolio, actively acquiring international properties across all asset classes. Founded in 2022, Tahari Realty is a full-service real estate brokerage that has facilitated over $250M+ in transactional volume. The brokerage offers capital advisory, residential sales and leasing, investment sales, and commercial leasing. In addition, Jeremey manages the day-to-day operations of Tahari Logistics, a third-party logistics firm that manages more than 50 international luxury brands and fulfills over 10 million units annually. Tahari was born and raised in New York City, later moving to the United Kingdom to finish his high school education and A levels at Clifton College, and then returning to his hometown to attend New York University, completing a degree in Ethical Real Estate Development.

Sky Canaves

Principal Analyst, Retail & Ecommerce EMARKETER

Sky Canaves is a principal analyst at EMARKETER covering retail and ecommerce. Her areas of expertise include digital transformation and innovation across the fashion, beauty, and luxury industries, social commerce, loyalty, marketplaces, and the global rise of Chinese ecommerce players. Sky frequently shares her perspectives with major media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Bloomberg, Reuters, and CNBC, and she is regular guest on EMARKETER's Reimagining Retail podcast. Prior to joining EMARKETER, Sky spent more than a decade as a business journalist, editor, and content director covering trends in the Chinese market. She holds a JD from Stanford Law School and a Masters in Journalism from the University of Hong Kong.

Evan Smith

Co-Founder & CEO Ethosphere

Evan Smith is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ethosphere, a voice-AI solution providing personalized coaching to retail associates, insights to store managers and visibility to brands.

Before launching Ethosphere, Evan was with Starbucks for seven years. Evan began as a leader on the corporate strategy team, where he began the Starbucks delivery business and moved to serve as delivery’s first General Manager. From delivery, he moved to the technology team, where he spent 3.5 years as Vice President for Technology Strategy.

Prior to Starbucks, Evan worked for a pair of e-comm startups in San Francisco and New York, respectively. He joined these companies after time as an Engagement Manager with McKinsey and Company.

Before moving into retail, Evan began his career in education. He was first a high school social studies teacher in the New Orleans Public Schools, before serving a variety of operational roles with the D.C. Public Schools

Evan holds a B.A. in Urban Studies and American History from the University of Pennsylvania, an MPhil from Cambridge University (U.K.) and an M.B.A. from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. Most critically, he plays bass guitar in Seattle’s premier dad rock cover band, Good Lettuce and the Hallpasses.

Rafe Colburn

Chief Product & Technology Officer Etsy

Rafe Colburn is the Chief Product and Technology Officer at Etsy. Previously, Rafe served as Chief Product and Technology and Officer at Depop, where he was responsible for driving the vision for Depop's end-to-end user experience while building a high performing product organization. Previous to Depop, Rafe served as Vice President of Engineering at Etsy, and was responsible for Etsy's Ads, Fulfilment, Seller Experience, Marketing Technology, and Landing Experience teams. During his tenure, he established Etsy's Data Engineering team, and was responsible for Payments and Checkout, Compliance, International, Member Services, and Trust & Safety engineering. Earlier in his career, Rafe was the Principal Engineer at IDology and worked as a consultant at a number of firms building custom applications. He has authored numerous articles, papers, and books on Web development.

Rohan Shah

Co-Founder & CRO Extend

Rohan Shah is the Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer at Extend, where he has helped build the company from the ground up into a category-defining platform powering services programs for top-tier brands including Peloton, LoveShackFancy, Mattress Firm, HeyDude/Crocs, Oura, Ashley Furniture, and iRobot. Since launching in 2019, Extend has raised over $320M in venture funding and reached a $1.6B valuation, creating new revenue streams for merchants and enhancing the post-purchase experience for consumers. Prior to Extend, Rohan was Founder & CEO of WITHIN, a venture-backed startup, and spent four years at BCG Digital Ventures, where he led product innovation initiatives and launched new businesses in partnership with Fortune 500 companies. A Stanford alum and Forbes “30 Under 30” honoree, Rohan has long been immersed in the tech and venture capital ecosystems, with a sharp eye for identifying where legacy industries fall short in meeting modern consumer expectations. In addition to founding multiple companies, Rohan is an active investor in several industry-leading startups and serves as an LP in institutional VC and PE firms through his fund, Shah Capital Partners. Rohan serves on the board of a film & movie investment group Camelback Productions and also the American India Foundation. Originally from San Francisco and now based in Los Angeles, he continues to focus on building, investing, and philanthropy at the intersection of product, strategy, and innovation.

John Dubois

Partner, Global Retail AI Co-Lead EY

John Dubois serves as the EY Americas AI Strategy Leader and the EY Global Retail AI Co-lead. In these roles, he supports clients’ move toward consumer centricity by providing strategic guidance and outside-the-box thinking around the applicability of the ever-growing voice of consumer with the goal of creating value across all the channels that make up the brand experience. Prior to joining EY, John had been in the startup world for 25 years. Most recently, he had founded an award-winning SaaS platform that invented AI techniques to generate consumer demand insights for agencies, consultancies, consumer packaged goods and retailers to help them solve consumer-facing sales, merchandizing, marketing and innovation challenges. Before that venture, John founded several software services firms where he built large, custom, e-commerce, analytics, IoT and mobile solutions for many Fortune 500 companies. John has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.

Rebecca Maffei

Chief Information Officer Fashionphile

Rebecca Maffei is the Chief Information Officer of FASHIONPHILE, where she leads the company’s technology and data science. She also serves on the Philanthropy Council for Neighborhood Health. As a results-driven, dynamic leader, Rebecca is known as a true change agent who turns vision into action. With a strategic mindset, she leads with clarity, purpose and momentum. Rebecca has successfully led large scale technology and data warehouse implementations. She is passionate about building out AI governance models and using AI to drive efficiencies across retail and healthcare industries. Prior to joining FASHIONPHILE, Rebecca served as Chief Information Officer at Petco as well as served on the Board of Palomar Health Medical Group. Earlier in her career, she held senior technology leadership roles at Guitar Center, Reebok and Accenture. Rebecca holds a Master’s Degree from Boston College and has earned the Digital Leadership and Leading an AI-Powered Future certificates from The Wharton School.

Jennifer Shawgo

Senior Director, Technology Strategy & Programs FMI

Jennifer Shawgo is Senior Director, Technology Strategy & Programs at FMI, The Food Industry Association. She leads FMI’s technology practice, advancing responsible digital transformation across the food retail sector. Her work brings together retailers, wholesalers, suppliers, and solution providers through programs, partnerships, and member engagement that connect technology strategy to operational outcomes and better shopper experiences.

Jennifer brings over two decades of cross-sector experience spanning grocery distribution, high-growth grocery technology startups, and association leadership. She translates complex shifts in artificial intelligence, digital commerce, and retail media into actionable strategies and toolkits leaders can use. She also brings a change management lens to modernization efforts, helping organizations align stakeholders, evolve ways of working, and drive adoption so technology investments deliver lasting impact.

Jennifer holds a B.S. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from the University of San Francisco and completed executive education in change leadership and executive leadership through Cornell University.

Sven Gerjets

EVP & Chief Technology Officer GAP Inc.

Sven Gerjets is the Chief Technology Officer of Gap Inc., where he leads the company’s AI-driven transformation across technology, data science, and digital platforms.

With more than 30 years of technology leadership across seven Fortune 500 companies, Sven has built a distinguished career driving large-scale strategic and cultural change. He is known for building highly inclusive, high-performing teams and for applying continuous improvement and strategic insight to complex global organizations.

Prior to joining Gap Inc., Sven served as Chief Technology Officer at Mattel, where he modernized the company’s direct-to-consumer technology stack and launched multiple award-winning connected products and digital experiences, including Hot Wheels iD, Fisher-Price Smart Connect, and Mattel Creations. Earlier in his career, he held senior technology leadership roles at AT&T Wireless, Time Warner, DIRECTV, Pearson, and Symantec.

Sven holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and completed the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.

Mansi Jain

Chief Operating Officer Glance

Mansi Jain is the Chief Operating Officer of Glance and leads Glance AI, the intelligent shopping agent. Glance AI is transforming the way the world will shop in the future using AI and represents India’s biggest foray into AI-driven commerce.

A founding member of Glance, Mansi has been with InMobi for more than 13 years and has been at the forefront of building and scaling some of the company’s most transformative businesses.

She led the acquisition of Roposo in 2019, evolving it into a leading destination for live entertainment and shopping, and later spearheaded the acquisition of Shop101, a full-stack e-commerce platform that laid the foundations for Glance AI’s commerce capabilities.

Prior to her current role, Mansi played a pivotal role in InMobi’s transition from an advertising network to an integrated marketing platform, helping shape the company’s evolution into a global deep-tech leader.

Today, Glance AI is redefining commerce by using AI to create a fundamentally new way to shop, with Mansi playing a central role in building a platform designed for scale and global impact.

An IIT Delhi alumna and former Bain & Company consultant, Mansi is widely recognized as a thought leader in the commerce and AI-led shopping space and is committed to mentoring the next generation of women leaders.

Christie Sclater

SVP Global Marketing, Clinique

With 15+ years of experience in global marketing, strategy, innovation, and communications, Christie Sclater drives value for the world’s leading brands. A dynamic and purpose-driven executive, Christie employs her robust skillset to both set vision and implement strategy. In her current role as Senior Vice President of Global Marketing at Clinique Christie is responsible for translating the brand’s 55+ year equity in dermatologist guided solutions that are allergy tested and 100% fragrance free into breakthrough product concepts and campaigns.

Previously, Christie was Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the Estée Lauder Companies working to build and drive strategies across a variety of luxury and prestige beauty brands including La Mer, Bobbi Brown, TOM FORD BEAUTY, Balmain Beauty, MAC, Origins, AVEDA, Bumble and bumble, Dr.Jart+, and Clinique. She also served as Chief of Staff for the Executive Group President. Before moving into beauty at the Estée Lauder Companies, Christie worked at Apple leading a senior-level strategy and innovation team to spearhead new initiatives for Apple’s Retail group.

Prior to earning her Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Christie received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgetown University. She is an active alumna of both institutions, a Fellow with The HOW Institute for Society, and a supporter of early- stage start-ups and entrepreneurs.

Christie and her husband live in New York with their two children

Neil Saunders

Managing Director GlobalData

Neil is Managing Director of GlobalData’s retail division – a practice that was born out of the retail analyst firm Conlumino he founded in 2011, which was subsequently acquired by GlobalData. In his role he oversees the development of the company’s proposition and its research output. He also works with major retail clients worldwide to help them understand the retail, shopper, and market landscapes – advising them on how best to develop, evolve and implement business strategies. Prior to his current role, Neil worked for the John Lewis Partnership where he was involved, among other things, in the planning and relocation of new stores, the development of the ecommerce business, and the creation of technical and information systems. Neil lives in Scottsdale, Arizona and in Maui, Hawai’i.

Emily Lewis

GM of Retail Glossier

Emily Lewis is the GM of Retail at Glossier, where she leads the retail team and strategy behind Glossier’s award-winning global experiential retail stores. As the architect behind Glossier's post-pandemic retail relaunch, she spearheaded the opening of Glossier’s permanent locations in the US and UK and over a dozen pop-up experiences. She has a passion for leading teams at the intersection of hospitality and technology to deliver innovative customer experiences which create deep connectivity with brands. Previously, she served as Director of Customer Revenue & Retail Strategy at Bonobos and held leadership roles at Target, where she worked in both the US and Canada and led projects focused on delivering the next generation of retail experiences. With over 15 years of retail leadership experience spanning beauty, apparel, and mass retail, she specializes in omnichannel strategy, retail operations optimization, and profitable retail expansion. She holds a BBA in Marketing and Finance from Texas A&M University.

Andrew Hotz

Director, Consumer Brands, Government & Entertainment Google

Andrew is a tech & media executive currently serving as Director at Google leading the programmatic media business for the Brand Sector (Auto, CPG, Government, Entertainment, Consumer Electronics). His work at Google focuses on helping marketers realize added savings through programmatic media buying, integrating Google’s AI to drive greater performance and helping marketers bridge Brand and Performance marketing efforts (including Commerce & Retail Media). Prior to Google, Andrew served as the EVP of Worldwide Digital Marketing and Chief Data Strategist for Warner Bros, leading a team overseeing digital marketing, media, influencers and data & analytics on films like Ready Player One, Crazy Rich Asians, Aquaman, Joker, The Batman, and Elvis. While at Warner Bros, he helped lead WB's business through the pandemic, including connecting WB's theatrical business with the streaming business and launch of HBO Max. He’s a passionate people leader, mentor & coach, and is the Exec Sponsor of Google's LGBTQ+ organization. Andrew is an education advocate, having served as a volunteer teacher (Citizen Schools), student mentor (SPARK) and currently serves on his local School Board.

Simeon Siegel

Senior Managing Director & Consumer Equity Research Analyst Guggenheim Securities

Simeon Siegel is a Senior Managing Director and award-winning Senior Analyst specializing in Retail and E-commerce. Simeon began his career at Goldman Sachs, progressed to the #1 ranked Retail franchise at JPMorgan, and, in 2025, was tapped by Guggenheim Securities to expand their consumer coverage.

Dubbed "one of the more intellectual students of retail on Wall Street" by WWD and "top retail analyst" by CNBC, Simeon has received the "Voice of Retail" award by The Lead, has been named a Top 50 Retail Voice by the National Retail Federation (NRF), a Top Retail Expert by RETHINK Retail, a Top 100 Retail Tech Influencer by RTIH, a Top Retail Influencer by RETHINK Retail, a Top Stock Picker by StarMine, a Rising Star of Wall Street by Institutional Investor, a Rising Star of Equity Research by Business Insider, and a Top Earnings Estimator by Thomson Reuters and Refinitiv. He has worked on the Institutional Investor #1 ranked All America Research Team for Specialty Retail and the Wall Street Journal's "Best on the Street" list of top analysts.

Simeon is in constant dialogue with investors and C-Level Management across the industry, analyzing and advising on the ever-evolving retail landscape. He has guest lectured at Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School, NYU Stern School of Business and McGill University and has been featured in a Harvard Business School case study.

Simeon is a regular guest on CNBC and is frequently quoted across the media including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Women's Wear Daily, The Business of Fashion, Barron's, Bloomberg and others.

Simeon received a BA from Columbia University, majoring in Economics and Philosophy, and is a CFA® charterholder. He serves on the UJA Entertainment, Tech & Lifestyle Board and is Vice Chair of the UJA Retail, Fashion & Lifestyle Division. He previously served on the Boards of Read Ahead and the Hebrew Free Loan Society.

Hitha Herzog

Founder & Chief Research Officer H Squared Research

Hitha Herzog (formerly Prabhakar) lives in a world where fashion, retail, finance, investigative journalism and data research all co-exist in perfect harmony—a.k.a., New York City. She is the Chief Research Officer at H Squared Research, a data visualization insights firm focusing on the crossroads of retail, consumer spending and technology. She is fellow at DC think tank Data Catalyst Institute focusing on small business retailers. She is also consumer spending columnist at Vogue India and author of the book "Black Market Billions: How Organized Retail Crime Funds Terrorists" published by FT Press. Hitha uses her expertise in the retail space to advise start-ups in Silicon Valley with Parsons School of Design’s incubator XRC Labs and as part time faculty teaching a class on technology and innovation. When she is not expanding her business and advising early-stage companies, she is raising awareness about the criminal activity linked to the black market and counterfeit products. She created a companion app to the book available in iTunes to help people identify and spot counterfeit merchandise sold on the black market. She has had numerous television appearances as a national retail and consumer spending expert for ABC News, Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, The Today Show and MSNBC. She was a contributor and co-host on Fox Business’ “Making Money with Charles Payne” and has been a correspondent and contributor at Bloomberg TV and CNBC. Forbes magazine recently named her as “one of the most influential South Asian women in the United States.”

Ed LaBay

EVP, Merchandise, Marketing, Licensing, Product Development & Design Hot Topic

Ed La Bay is a pop culture & hockey fan boy, Mage Class, music lover and the EVP Merchandise, Marketing, Licensing, Product Development & Design for Hot Topic, Inc., the leading omnichannel platform for music, entertainment and pop culture merchandise. Nationally recognized for his trend-spotting abilities, Ed has built his 25+ year career upon a simple mantra: “To understand the fans, you need to be a fan yourself.“ He is, and it’s worked. Ed and his team have brought exclusive programs like Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbor Totoro and BTS to U.S. Retail - thanks to their absolute obsession with observing all things pop culture. At the same time, Ed has been integral in developing partnerships with global entertainment leaders like Disney, Warner Bros., and Netflix to build full scale merchandising and retail marketing programs for key content releases. Since joining Hot Topic in 2007 as the Buyer for Men’s Licensed Apparel, Ed has been instrumental in growing Hot Topic’s prominent position in licensing. Ed has served on the Board of Directors for Licensing International.

Collin Colburn

VP, Commerce & Retail Media IAB

Collin Colburn serves as Vice President, Commerce & Retail Media at IAB where he leads the Commerce Center of Excellence. In this role, he drives innovation, education, and standards across the commerce ecosystem to help brands, retailers, and technology partners deliver better media opportunities, customer experiences, and business outcomes.

Prior to IAB, Collin led Growth and Go-To-Market Strategy at Horizon Commerce and spent over a decade at Forrester, where he pioneered the firm’s performance marketing and retail media practice. He partnered with B2B and B2C CMOs to advance their marketing strategies, while also expanding Forrester’s Fortune 500 client portfolio.

Collin’s insights have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Digiday, and MediaPost. A popular industry speaker, Collin has keynoted global industry events in addition to being a quarterly guest on Bloomberg TV.

A native of Fairfield, CT, Collin holds a B.A. in Economics from The Catholic University of America. Outside of work, he enjoys time with his wife, Karen, and their two sons, Landon and Nathan.

Leslie Hall

Founder & CEO Iced Media

Leslie Ann Hall is the CEO and Founder of Iced Media, the beauty-focused digital agency known for helping build, scale, and exit some of the world’s most beloved brands. Under her leadership, Iced Media has become a category leader at the intersection of social content, creators, paid media, and commerce, while pioneering how brands stay visible and shoppable in the era of AI-driven search and discovery.

For more than two decades, leading beauty, wellness, and lifestyle brands including L’Oréal, Moroccanoil, Covergirl, Neutrogena, Saie, and Topicals have relied on Leslie and Iced Media to compete and win in increasingly saturated markets.

Iced Media is a Meta Business Partner, Snapchat Agency Partner, and TikTok Marketing Partner, and in 2023 became one of the first badged TikTok Shop Partners in the United States. This first-mover approach has positioned Leslie as a sought-after voice on the future of social shopping, creator-led commerce, and agentic discovery.

A trained public speaker, Leslie regularly contributes to leading industry stages and outlets including Shoptalk, CEW, Women’s Wear Daily, and The Business of Fashion. Through Iced Media, she also supports organizations aligned with her values, serving as a CEW Small Business Advisor and an Andreessen Horowitz TxO mentor.

Leslie is a mom of two boys, a devoted beauty junkie, audiobook reader, jogger, and yogi.

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 Chairperson of the Board 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.

Vic Drabicky

Founder & CEO January Digital

Vic Drabicky is a devoted father, husband, and successful entrepreneur, serving as the CEO of January Digital and January Consulting. He founded January Digital in 2012 with a mission to improve the lives of his people, his clients, and the world around him. Over the past decade, he and his team have helped lead some of the world’s largest brands including J.Crew, Tory Burch, Steve Madden, and Shiseido Cosmetics.

Victor is a member of Google’s Agency Leadership Council and has served on the National Retail Federation’s Digital Council for the past four years, where he frequently presents key findings, trends, predictions, and solutions to both the Digital and CMO Councils. He is also an expert source for publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Insider.

Inspired by his upbringing and Jesuit education, Victor is deeply committed to philanthropy, leading his company in numerous charitable initiatives totaling more than $300,000 in donations and nearly 10,000 volunteer hours. Beyond work, he mentors at TCU's Neeley School of Business, coaches his children's soccer and baseball teams, and enjoys outdoor adventures, cooking, and sharing music discoveries.

Ken Pilot

Founder & CEO Ken Pilot Ventures

Ken Pilot is a veteran retail executive, strategic advisor, and podcast host who's redefined how legacy brands, startups, and tech platforms grow in today's fast-shifting retail landscape. Over a 30+ year career spanning influential roles at Gap, J.Crew, Ralph Lauren, and American Eagle, Ken became known for his ability to scale global retail operations while nurturing culture, creativity, and innovation.
His operational leadership, particularly during Gap's historic rise under Mickey Drexler, cemented his reputation as a transformative merchant and mentor. Later, he led various DTC and multichannel initiatives across fashion and lifestyle brands, building teams that balanced brand storytelling with sharp business execution.
In 2015, Ken launched Ken Pilot Ventures, blending his retail expertise with a growing portfolio of early-stage investments and strategic advisory work. His firm backs cutting-edge retail tech platforms including Ometria, Firework, Cimulate, Radar, Raspberry.ai, Taggstar, Toolio, Lily AI, Curated For You, Fermat, Psykhe.ai, Kahoona and Glass-Media, focused on everything from livestream shopping and AI-powered analytics to next-gen RFID and inventory solutions. These investments reflect his passion for future-defining technologies that enhance customer experience and operational efficiency.
Kens advisory acumen remains in high demand. Among his most recent and notable engagements, he advised Steve Madden, the global footwear powerhouse, on store transformation efforts, live shopping, and omnichannel integration. He also played a hands-on role with Knot Standard, the AI-powered custom menswear brand, where he Â As both an investor and advisor, Ken champions personalization and tech-backed experience in modern menswear.
In 2023, Ken launched The Retail Pilot: Leaders & Legends, a podcast spotlighting the most influential voices in retail and consumer leadership. It s quickly become a go-to listen for founders, executives, and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Kamanasish Kundu

SVP, Head of Digital and Ecommerce Kendra Scott

Kamanasish Kundu, known as “KK,” is a visionary and results-driven digital leader with nearly two decades of experience driving transformation across retail, fashion, and consumer sectors. He puts customers, people, and products at the center of his strategies.

KK currently serves as the SVP, Head of Digital & Ecommerce at Kendra Scott, where he launched a 3-year strategy that has delivered 50% growth in just two years. He oversees all aspects of the e-Commerce business including P&L, analytics, personalization, long term digital roadmap and offering a best in class connected omnichannel experience. Kendra Scott is a lifestyle jewelry brand rooted in Family, Fashion, and Philanthropy, known for its bold design and vibrant spirit.

Previously, he launched Pandora's US e-commerce business in 2015, served on the executive team, and grew it to $350M by 2022, achieving a 45% CAGR.

He brings deep expertise in Salesforce Commerce Cloud, AI, personalization, advanced analytics, customer experience, digital marketing, omnichannel, marketplace, payments, and next generation E-Commerce solutions. Throughout his career, he has partnered with top-tier consulting firms including McKinsey, BCG, and Bain to drive strategies focused on growth, efficiency, and innovation.

KK serves on the Advisory Boards of Shoptalk and Insider and participates in industry leadership councils including the NRF CIO Council, Forbes Business Council, and Retail AI Council contributing to the future direction of digital retail.

Alex Richardson

Chief Technology Officer KHAITE

Alex Richardson is CTO at KHAITE since 2023. Founded in 2016 by creative director Catherine Holstein and based in New York, KHAITE evolves with each season, building upon a foundation of robust yet polished items distinguished by exceptional materials, exquisite craftsmanship, and subtle yet striking details. Alex leads tech initiatives across new store openings, infrastructure, retail POS, digital platforms, ERP, AI and Data Security. Collaborating with the CEO and leadership, he ensures technology operates subtly in the background, making the KHAITE luxury experience feel more bespoke and effortless, rather than overtly technical and distracting from our epic products. He is relentlessly focused on being a results-driven player/coach with experience transforming global retail and luxury brands through tech and digital innovation, rapid ROI and strong cost controls. After working at Tory Burch and Ralph Lauren, Richardson received an Ivy League education in how to build a global team and coach/mentor the next generation of retail managers and leaders. Alex was founder of retail software firm NETKEY- Acquired by NCR Corporation and has an MBA from Yale University.

Janie Yu

Partner LFX Venture Partners

Janie Yu is a general partner at LFX Venture Partners, a venture capital fund that focuses on investing in innovative technologies and disruptive business models in global supply chain, logistics and commerce. A seasoned investor with 15+ years of experience investing in global value chains, Janie and her team leverage their domain knowledge and an extensive network of global value chain partners to make educated investments and help make them winners in their markets.

LFX Venture Partners’ mission is to help build more efficient, resilient and sustainable global value chains through investing in and partnering with entrepreneurs who are committed to solving these big problems. Guided by our mission, our investment theses are centered around AI applications, sustainability, data infrastructure, workflow automation and optimization in global value chains. Our current portfolio companies include Worldly, UniUni, Invent.ai, Cimulate, Pipe17, Fleetworks, Shippeo, GoFreight, and Flamingo. Past investments include Celect, Centric, Narvar, Olapic, GTNexus, ecVision, to name a few.

Prior to becoming an investor, Janie was with Burt’s Bees, focusing on driving international growth, where she gained the appreciation and foundational knowledgeable on how technology could truly drive business growth and the greater good. Before starting her business career, she was a journalist for BBC and PRI’s “The World”, reporting in China.

Janie is a regular speaker at industry conferences and events, such as Shoptalk, Manifest, Global Fashion Summit, Plug and Play Retail Summit. She also enjoys lecturing at The Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania. Janie serves on the Innovation Advisory Council for the National Retail Federation and is an advisor for the New York Fashion Tech Lab. She is an inaugural member of the Retail Influencer Network and DealMakhers.

Janie obtained her M.A. degree from Harvard University, where she received the prestigious Fung Fellowship, sponsored by the Victor and William Fung Foundation. Janie grew up in China and received her B.A. in journalism from Communications University of China, graduating with first-class honor.

Amanda Bailey

VP Customer Marketing & Loyalty Lowe's

As vice president, customer marketing and loyalty, Amanda Bailey spearheads the strategy and execution of the company's loyalty programs. Amanda is responsible for advancing a best-in-class loyalty ecosystem, utilizing customer data and insights to deliver personalized marketing and elevate members' omnichannel experiences. Under Amanda’s leadership, Lowe’s became the first national home improvement retailer to offer tailored loyalty programs for both homeowner and pro customers. She also leads the company’s audience-led go-to-market strategy and activation focused on acquiring, engaging and retaining target customers. Amanda joined Lowe’s in 2022.

Amanda has over 15 years of experience in marketing. Before joining Lowe’s, Amanda served as vice president, customer relationship marketing and loyalty at Tory Burch. She previously held several leadership roles at Hilton, where she served as vice president of global customer strategy and engagement, as well as senior director of Hilton Honors loyalty marketing.

Amanda earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Maryland. She is a founding member of Chief, a private membership network dedicated to empowering senior women leaders in their professional journeys. She was recognized by HBS Dealer as on of the Top Women in Hardware and Building Supply in 2025 and named a Lowe’s officer of excellence in 2023.

Joe Cano

SVP, Digital Commerce Lowe's

As senior vice president, digital commerce, Joseph Cano is responsible for the digital and ecommerce strategy, sales and P&L, as well as managing relationships internally and externally for Lowes.com. He partners across the enterprise to deliver a best-in-class digital shopping experience by anticipating the needs and expectations of omnichannel consumers in the home improvement space. He joined Lowe’s in 2025.

Joe, who has more than 20 years of technology and retail experience, comes to Lowe’s from Zappos, where he was the chief marketing, merchant and growth officer. Prior to that, he managed P&L, product management, site merchandising, planning and buying as general manager, digital, for Jet.com and Walmart.com. His deep retail ecommerce experience also includes leadership roles at Saks.com and Saks Off 5th.

Joe received a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Brigham Young University and attended Harvard Business School’s The Leadership Consortium. In 2023, he received the Pioneer of Change Award from Runway of Dreams for his contributions to advancing inclusion in fashion, and in 2024 he was spotlighted as a CMO of the Week by Brand Innovators. Joe volunteers with LGBTQIA+ youth who are entering the workforce and mentors four candidates each year to further their careers.

Lei Duran

SVP, Marketing Lowes Foods

Lei Duran is a seasoned retail executive with more than 20 years of experience leading marketing, merchandising, and media strategy across some of the world’s most recognized retailers. As Senior Vice President of Marketing at Lowes Foods, she leads an exceptional team responsible for marketing strategy, loyalty, media, operations, and go-to-market activation—bringing together brand storytelling, performance, and community connection to fuel growth across the Alex Lee portfolio.

Prior to joining Lowes Foods, Lei served as Vice President of Retail Media and Media Strategy at Lowe’s Home Improvement, where she modernized the company’s media approach and relaunched the Lowe’s Retail Media Network, scaling it into a key growth engine. Her leadership—and the talented teams she built—were instrumental in evolving the brand’s go-to-market strategy, aligning merchandising, marketing, and digital experience to deliver record-breaking results.

Earlier in her career, Lei held senior roles at Walmart, Kantar, and WPP’s Geometry, where she led multibillion-dollar P&Ls as a merchant, developed shopper insights and omnichannel activations, and guided high-performing teams in creating award-winning campaigns for global brands including Unilever, Coca-Cola, and Purina.

Known for blending human insight, data-driven strategy, and commercial acumen, Lei brings both heart and rigor to her leadership. She believes the most powerful brands—and teams—don’t just sell products; they build belonging through meaningful experiences that spark connection and joy.

Patrick Buchanan

SVP, Marketing Lulus

Patrick Buchanan is the SVP of Brand Marketing at Lulus, where he leads strategy and storytelling to grow one of the leading women’s fashion brands. Over the course of his career, he’s built and scaled marketing at startups, challenger brands, and heritage companies—driving results for businesses from $50M to $500M in revenue.

Patrick has built teams from the ground up, set strategy across brand, digital, influencer, and creative, and delivered results. He’s a metrics-driven marketer who thrives at the intersection of art and science—pairing creativity with data to maximize growth and P&L opportunities.

Passionate about purpose-driven brands, Patrick believes marketing is about more than awareness—it’s about creating real connection, building community, and inspiring people to see themselves in the story a brand tells.

Brent Murri

Partner M13

Brent Murri is a Partner at M13 where he leads early-stage investments in software and AI applications. His sector focus includes commerce, media and vertical AI. Brent joined M13 from Battery Ventures, where he focused on investing in growth-stage software companies and executing add-on investment strategies for Battery’s portfolio companies. Before Battery, Brent worked in strategy & corporate development for Samsung NEXT, where he partnered with the mobile business unit to execute strategies around Samsung’s consumer software and services initiatives. Brent began his career as an investment-banking analyst with Lazard Freres & Co., working on M&A transactions in the firm’s Technology group. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a BS in Business Strategy. Brent’s M13 investments include: Kontext, Chord, Pietra, Rebuy, Passport, Anything AI, Doorvest, Interviewing.io, Capsule, Podz and Anycart.

Amy Andrews

President Mars United Commerce

As President of Mars United Commerce, Amy Andrews leads the commerce marketing company’s strategy and operations in North America. Amy has spent her 20-year marketing career focused on understanding how shoppers shop and creating engaging commerce experiences on both the agency and client side, including leading the Shopper Marketing & Insights team at Ubisoft Entertainment.

In her nearly 15 years of tenure at Mars United Commerce, she has co-founded an in-house strategic consultancy, launched the first international office in London, and opened the company’s first Seattle office to service Mars’ clients’ growing Amazon business. Most recently, she served as Chief Business Strategy Officer, overseeing activity for all North American brand clients, including Mars Inc., Anheuser-Busch and The Campbell’s Company. Amy became President when Mars United Commerce was acquired by The Publicis Groupe in 2024.

A leader at the agency and across the industry, Amy serves on a core peer group at Chief, a private membership network dedicated to connecting and supporting women executives. In 2022, she was recognized as a Woman of Excellence in Path to Purchase Institute’s annual competition. She holds a BS from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and two young boys.

Andrew Lipsman

Independent Analyst & Consultant Media, Ads + Commerce

Andrew Lipsman is an independent analyst and consultant at Media, Ads + Commerce. His industry coverage specializes in retail media—which he is known for anointing as “digital advertising’s third big wave”—and other areas of the digital media, advertising, and commerce ecosystem. He is also a founding advisor and strategist at retail media consultancy, Colosseum Strategy.

Previously, Andrew was a VP & Principal Analyst at eMarketer, where he covered retail & ecommerce and led the retail media practice. Before that, he was SVP of Marketing & Insights at comScore overseeing the company’s global marketing insights and thought leadership initiatives.

He has published more than a half dozen articles in the Journal of Advertising Research and is frequently quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Financial Times, Advertising Age, and Advertising Week.

Holden Bale

Global Chief Strategy Officer Merkle

Holden Bale leads strategy for Merkle, dentsu’s global transformation consultancy.

He has partnered with businesses including Ulta Beauty, McDonald’s, Arrow Electronics, Enterprise Mobility, Spotify, Nordstrom, Starbucks, Bain Capital, Target, and Nestle on some of their most ambitious initiatives – from new business models and digital business transformation to innovation in experience, CRM and loyalty, and commerce.

Prior to Merkle, Holden directed the omnichannel retail group at Accenture Strategy; was a management consultant at Kurt Salmon, a boutique consultancy focused on retail, CPG, healthcare, and M&A; led the global commerce division of IPG design firms Huge and Elephant; and was the principal strategist for ThoughtWorks, an agile transformation and engineering firm, leading their consumer practices in the Americas. He regularly contributes to publications including Forbes, Fast Company, Business of Fashion, Adweek, and Modern Retail, and sits on the Advisory Board of the global Buy Nothing movement, founded in 2013 with the mission to build community through the circular economy.

At Merkle, Holden leads 16,000+ talented global professionals across strategy and operations consulting; design; technology development and implementation; engagement, CRM, and loyalty; market research and insights; and data engineering, data management, and advanced analytics.

Recognized as global leaders in Digital Experience by Gartner and IDC; in Digital Commerce, Loyalty, Marketing Services, and Content Supply Chain by Everest Group; and in Data Strategy and Customer Engagement by Forrester, every year Merkle partners with the world’s leading brands to drive over $35B in revenue through customer experiences and platforms, deliver over 25,000+ CRM and promotional campaigns, optimize 150,000+ media campaigns with advanced analytics, manage loyalty programs comprising 650M+ active members, and optimize $20B+ in global commerce sales with digital shelf and merchandising analytics, competitive intelligence, and business management services.

A Webby award winner for experience innovation and a Cannes Lion winner for Creative Commerce, Merkle are the #1 global Salesforce agency partner, the #1 global Google Analytics partner, a global platinum Adobe partner, and a founding Figma partner for digital design.

Karin Tracy

Group Lead, Retail & eCommerce Meta

As NA Group Lead - Retail & Ecommerce, Karin Tracy oversees Meta’s retail and ecommerce practices, which she built over the past 10 years to help brands drive real business results through their work on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp. As leader of Meta’s global retail strategy, she partners closely with product and engineering teams to build the most relevant and performant solutions for the industry, including the recently launched Omnichannel Ads solution. Since joining Facebook in 2015, Karin has developed go-to market strategies tailored for retail and ecommerce marketers across numerous categories, including beauty, fashion, luxury, home and DTC start-ups and giants. She has built a best-in-class team that has forged senior-level partnerships within these industries, shaping GTM strategies and product roadmaps. Karin has pioneered initiatives such as Meta’s first-ever Beauty and Luxury Summits and launched Meta’s Retail Advisory Board. Previous to Meta, Karin Tracy was Publisher of InStyle from 2012-2014, following four highly successful years in senior leadership within Time Inc.’s Style and Entertainment Group as Publisher of Entertainment Weekly and People StyleWatch. At InStyle, she oversaw the magazine’s marketing, advertising sales and brand strategy for the monthly and annual special issues. In addition, she oversaw marketing and sales strategy for InStyle.com and its social platforms, including product innovation, branded content, audience development and ad solutions. Before joining Time Inc., Tracy held numerous publishing leadership roles at Conde Nast & Hearst. She began her advertising career at Giorgio Armani and in Saks Fifth Avenue’s Marketing Department.

Rachel Tipograph

Founder & CEO MikMak, a SPINS company

Rachel Tipograph has considered herself amongst the digerati since the moment she became an eBay power user at 13. After joining Gap as the company’s youngest-ever Global Director of Digital and Social Media, where she oversaw strategy, implementation and measurement, Rachel traveled the world for 100 days and then founded MikMak, a global eCommerce enablement and analytics platform for multichannel brands. Since then, MikMak has earned recognition for its workplace culture and DE&I efforts as a “Fastest Growing Company in America” and “Best Place to Work” by Inc Magazine, “#10 Startup in the United States” by LinkedIn, “Breakthrough Brand” by Interbrand and “Nineteen Technologies Underpin AI And Analytics For Retail” by Forrester. Rachel has also been recognized as a thought leader by leading media publications including Forbes (“30 under 30 Who Are Changing The World”), Fast Company ("The Most Creative People in Business") AdAge ("The Most Creative People of The Year"), Adweek ("The Young Influentials Shaping Business and Culture"), Entrepreneur ( "50 Most Daring Entrepreneurs" and "100 Women of Impact"), Inc (“Female Founders 100”), Marie Claire ("The 50 Most Influential Women in America"), Business Insider (“New York Tech’s Coolest People"), Goldman Sachs ("100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs"), Refinery29 ("Rising Female Tech Stars"), The Wrap ("The 11 Change Agents Disrupting Hollywood"), and LinkedIn ("Next Wave: Top Professionals 35 & Under"). She has also been named to the "Advertising Hall of Achievement” by the American Advertising Federation.

Anisa Kumar

CEO Narvar

Anisa Kumar is the CEO of Narvar, the AI-powered hospitality post-purchase platform that helps retailers and brands turn every moment after a purchase into a concierge-level experience that builds lasting loyalty. Before joining Narvar, Anisa served as SVP and Managing Director at Levi Strauss & Co., where she led the U.S. direct-to-consumer business across more than 200 stores and ecommerce, oversaw the Levi's app and omnichannel strategy, and played a pivotal role in the company's successful IPO. Earlier in her career, she held senior leadership roles at Walmart, Target and Mervyn's, building deep expertise across merchandising, operations and digital commerce at enterprise scale. She joined Narvar as Chief Customer Officer in 2021 and was elevated to CEO in 2024. Anisa also serves on the Board of Directors of Lulus and is a member of Chief, the private network for senior women executives.

Misbah Uraizee

Co-Founder & CEO Nectar Social

Misbah Uraizee is CEO and Co-Founder of Nectar Social, where she's building the first agentic community commerce platform, helping disruptor brands transform community into measurable revenue. A Yale University graduate with a degree in biotechnology, Misbah brings over a decade of product leadership experience at Microsoft, Meta, and Twitter. Her career spans pioneering work across AR/VR technology, messaging platforms, brand-creator monetization, and content recommendation algorithms. At Meta, Misbah worked on core products for Facebook and Instagram, including the Content Recommendations Algorithm, brand-creator monetization, and messaging innovations. She holds over 10 patents and has presented at major industry events including ExpoWest and ShopTalk on the future of AI-powered commerce. Misbah's entrepreneurial journey began at age 12 when she launched a freelance web development business, building e-commerce sites for brands. In 2023, she co-founded Nectar Social with her sister Farah, drawing on their shared experience inside the world's largest social platforms.

Robert Ibarguen

Head of Digital Intelligence Newell Brands

Robert Ibarguen is Head of Digital Intelligence at Newell Brands, where he leads the enterprise strategy to embed AI, automation, and advanced analytics into how the company drives growth across its portfolio of leading consumer brands, including Sharpie, Rubbermaid, and Yankee Candle. He designed and built the Digital Intelligence function from the ground up as a distinct enterprise capability within CPG, now embedded into how the business plans, builds, and executes.

His organization transforms fragmented market and consumer signals into decision-ready intelligence used across the company. By reducing the time between insight and action, the capabilities his team has introduced are reshaping how teams plan, execute, and learn. Designed to scale across the portfolio, these systems increase speed and precision while delivering asymmetric returns from AI-enabled workflows.

Prior to his current role, Robert held commercial strategy roles supporting global brands including Unilever, Chobani, and Coty, where he focused on growth strategy, enterprise capability development, and cross-functional execution.

Chris Walton

President & CEO Omni Talk

Chris Walton is a leading expert and influencer in omnichannel retailing. An accomplished Senior Executive, Chris has high-level executive experience across nearly every discipline within retail. Currently he is the Co-CEO of Omni Talk, one of the fastest growing media companies in retail. He is also a Senior Contributor for Forbes, where his work has been read by over 4 million people, a regular keynote speaker, and he also sits on the Advisory Boards for Simbe, Mirakl, Buncha and Jukee. Prior to starting Omni Talk, Chris worked for Target, where he was the Vice President of the retailer’s Store of the Future project and also the Vice President of Merchandising for Home Furnishings on Target.com. Chris began his career at Gap, Inc. and holds a BA in Economics and History from Stanford University, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Bret Taylor

Co-Founder & CEO, Sierra, and Chairman of the Board OpenAI

Bret Taylor is co-founder and CEO of Sierra, which helps businesses build better, more human customer experiences with AI. Bret is an acclaimed software engineer and industry leader with a distinguished 20-year history of building widely-used products for businesses and consumers. Most recently, Bret was the co-CEO of Salesforce, where he served in a variety of executive roles after the company acquired his previous start-up, Quip, in 2016. Bret started his career at Google where he co-created Google Maps, and later joined Facebook, serving as its Chief Technology Officer after it acquired his social networking start-up, FriendFeed.

Bret serves on the board of OpenAI. Bret graduated from Stanford University in 2003 with a BS and MS in Computer Science.

Bradley Breuer

SVP, Marketing PetSmart

Bradley Breuer is Senior Vice President of Marketing at PetSmart, North America’s leading omni-channel pet retailer. Since joining PetSmart nearly four years ago, Bradley has transformed the way the company thinks about loyalty, personalization and the power of data in shaping meaningful connections with pet parents. In this role, he leads PetSmart’s full marketing organization, overseeing brand strategy, creative, loyalty, customer relationship management and customer insights. Under his leadership, the team drives data-powered, integrated marketing efforts that connect with pet parents at every touchpoint and fuel business growth. His focus on advanced personalization capabilities enables PetSmart to deliver relevant, joyful engagement at scale, deepening relationships with pet parents and strengthening brand loyalty. Prior to joining PetSmart, Bradley held senior leadership positions at some of the most notable retail brands, including Coach, Nike and Walgreens.

Matt Madrigal

Chief Technology Officer Pinterest

Matt joined Pinterest as Chief Technology Officer in 2024. Matt leads the company’s product and platform direction, overseeing the product and engineering teams that build our user experiences and the machine learning systems that power them. Previously, he was the Vice President and General Manager of Merchant Shopping at Google, where he led the product and engineering teams that build Google Shopping’s tools, partner integrations, and infrastructure to help businesses and merchants grow and thrive. Prior to Google, Matt was the Chief Technology and Product Officer at Fanatics, where he played a key role in shaping the mobile strategy, while expanding product development and data capabilities driving significant revenue and customer growth. Before Fanatics, he was the SVP of eCommerce & Marketing for Williams-Sonoma, Inc. He also spent 8 years leading product and engineering for eBay’s growth marketing and onsite advertising technology platforms. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, Matt was also a senior consultant with KANA Software and began his career as an analyst at Accentur

Mo Afshar

Co-Founder & CEO Pipe17

Mo Afshar is Co-Founder and CEO of Pipe17, the company creating the Order Operations category. Pipe17's AI-native platform connects selling channels, marketplaces, ERPs, and logistics networks so brands and 3PLs can flow orders effortlessly, from click to delivery. Before Pipe17, Mo served as CEO of Spoken Communications (acquired by Avaya) and held executive roles at Oracle, where he built multi-billion-dollar cloud businesses. He brings over 20 years of experience in cloud infrastructure, enterprise systems, and commerce technology. Mo holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Cambridge University and advises several venture and private equity firms. Mo is known for challenging assumptions about commerce infrastructure and speaking directly about why the industry needs to move beyond legacy integration approaches to AI-native order operations.

Ethan Goodman

President Profitero

Ethan is a distinguished marketing strategist with deep expertise in Retail Media and E-Commerce. He has been named a "Young Influential" by Adweek and a "40 Under 40" by the Path to Purchase Institute; is a member of the IAB Commerce Board of Directors and Instacart Advisory Council; and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and contributor to industry publications. In his current roles as President of Profitero+, President Digital Commerce at Publicis Commerce and EVP Digital Commerce at Mars United Commerce - all business units within Publicis Groupe - he leads teams that are laser-focused on helping brands navigate and drive growth within the constantly-evolving Digital Commerce landscape. Prior to that he built, grew and managed Mars' Commerce Media, E-Commerce and Innovation practice groups; and guided the team that created SmartAisle (the world's first voice-powered shopping assistant for brick & mortar retailers). He was also Managing Director of Mars Ventures, the agency's venture capital arm that invested in and partnered with promising "MarTech" startups to bring bleeding-edge innovation to key clients. Through this work he built deep relationships in the startup community (with investors, accelerators, etc.), and still serves as a mentor/advisor to organizations like the Zell Lurie Commercialization Fund at the University of Michigan. Additionally, he spent 4 years in the Digital Strategy group at Leo Burnett and Arc Worldwide (also Publicis Groupe agencies), devising and implementing breakthrough, results-driving digital programs for various Fortune 100 clients. He is a proud graduate of the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan (BBA '05), a devout Michigan Football fan (2023 National Champions!) and an avid skier. He currently resides in Ann Arbor, MI, with his wife Jodi, sons Micah & Cameron, and Goldendoodle Maizey.

Danisha Lomax

Chief Social Officer, PMX Publicis Groupe

In her current role, Danisha Lomax brings together social, influencer, and community expertise to drive growth and deliver best-in-class solutions across paid, earned, shared and owned channels for Publicis agencies and their clients. As the head of PMX Social, she and her team provide integrated social expertise and power a holistic offering that connects all of Publicis’s existing social capabilities and designs tailored solutions for clients, based on their specific needs and brand objectives.

With over a decade of media experience, Lomax is a master of her craft, having joined Publicis in 2018 at Digitas. There, she worked her way up to Chief Connected Community Officer where she developed programs rooted in authenticity, cultural relevance, and advocacy for women of color and underrepresented communities. In her role, she blended the familiar with the forward-thinking, remixing proven strategies with emerging possibilities to build the intimacy, social influence, and cultural credibility to help brands become engines of growth.

Outside of Publicis, Lomax has been a dedicated champion for women and a standout leader within her community. She served as a mentor and board member for a diverse range of organizations, including Sol Sisters, HELLO HAPI, and the ADCOLOR Champions Program. Her commitment to professional equity extended to her work with Living Corporate, while her advocacy for community building and youth empowerment was reflected in her contributions to Nextdoor and GirlVentures. Through these roles, she has established herself as a tireless advocate for underrepresented voices, laying the groundwork for the next generation of leaders to succeed.

A sought-after thought leader and speaker, Lomax’s approach has won her multiple awards including AAF Hall of Achievement, Top Women in Media & AdTech DEI Champion, Campaign US Media Planner of the Year, Chief Marketer Market Like a Mother, and Cynopsis Top Women in Media.

Meredith Glansberg

CEO Quip

Meredith Glansberg is the Chief Executive Officer of quip, a modern oral wellness company that offers scientifically-backed, beautifully-designed brushing solutions for every mouth, along with a suite of products designed to make oral care an essential -- and enjoyable -- part of daily wellness.

She brings leadership experience across consumer goods health & wellness categories, omni-channel commerce, and brand building, with a track record of driving growth and leading transformation in mission-driven organizations. Meredith began her career in Marketing and Sales roles in large consumer goods organizations (Colgate-Palmolive, Reckitt) before entering the start-up world as a sales leader driving the future of omni-channel expansion and strategy. Before becoming CEO, Meredith served as quip’s Chief Revenue Officer, where she expanded distribution, launched new innovations, and strengthened customer engagement in an increasingly complex and ever-changing commerce environment.

Today, Meredith is leading quip through its next chapter of growth and profitability while staying true to the company’s mission to help people build healthier habits through simple, accessible, beautifully designed oral care. quip products are available at www.getquip.com, at most major retailers and Amazon, and for wholesale purchase for dental organizations.

David Katz

Chief Marketing Officer Randa Apparel & Accessories

David J. Katz is an alchemist disguised as a CMO—transforming data, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence into consumer behavior at scale.

As Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Randa Apparel & Accessories, a global leader producing clothing and accessories for 30+ brands including Levi's, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, and Haggar, David leads both marketing strategy and the company's AI initiatives across 1,200 employees and 20,000 retail touchpoints worldwide.

He holds degrees in neuroscience from Tufts and business from Harvard, which explains his peculiar obsession with what makes Pavlov's dog salivate and people click "buy now."

David has been recognized as a retail industry influencer by The Wall Street Journal, CNN, The New York Times, and WWD. He's a LinkedIn Top Voice, co-author of the best-selling "Design for Response," and believes innovation only counts when it generates invoices.

Karolina Smith

Co-Founder & President RateRunners

Karolina Smith is a dynamic leader and business transformation expert hailing from the Netherlands, currently serving as the President of Raterunners. With a robust background managing complex global integrations for Fortune 500 companies, including high-impact SAP implementations, she has established herself as a powerhouse in the field. Karolina has partnered with renowned brands such as SC Johnson, Guthy-Renker, Lashify, and Cart.com, leveraging her deep expertise in change management, agile leadership, and strategic operations to unlock growth and facilitate critical transitions. She excels in listening to the challenges clients face and is committed to providing sustainable and cost-effective solutions that drive lasting impact. A graduate of the University of Applied Sciences, she is fluent in English, Polish, Dutch, and German. Known for her visionary outlook and results-driven approach, Karolina combines European precision with an entrepreneurial spirit, passionately building scalable, high-performance operations and transforming complexity into clarity for some of the world’s most innovative organizations.

Steve Huffman

Co-Founder & CEO Reddit

Steve Huffman is the Founder and CEO of Reddit, an online community of communities. On Reddit, there is a home for everybody and a place for everyone to dive into their interests. Raised in northern Virginia, Huffman discovered his passion for programming at an early age and went on to earn a degree in computer science from the University of Virginia. In 2005, he and his college roommate pitched the then-new startup accelerator Y Combinator with an idea for a food-ordering mobile app called My Mobile Menu. Although the concept was rejected, Y Combinator co-founders Paul Graham and Jessica Livingston invited them back to build the front page of the internet, which soon led to the creation of Reddit. What began as a simple link-sharing site quickly evolved into one of the internet’s most influential platforms, known for authentic discussion, cultural zeitgeist, and communities spanning nearly every topic imaginable. After selling Reddit in 2006, Huffman co-founded the travel search company Hipmunk, where he served as CTO. During that time, he was named to Inc.’s “30 Under 30” list in 2011 and Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list in 2012. Huffman returned to Reddit as CEO in 2015 and has since led the company through major transformation, including international expansion, a comprehensive update to Reddit’s Content Policy, a full platform redesign, and the company’s successful IPO in 2024. Under his leadership, Reddit has grown to more than 121 million daily active unique users globally and generated $2.2 billion in revenue in 2025. In recognition of his leadership, Huffman was named to TIME's 100 Most Influential People in AI in both 2024 and 2025, and to Fortune’s “40 Under 40 in Tech” in 2020. In his free time, Huffman is a longtime mentor at Hackbright Academy, a San Francisco-based coding school for women. He also enjoys skiing, ballroom dancing, and browsing r/WholesomeMemes.

Anne Mezzenga

Founder & CEO Retail Field Report

Anne Mezzenga is the founder of Retail Field Report, a media outlet dedicated to telling the human stories behind retail's biggest brands. Anne is best known for co-founding and serving as Co-CEO of Omni Talk Retail, which she built from the ground up into one of the most successful and fastest-growing trade publications in the retail industry, earning her widespread recognition as a top retail influencer and NRF Top Retail Voice. She currently serves on boards for Simbe, Firework, Buncha, Broadhead, Scrollmark, and Delivery Solutions (acquired by UPS), bringing strategic perspective and deep industry expertise to each. Earlier in her career, Anne was one of the executives leading Target's Store of the Future initiative and held leadership roles at agencies Fallon and Martin Williams, before returning to her journalist roots at NBC Universal in New York and KMSP in Minneapolis.

Rick Watson

Founder RMW Commerce Consulting

Rick Watson founded RMW Commerce Consulting after more than 20 years in eCommerce as a technology entrepreneur with ChannelAdvisor, BarnesandNoble.com, Merchantry, and Pitney Bowes. His work today is centered on helping incubate and grow direct-to-consumer businesses.

With private equity and management teams, Rick performs technology and digital marketing due diligence on acquisition candidates, and creates ecommerce growth plans for post-acquisition strategies. Rick is one of RETHINK Retail's Top Retail Influencers; the Marketplace 50's Top 50 Marketplace Thought Leaders; and he is an Industry Advisory Board member of the MACH Alliance, an Industry Trade Association dedicated to improving digital experiences. Rick regularly speaks at industry conferences, serves as a guest contributor on retail podcasts, and provides media with expert commentary on the latest industry news and trends, offering best practices for eCommerce. Through RMW Commerce, Rick hosts The Watson Weekly podcast where he shares an unbiased, unfiltered expert take on the retail sector’s biggest news and players.

Steve Dennis

President & Founder SageBerry Consulting

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor, keynote speaker, bestselling author, and globally recognized retail thought-leader focused on growth, innovation, and navigating the impact of digital disruption.

Steve's groundbreaking first book--Remarkable Retail: How to Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption--is the bestselling retail strategy book of the past decade, and his provocative ideas on the future of shopping and consumer behavior are regularly featured in the media, in his role as a Forbes senior contributor, and as co-host of the award-winning Remarkable Retail podcast. His second book--Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption—was released in the spring of 2024.

During a storied and diverse career as a C-suite executive at two Fortune 500 retailers–and most recently as a consultant and board member–Steve has helped dozens of brands design and catalyze their transformative journey to remarkable results. He also has the distinction of being the first officer level executive at any major retailer to focus on omnichannel integration. As a sought-out keynote speaker, Steve has delivered inspiring talks on six continents, sharing his unique perspectives on what it takes to reignite customer growth in a world of accelerating change and shifting consumer preferences. Steve is currently the President of SageBerry Consulting. Prior to founding SageBerry, he was the chief strategy officer for the Neiman Marcus Group, where he also led the company's customer insight, loyalty, and multichannel marketing efforts. Steve received his MBA from the Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics from Tufts University.

He resides in Dallas, Texas and is the proud father of two adult daughters.

Adriana Bourgoin

Chief Customer Strategy Officer, Commerce Cloud Salesforce

Adriana Bourgoin is the Chief Customer & Strategy Officer for Salesforce Commerce Cloud, where she partners with global brands to accelerate digital transformation. Throughout her career, she has led and scaled digital businesses for private equity and venture-backed firms, guiding companies through critical operating model shifts and business reinvention. Her foundation in digital innovation began with the launch of washingtonpost.com, followed by senior leadership roles at AOL/Time Warner, National Geographic, and Meredith. Beyond the boardroom, Adriana is the author of the novel Nine Months in August. A graduate of Smith College and the London School of Economics, she is recognized for her ability to translate complex challenges into clear, actionable strategies that drive growth and customer impact.

Denise Paulonis

President & CEO Sally Beauty

Denise Paulonis is an accomplished executive recognized for her disciplined, pragmatic leadership and her ability to guide organizations through complex and challenging environments while maintaining a clear focus on long-term value creation. She is President, Chief Executive Officer, and a Board Director of Sally Beauty Holdings, where she is leading one of the world’s largest specialty beauty retailers through transformation and growth.

Since stepping into the CEO role in 2021, Denise has focused on strengthening the core business while accelerating progress across customer experience, digital platforms, loyalty, product innovation, and supply chain capabilities. She is known for setting clear priorities, driving accountability, and empowering leaders to act—bringing clarity and momentum to organizations navigating rapid change.

Prior to Sally Beauty Holdings, Denise served as Chief Financial Officer of Sprouts Farmers Market, overseeing finance, strategy, ecommerce, and analytics, and helping expand digital capabilities during a period of significant disruption. Earlier, she spent six years at The Michaels Companies, including as EVP and CFO, where she helped lead an omnichannel transformation and strengthened the company’s capital structure to support sustainable growth.

Prior to Michaels, Denise served in senior leadership roles at PepsiCo and McKinsey & Company after starting her career at Procter & Gamble. She has served on the Board of Directors of Conagra Brands since 2022, where she chairs the Audit & Finance Committee. Denise has been recognized as one of Dealmakehers Most Inspiring Women Leaders, a Top Woman in Retail, one of Women Inc.’s Most Influential Board Directors, and the Dallas Business Journal’s CFO of the Year.

Heather Mitchell

SVP Growth Partnerships Shipt

Heather Mitchell is the Senior Vice President of Growth Partnerships at Shipt. Shipt is a retail tech company that connects people to reliable, high-quality delivery with a personal touch. Through the power of technology, Shipt connects customers to the things they want through a marketplace of more than 100+ national and local retailers and is available to 80% of US households. Heather leads Shipt’s new business development, retailer and strategic partnerships, and Shipt Media Teams.

Heather joined Shipt post the company’s acquisition by Target, led the initial development of the Finance Organization and most recently served as the Senior Vice President of Finance focused on driving the company’s profitable growth aspirations. Prior to Shipt, Heather spent more than a decade with Target Corporation where she brought teams together to create innovative approaches to emerging growth opportunities, build data-driven strategies, design executable financial plans, manage risk, and reduce operational complexity. Before Target, Heather worked in the areas of corporate, criminal, and patent law.

Heather is a proud alumni of the University of Alabama holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and a Master’s Degree in Economics. Heather also holds a Juris Doctorate and Graduate Certificates in Corporate Finance and Computer Security. She is a licensed attorney and active member of the American Bar Association. She is also a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and former President of the University of Alabama’s ACM Chapter.

Heather leverages her diverse skill set to advise technology start-up companies and non-profit organizations. Heather is married (Joe) with one daughter (Audrey) and currently resides in Birmingham, Alabama.

Nick Davis

Founder & CEO ShopSight

Nick Davis is the Founder & CEO of ShopSight, a generative AI platform helping brands and retailers turn shopper signals into faster product decisions and more accurate demand forecasting. His work focuses on agentic commerce, AI-driven product creation, real-time demand sensing, and social-to-sales forecasting. Nick and ShopSight were recognized at NRF Big Show in the Innovators Showcase, and he was named a 2026 Rethink Retail Top Retail Expert.

Nick is a Lecturer at UCLA Anderson School of Management, where he teaches executives and founders on emerging technologies, AI leadership, and innovation strategy. He also serves as Chief Technology Officer at Mid-Ohio Food Collective and on Feeding America’s national technology and innovation council, applying advanced analytics and digital platforms to help solve hunger and improve health outcomes.

Previously, Nick co-founded Scalefunder, which has raised over $1.4B for university research (acquired in 2014). He is the author of the Amazon #1 bestselling book Future Ready and an active venture investor and AI scout with Boardy AI.

Nick holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Sustainability from Harvard University and is an alum of The UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Lee Sterling

Chief Marketing Officer Simon Property Group

As the Chief Marketing Officer at Simon, Lee Sterling is responsible for the planning, development and execution of the company’s marketing strategy across its international portfolio of 231 premier shopping, dining, entertainment and mixed-use destinations. In this role, she serves as a champion for Simon’s company-wide commitment to innovation, including its industry-leading omnichannel strategy which integrates its in-person experiences with the ease and portability of its digital and e-commerce channels, such as the recently announced ShopSimon.com.

With nearly 25 years of experience in the shopping center industry, Sterling is known for building and transforming brand platforms to help achieve strong business results. Sterling’s expertise includes strategic marketing and brand management, encompassing advertising, experiential, digital, media, public relations and community outreach.

From 2013 to 2020, Sterling served as Simon’s Senior Vice President, Brand Management, where she successfully led brand, digital, and retailer marketing, including Simon’s notable brand re-launch campaign in 2014 to increase engagement with customers and emphasize the power of the shopping experience. Sterling also worked for Westfield for 15 years, where she held vice president roles in both Corporate and Field Marketing. At Westfield, she led high-profile strategic marketing efforts including the company’s National Fashion Platform, featuring event tours and seasonal content in collaboration with celebity stylist Stacy London, and the World Trade Center retail project in Manhattan, which was redeveloped in the wake of 9/11.

Prior to re-joining Simon, Sterling diversified her expertise in the consumer products industry at Edgewell Personal Care, a consumer-centric personal care company. There she led an in-house agency responsible for digital and e-commerce content for well-established and disruptor brands including Banana Boat, Hawaiian Tropic, Billie, Jack Black and others. Sterling holds a bachelor’s in marketing from the University of Connecticut.

About Simon:
Simon® is a real estate investment trust engaged in the ownership of premier shopping, dining, entertainment and mixed-use destinations and an S&P 100 company (Simon Property Group, NYSE: SPG). Our properties across North America, Europe and Asia provide community gathering places for millions of people every day and generate billions in annual sales.

Anna Liang

Founder & CEO SocialQ AI

Anna is the Founder & CEO of SocialQ AI and was formerly the youngest Social Media Manager at TikTok, where she contributed to the official TikTok channels' content planning, top brand campaigns, and a celebrity live activation. Driven by a firsthand understanding of how social media shapes modern commerce – and how rarely small businesses get to benefit from it – she founded SocialQ AI to level the playing field for retail brands, giving them the social commerce velocity that was once reserved for the biggest players in the industry. SocialQ AI is the always-on "agency in a box" that runs in the background like a full social team – transforming a brand's existing assets into a full month of on-brand, platform-native content in under five minutes, and delivering the full firepower of a social media agency at a fraction of the cost.

Debra Aho Williamson

Founder & Chief Analyst Sonata Insights

Debra Aho Williamson is the Founder and Chief Analyst of Sonata Insights, an advisory service that helps advertisers understand consumer AI behavior and the impact on marketing and paid media strategies. She also writes “The AI Ad Economy,” a Substack offering clear, level-headed insight about how marketing, media and paid advertising are changing as consumers gravitate toward AI platforms.

Debra brings more than 20 years of experience analyzing the evolving media landscape, focusing on how emerging technologies reshape consumer behavior, media consumption and marketing strategies. Before founding Sonata Insights in 2024, Debra served as an analyst at digital marketing research firm EMARKETER, where she led the social media research practice for 17 years.

Debra's analytical superpower is her ability to spot changes in consumer behavior that lead to significant shifts in marketing strategies. Debra developed one of the earliest forecasts for social network advertising revenues in 2007, and her landmark body of research about social media—amounting to more than 120 reports—enabled the advertising industry to see the power and potential of social media and helped make platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok integral to the marketing mix.

Debra is a sought-after speaker and commentator on the future of media and advertising, with a focus on AI's impact on marketing and the consumer journey. She has spoken at industry events including Cannes Lions, Association of National Advertisers (ANA) Influencer Marketing conference, VidCon, Shoptalk and Seattle AI Film Festival. Debra regularly appears on business TV and her viewpoints have appeared thousands of times in media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Reuters, Associated Press, Financial Times and Investor’s Business Daily. Earlier in her career, Debra served as the founding executive editor at groundbreaking internet industry publication The Industry Standard and as interactive editor at AdAge magazine.

Debra is a graduate of Northwestern University with degrees in English literature and oboe performance. Although she no longer plays the oboe, she has a profound (some would say weird) obsession with learning to play the bagpipes. She hopes to one day become good enough to join a piping band.

Matt Baer

CEO Stitch Fix

Matt Baer is the Chief Executive Officer of Stitch Fix, where he is establishing the online styling service as an apparel retailer of choice by leading the company’s efforts to deliver the most personalized and client-centric shopping experience. Matt brings two decades of retail leadership experience to Stitch Fix. He joined the company in June 2023 from Macy's, Inc., where he was Chief Customer and Digital Officer, leading the long-term digital strategy for both Macy's and Bloomingdale's while driving initiatives focused on deepening customer relationships. Prior to Macy’s, Matt was Vice President of eCommerce at Walmart and played a key role in the transformation of its digital business. Previously, Matt founded digital marketplace Bezar, and held executive positions at two additional retail startups, Quirky and Fab.com. Matt holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and a law degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University.

Chloe Songer

Co-Founder & CEO SuperCircle

Chloe Songer is the Co-founder & CEO of SuperCircle, the full-stack textile waste management platform that has diverted over 6 million textiles from landfill while transforming textile waste into a profit driver for leading retail brands. SuperCircle captures apparel, footwear, and accessories everywhere they fall out of the supply chain and routes them into their best next-life via resale, donation, or fiber-to-fiber recycling. Trusted by 80+ brands including Reformation, J.Crew, UNIQLO, and FIGS, SuperCircle drives circularity by powering both consumer-facing trade-in solutions and back-end infrastructure for excess inventory management. Chloe previously built and scaled Thousand Fell, the first circular footwear company, where she demonstrated that circularity drives profitability—a thesis now validated through SuperCircle. She has been recognized as a Waste360 40 Under 40 honoree, Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient, and graduate of Google's Circular Economy Accelerator. Chloe's deep fashion and retail expertise spans Vogue, Alexander Wang Group, and Gap Inc. She is dedicated to championing the circular economy and ending the textile waste crisis through scalable, business-aligned solutions.

Matt Repicky

SVP, Chief Brand Officer Tailored Brands

Matt Repicky is a senior marketing leader, brand architect, and transformation strategist with a track record of reinventing iconic brands for modern audiences. Across more than 20 years in marketing leadership, he has reshaped consumer perceptions and driven cultural relevance at powerhouse brands like Barbie, Amazon Fashion, and Men's Wearhouse. At Mattel, Matt spent 11 years steering Barbie toward renewed relevance—connecting the brand with new generations through bold advertising, expanded representation in product lines, and strategic partnerships with cultural icons, from Olympic athletes to fashion designers. At Amazon, he applied his brand-building expertise to the fast-paced world of digital commerce, helping redefine how consumers engage with fashion online. Now, at Tailored Brands—home to Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank—Matt has spent the past five years driving transformation across the company’s portfolio. He first served as Chief Marketing Officer for Jos. A. Bank, then led marketing for the Wedding business, and for the past three years, he has been Chief Brands Officer. In this role, he is leading a bold refresh of the company’s heritage brands, ensuring they resonate with today’s consumers while staying true to their DNA. Whether leveraging data to personalize engagement, shifting media strategies to drive reconsideration, or infusing comedy into creative advertising, he understands how to blend storytelling and strategy to keep legacy brands in the cultural conversation.

Cephas Williams Jr.

SVP of Stores Target

Cephas Williams serves as Senior Vice President of Stores for Target’s Midwest Region, leading more than 90,000 team members across 571 stores in 22 states. He oversees one of Target’s largest and most diverse store portfolios, where commerce and community intersect every day.

Since joining Target in 2009, Cephas has held leadership roles across field operations and headquarters, shaping how strategy comes to life inside the store. Most recently, as Vice President of Food & Beverage Store Operations, he strengthened leadership and operational discipline to elevate execution and enhance the guest experience in one of retail’s most dynamic categories.

Cephas believes stores are more than places to shop — they are spaces for connection. He focuses on building strong leaders and engaged teams who create welcoming environments, foster belonging, and ensure Target’s physical footprint remains a powerful driver of loyalty and growth.

He holds degrees from Nicholls State University and Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge. Cephas serves on the Board of Directors for Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners and resides in Minnesota with his wife and three children.

Kevin Harwood

Chief Technology Officer Tecovas

Kevin Harwood is a technology executive with over 15 years of experience building and scaling technology organizations at high growth direct to consumer brands. Known for his hands on leadership style and builder mentality, he has led teams through periods of rapid expansion, complex platform transformations, and omnichannel evolution, with a consistent focus on using technology to drive business growth and operational efficiency.

Kevin currently serves as Chief Technology Officer at Tecovas, the Austin based Western boot, apparel and accessories brand. In this role, he oversees the companyâ€™s technology strategy and team as Tecovas continues its expansion across e commerce, retail, and wholesale channels. Under his leadership, the technology organization has driven significant platform transformations, implemented RFID and inventory innovations, and built the infrastructure to support the brandâ€™s omnichannel growth. He is also leading AI adoption across the business, staying hands on with the rapidly evolving landscape to identify and implement practical applications that drive results.

Prior to Tecovas, he spent six years at Outdoor Voices, rising from Senior Director to Vice President of Technology. During his tenure, he built and scaled the technology team through a period of significant brand growth, leading e commerce platform development and DTC infrastructure initiatives that supported the companyâ€™s rapid expansion.

Earlier in his career, he spent five years at Mutual Mobile, an emerging technology agency, where he rose to iOS Consulting Architect. There, he led engagements for Nike and Under Armour in the retail, e commerce, and digital space, along with projects spanning health and fitness, wearables, and connected home. This work honed his expertise in building consumer facing digital experiences for iconic brands. He also contributed to the open source developer community, establishing a foundation of technical credibility that continues to inform his leadership approach.

He brings deep expertise in e commerce platforms, ERP systems, RFID technology, data warehousing, and third party logistics partnerships. A recognized thought leader in the Shopify ecosystem, he serves as a member of Shopifyâ€™s Merchant Advisory Board. He is also a frequent speaker on technology and business growth, having presented at CES, NRF, and numerous industry podcasts and conferences, including appearances on TBPN.

Beyond his role at Tecovas, he serves as Chair of the Central Texas CIO group and sits on the board of Camp 2911, a nonprofit providing camp experiences for children in foster care in Central Texas. He also advises startups and high growth companies on technology strategy.

He earned his Bachelor of Wireless Engineering from Auburn University, where he was also honored as a 20 under 40 Alumni in 2024.

Lauren Livak Gilbert

Executive Director The Digital Shelf Institute

Lauren Livak Gilbert is Executive Director of the Digital Shelf Institute (DSI) and co-host of the Unpacking the Digital Shelf podcast. With over 10+ years of experience in digital commerce and design, Lauren is a sought-after commerce strategist for hundreds of global omnichannel brands. While at Johnson & Johnson, Lauren launched a new, successful digital strategy for its Consumer North America business. At Salsify she worked with more than 100 global brands to develop a comprehensive commerce strategy, including staffing, technology investments, and performance-based processes. And at the DSI she connects with brands, retailers, tech partners and agencies to help advance the industry with her research and content.

Christine Foster

SVP, Kroger Precision Marketing The Kroger Co.

Christine Foster leads Kroger Precision Marketing (KPM), the retail media, consumer insights and loyalty marketing business of Kroger. She is responsible for casting the long-term vision and overseeing the daily operations that fuel brand growth through partnerships with Kroger. As the leader of a retail data powerhouse, Christine is passionate about using precision audiences to build enduring emotional connections between brands and consumers. Christine was honored as part of the 2025 class of Ad Age Leading Women in advertising. In 2024, she was recognized as a Retail Innovator Award winner by Retail Touchpoints, a Top Woman in Grocery: Senior-Level Executive by Progressive Grocer and Women of Excellence: Industry Impact by Path to Purchase. Prior to 84.51°, Christine held multiple positions in digital marketing. Her career has spanned all sides of media. Christine currently serves on several industry advisory boards and holds a Bachelor of Science in telecommunications and broadcast journalism from Lee University.

Manish Sharma

Co-Founder & Chief Marketing Officer Think Blue

Digital Commerce Ecosystem and commercial leader with 20+ years of experience building brands and businesses across North America and global markets. Shape growth strategies that align consumer, brand, technology, and organization to drive durable, profitable results.

Played a foundational role in building Kellogg’s U.S. e-commerce business into a $1B+ P&L, while holding senior leadership roles across multiple regions and categories. Deep experience operating in complex, multi-market environments and translating global brand strategy into local commercial impact.

Co-Founder of Think Blue, a digital-forward consulting company architecting digital commerce ecosystems for the next phase of growth. Advise CPGs, tech & data companies, and agencies on modern operating models, digital-first capabilities, and future-ready organizations.

Known for building high-performing teams and cultures that scale by creating clarity, accountability, and trust, so organizations move faster and execute with discipline.

Dan DeMeyere

Chief Product & Technology Officer ThredUp

Dan DeMeyere is the Chief Product and Technology Officer at ThredUp, one of the largest online resale platforms for apparel, shoes, and accessories. As one of ThredUp’s first employees, Dan has consolidated all of our ThredUp learnings in support of international expansion and growth, including Remix, one of Europe’s leading fashion resale companies now owned by ThredUp. Having been with the company for more than a decade, Dan has a deep understanding of the resale industry as well as expertise across engineering and product. Prior to leading international, he was ThredUp’s Chief Product Officer. He also held executive and director level positions in Engineering. Dan holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering from Michigan State University.

Tess Kornfield

VP of Data Science and Strategic Insights ThredUp

Tess Kornfield, VP of Data Science and Strategic Insights Tess Kornfield is Vice President of Product and Data Science at ThredUp, one of the largest online resale platforms for apparel, shoes, and accessories. Tess joined ThredUp as one of its first data scientists in 2015 and built out a high-performing data and analytics team that focuses on developing the algorithms powering ThredUp’s customer experience as well as the company’s pricing and promotions strategy. In her current role, she is advancing ThredUp’s personalization engine and using data science to inspire the world to think secondhand first. Prior to joining ThredUp, she spent over 10 years doing scientific research. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of California, San Diego, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience from the University of Minnesota, where she studied mechanisms of blood flow in the retina. Tess lives in Albany, CA with her husband and daughter.

Jordan Berke

Founder & CEO TOMORROW

Jordan Berke, CEO of TOMORROW, brings over two decades of omnichannel expertise to the table. Renowned for his transformative leadership, Jordan spearheaded Sam's Club and Walmart’s e-commerce endeavors in China, pioneering innovative collaborations with JD, Tencent, and Dada. His vision led Walmart's e-commerce business in China to reach the highest penetration among Walmart's 20+ countries and enabled the company to continue to grow its share in China's highly competitive market. Recognized with Walmart’s esteemed Sam Walton Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2018, Jordan's influence extends beyond accolades; he also served as Chairman of the Global Omnichannel Forum, shaping the company’s digital priorities worldwide. Today, at TOMORROW, Jordan advises global retailers on accelerating digital sales and profitability. His insights are sought after by industry leaders and regularly featured in the Wall Street Journal and on CNBC, NPR, and Bloomberg.

Valerie de Charette

Partner TOMORROW

Valerie is a seasoned retail executive who has been a leader in digital commerce since the early 2000s. From her roots in online startups to omnichannel & digital roles at retail giants like American Eagle Outfitters Inc and Walmart Inc, she has worked at companies of all sizes, across multiple categories, and on numerous continents.

Valerie started her career in apparel as a merchant for Macy’s Inc before moving into finance and strategy at Walmart in 2009. While there she led the finance team for Sam’s Club US stores, then relocated to China to lead the transformation of Sam’s Club China from stagnant growth to market leader. She moved to Singapore to join RedMart Inc, leading its expansion from online grocery start-up to multi-category marketplace, and preparing it for a sale in 2016 to Lazada/Alibaba. Since returning to the US , Valerie has successfully grown digital businesses: leading Stuart Weitzman’s (Tapestry Inc) online growth around the world, and launching American Eagle’s international digital businesses and omnichannel CRM capabilities.

As a Partner at TOMORROW (based in NYC), Valerie plays a pivotal role in driving transformation, drawing on her extensive background to craft impactful digital and omnichannel strategies for top retailers globally. Her collaborative approach and commitment to achieving tangible outcomes have established her as a trusted partner in the industry.

Carina Ertl

Chief Marketing Officer Bucherer USA

Carina Ertl is the Acting Chief Marketing Officer at Bucherer USA, a role she has held since 2019. She leads the change of merging watch retailers Tourneau and Bucherer, rebranded both under a single banner that represents the future of luxury timepieces and fine jewelry. Ertl heads all facets of marketing and public relations, raising brand recognition in the United States. She also oversees the company's digital platforms, brand experience and client journeys. "Ertl brings a breadth of experience rooted in digital and brand growth strategies that has resulted in a track record of increasing brand awareness while growing e commerce businesses. As the role of CMO continues to evolve into a digital first, consumer-centric mindset. Ertl's perspective and expertise drive business growth in the arena where performance meets brand." Before joining Bucherer, Ertl worked with private Equity firms such as Fosun and EQT where she built brand recognition of Eton in the United States and tremendously grew its digital business through a strategic reset of the brand's digital platforms and software solutions. She is also the founder of CDL Global Ventures a boutique consulting firm focusing on PE-owned luxury brands. Previously, Ertl spent eight years at Swarovski Group, starting as brand manager in Shanghai. She was then promoted to Director of Strategic Development, working directly with the chairman of the board. She eventually became the VP of Global Branding & Marketing. Ertl is described as an inspirational leader, supporting women in business, and acting as an angel advisor. She teaches at GSB's executive program, and is a speaker at Columbia University, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Brandlnnovators, AMA, YPO and supported the start of Woman Matter in Fashion & Luxury, a group that acts as a support system for female executives in corporate environments. Before entering the corporate arena, Ertl was a freelance journalist and producer based in New York, where she worked on assignments from ProSieben, CBS, Elle, and ESPN Sports. She has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Masters of Marketing, Politics and American Literature from the University of Munich.

Peter Chun

Global EVP, Platforms & Culture VaynerX

Peter Chun is the EVP and Global Head of PAC (Platforms, Algorithms, and Culture) at VaynerX, leading the company's platform and creative strategy. His expertise in platforms and cultural trends allows him to deliver cutting-edge insights and maximize relevance for the agency and its brand partners.

As an innovator, Peter spearheads VaynerX's initiatives across emerging landscapes, consistently pushing boundaries and setting new standards. His strategic vision and commitment to staying ahead of the curve have positioned VaynerX as a leader in the digital marketing space, delivering exceptional results for its clients.

With over 15 years of experience in digital marketing, performance advertising, and venture-backed consumer startups, he’s worked with the world’s largest consumer Internet brands, such as Apple, American Express, and Nike, to name a few.

Before joining VaynerX, he was the Head of Platforms at SocialCode, leading the launch of Facebook Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Snap's Ad API’s. Peter’s previous roles included managing director at LinkShare (acquired by Rakuten) and head of solutions at Clickable.

Fred Schonenberg

Founder & CEO VentureFuel

Founder. Innovator. Connector. Corporate Problem Solver. Speaker. Thought Leader. Angel Investor. Fred has helped over 100 companies, from General Mills to Beam Suntory to Netflix, discover and implement new technologies and innovations to deliver breakthrough results (18.7% sales lift, $10m+ savings, 5x purchase intent, etc.). As Founder of VentureFuel, he has created a repeatable innovation framework, that bridges his deep relationships with the VC, Angel and Startup ecosystem with his C-suite corporate relationships to deliver first-to-market, tangible solutions that drive growth for all involved. He is a frequent speaker at industry events such as SXSW, Ad Tech, Advertising Week, IAB, OMMA, etc. and an industry thought-leader published in The Huffington Post, Media Post, The Drum, Tech.co, Creator Magazine, Adweek, Event Marketer, etc.

Paul Toms

Chief Marketing Officer Wayfair

Paul Toms is the Global Chief Marketing Officer for Wayfair, a position he has held since 2023. In his role Paul has responsibility for all Brand, Creative, and Media buying strategies for each of Wayfair’s brands across the globe. He also oversees Wayfair’s Sales and Customer Service organizations. Prior to his current role, Paul served as Wayfair’s Chief People Officer for two years, and before that he spent 15+ years leading many teams at Wayfair including Pricing, Supplier Experience, Business Intelligence, Specialty Retail Brands, and Perigold. Paul serves on the board of directors for FastGrowingTrees, the largest online nursery in the United States. He holds a B.A. in economics from Boston University.

Tom Philipson

Founder & CEO YourStudio

Tom Philipson is a global leader in retail experience design. As Founder and CEO of YourStudio, Tom leads a global practice across London, Amsterdam, New York, Los Angeles, and Melbourne, partnering with visionary brands like Nike, Google, and Netflix. The world’s leading brands trust YourStudio to imagine the future of retail. Tom’s strategic approach centers on the balance between Emotional and Commercial experiences. With the belief that meaningful, emotional connection through memorable experiences is what builds long-term loyalty and business growth. From pioneering CX Futures to delivering world-class Retail Environments for global giants like Timberland and Snapchat, Tom’s work consistently pushes the boundaries of creative experimentation.

Gyan Mathias

Senior Director of AI & Data Strategy Yum! Brands

Gyan Mathias is Senior Director of AI & Data Strategy at Yum! Brands, where he leads enterprise AI strategy and value delivery through personalized customer experiences, smarter and more efficient restaurants, and more productive corporate functions.

Gyan also leads several global centers of excellence, including Martech, Loyalty, Responsible AI, and the AI Academy, helping build the capabilities needed to deploy AI responsibly and at scale.

Prior to Yum!, Gyan worked at McKinsey & Company, advising global retail organizations on digital transformations. He holds a Masters degree in Physics from the University of Oxford and an MBA from IESE Business School. Gyan lives in Boulder, Colorado and is an avid climber and skier.

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