Rocco joined Amazon in early 2006 and held a variety of positions at the company before becoming the first Country Manager for Amazon Australia, ahead of the launch of amazon.com.au in December 2017. Since then, he has built and now leads a team focusing on growing the offering for Australian customers and businesses that sell on the Amazon marketplace, including launching products and services such as Prime, Alexa-enabled Echo Devices, Global Store, and Fulfilment By Amazon. Prior to his role in Australia, Rocco led the German Consumables team at Amazon which included responsibilities for FMCG product lines as well as programs such as Prime Family, Subscribe & Save, EU Prime Pantry and EU Dash. He also supported the India team subsequent to their launch.

Terry Lundgren served for 14 years as CEO of Macy’s, Inc., operator of Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Bluemercury and one of the largest retail ecommerce businesses in America. He retired from Macy’s, Inc. in January 2018 after serving for 10 months as the company’s Executive Chairman. Prior to becoming CEO of the company in February 2003 and Chairman and CEO in January 2004, Lundgren had been President and Chief Merchandising Officer since May 1997. (The company’s name changed to Macy’s, Inc. from Federated Department Stores, Inc. in 2007.) As CEO, Lundgren led Federated’s acquisition of The May Department Stores Company in August 2005, nearly doubling the size of the company. One year later, he changed the name of more than 400 regional department stores across the country to the Macy’s name, creating a nationwide brand and the largest fashion retail company in America. In fiscal 2016, the final years of Lundgren’s tenure as CEO, Macy’s, Inc. sales approached $26 billion, with approximately 140,000 employees. The company operated approximately 575 department stores under the nameplates Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, and approximately 150 specialty stores that include Bluemercury, Bloomingdale’s The Outlet and Macy’s Backstage, in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico, as well as macys.com, bloomingdales.com and bluemercury.com. Bloomingdale’s has store locations in the Middle East in partnership with the Al Tayer Group and Macy’s has an on-line presence in China on Alibaba’s TMall global e-commerce platform. Prior to joining Federated, Lundgren was Chairman, CEO of Neiman Marcus. Lundgren is a native of Long Beach, CA, a graduate of The University of Arizona, and an active supporter of The Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing at The University of Arizona. He has honorary doctorate degrees from The University of Arizona and Suffolk University, and serves as an Executive In Residence at Columbia Business School. Lundgren currently serves on the boards of The Procter & Gamble Company, Carnegie Hall and is chairman of the Economic Club of New York. He is a former board member of Kraft Foods Inc., the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and has participated in numerous charitable and civic efforts and has received numerous awards and recognitions for his leadership in the Fashion Retail industries as well as for his civic and charitable contributions. He has served as co-chairman of the Partnership for New York City and the American Heart Association CEO Roundtable, and chairman of the National Retail Federation (twice), National Minority Supplier Development Council, and the American Society of Corporate Executives.

Launa Inman is a Non-Executive Director of the Super Retail Group, where she is Chair of the Remuneration Committee, and a Board Member of Precinct, a New Zealand commercial property group. Launa also serves on two Not For Profit boards, The Alannah Madeline Foundation and the Virgin Melbourne Fashion Festival.

Launa’s previous Board experience includes 7 years as a Non-Executive Director on the Commonwealth Bank board. While serving on the Commonwealth Bank Board, Launa was additionally part of the Risk, Remuneration and Audit Committee.

Launa has served as Managing Director/CEO of Officeworks, Target Australia and Billabong International, where she was one of only six Woman CEOs in the ASX 200.

Launa’s experience is recognised internationally as a leader of large corporations, multi-brand wholesale and retail, e-commerce, strategic planning, marketing and corporate restructuring. Launa is passionate about customer experience and using technology as an enabler of innovation.

In recognition of her contribution to business Launa was awarded Telstra Australian Businesswoman of the Year and Victoria Businesswoman of the Year in 2003. In 2015 the Australian Marketing Institute awarded her the prestigious Sir Charles McGrath Award for her significant contribution to the field of marketing and wider industry achievements.

After reading Archaeology and Ancient History Mark started his career at the John Lewis partnership as a graduate trainee in 1982 progressing to become Branch manager in High Wycombe and Cheadle. In 2005 he joined the John Lewis Partnership Board taking on responsibility for strategy and IT as Development Director. In April 2007 he was appointed as Managing Director of Waitrose. At the time Waitrose had 183 stores but had increased to 346 when he retired in 2016 after 10 fulfilling years in the role.

In 2013 in addition to his position at Waitrose Mark became Deputy Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership.

He was Chairman of Business in the Community from 2011-2015 and The Prince’s Countryside Fund from 2010–2016. He also sat on the Board of Directors of Channel 4 TV latterly as Deputy Chairman from 2013-16.

He was appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in the 2014 New Year’s Honours for his work with Business in the Community and The Prince’s Countryside Fund. He is also Life Patron of GroceryAid.

In February 2016 Lord Price was appointed the United Kingdom Minister of State for Trade and Investment and was made a life peer.

He left the Government in September 2017 to pursue his writing and business interests and remains a member of the House of Lords. To date he has published 5 books on business, food and for children.

Erica joined Super Retail Group in November 2011 as Managing Director – Sports Retailing, following the acquisition of Rebel Group, and leads the rebel and Infinite Retail businesses. Erica has over 20 years of Australian retail experience and has served in senior management positions, including General Manager of Merchandise & Marketing at Rebel Sport, General Manager of two women’s apparel businesses for Specialty Fashion Group and National Product Management roles at Harvey Norman. Erica has also had a variety of board roles including Sydney FC A-League club since 2014. She is passionate about driving participation in sport (especially for girls), and mentoring women in business.

Holly Kramer is the Deputy Chairman of Australia Post and a Non-Executive Director on the Boards of Woolworths and 2XU. She also sits on the boards of Western Sydney University, the GO (GoodesO’Loughlin) Foundation, community-owned telco Southern Phones and ASIC External Advisory Panel. Holly’s previous boards include AMP Limited and Nine Entertainment. In her executive career, Holly was the CEO of apparel retailer Best & Less, where she was responsible for transforming the business and returning it to growth and profitability. In that role, she was responsible for approximately 200 stores and 4300 employees across Australia. Prior to Best & Less, she was an executive at Pacific Brands, running the Workwear and Homewares Divisions, and Telstra, where she held the roles of Group Managing Director- Product Management and Chief of Marketing. She has also held management positions at ecorp Ltd and Ford Motor Company (in Australia and the US.) Holly has a BA with Honours in Economics and Political Science from Yale University and an MBA from Georgetown University. She is a member of Chief Executive Women and was the recipient of the 2016 AMI’s Sir Charles McGrath award for Marketing.

Akash has a wealth of experience in retail and project management and has worked for leading global brands including Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Calvin Klein. Akash is well versed in designing and project managing the delivering of stores across Asia. His experience includes planning, budgeting, and tracking the store construction progress using tools and templates to ensure that the stores are delivered on time. Akash currently manages a team of 16 Architects and Project Managers who create strategic processes to effectively roll out Levi’s® and Dockers® Brands across different regions. Akash holds a Bachelor in Tech Civil Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, India.

Tim is the Chair and Director of NRMA, a Director of Platinum Asset Management Limited and Advisor to Quantium, Australia’s leading data and analytics company, and holds interests in several private high growth innovative companies. He is an authority on how to use information and technology to drive innovation, for corporate strategy and for a better society. His core interest relates to the role of directors to create good governance, for the service of customers and the community. Tim is an experienced chair, non-executive director, former CEO, and advisor for high-performance global and Australian companies. His career has spanned diverse categories including artificial intelligence and machine learning, big data, digital transformation, mobility and transport, financial services and media. Along with fellow directors and Chairman Hon. R J Hawke, Tim helped to establish The Bestest Foundation. This charity has raised over $4,000,000 for disadvantaged Australian children.

Michael Ford was appointed CEO of Steinhoff Asia Pacific Group Holdings in August 2017. Michael has over 25 years of international retail experience and is highly skilled in all facets of retail, with a particular passion for business innovation and transformation. He has held CEO roles with iconic retail brands such as The Good Guys, Country Road, Esprit and Jag Clothing.

As Chief Executive Officer of The Good Guys between 2004 and 2016, Michael lead a team of over 4,400 employees across Australia to deliver the organisation’s mission of delighting customers and ‘doing good’ through a lens of remarkable retail, in order to become the most successful and admired electrical appliance retailer in Australia. He led The Good Guys into a new age of prosperity and growth, doubling the company’s annual turnover and achieving the number one market share and number one preference to shop for large and small appliances in Australia.

Michael’s leadership helped The Good Guys flourish in an industry that was undergoing rapid structural transformation and consolidation, and which was impacted by significant price deflation as well as the emergence of new players. He did this by identifying and utilising industry trends, seeking out World’s best practice, investing in best-of-breed systems and infrastructure, and adapting working practices to accommodate rapidly changing consumer needs.

Chris Garlick has been CEO of Starbucks Australia since 2014. Chris’ appointment to the role was part of the acquisition of Starbucks Australia by the Withers Group. It was also the beginning of the transformation of the business, after it had failed to gain traction since the brand entered Australia in 2000. Under Chris’ leadership, the transformation of Starbucks Australia has been characterised by a deep understanding of the economics of the local market, as well as an unrelenting focus on delighting customers with exceptional experiences in stores, consistent delivery of high quality beverages, and the physical and digital engagement of customers in a way that has strong resonance with target groups. By the end of 2018, Starbucks Australia will have reached 44 stores; beyond that, there is an exciting pipeline of future stores in locations exposed to high customer traffic flows. Prior to Starbucks, Chris was General Manager of the Non-Food business at Coles Supermarkets for 2.5 years. This role provided the opportunity for Chris to be a prominent leader and active contributor to the remarkable performance trajectory of that business during that period of time. All of this was after Chris “grew up” within BP over 16 years. Over his time in BP, Chris moved from a graduate intake in the very early stages of his career, to running the Retail business in Australia. Notable highlights were his 6 years in Senior Marketing and Sales roles in BP America based in Chicago, including 4 years as Vice President of Product & Offer Development; and leading the Australian Petrol & Convenience Business to deliver material profit growth through a highly engaged team. Chris has an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM), and has spent time at Kellogg Graduate School of Management undertaking various Sales & Marketing programs. His undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Arts, with Honours in Politics.

Jo Devery is the Chief Operating Officer of family-owned, Australian retail entity, Winning Group. Jo holds executive accountability for the Group’s Winning Services and Home Clearance businesses, as well as for the Customer Experience, Commercial and Team Experience business units. Jo is focused on the fast growth and transformation of the Group’s constantly evolving business model. Jo’s success lies in her ability to deliver business goals through the understanding of the end-to-end retail supply chain and her ability to lead & engage stakeholders. Previously, Jo held senior management positions with Lux Group, Big W, Kmart, Myer and Pacific Brands in Australia and Asia. Jo is a member on the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Mark is the CMO of Showpo, where he is leading the pure play fashion e-Commerce retailer in growing globally. Mark has worked on many top global and local brands, in house and consulting, including Woolworths Group, Officeworks, Dymocks, Catch of the Day, Microsoft, Allianz, Vodafone, and many others. He has extensive experience in attracting, mentoring and retaining top talent, having managed teams for almost 20 years.

Mark is the Chief Digital Officer of Accent Group Ltd, Australia’s largest footwear retailer with over 440 stores across Australia & New Zealand. Mark has extensive experience in a variety of retail disciplines including Merchandise, Marketing, eCommerce, CRM, and Omni-channel retail. Mark has developed a reputation as a change agent, leading several high-profile change management and strategic projects at Accent Group through digitising the organisation and re-imagining retail. He is responsible for the Group Digital Strategy and execution for 9 retail and wholesale brands including, The Athlete’s Foot, Platypus, HypeDC, Skechers, Vans, Timberland, Merrell, Sperry, Saucony & CAT. Mark holds a Masters of Management and MBA from MGSM, and is a non-executive director of not-for-profit board.

Simon is a highly passionate marketing & business professional who is currently the National Advertising & Communications Manager at Officeworks Australia. His strengths are grounded within Inspirational Leadership, as well as the strategic and analytical side of the marketing space. He has built strong strategic partnerships across the retail and media industry while at Officeworks & Boost Juice, and took a lead role in evolving the communications strategy during the transformation of Kmart, while also having extensive experience within the Advertising Agency environment.

He has lead Marketing Teams across a variety of retail businesses, and is an avid mentor to those he can pass his knowledge and experience on to. Developing strong and passionate teams that can implement world-class marketing strategies and campaigns that grow brands, is his key focus.

In 2010 Simon completed a Masters in Marketing Degree at Swinburne University, in 2012 he was named the Retail Zoo (Holding Company of Boost Juice) Employee of the year, and has won multiple national & international industry awards in Advertising Effectiveness for creating best-in-class Retail Marketing for the Officeworks Brand. In 2016 Simon was inducted into the Marketing Academy of Australia.

A passionate creative marketer, Luke has worked in various marketing roles across the FMCG range category including natural health, entertainment, food and now travel. Majoring in Marketing and Law, Luke has used his skills across multiple roles where he currently leads the brand strategy for one of the largest travel companies in the world, Flight Centre. Recent work has had him launch the new brand direction and created their first ever travel series ‘The 48 Hour Destination’ on network 10. He is currently working on his two new project, The second season of The 48 Hour Destination and a new series using SEO data and highlighting our consultants in ‘The Expert Series’.

Jane Kelly joined Super Retail Group in July 2016 as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) from BT Financial Group, where she served as Human Resources and Corporate Affairs Director. Previously, she served in a number of senior roles in large, complex organisations, including Head of Reward for St. George Bank and Head of HR Australian Financial Services at Westpac. Jane holds a Masters of Commerce and Employee Relations with honours from the University of Melbourne, and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of New South Wales. As CHRO, Jane is responsible for advancing Super Retail Group’s strong focus on team engagement, culture and capability development.

Karen Matthews has over 22 years experience in national and international retailing, franchising and brand management and summarises her career in distinct but interconnected chapters….

• Firslty, she cut her teeth and learnt the art of retail, buying and marketing with the Myer Group
• Karen moved into brand management, licensing and product development with the FJ Benjamin Group (a family owned fashion and fashion accessories business), working with wonderful brand such as Guess, Ann Taylor and Gucci
• She then had 10 wonderful years as CEO of skincare company Ella Bache, where she developed and launched Australia’s first skincare franchise and developed her passion and love of the Health and Wellness industry, people, change and leadership
• Karen’s last corporate role was as Retail Director with Freedom Furniture, where she led their 50 stores and 1200 staff in all things retail.
• In 2016, Karen launched, “Karen Matthews – Inspiring Change”, where she now works with frustrated individuals and businesses who are operating in ‘remote control’. They know something needs to change but find themselves stuck, swamped by day to day “to do lists” and need some support to make it happen.

Karen is recognised in the market as a confident and innovative leader with strong operational and strategic experience and an unwavering commitment to vision, people and product

She has won a number of awards over her career including 2004 Telstra NSW Business Woman of Year, 2005 PWC NSW Franchise Woman Year and 2007 PWC National Franchise Woman of Year

Fiona Murphy is General Manager, Human Resources at Kmart Tyre & Auto Service, part of the Wesfarmers group of companies. Qualified in both Psychology and Law, she has over 20 years of experience in HR both in Australia and the UK and held senior roles in organisations as diverse as Channel 4 Television (UK), Uniting Care, and Study Group. Her retail experience includes Hertz Rent-a-Car (UK), the Just Group, and her current role. She is passionate about building skills via vocational education and mentoring women into leadership roles.

Angus has spent 30 years working in marketing across consumer electronics, telecommunications and IT. He is currently the CMO for LG Electronics Australia were Life is Good managing the entire B2C and B2B portfolio of 17 categories. Previously he has worked at a Local, Regional and Global level for companies including Optus, HPE and Dell.

Donna Pidduck joined Origin in March 2017 and holds the position of Chief Marketing Officer. Donna leads the marketing function in the retail business and is responsible for brand, customer marketing, product development and customer experience across Origin’s residential and SME customers. Prior to joining Origin, Donna spent 18 years with GE Capital in both Australia and Europe (Zurich), in a range of senior marketing positions across multiple disciplines such as brand development, credit card segment marketing, personal lending and commercial lending. Donna holds a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.