Steven has over 20 years of experience in Australian and international retail.

Steven was previously Chief Executive Officer of supermarkets and convenience at Metcash Limited. He was also Chief Executive of Carlton Communications plc, an FTSE 100 media group company, and Operating Director and portfolio company chairman at Pacific Equity Partners, a private equity firm. He was also Group Marketing Director, Store Development Director and Grocery Trading Director of Asda (UK) during its turnaround and has held roles at Kingfisher plc, a UK retail group, and Bain & Company.

Steven was previously the Managing Director of food, liquor and fuel at Coles Myer and was an advisor to Wesfarmers on its takeover of the Coles Group in 2007.

Steven holds a Master of Engineering (First Class) from the Imperial College London, attended Retail, Supply Chain & Strategy programs at Harvard Business School, and Digital Transformation & Innovative Program at INSEAD.

David Boynton is Chief Executive of iconic British brand The Body Shop, where he has responsibility for the company’s business strategy, execution and growth in more than 65 markets worldwide. He took the role in December 2017 following the acquisition of The Body Shop by Brazil’s best known beauty brand and sustainability leader, Natura Cosmeticos. David previously held senior positions at a number of major high-street retailers, most recently as CEO of menswear retailer Charles Tyrwhitt. He was also formerly at natural beauty brand L’Occitane for ten years, his last role at the group being Chief Executive of the western hemisphere where he was operationally responsible for a geographically diverse group of over 600 boutiques.

He has also held a number of senior management roles across Asian markets. David has over 30 years’ experience in the retail sector and has expertise spanning operations, real estate, e-commerce and CRM, brand-building, operational marketing and sales development.

“Throughout my career, my passion has been to create working environments where everyone has the chance to fulfil their potential – irrespective of whether you went to Harvard or Haverhill Secondary Modern: if you bring creativity, energy and a strong sense of accountability to your work, you will be able to do spectacularly well. Although I still feel as though I’m at the start of my career, it turns out that for more than three decades I have been supporting institutions that protect the world we live in and aim to deliver equality of opportunities. Leading The Body shop as it rediscovers its purpose is incredibly rewarding: everyday gives me a beautiful opportunity to make a difference to the things I care most about, in a business that was born to be a force for good.”

Michael Schneider was appointed Managing Director Bunnings Australia and New Zealand in March 2016. Prior to this Michael led Store Operations teams across Australia and New Zealand after joining Bunnings in 2005. Before joining Bunnings, Michael held a range of senior operational, commercial and human resources roles across regional and national markets, both in retail and financial services businesses.

Michael is committed to developing diverse teams that challenge the status quo and embrace innovation to drive high performance which is critical in today’s competitive retail environment. As a leader, he is known for his collaborative, genuine and honest style and for having a real passion and energy for the Bunnings business. This has fostered Bunnings’ supportive culture which empowers team members to take responsibility and have ownership in how the business delivers its customers’ a unique and compelling proposition.

Michael believes that team members’ ability to connect with customers and the local community is key to the business’ success and that this requires an ongoing investment in building the best team as well as creating a culture that builds trust, inspires action, develops people and drives performance. He is a strong advocate for emerging talent and believes in giving young leaders every opportunity to realise their full potential and develop their careers across a range of disciplines within the business. Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of NSW and has completed the Advanced Management Program at INSEAD, and the Advanced Strategic Management Program at IMD.

Guy joined Wesfarmers in 2008 as Managing Director of Kmart, and was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Department Stores division (Kmart Limited/Target Limited) in February 2016. Prior to this, Guy worked for McDonald’s, beginning his career in 1974. He was appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at McDonald’s Australia from 1999 before becoming President, McDonald’s Greater China from 2005 to 2007. Guy was recently appointed Chairman of Guzman y Gomez premium fast casual Mexican restaurants. Guy is a passionate President of global non-profit, OneSky, for orphaned and at risk children.

Why do we behave the way we do? In a rapidly changing world shaped by technology, the rise of tribalism and shifting demographics this question has never been more relevant. Katharina has worked with some of the world’s biggest brands to not just answer this question but to drive strategies that help positively influence their people, their customers and their broader role in society. She’s one of APAC’s leading neuroscientists, published author, keynote speaker and an expert in tapping into the non-conscious nature of human decision-making. Her mission is to create emotional connections and personalisation at an unprecedented, deeply human level. Her work as Chief Strategist of the Winning Group combines science, technology and strategy to drive the growth and development of the Group’s e-commerce, technology, logistics and retail brands. Most recently, Katharina has lead a transformation of Winning Group’s workplace culture and been selected as number #5 in Internet Retailing’s Top 50 People in E-Commerce for 2019.

From pizza delivery driver to pizza store entrepreneur, to Group CEO and Managing Director of Australia’s largest and first publicly-listed pizza chain, Don Meij has proven he has the recipe for success with passion, hard work and dedication the main ingredients. After commencing as a pizza delivery driver in 1987 in Redcliffe, Queensland, for Silvio’s Dial-a-Pizza (Silvio’s) while studying to be a high school teacher, Don fell in love with the business and has since worked his way up the ranks. By 1996 Don took the plunge and bought his first franchise in what is now Domino’s at Morayfield, Caboolture – which went on to become the second busiest store on the planet in its first year. Don went on to build a network of 17 stores, before vending his stores into Domino’s, becoming Chief Operating Officer (2001), and then Group Chief Executive Officer (2002). In May 2005, Don led Domino’s to become Australia’s first publicly-listed pizza chain on the ASX. Domino’s Pizza Enterprise Limited (DPE) is now the largest master franchise in the world and owns and operates more than 2,500 stores in Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Japan, Germany, Luxembourg and Denmark. Don has always held a deep passion for innovation and entrepreneurialism and through his leadership and commitment, Domino’s has launched many world-first initiatives in the technology and digital innovation space. Examples include Domino’s GPS Driver Tracker technology that allows customers to track pizza from the store to the door, the launch of autonomous pizza delivery vehicles and drones, and DOM Pizza Checker, which uses artificial intelligence to improve the quality and consistency of pizzas. Don passionately believes businesses must disrupt, or be disrupted, and is now leading the Company’s investment in machine learning, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Food, meeting demand from more customers than ever before who want to engage with businesses online. All of Domino’s innovation work aims to answer one simple question: How can we make this experience better for our customers and keep them coming back for more? Don has won many industry awards including; Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Channel 7 Business Person of the Year Awards 2015, The Ernst & Young Australian Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2004, Australian Institute of Management (AIM) Professional Manager of the Year 2004 (QLD) and the 2002 QLD Retail Franchise. Don’s international Domino’s awards include Pizza International Manager of the Year in 1996 and Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Domino’s worldwide network in 2004. In 2016, Don was listed No. 4 on Business Insider’s list of 100 Coolest People in Australian Tech and Domino’s was named No. 20 on Forbes’ Most Innovative Growth Companies list. In 2017, Don celebrated 30 years with Domino’s which today, is the market leader in most of the countries in which it operates. In 2018 under Don’s leadership, Domino’s was inducted into Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame in recognition of its remarkable national and international success in the food industry, resulting in pizza market leadership in seven countries through Don Meij’s outstanding leadership and disruptive innovation. The Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame was established by QUT Business School, State Library of Queensland and the Queensland Library Foundation to recognise the public contribution made by leaders of business to the reputation of Queensland and its economic and social development. In 2019, Don united all DPE markets behind one purpose – to bring people closer through the world’s best bonding food: pizza. In this divided world, Domino’s is determined to break down the barriers between customers, and the food they love to share – offering something for everyone from meat lovers, to vegetarians and vegans, so everyone can share in the joy of pizza. The story of Domino’s and the dedication and commitment from Don will continue to evolve well into the next decade.

As Managing Director for Spotify Australia and New Zealand, Karen leads a team to grow Spotify’s market-leading position, implementing the commercial model, partnerships, and overall market approach. Karen is an award-winning business executive and leader in the digital, technology, and startup industry who uses her experience in driving reinvention and transformation to help the world’s biggest brands stay ahead of disruption.

Prior to Spotify, Karen held the role of CEO of Slingshot, where she grew the business to become the #1 corporate accelerator in Australia. She has also served as General Manager of Yahoo! 7, and CEO of CareerOne, where she forged a new digital strategy and reinvented the traditional “job board” into a leading targeting and digital business. With experience leading companies through change; motivating and developing cross-functional teams to peak performance, Karen is extremely passionate about D&I, delivering results and helping others achieve their true potential.

Karen is constantly learning and credits podcasts such as Stuff You Should Know, and Freakonomics as an important part of her daily routine. As a graduate of the Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) Karen continues her commitments to the startup sector, as an advisory board director to The Sydney Startup Hub, Ribit and also mentors leaders with a special focus on female founders. She is also a huge ‘foodie’ and has been a food and luxury travel journalist for over thirteen years, writing for a diverse range of publishers. She balances this by being an avid runner and has completed both New York and London Marathons.

Alan commenced with Wesfarmers as General Manager, Advanced Analytics, in June 2018. Prior to this, he held the role of Group General Manager, Corporate Business Intelligence and Advanced Analytics with Falabella Group, a leading South American retail and financial services group. In previous roles, Alan was a Principal at Quantium Australia, Director at Emnos Consulting UK and Head of Customer Insights at Sainsbury’s Supermarkets. Reflecting that 2 years ago, the Group MD, Rob Scott, made Data and Digital a top 3 strategic priority for the Wesfarmers Group, Alan has responsibility for accelerating the delivery of business benefit through Wesfarmers becoming a data driven organisation. He leads the Advanced Analytics Centre (AAC), a team of Data Scientists, Data Engineers and Business Translators who work in partnership with the divisional advanced analytics teams to realise divisional commercial potential. Together they utilise best practice advanced analytics approaches to scope, develop and scale advanced analytics solutions and build the underlying business-wide analytics capabilities. These advanced analytics uses cases have ranged from marketing and merchandising through to operations, covering the Wesfarmers retail and industrials divisions.

A creative expert in sports retail, Bob has extensive experience in both Global fields and Asia Pacific. Born in France, educated in the United Kingdom, Bob has occupied his roles in Hong Kong, Asia Pacific and Globally for the last 25 years. With his name, behind over 10,000 concepts in stores around the world, Bob has developed an understanding of the international market and the specific nuances in cultures worldwide. Being formally trained and versed in Three Dimensional, Product and Retail Design has given Bob an extensive skill set in translating brands into the retail space with self-evident bottom line growth.

Anthony is a highly experienced retail executive with a strong digital and marketing pedigree and a track record of growing businesses. He joined Super Retail Group as a member of the Group Leadership Team in April 2015 and was appointed the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in February 2019. Super Retail Group is ASX-listed, one of Australia and New Zealand’s largest retailers and the proud owner of four iconic brands: Supercheap Auto, Rebel, BCF and Macpac. Comprising more than 12,000 team members, their collective purpose is to inspire their customers to live their leisure passions – whether that’s proudly looking after their car, running a marathon, catching a ‘barra’ or reaching a mountain summit.

In the 2019 financial year, Super Retail Group generated more than $2.7bn in sales. Across the four brands and an omni-retail offer including 690 stores, Click & Collect and home delivery, the Group handles more than 46 million customer transactions per year and has more than 6 million active club members. In his previous role as Managing Director – Outdoor Retailing, Anthony was responsible for the BCF, Rays and Macpac businesses. As part of the overhaul of Rays and BCF, he unveiled an innovative format and streamlined the store network. Anthony initiated and directed the April 2018 acquisition of Macpac, integrating the brand with the Rays business and spearheaded the plan to grow Macpac into the leading outdoor adventure retail specialist across Australia and New Zealand.

Before Super Retail Group, Anthony held a number of senior management roles at Pacific Brands Limited, most recently as Group General Manager of Underwear, responsible for the flagship Bonds underwear business. In this role, he led the transition of the business model from a wholesale operation to a direct-to-consumer business and expanded the network of retail stores from one to 75. Anthony was previously Global Marketing Director for Foster’s Group Limited, at the time one of the largest executive marketing roles in Australia. This role followed more than a decade at advertising agencies George Patterson and McCann-Erickson, where he served as Managing Director.

Pippa Hallas is the CEO of the iconic skincare empire Ella Baché. The embodiment of female empowerment – she’s a mentor, an avid traveller, wellness authority, a mother to two young sons and a wife. Ella Baché is a family run business which was launched by her great aunt Madame Bache in Paris in the 1936 and brought to Australia by her grandmother Edith Hallas in the ‘50s and developed under the leadership of her father John in the eras that followed. Now, in her capable hands, Pippa is driving the brand into a new era of beauty. Over the past 10 years as CEO, she has focused on the same principles the business was founded on, but adds to its repertoire as a trusted go-to brand in the skincare and cosmetic world. Hallas is all about introducing a new audience to the iconic family empire with Ella Baché skin ambassadors, embracing social media as a platform for exchange and collaborating with fashion designers for her beauty crusade. She’s also passionate about the brand’s online education program where Ella Baché beauty therapists can aspire to be business leaders too. Prior to joining the company, Hallas worked at the esteemed advertising agency, McCann Erickson in London. Her love for brand building and marketing [she studied business/marketing at university and did her post-grad in the same field] saw her join the family business in a marketing role, later as GM and then as CEO to take Ella Baché to the next generation. Hallas has grown the franchise business to over 155 salons and launched the e-commerce site which has evolved over the last seven years. Hallas says she’d like to continue to support the franchise model and continue to prove that it is a viable business option for young women wanting to become business role models.

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 a not-for-profit board.

Danny Celoni is Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo Australia and New Zealand. He has responsibility for PepsiCo’s snacks and beverages business and its portfolio of successful brands including Smith’s, Doritos, Red Rock Deli, Bluebird, Pepsi Max and Gatorade.

Group CEO and co-founder of the Big Red Group, established July 2017 alongside business partner Naomi Simson. David directs a hungry and dedicated leadership team who are committed to delivering value to BRG business partners, stakeholders and employees. Together, the BRG mission is to lead the digital transformation of online retail marketing in Australia with the vision to shift the way people experience life. The BRG was established to provide an Integrated Shared Services team, which wraps around various Marketplaces to provide specialised skills and services. This structure provides an entire infrastructure for the BRG marketplaces to run their businesses, scale and make a profit – to ‘focus on their knitting’ and what they do best; deliver incredible experiences.

Peter Birtles was the CEO of Super Retail Group from 2006 until early 2019. During this time he oversaw the development of the Supercheap Auto and BCF businesses and the acquisition of the Rebel and Macpac businesses, increasing Group sales from $500 million to $2.7 billion. Peter was named 2013 CEO of the Year by The Australian Newspaper’s Deal Magazine and 2014 Retail CEO of the Year by the National Retail Association. In 2017, Peter was recognised for his outstanding contribution to the Retail Industry by the National Retail Association. Peter is now a non executive director of the publicly listed GWA Group and Metcash and the privately owned APG&Co (the owner of the Sportscraft, Saba and Jag businesses). He is also a non executive director of Good 360, a not for profit distributing excess inventory from retailers and consumer goods companies to charities.

Angus is the Chief Executive Officer at Barbeques Galore, a national retailer with over 90 stores across Australia, and is also a member of the NORA Advisory Board. Prior to joining Barbeques Galore in July 2019, Angus spent 11 years at Super Retail Group, working across areas including retail operations, merchandise and ecommerce. Throughout this time, Angus led initiatives which resulted in Supercheap Auto being recognised on a number of occasions as Australia’s best multichannel retailer, and was also included in the 2018 list of the top 50 people in ecommerce.

A dynamic and visionary senior supply chain leader with over 15 years’ experience in supply chain and operations management both domestically and internationally. Strong experience across multiple sectors within supply chain and retail including road and transport, contract warehousing and distribution (3PL), contract vehicle logistics, contract courier and ocean freight. Passionate about inspiring and empowering teams to achieve outstanding performance with delivery of superior results through dedicated leadership, innovative problem solving and strategic thinking. Experienced both in improving and developing strategies to either improve existing supply chains and/or develop new supply chain initiatives within designated time frames and demanding change environments.

Jonathan Waecker is the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for The Warehouse Group. In this newly-created role he oversees all of the group’s marketing and communications activities, leading brand strategy and driving customer engagement for the group and its brands, including The Warehouse, Warehouse Stationery, Noel Leeming, Torpedo7. Prior to joining The Warehouse Group, Jonathan was based in San Francisco as Vice President of Marketing Communications at Yahoo, the fourth largest online property in the world, reaching over one billion users every month. In that role Jonathan led the fully-integrated team responsible for delivering all marketing communications during a critical turnaround period for the company, winning numerous industry awards, while driving revenue and results for the business and brand. Prior to Yahoo, Jonathan spent time in global marketing, brand strategy and business development roles at Zynga and The Walt Disney Company, two of the world’s most engaging and digitally innovative consumer brands. He has been named one of Brand Innovators 40 Under 40, received an MBA in Corporate Strategy from HEC Paris, a second MBA in Global Finance from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and graduated from San Diego State University.

In 2011 Mark co-founded Temple & Webster, a listed entity and Australia’s largest online retailer of furniture and homewares, and was appointed the group’s CEO in 2016. Previously Mark worked at News Limited where he was Director of Strategy for the Digital Media properties, and managed a portfolio of businesses including Moshtix, the digital ticketing company. Mark was also a solicitor at Gilbert + Tobin and management consultant at McKinsey & Company and holds a Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Science (Biochemistry) and Grad Dip (Psychology). Mark is passionate about new retail and was a founding director of the National Online Retailers Association (NORA). Mark believes that a workplace culture that truly fosters diversity is a competitive advantage.

Tim MacKinnon is the Managing Director of eBay Australia & New Zealand. Tim joined eBay in 2011 working in the Sydney office across a variety of roles including Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Director, Verticals and Retailer Growth – leading both the seller and marketing teams in those six years. He was appointed MD in September 2017. Tim is well-known to the Australian eBay seller community and is well-respected by them for his deep e-commerce insight and passion for growing Australian businesses. Prior to joining eBay Tim worked in corporate strategy and market entry for Intuit – based in Mountain View, California. He has also worked as an advisor to the Australian Government on innovation and IT industry and as a Senior Associate in an Australian corporate law firm. He has an MBA from Oxford University and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the University of Western Australia. On weekends Tim follows his three children around and, if lucky, runs and surfs.

Steve Cox is a highly accomplished retail leader with over 25 years experience in retail management across leading brands in Australia and the United Kingdom. Today Steve is Managing Director of Dymocks Retail; a position he has held for over 7 years. Taking on the challenges of the book retailing industry, Steve has direct experience in managing change through a disruptive retail environment. He has successfully steered Dymocks to sales and profit growth, delivering a strategy which has transformed direct customer communications and significantly increased customer loyalty to the 140 year old iconic brand. He continues to seek innovation in the operation of the locally owned network of stores, and delivers on the company mission of ‘inspiring more book lovers’.

As part of the Dymocks Retail growth strategy, in November 2015 Steve managed the acquisition of stationery and lifestyle gift supplier Telegram Co. This acquisition was soon followed by the launch of a new high-end stationery brand ‘Milligram’, with both an online presence (milligram.com) and the opening of physical stores in the Melbourne region. Today this business, as part of the Dymocks Group, is enjoying strong growth across both the wholesale and retail verticals.

In 2018, Steve led the launch of a new Dymocks owned tutoring business known as ‘Potentia’ with two tutoring hubs located in the Sydney region. Potentia provides tutoring services to school aged children, helping them achieve their academic potential, inspiring confidence and a lifelong love of learning. Steve is also on the Board of Dymocks Children’s Charities, a not for profit organisation specialising in literacy support for disadvantaged children in priority areas across Australia. In the last financial year, Dymocks Children’s Charities programs delivered 44,970 books to 39,950 students in 148 schools and community organisations across Australia, delivering on its vision to “change kids’ lives, one book at a time”.

An avid reader, cyclist, family man and Sydney Swans supporter, Steve holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Macquarie Graduate School of Management.

John is Non-Executive Director for Zip Co, Foodco, General Pants Group and HRI. He has cross sector experience across Marketing, Digital, Customer Experience, and General Management previously holding the position of Director of Marketing and Digital for Westfield/Scentre Group and the Regional Managing Director of the Wrigley Company. John holds a Masters in Management from MGSM majoring in Human Resources, a Bachelor of Business degree majoring in Marketing and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Kate Iles is Head of Store Design at T2 tea. T2 offers a unique sensory customer experience with a focus storytelling and immersion. Kate has over 15 years’ experience delivering retail environments across multiple channels, formats and markets. With a passion for experience led and interconnected store design, when she is not working on retail Kate likes to be in retail, shopping in all channels and discovering trends and insights

Dan Ferguson is the Chief Marketing Officer at Adore Beauty, Australia’s longest-running online beauty store with an official stocklist of over 200 leading global beauty brands. Dan is responsible for marketing and revenue across all categories for Adore Beauty. Prior to that, Dan served as Marketing Director at Trade Me, and Chief Marketing Officer at DesignCrowd – the world’s fastest growing custom design marketplace.

For the biggest beauty company, both globally and locally, navigating the business matrix across L’Oréal’s house of brands is no simple task. L’Oréal Australia is a complex framework of 30 unique beauty brands, working with over 3000 retailers and clients spanning across grocery, department store, pharmacy, pure players, salons and eCommerce. The ability to stay front of mind and serve the needs of consumers with excellent products can only be driven by a sound business and marketing strategy, and the Managing Director of L’Oréal Australia and New Zealand, Rodrigo Pizarro has successfully led the Australian and New Zealand business for the past 5 years. While other industries are in recession, the $6.5 billion Australian beauty market is still booming after 11 years of sustained growth. Rodrigo leads all of the Group’s operations and brands in the local market which includes brands such as L’Oréal Paris, Maybelline, Garnier, Lancôme, Yves Saint Laurent, La Roche-Posay, Kerastase and Redken. In a dynamic retail sector such as beauty, the challenge for Rodrigo is navigating and predicting its direction. Over the last 20 years, Rodrigo has moved from a product-led organisation to an industry completely driven by the consumer. With the emergence of new brands, products and retailers every month, the pace the industry moves has also changed. Rodrigo has led change and evolution across categories, for instance the evolution from haircare and haircolour to then makeup and now skincare. An evolution that is a consequence of the expanding consumer and retail environment.

Miles, is a generalist, who more recently has been working in the Health Insurance space following a successful stint at Smartgroup from start-up to market darling. With a background in sales and marketing, Miles decided to venture in to product, tech and customer experience, with his more recent efforts being to launch the first F2F enabled interaction voice recording and analytics application in Australia for the Bupa Health Insurance Retail Network. Outside of work, he likes watching Basketball (he likes coaches less so than teams) and doing puzzles (minimum of a thousand pieces please).

After an initial management experience in underground coal mining, Mr. Powell has over 25 years’ executive experience in retail, logistics and wholesale distribution in the UK, Spain, North America, Australia and New Zealand. This includes being UK Logistics Operations Director for Tesco Plc, running Wal-Mart Canada’s logistics operations, CEO of Warehouse Stationery in NZ and five years as Group CEO for The Warehouse Group, a New Zealand listed retail group. This group includes Noel Leeming, NZ’s largest technology and appliances retailer. Mark was an advisor to the board of The Good Guys for 18 months prior to their acquisition by JB Hi-Fi. He is also currently on the board of NZX listed Kiwi Property Group, is an Adjunct Professor at Auckland University Business School and involved on a voluntary basis with several not-for-profit organisations.

Kobie Taylor, Head of People & Culture at Metcash, has spent over 13 years working for some of Australia’s most iconic brands and partnering with leaders on strategy, transformational change, organisational effectiveness and talent management. At Metcash, the priority is shifting the business and the iconic IGA brand into growth, in what is a complex business model and a highly competitive market. With a new strategy, transforming how the business operates, and how it manages its talent, was quickly identified a critical enabler to achieving their ambitious vision and purpose.

As creative as she is data-geek, Nicole is a unique marketing leader, bringing a deep passion for technology and human behaviour to every customer interaction. With 20+ years of marketing and advertising experience, she has lead brands such as Dell, Pandora, eharmony and Woolworths towards transformative growth and financial success. Now Director of Marketing and Commercial at WW ANZ (formerly weight watchers), Nicole is tasked with amplifying the WW vision “To inspire healthy habits for life” and grow the global brand locally to ensure more Aussies and Kiwis are reaping the benefits of the wellness and healthy habits the WW experience brings.

Kshira Saagar (Shee-Rah Sa-Ga) has been with the Analytics/Decision Sciences industry for almost a decade now having worked across Americas, Asia, Europe and more importantly Australia. The bulk of his work has been focussed on developing solutions for the Data Science and Analytics problem spaces of the Retail, Telecom and Insurance marketing departments at some of the leading Fortune 100 clients. In his other roles, he has also enabled decision making through data for clients from the Media, Healthcare, Aviation, Logistics and FMCG organisations. Kshira believes in making data everyone’s job at an organisation and not have it just as a specialty role. In his current role at Global Fashion Group (the parent company of THE ICONIC), as the Director of Analytics and Data Science, he’s responsible for enabling data driven smart-decision making across 14 different countries within the fashion e-commerce space. Previously at Datalicious & prior to that at Fairfax, he was responsible for institutionalising data-driven analytics across the company’s core competencies and building new-age analytical products for the organisation.

Matt Croasdaile is the Chief Financial Officer of RM Williams. After a successful career at Macquarie Bank covering investment banking through to principal investing, he joined RM Williams as the CFO with a clear focus on making an impact at the iconic South Australian company. Matt believes that the CFO, and the Finance team more broadly, can play a leading role in an organisation given its unique position at the centre of all business units, especially where the business is experiencing substantial growth and opportunity. Matt is a qualified Chartered Accountant and holds the following degrees: Master in Finance (INSEAD) and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) (University of Sydney).

Nati Harpaz is the Managing Director of catch.com.au, a subsidiary of Wesfarmers and part of the Kmart Group. Catch is one of Australia’s leading eCommerce groups with a retail product business as well as a large marketplace. As a leader of a large digital organisation Nati’s focus is on building innovative and agile cultures that enable rapid growth and constant pivoting in a world of constant change. Nati’s background includes Law, Information Technology, Retail, Media and generally everything digital and tech.

Melissa Miller is the Country Sustainability Manager for IKEA Australia. She has more than 20 years’ experience for IKEA across various countries including Canada, Japan and Australia. Melissa started her career at IKEA as a part-time sales co-worker and after graduating, pursued a role as Visual Merchandiser of the IKEA Communication & Interior Design Department. After 13 years in the department working in various roles, Melissa moved to Tokyo as the Deputy Store Manager of IKEA Shim Misato before becoming the Store Manager of IKEA Marsden Park located in western Sydney. In September 2019, Melissa was appointed Country Sustainability Manager, responsible for the delivery of the IKEA People & Planet Strategy for 2030 throughout all units within IKEA Australia (including the upcoming market of New Zealand). Melissa and her team work with all functions throughout the business to help communicate, set and deliver the overarching strategy which covers three focus areas: o Healthy & Sustainable living – inspiring and enabling more than 1 billion people to live a better everyday life within the limits of the planet  o Circular & Climate Positive – transforming into a circular business and becoming climate positive by reducing more greenhouse gas emissions than the IKEA value chain emits, reducing the climate footprint of IKEA products and operations in absolute terms  o Fair and Equal – creating positive social impact for everyone across the IKEA value chain and in all areas of the IKEA business.  Since her appointment, Melissa has been involved in the successful roll-out of the national IKEA Buy-Back Service and plays an integral role in the delivery of the Electric Vehicle Strategy for IKEA Australia, which aims to use only electric vehicles for all operations and services by 2025.

Rebekka is the Senior Sustainability Manager at THE ICONIC, Australia’s leading e-commerce fashion retailer. Drawing on over 7 years experience facilitating the integration and implementation of responsible business practices, Rebekka is driving positive social and environmental impacts in THE ICONIC’s private label and branded supply chains as well as through their community partnerships program. Rebekka is also their Modern Slavery lead and is working cross functionally across the business to deliver their comprehensive modern slavery action plan. Rebekka has experience in both not-for-profit and corporate sectors across various retail sectors as well as a critical understanding of systemic on the ground issues which provides a balanced perspective on key sustainability and ethical sourcing issues and a realistic approach to the complex and ever changing global sustainability landscape while remaining optimistic that values driven businesses will be the future of commercial success.

Sally Townsend is a passionate Sustainability and Communications professional. She has 20 years of experience in the retail and healthcare sectors and specialises in developing strategies with a strong corporate narratives and deep alignment throughout organisations. In her current role as Head of Sustainability for Blackmores, Sally has responsibility for the Group Sustainability Vision aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and is working to integrate these commitments into the core business strategy to deliver on the company’s vision for a world where people and nature thrive together.

Karen is a senior retail and consumer executive who has worked in some of Australia’s most iconic retail brands: Woolworths, BIG W, Caltex and Rebel Sport. Karen has been a CFO, COO, GM of Strategy, GM of Transformation and Replenishment in public, private and private equity environments. Karen is a CEW scholar, having completed the Advanced Management Programme at INSEAD in France in 2019, as a result of winning the Chief Executive Women’s scholarship. Karen is passionate about retail, people and diversity.

Sophie is an HR Executive with 12 years’ experience working in the tech, retail and luxury industries. As the Australia & New Zealand Director of HR for Tiffany & Co. Sophie leads the company’s people strategy and team to drive talent attraction, engagement, retention and development. Sophie’s unique approach to organizational flourishing through application of the science of wellbeing, positive psychology, and neuroscience for employee flourishing has supported increases in customer satisfaction, brand desirability and positive business growth.

Damian Madden is an award-winning global executive with close to twenty-years of experience in digital transformation, emerging technologies, operations and marketing. A recognised expert in empowering innovation, Madden is regularly sought as a keynote speaker and has spoken around the world on the topic as well as how to prepare your business for the customer of tomorrow. He regularly donates his time within the creative sector to help artists, museums and galleries to better engage with their patrons and integrate technology into their practice.

As General Manager People and Culture for kikki.K, Stacey is directly responsible for leading strategic HR on a global front. As a member of the Executive Team, Stacey is responsible for developing the People Strategy in alignment with the company’s overarching strategy. She provides leadership on the full range of people issues, including; organisational capability, talent management and acquisition, industrial relations, remuneration and benefits, workforce planning, performance management system, and HR technology. Stacey has experience spanning the education, telecommunications, insurance, retail and hospitality industries.

Dean Salakas is the Chief Party Dude at The Party People. Dean has pioneered in retail launching Australia’s first online party store in 1999, being Google Australia’s First Advertiser and more recently trialing Scan & Go as well as Magic Mirror technologies. Dean was named 2018 Retail Leader of The Year by The Australian Retail Association and 2019 Inspiring Retail Leader by Retail Doctor Group.

Jonathan Reeve leads the ANZ operations of Eagle Eye, a Software as a Service that enables businesses to create intelligent digital connections with their consumers. Eagle Eye’s customers include Asda Walmart, Coca-Cola, Diageo, John Lewis, Loblaw, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s and Tesco. Jonathan has worked in retail businesses on three continents for over 17 years and was part of the team that developed the operating model for Tesco.com, a global pioneer of online grocery retail. Jonathan is also the author of Retail’s Last Mile: Why Online Shopping Will Exceed Our Wildest Predictions, a book which explores the disruption of store retail by online shopping.

Lenore Harris is a retailer first and Human Resources Manager second, having worked in retail from the age of 15 and in a diverse range of HR roles for the last 20 years. Her experience includes working at Myer twice, first during the buoyant days of department store retailing and then again in more challenging times when Myer demerged from Coles Myer and relisted on the ASX. Lenore has also worked as a Program Director at the Australian Centre for Retail Studies, Monash University, and for the last 2 years has been the Group Human Resources Manager at Beacon Lighting, an organization centered around 109 retail stores but with a number of other arms including commercial, street lighting, globes, solar and international. Having worked in most areas of Human Resources, Lenore’s real areas of passion are leadership and culture, believing that if you can get those two right, just about anything is possible.

Over 12 years’ Procurement and Supply Chain experience across Australia and Europe and a diverse range of industries including, Retail, FMCG, automotive, finance, aviation, healthcare and energy. Proven experience managing Procurement of Supply Chain in Australia and New Zealand for more than 8 years within Siemens, Murray Goulburn (now Saputo) and David Jones & the Country Road Group. Graduated with a Bsc in Economics and Business, a Masters degree in International Business and a Masters degree in International Procurement.

Justin brings the leadership experience with large teams focused on innovation, from his time with HP and SAP, to more recent experience as CEO of a last mile e-commerce operator to leading the launch of Shipster – a free-delivery subscription membership with major retailers, operated by Australia Post. Justin is passionate about CX and EX, and is a practitioner of Design Thinking innovation and lean/agile methodologies. Justin is currently the Melbourne Evangelist for Innovation Bay and is consulting to early-stage ecommerce players to help them scale. Justin holds a Bachelor of Business, a Masters Degree in Commerce from AGSM and has completed post-graduate studies with MGSM.

Renee Gamble is Google’s Industry Leader of Retail, Technology, Telecommunications and Energy where her responsibilities include growing and stewarding Google’s customer relationships with CxOs of some of the largest organizations in ANZ.  Renee joined Google in 2015 to head up the ANZ Google Cloud business, before taking on her current role in 2017.

Renee brings an extensive track record of technology and business innovation leadership.  Before joining Google she spent over 10 years at Microsoft in Singapore and Australia in various sales and business leadership roles. She previously worked as an industry analyst and business leader with IT & Telecommunications research advisory firm International Data Corporation (IDC) across Hong Kong, Beijing and Singapore. Earlier experience included IP start-ups and software firms.

Renee has a Bachelor of Arts (Social Science) from the University of Technology Sydney and a Masters of Commerce (Electronic Commerce) from Curtin University, Australia. Away from the office, Renee enjoys family life with her husband and two daughters and escaping for short breaks to travel and explore.

Paul Winsor is the General Manager of Retail for DataRobot. He has been a leader in the industry for more than 30 years.

Previous to working for DataRobot, Paul spent 19 years in several senior roles at Sainsbury’s, the 2nd largest UK retailer focused on data-driven strategic objectives. Paul has also led the Retail business practice for database and analytics-related software leading technologies before moving into the AI sector.

His expertise lies in helping retailers embrace AI and leverage data to improve profitability, grow and become more efficient and customer-focused.

Andrew Myers is the VP APAC & Global Digital Strategy at WorkJam. Andrew, a former retail industry executive, has deep experience across all aspects of a retail organization. Before joining WorkJam, he was the chief operations officer at Target Australia where he pioneered their Digital Workplace strategy and deployed WorkJam across the organization. Myers and his team were successful in helping Target Australia regain market prominence that they won the 2018 National Retail Association of Australia’s “Innovator of the Year” award. Andrew and his wife split their time between Sydney and Melbourne where they spend time enjoying what both amazing cities have to offer along with supporting the Seeing Eye Dogs and Red Cross.

Angus is co-founder of Sonder, the global authority on owned media, which has unlocked over $5 billion in media value across 11 different countries. In Australia, Sonder works with the likes of Woolworths, Telstra, American Express, Optus, Virgin, Crown Resorts, Commonwealth Bank, Myer and Stockland.

Having led some of the largest media buying agencies in Australia, Angus knows the true value of media. With his unique insight, he is helping retailers leverage their owned media assets to increase revenue, improve customer relationships and reduce costs.

In the connection economy, where trusted relationships rule supreme, Angus believes retailers are best placed to be the media owners of the future.

Chris Skelton is the Chief Customer Officer at Marketplacer, an Australian-based SaaS business which provides market-leading online marketplace platforms to clients wanting to build scalable and innovative online solutions. Since launching in 2016, Marketplacer has connected 11,000 businesses with platforms generating a combined annual audience of 50-million+ users.

Chris brings a wealth of expertise in the digital and software landscapes, with over 20 years of industry experience both in APAC and the UK. Most recently, Chris was the Managing Director at Adobe ANZ and previously held directorship roles at Insight, SAP and Unisys.

Charlie started with Kronos 15 years ago in the United States where he was Vice President of Business Development. In this role he was instrumental in driving Kronos strategy as a $1 billion global enterprise software leader, culminating in the company reporting record breaking financial results, with $1.4 billion revenue in its 2018 fiscal year.

As Kronos strengthens and expands its footprint in the ANZSEA markets, Charlie made the move down under in 2018 as MD ANZSEA in Kronos’ regional headquarters in Sydney.

Many organisations talk about people being important, but Charlie goes further to say that employees are a company’s strongest source of competitive advantage. While a lot of businesses talk the talk, Charlie’s vision for Kronos in the region is to help businesses walk the talk.

Kronos Australia has been voted one of the top 20 places to work in the nation, and Charlie says continuing to keep eagle eyed focus on customers and people will be the recipe for success under his watch.

Not only equipped with a savvy business mind, Charlie is known in the business for his technical thinking, which he applies to both innovation and functionality of Kronos systems. He holds a degree in science from the University of Maine and a Masters of Science in management and chemical engineering from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Maria Palazzolo has led and shaped industry initiatives across Australia throughout her 36-year career with GS1 Australia. During this period, Maria has held various Management and Executive roles leading to her appointment as CEO seventeen years ago.

Inspired by the insights offered by her years working with the GS1 system, as a member of various international, regional and local industry committees, Maria enjoys a unique appreciation of how GS1 organisations can change the way an entire nation does business.

Maria has successfully positioned GS1 Australia as a change agent in a highly dynamic field. GS1 Australia is a significant player in the Australian eCommerce landscape, with a growing membership of over 20,000 companies, expanding services, innovative approach and customer focus it has become a partner of choice for many Australian organisations.

A large part of Maria’s role is to encourage industry leadership and collaboration to enhance supply-chain management and drive the competitiveness and profitability of Australian industry in local and international markets. Her business acumen and leadership skills are highly sought after. She is also an experienced facilitator and sits on several global committees, advisory councils and boards.

Maria’s strength lies in her passion, knowledge, business acumen and unshakable belief that the future of GS1 is bounded only by its creativity.

Maria also holds positions on the GS1 Global Management Board and on Boards within Australia.