Paving the Way to New Heights

George Abbott

Head of EMEA & APAC

Oura Ring, UK

George Abbott possesses extensive experience in leadership and commercial roles across various industries, currently serving as Head of EMEA & APAC at ŌURA since 2024. Prior to this, George held positions as Strategic Advisor and Chief Commercial Officer at SOUNDBOKS. At Therabody, George served as Managing Director and Vice President of Sales & Marketing from 2020 to 2023. George's career also includes significant roles at Electrolux, Apple, GAME Digital plc, MANGO, and T-Mobile, demonstrating a strong background in sales, marketing, and business development. George holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Essex.

Antonio Arranz

CEO

DHL Express, Mexico

Antonio Arranz has been with DHL Express in Mexico since May 2003 and became CEO in 2011. He has held at DHL various positions of growing responsibilities, and served as Director of Operations Planning, General Management of DHL Express Colombia, VP of Operations DHL Express Americas in Miami. In 2009, he assumed the position of SVP of Operations for the Americas, USA and Canada, as well as four Latin American aviation companies. Prior to joining DHL, Antonio worked for more than 10 years at Procter & Gamble and L'Oréal, where he implemented strategies for Mexico and Latin America. He has contributed decisively to team projects in the Americas region, which has earned DHL Express first place in the Great Place to Work Mexico ranking, consecutively for the last four years. Among his many awards are the National Logistics Award 2022: “Galardón Tameme” in the Executive Category, “The Best CEOs” 2022 and 2023 by Great Place to Work, “The 100 Most Influential” by T21, among others. He is also a recipient of the Fulbright scholarship and the Gabino Barreda medal from UNAM. He is the author of the book “Efficient Chains, Invincible Companies”. Antonio is an Industrial Engineer who graduated from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México where he also received Master degrees in Administration and in Finance. He also held a Master's degree in Business Administration and Industrial Engineering from the University of Florida and a Post MBA from the Kellogg Management School. Antonio is a member of the Young President Organization and of the Industrial Engineering Specialty Committee of the Mexican Academy of Engineering (AIM).

Dr Achim Berg

Founder & Managing Director

FashionSIGHTS

Dr Achim Berg is a renowned advisor, author, speaker and investor in the global fashion industry. He spent 24 years with McKinsey & Company — 14 as Partner and Senior Partner, where he focused on the fashion and luxury industry. Under his leadership, the advisory of leading fashion players became a hallmark of the consumer practice of the Firm. Achim was the co-founder and co-editor of the highly successful “State of Fashion” report series since its inception in 2016. In addition, he has published more than 40+ reports, white papers, and articles, covering a broad range of topics. Achim is also recognized as a though leader and regularly featured expert in international press (e.g., FT, WSJ, the Times) and fashion industry media (e.g., Vogue Business, WWD), as well as a regular speaker at global industry events (e.g., BoF VOICES, Business of Luxury Summit, Modaes Barcelona Fashion Summit). In February 2024, he left McKinsey to focus on personally advising leading decision makers in the fashion and luxury space. He launched FashionSIGHTs in February 2025 to support executives, founders and industry leaders to navigate the evolving challenges and opportunities shaping the future of fashion.

Nick Brown

Co-Founder

IMAG/NARY, USA

Nick Brown is Co-Founder and Partner at Imaginary Ventures, a stage and geography agnostic venture capital firm focusing on innovations in commerce and retail. He founded the company in early 2017 with Net-a-Porter’s Founder, Natalie Massenet. Prior to starting Imaginary, he was a Partner at 14W Venture Partners from July 2011 to January 2017. At 14W, he led the firm’s investments in the initial financing rounds of Glossier, Goop, Everlane, Reformation, Outdoor Voices, Moda Operandi, The Business of Fashion, The Real Real and others. Nick is a New Yorker and currently serves on the board of the Collegiate School. He has a BA from Harvard University.

Dr Stephan Buchner

Senior Partner

Egon Zehnder, Germany

Dr Stephan Buchner advises national and international clients in the consumer, retail, apparel and fashion, and media and sports sectors. Building on his previous 10-year experience as an international business leader and his 20-year tenure with Egon Zehnder, he works with clients to solve leadership issues in a wide range of situations and contexts. His clients include global corporations, private-equity firms and family owned businesses. Prior to joining Egon Zehnder, Stephan was Managing Director at Bertelsmann Publishing Group. He began his career as Assistant to the CEO and held various management positions in Europe and North America over the following ten years. For the company’s book-publishing business, today part of Random House, he led a successful marketing strategy in New York. As President of Doubleday Canada, he restructured the business and increased long-term profitability. Stephan has an MA, Diplom-Kaufmann, and a PhD in Business Administration, Dr. rer. oec, and has studied at the Universities of Mainz, Munich and Saarbrücken. He is a member of the board of trustees for the private university MakroMedia.

Julius Carrell

Head of Global Sales & Marketing

Enactor, UK

Julius Carrell has worked at Enactor since they launched the early versions of their product 10 years ago. Since then, he has led their international expansion with the company now recognised by both Gartner and Forrester as a leading company in Unified Commerce POS for the last 4 years. Julius has helped establish Enactor as a go-to platform for Retailers with complex needs in modern Store systems. This especially applies to the department store segment with clients around the world including Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Macy’s, House of Fraser, Magasin Du Nord and here in Mexico, El Palacio de Hierro, Coppel and our fantastic host for this IGDS WDSS - Liverpool.

Eric Chan

Chief Business & Strategy Officer

Gap Inc., USA

Eric Chan leads the company’s Strategy, Corporate Planning, B2B and International Commerce, Loyalty, and Real Estate teams. With more than 20 years of financial and operational leadership experience at both Fortune 500 and start-up companies, Eric brings a proven track record of enabling creative and entrepreneurial cultures through sound long-range strategies, fiscal and organizational goal-setting and rigorous operations oversight. Prior to joining Gap Inc., Eric served as CFO for the LA Clippers, COO for The Bouqs Company and, CFO for Loot Crate, where he helped scale the company from a startup to $165 million in revenue. Before that, he served as Finance SVP for Mattel and Head of Management, Marketing and Business Development for Cisco Systems. In 2020, Eric won the LA Business Journal’s Private Company CFO of the Year Award. That same year, Gold House named him to its A100 List, which honors Asian Pacific leaders who made the greatest impact on culture and society over the past year. Eric is also on the Board of Directors of Heritage Financial Corporation. He earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and his bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley.

Neil Clifford

CEO

Kurt Geiger, UK

Neil Clifford began his career with Kurt Geiger in 1995 following a prolific career in retail. Neil’s wealth of retail experience includes working for The Burton Group, Sears and Bally prior to becoming CEO of Kurt Geiger in 2003. Neil is a true success story having worked his way up from the shop floor. He has a genuine passion for Kurt Geiger and takes a very active role in its day-to-day running.

Dr Andrés Conesa Labastida

CEO

Aeroméxico, Mexico

Andrés Conesa Labastida has served as Chief Executive Officer of Aeroméxico since 2005 and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2004. He is also part of the Executive Committee and the Safety Committee. In 2023, he was appointed Chairman of the SkyTeam alliance. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of Sempra Energy since 2017 and previously served as Chairman and member of the Board of Directors of Cintra between 2003 and 2005. He also chaired the Board of IATA during its 2015 term and led the Executive Committee of ALTA from 2013 to 2015. Additionally, he served on the Boards of IENOVA (2013–2017) and the Mexican Stock Exchange (2006–2007), as well as on the Boards of SkyTeam, Aeromexpress, and Aeroméxico Servicios. Before joining Aeroméxico, he held several key positions in the Mexican government, including General Economic Planning Director and Head of Public Debt Management, General Director of International Economic Affairs, and Coordinator of Advisors at the Ministry of Finance. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) and a Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He was awarded Fulbright, Ford, and MacArthur scholarships, and received the National Economics Prize granted by Banamex in 1997.

Eléonore de Boysson

CEO

El Palacio de Hierro, Mexico

Eléonore de Boysson was appointed in June 2025 Chief Executive Officer of El Palacio de Hierro, Mexico’s leading luxury department store chain. Building on her extensive global experience in retail, brand transformation, and customer experience, she is leading the company’s next chapter of growth, innovation, and cultural relevance in the Mexican and Latin American luxury markets. Eléonore began her career at the Boston Consulting Group in 1989 in London and New York, before joining Disneyland Paris as Strategic Planning Manager and later Resort Development Director. In 1999, she started her journey in luxury retail by joining Louis Vuitton Malletier, where she held increasing responsibilities and became a member of the Executive Committee in 2000. In 2013, she continued her journey inside LVMH Group, becoming the President of DFS Europe and Middle East. In that role, she redefined the concept of the luxury department store with the openings of Fondaco dei Tedeschi in Venice in 2016 and La Samaritaine in Paris in 2021. She also led the development of retail operations at Abu Dhabi Airport and successfully expanded the company’s raffle business. From 2018 to 2024, she was a trustee and member of the Supervisory Board of Parfums Christian Dior. She was awarded the insignia of Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in 2023. Eléonore is a graduate of the HEC School of Management in Paris.

Jacques Demont

CEO

Devialet, France

Jacques Demont was named CEO of Devialet in 2024, where he drove a shift in customer culture, bringing greater desirability to the brand and refocusing the business on an elevated retail experience. Before this appointment, he held the position of CCO and CMO, Member of the Executive Committee at Taïga Motors, a Canadian technology company offering innovative battery solutions. Jacques started his career at McDonald’s and Starbucks; he then joined Nespresso, where during nearly ten years, he contributed to the brand's growth in Europe and North America. In 2015, he became Director of Europe and the Americas of Tissot for two years. He joined Tesla in 2017 as General Manager France, to lead during more than three years the start and growth of the automotive manufacturer in the French market. Jacques is graduate of the London Business School.

Andrea Dini

CEO

Paul & Shark, Italy

Andrea Dini was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Dama S.p.A. in 2000, becoming the third generation of his family to lead the company. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from Bocconi University in 1986 and a Master’s degree in Foreign Administration from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. After graduation, he began working alongside his father in the product development department, where he learned the craft behind his father’s knitwear designs, including yarn development, production techniques, and procurement. Throughout his career, he has played a key role in expanding the company’s franchised retail presence in international markets. Andrea has shaped the company’s philosophy around treating both employees and customers as extended family members. From the outset, he has been a strong advocate of sustainability, guiding the company’s development in line with this value. He continues to oversee the global positioning of the Paul & Shark brand in the luxury sector. Since its founding in 1976, the brand has been an integral part of the company’s heritage and has evolved into a complete lifestyle brand, proudly made in Italy.

Horacio Fernández Castillo

CEO

Tajín Industrias, Mexico

Horacio Fernández Castillo has an extensive experience in entrepreneurship. He has founded 24 companies across diverse sectors, including commerce, industry, services and education. His current positions include Executive Chairman of Industrias Tajín, S.A. de C.V. and of Tajín International Corp; Chairman of National School of Ceramics; Board Member of Instituto San Telmo, of Grupo Banorte-IXE, of Citi-Banamex and of Banco Bx+. In addition to his role as Founder, Chairman and Board Members of various companies and organisations, Horacio was also the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology of the State of Jalisco and Federal Congressman for District 10, Jalisco, Mexico. He holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from ITESO (Guadalajara, Mexico). He completed various programs at Université CDO (Angers, France) and Harvard University.

Bertha González Nieves

Founder & CEO

Casa Dragones, Mexico

Bertha González Nieves is the CEO and Co-Founder of Tequila Casa Dragones, an entrepreneur dedicated to the tequila industry for 25+ years, establishing Casa Dragones as a pioneering small batch world renowned tequila producer committed to Mexican craftsmanship, authenticity, sustainability and innovation. She is certified as the first female Maestra Tequilera by the Academia Mexicana de Catadores de Tequila. Bertha has been recognized by Fortune and Food & Wine as “The Most Innovative Women in Food + Drink,” by The New York Times as “The Spirit Behind High-End Tequila,” and was most recently included on “Forbes 50 Over 50” 2025 list. In 2018, she was awarded the Endeavor Entrepreneurship Award for ‘Pride of Mexico.’ In 2022, Revista Quien recognized her as one of ‘The 50 People Transforming Mexico,’ and she received a prestigious honorary mention from the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards for her leadership. Prior to co-founding Casa Dragones, Bertha spent more than a decade in leading roles in the tequila industry as well as a consultant at Booz Allen & Hamilton, in their Marketing Intensive Group. She holds a Master's in Science in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University, and in 2023, she was inducted into the Medill School of Journalism Hall of Achievement. She currently sits on the board of the Judd Foundation and James Beard Foundation.

Jo Horgan AM

Founder & Co-CEO

MECCA Brands, Australia

Jo Horgan AM, Founder and Co-CEO of MECCA Brands, built MECCA around a powerful mission: to embolden through beauty by empowering people to look, feel and be their best. For more than two decades, she has redefined beauty as a force for self-expression, confidence, and connection. Since opening the first MECCA Cosmetica store in Melbourne’s South Yarra in 1997, the company has grown to become Australia's largest prestige beauty retailer with more than 110 stores, 7,000 team members and a world-leading curation of over 200 global brands, alongside its own lines: MECCA COSMETICA, MECCA MAX and kit:. Jo has embedded purpose into MECCA’s DNA through M-POWER, the brand’s social change movement dedicated to advancing gender equality by educating, elevating and empowering women and girls. Her leadership has been recognised through honours including the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Australia Award and appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2023 for her contribution to retail and to women in leadership. Jo serves on the boards of the National Gallery of Victoria Foundation and the Edward Wilson Trust, and is a member of Chief Executive Women.

Karen Lellouche Tordjman

Managing Director & Senior Partner

Boston Consulting Group, Mexico

Karen is a Senior Partner & Managing Director of The Boston Consulting Group. She joined BCG in 2004 as an Associate and, since then, has worked in Paris, New York and Mexico City offices. Karen leads the Customer Experience topic globally. She has a deep experience in Omni-channel customer journey, e-commerce, customer-centric transformation and Customer experience measurement. Karen is also part of BCG X, BCG’s tech & data science unit. She is a former fellow at the BCG Henderson Institute, BCG’s think tank, and has published several articles on the future of Customer Engagement and Customer Interactions, as well as the future of Retail (Forbes, HBR). She also performed a TED Talk in 2021 on the future of virtual assistants (“Siri, Alexa, Google… What comes next?”). Karen created the Customer Experience topic at BCG 6 years ago, now a $500M business globally for BCG.

Sam Lobban

CEO

Thom Browne, USA

Sam Lobban has been the CEO of Thom Browne since September 2025. Previously, he spent 7 years with Nordstrom, which he joined as VP of Men’s Designer and New Concepts, where he developed innovative retail experiences and strategic collaborations with leading brands, including Thom Browne. He then expanded his role across designer merchandising strategies supporting men’s, women’s, and children’s categories. Since 2022, and before joining Thom Browne, Sam was serving as EVP and General Merchandising Manager for Apparel & Designer. In this role, he led product strategy and vision across women’s and men’s apparel, as well as all designer categories. Prior to Nordstrom, Sam was part of the founding team of Mr. Porter, where he was instrumental in launching exclusive capsule collections with major brands and in introducing new category concepts. Sam began his career at Selfridges, starting on the retail floor and then moving through various roles within the men’s buying & merchandising teams. Sam is a member of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN and FashionEast selection committees.

Brent Magnuson

Senior Partner

Egon Zehnder, USA

Brent Magnuson focuses on CEO succession, C-Suite and Board work. He led Egon Zehnder’s global Retail, Apparel and Luxury Goods Practice from 2009-2019. He advises boards, CEOs, and leadership teams on succession planning, talent acquisition, and executive leadership development. Brent is also active across Egon Zehnder’s CEO, Board Consulting, and Digital practices. Before joining Egon Zehnder, Brent was Vice President of Consumer Industries & Retail with Electronic Data Systems. Prior to that, he held several executive positions at the Bombay Company, including EVP of Merchandising & Marketing. Brent launched his career in Price Waterhouse’s retail consulting division, working with clients to implement new technologies and processes. Brent earned a BS in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.

Carlos Marín Rangel

CEO

Liverpool, Mexico

Carlos Marín Rangel has served as Chief Executive Officer of Liverpool, the leading retail brand of El Puerto de Liverpool, since January 2021. Under his leadership, the company has strengthened its unified commerce model, seamlessly integrating the best of physical and digital retail to deliver truly unique experiences to millions of Mexican customers. Before becoming CEO, he served as International and Boutiques Director at El Puerto de Liverpool where he led the negotiations and operations in Mexico for international brands represented by the company, including GAP, Banana Republic, Aeropostale, Sfera, Pottery Barn, and Williams-Sonoma, among others. Carlos joined Liverpool in August 2012 as Purchasing Director and has since held various leadership positions across the organisation. Previously, he worked at companies such as Grupo Modelo and DuPont, among others. He completed the Executive Program at Stanford Graduate School of Business, holds an MBA from the University of Texas, attended the Senior Management Program at ITAM, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Anáhuac.

Jason Morris

CTIO

Nordstrom, USA

Jason Morris joined Nordstrom in 2023 as the Chief Technology and Information Officer, bringing over 25 years of retail industry experience to the forefront of the company's technological evolution. Jason oversees all technology functions at Nordstrom, including software engineering, data strategy, and infrastructure/platform engineering. Under his guidance, Jason is propelling Nordstrom's "Closer to You" market strategy by harnessing the power of data analytics and artificial intelligence. Prior to joining Nordstrom, Jason spent 23 years to Walmart, where he played a pivotal role in driving technological innovation across the company's global retail footprint. Notable roles include VP of Customer-Facing Technology where he led the strategy, development, and implementation of key omni-commerce innovations that redefined customer engagement. In his subsequent role as SVP of Enterprise Business Services, Jason transformed back-office systems, pioneering significant advancements in finance, human resources, and employee experience domains. Jason holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. He serves on the Arkansas Research Alliance Board and the Industry Advisory Board for the University of Arkansas.

Dr Nasrin Mostafazadeh

Co-Founder & CEO

Verneek, USA

Dr Nasrin Mostafazadeh is Verneek’s co-founder and CEO, an AI company transforming consumer retail operations. A world-renowned AI scientist, Nasrin has 20+ years of experience in AI, having earned her PhD with deep expertise in natural language processing (NLP) and commonsense reasoning. Her breakthrough research in commonsense reasoning led to her being named a Forbes 30 under 30 in science. Her industry experience includes research roles at premier labs such as Microsoft Research, Google AI, and Benevolent AI. At Verneek, Nasrin applies this deep technical expertise to help retail CEOs implement the most transformative AI-native business strategies. Under Nasrin's leadership, Verneek has secured new multi-year agreements with Fortune 500 consumer retailers. This success reflects the tangible impact of Verneek’s AI-native solutions on enterprise bottom lines, enabling meaningful cost savings and revenue generation.

Christian Otero

CEO

Lucciano's, Argentina

Christian Otero is a businessman and sports leader. Before revolutionizing the ice cream industry, he had a career closely linked to professional football: first as a player and then as a prominent football agent (FIFA agent), managing international transfers of renowned players. In 2011, together with his father Daniel Otero, he founded Lucciano's in his hometown. The idea was born after observing during his travels that traditional ice cream shops had not evolved in decades. His vision was to combine high-quality artisanal ice cream (using Italian ingredients) with a strong visual identity and "experiential" stores. In Argentina, the brand has reached the historic milestone of 120 operational stores across the country. Worldwide, Lucciano's is present in Uruguay, the United States, Spain, Italy (with an iconic store near the Trevi Fountain), and Chile. By 2026, the company plans an aggressive expansion into new markets such as UAE, Morocco, Peru, and Paraguay. In 2024, Christian received the Entrepreneur of the Year award from EY, which is given to business owners who have demonstrated an innovative business model, strategic vision, and significant global impact.

Jamie Salter

Founder & CEO

Authentic Brands Group, USA

Jamie Salter leveraged his business acumen to write and implement a strategic licensing playbook that connects superbrands with best-in-class partners to build long-term value in the marketplace. The innovative business model has allowed Authentic to scale rapidly into a multifaceted lifestyle, sports, entertainment and digital platform comprising some of the most iconic and world-renowned brands, such as Reebok, Shaquille O’Neal, David Beckham, Sports Illustrated, Brooks Brothers and more. Today, its portfolio generates more than $38 billion in global annual retail sales. With over three decades of success in making strategic and profitable investments in consumer brand-related activities, Salter has executed more than $35 billion in investment deals targeting growth companies and turnarounds.

Philippe Schaus

Former CEO, DFS Group and Moët Hennessy

Luxemburg

Philippe Schaus is a seasoned, multilingual CEO with over three decades of leadership experience, currently acting as an Advisor, Board Member and Personal Investor. Starting in 2017, Philippe served as the President & CEO of Moët Hennessy in Paris a role he transitioned out in the first quarter of 2025, after leading an expansion of the portfolio of the Group and elevating the consumer focus. Previously, he was the Group Chairman & CEO of DFS Group in Hong Kong (2012–2017), where he led the development and re-branding of downtown department stores and airport retail locations worldwide. During his tenure at DFS Group and Moët Hennessy, Philippe was a permanent member of the Executive Committee of LVMH. From 2006 to 2011, he was the EVP of Global Distribution at Louis Vuitton Malletier, following his tenure as President of Europe (2003–2005) where he drove the geographical expansion and the performance of the Louis Vuitton network of stores throughout the world. Earlier in his career, he served as President of Villeroy & Boch. Philippe began his professional journey at J.P. Morgan & Co., in 1987 and later joined The Boston Consulting Group GmbH. Philippe holds a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD and a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Liège, Belgium.

Juan Luis Taverne

CEO

Paris Department Stores, Chile

Juan Luis Taverne has been the CEO of Paris Department Store since March 2024. He joined Cencosud in 2006, holding roles of increasing responsibilities in marketing and management at Paris Department Store, Johnson and Cencosud. Juan has studied commercial engineering at the Pontificia Universidad Católica in Chile, where he also received a Master’s degree in Economy. He holds a Master in Consumer Behaviour from the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez.

Alonso Yañez

VP Consumer & Retail Sector / LATAM Norte

Capegemini, Mexico

Alonso Yañez is the Consumer & Retail Sector Leader for Capgemini LATAM, where he leads transformation efforts for leading companies across the region. Between 2018 and 2024, he worked at Walmart de México y Centroamérica as VP and CIO, where he was responsible for the company’s digital transformation, strengthening its omnichannel capabilities. In November 2014, as CIO and member of PepsiCo’s Executive Committee, he was responsible for leading the company’s digital transformation by consolidating the IT ecosystem and developing several disruptive technology platforms. In 1997, he joined Deloitte Consulting as a partner responsible for implementing business solutions through cutting-edge technologies for global corporations across different industries and countries. Alonso holds a bachelor’s degree in Information Systems from Universidad Iberoamericana, where he graduated with honors and also earned a master’s degree. He has completed postgraduate studies at ESADE in Spain, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Columbia University, and the MIT Sloan School of Management.