speakers
february 4 - 5, 2025 / FAIRMONT RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA
speakers
february 4 - 5, 2025
FAIRMONT RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA

Yasser Joharji CEO, Nahdi Medical Company
Yasser Joharji was appointed Nahdi’s CEO and board member of Nahdi Medical Company in 2014 and 2021 respectively. With over 30 years of sectorial experience, Mr. Joharji has held a number of leadership positions at Unilever Saudi Arabia and the Savola Group. He holds a BA in Industrial Engineering from King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.

Alison Rehill-Erguven CEO, Cenomi Centers
Alison Rehill-Erguven comes with over 25 years of experience in the shopping mall and real estate industry. Her expertise extends to various international markets, including Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. She has successfully managed companies, joint ventures, asset management, and teams in these regions, establishing herself as a leading figure in developed and emerging markets.
Prior to joining Cenomi in 2022, she held the role of CEO for Pradera Retail Asia based in Shanghai. This JV was subsequently acquired in 2021 by Brookfield Asset Management. Before her role at Brookfield and PRA, Alison held the position of Managing Director and Board Director at Pradera Limited, a retail property investment fund and asset management business with assets in the UK, Europe, Turkey and the Middle East. Alison began her career in the US and spent over a decade combined at Simon Property Group and General Growth.

Renuka Jagtiani Chairwoman, Landmark Group
Renuka is the Chairwoman of Landmark Group.
In her current role, she leads strategic growth and expansion as well as oversees all business operations of the group.
For the past 30 years, Renuka has been spearheading the Landmark Group’s growth strategy. Under her leadership the group forayed towards a diversified portfolio of brands across categories and embraced an omnichannel retail approach as early as 2012. In 2019 the group invested inbuilding the MENA region’s largest privately-owned logistics and distribution hub, with a vision to reach the customers, no matter where they shop.
Renuka started her journey in Landmark Group in 1993 founding Splash, one of the largest fashion brands in the Middle East which has since grown to over 200 stores across 14 countries. She also played a key role in establishing the group’s business in India and its hospitality division in the GCC. Most recently Renuka founded the first UAE food discounter in the region, VIVA.
Renuka is passionate about the positive impact the Group can bring to the communities it operates in. Among several other philanthropic activities, under her guidance, the Group launched UAE’s largest family health initiative Beat Diabetes in 2009, committed towards the awareness, prevention and treatment of diabetes.
She was recognised as one of The Middle East’s 50 Most Powerful Businesswomen in 2022 and 2023 by Forbes. Renuka was also awarded the Lifetime achievement award at the 10th Retail Leaders Circle in 2024.
Renuka holds a bachelor’s degree in Arts from the University of Mumbai.

Dr. Bander Hamooh CEO, Panda
For over 30 years, Bander Hamooh has built a distinguished leadership record in business development across several sectors, leveraging the extensive experience he gained throughout his career.
His journey started at the Ministry of Health, followed by a role at Merck & Co. as Scientific Office Manager. He then became Deputy General Manager at GlaxoSmithKline, before taking on the role of CEO of Nahdi, where he led a transformative shift in the company.
In October 2017, Bander assumed the position of CEO of Panda Retail Company, spearheading comprehensive transformation programs that solidified Panda’s leadership in Saudi Arabia’s retail sector.

Michael Chalhoub CEO, Chalhoub Group
Michael Chalhoub is the Chief Executive Officer of Chalhoub Group, the leading luxury partner across the Middle East. Under his leadership, the Group is committed to delivering Vision 2033 through innovation, growth, and global expansion.
Since joining Chalhoub Group, Michael has transformed the Group’s strategy, driving diversification into new categories, expanding into untapped regions, and revitalizing the investment portfolio. He has also strengthened joint venture partnerships, creating a solid foundation for sustained growth.
Michael’s vision focuses on balancing growth with operational excellence. He is dedicated to expanding the Group’s proprietary brands internationally while enhancing its portfolio through strategic acquisitions. Strengthening existing partnerships remains central to his strategy, solidifying Chalhoub Group’s position as a regional leader with a global presence.
An entrepreneur at heart, Michael has launched several startups, including Sport360, a leading media group in the GCC that grew to a 75-person organization generating over $10M in annual revenues within just four years. He also supported multiple ventures through the Harvard Innovation Lab.
Before becoming CEO, Michael served as President of Joint Ventures and Strategy, Growth, Innovation, and Investment at Chalhoub Group with prior roles at L’Oréal USA, Michael Kors, and in consulting.
Michael is a Harvard Business School MBA Baker Scholar and holds master’s degrees in Finance and International Affairs from Paris Dauphine University.

John Hadden CEO, Alshaya Group
John Hadden is CEO of Alshaya Group, one of the world’s leading brand franchise operators across bricks & mortar & multiple digital distribution channels.
Reporting to Alshaya Group’s Executive Chairman, Mohammed Alshaya, John has overall responsibility for Alshaya Group’s performance and growth, including its current transformation programme which is driving Alshaya’s omnichannel evolution.
John leads a diverse and skilled team who together drive the performance of thousands of retail stores, cafes, restaurants, and leisure destinations, as well as a strong online and digital business, and a commitment to delivering great customer experiences.
From 2003 to 2005 he led the Starbucks European management team in Amsterdam, returning to Alshaya as Senior Vice President of Property in 2005. In this role, John supported the major expansion plans for the Alshaya Group as the business opened up new stores, new brands and new operating countries.
He was appointed as Chief Operating Officer in late 2017 and become CEO in 2019.

Stefania Lazzaroni CEO, Altagamma
CEO of Fondazione Altagamma since 2013, Stefania is a member of the executive team and coordinates the Foundation’s activities.
Created in 1992, Fondazione Altagamma gathers Italy’s High-End Cultural and Creative Companies, recognized globally as authentic ambassadors of Italian style. With more than 140 members and partners in the fields of fashion, design, jewellery, food, hospitality, automotive and yachting. Altagamma’s mission is to boost growth for its partners, thus making an effective contribution to the Italian economy. The Foundation’s activities include promoting the luxury sector and Italian industry in general, building relationships with Institutions, creating strategic marketing projects for companies and promotings talents, professionals and craftmanship.
Prior to Altagamma, she held top management positions in Corporate communications, Social Responsibility and Crisis Management at both Italian and multinational companies including Viacom Group, Coca-Cola, Discovery Networks e and 24 ORE Group.

Sima Ganwani Ved Founder & Chairwoman, Apparel Group
Sima Ganwani Ved is the visionary Founder and Chairwoman of Apparel Group, a multi-billion-dollar retail enterprise based in the UAE, managing over 85 prestigious brands across 2,300 stores in 14 countries with a workforce of over 24,000. Under her leadership, Apparel Group has become a dominant force in the Middle East’s retail sector. Sima’s exemplary leadership has earned her numerous accolades, including Forbes Middle East’s 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen and Arabian Business’s Most Powerful Indians in the Middle East.
Born in Africa, Sima moved to Dubai in the 1970s and later pursued her education in the UK, earning a bachelor’s degree from King’s College London and an MBA in Business Management. At 20, she began her career as a Department Manager in her father’s shopping mall, which shaped her business acumen.
Sima is deeply involved in nurturing young talent, mentoring her daughter Sarisha Ved in launching F5 Global, an athleisure brand, and guiding her eldest daughter Selina Ved in creating Nysaa, a beauty omnichannel marketplace. Additionally, she actively participates in global organizations like YPO and CEO.
Her early 2000s creative pursuits included writing a newspaper column, acting in plays, and hosting the TV show “Hi Tea with Sima Ved.” Through her entrepreneurial journey and philanthropic endeavors, Sima continues to inspire as a multifaceted leader in the international business community.

Mindy Grossman Vice-Chair & Partner, Consello Group
Mindy Grossman is a Partner and Vice Chair at Consello. She is a high-energy, disruptive leader with extensive experience in building and transforming consumer brands.
Previously, Mindy served as President and CEO of WW, Int’l , where she led the company’s evolution to a holistic wellness brand and spearheaded its digital transformation. Prior to WW, Mindy was the CEO of HSNi, where she led a $4 billion direct-to-consumer retail portfolio, building a reputation for pioneering digital strategies in retail. She previously served as CEO of IAC Retail, successfully taking it public as HSNi in 2008.
Before joining IAC, Mindy served as the Vice-President of Global Apparel for Nike, Inc., President and CEO of Polo Jeans Company, Vice-President of New Business Development at Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, President of Chaps Ralph Lauren, and Senior Vice President of Warnaco Menswear. She also held senior roles at Tommy Hilfiger and Oxford Industries.
Mindy has been recognized among Forbes’ “100 Most Powerful Women.” She was appointed to the Digital Economy Board of Advisors during the Obama administration and served as Chairman of the National Retail Federation and Chairman of the NRF Foundation.
She currently serves on the Board of Directors of VF Corporation, Fanatics, Inc., Hungry Root, and the American Heart Association

Rahul Jagtiani Group Director – Digital, Landmark Group
Rahul is Group Director, Digital at Landmark Group.
Rahul leads Group strategy for Ecommerce, IT, Analytics and Loyalty Assets at Landmark Group. Under his leadership, Rahul steers the Group’s robust omni-channel business which includes 10 of its biggest homegrown brands online and it’s first online-only fashion offering – Styli. He is closely involved in the strategic development of the Group’s retail business in the Middle East and India and is a Board Member of Landmark Retail and Landmark Arabia.
Rahul is also responsible for driving an integrated roadmap for ecommerce, technology, data management and CRM which includes the ‘Shukran’ rewards programme, which is the Middle East’s biggest loyalty offering to over 14 million active loyal members, across GCC.
Rahul is an alumnus from the Georgetown University, United States of America.

Geoffroy van Raemdonck Former CEO, Neiman Marcus Group and Luxury Retail Expert
Geoffroy van Raemdonck is a distinguished global Consumer/Retail/Luxury executive, known for transforming private equity and publicly traded companies. He has built a career driving profitable growth at prominent luxury brands such as Neiman Marcus Group, Ralph Lauren, and Louis Vuitton.
Most recently serving as CEO of Neiman Marcus Group, Geoffroy transformed the company into a luxury relationship business, establishing a customer-centric business model to deliver sustainable and profitable growth. Through strategic investments in technology, ESG, and culture, and driven by a compassionate leadership style, Geoffroy positioned NMG for long-term success, leading to a successful acquisition by Saks Global.
Geoffroy graduated summa cum laude from Belgium’s Université Catholique de Louvain and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago. A passionate advocate for the arts, Geoffroy serves on the boards of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the American Composers Orchestra.

Ali Bailoun Regional General Manager for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain & Oman, Visa
Ali Bailoun is the Regional General Manager for Visa’s GCC Cluster – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman. He is responsible for overall strategy in KSA, Bahrain and Oman, including business development, resource optimization, and building long-term partnerships with Visa’s clients, fintechs, digital banks, government, regulators and other key stakeholders to drive the adoption of cashless payments and digital transformation across the three markets.
Ali is an accomplished business leader bringing almost 20 years of payments, banking and management experience to support issuers, acquirers, merchants and governments in Visa’s key markets to improve their profitability and grow their business. He joined Visa in 2012 and has since been responsible for the overall strategy that has successfully led Visa’s business.
Ali holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Marketing from the Lebanese American University and completed several leadership, strategy and decision-making programs at Harvard University and MIT Sloan Management.

Kiran Haslam Chief Marketing Officer, Diriyah Company
Kiran currently holds the position of Chief Marketing Officer for Diriyah Company and is responsible for re-establishing Diriyah’s position within the Kingdom and globally as not just as the birthplace of the Kingdom, but also as a centre for the preservation of heritage and perpetuator of Saudi culture and heritage. This pedestrian and urban city, anchored on the UNESCO World Heritage site of At-Turaif, will play a significant role in redefining Saudi Arabia as a destination.
Prior to joining Diriyah Company, Kiran’s career spanned multiple continents, where he played a key role in reinventing two of the world’s most powerful luxury brands in both the luxury yachting and luxury automotive spheres. He has established and branded progressive media platforms in the Middle East; authored two children’s story books; toured the world as an acclaimed musician and composer – and has been recognized as an influential and powerful public speaker with a creatively disruptive and strategic mind. The Australian, Perth-born, nomad studied Marine Biology and graduated in Engineering Technology from Deakin University before pursuing his Masters in Guitar from Berklee (Boston), and has lived, studied, and worked across South and Central Asia, the Middle East, Central Europe, and the United Kingdom.

Shant Oknayan Vice President, Global Business Solutions, TikTok
Shant Oknayan is a Vice President of Global Business Solutions at ByteDance and its leading short-form video platform TikTok, with a mission to lead the organization’s business partnerships and operations across multiple regions.
With over two decades’ experience in leading businesses and teams – with expertise in digital and investment strategies for government and private entities – Shant has a proven track record of successfully growing digital platforms. Shant previously held executive positions at Facebook (now Meta) and Google across the Middle East and Africa, and is an alum of Booz&Company (now Strategy &) and Merrill Lynch.
Shant is actively involved in the advisory and start-up ecosystem, as the founding Chairman and CEO of GlamBox (a regional beauty ecommerce), as an advisor to Saudi 2030 Vision program, chairing the Investment Committee at Iliad Partners (a MENA VC firm) and as a board member of MMA in Asia-Pacific.
Shant holds double Masters degrees: a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Masters of Engineering Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Imperial College London.

Federica Marchionni CEO, Global Fashion Agenda
Federica Marchionni is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Global Fashion Agenda (GFA). Founded in Denmark, GFA is a non-profit organisation with the ultimate vision to create a net positive fashion industry for the people and the planet across entire eco-system. Before joining GFA, Marchionni attained leadership roles in Europe, USA, and China. During the e-commerce expansion, Marchionni took a role as International CEO of Secoo, a Chinese e-commerce retailer in China. Prior to this, Marchionni was CEO and Board Director at Lands’ End and President of Dolce&Gabbana Inc., based in America.
Before moving to the States, Marchionni worked as SVP at Ferrari HQ in Italy. Her career began in the early stage of the telecommunication industry, working for global players such as Samsung, Philips, and Ericsson. She is a guest speaker at high-caliber conferences and top academic institutions including Harvard University and Stanford University, Financial Times, Fortune and COP. Marchionni graduated from La Sapienza University with a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and a thesis in the mobility business.

Supaluck Umpujh Chairwoman, The Mall Group
Ms. Supaluck Umpujh is a major force at The Mall Group, one of the biggest retail operators in Thailand. Following the success of The Siam Paragon, she is currently striving to create host of revolutionary retail mega projects – The Em District which consists of The Emporium, The EmQuartier and The Emsphere, The Bangkok Mall and many more. The entrepreneur earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy from Mahidol University with First Class Honor, and a Masters in Pharmaceutical Engineering from Purdue University in the US.
Ms. Supaluck’s business acumen and experience have resulted in her being recognized by various institutions and authorities throughout her career. In 2004, she was also honored as the “Outstanding Businesswoman” by the Federation of Business, and Professional Women’s Association of Thailand; in 2005, she was honored the “Mahidol University Outstanding Alumni Award” by Mahidol University; and in 2006 she was awarded for Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World. In the recent years, she was named “The Iron Butterfly” of Thai retailing by Fortune magazine and the “Person of the Year” by Thailand Tatler magazine in 2015. In 2019, she was awarded for “Entrepreneur of The Year” Award by Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards (APEA). She was also an Honorary Advisor to the Governor, Tourism Authority of Thailand, and worked as an Executive Committee Director of the Bangkok Fashion City project.
In June 2021, Ms. Supaluck has been appointed in the National Order of the Legion of Honor at the rank of Knight (Ordre national de la Légion d’Honneur – Chevalier), by decree of the President of the Republic of France. The insignia is a symbol of the recognition of France for her long-term commitment to promote and develop trade between French companies and The Mall Group, including her contribution to the recognition of the French know-how and culture in Thailand.
2024 has been a landmark year for Ms. Supaluck, marked by significant achievements in the global retail industry. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the World Retail Congress, with the award ceremony taking place in Paris this April. Her exceptional work and dedication have also garnered recognition from CNN, which will feature a solo editorial interview with her on September 14, 2024. Additionally, Ms. Supaluck recently received the prestigious Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Asia Corporate Excellence & Sustainability Awards in November.

Jaume Miquel Naudi CEO, Tendam
Jaume Miquel is Chairman and CEO of Tendam since 2016.
He has led the transformation from the former Grupo Cortefiel, to what Tendam is today: a unique onmichanel ecosystem that seamlessly integrates digital and brick, with data analytics in the center and more that 30M costumers associated in loyalty clubs.
Prior to this, Jaume lead Women’secret for ten years, with additional responsibilities over Cortefiel and Pedro del Hierro in the last two years. He previously served as General Manager South Europe and Member of European Steering Committee at Timberland, and European Communication Director for Dockers.
Modaes’ readers voted Miquel “Personality of the Year” in 2017 in recognition of his outstanding performance in steering the company in a new direction.
In 2018, the WRC recognized the transformation of Tendam with the “Reinvention and Transfortaion Award.”
He is also member of the Steering Committee of “SERES Foundation” and “The Fashion Pact.”
Jaume holds a Degree in Economics (University of Barcelona) and an executive PDD at IESE Business School

Andrea Drasites Sr. Managing Director, The Blackstone Group
Andrea Drasites is a Senior Managing Director in the Real Estate Group at Blackstone. She is involved in the asset management and oversight of Blackstone’s retail, gaming, digital infrastructure, and tradeshow investments in the US including ShopCore, Edens, QTS, Phoenix Towers and International Market Centers.
Prior to joining Blackstone, Ms. Drasites was responsible for asset management, acquisitions, and dispositions at Equity One, Inc., She began her real estate career at Woolbright Development. Ms. Drasites received a BA in International Business from Rollins College and an MBA from the University of Florida with honors. Ms. Drasites is active in the Blackstone Diversity & Inclusion and Task Force and is a member of the University of Florida’s Real Estate Advisory Board, as well as the International Council of Shopping Centers Board of Trustees and Executive Board. She is a founding member and sits on the Board of Core Giving.

Faraz Khalid CEO, noon
Faraz is the CEO of noon, the region’s leading consumer commerce platform. The noon ecosystem of services now includes marketplaces for food delivery, quick-commerce, fintech, and fashion. Faraz is an engineer by training and has an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to noon, Faraz was the co-founder and Managing Director at Namshi.

Michael Ward Managing Director, Harrods
Michael began his career in chartered accountancy, training originally with Ernst and Young in 1980, before taking his first Group Finance Director position at Bassett Foods PLC in 1986 gaining an MBA during this time.
In 1989 he was appointed Group Finance Director of H.P. Bulmer Holdings PLC, before moving into the retail space in 1994 as Managing Director of Lloyds Chemists PLC. After a period of senior directorship roles in retail, Michael was invited to join Harrods as Managing Director in 2005. During his time at Harrods, he has overseen programmes of huge growth and expansion within the luxury department store, as well as the transition to new ownership by the Qatar Investment Authority.
Michael is a leading voice in the luxury industry and currently holds the position of Chairman of Walpole, the official sector body for UK luxury. He was also appointed to the V&A Corporate Advisory Board in August 2020.

Cristiana Falcone Chairperson, BECS Foundation
For over 20 years Cristiana Falcone has honed her experience as a strategic adviser, investor and philanthropist delivering results for a diverse array of clients including multinationals, international organizations and media. Since the beginning of her career, she has worked directly with founders and c-suite executives at SONY, Shell, the World Economic Forum, IADB, Univision, ILO, IFAD, FAO, UNDCCP, RAI and Gruppo Espresso.
Strategic planning, sustainability and partnership development are also at the core of her new company CBF Strategy LLC.
Previous board positions include TIM, Revlon, Viacom, SoftBank Vision Fund C and the Global Fashion Agenda.
Her philanthropic work includes serving as a trustee on the Paley Center for Media, Tufts University, Summit Impact and Fondazione Guido Carli not for profit boards. In partnership with the Pontifical Lateran University, she is currently working on an ethics in business initiative, and she is the co-founder of the Business Ethics Summit.

Simon Evenett Professor of Geopolitics & Strategy, IMD Business School
Prof. Simon J. Evenett is Professor of Geopolitics and Strategy at IMD and Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Trade and Investment. Prior to joining IMD in 2024, he served as Professor of International Trade and Economic Development at the University of St.Gallen from 2011. An internationally recognized expert on trade, investment, and geopolitical dynamics, Prof. Evenett has developed several policy intelligence initiatives that provide real-time insights into global legal, policy, and regulatory developments.
In 2023, he launched the Crux of Capitalism initiative, offering valuable insights into the performance of firms and sectors in 21 major economies. In 2020, he co-founded the St. Gallen Endowment for Prosperity Through Trade (SGEPT) in collaboration with the Max Schmidheiny Foundation and the University of St.Gallen. SGEPT currently hosts three leading independent commercial policy monitoring initiatives: the Global Trade Alert, a key resource for assessing trade tensions; the New Industrial Policy Observatory; and the Digital Policy Alert. He has also taught at the University of Oxford and served twice as a World Bank official. Prof. Evenett holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Cambridge and a PhD from Yale University, and he has authored over 200 publications for academic, policy, and business audiences.

Tom Cartledge CEO, Benoy & Pragma
Tom is driven by a passion to change the world through the collaborative power of data and design. Appointed CEO of the family business in 2016, his vision is shaped by a desire to leave a lasting legacy for the built environment, underpinned by economic prosperity, social wellbeing and sustainable development.
Once a stand-alone firm specialising in Architecture, Tom has evolved Benoy’s offering to also include Interior Design, Wayfinding, Landscape Architecture and Masterplanning. The addition of sister-company, Pragma, a specialist consulting firm, enables Pragma + Benoy to deliver data-driven design for the entire real-estate lifecycle.
Strategic evolutions in expertise, sectors and geographies have led to landmark wins such as Terminal 4, Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore; ICONSIAM, Thailand; Alibaba Headquarters, China; Mercedes-Benz, UK; Solitaire, Saudi Arabia and Royalmount, Canada.
Tom understands how to bring together the core components of successful placemaking to deliver longevity and value for clients, shareholders and stakeholders.

Georges Barakat Director - Local Real Estate Investments Division - Retail, Public Investment Fund (PIF)
Georges is the Director in the Local Real Estate Investments Division focusing on Retail at the Public Investment Fund.
Georges is an experienced C-Suite executive, who has cultivated a proven track record in helping brands and organizations successfully achieve their business goals within the Luxury & Consumer goods space.
He also supported several brands in expanding their revenue and presence across the GCC, India, Africa, CIS markets and Saudi Arabia
He was previously the COO for the Richemont Group in KSA.

Prince Waleed N. F. Al Saud Founder & CEO, Mukatafa Company for Advocacy
Waleed N.F. Al Saud is the founder and CEO of Mukatafa. He has over 30 years of experience within the Saudi private sector. In 2016, he helped organize the first private-sector assembly, which led to policy changes. Today, Prince Waleed is leading Mukatafa to mobilize major industries that impact Saudi Arabia’s GDP and unify their voice for maximum impact. Also, he is working with the public sector to improve the quality of legislation to help the growth of the business, reduce the cost of doing business and increase the level of doing business. His proudest achievement is bringing together an exceptional team of young females and males, helping realize V2030’s goals.

Christian Schwaerzler Managing Director & Partner, The Boston Consulting Group International, Inc.
Christian Schwaerzler is the chair of Boston Consulting Group’s Center for Public Economics. He is a global expert on economic development and development strategies, and a member of the firm’s Public Sector practice leadership team.
Christian works with both private and public sector organizations on growth and development topics and helps clients define, navigate, and achieve their socioeconomic ambitions. He leads engagements on economic policy and government decision making, private sector development and diversification, local content development, balance of payment and trade, and employment and human capital strategy.
Before joining BCG in 2007, Christian gathered experience at L.E.K. Consulting, Siemens, an e-commerce startup, and other consulting firms in Europe, North America, and Nigeria.

Fares Akkad Managing Director MEA, Meta
Fares currently leads the Meta business and operations across Middle East and Africa. In his current role, Fares is responsible for the P&L for the region, as well as being the face in the company with policy makers and stakeholders. Fares comes into the role with a wealth of experience, most recently he was a Director for Media Partnerships at META with a global remit leading Meta media investments and operations across Growth Markets (APAC, LATAM, MEA). In this role he worked on some of the most sensitive issues facing the company including the Australian IP regulation, Afghanistan and Middle East unrest and Brazilian elections and regulation to mention a few. During his tenure, he managed to bring cohesion and synergy to a newly established region. At the end of his tenure, in addition to managing challenging regulatory situations, revenues from News for Growth markets became the highest of any other region globally. Amongst other achievements, Fares built a case for MEA to be one of four play-to-win video markets for Facebook, securing funding of $XXX million over 3 years for content from the
region.
Prior to Facebook, Fares was leading digital business development and distribution for MBC Group (largest media group in MENA). During his tenure he was able to grow the business by over 4X in 5 years and lead the expansion of the largest Arabic VOD in the world (Shahid). Prior to MBC, Fares spent over a decade in management consulting both in the region and the US working across a wide variety of industries and companies. Fares is also an entrepreneur at heart having started, funded and exited several startups both in the region and the US. He continues to be a very active advisor and investor in the startup scene, guiding some of the most exciting startups and VCs in the region.
Fares has also is/has been a board member of several large organizations both in the region and US, including Binghatti, Cafu, Enhance, Urban, ASD, AUD, and Takreem to mention a few. He played the role of a board advisor, board member, as well as head of different board committees.
Fares completed his studies in the US and holds an undergraduate degree in Bio Technology (Cum Laude), a Master’s degree in Information Systems (Cum Laude) and an MBA with an emphasis in entrepreneurship and Finance (Highest Distinction).
Fares is fluent in English, Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese. Fares has lived and worked in the US, Europe, Africa and South America and for the past 17 years has been based in Dubai where he still currently resides with his wife and 2 kids.

Amin Magrabi Chairman, MAGRABi Retail Group
As Chairman of MAGRABi Retail Group, Amin leads the Group’s strategic expansion across the Middle East and beyond. His mission is to harness the Group’s expertise to deliver exceptional client experiences whilst positively impacting individuals and communities.
Under his leadership, the Group has achieved significant milestones, including launching its eCommerce platform, establishing the state-of-the-art Lens Innovation Center (LIC), and introducing Doctor M, a new generation of lifestyle eyewear stores. In 2022, MAGRABi Retail Group was certified as a Best Place to Work in the Middle East, and Amin received CEO of the Year by CEO Monthly Magazine. In 2023, he was named among Forbes Middle East’s Top 100 Healthcare Leaders, and in 2024, the Group earned recognition as a Best Workplace for Women.
Amin is a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and holds a number of Board positions, including: Chairman of Magrabi Health; Vice Chairman of Al Sulaiman Group; Chairman for IKEA, Saudi and Bahrain; Chairman of the Africa Eye Foundation; Director of AMICO Group; Director of ARP Global Capital.
Beyond work, he values family, wellness, and continuous learning, recently earning the Corporate Director Certificate from Harvard Business School.

Abdullah Al Tamimi CEO, Hamat Holding
Abdullah Al Tamimi is the CEO of Hamat Holding Company and a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience in the Middle East. He has developed a comprehensive background in various business sectors, including business development, commercial finance, and operations, across industries such as shopping malls, real estate, and banking. His extensive expertise has been instrumental in driving innovation and transformation within the organized commercial retail space.
Mr. Al Tamimi is an alumnus of Gonzaga University and holds a certification in Business Credit from Moody’s Analytics. His previous roles encompass senior management positions at Al Rajhi Bank and Malaz Capital. Additionally, he is an active member of numerous local councils, highlighting his engagement in management, financial, and developmental affairs.

Abir A. Kaki General Manager KSA, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
A trailblazer accomplished and visionary executive leader with a demonstrated track record of driving success across diverse industries.
With a rich background in strategic management, business development, and organizational transformation.
Abir brings forth over two decades of experience in pivotal roles involving Change Management, Operations and Strategic Decision Making.
Her expertise spans Corporate, Private and non-Profit sectors, covering Luxury Retail, Trade, Sales, Marketing, Consumer Insights,Consulting, Investments, Real Estate Development, Banking, griculture and Manufacturing.
Guiding organizations with a blend of strategy, vision, grit, and resilience, she has excelled in establishing, strategizing, and positioning entities both locally and internationally.
Abir’s leadership style is inherently entrepreneurial, characterized by a track record of successfully restructuring and establishing organizational functions.
She has held notable positions, including General Manager of Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Saudi and Secretary General of Alwaleed Philanthropies leading projects locally, regionally and globally. Her thought leadership has earned her positions as a Board Member in several esteemed establishments.

Mohamad ElAnsari CEO, Trendyol Gulf
Mohamad ElAnsari is the CEO of Trendyol Gulf, one of the world’s leading e-commerce platforms.
Founded initially as a fashion e-commerce business in Istanbul in 2010, Trendyol has since grown into a multi-category online marketplace connecting sellers and brands with customers in Türkiye, Germany, Central and Eastern Europe, Azerbaijan, and the Gulf States.
Prior to joining Trendyol, Mohamad held leadership positions at some of the region’s most renowned organizations including Cenomi, Careem and Strategy&.
At Careem, Mohamad developed valuable partnerships with financial institutions and government agencies to unlock access to financing for captains. He also created supply related platforms in key markets such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan.
While at Strategy&, he co-led post-merger integrations in telco distribution and joint ventures for contact centers in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, at STC Channels, he led the corporate turnaround of a $500 million B2B telco business in Oman.
Mohamad holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the American University in Beirut and an MBA from IMD in Lausanne.

Dr. Günther Helm CEO, Majid Al Futtaim -Retail
Dr. Günther Helm is the Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim – Retail, tasked with delivering the company’s growth aspirations for its grocery retail business. This includes the expansion of its discount retail operations, identifying new opportunities for growth, strengthening and expanding its private brand offering, accelerating its omnichannel prowess and investing in development areas that support the long-term sustainable growth of the business.
Günther brings more than two decades of retail sector experience, underpinned by a consistent drive to innovate and evolve both customer and employee experiences across the organisations he had led. He had led large-scale revitalisation programmes that have fostered industry-first innovations, created high performance cultures, and transformed mature organisations to become more efficient and customer focused.
Prior to a stint as CEO of Cenomi Retail in Saudi Arabia, Günther was CEO of Müller Holding, Germany’s largest multicategory retailer, where he oversaw operations in 850 stores across 7 countries and led a workforce of more than 35,000 colleagues. Under his leadership, Müller Holding underwent a transformation journey resulting in a notable increase in revenues exceeding EUR 5 billion and doubling EBIT within two years. Prior, he held leadership positions in Hofer KG and ALDI South for 16 years, including CEO of ALDI South Group.
Günther is a recipient of a Grand Golden Cross of Merit of the Republic of Austria for Sustainability and was deputy chairman of the supervisory board of the Austrian state-owned investment portfolio company, ÖBAG.
Günther holds both a Doctorate and a Degree in Law from the Johannes Kepler University Linz in Austria.

Dr. Ayth I. Almubarak CEO of the National Center for Family Businesses Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Dr. Ayth Almubarak is the CEO of the National Center for Family Businesses, with over 15 years of experience in various roles and sectors. He is also a board member in a number of companies and organizations.
Prior to joining NCFB, he was the Strategy Director and President Advisor at King Faisal University. He was also an advisor for various organizations such as MEWA, and SOCPA. He published over 20 academic and Op-ed articles, and presented in more than 10 conferences and forums.
His expertise is in the fields of governance, strategic planning, and finance. He is also involved in analyzing public policies in the fields of economic development and educations.
These interests intersect with his academic background and practical experience, which included strategic planning, strategy implementation, setting up institutional performance systems, developing governance structures and policies and procedures for organizations, setting investment policies and enterprise risk management systems.
Dr. Almubarak has bachelor and master degrees in Accounting from KFU and University of Colorado at Boulder, and a PhD in Finance from University of Strathclyde. He also attended executive education programs in Public Policy Analysis from LSE, in Leadership from Oxford University, and in Board Membership with GCC BDI.

Hosam Arab CEO & Co-founder, Tabby
Hosam is the CEO and Co-founder of Tabby, a technology company headquartered in Riyadh that builds financial and shopping services designed to create financial freedom. Today, millions of users choose Tabby to stay in control of their spending and make the most out of their money. Tabby was valued at $1.5 billion in its last round of funding making it the first fintech unicorn in Saudi Arabia.
Previously, Hosam was CEO and Co-founder of Namshi, the Middle East’s premier online fashion destination which was fully acquired by Emaar Malls in 2019.

Karl Schwitzke Founder & Managing Partner, Schwitzke Group
Karl Schwitzke, born in 1955, founded his first architectural firm while studying in Kaiserslautern. After graduating as a designer and interior designer he gained professional experience in the USA. There he worked for Associated Space Design in Atlanta and won his first major competition. Upon his return, he was responsible for interior design at HPP with projects in Germany and abroad. Karl Schwitzke’s view of marketing and retail, store and branding were shaped by his years at Esprit, where he, as head of the architecture department, decisively shaped the appearance of the fashion and lifestyle brand in Europe. In 1989 he left Esprit to set up his own design office again. With its specialization in retail, the agency Schwitzke became a success story with numerous national and international awards. From these beginnings, a group of companies has emerged with services related to retail, brands, F&B, hospitality, offices and shopping centers

Bruno Wehbe Chief Operating Officer, Cenomi Centers
Bruno is the Chief Operating Officer at Cenomi Centers and brings over 17 years of experience in senior leadership roles across different organizations. In his current role, Bruno leads the development and execution of the Flagship assets (The Jawharats) and Cenomi’s standing portfolio of 21 assets. He manages cross-functional teams including Asset Management, strategic, Leasing, marketing, and operations.
Prior to his current role, Bruno held the role of Chief Strategy Officer for Cenomi Group with previous roles in the region covering Portfolio and Asset Management for Cenomi Centers and Vice President MENA Real Estate Lead, Booz Allen Hamilton and Principal MENA Real Estate, Strategy&, Booz & Company.

Nilesh Ved Chairman, Apparel Group
Nilesh Ved, a visionary entrepreneur and one of the most influential figures in global retail, is the Founder and Chairman of AppCorp Holding Global. From humble beginnings in Dubai with a single store, Ved has transformed AppCorp into a multi-billion-dollar global powerhouse with a presence in 14 countries. The group’s success is anchored by its flagship company, Apparel Group, a globally recognized name operating over 2,300 stores, representing more than 85 brands, and employing a workforce exceeding 24,000 employees.
Apparel Group’s achievements have been recognized globally, earning accolades such as the MENA Retail Partner of the Year and MENA Sustainable Retailer of the Year at the RLI MENA Awards. The company also received the prestigious 5-Star Award from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) and was named among Seramount’s Top 10 Best Companies for Women in the GCC and the Top 25 Best Workplaces for Women in the GCC for 2024. Further cementing its reputation, Apparel Group won the Gulf Sustainability Awards 2024 for best workplace and HR practices.
Apparel Group’s diverse portfolio includes iconic international brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Skechers, Charles & Keith, Levi’s, and Rituals, alongside homegrown labels like F5 Global, R&B, and Athletes Co. Under Ved’s leadership, Apparel Group has become a symbol of retail innovation, introducing pioneering initiatives such as the Club Apparel loyalty program in 2010 and the e-commerce platform 6thStreet.com in 2016. In 2022, the company unveiled the GCC’s first-ever phygital store, blending online and offline experiences to serve customers across 1,200 brands with seamless integration from over 1,300 stores.
Born in Mumbai, India, and raised in Oman and the UAE, Ved graduated from Boston University with a degree in Science and Business Administration. His fascination with Western fashion and retail during his travels inspired him to bring global brands to the Middle East, fulfilling a significant market gap. This vision led to the founding of Apparel Group in 1996, which now thrives in the cosmopolitan environment of Dubai, leveraging the city’s position as a global hub for commerce and innovation.
Beyond retail, Ved’s leadership extends into logistics, production, and diverse sectors such as food and beverage, healthcare, real estate, and financial services. Through ventures like Shopfit Interiors, Speedex, and Konnect Logistics, he has ensured that every facet of the business aligns with his commitment to excellence. His foresight also enabled early entry into the Indian market, establishing Apparel Group India Pvt. Ltd. in 2001. With over 246 stores and 16+ international brands like Bath & Body Works and Victoria’s Secret, the group solidified its presence in one of the world’s most dynamic markets.
Apparel Group’s achievements have been recognized globally, earning accolades such as the MENA Retail Partner of the Year and MENA Sustainable Retailer of the Year at the RLI MENA Awards. The company also received the prestigious 5-Star Award from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) and was named among Seramount’s Top 10 Best Companies for Women in the GCC and the Top 25 Best Workplaces for Women in the GCC for 2024. Further cementing its reputation, Apparel Group won the Gulf Sustainability Awards 2024 for best workplace and HR practices.
A firm believer in corporate social responsibility, Ved has aligned AppCorp with the United Nations Global Compact since 2015, emphasizing sustainability and community impact. Together with his wife, Sima Ved, he has built a legacy that intertwines entrepreneurial success with a commitment to societal upliftment. Through his visionary leadership, Nilesh Ved continues to inspire, shaping the retail industry in the UAE and beyond, and reinforcing Dubai’s status as a global retail e

Zia Daniell Wigder Chief Content Officer, EMARKETER
Zia is the Chief Content Officer at EMARKETER, a data and insights firm owned by Germany’s Axel Springer. She oversees a team of 100+ analysts and forecasters who cover global digital trends with a focus on retail, ecommerce and digital marketing. In this role, she regularly presents on changing digital dynamics at major conferences around the world.
From 2015-2020, Zia was the Chief Global Content Officer at Shoptalk and co-founder of Groceryshop. In 2019, Shoptalk and Groceryshop were acquired by UK-based Hyve Group for a combined $145 million. She also spent 7 years at Forrester Research where she led the team covering global omnichannel retail.
Zia holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MALD from The Fletcher School at Tufts University. She lives in New York City.

Joe Abi Akl Partner and IMEA Head of Retail and Consumer, Oliver Wyman
Joe Abi Akl is a Partner at Oliver Wyman, and head of the Retail and Consumer Practice for India, the Middle East, and Africa (IMEA). He brings over 18 years of experience in management consulting, corporate development, investment and portfolio management, incubation, digital and analytics capability building, customer value management, operational excellence, and business management. Abi Akl has helped shape the turnaround and growth strategy, digital transformation, and development of leading consumer organizations across the region. Formerly, Chief Corporate Development Officer at Majid Al Futtaim and Managing Director of the digital arm of the group, he played a key role in the transformation of the business and the development of its digital capabilities.

Graziano de Boni Global CEO, Diane von Furstenberg - DVF Studio LLC
Graziano is an accomplished executive with over twenty-five years of senior leadership in the fashion, luxury, and retail industries.
A forward and dynamic thinker, Graziano has successfully led several companies through growth trajectories or turnaround phases, always with the goal of building long term brand equity value.
As Global President of Valentino, Graziano was instrumental in turning around the business, starting accessories, and launched Valentino.com in 2003 pioneering luxury e-commerce.
At Prada Americas, he initiated the direct-to-consumer vision, and as CEO of Armani Americas, he developed a simplified brand and product strategy that embraced technologies with predictive analytics at the center.
Engaged in 2023 to evaluate the future of DVF, as CEO of Diane von Furstenberg he has successfully brought back in-house the global business, setting up a unique and disruptive digital-first business model centered on design, brand narrative and the consumer.

Catherine Brien Partner & Managing Director, AlixPartners UK
Catherine helps retailers and other consumer businesses transform performance using data and technology. She is an expert in deploying data, AI, and research to drive sales and profit via customer lifetime value, proposition design, pricing & promotions, supply chain & logistics, and retail media.
Catherine is passionate about data ethics and has a strong track record of creating and monetizing valuable data assets. Prior to her role at AlixPartners, she held the positions of Chief Data Officer for Guardian Media Group and Data Science Director for the Coop Group. She also has over 15 years’ experience in international consulting across retail, travel & leisure, airlines, and consumer finance.
Currently a Trustee of Nesta, the UK’s innovation agency for social good, Catherine is dedicated to social impact both inside and outside of the workplace.

Ayman Mohammed Al Burti CEO, Azad Properties
A strategic leader with over 20 years in real estate and retail, Ayman Al Burti has served as CEO of Azad Properties since 2017, where he develops innovative projects aligned with Saudi Vision 2030. His executive experience includes roles as CCO at AWJ Holding and COO at Anan Holding, following a decade-long tenure at Kinan International Real Estate Company.
Ayman currently serves as the President of the Board of MECS+R: The Middle East Council of Shopping Centres & Retailers. He also chairs the Board of Jeddah Central Markets Company and serves on multiple boards, including the Urban Development and Commerce & Retail boards at Jeddah Chamber, highlighting his commitment to industry advancement and community engagement.
His deep expertise, forward-thinking leadership, and proven ability to drive innovation position him as a prominent figure in the real estate market.

Mina Fader Managing Director, Baker Retailing Center, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

Matthew David Clark EMEA Leader of Retail, Partner & Managing Director, AlixPartners
Matt works with leaders of retail and consumer-facing businesses to tackle the seismic shifts shaking the industry and deliver significant improvements in performance. He is a business transformation specialist with more than 20 years’ experience covering both turnaround and growth programs.
Matt’s experience includes running transformation programs, managing proposition development, producing top-line growth, achieving channel/market optimisation, obtaining margin enhancement, and delivering improvements in operational productivity and cost reduction. Before joining AlixPartners, he cofounded business transformation boutique consultancy Boxwood (latterly KPMG Boxwood), where he oversaw the retail and consumer sector.

Amarpal Sandhu CEO, Americana Restaurants
Amarpal leads Americana Restaurants multi-brand, multi-country restaurant portfolio across MENA and Kazakhstan.
He joined as the COO of KFC in 2017 to lead the transformation and turnaround of Americana’s largest brand with close to a thousand restaurants across 12 countries and was promoted to CEO in 2019.
Amarpal has been instrumental in fostering a performance driven – values led culture deep into the organization and building a world-class management team. He leads Americana’s strategic vision of becoming the fastest growing restaurant operator in the world through a laser sharp focus on efficient capital deployment, promoting innovation and creativity, turning around brands and markets, and ensuring right talent at the right place.
Before joining Americana, Amarpal served as Vice President and Brand Head, Texas Chicken International for Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Europe. He was responsible for expansion of the brand in 10 international markets from 2011 to 2017 and negotiated three of the largest franchise development agreements in the Company’s history in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia.
During his 17-year career at Wendy’s from 1994 to 2011, Amar managed both equity and franchise business portfolio for the brand across USA and International markets.
He holds an MBA from the Richard Ivey Business School, University of Western Ontario, Canada.

Charbel Sarkis Country Director Saudi Arabia, Google
Charbel Sarkis is the Country Director for Saudi Arabia at Google. Charbel joined Google in 2012, and he since held multiple leadership positions across diverse sectors and geographies, most recently serving as the Commercial Director of Saudi Arabia and of Retail, E-Commerce and Digital Natives in MENA. Prior to Google, Charbel was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs in London and a strategy consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton (now Strategy&) in MENA. Charbel holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Masters in Strategic Management from HEC Paris and a Bachelor of Engineering from the Saint Joseph University in Beirut.

Norma Taki Retail and Consumer Market Leader, Transaction Services Partner & Inclusion and Diversity Leader, PwC Middle East
Norma has over 25 years of experience with PwC and is a Partner in our Transaction Services Team based in Dubai.
She currently leads our Retail and Consumer markets sector across the Middle East. She has led numerous financial due diligence deals and valuation projects in the retail and consumer sector including fashion, F&B, Consumer products and others in the Middle East region for large regional families, corporates and private equity clients.
She also works with teams leading other propositions to bring industry specific solutions to PwC clients.
Norma authors the annual PwC publication titled “Global Consumer Insight Survey” covering consumer behavior in Egypt, Qatar, KSA and the UAE. She also leads PwC ME’s Inclusion and Diversity proposition across the Middle East.

Dr. JJ Van Oosten President, Digital Transformation X, Senior Advisor, Boston Consulting Group
JJ has over the last two decades led 5 major digital transformation end to end for example for Tesco plc, Kingfisher plc, Rewe Group (Germany) and The Lego Group. He has launched several marketplaces, the latest one for diy.com delivering over £500 millions run rate in 3 years. He has deep operational expertise in all aspects of e-commerce, data and tech across grocery and non-food. He now advises selected family offices, PE funds, founders of scale ups and some stock listed businesses. JJ is also a senior advisor to BCG. He has 4 young children.

Ayman Beydoun CEO, BFL Group
Ayman Beydoun, BFL Group’s Chief Executive Officer, leads the group’s operations across the GCC and Southeast Asia. Beydoun is an entrepreneurial executive with a career spanning over 15 years of increasing responsibility and expertise in driving revenue and optimizing profit margins. He has extensive expertise in developing start-up infrastructures, directing corporate turnarounds and aiding with brick-and-mortar expansions in a fast and dynamic retail group. Beydoun’s duties as CEO is to actas the primary interface to achieve homogenous and strategic synergy between the commercial, operational and financial divisions. He also oversees the company’s ongoing expansion efforts into emerging markets.
Before he was appointed as Group CEO in November 2024, Beydoun occupied the role of Deputy CEO and Group COO at BFL Group, wherein he was instrumental in growing revenues and expanding the Group’s operations. Before joining BFL Group in March 2018, Beydoun served as a ‘Sales Director’ at SAB International in Lebanon and SAB America in the United States. Beydoun, was responsible for the company’s expansion efforts into high growth, emerging B2B markets both domestically and internationally as well as its newly created and elevated retail brand in
the United States.
Beydoun holds a Doctorate Degree (DBA) in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the Imperial College School of Business in London. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (BBA) from the Lebanese American University in Beirut.

Khalid AlJanahi Chief Commercial Officer, Cenomi Centers
Khalid AlJanahi – Chief Commercial Officer at Cenomi Centers, has more than 13 years of experience in the Real Estate Development and Financial advisory industries.
He has been successfully leading and managing the leasing portfolio of 22 Cenomi Centers’ shopping malls spread across KSA including new upcoming projects Jawharat Riyadh and Jeddah projects. Prior to joining Cenomi Centers Company, he worked as Director of Leasing at SHUROOQ (Investment and Development Authority of Sharjah), and before that he was the Manager of Retail Leasing at MERAAS Dubai. Khalid has also worked as a Consultant in the Financial Advisory in Ernst & Young, Bahrain and his professional career started in USA with leading Mexican automobile company “Gami USA” as operations manager covering USA market.

Abdellah Iftahy Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company
Abdellah Iftahy is a Senior Partner in McKinsey & Company’s Dubai Office. He leads the consumer/retail and Business Building (LEAP) practices in the Middle East for McKinsey. In the last 12 years he has served several institutions on strategy and organization, E2E DnA (Digital and Analytics) transformations and Business Building. He serves local and multinational consumer players, retailers and family businesses in MENA and beyond.
He built more than 5 businesses in the region in the spaces of consumer, entertainment, online retailing, Advertising and Fintech. Abdellah is a thought leader on the topics of consumer and retail industries of the future and has written several publications and articles on those subjects. He leads Consumer sentiment research, a constant pulse to the changing consumer trends in the region. Abdellah also serves family-owned businesses and institutional investors in the region on strategic, organizational, and transformation issues.

Paul Carey Chief Product & Payments Officer for Blue Rewards, Al-Futtaim
Paul is the Chief Product & Payments Officer for Blue Rewards, leading the development of Al-Futtaim’s lifestyle advisor app and digital payment solutions. Paul develops the product strategy to deliver engaging features that reward customers and is responsible for monetizing both the app and payment products across 9 markets. Working with established and start up fintech players, Paul delivers solutions for some of the region’s best-known brands such as IKEA, Marks & Spencer, Toys R Us, Toyota, Lexus and Intercontinental Hotels to name but a few.

Fahed Ghanim CEO, Majid Al Futtaim –Lifestyle
Fahed Ghanim is the CEO of Majid Al Futtaim – Lifestyle, overseeing renowned brands across Home, Fashion, Beauty, and Specialty Retail. Under his leadership, Majid Al Futtaim Lifestyle operates 100 stores and 30 digital platforms across the GCC, with exclusive rights for lululemon, LEGO, Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, AllSaints, Eleventy, Psycho Bunny, Shiseido, Poltrona Frau, Ceccotti, Crate & Barrel, CB2, Alessi and THAT, a multi-brand concept store and app.
Recognised as an authority in the Middle East retail landscape, Ghanim is celebrated for his expertise in growth hacking and business turnarounds. He spearheaded the successful transformation and IPO of L’azurde PLC and has driven Majid Al Futtaim Lifestyle’s unprecedented success, quadrupling its business in just five years.
Ghanim’s career highlights include launching iconic brands like Gucci, Bvlgari, and LEGO in the region and negotiating high-profile real estate deals, such as a $1.5 billion partnership with The Trump Organization.
A sought-after speaker at industry events, Ghanim serves on multiple organizational boards and holds an MBA with distinction from ESCP Europe Business School.

Remo Giovanni Abbondandolo General Manager MENA, Checkout.com
Remo Giovanni Abbondandolo is an accomplished business leader and a public speaker with a proven track record of steering companies to become leading players in their fields across the MENA, Africa and APAC regions.
After over five years at Checkout.com, Remo took on the role of General Manager, overseeing the end-to-end management and business strategy in the Middle East and North Africa.
In his role, Abbondandolo is shaping the future of regional ecommerce through widespread seamless and secure digital payments, while bolstering data-powered insights to simplify complex payment landscapes for merchants in the region.
Abbondandolo orchestrated Checkout.com’s acquiring license in the UAE, and is currently working hard with his teams to secure similar licensing in other countries across the region. His pioneering spirit combined with his deep understanding of the payments ecosystem have been instrumental in driving Checkout.com’s strategic growth in the MENA region.

Abdel-Salam Bdeir CEO, SACO
Abdel-Salam Bdeir is a seasoned CEO with a 30-year experience in Retail and FMCG, specialized in corporate transformation within the GCC and MENA regions.
Currently the CEO of SACO, KSA, his expertise lies in planning and executing corporate turnarounds, evident from his terms at The Sultan Center (TSC), where he achieved remarkable results across Kuwait, Oman, Jordan and Bahrain markets, reversing negative EBITDA in multiple markets into a positive EBITDA of multi-million US Dollars. His contributions through Rival Consulting Group (RCG) which he founded over 12 years back provided actionable insights to major companies in the region, enhancing their business models, competitive edge and financial results. As the CEO of Othaim Markets Company (OMC) 12 years back, the company achieved double digit growth in net income under his leadership.
Since the beginnings of his career at Procter & Gamble (P&G), Abdel-Salam Bdeir has consistently propelled companies to market leadership, financial growth and expansion.
His academic excellence is backed by a BBA and an MBA from the American University of Beirut (AUB), complementing his commitment to industry best practices and strategic innovation in general management and particularly in retail.

Saud Alsulaimani Country Head KSA, JLL
As the Country Head of JLL in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Saud is responsible for strengthening the company’s presence and expanding its footprint in the Kingdom with a focus on technology and sustainability.
A strong advocate of the “One JLL” approach, he leads JLL’s efforts by focusing on digital solutions and sustainability. He ensures client success through a wide-range of services, including development advisory, transactional advisory, asset management, property management, and project and development consultancy.
Saud is an independent Board Member of several organizations, including Nama Capital, Mawten Real Estate Company, Al-Rajhi REIT Publicly Traded Fund, Ennismore Lifestyle Private Fund, and SNB Capital Special Real Estate Fund. He provides strategic counselling and manages a diverse income-generating portfolio and development projects across various sectors and cities.
Before joining JLL, he was an Executive Director at the Tourism Development Fund, overseeing the Real Estate & Hospitality department. He also served as a Partner at Knight Frank, managing their real estate Valuation & Advisory practice in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Additionally, Saud was a vital member of the Real Estate and Infrastructure team at the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), spearheading key development projects such as NEOM, The Red Sea Project, KAFD, Qiddiya, and ROSHN in Saudi Arabia.

Barbara Kahn Patty & Jay H Baker Professor of Marketing, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Barbara E. Kahn returned to The Wharton School in January 2011 to serve as the Patty and Jay H. Baker Professor of Marketing and the Director of the Jay H. Baker Retailing Center. Prior to rejoining Wharton, Barbara served for three and a half years as the Dean and Schein Family Chair Professor of Marketing at the School of Business Administration, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida. While Dean at the University of Miami, she launched new global initiatives and academic programs, attracted top faculty from some of the world’s leading business schools to enhance the caliber of the school’s research and teaching, and established new partnerships with the business community. All of these initiatives helped the School rise significantly in the ratings. She also established the Global Business Forum at the University of Miami which brought over 1000 leading business executives and professionals to the campus.
Barbara is an internationally recognized scholar on variety seeking, brand loyalty, retail assortment issues and patient decision-making whose research provides marketing managers with a better understanding of the consumer choice process. She has published more than 60 articles in leading academic journals.
She received her PhD, MBA and MPhil degrees from Columbia University, and a BA in English Literature from the University of Rochester.

Nisreen Shocair CEO, The Shocase Network
Nisreen Shocair was previously appointed by Providence Equity Partners as the CEO of a live streaming network serving the MENA region, a first mover in the space of shoppable digital content. She had been the President of Virgin Megastore for the Middle East & North Africa for over a decade, leading its transformation and playing a key role in promoting Middle Eastern culture to a young demographic.
Nisreen has held leadership positions at Viacom, Sony Music, Bertelsmann AG and Hearst Entertainment. Nisreen co-chairs the Retail Leaders Circle, a think tank for the Middle East retail industry and its eco-system. She has been awarded Female CEO of the Year by CEO Middle East and Businesswoman of the Year by Women in Leadership. Nisreen is on Arabian Business 100 Most Powerful Arab Women’s list four years in a row and is listed in the top 100 Most Powerful Arab Women by Forbes Middle East.

Panos Linardos Chairman, RLC Global Forum
Panos Linardos is the Chairman of RLC Global Forum, a leading stakeholder engagement platform that works with global leaders across retail, consumer goods, technology, media, as well as with government bodies and policymakers. Panos has advised and worked with chief executives, founders, and public sector leaders of some of the world’s most innovative organizations on strategy, business transformation, and global opportunities. He has played a pivotal role in shaping market-shifting innovations and guiding businesses through disruptive changes.
In addition to his role at RLC Global Forum, Panos serves as the Executive Director of the New York Institute of Management, where he oversees practices in retail, tech, media, and sports. At NYIM, Panos is known for his work on promoting innovative human capital development practices and maximizing ROI on organizational transformation and strategy initiatives for leading consumer-facing clients. Prior to NYIM, Panos held leadership roles at WestRock Company, focusing on corporate strategy and finance.

Neil Blumenthal Co-founder & Co-CEO, Warby Parker
Neil Blumenthal is a co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, a direct-to-consumer lifestyle brand focused on vision for all.
Neil was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, and one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company. He serves on the board of directors of Sweetgreen (NYSE: SG) and Allbirds (NSDQ: BIRD), as well as the nonprofit organizations Robin Hood, Tech:NYC, the Partnership Fund for New York City, and the Warby Parker Impact Foundation. He is also a co-founder and general partner of Good Friends LLC, an early stage venture capital firm.
A native of New York City, Neil received his BA from Tufts University and his MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Saud Alsulaiman CEO, Alsulaiman Group
Saud Alsulaiman is the CEO of Alsulaiman Group, a leading Saudi holding company with over 40 years of excellence in retail and complementary sectors. Under his leadership, IKEA Alsulaiman achieved global top performance. Saud spearheaded the group’s expansion into convenience and fuel retailing through Circle K in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, while also co-founding Flow Progressive Logistics to enhance logistics capabilities. He has driven diversification into technology and real estate, solidifying Alsulaiman Group’s position as a powerhouse in retail and beyond, shaping its legacy of innovation and growth.

Selvane Mohandas du Ménil Managing Director, The International Association of Department Stores
Selvane Mohandas du Ménil, 46, has been Managing Director of the International Association of Department Stores (IADS) since June 2020. He started his career in product—and commercial-oriented positions at L’Oréal, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, and Sonia Rykiel and most recently as Deputy Director at Parfums D’Orsay.
Born in France and of Indian origins, he graduated from HEC Paris and IFM Institut Français de la Mode (where he teaches Luxury Distribution). He is an alumnus of Science Po Paris. Author of research works on Luxury, he also contributes to the fine art monthly magazine Beaux Arts Magazine, for the fashion column.
His extensive experience in business development, combined with his current position, where he regularly exchanges with the CEOs of the top department stores in the world, allows him to have an expert understanding of retail and, most specifically, of the trends, challenges, and solutions in the exciting world of department stores.

Lee Talbott Senior Director, Retail Portfolio, ROSHN Group
Lee Talbott is a subject matter expert in Retail Asset Management, Leasing, Strategy and Planning, with a career spanning over 30 years successfully leasing and asset management for some of the largest shopping mall and mixed-use projects in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the UK, Australia and China.
As the senior director, retail portfolio, for ROSHN Group, Saudi Arabia’s largest multi-asset class real estate developer and PIF-owned company, Lee is responsible for both developing and leading its retail strategy as well as all aspects of managing ROSHN’s retail assets, including leasing, property management and financing.
Prior to joining ROSHN, Lee headed up the leasing and asset management of some of the largest shopping mall and mixed-use projects in the region including Yas Mall (Abu Dhabi), Mall of Qatar (Doha), Msheireb Downtown (Doha), and Dragon Mart (Dubai).
Lee is a strong advocate for the customer experience and journey in the retail environment and has worked on award-winning projects across the region.
Lee holds a BSc in Urban Estate Management from the University of Westminster, London and is a member of the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres.

Ahmad AR BinDawood CEO & Board Member, BinDawood Holding
BinDawood Holding is a leading retail company listed on the Saudi Exchange. It operates two major brands, Danube and BinDawood stores, with 96 locations, including one in Bahrain.
The company owns a majority stake in the tech business “International App Company,” the sole operator of the BinDawood and Danube apps, and Ykone, the world’s third-largest influencer marketing company.
Additionally, BinDawood Holding owns a distribution business and operates a retail pharmaceutical business.
The company has also granted franchise rights to operate BinDawood stores in Qatar. It is one of the MENA region’s largest retail operators, offering supermarkets, hypermarkets, and express stores with a wide range of international food and grocery items.
Academic & Professional Recognitions:
- Bachelor’s degree in International Business Administration from King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia (2006)
- Organizational Leadership Program from the University of Cambridge, England (2015)
- Executive Leadership Program from Columbia Business School (2016-2017)
Current Memberships:
- Board Member, BinDawood Holding, KSA
- Board Member, BinDawood Trading Company, KSA
- Board Member, Red Sea Mall Company, KSA
- Board Member, International Application Trading Company, KSA
- Board Member, First Commercial Application Company, KSA
- Board Member, Future Retail for Information Technology, KSA
- Board Member, Future Retail Tech France, Ykone Italy, Ykone Germany, Ykone Asia
- Board Member, Ghalia Loyalty Management for Commercial Services, KSA
Previous Executive Positions:
- Assistant Purchasing Manager, Danube Company for Foodstuffs and Commodities
- Deputy Operations Manager, Danube Company for Foodstuffs and Commodities
- Business Development Manager, Danube Company for Foodstuffs and Commodities
- Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Danube Company for Foodstuffs and Commodities
Current Executive Positions:
- Chief Executive Officer, Danube Company for Foodstuffs and Commodities
- Chief Executive Officer, BinDawood Superstores Company
- Chief Executive Officer, BinDawood Holding Company
Awards:
Ahmad AR BinDawood has played a pivotal role in driving the growth and strategic direction of BinDawood Holding, leveraging his extensive experience in retail management and business development. He was awarded the Masterclass CEO of the Year Award issued by Saudi Top Achiever Awards in 2019.

Abdulla Alhammadi Managing Director, Snap Inc. KSA
Abudlla Alhammadi is the Managing Director of Snap Inc in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is responsible for building up Snap’s presence in the country. He has been with Snap for five years, and was instrumental in developing Snap’s business across the Middle East region.
Prior to Snapchat, he was a Senior Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company serving a diverse set of clients in several Middle Eastern countries. Alhammadi, was a member of the founding team in Careem, led the small business marketing segment for Google in Saudi Arabia, and served on the boards of Beyon and Beyon Money.
Alhammadi holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree with honors from Georgetown University in finance and international business.

Majed M. AlTahan Co-founder & CEO Danube Online, Founder & CEO IACO
Majed M. AlTahan is an award-winning entrepreneur and e-commerce pioneer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Throughout his career, Majed has been at the forefront of driving innovation and excellence in Saudi Arabia’s tech and digital commerce sectors, making a significant impact across various industries including retail, sports, healthcare and the food industry.
Through his various projects and endeavors Majed remains focused on leveraging technology to create solutions to transform convenience and efficiency in everyday life, making him a revered figure in the Middle East’s technology industry.

Lynn Al Khatib Executive Coach & Vice President of Communications, Chalhoub Group
Lynn Al Khatib, Executive Coach and Vice President of Communications at Chalhoub Group, has nearly 20 years of experience in corporate and brand communications. Her expertise spans media relations, internal communications, brand strategy, and digital and social media. In 2024, Lynn began working with leaders and C-suite executives as an executive coach, helping them enhance their thought leadership, personal branding, and communication strategies.
She also conceptualized and led The Skincare Edition, the Middle East’s first skincare summit at Hia Hub 4.0 in Riyadh, featuring 22 brands, B2B speakers, and consumer experiences.
Previously, Lynn held key communication roles at Nestlé in the Middle East and Switzerland, bridging corporate and consumer narratives. A passionate advocate for Women in Leadership, she actively supports the industry through MEPRA, GWPR, and PRCA initiatives. Lynn is also a dedicated mother of two and committed to mentoring and empowering others in the areas of wellbeing, communication and leadership.

Hala Zgeib Head of Luxury, Snap Inc
Hala Zgeib, Head of Luxury at Snap MENA, combines her passion for retail with Snap’s cutting-edge technology to help luxury conglomerates develop successful digital strategies. A veteran retailer, Hala is known for driving exponential growth in omnichannel businesses and has worked with some of the world’s largest luxury retail groups, including LVMH.
Hala also serves as Vice President of Connecting Women in Technology (CWIT), where she leads initiatives to support the development and advancement of women in the technology industry.

Ali Mansour CEO, United Electronic Company - eXtra
Ali is a distinguished business leader and a retail development champion with a profound understanding of commercial and financial aspects.
Prior to his appointment as CEO in January 2019, Ali served as the Chief Commercial Officer for eXtra, where he masterminded commercial tactics. His robust leadership skills were instrumental in devising sustainable growth strategies for key consumer electronics sectors.

Devendar Agarwal Vice President and GCC Head of Merchant Sales and Acceptance, Visa
Devendar Agarwal is a Visa business leader with a proven international track record of delivering high revenue growth and turning around businesses across financial services products – Credit Cards, Payments, Personal Lending, Mortgages and Credit Insurances. Comprehensive experience in building strategic business propositions and client led solutions, managing region with matrix team structures and driving strategic alignment across, pricing for value instead of commodity and expanding market share, leveraging data for opportunity creation and innovating digital solutions, and enhancing knowledge capabilities by positively channeling energies of a diverse talent pool.
Managed large corporate relationships and sales during early part of career. Transitioned into leading businesses with P&L responsibilities in multiple countries. Consulted strategy for businesses in Russia, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Egypt, Middle East, Germany, South Korea, Colombia, and Brazil.
Devendar holds MBA of National University of Singapore.

Patrick Kaudewitz CEO & Founder, Kaudewitz Consulting GmbH
Patrick Kaudewitz is an experienced international Retail Expert with 26+ years at Schwarz Group – Europe‘s biggest retailer (CEO Lidl Ireland, COO Lidl International, CEO Kaufland) and 3 years as Chairman at REAL. Currently he serves as Executive Chairman of Wumart Supermarkets, the largest grocery retailer in the Beijing area. Furthermore he is Chief Retail Expert for leading omni-channel Retail Digitalisation Solutions Provider DMALL.
As Operating and Investment Partner at boutique PE firm The SCP Group he was involved in the acquisition of REAL Hypermarkets from Metro AG and managed the successful operational business plan execution of the largest retail restructuring project in Europe.
Since 2019 he also works with Triton Partners and currently acts as an Advisory Board Member for two of their portfolio companies.
Patrick holds a MBA-equivalent degree from the University of the Armed Forces Munich. He splits his time between Liechtenstein and Ireland, where his wife and his two daughters are based. Patrick is an avid cyclist.

Dennis Michael Chief Business Development Officer, Cenomi Centers
With 20+ years of global executive experience in mixed-use real estate, media, eCommerce, and commercial strategy, Dennis is the Chief Business Development Officer at Cenomi Centers, Saudi Arabia. He leads a portfolio-wide team to drive diverse revenue streams, including media, leasing, partnerships, and asset services.
Previously, Dennis spearheaded the Commercialization business at Diriyah Gate Company Limited, implementing a diversified income framework and operational strategies across asset classes. Before that, he led a multi-faceted team at QIC Global Real Estate (QICGRE) in Australia, driving sustainable growth for retail and mixed-use portfolios. His work focused on delivering insight-driven solutions with significant ROI in omni-channel retail, media, entertainment, and utilities.
Dennis also spent over a decade at News Corp, leading commercial strategy for iconic brands like Vogue and GQ across digital, print, and experience platforms. His career demonstrates a strong track record in delivering innovative, revenue-generating strategies.

Neeraj Teckchandani CEO, Apparel Group
Neeraj Teckchandani is the CEO & Director of Apparel Group which is one of the leading retail conglomerates headquartered in Dubai. Apparel Group is a global fashion and lifestyle retail conglomerate residing at the crossroads of the modern economy – Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Today, Apparel Group caters to thousands of eager shoppers through its 2200+ retail stores and 85+ brands on all platforms while employing over 22,000+ multicultural staff.
Apparel Group has carved its strong presence in the GCC and expanded thriving gateways to market in India, South Africa, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Egypt.
The brands include leading names in fashion, footwear, and lifestyles such as Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Charles & Keith, Skechers, Aldo, Nine West, Crocs, Aeropostale, Jamie’s Italian, Tim Hortons, Cold Stone Creamery, Inglot, and Rituals.
Neeraj Teckchandani has been associated with the Group since its inception in 2000 and has grown the ranks and now spear heading the Group. Neeraj is Cost Accountant by profession and also an Alumni of Harvard Business School (HBS), City University London (Cass Business School) and India Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A).
Neeraj has spent over 28+ years in Dubai UAE and has vast experience in the retail industry across various domains of Strategy, Management, Operations, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Operations to name a few. Neeraj is also the member of the Beta Gama Sigma Society and has been awarded various industry awards like Best Fashion Lifestyle CFO (UAE) Award at the Global CFO Excellence Awards 2020, World’s Greatest CFO Award 2018-19 by Asia One, Most Influential CFO In fashion & Lifestyle Services (UAE) at Global Business Insight Awards 2018 to name a few.

David Wilkinson Executive Director, Steen & Strøm Oslo
David is a retail leader who has international experience in the luxury Department Store sector with Au Pont Rouge , Harrods , Selfridges&Co , Salam Studio & Stores , and Steen & Strøm. For the past 5 years David has created and implemented the strategy for the reimagination of Steen & Strøm department store Oslo.

Cyrille Fabre Senior Partner, Bain & Company, Middle East
Cyrille Fabre is a Senior Partner in Bain & Company’s Middle East offices; he leads Bain’s Consumer Products & Retail practice and family businesses in the Middle East.
Cyrille has 20 years of management consulting experience and delivers strategies that work for leading businesses.
He primarily advises retailers and consumer product companies on strategy, customer experience, digital and performance improvement. He has also developed specific expertise in the Middle East, having worked with multiple family businesses across operating model, succession planning, board and executive roles and structures, institutionalization of family businesses. In addition, Cyrille works with economic development agencies to address topics such as retail sector strategies, ecommerce regulations, food security in the GCC region.
Cyrille has applied his management consulting expertise globally with Bain, having worked in the firm’s Brussels office. He is a frequent keynote speaker in retail conferences and his insights have been published in global and regional publications including Financial Times, Forbes, The National, and Saudi Gazette.

Debashish Mukherjee Regional Lead, Partner, Consumer & Retail, Middle East & Africa, Kearney
ET 40 under 40 business leader. Debashish focuses on driving large scale change at the board level for leading retailers, consumer companies related to topline and bottom-line improvements. He also supports leading Government institutions and corporations develop sector capacity related to Food and Retail. He has experience across more than ten countries in India, Asia and Middle East and has served on several National Business Committees and taskforces related to Consumer and Retail, in addition to serving as jury of several prestigious Retail Awards. Debashish has an MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta and is a Mechanical Engineer from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.

Ali Shareif CEO, Al Othaim Life
Ali Shareif, CEO of Al Othaim Life, Retail executive with success path for 27 years in leading sustainability and growth of retail companies. Experiences incorporating strategies, leadership, change management, operations, P&L, multichannel sales & marketing in different business models such as retail, online, wholesale, distribution, and manufacturing. Worked with leading retail organizations before Al Othaim Life like Azadea and Cenomi in multi-geographical locations.

Adriano Araujo President APAC & MEA, Ocado Group
Based in Singapore, Adriano has spent the better part of the last 15 years providing world-class data and monetisation solutions at dunnhumby where he was President of the LATAM business and previously President of APAC (leading their team of 200 across nine countries).
He also has extensive experience in driving growth and leading change in the intersection of retail, digital transformation, AI and customer analytics with full ownership of selling, building the team and nurturing relationships with key clients and stakeholders.
Adriano holds an MBA in Strategy and Marketing from the London Business School and a BA in Social Communication and Advertising from the Universida de Catolica in Brazil. Adriano is an avid fan of Formula 1 and enjoys swimming and family life.

Eng. Faisal Abdulrahman Alnasser CEO, Alandalus Property
Eng. Faisal Abdulrahman Alnasser holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from King Saud University, with over 24 years of professional experience during which he held several leadership positions in the Saudi banking sector and corporate en tities.
He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Al-Andalus Proper es, a leading real estate company listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) since 2016, specializing in investment, development, and opera on of income-genera ng commercial proper es.
Al-Andalus Proper es manages an investment portfolio exceeding SAR 5 billion, focusing on shopping centers, neighborhood service centers, hospitality projects, office towers, and mixed-use developments. In line with Saudi Vision 2030, the company is committed to developing unique and quality real estate des tinations that contribute to enhancing the quality of life in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Solaiman bin Abdulaziz Al-Twaijri CEO, National Agricultural Development Company
Dr. Solaiman Abdulaziz Al-Twaijri, CEO of the National Agricultural Development Company (NADEC), possesses extensive practical experience and strong academic credentials. He holds a Ph.D. in Accounting from Case Western Reserve University, United States, a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Illinois, United States, a bachelor’s degree in industrial management from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, and a Global master’s degree in International Sports Law from the Higher Institute of Law and Economics, Spain.
Dr. Al-Twaijri serves as a board member for numerous companies and organizations, including Walaa Cooperative Insurance Company since 2007 and Amiantit Group since 2021. He also holds the position of Chairman of the Audit Committee at Saudi Fisheries Company since 2023, as well as at Prince Mohammed bin Salman Reserve since 2021. Additionally, he is a member of the Risk and Audit Committee at Makkah Region Development Authority since 2021.
Throughout his career, Dr. Al-Twaijri has held leadership roles in over 28 companies and organizations, including positions as CEO, board member, committee member, and general manager, among others.

Muwaffaq M. Jamal Managing Director, Sudasia Consultancy
Extensive experience in manufacturing and FMCG followed by a lengthy and detailed career in grocery retail. Led high growth retail strategy development and execution to leadership position in marketplace.
Muwaffaq participated in the establishment of Small & Medium Enterprises General Authority, Monsha’at, where national projects were managed to form the strategies for retail in the Kingdom.He returned to the private sector to lead the strategy development and execution for a major grocery retailer to take them to the leadership position in the marketplace.Currently managing the creation of exciting customers’ shopping experiences through the management of properties and their development.
Active participation in the World Retail Congress and other retail events, like Retail Leaders Circle.
Holding several board seats creating value in different sectors.

Eithne Treanor Founder & CEO, E Treanor Media
Eithne Treanor is a professional conference moderator and international communications consultant. She also provides dynamic bespoke media and presentation trainings for business leaders, government officials and corporate executives. Having worked as a financial TV reporter, she covers business and finance with expertise in retail, logistics, energy, infrastructure, technology and corporate leadership. She is the Founder and CEO of E Treanor Media based in Dubai, UAE and she is building a community around Own the Space; her formula for better communication. As a former international broadcast journalist, her TV reporting experience spans major television networks including ABC News, Sky News, BBC World, Bloomberg TV and CNBC International. Eithne has interviewed politicians, dignitaries, and high-ranking business people and has written and reported for television, radio and print publications.

Eng. Ali Aldamanhori CEO, Hungerstation Company
Ali is a seasoned executive and entrepreneur with a diverse background in leadership roles spanning prominent organizations such as Delivery Hero, McKinsey & Company, and SABIC. Currently, he serves as the CEO of Hungerstation, the largest delivery platform in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
In addition to his work at Hungerstation, Ali sits on the boards of several startups, including Quiqup. Furthermore, he was the Founder and CEO of Payment Solutions LLC., a Saudi-based fintech startup he founded in 2017.

Karl Nader Partner & Managing Director, AlixPartners
Karl is an experienced consultant and transformational leader with over two decades of expertise in consumer-facing industries, including retail, consumer products, and hospitality across the EMEA region, with a specific focus on Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Collaborating with retailers and their investors, Karl specializes in driving performance improvement across the retail agenda. His focus includes critical levers such as activating revenue, enhancing operating models, and driving profit improvements throughout the business.

Philippe Pedone International Vice President, Executive Board Member, Galeries Lafayette
Philippe Pedone has been the Director of International Development at Galeries Lafayette since February 1, 2018. He is also a member of the Executive Committee. From 2011, he held the position of Chief Financial Officer for Galeries Lafayette and BHV Marais, where he was responsible for information systems, the supply chain, architecture, digital procurement, and legal services.
Philippe Pedone began his career in 1995 at KPMG before joining the Valeo Group in 1999, where he spent over 10 years. Starting as an internal auditor, he was appointed Chief Financial Officer of an Italian subsidiary and later a Czech subsidiary of the automotive supplier before being promoted to Chief Financial Officer of the Alternators Europe division in 2003. In 2005, he assumed the same role within the Compressors branch in Japan. Finally, in 2010, he took over as Chief Financial Officer of the Group’s Comfort and Driving Assistance division.
Philippe Pedone holds a master’s degree in Finance from the Institut Supérieur du Commerce (ISC) in Paris.

Erika Andreetta EMEA Fashion Luxury Leader, PwC Italy
Erika is a Senior Partner at PwC Italy where she is the EMEA Fashion and Luxury Community Leader and she is a Member of Emea Council, Consumer Market EMEA Team.
With a background in Engineering, more than 20 years of experience in the Fashion Luxury Retail market, she has provided consultancy on important business major projects, including the Italian Fashion Industry Repurpose Production to fight the Pandemic (supporting the Italian Government and Health System), the «Alti Potenziali» initiative (Internationalization support to 30 mid caps) , fashion reshoring, and the «Invest in Italy» roadshow.
She has been actively involved in internationalization projects of main players in the Chinese market, and she was a recognized member of the PwC’s CINDIA (China -India) desk from 2000 to 2006. She is now a Member of IICCI Advisory Council of IICCI – The Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
She is following the trends and impacts of sustainability, blockchain and consumer behaviours and expectations (Observatory Millennials and Generation Z).
In addition, she was a mentor in the Global FashionTech Milano- Bootcamp (2018 – 2021), one of the World’s leading fashion startup accelerators, with a special focus on sustainability and she is still a member of Get it fair, the first international certification system of textile-clothing supply chains in emerging countries for responsible labeling. Mentorship activities on Credit Agricole Le Village accelerator hub in Italy (Milan and Padua),with fashion and sustainability.
In addition PwC Italy is supporting with a project support role the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI lead by Federico Marchetti and King Charles III in the Fashion Sector).

Anna Germanos Group Director of CPG, Retail, E-commerce & Luxury - Middle East & Africa, Meta
Anna Germanos is a recognized thought leader in digital transformation across the Consumer Goods Retail & Luxury sectors, with over 20 years of experience in these industries in the Middle East. Her extensive background includes leadership roles at major global technology companies and a solid foundation in management consulting.
Currently Anna serves as Group Director at Meta, overseeing multiple industries covering Consumer Goods, Luxury, Retail & Ecommerce. Prior to joining Meta, she led the Consumer Goods practice at Google for MENA. Earlier, Anna spent many years in the Consumer & Retail practice at Booz & company (currently Strategy&) where she led assignments for leading private & public clients in the Middle East & Africa.
Anna holds an MBA from INSEAD and a bachelor of Engineering from the American University of Beirut with distinction. A dual French-Lebanese citizen, she resides in Dubai with her husband, two children, and their beloved cat and dog.

Abdullah Al Sabban Chief Operating Officer, Panda
With over 25 years of experience, Abdullah Al Sabban’s areas of expertise are operational excellence, supply chain management, and people development. He joined Panda as Vice President for Transformation & Operational Excellence in 2017 and became COO in 2022. He has a strong background in strategy, logistics, and organizational excellence.
He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Maastricht School of Management.

Shehim Mohammed Director – KSA, Lulu Saudi Hypermarkets LLC
Shehim Mohammed serves as the Director of the LuLu Group in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the biggest retailer in the MENA region with its headquarters in Shehim Mohammed holds a Master of Business Administration from India and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Retail Management. He started working for Reliance in India as a Regional Sales Manager after finishing his education. Started in LuLu Abu Dhabi for their distribution division as Sales Manager. His reigns from 2003 – 2007 have taken the distribution division to a multifold. At the age of 30, he received a promotion and was assigned to Saudi Arabia as the Commercial Manager to start up business there. He was the organization’s youngest Country Commercial Manager. He was the impetus behind the founding of the Company in Saudi Arabia with the first foreign investor license given by the Saudi Government through its Foreign Investment Door, MISA, where getting a license for retail and trading had remained very complex and demanding.

Adnan AlKhalaf CEO, Leejam Sports Company
Mr. Adnan AlKhalaf has been serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Leejam Sports Company since February 13, 2022. And he is currently serving as a board member of multiple organizations such as Lazurde Jewelry, Alsaif Trading Agencies, Quality of life consulting, and Riyadh Chamber of Commerce. Boasting a +20-year management experience, he led several companies across the medical, services, manufacturing, retail, sports, and distribution sectors, including Saudi Telecom Company (stc), where he headed its customer experience, sales and retail units for 7 years. AlKhalaf also worked as CEO of “Arabian Oud” between 2006 and 2014. AlKhalaf served previously the Board of Directors of “Sale Internation” in the Sultanate of Oman, “Al-Ewan Medical Company” , Bahrain Channels, and “AlArrab Contracting Company” . In addition to serving as CEO of the “Twaik Holding Group” between 2002 and 2006. He holds an Executive MBA from Alyamamah University (YU) and a master’s degree in international business management from INSEEC Business School.

Khaled Abuhamdeh CEO, RED
Abuhamdeh is the CEO of RED, a position he was appointed to in January 2024. He manages the strategic and operational running of the company, ensuring RED stays true to its founding mandate. Prior to joining RED, Khaled spent almost 6 years in Dubai as Vice President of Real Estate and Project Delivery for Majid AlFuttaim. With 35 years of experience in retail, real estate, leasing, project delivery, and business development, Khaled brings extensive leadership to RED. Khaled started his career in real estate in 1999 at United Real Estate Company (URC) in Kuwait, where he became Senior Projects Director and Marina World Director. He then held leadership roles at Mabanee Company and AlShaya Group. Khaled holds a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from Jordan University of Science and Technology and later completed specialized construction management courses at San Diego State University.

Filippo Bianchi Managing Director & Senior Partner - Global Luxury Lead, Boston Consulting Group
Filippo Bianchi joined Boston Consulting Group in 2004. He is an active member of the Consumer practice area and serves as the Global Lead for the Luxury division of BCG. He has also led this division locally in Italy, Greece, and Turkey since he joined the firm. Filippo is experienced working in the fashion and luxury sector’s entire value chain, including branding and positioning, supply chain, pricing and markdown, organization and operative model, format and operations retail, e-commerce, and digital. He has also worked with clients on many mergers and acquisitions.

Hamza Jeddawi Chief Experience Development Officer, Saudi Tourism Authority
Hamza Jeddawi is currently the Chief Experience Development Officer of Saudi Tourism Authority. He is also the founder and CEO of an angel investment company and featured speaker and panelist at various marketing forums and award festivals.

Ben Chesser CEO & Founder, Coniq
Ben Chesser is the Founder and CEO of Coniq, the leading provider of customer engagement technology for shopping malls. He is an experienced CEO with a passion for market-changing disruptive technologies. For over 15 years Ben has focused on bringing the rigor and measurability of the online retail world into offline businesses, helping retailers and shopping malls understand the true value of their customers. Ben is well known throughout the industry and regularly speaks at industry events such as ICSC, MAPIC, and Retail Congress.
Ben brings years of first-hand experience in turning digital dreams into revenue-generating realities for Mall operators from Bicester Village, the Mall of America, Tanger Outlets and WAFI Mall. He has helped create, deliver, and run some of the world’s most successful Digital Engagement and Loyalty Programs – delivering true lasting value to mall operators, retailers, and investors.

Muzzammil Ahussain CEO, Almosafer (part of Seera Group)
As the CEO of Almosafer (part of Seera Group), Muzzammil spearheads the growth of the most holistic travel platform in the region. Since he joined the company in 2016, Muzzammil has been instrumental in positioning Almosafer as Saudi Arabia’s leading travel company for outbound, leisure, and religious travel and now leads the company’s overall portfolio of brands that serve B2C and B2B customers and partners across the travel & tourism ecosystem.

Shane Eldstrom CEO, United Developers, Qatar
Shane Eldstrom is the CEO of United Developers, Qatar, where he oversees the company’s portfolio in luxury hospitality, retail, and entertainment. United Developers’ flagship project, Place Vendôme Mall, has been recognized globally as the World’s Most Beautiful Shopping Mall by the World Prix-Versailles Awards, a testament to the team’s dedication to excellence.
Before moving to the Gulf region over 16 years ago, Eldstrom worked for Ivanhoe Cambridge, where he gained valuable experience in real estate development. His career in the Gulf includes key roles at Al Farwaniya Property Developments, Al Ghurair Group, and Dubai Properties Group. Eldstrom holds an MBA from INSEAD, and as a past President of the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres, he has significantly influenced the retail real estate sector in the MENA region.

Amir Awan Co-Founder & CEO, Dupeshop Beauty
Amir Awan first entered the personal care & retail industry as a qualified Optometrist (Doctor of Optometry) at EssilorLuxottica. Following his work on eyewear campaigns, Amir began providing his modern and creative approaches to marketing for luxury fragrance and cosmetic brands. Most recently, Amir is known as the co-founder and CEO of Dupeshop Beauty; an influential digital platform that provides affordable alternatives for higher-priced products. Under Amir’s leadership, Dupeshop has reshaped the beauty dupe industry as well as significantly increasing the market share of affordable and luxury brands featured on the platform. Amir is passionate about continuing to equip millions of consumers around the world with the knowledge of how beauty products compare, so they can experience high-quality beauty trends throughout any financial circumstance.

Vikram Natarajan CEO, Kayanee
An experienced CEO with a strong track record of success spanning over 22 years in the Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, Hospitality, and Consulting across South-East Asia, Mainland China, and the Middle East.
Throughout my career, I have excelled in building and growing entrepreneurial startups, leading large and diverse teams across geographies, and driving business performance through effective strategies and digital innovation. Currently, I hold the position of CEO at Kayanee, a portfolio company under the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. Kayanee is a unique lifestyle integrated concept that aims to inspire and enhance women’s well-being in Saudi Arabia. Our focus at Kayanee is on women’s health and lifestyle through six offerings: fitness, apparel, personal care, nutrition & diagnostics, healthy eating, and learning. Over the course of my career, I have also worked in the Health, Wellness, Personal Care, and Healthy Eating industries, gaining extensive insights and expertise. My areas of specialization include building and leading large teams, developing long-term strategies, driving business performance, implementing successful turnarounds, leading digital transformation initiatives, and fostering a culture of continuous innovation.
With an MBA from INSEAD (France) in 2007 and a full-scholarship Computer Engineering Degree from NTU (Singapore) in 2001, in recognition of my leadership potential, I was honored with the “Future Leader” Award by the President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Furthermore, my industry expertise, people management skills, business acumen, and entrepreneurial spirit have been acknowledged through media features in CNBC, Straits Times, Channel NewsAsia, and HRM Asia magazine.

Alexander Pöhl Partner, Retail and Consumer, Oliver Wyman
Alexander Poehl is a Partner in Oliver Wyman’s Retail and Consumer practice. He specializes in bridging the dynamic markets of Europe and the Middle East, leveraging best practices and insights from both regions to drive impactful transformations for his clients. He has 13 years of experience commercial, operational, organizational, and cultural transformations for retail and consumer goods clients. On commercial topics his work includes supporting clients to adopt a data-driven customer-centric model that places the customer at the heart of all decisions related to product, price, promotions, and space. Furthermore, he supports clients to improve operations across all steps of the value chain, fostering better collaboration among all players to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. Finally, his work involves transforming operating models to reduce interfaces, create cultural change, and generate excitement within organizations. By focusing on these areas, he helps clients achieve sustainable growth and long-term success.

Abdulmajeed Alsukhan Co-Founder & CEO, Tamara
Abdulmajeed Alsukhan is a Saudi Arabian serial entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Tamara – the leading fintech platform in Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC region, and the first homegrown fintech unicorn in Saudi Arabia.
Tamara offers a Sharia-compliant financial and payment solutions for online and in-store shoppers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Tamara has strategically partnered with renowned global brands such as SHEIN, Jarir, Noon, IKEA, H&M, Farfetch, as well as tens of thousands of SMEs. At present, Tamara has over 16 million registered customers and 60,000 partners.
Abdulmajeed has a Master of Arts in Economic Policy from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts in Financial Economics from California State University, Northridge.

Tanmay Jain Partner, Boston Consulting Group
Tanmay Jain is a Partner at BCG who co-leads their global marketplace team – a team of former marketplace operators who work exclusively on three main topics 1) Helping companies launch a marketplace business model integrated into their digital platforms, 2) Advising some of the leading marketplaces globally across a variety of topics from revenue management to operations and fulfilment, and 3) Helping brands and sellers learn how to sell on marketplaces more effectively.

Bandar Saeedi VP Commercial, Panda
Bandar Al Saeedi has been with Panda since 2003, progressing from Division Manager to Vice President of the Commercial Division for Grocery Food.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree from King Fahad University, KSA and a Management diploma from the University of Leicester. He holds certification from INSEAD and IMD Business Schools.

Isabelle Vantard General Manager, EMEA, In The Memory
Isabelle Vantard is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of experience supporting retailers and brands in optimizing their strategies through data-driven insights and innovative solutions. Currently General Manager at Memory for EME region, she leads a cutting-edge technology platform dedicated to enhancing collaboration between distributors and suppliers. Isabelle previously held key roles at IRI (now Circana), where she developed in-depth expertise in market analytics and consumer behavior. Her leadership combines strategic vision, operational excellence, and a passion for delivering measurable results. With a strong background in quantitative marketing and econometrics, Isabelle empowers businesses to make informed decisions in a rapidly evolving marketplace. She is committed to driving innovation and fostering impactful partnerships across the retail and consumer goods sectors.

Simon Mitchel Co-Founder, SYBARITE
Simon co-founded Sybarite with Torquil McIntosh in 2002, their steely focus has always been retail: architecture, interior design and retail strategy. Organically, this has led to hospitality and lifestyle projects that synchronise with the hybrid retail experience. Simon has a deeply collaborative working style and remains instrumental in fostering the culture of Sybarite, where work-life balance remains at the core.
Simon has conceived and delivered a multitude of global projects of varying scales from monobrands, malls, department stores through to master planning. Amongst those: retail, mixed-use and experiential design concepts for benchmark brands, retail and real estate operators. Past and longstanding clients include LVMH, Marni, Ferrari, S.T. Dupont, Harrods, SKP & SKP-S, Swire, HZM Capital, DFS Group, PIF, Emaar Properties, Al Khozama Investment.
Simon is a regular contributor and opinion leader for a host of conferences and future facing white papers as well as being an active business mentor.

Philippe Najjar Partner, PwC Middle East
Philippe drives PwC Middle East’s Destination Experience Activation agenda. With over 18 years of experience in management consulting, he helped clients build and execute customer-centric strategies that focus on growth and create a sustainable, competitive advantage in destinations and large-scale events. Prior to joining PwC, Philippe was a Partner in a leading Management Consulting firm in the MENA region, where he led the Customer & Growth solution for Destinations, Hospitality, Tourism, and their connected industries. He had numerous successes with reputable entities in the Middle East, namely KSA and UAE, driving the activation agenda of leading destinations in the region with a key focus on visitor and customer experience, marketing and commercial excellence.

Deborah Weinswig CEO and Founder, Coresight Research
Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder of Coresight Research Inc., leads her team in delivering actionable insights and solutions that drive innovation and growth for retailers and brands in the dynamic retail and technology sectors.
A renowned thought leader with nearly two decades of experience, Deborah excels at the intersection of technology, finance, and retail, with expertise in AI, the Metaverse, China, livestreaming, retail media, supply chain, and data monetization. In 2023, she launched the retail industry’s first AI Council, an exclusive organization guiding businesses through the age of artificial intelligence.
Deborah is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, and board member for several leading companies and nonprofits. Recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice and one of the world’s top retail influencers, she has received numerous accolades for her leadership and contributions to the industry.

Pauline Coquet Partner, Bain & Company Middle East.
Pauline Coquet is an Associate Partner in Bain & Company’s Middle East offices; she is part of the Bain’s Retail practice in the Middle East.
Pauline has almost 15 years of management consulting experience across Europe and the Middle East, working with senior executives and management teams for both local and international clients. Her work primarily surrounds strategic planning and implementation, customer experience as well as digital transformation.
She has led worked with multiple retail players across the GCC region, spanning from large mall operators, to fashion and luxury companies, as well as grocery and restaurant players across topics.
Pauline holds a Master Degree in Engineering and Engineering management.

Rajesh Garg Group Chief Financial Officer & Chief Sustainability officer for Landmark Group
Rajesh Garg is the Group Chief Financial Officer & Chief Sustainability officer for Landmark Group. Landmark is the largest and fastest-growing retailer across 21 countries, with 30 million sqft retail space and 42,000 employees. He has been leading enterprise-wide transformation including a big push into newer technologies such as RPA and Blockchain. He is helping Landmark take a lead in driving far more sustainable retail across 3 pillars of Sustainable Product, Sustainable Supply Chain & Sustainable Consumer Journeys.
Most recently, Rajesh was working as the Executive Director, Chief Financial Officer & Member of the Board with Cipla (India’s 3rd largest / world’s 15th largest generics Pharma Co. a Sensex30 stock) in Mumbai wherein he was leading F&A, Procurement, Information Technology and Multi-Functional Shared services. Prior to Cipla, he worked with UK retailer Tesco, first, in their India JV with the Tatas, where he was CFO & Strategy Director followed by a role in London leading Finance Transformation as part of the Group CFOs team.
Rajesh started his career with GE in their Corporate Audit Staff in New York, followed by a decade with Procter & Gamble across Europe, South & North America, across various businesses and brands, and then with Cadbury Schweppes in London and Asia as Regional CFO as well as other Senior leadership roles. He has a US Patent in knowledge management which he was awarded as part of a Cloud enterprise marketing management company founded with investments from P&G, Accenture, Draper Fisher etc.
Rajesh was born in India and studied Mechanical Engineering before getting his MBA jointly from Manchester Business School, UK and The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Mansour AlShamrani Head of Corporate Affairs for KSA & GCC, PepsiCo
Mansour is an accomplished pharmacist and corporate affairs specialist with over two decades of experience in navigating multifaceted and intricate public policies, government affairs, regulatory affairs, stakeholder management, strategic planning, and risk mitigation across sectors like pharma, food and beverages and government. His expertise lies in establishing productive relationships and nurturing partnerships with key stakeholders including government authorities, local officials, regulators, opinion leaders, trade associations, and diplomatic offices to advocate for legislation and policies that drive positive change.
Renowned for his expertise in shaping policy outcomes across government levels, Mansour excels in strategic policy formulation, relationship building, and effective communication strategies. Proficient in advocating for organizational interests, negotiating legislative frameworks, and leveraging a deep understanding of evolving regulations, he adeptly navigates challenges to ensure business continuity and market access.
His leadership qualities, characterized by strong communication skills and a professional demeanor, have been honed through his tenure in highly regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals and FMCG across both public and private sectors. Currently serving as the Head of Public Policy and Government Affairs for GCC at PepsiCo, Mansour plays a pivotal role in policy advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and fostering strategic relationships to advance business priorities and mitigate risks.
Beyond his role at PepsiCo, Mansour holds significant positions including Chairman of the National Exports Committee under the Federation of Saudi Chambers. Furthermore, he is an active member of the Excise Tax Committee at the Riyadh Chamber.
Prior to joining PepsiCo, Mansour has worked with public sector and various Pharma and FMCG giants such as Ministry of Health, Alcon, Danone, Boehringer Ingelheim, Johnson & Johnson and Philip Morris.

Yousef Gamal El-Din Global Business Broadcaster, Stagespring
Yousef Gamal El-Din is the host of “You’re In Business” on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. He features high-profile figures including heads-of-state, ministers, CEOs and billionaires. Notably, his interview with the SNB Chairman in 2023 shook up the financial world, leading to the sale of Credit Suisse.
In over 15 years of live TV, he has secured exclusive conversations with many celebrated leaders, including Christine Lagarde. Some 1,500 top decision-makers have joined him so far. He speaks regularly at key global events.
Gamal El-Din’s journey covers eight years as an anchor with Bloomberg Television and previously at CNBC. The shows looked at the most important business and economic issues shaping markets. He has also courageously reported from hotspots across the Arab World at defining historical moments.

Bobby Rajendran CEO, Tamimi Markets
Bobby Rajendran is the Chief Executive Officer of Tamimi Markets, a leading supermarket chain in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. With over 30 years of international experience in retail food distribution and manufacturing, he has held executive roles in major corporations across the USA, UK, and Indonesia. Rajendran joined Tamimi Markets in 2014 as Vice President of Finance and was promoted to General Manager in 2019. Under his leadership, the company expanded into new markets, grew its store base, and enhanced its international supply chain network. In January 2023, he was appointed CEO, continuing to drive the company’s growth and commitment to providing fresh, safe, and healthy foods to its customers

Mohammed Dhedhi Consumer & Retail Partner MEA, Kearney
Mohammed has 18+ years of experience in North America and the Middle East helping clients tackle their more critical agenda items. His work is focused on Consumer and Retail Industries where he has advised on several cross-functional topics, including eCommerce, Corporate and Growth Strategy, M&A, and broader transformation programs. His work has demonstrated impactful and measurable top and bottom-line results for his clients. Mohammed holds an MBA from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

John Munro CEO & Chief Creative Officer, Immersive International
John Munro is the Founder, CEO, and Chief Creative Officer of Immersive International and one of the original pioneers of the immersive experience industry. John oversees all of Immersive International’s creative output and leads the ideation phases of every project, inspiring extraordinary concepts that push beyond expectations. With a background in fine art, spatial design, architecture, and animation, and decades of experience, John is responsible for developing Immersive International’s unique hybrid master planning practice.

Peter Filcek Marketplace Director, Tesco PLC
Peter Filcek is a seasoned commercial leader with expertise in digital innovation and product strategy. As Marketplace Director at Tesco, he oversees the expansion of the online marketplace, integrating third-party products and enhancing the digital shopping experience. Previously, as Tesco’s Online Strategy and Development Director, Peter led initiatives that enhanced online shopping and delivery models. Peter has held senior roles at Amazon, where he led the expansion of the Prime program, introducing video and music services, and was part of the leadership team that launched Amazon Fresh in the UK. He also served as Global Product Director at Hive, Centrica’s smart home startup, driving advancements in connected home technology. Additionally, Peter serves as a Non-Executive Director for a start-up on developing sleep-enhancing technology.

Jacqueline Elboghdadi Chief Marketing Officer, ADNOC Distribution
Jacqueline Elboghdadi joined ADNOC Distribution as Chief Marketing Officer in September 2024. She brings two decades of regional expertise in marketing, brand management, public relations, and communications. Before joining ADNOC Distribution, Jacqueline transitioned from the regional senior marketing director to the acting Chief Marketing officer at the Alshaya Retail Group, overseeing customer growth and marketing transformation across 70+ brands in 11+ markets. Her experience also includes a significant tenure with Procter & Gamble, where she was responsible for turning around the performance of several brands across the Middle East and Africa. Winning several regional and global awards for brand building and marketing effectiveness during her tenure across both Alshaya and Procter & Gamble. Jacqueline holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from the American University in Cairo.

Mohammed S. Alfahad Loyalty Management GM, STC
Mohammed is the Loyalty Management GM for STC where he leads the notable loyalty programs qitaf (the reward program) and tamayouz (the high tier program). Coming from growth background, Mohammed led STC loyalty programs from retention to monetization to position qitaf as the national loyalty program in KSA. Before Loyalty, Mohammed has been part of growing STC devices business, scaling up STC bank, STC tv and STC play customer base.

Dr. Daria Ciriaci Principal Economist, European Commission, Joint Research Centre
Daria Ciriaci is an experienced economist with 25 years of experience across public service, academia, and the private financial sector, specializing in economic competitiveness, innovation and European affairs. She has been a professor of Economics of Innovation and Industrial Economics, publishing extensively in top-ranked journals. She has held senior positions at the European Commission, and she is currently managing the Business Development and Strategic Partnerships team at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. She previously led the European Affairs at Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Group, managing cross-border partnerships and supporting innovative financial solutions, and held a senior role at the Inter-American Development Bank’s Office for Outreach and Partnerships, focusing on building strategic alliances with European institutions, academia, and think tanks. Her expertise in designing impactful partnerships is underpinned by a Ph.D. in Economics.

Carl Schibrowski Chief Development Officer, New Murabba Development Company

Pamela Merlino Partner, McKinsey & Company
Pamela is a core leader of McKinsey’s Consumer Packaged Goods and Retail Practices in the Middle East. She supports organization on strategic, growth and transformational issues. Her focus has been about consumer insights driven issues, enabling companies to identify people needs and create value propositions and growth journeys to address them. She also drives consumer insights across adjacent sectors that are customer facing such as tourism, real estate, malls, entertainment in the Middle East.

Josef Seidler Executive Director, Property Management, New Murabba Development Company

Guido Lubbers Middle East TLS Consumer Markets Leader, Indirect Tax Partner, PwC Middle East
Guido Lubbers joined PwC in 2022 and is currently the Middle East Consumer Markets Leader, Middle East Indirect Tax Leader, as well as the Client Lead Tax Partner.
Guido is an international indirect tax expert with over 25 years of experience in Global & Regional indirect tax advisory projects, working for multinational companies, Global & regional Business Transformations (new businesses, supply chain, entity reduction, Shared Services Centers) and Technology (ERP & data analytics), Indirect tax strategy projects. He is also a valuable Speaker at international conferences, external events of business partners and Universities.
Education and Qualifications: *Master’s degree in Business Administration – University of Nyenrode – Netherlands *Master’s degree in Law and Tax– University of Amsterdam – Netherlands

Ahmed Helaly General Manager, Mars KSA
Ahmed Helaly is the General Manager of Mars Saudi Arabia. He is a business leader with strong track record in growing companies, developing and deploying growth strategies, and turning around operations in highly competitive retail and digital environment. +27 years’ experience across various Middle East and Africa CPG markets, channels and business models.
Ahmed had worked and led most of the Middle East and Africa markets including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Levant, North and West Africa. He is a passionate people leader with various general management, multifunctional, marketing and sales leadership roles that ranged between large population and virtual teams with high team engagement scores. Furthermore, Ahmed is famous for being a customer champion with an exciting history of customers and distributors development and engagement through joint business planning and deployment of new solutions and programs. Finally He is a key member of the Mars Middle East and Africa Leadership Team, actively shaping the future of snacking in the region by implementing organizational evolution initiatives and transforming the operating model to unlock growth for the next decade.

Carlos Garcia Pinilla Partner, Middle East Customs & International Trade Leader, PwC Middle East
Carlos is a partner with PwC’s Tax practice, based in Dubai since October 2013, with more than 19 years of professional experience. He leads the Customs and International Trade practice for the Middle East region. Carlos regularly advises GCC Governments on Customs Transformation and has advised regional Governments on Excise Tax implementation and International Trade affairs.
With our private sector clients, Carlos focuses on supply chain restructuring an optimization, valuation, air, sea and land clearance processes, customs duty reliefs and exemptions, market entry assessments and customs disputes and litigation. Carlos is a speaker in Customs & International Trade events in the region and a member of the Madrid Bar Association.

Hisham Abdul Khalek Partner & Managing Director, AlixPartners
Hisham works closely with business leaders in the retail and consumer facing industries to design and implement complex growth, transformation, and profit improvement programs. With 20 years of consulting and operational experience across the MENA region, Hisham advises clients on strategy, revenue growth, commercial and margin improvement, and cost optimization projects, with a track record of delivering sustainable financials results.

Andrew Joshi Transfer Pricing Partner, PwC Middle East
Andrew is a Transfer Pricing Partner at PwC Middle East based in KSA with over 20 years of professional consulting experience guiding large corporations to navigate their tax / transfer pricing planning, compliance and dispute resolution matters globally.
He is also currently the Consumer & Retail industry sector lead for the PwC Middle East transfer pricing practice.

Reina Takla Business Editor, Head of business section, Arab News
Reina Takla is an experienced editor who leads the business section at Arab News. She is skilled at strategic planning, storytelling, and project management, creating impactful content for online, social media, and print platforms.
As head of the business section, Reina oversees a team of reporters and editors, guiding them to produce insightful and engaging narratives that resonate with targeted audiences. She also leads and manages the coverage of high-level forums both in Saudi Arabia and globally.
Her expertise extends from writing in-depth articles and features to conducting interviews with prominent figures in the public and private sectors, covering a broad range of topics including energy, renewables, mining, cybersecurity, AI, financial markets, defence, hospitality, aviation, and real estate, and many others.
Prior to her editorial career, Reina worked in the banking sector for 20 years as a wealth manager and advisor, giving her a strong understanding of financial markets.
In addition to her editorial and banking expertise, Reina is a certified corporate and academic instructor, teaching finance and economics. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and making complex topics easier to understand.

Alistair Burton Head of Digital First & Omnichannel Retail, Snapchat
Alistair combines his passion for purpose driven communications, technology and media to help retailers connect with their audiences in meaningful ways, whilst creating positive user experiences and ultimately growing and loyal customers. Prior to Snapchat Alistair held key positions in media and technology organisations, playing a role to introduce retail media into the MENA market, enabling retailers to unlock new revenue streams and enhance customer engagement. His expertise spans audience behaviour, performance, and retail media, collaborating with businesses to turn insights into actionable strategies that deliver measurable success helping brands navigate the evolving digital landscape.

Sujata Assomull Journalist & Author
London born Sujata Assomull is a Dubai based journalist and Author. The founding editor in chief of Harper’s Bazaar India, she previously worked with Khaleej Times as their Group Fashion Editor. An international chronicler of fashion trends, she is a go-to resource in the industry for commentary on the Middle East and the South Asia’s evolving and dynamic markets. A contributing editor for Vogue Business and a columnist for India’s leading business daily, Mint. Her by-lines have appeared in Business of Fashion, South China Morning Post and Arab News, Vogue India, Vogue Arabia, Fast Company Middle East and many more. Sujata is also a regular moderator at both literary and retail related events.

Anne-Laure Malauzat Partner, Bain & Company
Anne-Laure Malauzat is a Partner with Bain & Company in the Middle East, with 15 years of consulting experience.
Anne has led over 130 projects with senior stakeholders across the MENA region, advising private sector leaders in the retail space, supporting them in their growth, customer, and AI strategies, with specializations in luxury and shopping malls. She also regularly supports government ministers, members of GCC royal families, philanthropists, and CEOs in several industries, focusing on socio-economic development and innovation.
For the last decade she has served as an advisor to multiple organizations such as Endeavor and is a frequent speaker on topics related to innovation and impact. She also leads the UAE office and Bain’s Social Impact practice in EMEA.
Anne holds an MA from Georgetown University and a dual Bachelor from Mount Holyoke College. In 2022, she was elected a Young Global Leader by the WEF.

Dalia Salib Chief Marketing and Growth Officer, Mars Middle East and Africa
Dalia is the Chief Marketing and Growth Officer for Mars Middle East and Africa, since Sept. 2023. She is responsible for building Solid Strategies to unlock growth across categories, win with consumers and shoppers as well as expand Mars Snacking and Petcare footprint across Middle East and Africa.
In her current role, she spearheaded the chocolate rolled wafer expansion through a successful innovation pipeline roll out across Middle East Markets, driving penetration and double-digit growth. With Galaxy ‘Your Pleasure is your Promise’ and ‘Ramadan Generosity’ campaigns, she brought to life the fundamentals of Building iconic Brands powered by purpose and masterminded the recent Snickers Nasr FC sponsorship to drive higher affinity with Saudi and ME Football fans. Dalia has also elevated the Consumer and Shopper Centricity through setting the foundations for the Snacking Category Vision
implementation in Saudi Arabia and UAE.
Dalia joined Mars in 2019, as the first female GM of the Egypt Market and in Mars Middle East and Africa. Under her leadership, Egypt was on the top performing ranks among MEA, winning the MARS Star Award in 2021 as well as qualifying for “Make the Difference” Awards in 2022. As a leader, Dalia was also awarded the Women Leaders Role Model Award by Mars in 2023.
With almost 25 years’ experience, Dalia has spent most of her career in marketing, where she led strong Brand campaigns, solid portfolio and innovation growth strategies, driving transformational business growth and results. Prior to Mars, she spent almost 13 years in PepsiCo, across both Beverages and Snacks divisions, where she delivered word class campaigns with Top celebrities like Mohamed Salah, as well as launching breakthrough innovations in Sparkling juice and the Salty snack segment. Dalia started her career in Account Management in BBDO, where she developed campaigns for various Brands across diverse industries and categories.

Babur Naveed Senior Manager - Indirect Taxes, PwC Middle East
Babur Naveed is a seasoned professional with over a decade of experience in tax advisory, assurance, and business consultancy. He has worked extensively with clients in the manufacturing, retail, consumer, automotive, and technology sectors, holding senior roles at PwC across the UK, Middle East, and Asia. His global expertise equips him with a unique perspective on addressing complex regional and cross-border challenges.
Currently based in Saudi Arabia, Babur serves as a Senior Manager at PwC, leading high-impact projects in indirect tax for multinational corporations. He has successfully spearheaded VAT transformation initiatives across Saudi Arabia and the broader region and has contributed to thought leadership through various publications.
Beyond his technical expertise, Babur is a key driver of knowledge management initiatives, offering strategic insights into the challenges faced by the retail industry in KSA. His deep understanding of cross-border tax landscapes, combined with his ability to deliver tailored business solutions, makes him a trusted advisor for navigating intricate financial and operational challenges.

Federico Piro Partner , Bain&Company Middle East
Federico is a Partner with Bain&Company in the Middle East, with 10+ years of consulting experience
Federico has led a large number of projects with senior stakeholders in MENA, focusing on consumer products and retail industries. The last 6 years have been spent in the Middle East, collaborating with private companies to drive growth and transformation. Currently, the role includes leading the Restaurant practice in the MENA region, addressing the unique challenges and opportunities in the sector.
Prior experience includes time at Procter & Gamble, specializing in finance and operational excellence.
Federico holds a degree in Economics and a Mastar in Business Administration from Luiss University in Rome.

Umair Ansari Senior VP & General Manager for Travel Retail, The Estée Lauder Companies
Umair Ansari serves as the Senior Vice President and General Manager for Travel Retail at The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC), overseeing Europe, the UK & Ireland, the Middle East, India, and Africa. Having lived across three continents, Umair is currently based in London and is responsible for driving growth and profitability across ELC’s portfolio of luxury brands within the travel retail sector in these key regions.
A strategic and visionary leader, Umair possesses deep expertise in international business and consumer behavior within the travel sector. He is highly regarded for his ability to scale luxury brands, cultivate strong retailer partnerships, and lead high-performing teams. Over his 20+ years at ELC, Umair has held diverse positions of increasing responsibility across Global Supply Chain, Global Brands, and Corporate Transformation teams.
Umair began his career as a licensed professional engineer in the United States. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois, an MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University, and an Advanced Management degree from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Artin Malatjalian CEO, RASM
Artin Malatjalian is an accomplished leader with over 26 years of expertise in strategic and operational management. As CEO of RASM, a leading retail property management and development company in Saudi Arabia, Artin aligns innovative strategies with business goals, driving growth and value. His leadership background includes prominent roles at Majid Al Futtaim, SEDCO, and Abdullah Al Othaim Investment Co., where he was pivotal in bringing global retail brands to Saudi Arabia and managing major retail and real estate projects. With deep insights into leasing, marketing, property management, and development, Artin excels in operational excellence and fostering partnerships.
Under his guidance, RASM strengthens its legacy of managing iconic projects like Red Sea Mall, advancing its role as an innovator in line with Vision 2030. Known for his collaborative leadership and forward-thinking approach, Artin combines global expertise with local insight, ensuring RASM’s continued industry leadership.

Ibrahim Al Qasmi CEO, Red Sea Markets
Ibrahim Al Qasmi is the Chief Executive Officer of Red Sea Markets Company, with over 30 years of leadership in asset management, retail development, and business growth across the GCC. He previously served as Director of Retail & Business Development at the Royal Opera House Muscat, where he launched Opera Galleria and managed a mixed-use project enhancing ROHM’s cultural and retail presence. At Majid Al Futtaim in Oman, he led Muscat City Centre and established Qurum City Centre, earning global recognition, including the ICSC Maxi Award.
Mr. Al Qasmi holds advanced qualifications from Harvard Business School and the University of Cambridge, along with a Shopping Mall Management Diploma from ICSC. Recognized with the Retail Leadership Award by the Asia Africa GCC Retail & Shopping Centre Congress, he also serves on the boards of Red Sea Markets Company and Red Sea Markets Real Estate Investment Aseer, focusing on sustainable growth and strategic market expansion.

Mohammed Aldabbagh Managing Director Ksa, Chalhoub Group
Mohammed Aldabbagh is the Managing Director in KSA at Chalhoub Group. He is responsible for thoroughly understanding and studying the Saudi market trends and consumer insights to support commercial business owners in growing the business. He acts as the ambassador and representative of the Group to secure excellent relationships and identify business and growth opportunities with strategic partners such as governmental entities, real estate companies, VIP customers, suppliers, etc.
He is an established brand and business builder with extensive experience in FMCG/Hospitality, marketing/sales and general management in diverse categories across the GCC. His career track record results in brand building, market share growth, top line and profit growth.
Prior to joining Chalhoub Group, Mohammed held management roles in Unilever Arabia, AMS Baeshen, Rolaco Hospitality as well as The Strategic Management Office in The Council of Economic and Development Affair.
Mohammed holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Dahran, KSA. Mohammed holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Dahran, KSA.
He enjoys travelling, exploring, and spending time by the sea. He is a big fan of football clubs particularly Real Madrid & Liverpool.

Anas Al-Qadi Chief Commercial Officer, Hamat Holding
Anas Al-Qadi is the Chief Commercial Officer of Hamat Holding, overseeing a portfolio of multiple commercial centers spanning over 1 M sqm of gross leasable area across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With over 25 years of experience in commercial real estate, Anas specializes in leasing strategies, tenant relations, and operational excellence.
Anas’s expertise extends to tenant relations, market analysis, leasing strategy, and marketing. His ability to oversee diverse teams and manage complex projects has made him a key leader in the industry. He is recognized for building and maintaining profitable partnerships with stakeholders and identifying opportunities for expansion through innovative strategies.
Anas holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from AL-Imam University and has completed specialized training in business communication, computer skills, and C-level Management.

Mohammed Sleeq Chief Marketing & Operations Officer, Unifonic
A technology enthusiast with over 20+ years of work experience all within the logistics and technology industry. Mohammed joined Unifonic as the Chief Marketing and Operations Officer to build the next generation of customer engagement experience, after being Chief Digital Officer at Aramex.
Currently leading Unifoinc’s transformation and growth aspirations, execution of the company’s transformation strategy, and helping drive fundamental organization change using customer experience technology.

Riaz Bashir Director Corporate Tax & Zakat, PwC Middle East
I am corporate income tax and zakat advisor with over 15 years of experience in the field. I specialize in helping businesses navigate corporate income tax and zakat regulations and optimize their financial strategies. I hold a master’s degree in business administration, and I am a fellow chartered certified accountant (FCCA). My expertise includes corporate income tax, withholding tax and zakat planning and corporate income tax and zakat compliance. I successfully guided numerous clients through audits and tax disputes, ensuring they achieve the best possible outcomes.

Deem AlBassam CEO, Independent Hospitality Group
DEEM AL BASSAMIn 2009, at the age of 24, Deem opened her first restaurant, Switch, launching what would become a lifelong career in hospitality.
Fifteen years later, Deem has co-founded Independent Hospitality Group, which comprises some of Dubai’s most beloved and acclaimed F&B brands, including Salt, Parkers, Somewhere, Public, Grind, and more. Each offers a distinct and carefully curated dining experience that sets Independent brands apart. With a passion for food and design, Independent’s diverse ventures and pop-up experiences have added to the hospitality dialogue in many contexts, including dining options in museums, sports arenas, and cultural institutions, as well as prescient investments in burgeoning neighborhoods.
Deem has successfully created spaces that are both welcoming and exciting, bringing people together around the shared experience of dining. Her vision is to offer more than just good food, but also dynamic and memorable experiences for her guests.
Independent flagship brand, Salt, was one of the first food trucks in the Middle East and has since evolved into a leisure and lifestyle brand like “Salt Albahar,” which was created as a family resort in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. With many of Independent projects Alula, Jeddah, and Riyadh. With a large community of passionate followers, building on its success, Independent Hospitality Group has partnered with Copenhagen’s Joe & The Juice to launch its first store in Saudi Arabia, offering a fresh take on healthy and delicious products that align with the latest beverage trends.
Deem’s success has made her a role model for aspiring entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia and beyond, inspiring them to follow their own creative vision and to make a mark in the world of food and hospitality. Independent Hospitality Group has won several awards, the most recent being Fast Company Middle East’s Most Innovative Company award.
Deem also serves as a Board Director at Alamar Foods Company, from 2021 to date. Alamar is a public, Saudi-based leading Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) operators of Dominos and Dunkin Donuts in the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan (MENAP Region).
Deem is also a Board member at Endeavour Saudi Arabia, an independent non-profit organization, which is the leading global community of, by, and for high-impact entrepreneurs globally.

V. Nandakumar Director - Marketing & Communications, LuLu Group International

Nitasha Walia Partner, McKinsey & Company
Nitasha Walia is a Partner at McKinsey and Company, based out of Dubai. She has extensive expertise serving clients in real estate and retail.
She focusses predominantly on developing concept strategies and ensuring operational readiness of large megaprojects, serving sovereign wealth funds and institutional investors. Her work in retail focusses on growth strategies, in light of the changing consumer dynamics, shifts caused due to digitization and entry of international digital first competition. She has served retail clients across fashion, grocery, leisure and entertainment and F&B.
More recently, her work has focussed on the potential and implications of artificial intelligence for SWFs. She is especially knowledgeable on adoption of AI for commercial decision making.
She has experienced first-hand the transformational power of AI for traditional organisations and hugely believes in its value and the urgency with which organisations in the region need to modernise in response to changing technology landscape, consumer demands and global competition.

Samer Sabra Chief Assets Management Officer, Jabal Omar Development Co
Samer Sabra is a seasoned investment and real estate executive with over 22 years of experience across the GCC region, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait. He has a strong track record of leading company transformations by driving portfolio diversification, investing in new ventures, and enhancing real estate assets.
As Chief of Assets at Jabal Omar Development Company, he is responsible for optimizing a multi-billion-riyal portfolio, overseeing hotel, retail, and mixed-use developments in one of the most prestigious projects in Makkah. His expertise spans asset management, investment strategy, and value creation, positioning him as a key leader in the region’s real estate sector.

Andrew Cubitt Chief Commercial Officer, New Murabba Development Company