Orlando Beakbane
General Manager
Braze

Introducing Orlando, a seasoned expert with over 15 years of full funnel marketing experience, across acquisition to retention. For the past six years at Braze, he has partnered with leading brands across EMEA and the Middle East, bringing a wealth of knowledge to enhance customer experiences. 

Makram Malaeb
Chief Commercial Officer
Saudi Company For Hardware – SACO

Makram Malaeb is a visionary retail and commercial executive with more than two decades of experience leading business transformation, international sourcing, category management, and commercial strategy across the Middle East. As Chief Commercial Officer of SACO in Saudi Arabia, he oversees the commercial function, including sales, margin, inventory, assortment, supplier partnerships, supply chain, and promotional strategy.

Prior to SACO, Makram held senior leadership roles at Kuwait Agro Holding and The Sultan Center, spanning positions from Chief Executive Officer, Country General Manager to Chief Commercial Officer across Kuwait, Jordan, Oman, Lebanon, and Bahrain. His expertise spans category management, international sourcing, negotiations, and organizational development, complemented by his work as a certified commercial trainer. Makram brings a rare blend of operational rigor and commercial vision to conversations on the future of retail.

Turki Al Washmi
Vice President of Retail
SPL

I’m a business leader passionate about building, scaling, and transforming businesses through the intersection of technology, marketing, and innovation. I bring together strategic thinking, customer-centric growth, and technology to turn ideas into impactful products, experiences, and businesses. My focus is on building teams, launching new ventures, creating meaningful customer experiences, and turning ambitious ideas into sustainable growth.

Shamim Akhtar
Country Head – E-commerce
BrandsForLess.com Saudi Arabia

​Over 14+ years, my career has spanned retail, e-commerce, and operations, with one consistent theme: building and scaling businesses from the ground up- from launching early e-commerce at Basicxx Fashion (Al-Yasra Group), to helping scale a half-billion AED digital ecosystem at 6thStreet. I have worked across global and regional brands including Splash (Landmark Group), Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Alyasra Fashion, 6thstreet.com (Apparel Group) and led the launch and expansion of 1000+ brands across digital platforms.

Filippo Bianchi
Managing Director and Senior Partner
BCG

​He is Global Head of the Luxury Industry, and has mainly been involved in the Retail, Consumer Goods, Fashion & Luxury and Pharma practices. ​He is a core member of the Consumer and Marketing & Sales practices. ​Prior to joining BCG, he worked as an Analyst for Accenture where he was involved in projects in Thailand, Malaysia, Argentina, Uruguay and Switzerland. ​He holds an MBA from Columbia University and a degree in Business Administration, specialized in Management Consulting, from Bocconi University

Sélim Chidiac
Independent Board Director
Former Global CEO

Sélim Chidiac is an Independent Board Director and former Global CEO with over 30 years leading and scaling consumer and retail businesses across four continents. As CEO of L’azurde, he led the turnaround, transformation and IPO of the Middle East’s largest vertically integrated jewelry house. Earlier, he was CEO of Red Bull North America and CEO of Red Bull Japan, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa.

He serves as Independent Director at Jamjoom Fashion, where he chairs the Nomination & Remuneration Committee; at Theeb Car Rental, where he chairs the Executive Committee; and Rawajeh Luxury Holding. He brings 20 years of board experience across listed, family-owned and private equity-backed companies, and has led or supported three IPOs. Drawing on his global experience and deep understanding of family and listed businesses, Sélim supports leadership teams in aligning governance excellence with innovation and sustainable growth.

Paul Winsor
Head of Retail EMEA
Snowflake

Paul has worked within the Retail industry for over 35+ years. In his early career Paul spent nearly 20 years at Sainsburys. In the past 20 years Paul has led the Retail GTM industry practice at the leading data, BI and AI global companies helping retailers apply intelligence into their data before joining the leading AI Data Cloud company Snowflake to help retailers accelerate their business outcomes to their data with the Snowflake Retail AI Data Cloud.

Fuad Alzayed
Operations Director
Al Othaim Life

I started my career in retail at the age of 18 as a salesperson, and from the beginning I became fascinated by everything that happens behind a successful retail business, understanding customers, building brands, negotiating, competing, and most importantly, building teams that can deliver. Over the past 10+ years, I’ve grown from working on the shop floor to leading large-scale retail operations across a diverse portfolio of brands in Saudi Arabia. Today, I’m the Operations Director at Al Othaim Life, where I’m responsible for driving operational performance, commercial growth, customer experience, and the continued development of the business.

I’m naturally ambitious, competitive and detail-oriented, but what motivates me most is learning something new every day and building something that lasts. Retail is particularly exciting to me because it brings together so many things, I enjoy brands, people, competition, negotiation, technology, and understanding how consumer behavior continues to evolve.

Outside of work, I’m passionate about sports and follow everything from football and basketball to Formula 1 and tennis. I also enjoy reading, particularly business and fiction, and I’m a big believer in learning beyond your own industry. I love travelling, discovering different cultures and, naturally, good food and new technology. I’m always looking to learn, build, compete and find better ways of doing things, both professionally and personally.

Mohamad ElAnsari
Chief Executive Officer
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.

Shane Joseph
Founder and Product Architect
Actonia SA

Shane Joseph is the Founder and Product Architect of Actonia SA, a digital transformation agency that builds high-performing ecosystems for sustainable business growth. Combining deep expertise in data architecture with bespoke strategy, Shane consults with businesses at every stage of growth to streamline operations, protect brand reputation, and unlock new revenue streams. He frequently leads enterprise-level engagements for major national retail networks, architecting solutions for performance marketing, automated triage, and large-scale reputation management.

A firm believer in data transparency, Shane designs executive-level insights and recommendations that give leadership teams complete clarity over both online and offline performance. Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, he handpicks specialised global teams to deliver high-stakes e-commerce and B2B e-commerce projects, while building scalable platforms such as ProfilePilot, TalentPortal, and ConsultGen. More than an adviser, Shane acts as an embedded growth partner, turning operational bottlenecks into strategic opportunities for long-term growth and scale.

Wassim Arabi
President
Retail at Al-Futtaim

Wassim Arabi serves as the President of Retail at Al-Futtaim, bringing over 35 years of international leadership experience across the retail, real estate, and F&B sectors.

His career is dened by a strong track record in delivering growth, both organic and through acquisitions, executing large-scale organizational transformations and expanding operations into new global markets.

His leadership style is rooted in operational excellence, cross-functional collaboration, and long-term strategic vision. Over the course of his career, he has held executive and advisory roles across the Middle East, North Africa, Central Eastern Europe, Turkey, and Russia, building some of the region’s
most successful and sustainable consumer businesses.

Kelvin Southwood
Creative Director
Bash.com

Kelvin is the Creative Director at Bash, with over a decade of experience shaping brand narratives for two of South Africa’s leading retailers, Bash and Woolworths. Throughout his career, he has led creative strategy and execution across fashion, food, beauty and home, delivering impactful campaigns that connect with consumers and drive commercial growth.

Kelvin has played a pivotal role in building the Bash brand from inception into South Africa’s leading fashion and lifestyle shopping platform. During this journey, Bash consolidated 15 of TFG’s retail brands into a single omnichannel experience, achieved over 8 million app downloads, reached profitability in just 18 months, and transformed how millions of South Africans shop across digital and physical retail. Kelvin has been instrumental in shaping the brand’s creative identity, leading integrated campaigns and experiences that have helped establish Bash as one of South Africa’s fastest-growing retail success stories.

Miguel Netto
Group Marketing Head
Bootlegger

Miguel is currently Group Marketing Head at Bootlegger, one of South Africa’s fastest-growing café franchises. He leads marketing across the group, with national footprint that keeps adding stores, with a single focus: getting the brand noticed, chosen and loved as it scales.

His career spans more than 17 years and every side of the industry. He has led marketing for some of the country’s best-known brands, worked across coffee, sport and global business, and founded and built his own distribution company. Along the way he has built marketing teams from the ground up and today leads a full team of his own, an industry leader who has built brands from nothing and a marketer who has kept established names ahead.

Brett Wyngaard
Teamhead IT South Africa
PUMA Group

Brett Wyngaard is an experienced IT professional with a postgraduate degree in Business Administration and a strong technical foundation in Microsoft Systems Engineering. His blend of technical expertise and strategic business leadership enables him to bridge the gap between technology and commercial objectives.

As Teamhead IT South Africa at PUMA Group, Brett leads the planning, delivery and governance of complex technology projects while developing and empowering high-performing teams. His experience includes aligning global technology initiatives with business goals, driving operational excellence, and delivering successful outcomes within scope, budget and timelines.

James Townsend
Co-Founder & CEO
Pattern

James Townsend is the co-founder and CEO of Pattern, the enterprise retail merchandising platform used by some of South Africa’s leading specialty retailers.

He has spent more than twenty years in retail, starting in design centres and the supply chain before a decade inside enterprise retail. Along the way he saw what poor planning actually costs: margin eroded by markdowns, warehouses filled with stock nobody asked for, customers let down at the shelf, and capable teams stuck in spreadsheets chasing answers they had already found. Pattern is his answer to that problem: retail science and AI that help merchandise teams decide faster, buy better and carry less.

James writes about what he calls exponential retail, the companies and people using technology to build the retail business of the future, and the operating models he admires, on LinkedIn. He remains, at heart, a merchant.

Lucinda Clarke-Henry
Head of Sportstyle South Africa
PUMA Group

Lucinda Clarke-Henry is Head of Sportstyle South Africa at PUMA and brings over 20 years of experience across sales, merchandising, category management, and retail strategy. Throughout her career, she has focused on building strong wholesale and retail partnerships, translating consumer insights into commercial success, and driving sustainable growth in highly competitive markets. She is passionate about shaping the future of Sportstyle retail in South Africa and helping brands remain relevant in an ever-evolving consumer landscape.

Manjush Mathews
Director Consumer Insights and Personalisation
AdHive Group

With over 25 years of industry experience, Manjush is a strategic customer insights leader with deep expertise in consumer behaviour, customer profiling, and data-driven decision-making. He excels at translating complex consumer data into actionable strategies that drive customer acquisition, engagement, retention, and sustainable business growth.

He has extensive experience developing customer segmentation frameworks, behavioural models, and audience profiles that enable organisations to deliver more personalised and impactful customer experiences. By combining market research, advanced analytics, and customer intelligence, Manjush helps identify emerging trends, uncover unmet customer needs, and optimise the customer journey. Passionate about building customer-centric organisations, he thrives on bringing together cross-functional teams across marketing, sales, operations, and analytics to align customer insights with strategic business objectives.

His collaborative approach ensures that evidence-based decision-making, predictive analytics, and continuous innovation remain at the heart of business growth initiatives. Outside of work, you’ll most likely find him on the sidelines of a cricket field enthusiastically cheering on his son—a role he considers just as rewarding as helping organisations better understand and serve their customers.

Rakesh Acharya
Vice President Sales Middle East and South Africa
Netcore

Rakesh is an accomplished Vice President – ME and South Africa at Netcore, with deep expertise in MarTech, digital transformation, omnichannel engagement, and Agentic AI. He specializes in bridging the gap between emerging technology and marketing strategy, leveraging automation and data-driven insights to maximize ROI.

He holds an MBA in Marketing from the University of Dundee in Scotland and has steadily risen through key leadership roles throughout his career. A frequent speaker at industry conferences across South Africa, Rakesh regularly shares insights on harnessing MarTech and AI to streamline processes and drive business growth.

Marthie Raphael
CEO
Pep Clothing

Marthie Raphael is the CEO of Pep Clothing, a Pepkor manufacturing company employing 2,000 people. Her role involves driving strategic advantages for Pepkor retailers and leading a full executive team.

Under her leadership, Pep Clothing has earned multiple industry accolades including
Manufacturer of the Year and Leadership awards.

Marthie’s career began in 1993 after earning a four-year Bachelor’s Degree in Consumer
Science at Stellenbosch University. Her background includes managing a factory in Malawi,
establishing PEP Retail’s Quality Assurance department, and working in Business Development, Logistics, and Supply Chain.

She contributes to Pepkor’s local sourcing initiatives, engages with national politicians and
industry forums, and serves on the Government’s R-CTFL Master Plan structures. Marthie also chairs the National Bargaining Council for the Clothing Industry, is Vice Chair of the South African Apparel Association, and sits on several Executive Committees.

She plays the violin, travels, and rides adventure motorcycles globally. Guided by honesty and integrity, she aims to positively impact PepClo’s 2,000 employees, families, and communities.

Yajna Singh
Head of Design
Mr D

Yajna Singh is Head of Design at Mr D, where they lead the creative direction and design of digital experiences across one of South Africa’s leading on-demand delivery platforms.

With over a decade of experience spanning agency, corporate and entrepreneurial ventures, they combine strategic thinking with creative leadership to shape meaningful brand experiences.

Passionate about collaboration and emerging technologies, they believe great design transforms everyday interactions into intuitive, memorable experiences that build trust, strengthen loyalty and create lasting value.

Maria Murtas Lawrence
Head of Visual Merchandising and Store Designer
Cape Union Mart Group

Maria Murtas Lawrence is the Visual Merchandising and Store Design Leader at Cape Union
Mart, with over 30 years of experience in retail, customer experience, branding, store design, and business strategy. She has led retail transformation projects, store revamps, and customer experience initiatives across multiple retail formats, combining creative vision with commercial outcomes. Having worked in retail operations, buying, marketing, entrepreneurship, and brand development, Maria brings a holistic perspective on building resilient, customer-focused retail businesses. She is passionate about developing people, sharing knowledge, and creating meaningful retail experiences that drive sustainable growth.

Max Essmann
CEO
Pres Les

Max is the Chief Executive Officer of the Pres Les Group, a role he has held since
2019 after serving as the company’s Chief Financial Officer from 2015 to 2019. With over a decade of leadership experience at the Pres Les Group, he has played a key role in driving the company’s strategic and financial growth. A Chartered Accountant (CA(SA)) with an MBA from the University of Cape Town, Max has extensive expertise across consumer markets, retail, direct selling, manufacturing, and financial services, including alternative investments, hedge funds, fund of funds, and segregated portfolio companies. Prior to joining Pres Les, he built his career at KPMG South Africa and KPMG Cayman Islands, where he held management and senior management roles.

Adriano Silva
Sales Director – MEA, APAC & Spain
VTEX

Adriano is a seasoned executive with over 20 years of senior leadership experience, specialising in Sales, building B2B ecosystems, scaling global organisations, and delivering sustainable growth. Having worked across more than 70 countries, he brings a proven ability to define vision, inspire teams, and execute strategies that transform ambitious goals into measurable impact.

His career spans leadership roles across sales, finance, e-commerce, services, and cloud solutions, consistently underpinned by a strong focus on revenue growth, P&L management, EBITDA performance, and long-term value creation. At his core, he excels in forging strategic partnerships and developing interconnected business portfolios that drive both regional leadership and international expansion.

At VTEX, Adriano currently serves as Head of Global Sales, where he has helped accelerate the company’s rapid international expansion. His responsibilities include driving global revenue strategy, sales enablement, sales operations, and solutions engineering, enabling enterprises to scale effectively using the SaaS commerce platform for marketplace integration and order management.

Beyond corporate leadership, Adriano is an active board member and mentor, committed to developing high-performing teams and shaping future leaders. Fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and conversational Arabic, he thrives in cross-cultural environments and is passionate about leveraging innovation, collaboration, and talent development to deliver sustainable business impact.

Hazel Pillay
Managing Director
Pick n Pay Clothing

Hazel is the Managing Director of Pick n Pay Clothing, where she leads the division’s strategy, growth, and transformation across more than 500 stores, online, and marketplace channels. Since joining in 2019, she has helped double sales and profit, expanded the business into 200 new stores, launched the online channel, and driven strong localisation initiatives that created over 2,500 manufacturing jobs in South Africa.

With more than two decades of experience in retail, fashion, merchandising, and brand transformation, Hazel has held senior leadership positions at Cotton On Group, Pepkor Holdings, LEGIT, Edcon, TFG, and MAC Cosmetics. Throughout her career, she has successfully led business turnarounds, built high-performing teams, and driven significant commercial growth across leading retail brands in South Africa and international markets.

Kevin Lennett
Group CEO
Melbro Holdings

Kevin Lennett is the Group Chief Executive Officer of Melbro Group.
Spanning The Crazy Store, Heneck Sacks (Wholesale Division), Classic (Cash & Carry Division), and Melbro Brands (Nutribullet and Ariete), Melbro Group is one of Southern Africa’s most established retail businesses.
With over three decades of retail experience, Kevin brings a wealth of expertise across the entire retail landscape.

Kevin joined Melbro Group in 2012 as Managing Director of The Crazy Store, one of Southern Africa’s leading discount retail chains, with over 530 stores across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Eswatini. During his tenure, he played a transformative role in the business, overseeing growth to more than 500 stores across the region, reshaping perceptions of the discount retail sector, and building strong customer loyalty through a clear value proposition and a highly engaged, people-centric culture.

Prior to joining Melbro Group, Kevin spent nearly 20 years at Sportsmans Warehouse as Executive and Managing Director, while concurrently leading Sportshoe World and Logans Golf, and contributing at ExCo level to Outdoor Warehouse and The Pro Shop.

Leah McCrae
Managing Director
Rand Capital Coffee – Licensee, Starbucks South Africa

Leah McCrae is the Managing Director of Rand, the licensee for Starbucks South Africa, and a people-first brand and culture leader with more than three decades of experience. She has built her career on one conviction: that brand is a leadership responsibility and an operating model, not a marketing function, and that the strongest brands are built from the inside out — an approach she calls the Inside-Out Advantage.

Since 2020, she has scaled Starbucks in South Africa from 13 to 75 company-owned stores across five provinces, maintaining a strong brand and culture despite significant operational pressures. Her focus today is on the growth and market expansion of international brands across the region. Having founded her first business at the age of 22 and built brands across communications, hospitality and retail, she firmly believes that in a market reshaped by technology and commercial pressures, culture is the one advantage that compounds rather than depreciates.

Jandro Saayman
Head of User Experience Design
Ackermans

Jandro Saayman is the Head of UX Design at Ackermans, where he leads the customer experience strategy for one of South Africa’s largest fashion and value retail brands. With over a decade of experience spanning UX design, digital product development, ecommerce, and customer experience optimisation, Jandro is passionate about creating seamless digital journeys that balance customer needs with business objectives.

Throughout his career, he has worked across both agency and product environments, leading design teams and shaping digital experiences for large-scale platforms. At Ackermans, he focuses on leveraging customer insights, behavioural analytics, user research, and experimentation to drive meaningful improvements in online shopping experiences.

Beyond his corporate role, Jandro is an advocate for human-centred design, innovation, and continuous learning. He is particularly interested in how data, technology, and empathy can work together to create experiences that not only perform better but genuinely serve people.

Vershen Naidoo
Head of Risk & Security
Takealot.com

Vershen Naidoo is a senior risk and security professional with close to sixteen years of experience across supply chain, logistics, HSSEQ, corporate security, and business continuity. He serves as Head of Risk and Security for the Supply Chain Division at takealot.com, having held senior leadership appointments at takealot.com, Imperial, and Barloworld Logistics. A specialist in corporate security, operational resilience, business continuity, and stakeholder collaboration, Vershen is an award-winning risk professional and a committed advocate of Zero Loss Culture across the supply chain

Yaeesh Moosa
Head of Marketplace
Takealot.com

Yaeesh Moosa is the Head of Marketplace at Takealot.com, South Africa’s leading online retailer, where he leads the growth, performance, and strategic direction of one of the country’s largest marketplace ecosystems. With nearly a decade of experience spanning marketplace operations, merchant management, and digital commerce, he is passionate about creating scalable seller experiences that drive customer value and business growth.

Prior to his current role, Yaeesh held several leadership positions within Takealot, including Head of Merchant Operations and Marketplace Operations Manager, where he played a key role in strengthening marketplace efficiency, seller success, and operational excellence. His career began in engineering and manufacturing, where he led continuous improvement, supply chain optimisation, and business transformation initiatives, bringing a unique operational and data-driven perspective to modern retail

Hylton Bannon
Managing Director
Toy Kingdom

Hylton is the Managing Director of Toy Kingdom South Africa and a seasoned business leader with over 25 years of global experience across retail, ecommerce, fintech, automotive, and customer experience.

He has held senior leadership roles at organisations including HomeChoice, FinChoice, Truworths and Toyota Tsusho Corporation where he led large-scale transformation, digitalisation, and operational excellence initiatives across more than 20 countries.

His expertise spans retail strategy, omni-channel development, Africa expansion, mergers and acquisitions, customer experience, process optimisation, workforce management, and financial performance improvement. He is also highly experienced in leading digital transformation programmes, including automation of customer journeys, call centre optimisation, and IT system development in agile environments.

Hylton is passionate about simplifying complex business challenges and enabling organisations to achieve sustainable growth through the alignment of people, processes, products, and systems. He believes that exceptional customer experience is created when strong leadership, efficient processes, and enabling technology work seamlessly together to deliver value at scale.

Christopher Baird
Head of Ecommerce
G-Star

Christopher is the Head of Ecommerce (Southern Hemisphere) at G-STAR, where he drives regional ecommerce strategy, sales growth, and profitability through data-driven decision-making, P&L analysis, and performance optimisation.

He has over 15 years of experience across ecommerce, digital transformation, retail strategy, and business development. Prior to G-STAR, Christopher held senior global ecommerce and data leadership roles at PUMA Group, where he led customer data management programs, supported global market rollouts, and delivered performance insights across multiple countries. He previously built and scaled PUMA South Africa’s ecommerce business from the ground up, achieving significant revenue growth and strong profitability performance.

Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at New Balance, eComplete, RSAWEB, Crossroads Distribution, and Crixus, where he gained extensive experience in retail operations, supply chain management, digital strategy, and business development.

Barry Sickle
Co-Founder
Footgear

Barry Sickle is a South African retail entrepreneur and footwear industry veteran with over 30 years of experience building and leading successful retail businesses.

Recognised for his role in disrupting and igniting traditional footwear retail and developing high-performance teams, Barry is passionate about customer experience, leadership, and the future of physical retail.

Known for his practical leadership style, competitive spirit, and ability to inspire teams at every level, Barry is a speaker on topics including selling skills, leadership, intrapreneurship, coaching, customer experience, employee engagement, and unlocking human potential in business.

Alaine Rossouw
Chief Operating Officer
Toy Kingdom

Alaine Rossouw is the Chief Operations Officer of Super-Brands Retail and General Manager of Build-A-Bear South Africa. She leads operations across Toy Kingdom, Hamleys, and Build-A-Bear Workshop, with a focus on retail excellence, customer experience, and operational strategy.

Passionate about experiential retail and people development, Alaine is known for driving high-performance retail cultures that combine operational discipline with engaging customer experiences. Her work focuses on building strong teams, elevating in-store execution, and shaping the future of immersive retail in South Africa.

Sunil Nair
Chief Information Officer, SVP – Business Technology & Analytics
Majid Al Futtaim Retail

Sunil is the Chief Information Officer and SVP – Business Technology & Analytics at Majid Al Futtaim Retail, and a globally recognized leader in digital transformation with more than 28 years of impact across the retail and consumer sectors. He has driven large-scale transformation programs across multiple regions, reshaping omnichannel, e-commerce, data, and supply chain capabilities for some of the most influential retail brands.

Known for translating strategy into execution, Sunil has built a reputation as a trusted board-level advisor, guiding C-suites through technology-enabled growth and enterprise-wide change.

Having earned multiple industry distinctions for his work, Sunil continues to accelerate business performance by aligning technology, analytics, and operating models to deliver measurable commercial outcomes.

Shaik Maqbool
Chief Technology Officer
Aljazera Markets

Shaik is a retail technology leader with over 26 years of experience driving digital transformation across grocery and fashion hypermarkets and supermarkets. As a CTO, he specializes in IT infrastructure transformation, ERP implementation, and large-scale technology programmes, aligning digital strategy with operational performance and business growth.

He has led high-impact implementations of Microsoft Dynamics Business Central and Navision platforms, modernising retail operations and integrating technology into core business functions. With a strong focus on automation and digital innovation, Shaik has delivered significant efficiency gains, including major cost reductions and productivity improvements across retail environments.

Shaik brings deep techno-functional expertise and leadership capability, focused on building scalable, efficient, and future-ready retail operations.

Ravi Raman
Publisher
Fast Company Middle East

Ravi Raman, a TEDx speaker and no stranger to a stage, is a media professional with more than two decades of content strategy, brand marketing and team leadership experience.
He launched the regional editions of world-renowned brands such as Wired and Bloomberg Businessweek, and his reach has extended to other leading publications from the New York Times to India Today.

Rami Rihani
Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
Alsulaiman Group

Rami Rihani is a seasoned, multi-disciplinary marketing and customer experience leader with over 17 years of expertise across marketing, e-commerce, omni-channel strategy, and customer retention.

He currently serves as the Chief Marketing Officer at IKEA Saudi Arabia, where he leads brand strategy, customer engagement, insights, and retention initiatives, shaping IKEA’s growth and customer experience across the Kingdom. Prior to this role, Rami served as Acting CMO and Omni-Channel Director, overseeing e-commerce and customer retention for IKEA in both Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Earlier in his career, Rami spent several years at Ogilvy, managing integrated campaigns for major regional brands including IKEA, NCB Capital, Kleenex, Kotex and Hempel Paints.

Recognised for his strategic thinking and ability to bridge digital and retail worlds, Rami continues to drive impactful transformation across the region’s retail and consumer landscape.

May Kanounji
Chief Executive Officer
Aani & Daani

May Bahjat Kanounji is a visionary brand builder, commercial leader, and transformation catalyst with over 20 years of experience shaping and scaling luxury and premium brands across fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and confectionery in the GCC. Renowned for merging commercial growth with cultural storytelling, May has led strategic brand evolutions that strengthen emotional connection, accelerate performance, and elevate brands to regional prominence.

Throughout her career, she has held senior leadership roles in leading regional companies — steering brand repositioning, omnichannel expansion, retail transformation, product innovation, and creative commercial strategy. Her leadership blends analytical discipline with intuitive brand expression, enabling her to build distinctive identities that resonate across digital and physical worlds with equal strength.

Dr Martyn Davies
Head of City Excellence and Retail Sector Leader
Royal Commission for Riyadh City

Dr. Martyn Davies is Head of the Retail Sector and leads the City Excellence Division at the Royal Commission for Riyadh City in Saudi Arabia. Previously, he was a Senior Partner and Managing Director of Africa & Emerging Markets at Deloitte. An alumnus of the Young Global Leaders Community of the World Economic Forum (WEF), he has served on numerous advisory groups at the WEF, including the Global Agenda Council on China, and has been an expert adviser to the Mining & Metals Industry Group.

Himanshu Shrivastava
Chief Technology Officer
Al-Futtaim

Himanshu Shrivastava is a veteran technology leader with over 25 years of experience in Technology and Digital Transformation.

As Chief Technology Ocer at Al-Futtaim, he spearheads the Group’s technology vision and roadmap. He is responsible for the development and delivery of enterprise-wide digital and data platforms, overseeing technology operations, and providing strategic technology guidance across all operating divisions, including Automotive, Retail, Healthcare, Insurance, and Real Estate. vHe also leads the Blue division, driving the Group’s latest digital business ventures.

Filip Nekvinda
Chief Information & Digital Officer
Abdul Latif Jameel

Filip Nekvinda is an accomplished leader in the global digital landscape, with a distinguished 19-year career spanning diverse industries. Currently serving as the Chief Information and Digital Officer at Abdul Latif Jameel Enterprises, he is driving the company’s digital strategy and execution across key sectors: Automotive, Healthcare, Logistics, Real Estate, and Diversified Businesses. With a proven track record of spearheading successful digital initiatives at major companies including IKEA, Procter & Gamble, Mars, Mondelēz, and Menzies Aviation, Filip brings a contemporary and agile approach to leadership. Under his guidance, ALJ Enterprises is embracing digital innovation and helping shape Saudi Arabia’s technological evolution in line with Vision 2030.

Binoo Joseph
Chief Digital Officer
Cenomi Centers

Binoo Joseph is a seasoned technology and transformation leader with over 20 years of experience driving innovation and enterprise-wide digital strategy across customer-centric sectors including real estate, shopping malls, hospitality, retail, and e-commerce. As Chief Digital Officer at Cenomi Centres, he leads large-scale transformation initiatives that reimagine both physical and digital retail environments—enhancing customer experience, improving operational efficiency, and enabling sustainable growth.

With deep expertise in aligning technology and business strategy, Binoo has delivered major transformation programmes across multiple geographies, integrating cloud platforms, smart technologies, data infrastructure, and emerging tech to modernise systems and unlock new value opportunities. He has built and led high-performing technology organisations, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and measurable impact.

Driven by a mission to use technology as a catalyst for positive change, Binoo is committed to shaping the future of retail and creating long-term value for customers, partners, and communities.

Andreu Marco
Chief Operating Officer
Chalhoub Group

Andreu Marco is the Chief Operating Officer at Chalhoub Group, the partner and creator of luxury experiences in the Middle East. He is responsible for enhancing the Group’s core operations aligning them with the overall strategic objectives. His primary focus is to ensure efficient delivery of innovative, reliable, and customer-focused business services internally and externally in areas like End-to-End Supply chain, Logistics, Admin, Store Operations, and 3D. He is member of the Group’s Ex-com and serves as an advisory role for the Presidents and fellow Ex-Com members, providing strategic direction to the Group’s Operations.

Yasser Taher
Chief Executive Officer
MAGRABi Retail

As the CEO of MAGRABi Retail Group, I am responsible for overseeing the operations and growth of the largest eyewear retailer in the Middle East and Africa, with over 200 stores across 5 countries. I have been leading this family-owned business since January 2023, after serving as the COO for 14+ years and the VP of Business Development for three years.

My core competencies include strategic planning, business development, retail management, negotiation, and entrepreneurship. I am passionate about delivering excellence in customer service, product quality, and social impact. I hold a Bachelor of Commerce from Ain Shams University, a Diploma in Diamond Grading from the International Gemological Institute, and an Advanced Management Program certificate from Harvard Business School. I also completed an executive education course on Leading Businesses into the Future at London Business School in 2015.

Neeraj Teckchandani
Chief Executive Officer
Apparel Group

Neeraj has been with Apparel Group for 24 years and spent over 30+ years in the UAE. He has vast experience within the retail industry across various domains such as strategy, general management, operations, mergers and acquisitions and financial operations to name a few.

Neeraj is an Alumni of Harvard Business School & University of London 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 2018-2019 by Asia One” and “Most influential CFO in Fashion and Lifestyle Services (UAE)” at the Global Business Insights Awards 2018.

At Apparel Group, he has an impressive track record of steering the Apparel Group to new heights, he brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to lead the break through initiatives at the Apparel Group.

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.

Majed M. AlTahan
Founder & CEO
International Applications Company (IACo)

Majed M. AlTahan is a Saudi entrepreneur and investor who pioneered large-scale digital grocery and retail infrastructure in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. His work focuses on building scalable digital infrastructure that supports long term consumer behaviour change and national retail transformation.

Majed is the Founder and CEO of International Applications Company (IACo), a digital transformation and  commerce infrastructure company. He played a foundational role in launching Saudi Arabia’s first scaled online  grocery service in 2016, Danube Online, in partnership with BinDawood Holding, the Kingdom’s leading food  retailer. IACo develops and operates the e-commerce platforms for Danube and BinDawood. BinDawood  Holding later acquired a 62% stake in the company.

Hani Weiss
Chief Executive Officer
Landmark Group

Appointed in 2025, Hani Weiss is the Chief Executive Officer of Max Fashion, a UAE-based value fashion omnichannel brand selling apparel and footwear across more than 250 stores in over 15 countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Max is the largest retail brand belonging to Landmark Group, a US$ 7.5bn omnichannel retail and hospitality conglomerate.

Hani Weiss has extensive experience in retail of over 25 years, beginning his career in 2001 as a store manager at Majid Al Futtaim Retail which owns and operates the Carrefour franchise among other brands, rising through the ranks to be CFO in 2014 and then CEO from 2017 till 2024.

Anshuman Anand
Co-Founder & CEO
Al Safa Brands

A strategic leader with over 20 years of experience, specializing in driving transformational growth and profitability in the retail sector. Demonstrated success in scaling and optimizing global retail brands such as Adidas, Reebok, Timberland, Vero Moda, and Jack & Jones. Leveraging over a decade of strategic leadership in the Middle East as Vice President of Apparel Group, consistently delivering outcomes that set businesses on a path to sustainable, long-term success.

Ammar Aklan
Chief Executive Officer
Al Hatab Foods – Daajan Holding Group

Ammar is a seasoned CEO and Board Member with over 25 years of leadership experience across manufacturing, retail, and healthcare sectors. He has a proven track record in driving business transformation, operational excellence, and sustainable growth, with a strategic focus on maximizing shareholder value, building high-performance teams, and delivering superior customer experiences. Passionate about scaling businesses that balance market success with positive community impact, Ammar is committed to shaping visionary organizations that contribute meaningfully to both industry and society.

Alok Pandey
Chief Executive Officer
Tim Hortons GCC

Alok is the Chief Executive Officer of Tim Hortons GCC, bringing over 28 years of leadership experience across F&B services, quick service restaurants (QSR), retail, and retail development. He has a proven track record of driving growth and operational excellence across large, multi-market organisations.

With deep expertise in scaling high-performance teams across multiple locations, Alok has led complex business transformations, managed full P&L ownership, and delivered strong financial and customer-centric results. His leadership spans end-to-end retail operations, expansion strategy, operational optimisation, and customer experience enhancement.

Recognised for his ability to build brands, accelerate regional footprint expansion, and elevate service standards, Alok continues to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the QSR and retail landscape in the GCC.

Cindy Chua
Senior Investment Lead
Jobstreet Singapore

Cindy Chua is the Senior Investment Lead at Jobstreet Singapore, part of the SEEK Group. She oversees full funnel marketing investments across digital and offline channels, shaping how brands connect with audiences and drive sustainable growth. Her focus is on aligning media strategy with brand and user journeys, creating meaningful engagement and measurable outcomes.

Harriet Wakelam
Executive Director Design
DBS Bank

Harriet leads Singapore’s largest experience design team. She works end-to-end—from strategy to execution to enhance customer experiences and drive human-centered innovation. A natural connector, Harriet collaborates across technology, brand, transformation, behavioural science, and design to shape both present and future experiences.

Abdullah Al-Sabban
Chief Operating Officer & CEO Advisor
Panda Retail Company

Abdullah is an enterprise leader, board member, and CEO advisor with over 28 years of experience driving large-scale transformation, growth, and operational excellence across the retail, FMCG, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and consumer goods sectors. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer and CEO Advisor at Panda, where he leads operations and supply chain across more than 200 stores, five distribution centers, and 16,000+ employees, overseeing multi-billion SAR operations across Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Known for aligning strategy with execution, Abdullah specializes in enterprise transformation, organizational scalability, and leadership development, with a strong focus on building high-performance cultures, resilient operating models, and long-term value creation in line with national transformation agendas such as Vision 2030.

Yong Yau GOH
Chief Marketing Officer
BullSwipe

Yong Yau Goh is the Chief Marketing Officer at BullSwipe, a global fintech platform that converts crypto to fiat instantly. He helms BullSwipe’s brand, marketing and communication development across its African, Middle Eastern and Asian markets, and has over two decades experience as an award-winning brand communicator. Prior to BullSwipe, Yong Yau was the Chief Marketing Officer at the AWHL Group, Singapore’s largest conglomerate of integrated health, wellness and beauty brands. Leading regional teams across diverse business verticals, he oversaw the positioning, transformation and communication strategies for the group’s flagship brands. Most of Yong Yau’s career, however, has focused on the agency’s side, where he led full-suite creative and communication teams in Singapore, Myanmar and Shanghai at the Coal Group. This was where he consulted for and engaged CEOs and senior management in some of the region’s leading corporates to take their organisations to greater heights in terms of brand direction, communication approach and business strategy — with proven results. These corporates include regional giants like StarHub, DBS, Mapletree, the Mottama Group and the METRO Group. Yong Yau is also a doctoral candidate at the Golden Gate University, where his work focuses on AI-driven marketing and communication technologies.

Lee Wei Song
Lead, Strategic Operations & Analytics
Flipster

I lead at the dynamic intersection of business strategy, technical infrastructure, and growth operations. My core philosophy is clear: architecting autonomous ecosystems that liberate global headcount growth from revenue expansion.

By weaving together complex SaaS telemetry with unified data taxonomies spanning sales, product, marketing, and customer success, I empower enterprises to evolve from reactive reporting to proactive, automated revenue engines. I built the “Single Source of Truth” (SSOT) that offers C-suite executives the clarity needed to navigate intricate customer journeys and make pivotal, board-level decisions.

Throughout my career, I have dedicated myself to optimising the vital balance between top-line revenue generation and systemic risk mitigation. At TikTok, I mapped risk-versus-revenue trade-offs, assessing initiatives across User, Regulatory, and Platform risk vectors against Tapped, Untapped, and Lost revenue to unlock $500M in untapped platform monetisation and prepare executives for US Congressional hearings.