Speakers
Andrew Austin
The Industrious
President
Topic: Where Are Your Customers Shopping? Why Isn't it Your Retail Store?
Biography
Andy leads a team that continuously pushes the limits of technology to create relevant, seamless connections between people and brands, and to deliver in-store and on brand technology solutions. A proven authority in customer experience and product realisation, particularly in retail environments, Andy has a decade of brand-side sales, marketing and operations experience in the wireless and consumer electronics industries. He has spearheaded a multitude of next-generation initiatives through the development of smart customer-facing technologies, including the first worldwide launch of the award-winning Microsoft Surface within AT&T stores
Andrew Busby
Retail Reflections
Founder
Topic: How Influence has Shaped the Retail Consumer
Biography
A well-known retail industry expert, speaker, and writer, Andrew Busby has extensive experience and knowledge in the retail sector, particularly in areas such as retail technology, customer experience, and emerging trends. He is the founder of Retail Reflections, a retail consultancy firm that provides strategic advice and insights to the industry community. He is also a regular contributor to various media outlets, including Forbes, BBC, and national news media where he is known for his expertise in analysing and commenting on the latest developments, challenges, and opportunities in the retail industry. Author of the best-selling retail book, ‘Harry Was Right All Along’, Busby is recognised by the industry as a thought leader and is a member of the exclusive global retail community ReTHINK Retail.
David Smith
Investec (UK)
Retail Analyst
Topic: Darkest Before Dawn: How long should you wait before reduced loadshedding improves the prospects for GDP growth and a stronger SA consumer?
Biography
David is a retail analyst for Investec. Before becoming an Equity analyst in 2009 he started his career by lecturing while doing his articles at Deloitte. He is a CA(SA), CFA charter holder and has a Masters in Finance (Cum Laude) from INSEAD. While having covered more than 10 sectors on the JSE, his focus has been and remains on the SA consumer
Dorien Kuiken
Fitzgerald
Founder & Managing Director
Topic: Brand Relevance Redefined
Biography
Dorien is Managing Director & Founder of Fitzgerald, a purpose driven communication agency, based in Amsterdam. At Fitzgerald, we are convinced that corporates can and must strive to change our world for the better. Named in honour of JFK’s New Frontiers ideology which fought for equality and prosperity for all mankind, our agency works to use the enormous influence and reach we as media-professionals have, to bring about real positive change. On a personal note, Dorien advocates for more feminine leadership in the creative industry in The Netherlands through mentoring and speaking.
Elbre Pienaar
H&M South Africa
Head of Marketing & Communications
Topic: AI has Revolutionized the Shopping Experience
Biography
Jasemen is an interdisciplinary strategist and futurist focussed on cultural intelligence. She is part of Fitzgerald - a purpose driven PR agency based in Amsterdam. As a TEDx speaker and co-creator of the report “Culture + Chaos + Community”, she proposes a new era for communications driven by purpose centric engagement with diverse communities. Her work explores the intersection of cultural, economic and technological change. Jasemen helps brands resonate both internally and externally through insight driven strategies - directed at continuously reinventing brand communications to reflect our dynamic world. In her talk, she shares invaluable lessons on leveraging cultural intelligence to help brands navigate uncertainty and build authentic relevance.
Gugulethu Mfuphi
Senior Anchor, CNBC Africa
SACSC Congress MC
Biography
Gugulethu is an award winner and well-versed orator, with plenty of experience in front of cameras, behind the microphone and addressing many diverse audiences. This skill, together with her sound grasp of the Financial Markets, Economic Data and Current Affairs Issues and the impact this has on the Business Community, makes her the perfect candidate to speak to Industry Analysts or Political Leaders and Executives from all across the African Continent.
Jasemen Nassab
Fitzgerald
Strategist & Futurist
Topic: Brand Relevance Redefined
Biography
Jasemen is an interdisciplinary strategist and futurist focussed on cultural intelligence. She is part of Fitzgerald - a purpose driven PR agency based in Amsterdam. As a TEDx speaker and co-creator of the report “Culture + Chaos + Community”, she proposes a new era for communications driven by purpose centric engagement with diverse communities. Her work explores the intersection of cultural, economic and technological change. Jasemen helps brands resonate both internally and externally through insight driven strategies - directed at continuously reinventing brand communications to reflect our dynamic world. In her talk, she shares invaluable lessons on leveraging cultural intelligence to help brands navigate uncertainty and build authentic relevance.
Jeremy Gardiner
Ninety One
Director
Topic: The Darkest Hour?
Biography
Jeremy is a regular voice in the media, at conferences and to the investment-related world at large, responsible for commenting on current affairs, economics and investment markets. In his position, Jeremy has access to information from the world’s leading analysts, on everything from politics to petrol. Jeremy’s challenge is consolidating all this information. Essentially, Jeremy collects and then connects the dots, bringing it to you in a format that you will find both interesting and informative.
Although he studied accounting at the University of Cape Town and Economics at the University of Witwatersrand, Jeremy is neither an accountant nor an economist, but uses these skills to demystify what the accountants and economists are saying.
Mannee De Wet
Planet Fitness
Managing Director
Topic: The Rising Trend of Health and Wellness and the Future of this Trend in Retail
Biography
Mannee fell into the health and fitness industry by accident. At the time, he worked in health clubs in order to fund his passion for flying. As he rose through the ranks of management, he was offered to head up the Sales and Marketing division at Planet Fitness. Now as the MD of Planet Fitness, Mannee works to develop a world class facility that is less intimidating than its socially driven competitors. Mannee created the positioning and promise that everyone is welcome at Planet Fitness regardless of the shape that you are in. Mannee’s philosophy is that wellness is the medicine of the future, it’s not a luxury but a necessity. He believes “If you can’t keep current members happy, then you don’t deserve new ones.” As Mannee continues to drive new corporate strategies and partnerships for the business, he believes that companies that invest in their peoples’ wellbeing are also investing in their own future.
Mark Sham
Suits & Sneakers
Founder & CEO, Marketing Disruption Speaker
Topic: Decoding Antifragility in order to THRIVE
Biography
Mark Sham is an entrepreneur, writer and speaker. He is the founder and CEO of Suits & Sneakers and also founder of the Impello incubation hub. Mark is hell bent on disrupting education for people of all ages. He is not only creating awareness around his vision to change education and training in South Africa, but he’s forging a network of entrepreneurs and corporate businesses to champion those causes.
Mark Swemmer
Reach Group
Managing Director
Topic: Navigating the Next Generation of Communications Technology to Leverage Benefits for the Retail Sector, Consumers and Landlords
Biography
Mark is a passionate entrepreneur and founder of the Reach Group and has a vast background in the telecoms industry, investment management, legal and regulatory compliance, property development and hospitality industries. Mark is an expert professional for landlords to optimise their buildings alternative leasing areas and telecoms providers to extend their coverage therein. Together with his dynamic team, they have become the premier single point of contact between landlords and telecoms providers, delivering specialised communication infrastructure management services and solutions.
Mongezi Mtati
Rogerwilco
Senior Brand Strategist
Topic: Understanding the Digitally-Savvy Kasi Shopper: A New Era of Township Customer Experience
Biography
Mongezi Mtati, a brand strategist at Rogerwilco, honed his skills in digital marketing skills for over a decade. With a passion for using human insight and data to drive strategy, he has played a pivotal role in digital strategies for leading brands such as Standard Bank, Brand South Africa, and Nestlé. His unique perspective on the relationship between digital marketing and customer experience (CX) makes him a thought-provoking speaker and podcaster, as he shares his expertise with audiences at various events.
Norman Drieselmann
Retailability
CEO
Topic: Turning a Burning Ship: The Edgars Turnaround Story
Biography
Norman Drieselmann is the CEO of Retailability, the group that owns and operates Edgars, Legit, Style and Beaver Canoe retail chains. Having steered the group though corporate acquisitions, COVID lockdowns and multiple external shocks the business grew 10 fold in revenue over the last eight years. A qualified CA(SA) turned retailer he is proud to lead a high performance team that takes pride in delivering consistent value and growth.
Paula Macaggi
Commerce Off Bounds
Editor-In-Chief
Topic: Retail Reinvented: Exploring Key Trends and Technological Innovations
Biography
Paula is the Editor-in-Chief of Commerce Off Bounds, a recently launched publication that delves deep into case studies in retail and conducts insightful interviews with prominent industry leaders. Possessing an unwavering passion for the world of commerce, Paula has dedicated the past three years of her career exclusively to this dynamic field, honing her expertise and garnering an understanding of its nuances. Her global outlook and keen awareness of emerging trends enable her to deliver a unique narrative, unveiling the unfolding stories and capturing the essence of the ever-evolving retail industry.
Philippa Feher
Mr Price Sport
Head of Marketing
Topic: The Rising Trend of Health and Wellness and the Future of this Trend in Retail
Biography
Philippa has 25 years of marketing experience working across both the retail ( Mica, Miladys and Mr Price Sport) and global FMCG ( Saralee and Unilever) sectors, giving her extensive knowledge of both product development, and working with retailers to working in retail sector itself. She is a passionate strategist and thrives on pushing boundaries and developing creative solutions. She believes in putting the customer at the heart of everything and overseeing marketing communications , brand sponsorship as well as e-commerce and most brand visual execution allows her to access all the customer touch points.
Rita Zwane
Founder & Chairperson
Imbizo Shisanyama
Topic: Creating an Authentic South African Experience
Biography
Rita Zwane, affectionately known as maZwane has become a pioneering entrepreneur with her sights set firmly on empowering and uplifting ordinary South Africans and revitalising the township economy. Armed only with her dream of a better life and a passion to celebrate the authentic African lifestyle and culture, MaZwane pioneered the commercialised Shisanyama sector in South Africa in 1997 when she established the acclaimed BUSY CORNER Imbizo Shisanyama. As an advocate for youth development and mentorship, maZwane was appointed by the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) as an ambassador of their Ithubalentsha Micro
Enterprises initiative in 2012. Further demonstrating her commitment to youth development, she also is an active board member of the Youth Leadership and Entrepreneurship Development (YLED) Programme.
Ronel Fourie
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Partner: Corporate Reporting Services Division
Topic: ESG in the Retail Industry
Biography
Ronel Fourie is a partner in the Corporate Reporting Services Division (CRS) at PwC. Her roles include leading initiatives to fulfil the CRS strategy of upholding quality through assurance engagement team support. She is a member of the PwC Global CRS team specializing in IFRS as well as in sustainability reporting. She is also responsible for sign-off on the IFRS compliance reviews of listed companies, including several JSE listed retail and consumer goods corporate entities. She has completed a master’s in business management on Integrated Reporting and is currently enrolled at the Albert Luthuli Leadership Institute for a PhD in leadership.
Shreeya Jugnandan
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Senior Manager: Corporate Reporting Services Division
Topic: ESG in the Retail Industry
Biography
Shreeya Jugnandan is a senior manager in the Corporate Reporting Services Division (CRS) at PwC. She is a member of the PwC Global CRS team specializing in IFRS and is actively involved in sustainability reporting working groups. Shreeya has an MCom specializing in financial reporting, analysis and governance. She is passionate about the retail industry and is the host of PwC’s technical podcast “On the Top Shelf” that deals with topical accounting matters for the retail and consumer goods industry.
Simon Dingle
Author, Broadcaster, Designer, and Entrepreneur
Topic: How ChatGPT will Change Retail, Shopping Centres and the Retail Experience
Biography
Simon Dingle is an author, broadcaster, designer, and entrepreneur. He served as product lead on the launch teams of 22seven, Luno, and Curve developing new operating systems for open networks and money, and used to host the popular Tech 5 show on 5FM. He also served on the Digital Advisory Board of Old Mutual and was part of establishing AlphaCode for Rand Merchant Investment Holdings. More recently he founded Inves Capital to leverage open technologies in bolstering financial inclusion and economic liberty. Outside of his career, Simon is a gamer, casual runner, and terrible surfer. His books In Math We Trust and Beyond Bitcoin have been best-sellers in global markets, including South Africa.
Steven Burnstone
Eighty20
CEO
Topic: Achieving sustained success - using detailed customer profiling and geospatial analytics to find opportunities in tough times
Biography
Steve, a qualified actuary, started his career as a life insurance actuary and then management consultant working on projects in South Africa and the UK. After co-founding a fintech business in the mid 2000s he joined Eighty20 in 2009, becoming chief executive in 2014. Steve is a well known industry leader and speaker in the data analytics, customer engagement and loyalty professions.
Stuart Sinclair
Wellness Warehouse
CEO
Topic: The Rising Trend of Health and Wellness and the Future of this Trend in Retail
Biography
With 14 years of experience in asset management and private equity, Stuart transitioned into the health and wellness retail sector, joining Wellness Warehouse in 2016 as a Non-Executive Director and eventually becoming CEO in August 2023. Wellness Warehouse, South Africa's largest independent health store chain, operates 52 stores in South Africa and recently expanded to Mauritius, offering easy access to a wide range of health supplements, foods, beauty products, and eco-friendly home solutions. The company is deeply committed to promoting holistic well-being, emphasizing physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Wellness Warehouse provides personalized guidance through highly trained Wellness Consultants, both in-store and online, while maintaining strict ingredient and quality standards and sustainability policies. In an era of rising health consciousness, the company forms partnerships with customers, assisting them throughout their wellness journey, fostering strong community connections and enduring relationships in an increasingly fragmented world.