Speakers 

Kirsty Glenne, Managing Director, Antler 

Kirsty Glenne is a brand growth and transformation leader, with a career spanning global luxury brands such as Alexander McQueen and Dr Barbara Sturm. Currently serving as Managing Director of Antler, the British travel brand, she has reimagined the 100-year-old brand, achieving two consecutive years of triple and double-digit growth.  

Vidya Laxman, Technology Director, Tesco 

Vidya Laxman is a prominent figure in the technology sector, currently serving as the Director of Tesco Technology for Retail and Store Platform across UK, Central Europe and Republic of Ireland.  

Vidya's career path is marked by significant achievements and leadership roles. Vidya's career further progressed when she became the Chief Operating Officer at ThoughtWorks Studios from 2011 to 2014. In 2014, she joined Tesco Technology, where she has held various roles, including Head of Retail and Store Platform for all Channels and Global IT Transformation Leader.  

In her current role as the Director of Tesco Technology, Vidya is responsible for overseeing the technology operations across Tesco's retail and store platforms. She plays a crucial role in strategic planning, building high-performing teams, and driving innovation within the organisation. Vidya's leadership extends beyond her immediate responsibilities, as she is also the Global Sponsor of Diversity across Tesco's operations in Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, UK, and India. 

Michelle Howchin, Ecommerce Delivery Director

With 25 years of technology-enabled transformation experience, Michelle has led complex technology divestitures, worked in a big-four management consultancy and has enterprise-wide business knowledge and a love for supply chains. Most recently, Michelle has most expanded her skills with personal and executive coaching qualifications that she applies to assist in creating high-performing teams and aid smoother transformation delivery. Michelle is also a mum of two under seven and has worked closely with her husband to share the pressures of parenting while maintaining a career. A motto of “and” not “or” drives her to get the right balance. 

Paul Canavan, Digital Director, Wickes

Paul is the Digital Director at Wickes, joining in 2018 to help lead the growth of Wickes' digitally led service-enabled business. Paul is responsible for the continuous development and improvement of Wickes' digital offer and is currently responsible for digital marketing, ecommerce, digital product development, digital experience and Wickes' market-leading CRM programmes. Prior to Paul's role with Wickes, he held similar digital roles in retail and hospitality for brands such as Whitbread, Homebase and Bunnings UK. 

Chris Blatchford, Chief Technology Officer, Kingfisher

Chris is Chief Technology Officer at Kingfisher, leading the development and delivery of the group’s technology strategy as part of the retailer’s ongoing digital transformation. Chris joined Kingfisher from RELX Elsevier where he was Chief Technology Officer. Prior to that, he held a variety of technology roles at Thomson Reuters, including Head of Enterprise Technology, and was Head of Professional Services, Europe, at CPA Global. 

Jessica Nesbitt, Chief Growth Officer, Notonthehighstreet 

Jessica is an experienced leader with a strong background in both customer and marketing disciplines, as well as a deep understanding of commercial strategy. Specialising in the scale-up phase of high-growth businesses, she has developed expertise across marketplaces, luxury fashion, beauty and retail. With a track record of driving commercial success, Jessica has held senior roles at leading brands, including Debenhams, Net-a-Porter Group, and spent over eight years as VP of Customer Marketing at Farfetch, where she played a pivotal role in driving customer engagement and business growth. Currently, Jessica leads the marketing (brand, acquisition, retention, customer) and commercial (range, merchandising, trading, partner and customer service) functions at Notonthehighstreet. With a deep understanding of how marketing and commercial strategies complement each other, she drives integrated, innovative solutions that deliver business impact. Jessica has been instrumental in evolving the brand's proposition, shifting from a ‘gifting-first’ focus to a broader ‘lifestyle’ brand. 

Emma Simmonds, VP of Consumer, Deliveroo

Emma joined Deliveroo in 2018. During that time, she has held senior leadership positions in communications and policy, operations and consumer organisations. Currently, Emma is Deliveroo Vice President, Consumer, and is responsible for customer insights, pricing and loyalty. Prior to joining Deliveroo, Emma worked at the Treasury where she had a number of roles, including Speechwriter and Private Secretary to the Chancellor. 

Amy Wisniewski, Head of Digital and Ecommerce, Lucky Saint

Amy Wisniewski is Head of Digital and Ecommerce at Lucky Saint, “the UK's number-one dedicated alcohol-free beer brand, on a mission to inspire the world to drink better, finally rewarding those who choose not to drink with the beer they deserve”. Amy joined Lucky Saint in 2022 after previously working for the subscription brand Freddie’s Flowers.

Sharon Meadows, MD of Commercial, EE

Sharon Meadows has over two decades of experience in the telecoms sector, delivering successful propositions and acquisition strategies designed to grow and retain customers across Orange, EE and BT Group. As the Managing Director of Commercial, Sharon provides high-level insight into translating customer needs into tangible solutions through experiential retail and digital experiences. Since the launch of EE’s new retail strategy, Sharon’s commercial insight has been integral to translating how AI and emerging technologies can improve customer and colleague experience.  

Joseph Howman, Senior Marketing Lead, The Very Group

As Senior Marketing Lead for organic growth at The Very Group, which operates digital retailers Very and Littlewoods, Joseph leads the strategy for organic search, onsite optimisation and content across the brands. With over 15 years of experience, Joseph combines brand and digital experience into an enthusiasm for delivering strategies that enhance the customer journey. Having worked across brand and digital teams, he’s a strong believer in the power of channel integration and focusing on being helpful to the customer at all stages of the journey. Before joining The Very Group in 2020, Joseph worked across a variety of marketing roles at Virgin Money.  

Charlie Ungaschick, Chief Marketing Officer, Vimeo 

Charlie Ungashick joined Vimeo as Chief Marketing Officer in 2024. His career spans over 20 years leading global marketing teams at several high-growth, category-leading tech companies, including WorkHuman, Applause (acquired by Vista Equity Partners) and PTC. In his most recent role, Charlie served as CMO and Head of Product at Applause, a market leader in crowdsourced software testing for apps, payments, websites, and smart devices. Charlie also served as an adviser at Gem, a talent engagement platform backed by Iconiq, Greylock, and Accel. Earlier in his career, Charlie held product, sales engineering and IT roles at AIG, Novell and SilverStream Software. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Fordham University and a diploma with honours in economics from the Université de Paris Sorbonne. 

Geoff Griffiths, Chief Commercial Officer, Brave Bison

Geoff is Chief Commercial Officer at Brave Bison, where he plays a key role in shaping the company’s commercial strategy across its Performance and Commerce practice. He joined Brave Bison following the acquisition of Builtvisible, the independent SEO, content, and digital PR agency he led as CEO and owner since 2019. 

Under Geoff’s leadership, Builtvisible became one of the UK’s leading organic performance agencies, delivering measurable impact for clients including Aviva, Specsavers, Superdrug, and The Very Group. Known for his value-led approach and commercial acumen, Geoff now works across Brave Bison’s specialist teams to help clients stay ahead of the evolving search and digital landscape, unlocking new growth opportunities through connected thinking and scaled innovation. 

Kate Doherty, Acting Head of Commercial Content, Retail Week

Having started her career as a business journalist 20 years ago and worked extensively as an editor and retail analyst, Kate Doherty is experienced in communicating retail-focused insight and analysis on market performance and industry trends.  

As acting head of commercial content at Retail Week, Kate works with brands to create and deliver thought leadership and actionable insights via diverse campaign formats, ranging from reports to live events, helping businesses build connections and grow. 

Laura Heywood, Head of Commercial Content Operations, Retail Week

Laura leads the implementation of Retail Week Connect's growth strategy and oversees the operational management of new product launches and existing inventory, while also managing the business’ P&L. She frequently chairs industry conferences and panel discussions, specialising in legal, marketing, and technology. 

Before taking on operational leadership at Connect, Laura served as Head of the Diversity Programme, where she played a key role in evolving Retail Week Be Inspired, the UK’s premier inclusion, diversity, and equity initiative for retail. Laura joined Retail Week in 2013, following a career as a journalist in the wine and spirits industry. 

Rebecca Taylor, Commerical Content Editor, Retail Week

Rebecca Taylor is Retail Week’s Commercial Content Editor. She is responsible for helping to grow and deliver bespoke reports and events across themes from stores and the consumer to supply chains and tech.  Rebecca has been recognised by the Professional Publishers Association (PPA) and Conference News with their respective 30 Under 30 awards and sits on the PPA’s Next Gen Board, which aims to encourage inclusivity of younger voices across the special interest media sector. 

Ellis Hawthorne, Features Editor, Retail Week

Ellis Hawthorne is features editor at Retail Week. She was previously digital and social editor at The Grocer.

Chloe Mills, Senior Reporter, Retail Week

Chloe Mills is a senior reporter at Retail Week. She joined Retail Week in 2023 and covers all things fashion. She was previously a writer and researcher on the celebrity desk at The Media Eye and began her career as a features writer at luxury lifestyle magazine Aspire. Chloe has a BA Hons in multimedia journalism from Canterbury Christ Church University.

Stephen Eddie, Managing Editor, Retail Week

Stephen Eddie has been managing editor at Retail Week since January 2023. He was previously production editor since May 2018. Before joining Retail Week, he was senior content editor and then news manager at HSJ and a subeditor at Business Monitor International.