Speakers

Check back for more updates on the inspiring leaders you can expect to hear from. 

Saad Usman, Chief Operating Officer, Miniso UK

Meet Saad Usman, the finance and operations maestro with 18 years of high-octane experience under his belt and voted one of Retail Week’s Retail 100 most influential leaders in 2024. He’s not your average accountant. Saad is a financial wizard with experience in industries including retail, F&B and FMCG, mastering everything from tax to operational alchemy. But don’t let the numbers fool you, this guy is all about shaking things up. As the COO at Miniso UK, Saad is on a mission to supercharge growth and spark innovation across the country. 

Tim Ellison, Group Digital Centre of Excellence Director, Kingfisher 

Tim has worked as Kingfisher’s Group Digital Centre of Excellence Director since 2023, having joined B&Q in 2020. As Interim Director of Ecommerce at B&Q, he led the business’ ecommerce team through the first year of the Covid pandemic, after which he led the programme to launch the first Kingfisher marketplace on diy.com.

Tim is an experienced retail leader with exceptional knowledge of the UK retail landscape, having spent more than 30 years with some of the UK’s biggest brands across health and beauty, pharmacy, DIY, clothing and food. During his career, he has worked for M&S, Debenhams, Boots and House of Fraser, and many other businesses in a consultant capacity. Tim has experience developing customer-centric, multichannel strategies and business plans focused on revenue growth, cost optimisation and portfolio expansion. 

Hannah Barnes, Vice-President for Operational Excellence, BP 

Hannah Barnes is BP’s VP for Operational Excellence for mobility and convenience in Europe. She has been with BP for five years, previously serving as UK Retail Operations Director when she led the company's operated retail stores. Hannah has a wealth of experience in the retail industry. Before her tenure at BP, she spent a decade at Tesco in various customer-facing operations roles. In her role at BP, she brings significant expertise and leadership in retail operations, focusing on enhancing operational efficiency, driving digitisation and establishing process excellence across European markets. 

Muktar Mahama, Head of Digital Product, The Very Group

Muk is Head of Digital Product at The Very Group, overseeing the digital experience across all brands and touchpoints. He leads the product management team across key areas such as product discovery, product detail page (PDP), checkout and the mobile app, all focused on enhancing the end-to-end customer journey with data-driven insights. With nearly 15 years in product management, Muk has shaped digital product vision and strategy, UX and analytics across start-ups, mid-sized and large businesses in various sectors. 

Katharine Newby Grant, Vice President, Enterprise Marketing, Data and ELC Creative Studios UK and Ireland, Estée Lauder Companies 

In her role, Katharine is responsible for leading the Enterprise Marketing, Data and ELC Creative Studio across the UK and Ireland’s 20 brands and diverse organisation. Katharine provides strategic support and industry-leading marketing capabilities to all our brands driving our consumer-centric strategy and strengthening our media, communication, creative and CRM capabilities. She also provides brands with data and insights to deliver impactful and locally relevant consumer communications. Katharine also serves as an executive sponsor for the Families @ Work UK&I employee resource group, as well as the Reverse Mentor programme.  

Katharine is an accomplished leader with a successful career in the FMCG industry, with 20 years of global marketing and commercial experience across multiple markets, categories and a wide range of expertise, from product and packaging development to operations and brand strategy.

Chris Conway, Ecommerce Director, Co-op

Chris is the Ecommerce Director at the Coop and sits on the Co-op Food Operating Board. Chris and team built the Co-op’s £500m Quick Commerce business from a standing start in 2019.  Chris has been in grocery online retail for over 20 years, spending time in ecommerce leadership roles at both Asda and Morrisons. 

Richard Lim, Chief Executive, Retail Economics 

Richard is Chief Executive of Retail Economics, an independent economics research consultancy focused on the consumer and retail industry. He was voted as a Top Ten Voice for LinkedIn for sharing his insights on the retail industry, has been named a top 100 retail influencer by industry watchers and also appeared in the final of The Apprentice as one of Lord Sugars advisers. 

He also sits on the Strategic Advisory Board at the University of East Anglia’s School of Economics, ranked in the top 10 departments in Economics in the UK. Richard has a wealth of experience in data analytics, retail insight, economics and consumer research.   

Alice Perkins, Global Head of Digital Transformation, Diageo

Alice is a highly commercial transformation leader, weaving together Commercial, Technological and Cultural Change experience to drive sustainable business growth. In her role as Global Head of Digital Transformation for Diageo – the business behind great brands such as Johnnie Walker, Guinness and Smirnoff – she brings together highly diverse teams to deliver excellent digital consumer experiences, recently leading the business to be ranked number-one BWS player for shopper experience. Alice’s previous experience includes winning multiple retail and industry awards at Coca-Cola and Associated British Foods. A champion of women in AI and Data, Alice is a regular conference speaker, panelist and hackathon participant 

Matthew Rhind, Development and Transformation Director, Tesco 

Matt embarked on his Tesco journey in 2005 as a Regional Transport Manager. He has a passion for logistics and a commitment to driving operational excellence. He developed his retail warehouse knowledge as a Depot General Manager in the UK, which moved him to his pivotal role as Distribution Director in China. He spearheaded Tesco‘s business distribution transformation across Asia (South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and India), orchestrating comprehensive change initiatives and positively impacting the company's distribution landscape. 

Matt moved to Central Europe as a Director of Distribution, overseeing operations in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Under his stewardship, Tesco witnessed a shift in operational efficiency and cultural alignment, establishing a legacy of simplified operations. 

Returning to the UK, Matt assumed a multifaceted role, heading up the transport operation, and recently completed a broadening role within the retail operation. Today, Matt oversees Tesco‘s supply chain change plan as Development and Transformation Director. In this role, he leverages his wealth of experience to continue Tesco‘s journey into the future of retail logistics. 

Clara Beattie, Head of Technology Marketing, Online and Retail, Morrisons 

Clara is a seasoned leader in digital product innovation and transformation, with deep expertise across ecommerce, marketing technology, CRM and data-driven strategies. As the Head of Technology Marketing, Online and Retail, at Morrisons, she spearheads initiatives to enhance the shopping experience both online and in-store, with a strong focus on integrating the Morrisons More loyalty programme into the customer journey. 

Prior to joining Morrisons, Clara was the Head of Product at the Daily Mail Group, where she guided large-scale people, process, and systems transformations, shaping a forward-looking digital strategy. Before that, she was the Head of Online at Direct Line Group.

James Poulter, Head of AI and Innovation, House 337

James Poulter is a distinguished digital marketing professional and technology expert, with an emphasis on conversational AI strategy. In 2018, James co-founded Vixen Labs and established the company as Europe's leading full-service aoice Agency. Vixen Labs was acquired by creative company House 337 in 2023 and James now heads up House 337's innovation and AI function, working with clients including Amazon, Reckitt, Verizon and Dyson. 

Prabhu Ramaiah, Head of Retail Business, Wipro UKI 

Prabhu has more than 23 years of experience in retail and consumer goods, working with organisations such as Sony, Argos, Clarks, Primark, Britvic, Morrisons, Tesco, Burberry, Reckitt Benckiser, Unilever and more.  

He advises companies across the retail value chain on omnichannel retail, technology/enterprise resource planning transformation, digital customer experience, supply chain and logistics transformation, business process automation, digital manufacturing, operational engineering and cybersecurity. 

Steve Warrington, SVP of Client and Industry Engagement, Upp.ai 

Steve Warrington brings a wealth of industry experience to Upp.ai having spent 13 years working with major retailers including Wickes, Hackett, Dreams and most recently B&Q, where he was responsible for all performance media channels for nearly five years. Then using his wealth of first-hand client-side experience he moved to Jellyfish, one of the world’s leading digital agencies, where he spent six years advising the largest retailers on their ecommerce adverts strategy in his role as Global VP of Ecommerce and Retail. 

Andy Wood, Senior Manager CX Technology Operations, Depop

Andy Wood is a Senior CX Tooling Manager. He is currently running both the Technical Operations and Product Specialist teams at Depop and is focused on AI and chatbot implementation. Andy will be speaking alongside Zendesk and Kingfisher on The Future of CX – he has over six years of experience of using Zendesk to refine the customer experience.  

Lara Vafiadis, Google Cloud Sales Executive, Netpremacy

Lara is a seasoned Google Cloud expert driving innovation for retailers. With a proven track record in transforming businesses through cloud technology, she is passionate about unlocking growth opportunities. Beyond her tech expertise, Lara’s adventurous spirit and resilience –as one of only 23 women to row across an ocean – make her a dynamic leader who thrives on challenges.

Iain Walker, Director of Industry Engagement, GS1

Iain Walker is GS1 UK’s Director of Industry Engagement, leading its work across retail, healthcare, construction and partnerships. Iain joined GS1 UK from central government where he worked in various roles across No 10 (prime minister’s delivery unit), the Cabinet Office (supply chains) and the Foreign Office (various roles including CFO and British High Commissioner to Ghana).   

Initially qualifying in law and chartered accountancy focused on banking and capital markets, Iain has built his career in both the private and public sectors and – with GS1 UK – is increasingly focused on finding ways to enable greater collaboration within and between each. 

Matthias Goehler, EMEA Chief Technology Officer, Zendesk 

As a regional CTO, Matthias engages with customers and partners as well as with Zendesk’s product and development to shape the future direction and roadmap based on the needs of EMEA customers. He is passionate about helping brands realise their goals for market-leading customer experiences. Matthias joined Zendesk from SAP where he spent more than 10 years in their customer experience practice building up an industry portfolio for customer experience. 

Jon Seddon, Head of Solution Consulting, Zebra Technologies

With 12 years of retail experience, Jon is currently the Head of Solution Consulting for Zebra Technologies, setting the strategy for the EMEA, DACH and ANZ teams. Their primary focus is to ensure alignment is consistent with market demand. They place the customer at the forefront of everything they do and consistently deliver a value-based approach. 

Megan Dunsby, Senior Commercial Content Editor, Retail Week

Megan Dunsby is Retail Week’s Senior Commercial Content Editor. A former journalist and Features Editor, she joined Retail Week in January 2019 to help brands leverage content to reach the people that matter in retail.

Megan also leads Retail Week’s flagship reports Retail 100 and The Tech List, which recognise the most influential people in the sector and the businesses they represent. She has been named by Acquisition International as an Influential Businesswoman for two years running (2024 and 2023).  

James Knowles, Head of Content Innovation, Retail Week 

James is Head of Content Innovation at Connect, Retail Week’s content marketing business. He leads the innovation strategy for the brand’s commercial content, devising new content and event products, formats and campaigns. Strategising creative solutions to meet client needs – be they brand awareness, lead generation or both – James has worked with some of the largest companies, including Google, Microsoft, Salesforce and PwC. 

Leading projects from pitch to publish as project manager, James handles annual campaigns such as the flagship report Retail 2025, for which he interviews more than 40 UK CEOs every year and chairs an associated breakfast, and Retail Week’s community Clubhouses, his most recent new product launch. He personally oversees the Digital and Marketing Clubhouses. He also chairs panels, speaks at events and delivers client presentations. 

James has spent 16 years working across business trade titles, and consumer celebrity and lifestyle magazines, including Australia’s longest-running women’s and celebrity title New Idea and fashion business publication Drapers, before joining Retail Week Connect in 2017.