Speakers

Chris Renwick, Co-founder and Chief Executive, Lucy & Yak 

Chris Renwick is the Co-founder and Chief Executive of Lucy & Yak, an independent ethical clothing brand from Brighton and Barnsley. Known for its joyful clothing and dedication to upholding a positive environmental and social impact, the little square logo with a circular mindset is fast becoming the future of conscious living.

The self-proclaimed funnier of the two founders, Chris is passionate about cracking endless jokes (much to the office’s misery) and is dedicated to making socks and sandals cool. In addition, he heads up Lucy & Yak’s financial and operations teams as well as spearheading the brand’s retail expansion. He is a firm believer in the power that bricks-and-mortar stores have in building communities, as well as helping to progress Lucy & Yak’s circularity programmes. 

Will Crumbie, Chief Executive, Fat Face

Will Crumbie has been Fat Face CEO since September 2021. He was previously the Chief Financial Officer and has been with the group for more than nine years, overseeing all key operational areas of the business during this time, including supply chain and IT over the last two years. Prior to Fat Face, he held senior financial and executive positions within Walgreens Boots Alliance and P&O, and he is a qualified chartered accountant. 

Marsha Smith, Country Deputy Retail Manager for UK and Ireland, Ikea

Marsha joined Ikea in 2004 where, after five years, she became Store Manager for Ikea Birmingham. Outside the UK, she has enjoyed roles in Ireland as Market Manager and in Canada as President and Retail Manager. During that time, she led the opening of two more stores as well as the development of customer fulfilment initiatives and leadership programmes.

Today, Marsha is Country Deputy Retail Manager for the UK and Ireland, where she oversees retail operations along with taking responsibility for the development of Ikea’s Ireland market. Marsha has a strong passion for women in leadership, equality and youth development in areas of economic deprivation. 

Graeme Jenkins, Chief Executive, Dobbies

Graeme is Chief Executive of Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre retailer with 76 stores nationwide. He joined the company in 2016 as Chief Financial Officer before being appointed CEO in 2018. For 150 years, the Dobbies name has stood for quality horticulture. In recent years, it has diversified its offering with innovations in its food hall, restaurant and digital operations. Graeme has led on the acquisition of 38 new stores, more than doubling the estate, as well as the launch of Little Dobbies, the retailer’s small store format.  

 As well as his role at Dobbies, Graeme is a Non-Executive Director at the Institute of Directors. He has previously held senior operational and financial positions with Target Australia, Virgin Media, FirstGroup and John Menzies. He is a chartered accountant, having qualified with Ernst & Young. 

Claudia Nappo, Chief Operating Officer, LK Bennett

Claudia Nappo has had a varied career in retail for over 25 years. Having started as a management trainee at Fenwick Bond Street, she has travelled far and wide before returning to Bond Street in her current role as COO for luxury womenswear brand LK Bennett, which opened its flagship store and offices on New Bond Street in 2022.   

From Fenwick, Claudia joined Oasis, moving from flagship store operations to overseeing international store opening programmes. She then went on to hold various senior roles at Habitat, before in 2017 moving to LK Bennett as retail director for the UK, moving into the role as COO in 2021, taking on additional responsibility for international stores and the global HR function.  

Paul Thomas, Retail Director, Monsoon Accessorize

Paul is a seasoned retail leader with more than 30 years’ experience across grocery, fashion and luxury retail, and a member of the senior leadership team at Monsoon and Accessorize. As Retail Director for both brands, he is responsible for their UK and Ireland retail businesses. He has played an integral role in leading them through the pandemic and in implementing Monsoon Accessorize’s successful turnaround strategy. 

Paul Joined Monsoon Accessorize after a three-year spell as a Retail Consultant, where he helped retailers improve their operations and efficiencies. This involved working with retailers large and small, in the UK and across the world. Prior to this, he was Retail Director at Harrods, which he originally joined as Head of Food Halls. Paul is passionate about people development, has strong operational skills and a belief in keeping things simple. 

Candice Ohandjanian, Vice-President Parcel Locker Solutions, Quadient

A transformative and highly respected professional among the UK’s top 100 retailers and carriers, Candice has a proven track record in commercial growth. Her reputation was earned through the delivery and implementation of propositions that outpace the competition and create catalysts for growth. She was previously a member of Evri’s executive board, responsible for 83% revenue and 62% volume growth alongside product and marketing functions.   

Currently, as VP of Parcel Locker Solutions at Quadient (UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy) Candice’s role focuses on delivering strategic partnerships and driving growth within Quadient’s carrier-agnostic locker network, retail and residential sectors.

David Lancefield, Director of Software Solutions Sales EMEA, Zebra Technologies

David has held numerous client sector roles at both field and head office level, enabling him to have a holistic understanding of all areas of complex multi-site retailers.

Having started his career at Home Retail Group in the UK, David has held various positions with high street retailers such as Next and Homebase in retail and commercial operations. He joined Reflexis Systems, a retail execution and performance software solutions provider in 2014 where he was the Senior EMEA Vice President until Zebra’s acquisition of Reflexis in 2020. David leads Zebra’s Software Solutions business unit EMEA sales and consulting teams, focusing on retail and service industries.

Andrea George , Director – Town Centres and Consumer Brands, Bruntwood 

Andrea is Director of Town Centres and Consumer Brands at Bruntwood. She leads a dynamic team of creative thinkers, curating places to help shape original and interesting communities and cultivating long-term relationships with customers. Future-facing, she is passionate about disrupting the high street, sustainability and regenerating places. 

With more than 22 years in the industry, Andrea provides strategic, specialist asset management and leasing experience to evolving places, town centres and consumer brands. 

Lisa Byfield-Green, Data and Insights Director, Retail Week  

Lisa Byfield-Green is Data and Insights Director at Retail Week. In this role, she heads up the Retail Week analyst team, responsible for our Strategy Hub insight and analysis, retailer rankings and forecasts, and big-picture Retail Horizon outlook. 

Lisa previously worked as a senior retail analyst, leading research at IGD, Edge by Ascential and Lebensmittel Zeitung. With more than 15 years of experience analysing the retail industry, she regularly presents at briefings, conferences and workshops. 

Megan Dunsby, Senior Commercial Content Editor, Retail Week

Megan 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 works on Be Inspired, Retail Week’s events and content programme that promotes inclusivity across the sector.

In 2018, she was named among The Drum’s 50 Under 30 Top Women in Digital and in 2016 she was recognised with the Silver Rising Star accolade at the British Media Awards.

James Knowles, Head of Content Innovation, Retail Week

James Knowles is Head of Content Innovation for the Retail Week commercial projects team.

He has spent 10 years as a journalist, working across both consumer celebrity and lifestyle magazines and business trade titles, including Retail Jeweller and Drapers, before joining Retail Week in July 2017.

Hugh Radojev, News Editor, Retail Week

Hugh is a news editor at Retail Week. He currently covers all things retail property, policy and grocery. He has also written about department stores, direct-to-consumer brands and emerging retail technologies.

He joined Retail Week in January 2019, from Fundraising Magazine where he was previously senior reporter. He also worked at the BBC with Top Gear Magazine and began his career as travel feature writer and then acting editor of TNT Magazine in Australia.

Rebecca Taylor, Commercial Content Manager, Retail Week

Rebecca Taylor is Retail Week’s Commercial Content Manager, responsible for helping to grow and deliver Retail Week’s bespoke sponsored reports and events across themes from stores and the consumer to supply chains and tech.  

With more than seven years’ experience in content-focused roles, Rebecca specialises in across-the-board brand interactions and storytelling, engaging audiences at all stages of their brand lifecycle through authentic, vibrant and quality content.