Speakers

Umberto Angeloni, founder and chief executive of UMAN and chairman of Caruso is a pioneer, visionary and innovator in the world of luxury menswear.

Claire Arksey is Retail Director at Reiss overseeing the operational success of the business in both the UK and Europe. She has been part of the Reiss team for 5 years, with previous experience including Topshop and GAP.

Maurice Bennett is a renowned retail industry entrepreneur, for which he received a CBE in the New Year’s Honours List (December 2007).

Courtney Blackman is a London-based entrepreneur working across various
roles in the fashion industry. She was listed in the first round of the prestigious Future 500 list in The Observer as a rising business star to watch out for and has been featured in numerous publications including the Mayfair Times, the Business of Fashion, LuxuryFinance, Drapers, and VOGUE.COM UK, and was hailed a style icon in 2010 by ACCESS-FASHION. She was listed on the 2010 Online Fashion 100 and frequently speaks at industry events and she is a regular fashion commentator for NBC’s Today Show (New York).

• Born in California, Carrie has lived and worked in Europe for 12 years and now lives in London with her husband and three daughters

• Carrie has over 20 years of brand management, marketing  and CSR experience spanning Retail,  FMCG and e-commerce

Simon Burstein is a veteran of luxury retail having spent 20 years building the profile of Sonia Rykiel in Paris.

Ed Burstell was appointed Buying and Merchandising Director and Head of Visual Merchandising and Store Identity of Liberty in November 2008. Since his arrival he has revitalised the Flagship Store by executing a new layout and has secured a large number of international fashion brands across all categories. 

Luca Carpinelli, head of retail for the Novo Retail Group, Shanghai, is responsible for identifying and acquiring new brands for the Novo Group.