Kate Ancketill is the brains and driving force behind GDR Creative Intelligence, a globally recognised consultancy focused on innovation and emerging trends in retail, leisure and hospitality around the world. World-renowned, dynamic and commercially successful, Ancketill won the Jennifer d’Abo Memorial Scholarship for female entrepreneurs in 2007 and was selected as one of the UK’s top 100 in the Courvoisier Future 500 in 2009.

When organisations and individuals want to better their understanding of the latest technology trends and their impact on business and society, Greg Williams is among the first names they seek out for thought leadership. As the deputy global editor for WIRED magazine and a widely respected strategic forecaster, Williams has exclusive lines of communication to the innovators, thinkers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and creatives who are changing the world and draws upon his conversations with them to publish insightful and influential pieces on innovation, technology, and the ideas that are reshaping our world in real time.

Recognised as “the man who fixes businesses” Kevin Gaskell has an impressive track record in building and leading successful companies. As CEO of Porsche, Lamborghini, and BMW, Gaskell led hugely successful turnarounds that are pointed to as examples of how to successfully transform companies and position them for long-term success. His energy and leadership have helped companies to achieve world-class levels of customer service and financial performance, and he speaks with electricity about using inspired leadership to achieve incredible results.

Suhair is a technologist, design activist and thought leader in culture and innovation globally. In 2022, she founded the open-ended design Technology & Design Lab, an incubator for ideas and projects at the intersection of technology and creativity. Prior to this, Suhair spent over a decade at Google, where she worked on early-stage product development and strategy for cutting edge technology initiatives. Suhair lectures on Technology & Design in the Master of Architecture program at Central Saint Martins in London, leading future-thinking in technology, design and values-driven outcomes around sustainability, inclusion, and interdisciplinary innovation.

Steven Van Belleghem is a thought leader on the transformation of customer relations and the future of marketing. In 2012, Steven founded the inspiration company B-Conversational. He gives strategic advice to companies around the globe, helping them better understand the world of conversations, social media and digital marketing. In addition, he also helps clients set up long-term inspirational programs to change the mindset and enrich the knowledge of their teams. Steven started his professional career in 2000 as a research assistant at the Vlerick Business School, where he remains a guest marketing professor to this day. He is an expert in guiding companies through the smart usage of technology in the customer relationship, without forgetting the human side of business. In 2001, Steven became one of the first employees to join InSites Consulting, an innovative start-up in the online research industry. Over the next eleven years, he worked his way up to become one of the company’s managing partners and shareholders. During this period, the company grew from just 8 staff to 130 with branches in 5 countries. Steven is a best-selling author of business books. His latest, titled “When Digital becomes Human” (2014), describes the need to digitise the customer relationship without forgetting the human aspect. He believes that today’s world not only needs a digital transformation; the human side of business is also in need of a makeover. His two previous books, “The Conversation Manager” (2010) and “The Conversation Company” (2012), are award-winning best-sellers with more than 50,000 copies sold.

Viktor Mayer-Schönberger is the best-selling and award-winning author of Delete and Big Data; an expert on the role of data in the networked economy; and the professor of internet governance and regulation at Oxford University. He tackles what big data is, how it will change our lives, and what we can do to protect ourselves. Of his book, Forbes said, “What I’m certain about is that Big Data will be the defining text in the discussion for some time to come.”

Albert Read has launched and led businesses for Condé Nast in the UK, and across Europe and Asia, overseeing titles such as Vogue, GQ, Wired, Condé Nast Traveller and Vanity Fair. A former journalist, he has written for The Spectator, the TLS, the Times and the Telegraph.  He studied Classics at New College, Oxford and has an MBA from INSEAD.  He lives in West London with his wife and three children.

Alex is a technology expert, specialising in the practical application of the latest innovations and tech trends to solve retail’s biggest challenges, from machine learning to post-channel retail. Prior to GDR, he spent seven years at technology firm Red Ant, designing and delivering award-winning applications, innovation and strategy from boardroom to stockroom for some of the UK's largest and most forward-thinking retailers. In his spare time, he enjoys running and an ongoing quest to connect everything in his house to the internet.

David Rowan is a technology and innovation expert, former editor of Wired magazine’s UK edition, and technology columnist for The Sunday Times in the UK. He’s taken 125 flights in the past year to investigate the companies and entrepreneurs changing our world, recently spending time with the founders of WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Google, Spotify, Xiaomi, Nest, Twitter, and countless other ambitious start-ups from Tel Aviv to Shenzhen. For a book, he’s currently on a global quest for successful examples of corporate innovation in the face of technology-led disruption. His recent keynote talks have included events for banks, governments, and Fortune 100 companies, and recent stage interviews have ranged from will.i.am to James Murdoch and David Cameron.

Jeremy is the Senior Innovation Editor of Wired, the influential technology and trends magazine that covers innovation and the businesses that are building the future. He is in charge of analysing and identifying emerging trends and technological shifts that will impact consumers and businesses alike. He is an expert on a broad range of technology trends including artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IOT), quantum computing, FinTech, retail disruption, health tech, autonomous cars and transport, cyber security, 3D printing and maker culture, industrial design, and more.

Sophie Hackford is a futurist, business builder, and speaker, synthesizing explosive and interconnected technology and science breakthroughs from around the world. From satellite swarms to AI demonstrating intuition, we are becoming entangled with machines and will be surprised by the consequences.

Lars Hamberg is a founder of several game-changer businesses and is CEO and co-founder of Gavagai, a Swedish company with world-leading research in Artificial Intelligence. Lars is a frequent speaker on New Thinking and Innovation in Financial Services in various forums and has over 20 years’ experience having held senior positions within UBS and ABN AMRO, including head of research. His academic record includes language studies, a LLM degree from Stockholm University and PhD studies at LTU. Lars has written a book on counter-party risk in OTC-derivatives trading, he has been arbiter at the SCC Arbitration Institute and after the Icelandic crisis he was responsible for restructuring Glitnir AB, as CEO. Lars expertise includes New Thinking, Artificial Intelligence and Innovation in Financial Services Industry and in Banking: Digital Transformation, Predictive Analytics, Big Data, Distribution Models, New Technology, FinTech and Executive AI Strategies.