2024 Guest Speakers
Jean Palmieri is the senior editor of men's fashion at Women's Wear Daily (WWD), where she plays a pivotal role in integrating men's wear coverage into the publication. As the primary editorial liaison for men's fashion, she leads daily coverage by collaborating with reporters globally to deliver breaking news and insightful analyses. With a keen eye for industry trends, Palmieri crafts compelling content for WWD.com, including videos and slideshows, and contributes thought-provoking pieces on the fashion landscape. With previous experience as executive editor of DNR and New York bureau chief of California Apparel News, Palmieri brings extensive expertise to her role. A native of New York City, she holds a BA in journalism and mass communications from New York University. Outside of work, Palmieri enjoys residing in the suburbs with her husband and American Eskimo dog, where she actively participates in triathlons.
jean palmieri
senior editor
wwd
Alison Roede is the Vice President of Store Planning and Construction, Americas at Christian Dior. She joined Dior in 2017 and over the past 20+ years has held leadership positions in store design and planning at J.Crew, Coach and Equinox Fitness.
For Dior, Alison oversees the internal Store Planning and Construction team and outsourced project management consultants in the development of all boutiques, food + beverage, and spa projects throughout the United States, Canada, LATAM and the Caribbean. She is also serves as a member of the management committee for Dior Americas.
The responsibilities of her department primarily entail creating new project proformas, project due diligence, lease and contract review, oversite of all consultants, bid process, procurement, and construction oversite through to the spectacular store openings for which the Dior brand is known.
Before being recruited in house, Alison was principal in Roede + Martin Architects which specialized in retail tenant improvement projects as well as commercial and residential design projects.
Alison was born and raised in Philadelphia and earned a B ARCH from the University of Kentucky and an M ARCH from the University of Pennsylvania. When she is not traveling to Dior locations around the Americas, she splits her time between New York City and a “mini farm” in Rhode Island where she spends weekends developing her skills as a budding flower farmer.
Alison roede
VP Store Planning & Construction, Americas
Christian dior
Steve Rouman is Senior Vice President, Real Estate at luxury home furnishings retailer RH (NYSE: RH) (formerly Restoration Hardware). In his role, Mr. Rouman leads strategy, site selection, and deal and lease negotiation for all company real estate assets, including retail, distribution, and office. Prior to RH, Mr. Rouman held senior level positions at some of the most well-known brands in the world, including Head of Real Estate – Specialty Retail Stores for Amazon; Senior Director Real Estate, Americas for Apple; Vice President, Global Real Estate & Construction for Levi Strauss & Co.; and Vice President Real Estate North America and Europe for Gap Inc. Mr. Rouman began his career on the landlord side of the business with JMB/Urban Retail Properties and the Westfield Corporation.
Mr. Rouman received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) and is an active member of ICSC, currently as a member of the Board of Trustees, and previously serving on the NY ICSC Planning Committee, as an emeritus member of the OAC Planning Committee, and as a former State Retail Chair for Northern California. Mr. Rouman resides in suburban San Francisco with his wife and four children.
Steve Rouman
SVp Real Estate
RH
Trevor Shimpfky was appointed President and CEO of Paul Stuart on July 1, 2022, previously, holding the role of Vice President Omni/DTC since joining the company in 2018. Prior to Paul Stuart, he spent over 16 years at Ermenegildo Zegna, serving as Vice President of North America playing integral roles in Zegna's US retail stores, corporate training, and product development, frequently traveling to Italy and Paris. Earlier in his career, Shimpfky spent a decade as Retail Director at Robert Talbott, focusing on luxury stores and product lines.
Shimpfky graduated cum laude from the University of Richmond in Virginia. He currently resides in Bergen County, New Jersey, with his family and four English Springer Spaniels. These beloved pets are often found at Paul Stuart's New York Flagship, delighting customers, with Paddington, in particular, becoming a fixture on Paul Stuart's Instagram.
Trevor Shimpfky
President & CEO
Paul Stuart
SPiro Tsaparas
Principal
M Development
Artist in Residence
Eric “El Cappy” Lowry is a Detroit-based artist working across the contemporary art and fashion industry, idolizing pop culture through an imaginative lens that has produced collaborations with Shinola, Stella McCartney, Nike, and Stock X. Best known for his artistry in sneaker customization, El Cappy uses the unusual canvas to produce one-of-a-kind pieces for athletic teams such as the Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Pistons, and Detroit Lions, among others. Alongside customizing shoes for the past 10 years, Eric has been creating fine art in the form of mixed media collages. Utilizing strategically cut clippings from books and magazines, he meticulously places each piece to form intricate collages of patterns and new imagery.
Eric “El Cappy” Lowry
Detroit Sneaker artist
2023 Guest Speakers
Prior to joining Google New York’s real estate and workplace services team, I managed a 20 million square foot retail and office portfolio throughout the U.S. and also managed four super regional malls and shopping centers within the San Juan, Puerto Rico region, and served as Vice President of Property Management at Raider Hill, a real estate investment and advisory firm. Another role I am proud of is serving as a senior team member at Starwood Retail Partners and a regional general manager at DDR Corp. I am a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Urban Land Institute. Additionally, I am a mentor and alumni advisor to several young Black men at Avon Old Farms (my high school alma mater), Hamilton College, ICSC, and Google’s Code Next initiative. However, last and most importantly, my greatest job in the world is serving Jack and Michaela, who know me as Uncle Josh.
joshua bruff
Real Estate &
Workplace Services
google
Susan Hennike is the Chief Brand Officer at Carhartt. In this role, she oversees and collaborates with the Product, Brand, and Strategy teams to deliver the ultimate product and brand experience for our consumers. Her team leads the development of Carhartt's long-range plans and ultimately helps the company identify new opportunities and product solutions in service to our consumers, to advance the brand and preserve our heritage.
Prior to joining Carhartt in 2022, Susan worked with Bombas, where she led the next evolution of the apparel brand’s multi-category strategy and vision as chief product officer. Prior to that, she spent 12 years at Hanesbrands, serving in many roles, including president of Champion North America. During her tenure at Champion, she led the athletic brand to double-digit growth, oversaw the development of its direct-to-consumer platform and drove all creative content and storytelling for the brand. She has worked with many other notable apparel brands throughout her career, including Victoria’s Secret, Nike, and Adidas International.
Susan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in Ohio. Susan grew up in Hudson, Ohio, and with her career moves, she has lived in Portland, Oregon, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. She currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband and their two dogs.
Photo Credit: Sarah Pierce
susan hennike
chief brand
officer
carhartt
2022 Guest Speakers
William S. Taubman is president and chief operating officer of The Taubman Company. He is responsible for development, operations and leasing. Mr. Taubman joined the company in 1986 from Oppenheimer & Co., Inc. in New York, where he was a financial analyst specializing in mergers and acquisitions. He is a graduate of Brown University where he received a bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies, Philosophy and Russian Studies. He also holds a master’s degree in Philosophy from Corpus Christi College of Cambridge University, Cambridge, England.
WILLIAM TAUBMAN
President and cHIEF OPERATING OFFICER THE TAUBMAN COMPANY
Justin Stewart is the co-founder and president of Industrious, the largest premium flexible workspace provider in the U.S. with over 140 locations across more than 55 cities. He started the company in 2013 with his childhood best friend and stands at the helm of the Industrious real estate division. Justin has been instrumental in expanding the company’s workspace offerings from traditional office buildings to more innovative mixed-use settings with partners including Macerich, Seritage Growth Properties, Equinox, The Taubman Company, Shopcore, EQ, and more. Prior to Industrious, Justin worked at the real estate investment firm Windham China and Madison Realty Capital, but his career highlight will forever be the time he worked for the writing team at the Late Show with his childhood idol, David Letterman. Justin lives with his wife and two daughters in Dumbo, Brooklyn along with their dog, confusingly named Chicken.
Justin Stewart
co-founder and President
Industrious
Sheena Butler-Young is a senior correspondent at The Business of Fashion and former deputy editor of Footwear News. During the past seven years, she has broken some of the fashion industry's biggest business stories — including Adidas' diversity and inclusion uprising and the Payless bankruptcy. She interviews top retail executives from Nike to Nordstrom, as well as designers and celebrities.
Sheena butler-young
senior correspondent
the business of fashion
Rebecca Fitts has worked in retail and real estate for over 20 years. Her experiences range from creating and running her own branded pop-up shops and unique roles at major landlords such as Brookfield and Westfield. She also worked for direct-to-consumer brand Warby Parker on their real estate team. Rebecca is currently the Director of Real Estate at Leap, a retail platform for growing brands.
REBECCA FITTS
DIRECTOR OF REAL ESTATE
LEAP
Jessie Dowd is a retail expert, design lover, and storyteller who has covered the industry for more than 15 years. Focused on identifying emerging retail trends, she is a strategic curator of content for award-winning media brands, including Retail Leader and the Path to Purchase Institute where she currently serves as Editorial Director. Prior, Dowd served as Editor-in-Chief for design:retail magazine and Retail TouchPoints.
Jessie Dowd
EDITORial director retail leader
A native of New York City and proud graduate of the Visual Merchandising and Exhibit Design Program at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Robert has over 20 years of experience working with some of the world’s leading luxury brands. He is also the proprietor of Robert Vintage Home, a vintage home goods and interior design company.
robert fuller
U.S. director, visual merchandising chanel
Continually pushing the boundaries of experiential retail, Melissa Gonzalez is an award-winning innovator and storyteller. She is the CEO of The Lionesque Group and Principal and Shareholder at MG2, pioneering the integration of physical environments and digital retail to help brands such as Ever/Body, Nordstrom, and Burrow foster consumer engagement and evolve their offering. A passionate mentor and strategist, Melissa works hand-in-hand with clients to understand their greatest aspirations. She leads creative teams and delivers authentic design solutions from concept to completion, helping clients achieve their ultimate vision. An innovator at heart, she is consistently recognized as one of the leading ‘Women In Design’ and ‘Top 10 Retail Design Influencers of the Year’. When she’s not dreaming up innovative retail spaces, Melissa can be found seeking in unexpected places (like skydiving 10,000 feet above ground).
melissa gonzalez
Founder and CEO
the lionesque group
+ principal and Shareholder
MG2
With more than 18 years of experience at Cartier, Goyard, and more recently as CEO of Bastide, Olivier is the co-founder and CCO of Exclusible, a premium, curated NFT marketplace for luxury brands providing a digital luxury experience in the Metaverse. Olivier holds a BA from GEM Business School and a Master's from Warwick University.
olivier moingeon
Co-founder and cco exclusible
Born and raised in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tal Zvi Nathanel moved to New York City in 2012, where he currently resides and serves as co-founder and CEO of SHOWFIELDS, the pioneering next-generation brick-and-mortar retail store. For nearly two decades, Tal has worked to create successful consumer products and activations through his skills in e-commerce, entrepreneurship, and strategic partnerships. A serial entrepreneur and innovator at heart, Tal has co-founded several accomplished businesses, including Bluestone Group (which Live Nation has acquired a majority stake) and MyCheck (acquired by Shiji Group). He was included in Forbes Israel’s list of the “Top Young Israeli Startups in New York.” When Tal isn’t creating new experiences for consumers to explore and shop from, he likes to spend time with his wife and slide down the SHOWFIELDS slide with his four children.
Tal Zvi Nathanel
co-founder and ceo SHOWFIELDS
Phillip Raub is Chief Executive Officer of Model No., the first custom furniture brand that operates at the intersection of technology, design, and sustainability.
Raub joined Model No. from b8ta, where he served as co-founder and president of the software-powered retailer. In this role, he pioneered the retail-as-a-service concept which leverages data analytics to provide brand partners with consumer products engagement and feedback data in real-time. He was also integral in expanding the brand to new markets domestically and internationally. Prior to b8ta, he served as Head of Global Channel Marketing for Nest at Google.
Over the years, Raub has proven to be a true innovator operating at the intersection of commerce and technology.
Phillip Raub
ceo
Model No.
Leigh Ann Tischler is an award-winning artist and designer who has been creating theatrical experiences for retailers and customers for over two decades. From leading store design projects at Macy’s, to innovating a state of the art electronic experience at Sony New York, to showcasing brands, fashion trends, and philanthropic initiatives at her current role at Bloomingdale’s as Director of Windows and Special Campaigns, Leigh Ann has redefined the art of customer engagement through the artistry of window design.
LEIGH ANN TISCHLER
DIRECTOR OF WINDOW DESIGN AND SPECIAL STORE CAMPAIGNS BLOOMINGDALE’S
Melanie Travis is the founder and CEO of Andie, the leading digitally native swimwear brand. Melanie established her career at some of New York City's most successful consumer technology companies: Foursquare, Kickstarter, and most recently Bark & Co. Melanie studied Comparative Literature at Haverford College and film directing at the California Institute of the Arts.
Melanie Travis
founder and CEO andie
Artist in Residence
Mike Han is a Detroit artist, designer, and “modern vandal”. His work is inspired by Korean calligraphy, graffiti, and modernism. Han seeks to create artwork and live life in dynamic balance by connecting people, places, and ideas, through his signature linework.
Han’s practice is burdened and bolstered by the understanding that in order to create, you must destroy. From this truth, he describes his practice as Modern Vandalism - the mindful act of destroying materials, products, and/or space in an effort to create value. Mike’s work contemplates sustainability and the truth that we are all connected while confronting his fear of failure, social anxiety, and chronic depression.
Han has been commissioned to create art for Google for Startups, LinkedIn, vitaminwater, and for clients in Seoul and Osaka. Mike is an Art Prize Equity Grant award winner, and has paintings in the permanent collection of Huntington Bank and Henry Ford Health Systems. Han’s work has been featured on BBC World News, designboom, Cool Hunting, Architectural Digest, Apartment Therapy, Detroit Free Press, and the cover of SEEN Magazine.
To learn more about Mike’s work, subscribe to his newsletter on www.thehouseofhan.com, and follow him on Instagram: @mikehan_detroit.
Mike Han
korean-Detroit artist, Designer, & modern vandal
the house of han
2019 Guest Speakers
Detroit-area native Tom Lewand joined Shinola as CEO in 2016 where he helps guide the strategic direction and business operations of the company. Lewand is active in the community, acting as Past Chairman of the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau and serving on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Zoological Society, the Downtown Detroit Partnership, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, and the Parade Company. Lewand also is on the Corporate Advisory Board for the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and the Detroit Mayor’s Workforce Development Board.
Tom Lewand
CEO
Shinola
Rachelle Hruska MacPherson is the Founder of Lingua Franca, a company founded on starting meaningful conversations. Their first collections feature a line of sustainably-sourced, fair trade luxury cashmere sweaters, all hand-stitched by women in NYC. She is also the founder and CEO of Guest of a Guest, a NYC based website that covers events, people, and places. She has been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, WWD, W and Vogue. Hruska was named 13 under 30 by the NYPost, and the Most Influential Women In Technology in 2011 by Fast Company.
Rachelle Hruska MacPherson
Founder
Lingua Franca and guest of a guest
2018 Speakers
Rosie O’Neill is a newbie entrepreneur with a major sweet tooth. In August 2012, she launched her first company, Sugarfina, a luxury candy boutique. Inspired by a third-date screening of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Rosie and Josh dreamed up a “candy boutique for grown-ups,” featuring the finest sweets from artisan candy makers around the world.
ROSIE O’NEILL
Founder
SUGARFINA
Ray Ehscheid is a recognized thought leader in retail and financial services design, with 25 years of design and merchandising leadership roles with global luxury and fashion brands such as Neiman Marcus and Reebok. His span of influence includes work across wholesale, retail, franchise, and tradeshow exhibit design.
Ray Ehscheid
Director of Client Services
INTERIOR ARCHITECTS
2017 Speakers
Gary Bailey is a former Manchester United and England soccer goalkeeper and Michelle McLean-Bailey was crowned Miss Universe in 1992. Both have performed under intense pressure and have learnt simple but effective methods to cope with and eventually thrive under pressure. The two are passionate about five great principles—of which bring huge value in terms of improving success levels.
Gary Bailey + Michelle McLean
SUCCESS UNDER PRESSURE
2016 Speaker
Nathan Forbes is the managing partner of The Forbes Company, a nationally recognized developer, owner and manager of luxury shopping destinations throughout Michigan and Florida. These landmark retail properties include the highly acclaimed Somerset Collection in Troy, MI, The Mall at Millenia in Orlando, FL, The Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, and Waterside Shops in Naples, FL.
Nathan Forbes
pRESIDENT
The Forbes Company
2015 Speaker
Josh Linkner delivers inspiring and actionable keynotes to drive meaningful outcomes worldwide. As an innovation keynote speaker, New York Times Bestselling Author, successful five-time entrepreneur, venture capitalist, national columnist and well-respected jazz musician, Josh blends deep, real-world experience with a magnetic stage presence to help people and organizations thrive.