59th International Retail Summit

Rolando Benedick

Chairman of the Boards of Directors of Manor AG and Valora. Rolando Benedick learned his metier from scratch and is now one of the most profound authorities on retailing in general and the department store business in particular.

Ernst Dieter Berninghaus

Member of the Executive Board of the Federation of Migros Cooperatives (MGB) and head of the Trade Department. Ernst Dieter Berninghaus was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Denner until 2008 and had previously been a member of the Executive Board and CEO of Rewe Group, where he headed up the International and Cash & Carry business units.

David Bosshart

CEO of the GDI Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute, one of Europe’s leading think tanks for business and society. The focuses of David Bosshart’s work are trade, consumption, management and social change.

Arndt Brockmann

Since 2007, Managing Director of Zara Germany und Massimo Dutti Germany, companies belonging to Spain's Inditex Group. Now 34 years old, Arndt Brockmann previously held positions at Hugo Boss and Strenesse and most recently at Puma.

Heliane Canepa

CEO of the globally active Nobel Biocare Group between 2001 and 2007. Heliane Canepa received the 2006 "SwissAward" in the business category and has twice been selected as Switzerland's "Businesswoman of the Year". The "Financial Times" rated Heliane Canepa Europe's sixth most successful businesswoman in 2005 .

Erwin Conradi

Former Supervisory Board Chairman of the Metro Group, which he headed up until 2000, playing a key role in its development. Erwin Conradi is one of retailing's key executive players at the international level. The Technical University of Braunschweig awarded him an honorary doctorate in business studies in 1999.

Dagmar Deckstein

Editor at the "Süddeutsche Zeitung", currently business correspondent in Stuttgart. Dagmar Deckstein's management column was a widely read highlight of the international business press for many years. Author of the books "Arbeit neu denken" and "Klasse! Die wundersame Welt der Manager".

Matthias Gehle

Managing director at Valora Retail Germany since 2002, with responsibility for category management, publishers, suppliers, marketing and services. A graduate in business management, Matthias Gehle had previously been employed at a number of manufacturing companies as a finance expert.

Thomas Greiner

CEO of the Dussmann Group. Until 2007, member of the Executive Board, with responsibility for marketing and PR. Thomas Greiner had previously been head of corporate communication.

Bertrand Jungo

CEO of Manor since 2006. After graduating, Bertrand Jungo worked his way up from assistant to director, latterly holding the position of Deputy General Manager and COO before becoming CEO.

Ralph Krueger

German-Canadian by birth, Ralph Krueger has been coach of the Swiss ice-hockey team since 1997 and managing director of Teamlife GmbH. Previously ice-hockey coach in Austria and a member of the German national ice-hockey team. The focus of his talk is team life.

Jules Kyburz

President of the Federation of Migros Cooperatives (MGB) until 2000 and Board member of the Gottlieb and Adele Duttweiler Foundation to the present day. Starting as a stockkeeper, Jules Kyburz worked his way up to the top in a 50-years career at Migros.

Richard Marcus

Former CEO and Chairman of Neiman Marcus, the foremost national high fashion speciality store in the United States. Richard Marcus worked from his teenage years until 1988 in the company founded by his grandfather. He is a graduate of Harvard College.

Jürgen Schröcker

Executive Board member responsible for marketing, market research and HR at the Hornbach Group, one of Europe's largest operators of DIY megastores and garden centres. The 40-year-old had previously been head of marketing at the Möbel Walther Group.

Lorraine Tovey

Account director at 20/20, a leading international branding agency. Special areas: interior design and project management. Tovey played a key role in creating new brands for Valora Switzerland and Germany.

Jack Trout

Owner and President of Trout & Partners. Jack Trout is recognized as one of the most famous names in the world of marketing. He is the author of marketing bestsellers as "Differentiate or Die" or "The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing". Trout & Partners has done work for a large series of Fortune 500 companies.

Paco Underhill

Founder and CEO of Envirosell, management consultants for market research and consumer-friendly shop and product design. Author of best-selling books "Why we Buy" and "Call of the Mall".

Stuart Rose

Executive Chairman of Marks & Spencer since 2008. Sir Stuart Rose began his career in retail at Marks & Spencer in 1972 before going on to the Burton Group in 1989. He rejoined Marks & Spencer as Chief Executive in 2004. Stuart Rose was knighted in the New Year Honours List this year, for his services to the retail industry and corporate social responsibility.