We look forward to welcoming you to the BoF VOICES 2024 global livestream from November 12 to November 14.
The ninth edition of our annual gathering for big thinkers takes place at a pivotal moment for fashion and the wider world: Donald Trump’s return to The White House will have serious implications for the global economy and geopolitics; the fashion industry continues to grapple with sluggish growth, and shifting customer sentiment; and rapid developments in artificial intelligence and the looming climate crisis continue to weigh heavily on the industry.
We will explore all of these topics — and more — with top business and creative leaders from fashion and luxury, as well as with leading thinkers, experts and entrepreneurs from the worlds of technology, economics, media, science, music, philanthropy and contemporary art and culture.
Across five insight-packed content sessions, running over three days, we plan to cover a lot of ground. You can view the full final agenda and speaker lineup below.
SESSION 1: THE WIDER WORLD
Tuesday, November 12
15:00 – 17:00 London | 10:00 – 12:00 New York
From politics to social issues and humanitarian crises, every fashion, luxury and beauty business is impacted by the wider world. Here we take a step back to understand the bigger picture.
WE ARE IN A NEW ERA!
Sven Smit
WHAT THE RETURN OF DONALD TRUMP MEANS FOR THE WORLD
Ravi Agrawal
CLIMATE CHANGE IS A CULTURAL CRISIS
Clover Hogan
SACRED GROUND: ONE WOMAN’S MISSION TO PROTECT THE AMAZON
Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson with Bandana Tewari
THE DAWN OF THE AFRICAN CENTURY
Fred Swaniker
SEEKING EMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING IN WAR AND SPEECH
Jameel Jaffer and Daniel Levy
WHERE WILL WE FIND OUR NEW HEROES?
Tina Brown with Imran Amed
SESSION 2: THE FASHION SYSTEM
Wednesday, November 13
10:30 – 12:30 London | 05:30 – 07:30 New York
The fashion, luxury and beauty industries are transforming before our eyes. Here we encounter the people who are challenging the status quo and imagining the exciting opportunities that the future could bring.
THE STATE OF FASHION 2025
Gemma D’Auria and Imran Amed
FROM SLUMDOG TO MILLIONAIRE: DEMYSTIFYING INDIA’S GROWTH
Ravi Thakran
THE GREAT LUXURY E-COMMERCE RECKONING
Lauren Santo Domingo and Michael Kliger with Imran Amed
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IT’S TOO HOT TO MAKE FASHION?
Beto Bina, Abiramy Sivalogananthan and Laurie Parsons with Sarah Kent
WHY H&M IS DOUBLING DOWN ON CREATIVITY
Daniel Ervér with Imran Amed
HOW INDEPENDENT BRANDS CAN THRIVE IN A FASHION WORLD RULED BY GIANTS
Bohan Qiu, Brandon Wen and Roksanda Ilincic with Olya Kuryshchuk
JACQUEMUS: A COMING OF AGE STORY
Simon Porte Jacquemus with Imran Amed
SESSION 3: TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
Wednesday, November 13
15:00 – 17:00 London | 10:00 – 12:00 New York
From supply chain innovation to AI transformation and alternative wellness therapies, we meet a daring group of scientists, technologists and entrepreneurs who are using technology as a force for good.
THE SCIENCE OF LIKENESS: CREATING REALITY WITH AI
Tom Graham and Jefferson Hack
AN AI SOLUTION FOR FASHION’S BIG DISCOVERY PROBLEM
Julie Bornstein
WASTE IS THE BIGGEST OPPORTUNITY FASHION HAS EVER SEEN
Lawrence Lenihan
FROM DISPOSABILITY TO LONGEVITY: UNDERSTANDING THE VALUE OF REPAIR
Josephine Philips
HOW INNOVATION CAN BOLSTER AN INDEPENDENT FASHION BUSINESS
Stephanie Horton, Gilda Ambrosio and Giorgia Tordini with Nick Blunden
SONIC APOTHECARY: MUSIC AS MEDICINE
Rosey Chan
SESSION 4: GLOBAL CULTURE AND CREATIVITY
Thursday, November 14
10:30 – 12:30 London | 05:30 – 07:30 New York
We are living in an era of global culture and creativity, fueled by the rise of technology platforms that connect us all to film, television, music and art across the planet. Here we meet some of the industries’ inspiring creative leaders.
HOME IS THE OTHER WE CARRY INSIDE US
Es Devlin and Ekow Eshun
COLOUR SCHEMES: A PAINTER BETWEEN WORLDS
Salman Toor
CREATING CULTURAL RELEVANCE IN THE ALGORITHMIC AGE
David Allemann and Jens Grede with Imran Amed
THE FUTURE OF COMMERCE- ENABLED CULTURE
Ruth Diaz with Robin Mellery-Pratt
DESIGN IS THE NEW LUXURY
Jesse Lee and Benjamin Paulin
THE NEW VALENTINO: THE EMOTIONAL CONNECTION BETWEEN CREATIVITY AND BUSINESS
Alessandro Michele and Jacopo Venturini with Tim Blanks
SESSION 5: LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE
Thursday, November 14
15:00 – 17:00 London | 10:00 – 12:00 New York
Let’s put things into perspective. Listen to passionate individuals with inspiring stories and discover how to live a life with purpose and authenticity.
THE ART OF TRANSFORMATION
Nicky Doll
A NEW LENS ON PURPOSE
Giles Duley
MODEL, MOTHER, AGENT, ADVOCATE: THE MANY LIVES OF BETHANN HARDISON
Bethann Hardison and Bianca Saunders
QUEER LOVE AND DESI VIBES: NOTES FROM ADVOCACY IN THE FIELD
Utkarsh Saxena
LIVING AUTHENTICALLY IN VIRAL MOMENTS
Lucky Blue Smith and Nara Aziza Smith with Imran Amed
EMBODYING YOUR HIGHER SELF
Mory Fontanez
BoF VOICES 2024 will be livestreamed for BoF Professional, Executive and Student+ members. Register now to join us for the whole event or the sessions of your choice.
A very limited number of invitation-only tickets also remain to join us in person at Soho Farmhouse. To request an invitation, please click here.
BoF VOICES 2024 is made possible in part by our partners Shop with Google, Amazon Fashion, McKinsey & Company, Certilogo, Getty Images, Soho House, Blacklane, Invisible Collection and Penfolds. If you are interested in learning about partnership opportunities for 2025, please contact us here.
Es Devlin is a British contemporary artist and stage designer. Devlin’s oeuvre ranges from public sculptures and installations at Tate Modern, V&A, Serpentine, Imperial War Museum and the Lincoln Centre, to kinetic stage designs at the Royal Opera House, the National Theatre and the Metropolitan Opera, as well as Olympic Ceremonies, Super-Bowl half-time shows, and monumental illuminated stage sculptures for large scale stadium concerts. She has been the subject of a major new monographic book, An Atlas of Es Devlin, described by Thames & Hudson as their most intricate and sculptural publication to date, and a retrospective exhibition currently showing at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York. In 2020 she became the first female architect of the UK Pavilion at a World Expo, conceiving a building which used AI to co-author poetry with visitors on its 20 metre diameter facade. Her practice was the subject of the 2015 Netflix documentary series “Abstract: The Art Of Design.” She is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, University of the Arts London and the Royal Society of Arts. She has been awarded The London Design Medal, three Olivier Awards, a Tony Award, an Ivor Novello Award, doctorates from the Universities of Bristol and Kent and a CBE.
Jefferson Hack is a curator and the co-founder of Dazed Media, the parent company of titles such as AnOther Magazine, Another Man, Dazed and Dazed Beauty featuring print magazines, social and digital platforms and a global events division. Hack has curated exhibitions including ‘An Invitation to Dream’, a major public exhibition presented by Moncler in 2024. During Frieze 2019 Hack curated ‘Transformer: A Rebirth of Wonder’ at 180 Strand. In 2016 Hack and Ferdinando Verderi released Hack the System, a Rizzoli book to present a radical vision of the future of publishing.
Tom Graham is CEO of Metaphysic, a company developing generative AI technologies and machine learning research to create immersive photorealistic content at internet scale. Metaphysic Studios is aiming to be the gold-standard for creating production-quality content for Hollywood films, AI music concerts, advertising and beyond. Graham and Metaphysic have been exploring the arena of ethical AI, helping individuals and brands collect, own and monetise their likeness, voice. Graham is originally from Australia and is now based in London.
Bianca Saunders is the founder and creative director of her namesake menswear label which launched in 2017. The brand is known for its silhouettes and craftsmanship, often exploring the concept of body mapping around the male form through bespoke prints. The designs are deeply rooted in Saunders’ personal British Caribbean identity and the social tapestry of Anglo-Caribbean relations. The Bianca Saunders brand has shown at London Fashion Week. The brand produces two collections a year and engages in collaborations that run alongside the main collection. Saunders has won a number of prestigious awards including the BFC/GQ Designer Fashion Fund in 2024, the New Establishment Menswear award in 2023 and the 32nd ANDAM Grand Prix Fashion Award in 2021.
Giles Duley is the CEO of Legacy of War Foundation, a charity assisting people impacted by conflict and war. Duley got his start as a music photographer, capturing stars such as Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz. In 2004, he shifted focus to documentary photography, working with charities such as Save the Children and UNHCR. Duley documents conflict zones, showcasing the resilience of those affected by adversity. His work spans countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, and Ukraine. In 2011, Duley was severely injured by an IED in Afghanistan, resulting in triple amputation, but he returned to continue his work. In 2015, he launched the Legacy of War project, collaborating with artists like Massive Attack and PJ Harvey. He has presented for Channel 4 and VICE TV, and in 2022 was appointed the UN’s Global Advocate for Persons with Disabilities in Conflict. In 2023, he was awarded an MBE and joined Angelina Jolie’s Atelier Jolie as a corporate impact advisor.
Ekow Eshun is a writer, curator and the chairman of the Fourth Plinth, overseeing Britain’s foremost public art programme. Previously, Eshun was the director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London. He has staged exhibitions internationally, including The Time is Always Now, currently on show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Eshun was awarded the Association for Art History’s Curatorial Prize in 2023. Eshun was the first Black editor of a major magazine in the UK when he led Arena magazine. He is a regular contributor to publications including Vogue, The New York Times, Financial Times and The Guardian. He has created documentaries for BBC TV and radio and is the author of books including Black Gold of the Sun, which was shortlisted for the Orwell prize, and The Strangers: Five Extraordinary Black Men and the Worlds That Made Them.
Tina Brown is a writer and the former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and Tatler. She was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by the Queen for her services to journalism in 2000, and inducted into the Magazine Editors’ Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2008, Brown launched and edited the digital news site The Daily Beast, which won the news website of the year award in 2012 and 2013. For a decade she organised and hosted Women in the World, with summits in New York, London and Delhi, and smaller salons throughout North America. In 2017 The Vanity Fair Diaries, her account of her editorship of Vanity Fair, was chosen as one of the best books of the year by a number of publications, In October 2024, Brown Launched a weekly Substack newsletter, “Fresh Hell: Tina Brown’s Diary.”
Fred Swaniker is the founder and chief executive of Sand Technologies, a global technology company that builds artificial intelligence-powered applications for companies and governments. Swaniker began his career at McKinsey & Company in Johannesburg, South Africa as a business analyst. After his tenure at McKinsey, Swanker co-founded Synexa Life Science, a bioanalytical services provider and research firm. In 2004, he founded African Leadership Group, an umbrella organisation that houses ventures and educational institutions including the African Leadership Academy in South Africa, designed to groom the next generation of African entrepreneurs. Swaniker holds degrees from Stanford University and Macalester College.
Julie Bornstein is the founder and chief executive of Daydream, an AI powered fashion search engine. Prior to Daydream, she founded THE YES, a venture-backed fashion recommendation app, which was acquired by Pinterest. Bornstein has also served as the chief operating officer and board member of Stitch Fix, Inc., a personal style service and online retailer from. She also held the role of chief marketing and digital officer of Sephora US where she led the creation of its loyalty programme, Beauty Insider. Bornstein helped launch Nordstrom.com in 1999, where she ran e-commerce for 5 years. She serves on the board of directors of Redfin, Weight Watchers and Sweetgreen and holds a degree from Harvard University.
Ruth Diaz is the Spain country manager and vice president of Amazon Fashion Europe. She joined the business in 2011 and has held several marketing and retail leadership positions at Amazon Italy as well as leading the Home Innovation Program for Europe. In her current role as vice president of Amazon Fashion Europe, a position she took in October 2020, Diaz leads all aspects of the business, including the responsibility for growing Amazon Fashion selection and improving customer experience across Europe. Prior to joining Amazon, Diaz earned a degree in Business Administration at the Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain. Subsequently she gained considerable experience and expertise in business, fashion, entertainment and e-commerce working at Universal Pictures and PricewaterhouseCoopers in Spain. She became the chief executive at the online entertainment company Entradas.com and was at the helm of BuyVip, the online fashion company that Amazon acquired in 2010.
Mory Fontanez is the founder of Eight22 Group, a consultancy that helps organisations and public personalities elevate their consciousness. After a notable career as a crisis manager for Fortune 500 companies, Fontanez realised many leaders fail because they are disconnected from their intuition and purpose. As an intuitive leadership coach, Fontanez guides C-suite leaders, performers and other public personalities, to reconnect with their inner wisdom to successfully navigate change, challenges and growth. Her first book, “The All-Knowing You,” will be published by HarperCollins in February 2025.
Daniel Ervér is the chief executive of the H&M Group. He joined H&M in 2006 as a business controller at the design and buying office in Stockholm. His extensive knowledge of the H&M brand was built through experiences in key markets like Germany and the USA, as well as leading H&M’s home market in Sweden. Within the H&M head office, Daniel assumed several roles such as head of global sales and global buying director. In 2020, he took on the leadership role of chief executive of the H&M brand, and since January 2024, he holds the position as the chief executive for the entire H&M Group.
Laurie Parsons is reader in human geography at Royal Holloway, University of London. His work explores the nexus of climate change and the global economy, focusing on how everyday objects like garments, bricks and other goods connect environmental impacts around the world. He is the author of three books: Going Nowhere Fast (2020), Climate Change in the Global Workplace (2021), and Carbon Colonialism (2023), as well as numerous papers and reports highlighting how the global factory hides and exacerbates the impact of climate change, especially in the global South. His awards for this work include the 2020 Times Higher Education award for Research Project of the Year, and the 2024 Association of American Publishers award for book of the year in Economics.
Abiramy Sivalogananthan is the South Asia regional coordinator for the Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA), where she leads efforts to advance labour and gender rights across the region. As a PhD candidate in Transitional Justice, her academic pursuits complement her extensive fieldwork, which has transitioned from political movements to a deep focus on labour rights in South Asia. With several years of experience addressing systemic injustices in the garment industry, Sivalogananthan is committed to effecting transformative change in global supply chains, ensuring equity and justice for garment workers.
Beto Bina is the founder and chief executive of FarFarm, a consultancy specialising in responsible supply chains. Bina previously led the sourcing team at VEJA, focusing on rubber in the Amazon and agroecological cotton. He is a member of the advisory board of Fibershed Brazil, and a counsellor at Papel & Caneta. He holds a degree in Business Administration and a master’s in social impact and sustainability from IE New York College.
Bandana Tewari is a culture journalist and sustainability advocate and formerly, the editor-at-large of Vogue India for 13 years. She sat front row to a rapidly evolving industry and reported extensively on the global fashion industry. With her unrestrained and fiercely independent voice, understanding of socio-political dynamics of fashion and trademark forward thinking, she is considered one of India’s foremost authorities on fashion. Tewari’s pieces have appeared in publications such as The New York Times, US Vogue, British Vogue, ATMOS and several leading Indian journals — Mint Lounge, Platform and Take. In December 2017, she, along with documentary film-maker Andrew Morgan of The True Cost and Vanessa Friedman, spoke at the United Nations on the new handworker economy. She sits on the advisory boards of Nest and Redress Hong Kong and is special advisor to Copenhagen Fashion Summit.
Rosey Chan is a London-based multimedia artist and composer whose visionary work merges music, technology, and wellness. As a classically trained musician and entrepreneur, she founded Sonic Apothecary, a well-tech company that integrates sound and science to enhance well-being. Sonic Apothecary collaborates with leading experts to create soundscapes that promote mental and emotional wellness. At its core, it is a collective of innovators exploring how sound can transform environments and uplift well-being, delivering solutions across business, hospitality, and healthcare.
Olya Kuryshchuk is the founder and editor-in-chief of 1 Granary, a leading global fashion education platform and creative network. With a focus on fashion design, 1 Granary uses its print, digital content, events, recruitment, and brand development program to drive positive change in the fashion industry and provide practical resources for the next generation of creative minds. Through the unique designer network built through 1 Granary, Kuryshchuk is a leading expert in talent acquisition and development, scouting design talent and building holistic brand strategies that encompass design, production, communication, and marketing. She is also an associate lecturer at Central Saint Martins and a regular jury member at international design competitions.
Cleo Valentine is a systems designer and doctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge, whose work sits at the intersection of environment, neurophysiology, and human well-being. Her research focuses on neuroimmunology, exploring how spaces and sensory stimuli interact with the body’s nervous and immune systems. Valentine also leads Sonic Apothecary’s research and development team, overseeing clinical testing and validation of sound-based wellness interventions. Valentine is currently affiliated with the Spatial Cognition Lab at University College London and MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning. She is an alumna of the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, McGill University, and the University of Copenhagen.
Ravi Agrawal is the editor in chief of Foreign Policy. He is also the host of FP Live, the magazine’s video channel and podcast, on which he regularly interviews world leaders and policymakers. Before joining FP in2018, Agrawal worked at CNN for more than a decade in full-time roles spanning three continents, including as the network’s New Delhi bureau chief and correspondent. He has shared a Peabody Award and three Emmy nominations for his work as a TV producer, and his writing for FP was part of a series nominated for a 2020 National Magazine Award for columns and commentary. Agrawal is the author ofIndia Connected: How the Smartphone Is Transforming the World’s Largest Democracy. He is a graduate of Harvard University.
David Allemann is the co-founder and co-chairman of Swiss sportswear company On, which he founded alongside Caspar Coppetti and Olivier Bernhard. Allemann leads On’s product, marketing and direct-to-consumer teams. Previously, he served as chief marketing officer for furniture brand Vitra, and advised global clients in sports and media at McKinsey, where he also supported entrepreneurs through the McKinsey startup accelerator programme. Allemann holds a master’s degree in law from the University of Zurich.
Gilda Ambrosio and Giorgia Tordini are the founders of The Attico, a ready-wear label based in Milan. Since its launch in 2016, The Attico has been well received by style icons, top editors, and celebrities, resulting in numerous public appearances, red carpets, and special projects. In 2018, Archive acquired 49 percent of the brand to support its creative and business growth. In September 2023, The Attico hosted its first fashion show during Milan Fashion Week .The brand is currently distributed in over 200 retailers, boutiques, and concept stores worldwide.
Mitch Anderson is co-founder and executive director of Amazon Frontlines, a non-profit organisation based in the Upper Amazon, which defends Indigenous peoples’ rights to land and cultural survival. In 2011, he moved to Ecuador’s northern Amazon to start a grassroots clean water project with Indigenous communities living downriver from contaminating oil operations. Through building more than 1,000 clean water systems in over 70 villages, Anderson supported the formation of the Ceibo Alliance, an Indigenous-led non-profit that won the prestigious UN Equator Prize.
Gemma D’Auria is a senior partner at McKinsey & Company and the global leader of its apparel, fashion and luxury sector. Based in Milan with over two decades of consulting experience across the US, Middle East and Europe, D’Auria partners with company executives to create lasting change through holistic growth strategies, digital transformations, and capability building at scale. She regularly publishes insights relevant to the fashion, retail, and luxury sectors including McKinsey and BoF’s annual State of Fashion report, which she leads and co-authors.
Karl Sanchez is a French-born New-York based makeup artist, performer and Drag Queen under the name Nicky Doll. Sanchez hosted the French version of the acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race. Sanchez is also a commentator of the EuroVision Song contest and participated in the Olympic Torch Relay in Marseille. He co-wrote and co-created a four episode documentary “Les Voyages de Nicky” which explores the art and history of drag.
Lauren Santo Domingo is the co-founder and chief brand officer of luxury e-commerce platform Moda Operandi. Moda Operandi launched in 2010 with a runway pre-order model and a focus on emerging designers and brands. In 2023, Santo Domingo was named artistic director of Tiffany’s home collection. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for Moda Operandi and Save Venice Inc., a non- profit dedicated to the conservation of the arts in Venice, Italy. She previously served as an editor at American ce.
Jens Grede is the co-founder and chief executive of viral lingerie and loungewear brand SKIMS, currently valued at $4 billion. The brand’s innovative approach to the intimates and lounge category has amassed millions of customers since its launch in 2019. He is also the co-founder and Chairman of FRAME and a prolific investor in retail and media through his holding company Popular Culture. Prior to partnering with his wife Emma Grede and Kim Kardashian to launch the business in 2018, Grede founded Los Angeles-based FRAME with Erik Torstensson in 2012. Before that, the duo spent years working in fashion and media, serving as editors-in-chief of magazine Man About Town and launching Industrie magazine, before co-founding the marketing agency Saturday Group in 2003.
Bethann Hardison is a model, documentary filmmaker and activist. Hardison became one of the first high-profile Black models when she walked in the historic 1973 Battle of Versailles fashion show. She is also the founder of her namesake modelling agency, which has guided the careers of young models with a focus on diversifying the fashion industry. In 1988, alongside model Iman, she founded Black Girls Coalition to advocate for equal pay for Black and minority ethnic models and has garnered accolades including the CFDA’s Founder Award for her advocacy. In 2018 Hardison founded The Designers Hub to guide and empower Black designers; the following year she became an inaugural member of Gucci’s Changemakers Council. Hardison made her directorial debut in 2023 with “Invisible Beauty,” a documentary that chronicles her career and has won awards including the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary Film. She serves on the CFDA’s Board of Directors and as Gucci’s Executive Advisor for Global Equity and Cultural Engagement.
Clover Hogan is a climate activist and the founder of Force of Nature, a non-profit organisation advocating for greater urgency around the climate crisis.Hogan is also a public speaker; her TED Talk, “What to do when climate change feels unstoppable,” has been viewed 2 million times. At 22 she was recognised on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for her work with Force ofNature. Hogan leads a 12-person team researching climate anxiety, which has delivered programmes to young people in 50+ countries to help them take action in their locales. Her organisation works with businesses, policy-makers and educators to place young people at the heart of decisions affecting their future.
Stephanie Horton is the senior director of global consumer marketing and strategy for commerce at Google where she leads the global B2C marketing teams helping to shape and drive the vision and strategy for Google Shopping and Payments. Prior to Google, Horton held positions as chief executive at Hemp Tailor, chief executive at Alexander Wang, chief marketing officer at Farfetch and senior level positions at Shopbop, US Vogue and The New York Times. Horton currently serves on The Advisory Boards of NYU Stern Fashion/Luxury MBA, The Black in Fashion Council and McMullen Boutique. She serves as a senior advisor for private equity firm Three Hills Capital Partners and has a board seat on one of their core investments FaceGym. Horton is also the co-founder of Fashion Tech Connects, which connects female college students of colour with fashion and tech internships.
Simon Porte Jacquemus is a French designer and the founder of Jacquemus, a ready-to-wear and accessories label. Jacquemus’ collections are inspired by fine art, photography, sculpture, French culture and the designer’s own life. Throughout the trajectory of the label the brand has challenged marketing norms in fashion, staging runway productions in unexpected locations including a Parisian swimming pool, a lavender field in Provence or a wheat field outside of Paris. Jacquemus’ career milestones include self-publishing the coffee table photography books “Marseille Je T’aime”(2017), “Images” (2020), and “Le Chouchou” (2023), shot by Martin Parr.
Jeremy Jauncey is the founder and chief executive of Beautiful Destinations, a strategy and creative agency servicing travel companies including hotels and airlines. In 2017, Beautiful Destinations was named as one of the most innovative companies in travel by Fast Company. Jauncey is also an ambassador for World Wildlife Fund, Panerai and Technogym.
Michael Kliger is the chief executive officer of Mytheresa, a position he has held since 2015. In this role, Kliger has assembled a leadership team dedicated to driving growth for the Munich-based luxury e-tailer. Under his leadership, Mytheresa completed its listing on the New York Stock Exchange. Kliger also sits on the company’s management board. Prior to joining Mytheresa, Kliger was the international vice president for eBay Enterprise. He has also held managing director roles and executive positions at Accenture, First Capital Partners and Real Holding, as well as serving as the former principal of McKinsey & Company, where he headed the consultancy’s German retail practice.
Jesse Lee is the founder and chief executive of Basic Space, an online marketplace specialising in men’s and women’s apparel. Lee is also chairman of Design Miami, a design company that holds four annual collectible design fairs in Miami, Florida as well as Los Angeles, California, Basel, Switzerland, and Paris, France. In 2023, Basic Space acquired Design Miami. Prior to launching Basic. Space, Lee had founded and operated dFm, a creative agency with clients in technology, media, retail and fashion.
Lawrence Lenihan is the chairman and co-founder of Resonance, a company that aims to enable any brand to make one garment on-demand, at scale, sustainably and profitably. Over the course of his 30-year career, Lenihan has started 10 technology companies and brands, and invested in dozens of transformational companies. He has also taught fashion innovation and entrepreneurship for more than a decade as an adjunct professor at NYU. Prior to Resonance, Lenihan was the founder and chief executive of FirstMark Capital, where he was an early investor in Shopify, Pinterest, Digital Currency Group, and Tommy John.
Alessandro Michele is the creative director of Maison Valentino, a role he has held since his appointment in May 2024. Michele began his career at knitwear label Les Copain and has worked under the creative leadership of Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini at Fendi. At Fendi, Michele was responsible for the growth of the accessories collection. In 2002, he was tapped by Tom Ford to design for Gucci. Over two decades at Gucci, Michele held a number of positions including creative director of the brand, which he assumed in 2015. In that role, Michele shaped Gucci’s creative vision and built on its brand identity.
Nemonte Nenquimo is a Waorani leader and the co-founder of both the Indigenous-led non-profit Ceibo Alliance and its partner organisation, Amazon Frontlines. Nenquimo led her people in an historic legal victory against the oil industry, protecting half a million acres of rainforest and setting a precedent for Indigenous rights across the region. Her leadership has been widely recognised; in 2020, she won the Goldman Environmental Prize for Central and South America and was named in the BBC’s 100 Women list and the TIME list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.
Benjamin Paulin is the co-founder of Paulin, Paulin, Paulin, a family business that distributes, promotes and preserves the works of French designer Pierre Paulin (1927-2009). The company produces and sells rare pieces of the designer’s work, many of which were not commercially available at the time of design.
Josephine Philips is the founder and chief executive of Sojo, the UK based B-Corp certified repairs and alterations platform. Philips founded the fashion tech start-up in January 2021 with the mission of helping to make the fashion industry more circular by modernising the clothing repair sector. Sojo delivers door-to-door repair and alterations service to customers via their London-based tailoring studio. It offers an integrated and scalable solution for e-commerce retailers and fashion brands to help reduce returns and increase circularity within their businesses. Sojo launched its first B2B partnership with Ganni in 2021 and today counts 25 brands and retailers including Marks andSpencer, Vestiaire Collective and Peachy Den as clients.
Bohan Qiu is the founder and director of BOH Project, a communications and creative production agency located inShanghai, China and Seoul, South Korea. The agency hopes to bridge the creativity gap between Eastern and Western cultures. BOH Project has a client roster of global brands including Amiri, Balenciaga, Calvin Klein and Gucci. It also partners with emerging designers in China such as Louis Shengtao Chen, Mark Gong, and Rui, among others. The agency recently expanded into South Korea with the the goal tapping into the influence of Korean fashion and foster meaningful connections between the Chinese and Korean markets.
Utkarsh Saxena is the co-founder and chief executive of Adalat AI, an AI platform aimed at transforming justice systems in India and the Global South. Saxena has a decade of legal experience, including clerking for a justice of the Indian Supreme Court. He played a pivotal role in the fight for marriage equality in India, petitioning the Supreme Court and participating in the historic oral arguments that sought to legalise same-sex marriage. Beyond litigation, Saxena worked with the Ministry of Law and Justice and the Ministry of Finance to identify systemic challenges within India’s judicial system, such as court delays. His dedication to justice reform inspired him to pivot towards technological innovations, culminating in the founding of Adalat AI. Saxena holds dual bachelor’s degrees in economics and law from the University of Delhi, an LL.M. from Harvard Law School.
Sven Smit is a senior partner at McKinsey & Company and the chairman of the McKinsey Global Institute, the firm’s business and economics research arm. He is a member of McKinsey’s Shareholders Council as well as its executive committee, known as the Acceleration Team, overseeing insights and ecosystems. As chairman of MGI, Smit leads research and authors reports on global economic trends and topics such as productivity and growth, urbanisation, innovation and technology and the future of work. He’s also the co-author of two books: “Beyond the Hockey Stick” and “The Granularity of Growth.” Smit previously led McKinsey’s western Europe region and its global strategy and corporate finance practice. He holds a degree from Delft University of Technology and an MBA from INSEAD.
Ravi Thakran is the founder and managing partner of Turmeric Capital Holdings, a Singapore-based private equity firm focussed on investing in Asia’s consumer sectors. Thakran served as group chairman of LVMH Asia as well as chairman of L Capital Asia (now L Catterton Asia), which he founded in 2008 and grew into one of Asia’s largest consumer-focused growth investment firms. In his two decades at LVMH Asia, Thakran held top roles across the likes of Sephora Asia and LVMHWatches & Jewellery Asia before serving as group president in 2008 and group chairman in 2014. Alongside his involvement with museums, global tourism boards and animal conservation charities, he serves on Harrods’ board of directors and is involved in the Saudi Fashion Commission.
Salman Toor is a Pakistani visual artist based in New York City. His work, which depicts the lives of imagined young, brown and queer men, can be found in the permanent collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Whitney Museum of American Art, as well as the Tate in London and the Pinault Collection in Paris. Currently, his work is on view in the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennaledi Venezia.
Jacopo Venturini is Maison Valentino’s chief executive officer, a role he has held since 2020. Venturini began his career at La Rinascente, an Italian department store, as a buyer in 1995. He has held positions across large fashion houses including merchandising coordinator at Prada Group as well as executive vice president and chief merchandising and licensing officer at Gucci. Prior to assuming the role of chief executive at Valentino, Venturini served as womenswear and menswear brand manager and as the house’s ready-to-wear collection and retail image director. Venturini holds a degree in economics and business from Bocconi University in Milan.
Brandon Wen is the creative director of the fashion department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium. He teaches design and guides the department through a focus on creativity and connection with the goal of developing Antwerp’s artistic community. Wen is also a fashion designer and performance artist working on projects based on personal themes around identity.
Jameel Jaffer is the executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. The institute promotes the freedoms of speech and the press in the digital age through litigation, research, policy advocacy, and public education. He previously served in various leadership positions at the American Civil Liberties Union, ultimately overseeing the organisation’s work on free speech, privacy, technology, national security, and international human rights. Over the course of his career as a litigator, Jaffer has argued human rights and civil liberties cases in multiple appeals courts as well as the US Supreme Court; he has also testified many times before federal agencies and the US Congress.
Nara Aziza Smith is a digital creator and model with over 14M followers across TikTok and Instagram. Smith often generates viral content and high engagement across her platforms with beautifully shot content showcasing her culinary talents and vlogs sharing her love of fashion, beauty, wellness, and motherhood. Born and raised in Frankfurt, Germany, Smith now resides in the US with her husband model Lucky Blue Smith, and their three children.
Lucky Blue Smith is an American model born in Spanish Fork, Utah. Smith’s modelling career began when he was scouted by an agent at 10 years old. He was quickly labelled an “it” boy thanks to his striking looks, signature platinum blonde hair, and youthful charm. He became one of the first faces to go viral on Tumblr where he gained a global following. He rose to international fame as a model in his teenage years, walking the runways for top fashion houses such as Versace, Dolce and Gabbana and Marc Jacobs. He has fronted advertising campaigns for luxury brands including Tom Ford, Calvin Klein, and Tommy Hilfiger. Beyond fashion, Smith works as an actor.
Daniel Levy is the president of the US/Middle East Project, a role he has held since 2016. The organisation advances Israeli-Palestinian peace processes and upholds the rights of all peoples. Previously, Levy was a senior advisor in the Israeli Prime Minister’s office and to Justice Minister Yossi Beilin during the government of Ehud Barak between 1999 and 2001. Levy was also a member of the official Israeli delegation to the Israel-Palestine peace talks at Tabaunder Barak and at Oslo B under Yitzhak Rabin (1994-95) during his Israel Defense Forces service. He spent five years in Washington D.C. as director of the New America Foundation’s Middle East Task Force and then moved back to London, where he is based, where he became Director for the Middle East and North Africa For the European Council on Foreign Relations from 2012 to 2016. Levy holds masters and bachelors degrees from Cambridge University’s King’s College.
Roksanda Ilinčić is the founder and creative director of womenswear label Roksanda which launched in 2002. The label is known for its daring use of colour, unabashed femininity, sculptural shapes and distinctive cuts, a design aesthetic Ilinčić says is emblematic of a woman designing for other women. Roksanda regularly collaborates with like-minded female artists and arts institutions internationally. Ilinčić has received multiple awards and nominations for her work including Red Carpet Designer of the Year at the Fashion Awards and she is a member of the BoF 500 since 2014. Ilinčić is of Serbian heritage and holds degrees from the University of Belgrade and Central Saint Martins.
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