Previous presenters at the Forum include:
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Mark Berrisford-Smith Senior Economist HSBC Having studied Economics at Sussex and London Universities, Mark is now Senior Economist in the Business Economics Unit at HSBC Bank plc. He is responsible for advising the Bank and its customers on developments in the UK and global economies, and the performance of regions and key industry sectors. He speaks regularly at conferences and seminars organised or sponsored by HSBC. Interests and hobbies include hill-walking, sailing, skiing, the trials and tribulations of the England cricket team, and fine wines. |
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Mike Clare Non-executive President and founder of Dreams plc Mike founded Dreams in 1985. Starting with no capital, he has built the UK’s biggest beds business, with 200 stores and a turnover of £120 million. |
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Alan Giles Chairman, Fat Face Alan retired as Chief Executive of HMV Group in September 2006, having led its leveraged buy-out in 1998 and subsequent LSE flotation in 2002. From 1993 to 1998 he was Managing Director of Waterstone’s, and earlier in his career he worked in various marketing roles for Do It All, WH Smith Retail, and Boots. He was a non-executive director of Somerfield plc until 2004 and Wilson Bowden plc until 2007, and is currently a non-executive director of Rentokil Initial plc and The Office of Fair Trading. He is an Associate Fellow at Saïd Business School, Oxford and an Honorary Visiting Professor at Cass Business School. Alan has supported the Forum since it began in 2006. |
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Tracey Hobbs Broadcaster Tracey started her broadcasting career in BBC Radio in 1980, working on a number of programmes including Radio One Newsbeat, and Radio Four Today. In 1990 she moved into TV joining Channel Four’s Business Daily programme, returning to the BBC a year later as a senior producer on Business Breakfast. Following stints as Assignment Editor for N24 and World business output, she joined BBC Two’s Working Lunch programme in 1995 and was appointed Programme Editor in 1999. Under her leadership the programme received a number of Industry Awards for it’s coverage of business and personal finance. Since leaving the BBC in April 2010, Tracey has set up her own production company and is currently producing a major twenty part documentary series for BBC World. |
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Bill Laird Managing Director Nisa-Today’s Bill is a career-long retailer and has enjoyed commercial success working within a number of the UK’s best known High Street names. He has experienced most operational roles during his 28 years in the industry and regards retail as one of the most dynamic environments for management development and opportunity. Immediately prior to forming his own business management consultancy in early 2006, Bill was Chief Operating Officer with the Midcounties Co-operative, based in Oxford operating an estate of over 150 Supermarkets and Convenience Stores, Car Dealerships, Travel Shops and even Funeral Parlours! On 1 March 2009 Bill was appointed Managing Director of Nisa-Today’s. Since its inception, Bill has supported the Forum both as an expert and as chair of the Lion’s Den panel. |
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Fraser Longden HR Director UK & Ireland, B&Q Fraser started his retail career as a Manager for Homebase, Wilkinsons and Staples UK. In 1998 he decided to refocus and move into Human Resources as Recruitment Manager for Staples. In 2000, Fraser joined B & Q as Regional HR Advisor for the North Division, after a quick succession of roles including Divisional HR Manager, Learning and Development Manager and Reward and Performance Manager, he was appointed in March 2005, to Director of HR Retail. In 2007 Fraser decided to take on a different challenge and led the sales team at B&Q as Director of Selling and Operations Strategy. Returning from two years in China as Director of HR and Change for Kingfisher, Fraser became HR Director UK & Ireland for B&Q in October 2011. |
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Charlie Mayfield Chairman, John Lewis Dept. Stores Charlie Mayfield became the John Lewis Partnership's fifth Chairman in March 2007. He joined the Partnership in 2000 as Head of Business Development, responsible for business strategy and development for both John Lewis and Waitrose and went on to become Managing Director of John Lewis in 2005. |
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David Meckin Managing Director, Insight Financial Consulting David Meckin has over twenty-five years' commercial experience, which encompasses several senior management positions, including that of finance director of a multinational computer company. His work has involved him in the financial management of companies in the United Kingdom, Europe and North America. He regularly delivers management workshops and presents at conferences to managers from all over the world. Over the years he has worked with many of the United Kingdom's leading retailers. |
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Mark Newton-Jones Group Chief Executive, Shop Direct Group Before joining Shop Direct, Mark spent 18 years at Next working in various senior management roles in its retail business, the last five years of which were spent as the Director responsible for the Next Directory. The Next Directory doubled in turnover and trebled its profits during Mark’s time in charge. Prior to taking on his current role, Mark was Chief Executive of Littlewoods Stores, where he spent two years modernising and repositioning the Littlewoods high street business; prior to divesting it from the Group. Shop Direct Group has been repositioned as a modern online and home shopping business by improving presentation, redesigning the websites and improving product quality and style. It is now the UK’s leading online and home shopping retailer and is ideally positioned to take advantage of the growth in home shopping, fuelled by the internet. |
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Theo Paphitis Chairman, Ryman Stationery Theo is one of the UK’s most high profile businessmen. His empire spans retail, property, finance and consumer goods. The famous entrepreneur was born in Cyprus. His family emigrated to Britain in the 1960s and Theo showed his business skills at the tender age of 15 when he was put in charge of his North London school’s tuck shop, achieving notable success. His formal working career started as an assistant to the tea boy with a Lloyds of London broker before moving into retail at the age of 18. He then moved into property and corporate finance, setting up his own company aged just 23. He has also revived the fortunes of notable retail brands such as Ryman, La Senza Lingerie (UK), Contessa Lingerie, Partners the Stationers and Stationery Box. He sold his interest in La Senza and Contessa in 2006 and now retains a minority shareholding. In 2008, he combined the stationery businesses to launch a new chain, Ryman Stationery (www.ryman.co.uk) where he is now Chairman. Through his appearances on BBC TWO’s Dragons’ Den, now in its seventh series, Theo has advised many young entrepreneurs and invested in several innovative businesses and brands. Earlier this year, Theo was appointed patron for Skillsmart Retail, the Sector Skills Council for Retail, which is committed to driving up skills levels in the industry. |
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Anthony Preston Entrepreneur and Founder Pets at Home Anthony was born in Salford in 1955, and attended Manchester Grammar School and then Wadham College, Oxford where he studied Modern Languages. From 1978 to 1982, Anthony worked with Venture Capitalists, ICFC (now 3i) in their Manchester Office, as a Financial Controller providing risk capital to North West businesses. In 1982, he joined the family Hardware Cash & Carry business in Manchester and in 1984 bought a small pet supplies wholesale business called R & B Pet Supplies Ltd. This developed into Pets at Home, the retail warehouse pet superstore operator. In 2004, Anthony sold the majority of his holding in Pets at Home to Bridgepoint Private Equity, and exited the majority of his remaining interest when Bridgepoint sold Pets at Home to KKR in March 2010. |
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Dr Jonathan Reynolds Academic Director of the Oxford Institute of Retail Management Jonathan has played a pivotal role in the design and execution of the Forum. A geographer, urban planner and retailer by turn, he now teaches and researches in the areas of retailing and technology, retail and services marketing, retail innovation and retail planning and development and regularly features on television and radio news and consumer affairs programmes. As Academic Director of the Oxford Institute of Retail Management and a Fellow in Retail Marketing at Green Templeton College, he is actively involved with Oxford’s commercial clients in the retail, financial and leisure services sectors and, as a faculty member of SBS, teaches marketing and retailing on Oxford’s undergraduate, MBA, BA and MSc programmes. |
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Stephen Robertson Director General, British Retail Consortium Based in Westminster, Edinburgh and Brussels, the BRC represents UK retail, large and small, in lobbying governments and near-government organisations as well as producing key retail data. Stephen appears frequently in tv, radio and press to discuss business issues. Stephen’s career has spanned 14 years on the boards of major UK retailers. Recently Stephen served for 3 years on the retail board at Woolworth plc. In a non-executive capacity Stephen served for 3 years at Fresca, the leading fresh food supplier, and is currently a board member of the National Portrait Gallery Company. Stephen has recently joined the board of Timpson Group, the privately held retailer which operates mainly under the brands Timpson and Max through 870 shops nationwide. He is a former Chairman, and now Fellow, of the Marketing Society. In 2012, due to popular demand, Stephen will be returning to speak at the Forum for the fourth time. |
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Nigel J L Rothband Chief Executive, Retail Trust Nigel has worked in the retail industry for over 30 years. He started his career with Bhs, before moving to Arcadia Group where he spent 14 years in various senior positions. For the 3 years prior to joining Retail Trust Nigel was Managing Director, Retail, at The Body Shop. Nigel has a long association with the charity and was a member of the London Ball committee for a number of years before joining Retail Trust as the Chief Executive in November 2003. Retail Trust has supported the Forum since 2006, and Nigel has made regular appearances on the Lion’s Den panel. |
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Mike Shearwood CEO, Aurora A qualified optician, Mike spent 17 years in the optical industry holding various positions at Vision Express before taking up the challenge of operating in a different retail category. Mike joined Inditex as the Managing Director for Zara UK and spent seven years as Managing Director of nine companies and six brands for Inditex in the UK and Ireland. He was appointed Deputy CEO of Mosaic Fashions in July 2007. |
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Hilary Shepherd Owner, Maureen Cookson Hilary is the owner of an award winning Independent Ladies wear store in Lancashire. Her store is 9,000sq ft and trades on two floors. With 45 staff it is one of the largest ladies fashion shops in the UK. Winner of several Drapers Records awards, the highlight was to be awarded the Independent retailer of the year. Hilary has been awarded both business personality of the year in Lancashire and personal achievement award in Lancashire. |
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Dennis Turner Chief Economist, HSBC Dennis Turner is the Chief Economist of HSBC Bank plc in the City. His role involves advising lending bankers on economic trends not only at national level, but also on industries and regions. Before joining Midland Bank in 1978, he worked for four years in Whitehall, for the National Economic Development Office. This was during the Labour government’s Industrial Strategy Initiative, which was an attempt to improve the performance of the UK’s manufacturing sector. |
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Phil Wrigley Executive Chairman of the New Look Group Phil has twenty five years experience in retail. He has transformed New Look from a “small cap public company” into private ownership and to the third largest womenswear retailer in the UK with rapid global growth. He has led change programmes in a number of retail businesses embracing all aspects of retail. He has led merger and acquisition activities in the UK and overseas whilst maintaining a particular focus on building strong and successful management teams. In his retail career he has worked as a Director in the New Look Group, Bhs, Dorothy Perkins and Debenhams and held responsibility for all the primary roles in retail from Buying and Merchandising, logistics, retail operations and marketing to finance.He is engaged in social programmes with a particular focus on ethical trading and people development. |
