The Middle East Retail Forum is an annual symposium that started in 2012, which facilitates charting out the future of retail’s blueprint in the Middle East and beyond. Over the years, it has evolved to become a phenomenon where the movers and shakers of the industry come together to formulate the future of retail and set precedents for retailers across the board to follow. As we rally through tumultuous times, incredible innovations, inventions, and transformations have sprouted by leaders that are bravely paving a whole new way of doing business for generations to come. This year, we bring the region’s trailblazers together to unravel the future of retail experiences and construct a cohesive plan of action by means of panel discussions, research revelations, and global expert keynotes.
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AgendaDay 1
- November 24, 2021
8:30AM
09:00AM
A roundtable discussion with the top retail chiefs of the Middle East, where they will discuss the state of the retail industry, major innovations and transformations introduced, and what the future holds for the sector.
09:30AM
Speakers:
- Toufic Kreidieh – Brands for Less
- Kishan Palija – Geekay Sports
- Khaled Soliman – Jashanmal
- Ahmed Ragab – Baraka Retail Group
- Muna Al Gurg – Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group
- Tapan Vaidya – PJP Investments Group (Papa Johns)
- Pilar de Miguel Viera – KPMG Lower Gulf
- Nisreen Shocair – CEO Middle East, YOOX Net-a-Port
11:15AM
11:30AM
A moderated panel discussion, which will see the CIOs and CDOs of major retail conglomerates discussing the implementation of omnichannel retail, creating the experiences of the future, and ensuring an integrated retail delivery model where offline, online, logistics, and data, converge to enhance customer experience.
11:45AM
Speakers:
- Mark Thomson, Retail Director EMEA, Zebra Technologies
- Piyush Kumar Chowhan, Lulu CIO
- Daniel Gomez, Al Malki CDO
- Phillip Smith, HOD at KOJ
- Sander Maertens, Adyen
12:30PM
Pure play e-tailers will share the intricate details of getting e-commerce right and staying ahead of the competition tackling issues ranging from shipping, inventory, pricing strategies, last-mile deliveries, supply chain conundrums and more in this moderated panel discussion.
01:30PM
Speakers:
- Shruthi Nair, Moderator
- Majed M Al Tahan, Danube Online
- Leena Khalil, Co-founder of Mumzworld
- Kunal Kapoor, The Luxury Closet
- Thomas Prom, Virgin Megastore
02:25PM
This one-of-a-kind session hosted at MRF will spotlight influential retail leaders with incredible stories, powerful opinions, insightful learnings, and successful outcomes, where they will share their inspiring journeys in the form of a 10-minute talk presenting their ideas as engaging and intriguing stories.
02:35PM
Speakers:
- Tawhid Abdullah, Dubai Gold and Jewellery
- Michael Chalhoub, Chalhoub Group
- Raza Beig, Splash
- Sima Ved, Apparel Group
To conclude a power-packed day at MRF, the decision makers of the major retail organisations come together on a podium to a quick fire set of questions by our hand-picked jurors aimed at instigating debates and thought-provoking discussions, to set the scene for how retailers in MENA will approach 2022.
03:40PM
Speakers:
- Ashish Panjabi, Jacky’s Retail
- Tom Harvey, Spinneys
- Kartik Bhatt, Sharaf Retail
- Simon Smith, Landmark Group
- Tom Foley, Al Mana Group
04:20PM
A moderated session where retail heads of leasing and real estate as well as the top mall CEOs will divulge on all things retail real estate to chart a masterplan to build the mall of the future on stage at MRF.
04:30PM
Speakers:
- Phil McArthur, Moderator
- Avijit Yadav, Tamdeen Malls
- Jerome Georges-Vivien, AZADEA
- Amina Flaifel, Alhokair Fashion
- Fahad Kazim, KPMG
05:30PM
07:00PM Onwards
