75th International Retail Summit
10 - 11 September 2025
Speakers
The list of speakers will be updated continuously.
Beatrice Weder di Mauro
Professor of International Economics at Geneva Graduate Institute
President of the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)
Switzerland
Website
Beatrice Weder di Mauro is an ordinary professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute. With her research she has bridged the worlds of academia, policy, and business. As a renowned economist, she regularly advises international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the European Central Bank. Her research focuses on economic and financial crises, climate and nature finance.
Nicholas Christakis is a social scientist and physician at Yale University, where he directs the Human Nature Lab and serves as Director of the Yale Institute for Network Science. In his interdisciplinary research, he explores how social networks shape human behavior, health, and societal dynamics, including with forms of artificial intelligence. Christakis is considered one of the world’s leading experts in this field and an internationally renowned author.
Michael Mueller has been CEO of the Valora Group since 2014 and has successfully established the company as a leading foodvenience provider in Europe. He also oversees the European retail operations of FEMSA, a globally active retail group headquartered in Mexico. Mueller holds a Master of Law (lic. iur. HSG) from the University of St. Gallen.
Daniel Calvert is Chief Growth Officer at Snappy Shopper. The Scottish company connects local retailers with their customers through a digital ordering platform and home delivery. Daniel Calvert has extensive experience in fast convenience solutions from various positions at global tech companies such as Google and Uber Eats. He has a Master's degree in Global Business & Stakeholder Management and bridges the gap between data, technology and commercial.
As CEO, Antje von Dewitz transformed the family business into a pioneer of sustainable practices in the outdoor and textile industry. Her leadership is rooted in a strong culture of trust within the company. For her social and environmental commitment, she has received numerous awards, including the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year business prize and the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Chris Sanderson is the Co-founder of The Future Laboratory, a trend forecasting and consumer insight organisation that analyzes cultural shifts, emerging trends, and market innovations in various industries, such as design, fashion, technology, and consumer behavior. Chris is a SuperBoard member of The British Fashion Council’s Fashion Trust.
Markus Herrmann Chen is an experienced intercultural China analyst and strategy consultant. As co-founder and managing director of the European research and consulting firm China Macro Group, he advises European companies and investors on China's politics and economy. Having previously worked in China for Boston Consulting Group and Bayer, and in his role as Strategic Advisor Europe for Caixin Global, China's leading media group, he has a broad network in China.
Christopher Carl is the US Head of Marketing for AliExpress, the B2C online platform of the Alibaba Group. He is responsible for the growth strategy for the consumer marketplace in the US, including all marketing activities to increase market penetration and brand awareness. Prior to this, Chris held various management positions at strategy and marketing consultancies and was the founder of a men's grooming brand.
Professor Wolfgang Jenewein researches and teaches at the University of St. Gallen on positive leadership and the cultural transformation of organisations. He also specialises in the leadership of high-performance teams in business and sports. Jenewein lectures at the University of St. Gallen, at the Rotman School of Management (University of Toronto) and RWTH Aachen University, for which he has already received several ‘Best Teaching Awards’.
Anna Weber is Co-Owner and Co-CEO of BabyOne, an omnichannel company for baby and toddler products with over 100 franchise stores across German-speaking countries. In 2023, she co-founded the baby and toddler brand ELSA & EMIL with her brother. She is also a co-owner of the non-profit organisation StartupTeens, a member of the advisory board at Melitta, and has been named one of Germany’s Top 50 Women Entrepreneurs by Handelsblatt.
Johannes Bauer
Head of Think Tank, Member of the Executive Board
Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute
Switzerland
Website
In his research, Bauer examines changes in consumer and purchasing behaviour, the future of retail against the backdrop of long-term consumer, technology and business model trends, as well as the opportunities and risks of digitalisation for business and society. Before joining GDI, he worked as a marketing professor and management consultant.
Park Sessions
Nino Bergfeld
Host, The Retail Reality Show and Director, Industry Advisor Retail, Salesforce
In his role as Director Retail Advisory at Salesforce, Nino Bergfeld works closely with brands and retailers in EMEA and advises them on topics such as digitalisation, transformation, loyalty, innovation and artificial intelligence. Nino is also co-host of the Retail Reality Show, a business podcast for decision-makers in the retail and brand world. Before joining Salesforce, he worked as a business consultant at publicis sapient, among others.
Nicolas Kröger
CDTO, Manor and Co-Host, Retail Reality Show
Nicolas Kröger has more than 17 years of experience in international trade, e-commerce and strategy consulting. He currently works as Chief Digital Transformation Officer at Manor, where he is responsible for cross-divisional process optimisation, improving data quality and introducing AI. Previously, he worked as an independent advisor and partner at Retail Capital Partners.
Simone Krah
President, MMM-Club e.V
Simone Krah serves as Managing Director and President of the MMM Club. She is also a member of the Supervisory Board of HORNBACH Holding AG & Co. KGaA and HORNBACH Management AG. In her role, she closely engages with the political, economic and societal frameworks that shape business, as well as with current trends and developments in the food and retail sectors.
Joschka J. Proksik
Senior Researcher
Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute
Dr. Joschka J. Proksik is a Senior Researcher at the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute. As a political scientist with a PhD, he analyzes the interactions between geopolitics, economy, society, environment, and technology.
Isabel Baumgart
Managing Partner, The Commerce Company and member of the Board of Directors, Genossenschaft Migros Zürich
As Managing Partner of the strategy consultancy The Commerce Company and Member of the Board of Directors of Migros Zurich Cooperative, Isabel Baumgart is a proven expert in strategy development, transformation and value creation in the retail sector.
Christian Ruf
Director Digital & Innovation, VfB Stuttgart
In his work at VfB Stuttgart, Christian Ruf places a strong emphasis on proximity to fans. Through his extensive expertise in e-commerce, marketing and sponsorship, he is driving forward digital transformation at this traditional club.
Tanja Ineichen
Head of Leadership & Transformation, Member of the Executive Board, Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute
Tanja Ineichen develops and moderates leadership and talent programmes, supports executives in transformations and talents on their way to C-level. She teaches on topics such as lateral leadership, commitment, power, polarities and vitality in organisations.
Moderation
Carolin Roth is a conference moderator, journalist and a reporter for CNBC in London. With a focus on economics and financial markets, she has reported for international media for over 15 years and hosts high-level events.
Programme
The programme will be updated continuously.
Wednesday, 10 September
16.30
Welcome coffee
17.00
Welcome
Jennifer Somm, CEO a.i., Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute
Carolin Roth, Moderator
Keynote
Nicholas Christakis, Professor of Social and Natural Science, Yale University
Social Catalysts: Positive Network Dynamics and AI as Drivers of Trust
How social contagion and AI agents foster trust, drive cooperation, and spark innovation.
Keynote
Wolfgang Jenewein, Titular Professor of Leadership, University of St.Gallen
Team Spirit 2.0: Fostering Connection, Unlocking Peak Performance
How psychological safety and emotional proximity empower teams and drive organisational excellence.
as of 18.30
Indian Summer Dinner
Thursday, 11 September
8.30
Morning coffee
09.00
Beatrice Weder di Mauro, Professor of International Economics at Geneva Graduate Institute, President of the Centre for Economic Policy Research
Navigating Uncertainty: Mastering Geopolitical Risks, Shaping Opportunities
Remaining resilient in volatile times and developing future-proof strategies for sustainable growth.
Johannes Bauer, Head of Think Tank, GDI Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute
Nearconomy: Customer proximity reimagined
How physical, digital and emotional proximity create competitive advantages.
Anna Weber, Co-CEO and Co-Shareholder, BabyOne
No Child’s Play: BabyOne’s Journey to Omnichannel Excellence
How in-store expertise enables a traditional retailer to build relevance and proximity – also in the digital space.
10.30
Break
11.00
Markus Herrmann Chen, Co-founder and Managing Director, China Macro Group
From Factory to Frontier: China’s Pivot to become a Global Demand Powerhouse
China’s domestic macro policy context, key trends in the Chinese retail market and how Chinese consumer goods are entering Europe.
Christopher Carl, Head of Marketing US, AliExpress
From Reach to Relevance: Lessons from the AliExpress Marketplace
How AliExpress translates global reach into local relevance in a fragmented and fast-changing retail landscape.
Panel discussion with Markus Herrmann Chen and Christopher Carl
Global Perspectives: Understanding Consumers Across Borders
A discussion on behavioral trends and retail strategies in evolving markets.
Cancelled due to the speaker’s unforeseen unavailability:
Daniel Calvert, Chief Growth Officer, Snappy Shopper
Proximity Profits: Scaling Quick-Commerce in the Nearconomy
How Snappy Shopper’s community-first model is future-proofing local stores by democratising technology.
12.30
Lunch
14.00
Michael Mueller, CEO, Valora Group
Micro-Stores with Macro Impact: Maximising Convenience through Local Presence
How Valora leverages a dense network of stores to succeed in the nearconomy.
Antje von Dewitz, CEO, VAUDE
Trust as a Compass: How VAUDE is Redefining Collaboration in the Modern Workplace
Insights into VAUDE’s corporate culture – fostering trust and genuine cooperation.
15.00
Park Sessions
"Retail Reality Show Live" with Simone Krah, President MMM-Club e.V., Supervisory Board Member at HORNBACH Holding & HORNBACH Management AG, Advisory Board Member at Food Campus Berlin
The live podcast recording is themed ‘proximity in retail – between convenience and digital grocery’. We discuss how new formats in food retail create customer proximity, what role convenience plays in consumers’ everyday lives, and how digital solutions are changing the shopping experience in the grocery sector – today and in the future.
Host: Nino Bergfeld, Director Retail Advisory, Salesforce, and Co-Host Nicolas Kröger, CDTO, Manor
Language: German
From Trade War to Retail Shake-Up?
Take part in a focused Park Session on how geopolitical rivalry, trade tensions, and shifting export strategies are reshaping global market dynamics.
Join us to discuss how new tariff regimes and the rise of Chinese platform power are impacting the competitive landscape in European retail.
With Joschka J. Proksik, Senior Researcher, GDI
Language: English
From Customers to Fans: What Retailers Can Learn From Football
How does a prospective customer become a loyal fan? Isabel Baumgart and Christian Ruf discuss what retailers can learn from football in terms of relationship management, community and emotional attachment.
With Isabel Baumgart, Managing Partner, The Commerce Company and Member of the Board of Directors, Genossenschaft Migros Zürich and Christian Ruf, Director of Digital & Innovation, VfB Stuttgart
Language: German
Moving Hearts: Impact Leadership im Retail
Join the interactive session featuring short inputs and reflections on the question:
‘How can leaders ensure impact within their teams?’
This session offers a sneak peek at the upcoming publication ‘Moving Hearts Workbook’, to be released in autumn 2025.
With Tanja Ineichen, Head of Leadership & Transformation, Member of the Executive Board, GDI
Language: German
Walk Through the "Park im Grüene"
During a guided tour of the "Dutti Park", you will gain insights into the life of Gottlieb Duttweiler and the founding of the GDI.
Language: German and English
15.40
Break
16.10
Keynote
Chris Sanderson, Co-founder, The Future Laboratory
Retail Futures: Navigating the Three T’s in an Era of Uncertainty
How retailers can stay relevant by mastering Truth, Transparency, and Trust in an age of fragmented consumer loyalty.
Closing
17.00
Drinks
Information
Date
Wednesday and Thursday, 10 - 11 September 2025
Venue
GDI Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute
Langhaldenstrasse 21
8803 Rüschlikon, Schweiz
Directions
Language
German and English, with simultaneous interpretation
Programme changes
The programme is subject to change. Should an event not take place, the participation fee will be refunded. Further claims are ruled out.
Cancellation
If you are unable to attend, please cancel your registration in writing. The participation fee will be refunded up to thirty days before the event. After that and up to five full working days before the event, we will charge 75%, and for cancellations after that we will charge the full amount. A substitute participant is always welcome.
Hotel reservation
We have an allotment of rooms in the following hotels. Please mention the code IHT2025 when booking your room.
Hotel Sedartis, Thalwil: info@sedartis.ch
Hotel Belvoir, Rüschlikon: info@hotel-belvoir.ch
Arrival
From Zurich Airport
A taxi will take you to the GDI and the partner hotels in around 45 minutes at around CHF 100, depending on traffic. The S-Bahn will take you quickly and conveniently to Zurich and Thalwil station.
From Thalwil train station
A free shuttle bus is available for transfers between Thalwil train station / Hotel Sedartis and the GDI. It waits on the lake side of the station. A member of staff will welcome you on the spot.
Wednesday, 10 September 2025
Thalwil train station – GDI: 16.00 – 16.45, every 15 minutes
GDI – Thalwil train station: 18.30 – 22.00, every 15 minutes
Thursday, 11 September 2025
Thalwil train station – GDI: 8.00 – 8.45, every 15 minutes
GDI – Thalwil train station: 17.00 – 18.30, every 15 minutes
The Hotel Belvoir is within walking distance of the GDI.
Parking
The parking deck is located a five-minute walk from the GDI at Zürcherstrasse 4, 8803 Rüschlikon. You can obtain a free exit ticket at the GDI.
Image and video recording
Please note that images and video recordings will be made during the event, and may be published permanently on the Internet after the event. You consent with this procedure by participating in the event.
Network partners
Media partners
About the Internationale Retail Summit
The International Retail Summit is one of the international community’s leading strategy platforms for decision-makers and thought leaders in the retail and consumer goods industries. Participants are decision-makers from retail and related industries, entrepreneurs, academia and journalists from Swiss and European quality media.
Participants
Speakers
Funktionsstufe: 49 % der Teilnehmenden sind CEOs oder VRs. 65% sind Senior Management oder höher.
Länder: 88 % der Teilnehmer*innen kommen aus dem DACH-Raum.
Functional level: 49% of participants are CEOs or board members. 65% are senior management or higher.
Countries: 88 % of participants are from Switzerland, Austria and Germany.
Impressions
Testimonials
Advisory Board
Simonetta Carbonaro
Consumer psychologist, professor in Humanistic Marketing and Design Management and an internationally recognized thought leader of the consumer goods industry. She is the cofounder of REALISE, a strategic consulting company specialized in brand direction, and strategic design management.
Caroline Drucker
Vice President Marketing and Operations at Photomath. Previously, Drucker was Director EMEA Strategic Partnerships at Instagram and Global Brand Manager at Etsy. She was the first Product Manager at community-driven music platform SoundCloud. Her career began in publishing, where she played a key role in establishing VICE magazine in the German market and developed the digital strategy for the relaunch of Freitag, a national weekly newspaper.
Stephan Fetsch
Partner, Deal Advisory-Valuation, EMA Head of Retail at KPMG. Fetsch is responsible for the retail sector at KPMG Germany and KPMG Europe. In this function, his main focus lies on business planning, corporate valuation, intangible assets, joint venture as well as value-based decision making and transaction consulting.
Michel Gruber
Head of the Retail Department and member of the General Management of the Federation of Migros Cooperatives. Before joining Migros, Michel Gruber held various positions at Valora for nine years, most recently as Managing Director of Valora Food Service Switzerland.
Dominique Locher
As an entrepreneur, angel investor, creative promoter and innovator, Dominque Locher accompanies companies such as Edeka, Utkonos, Farmy.ch, Bring! or LuckaBox into the digital world. As a board member of the Swiss Retail Federation, he drives digitalization in Swiss retail. He helped build LeShop.ch one of the first online supermarkets in the world, and led the company as CEO until 2017.
Mariann Wenckheim
Co-Active Leadership Coach for Entrepreneurs and Organisational and Relationship Coach. Wenckheim is also an Executive Master in Change at INSEAD and Chairwoman of her family business Wenckheim Holding AG. Previously, Wenckheim was a partner and board member of 20.20, a strategic design consultancy for the retail and leisure industries.
Partner
Network partners
Media partners
Über die Internationale Handelstagung
The International Retail Summit is one of the international community’s leading strategy platforms for decision-makers and thought leaders in the retail and consumer goods industries. Participants are decision-makers from retail and related industries, entrepreneurs, academia and journalists from Swiss and European quality media.
Participants
Executives
Speakers
Testimonials
Past conferences
Advisory Board
Simonetta Carbonaro
Consumer psychologist, professor in Humanistic Marketing and Design Management and an internationally recognized thought leader of the consumer goods industry. She is the cofounder of REALISE, a strategic consulting company specialized in brand direction, and strategic design management.
Caroline Drucker
Vice President Marketing and Operations at Photomath. Previously, Drucker was Director EMEA Strategic Partnerships at Instagram and Global Brand Manager at Etsy. She was the first Product Manager at community-driven music platform SoundCloud. Her career began in publishing, where she played a key role in establishing VICE magazine in the German market and developed the digital strategy for the relaunch of Freitag, a national weekly newspaper.
Stephan Fetsch
Partner, Deal Advisory-Valuation, EMA Head of Retail at KPMG. Fetsch is responsible for the retail sector at KPMG Germany and KPMG Europe. In this function, his main focus lies on business planning, corporate valuation, intangible assets, joint venture as well as value-based decision making and transaction consulting.
Michel Gruber
Head of the Retail Department and member of the General Management of the Federation of Migros Cooperatives. Before joining Migros, Michel Gruber held various positions at Valora for nine years, most recently as Managing Director of Valora Food Service Switzerland.
Dominique Locher
As an entrepreneur, angel investor, creative promoter and innovator, Dominque Locher accompanies companies such as Edeka, Utkonos, Farmy.ch, Bring! or LuckaBox into the digital world. As a board member of the Swiss Retail Federation, he drives digitalization in Swiss retail. He helped build LeShop.ch, one of the first online supermarkets in the world, and led the company as CEO until 2017.
André Maeder
Group Managing Director at The KaDeWe Group. Maeder looks back on a long and international retail career. His focus has been on premium and luxury brands. At Harrods, he was Chief Operational and Merchandise Officer, at Hugo Boss MOB and Head Global Retail. As Chief Retail Officer, Maeder als worked for Karstadt.
Mariann Wenckheim
Co-Active Leadership Coach for Entrepreneurs and Organisational and Relationship Coach. Wenckheim is also an Executive Master in Change at INSEAD. Previously, Wenckheim was a partner and board member of 20.20, a strategic design consultancy for the retail and leisure industries.
