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 is CEO of the Valora Group. As a long-standing member of the Executive Board, he has successfully transformed Valora and repositioned it as a leading food convenience provider. He also heads the European retail unit of FEMSA, a leading beverage manufacturer in Latin America. Mueller holds a Master in 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.
Markus Herrmann Chen is an experienced intercultural China analyst. 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.
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.
Johannes Bauer
Head of Think Tank, Member of the Executive Board
Gottlieb Duttweiler Institut
Schweiz
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.
Moderation
Carolin Roth
Moderatorin und Reporterin für CNBC (London), Konferenzmoderatorin, und Journalistin
Schweiz
Website
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
16.00
Welcome coffee
17.00
Keynotes
as of 18.00 Uhr
Indian Summer Dinner
Thursday, 11 September
8.30
Morning coffee
09.00
Presentations
10.30
Break
11.00
Presentations
12.30
Lunch
14.00
Presentations and Park Sessions
15.30
Break
16.00
Presentations
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: 44 % der Teilnehmer*innen sind Geschäftsführer*innen.
Zufriedenheit: 95 % der Teilnehmer*innen bewerteten das Konferenzerlebnis mit sehr gut oder gut.
Länder: 94 % der Teilnehmer*innen kommen aus dem DACH-Raum.
Function Level: 44% of the participants are CEOs or managing directors.
Satisfaction: 95 % of the participants rated the overall conference experience as excellent or good.
Countries: 94 % of participants are from Switzerland, Austria and Germany.
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.
