World Retail Congress confirms 2025 Advisory Board

The full list of Advisory Board members includes:

• Juliet Anammah, former CEO, Jumia Nigeria
• Roy Bagattini, Group CEO, Woolworths Holdings
• Gaston Bottazzini, CEO, El Corte Inglés
• Sally Elliott, Global Retail Practice leader, Spencer Stuart
• Jennifer Foyle, President and Executive Creative Director, American Eagle Outfitters
• Thomas Harms, Co-Founder & Chair, Net4Boards
• Ian McGarrigle, Chair, World Retail Congress
• Judith McKenna, former President & CEO, Walmart International
• Jaume Miquel Naudi, Chair & CEO, Tendam
• Yol Phokasub, CEO, Central Retail Corporation
• Scott Price, Group CEO, DFI Retail
• Régis Schultz, CEO, JD Group
• Frederico Trajano, CEO, Magalu
• Hani Weiss, former CEO, Majid Al Futtaim Retail
• Jennifer Woo, Chair & CEO, Lane Crawford Joyce Group
• Ying Xu, President, Wumart

About World Retail Congress

Founded in 2007, the World Retail Congress is the leading annual event for the global retail sector, bringing together industry leaders, stakeholders, advisors and influencers to share insights, develop solutions and propel industry progress. The Congress gathers the brightest minds in retail for engaging debates, valuable insights and meaningful connections, playing a critical role in shaping the future of global retail.  This year, the World Retail Congress will take place on 12-14 May, at the Hilton Park Lane in London, with an agenda focused on the key drivers of growth for successful retail businesses in today's landscape. For more information visit: World Retail Congress.

About the Advisory Board

Juliet Anammah is CEO of CG&R Strategy, advising start-ups and mid-size companies. She is the former Chair and Group Chief Sustainability Officer at Jumia Group, the leading pan-African e-commerce platform and provider of marketplace, logistics and payment services. Based in the US, Juliet joined Jumia in 2015 as CEO having previously worked with Sanofi Aventis and then led Accenture’s Consumer Goods practice in West Africa.

Roy Bagattini is Group CEO of Woolworths Holdings Ltd, a leading retailer of fashion, beauty, home, food and financial services provider across South Africa, Australia and 10 other countries in sub-Saharan Africa and New Zealand through Woolworths, Country Road Group and Woolworths Financial Services. Based in South Africa, Roy joined Woolworths in 2000, having previously worked with Levis, SAB Miller and Carlsberg.

Gaston Bottazzini is CEO of El Corte Inglés, a Spanish business group which includes department stores, fashion stores, supermarkets, financial services, travel and security services. An Argentinian national based in Spain, Gaston joined El Corte Inglés in 2024. Prior to El Corte Inglés, Gaston was CEO of Falabella, Latin America’s largest retail platform, and was previously a partner at McKinsey.

Sally Elliott is Global Retail Practice leader at Spencer Stuart, the leading executive search and leadership advisory firm and Chair of the World Retail Congress Advisory Board. Based in the UK, she specialises in Board and CEO succession across the global retail sector.

Jennifer Foyle is President, Executive Creative Director, American Eagle & Aerie at American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., a leading multi-brand specialty retailer operating nearly 1,500 stores across more than 30 countries. Based in the US, Jen joined American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. in 2010 and assumed her current role in 2020. Prior to this, Jen held executive roles at Bloomingdales, Gap, J. Crew and Calypso St. Barth.

Thomas Harms is Co-Founder and Chair of NET4BOARDS, a strategy consulting firm that enables its clients to set long-term strategy. Based in Germany, he served as Managing Partner and Global Retail Leader at EY until 2023.

Ian McGarrigle is Chair and Co-owner of the World Retail Congress which he founded in 2007. Based in the UK, Ian has specialised in the retail sector for over three decades as a journalist, editor, publisher and founder of the World Retail Congress.

Judith McKenna is the former President & CEO of Walmart International, employing 550,000 associates across 23 countries for all Walmart’s operations outside the US. Prior to leading Walmart International, Judith was EVP & COO for Walmart US, EVP of Strategy & Development for Walmart International, and CFO then COO of Asda UK. Originally from the UK, Judith now lives in the US. She is a Non-Executive Board member of Unilever.

Jaume Miquel Naudi is Chair & CEO of Tendam, a global European fashion group with 12 own brands such as Women’secret, Springfield, Cortefiel and Pedro Del Hierro, and around 160 third party brands, managed through an omnichannel ecosystem that integrates digital with c.1800 points of sale across 80 countries. Based in Spain, Jaume joined the group in 2006, became CEO in 2016 and Chair in 2019. Before Tendam, Jaume worked at Timberland, Dockers and Levi Strauss.

Yol Phokasub is CEO of Central Retail Corporation, the leading multi-format and multi-category omnichannel retail and wholesale platform in Thailand, with operations in Italy and Vietnam.  Based in Thailand, he joined CRC in 2018 and became CEO in 2020. Before CRC, Yol was the President of Siam Commercial Bank and Board Member/Adviser at SCB Asset Management, SCB Life Assurance, Mastercard, Mrigadayavan Palace Foundation and Siam Commercial Foundation.

Scott Price is Group CEO of DFI Retail Group, a multi-sector retailer based in Hong Kong operating 11,000 retail outlets in 13 different Asian markets. Before joining DFI Group in 2023, Scott worked at UPS, Walmart International, DHL and the Coca-Cola Company. An American national based in Hong Kong, Scott is also an independent board director at Coles Group in Australia.

Régis Schultz is CEO of JD Group, a leading global omnichannel retailer in sports fashion and outdoor brands, operating over 4,500 stores locations in 36 countries. A French national based in the UK, Régis joined JD as CEO in 2022, having worked at Al-Futtaim, Monoprix, Darty, BUT, Kingfisher and Pernod-Ricard.

Frederico Trajano Inacio Rodrigues is CEO of Magalu, one of the largest retailers in Latin America and the largest digital retail platform in Brazil which includes 1,246 stores. Based in Brazil, Fred joined Magalu in 2000, following an earlier career with Deutsche Bank Securities and Westphere Equity Investors and was named CEO in 2015.

Hani Weiss is the former CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Retail, which owns the rights to operate the Carrefour brand in over 30 countries across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, with 465 stores in 14 countries, serving over 770,000 customers daily and employing over 37,000 people. A Lebanese national based in Dubai, Hani joined Majid Al Futtaim in 2001 and became CEO in 2017. He is currently CEO of Max, part of Landmark Group.

Jennifer Woo is Chair and CEO of The Lane Crawford Joyce Group, Asia’s premier fashion retail, brand management and distribution group comprising luxury department store Lane Crawford, fashion boutique Joyce, and fashion and beauty distribution business Imaginex Group. Based in Hong Kong, she is a member of the Court of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and a board member of the Asia Art Archive. Jennifer was inducted into the World Retail Congress Hall of Fame in 2023 for retail innovation.

Ying Xu is President of Wumart, one of the largest omnichannel digitalised retailers in China with over 2000 multi-format stores. Prior to joining Wumart in 2004, Ying worked with LG Chem/Tianjin International Investment Corp and Tianjin University of Finance & Economics. Based in China, Ying is a Board member of Naspers, Prosus Group and Swire Pacific.

This announcement was first published by the World Retail Congress.