Keynote Interview: Mary Portas OBE

Founder, LinkedIn

Retail expert Mary Portas has advised government, transformed luxury and high street stores, written books and
produced retail and business-themed TV programmes. The Chief Creative Officer of her own retail consultancy, and
author of Work Like a Woman: A Manifesto For Change , Mary delivers an inspiring message of how businesses
and individuals can adapt, transform and lead.
A passionate advocate for British retail, Mary is at the forefront of making the nation better consumers and the
country’s shops better businesses. Starting her career on the shop floor, she rose through the ranks of retail giants
John Lewis, Harrods and Top Shop before being appointed Creative Director at the struggling Harvey Nichols store.
With the aid of cutting edge artists, designers, and a TV show called Absolutely Fabulous, Mary turned it into a retail
powerhouse and was on the board of the company by the age of thirty. She has since worked with some of the
world’s premier retail and product brands including Westfield, Clark’s, Dunhill, Louis Vuitton, Mercedes-Benz, Estée
Lauder and Boden.
Mary’s style and insight saw her combine advising retailers with a television career. Her breakthrough show, BBC
Two’s Mary, Queen of Shops saw her help turnaround struggling small retail businesses. In Channel 4’s Secret
Shopper, she went undercover in some of the nation’s biggest retailers to expose poor customer service. She’s
since fronted series on charity shops, fashion, manufacturing, and her efforts to rejuvenate the high street. She’s
also looked at retail and product trends in What Britain Buys and the lack of choice for older shoppers.
In speeches Mary discusses the changes in consumer behaviour as a result of the economy, the digital revolution
and efforts to protect the environment. With critical insight, she examines how different retail sectors are responding
and how brands of all shapes and sizes can best stand out. She also looks at the mistakes retailers make, and how
to fix them.
Mary’s high profile government review into struggling British high streets led to the creation of pilot regeneration
projects around the UK and a new focus on what town centres are for and their place in social and business life. She
is also the author of books covering both her ideas around retail and her personal and professional experiences,
including How to Shop with Mary Queen of Shops , Windows: The Art of Retail Display, Work Like A Woman, I
Shop, Therefore I Am: The ’90s, Harvey Nicks – and Me, and her memoir Shop Girl. Mary’s book Rebuild: How to
Thrive in the New Kindness Economy, inspired her Kindness Economy podcast, whilst in her podcast Beautiful
Misfits, Mary interviews fellow changemakers from across business and culture.

Moderator: Alex Forrest Whiting

Journalist & Presenter, AlexFW

Alex Forrest Whiting is a British journalist, presenter and moderator with a career spanning more than two decades across major broadcasters including Germany’s Deutsche Welle, ITV News, BBC and Al Jazeera English.

Based in Berlin, she hosts DW’s breaking news livestreams – covering major international stories across TV, YouTube and TikTok – and serves as senior editor across the network’s digital platforms. She is DW’s go-to voice for British politics and current affairs. She also trains journalists in digital writing, editing and presentation.

A former political correspondent at Westminster, Alex reported live from Parliament and Downing Street and has interviewed politicians – including prime ministers – and senior business leaders.

She has moderated the WSTA’s annual summit since 2015 and continues to be a regular host of the event.

Panellist:Dr Ignacio Sánchez Recarte

Secretary General of Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins (CEEV)

Dr Ignacio Sánchez Recarte was named Secretary General of CEEV, the association representing the interests of European wine companies, in 2015.

Before that, he served as Director for Internal Market & Sustainability at spiritsEUROPE, the European representative body for spirit producers, and as Director of Environment affairs and Innovation, at Bodegas Chivite, a Spanish wine group. For the previous 7 years, Ignacio worked for the International Organization of vine and wine (OIV), the scientific and technical intergovernmental organization in the field of wine, first as Head of the Viticulture Unit, then as Head of the Economy and Law Unit.

Ignacio is an Agronomic Engineer from the Public University of Navarra and obtained his PhD in Engineering at the University of Lleida. A Spanish citizen, Ignacio is fluent in Spanish, English, French and Italian.

In 2016, he was elected Vice-President of the International Wine Federation (FIVS), and since 2022 he acts as Co-President of FIVS. Since 2016 he is also Vice-President of CELCAA, the organization representing EU associations and companies active in the sector of agricultural and agri-food trading.

Panellist: Gillian Murray

Commercial Procurement Director at C&C Group plc

Gillian Murray has 25 years experience working in the drinks industry across Great Britian and Ireland. Her background spans procurement, sales, and supply chain strategy.  After integration with  the Tennent’s business in 2014, she is now Commercial Procurement Director at C&C Group, where she leads commercial strategy for the group’s route to market brands, Matthew Clark Bibendum, Tennent’s, Tennent’s Northern Ireland and Bulmers.

Gillian is a passionate leader and mentor, with a love of the drinks industry. She contributes widely to industry groups, having served as a Board Member and Trustee for the Benevolent Society (Scotland) and now as a member of the Executive Committee of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association and a member of The Brewer’s Company

Panellist: Nick Temperley

Managing Director, UK & Ireland at Suntory Global Spirits

Nick Temperley has been Suntory Global Spirits’ Managing Director for the UK & Ireland since 2023. He is responsible for Suntory Global Spirits’ portfolio of premium brands, including Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Hibiki, Laphroaig and Bowmore, among others.

Prior taking up his current role, Nick had been Suntory Global Spirits’ General Manager for EMEA North since 2021. Before this, Nick was Edrington-Beam Suntory UK’s General Manager in London for three years.

Nick also previously worked at Diageo for almost 15 years, where he held various positions across London and Amsterdam including Head of Reserve Brands, Investor Relations Director, Finance Director for Whisky, Gin and Reserve Brands, Commercial Finance Manager for Europe and Commercial Finance Manager for Great Britain. Nick has also worked at Ford.

Nick studied history at the University of Sussex from 1990 to 1994 and obtained a Bachelor of Arts (BA) with First Class Honours. He also earned an MBA in Business, strategy, finance and marketing from London Business School, where he studied from 2001 – 2003.