top of page

The 19th Annual
Retail & Luxury Goods Conference

October 20, 2024 - Klarman Auditorium

Reinventing Retail: Exploring the Evolving Retail Landscape

The HBS Retail & Luxury Goods Club is honored to host its 19th annual conference on October 20th, 2024.

This year's theme is Reinventing Retail: Exploring the Evolving Retail Landscape. Guided by our theme, each panel and keynote event will focus on the evolution of the retail industry, exploring innovations in retail tailored for today’s consumers, including digital platforms, resale markets, and influencer-led brands.

If you are interested in getting involved with our 2024 conference or have any questions, please contact the Conference Co-Chairs:

Agenda

10:00 - 10:05 AM. Opening Remarks

Conference Co-Chairs: Daphne Chow (HBS '25), Grace Parker (HBS '25)

10:05 - 10:50 AM. Evolving the Customer Experience: A Conversation with Tricia Smith

Guest Speaker: Tricia Smith (Global CEO of Anthropologie)

Moderator: Chip Bergh (Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School and Former CEO of Levi Strauss & Co.)


11:00 - 11:45 AM. Beauty Redefined

Guest Speakers: Zanna Roberts Rassi + Mazdack Rassi (Co-Founders, Milk Makeup), Kate Foster (Co-Founder, The Outset) and Lach Hall (Founding Partner + Executive Chair Marketing, Vacation Inc)

Moderator: Jenn Sullivan (Co-Founder & Host, Fat Mascara)


11:55 - 12:40 AM. Investing in the Consumer Landscape

Guest Speakers: Dawn Dobras (Co-Founder, Capital F), Kathryn Cavanaugh (Founder & Managing Partner, Capstar Ventures), Pano Anthos (Founder & Managing Director, XRC Ventures)

Moderator: Brendan Hanrahan (Vice President, Bain Capital)


12:45 -1:45 PM. Lunch Break


1:45 - 2:30 PM. Recommerce: Rewriting the Way Consumers Shop

Guest Speakers: Samantha McCandless (Chief Merchandising Officer, The RealReal), Julia O'Mara (Founder, Pickle), Peter Curran (VP Global Operations, StockX), Alex Kremer (VP Strategy & Ops, Archive)

Moderator: Kate Sanner (Founder, Beni)


2:40 - 3:25 PM. The Founder Journey

Guest Speakers: Melissa Mash (Co-Founder & CEO, Dagne Dover), Sam Abrahart (Founder, The Mayfair Group), Jen Batchelor (Co-Founder, Kin Euphorics), Kennedy Crichlow (Co-Founder, Daily Drills), Charif Debs (Founder, Gemmyo)

Moderator: Estelle Palandjian (Co-Founder, CAKE)


3:35 - 4:20 PM. Retail in the Modern Age

Guest Speakers: Divya Mathur (Chief Merchandising Officer, Revolve), Jemma Cassidy (Chief Product Officer, Banana Republic), Lisa Greenwald (Chief Merchandising Officer, J.Crew), Nabil Aliffi (Chief Brand Officer, Neiman Marcus)

Moderator: To be announced


4:30 - 5:15PM. Closing Keynote

Guest Speaker: Patrick Ta (Celebrity Makeup Artist + Founder, Patrick Ta Beauty)

Moderator: To be announced

Thank you to our sponsors!

The first 400 guests will receive a goodie bag worth over $700+ with featured products and discount codes from our sponsors including DL1961, Dagne Dover, Milk Makeup, Daily Drills, Restorsea, Olivia Rose Pilates & more!

bottom of page