Meet the Speakers

Victoria Coffey is the former Head of eCommerce at Northern Monk, where she leads on all things eCommerce, from strategy to site optimisation, customer journey to email marketing. She has 12+ years eComm experience driving brands to improve their online presence with lean processes while optimising online traffic to conversion.

Caitlin Barrett is the Managing Director of Marco Paul, one of the UK’s fastest-growing home and
garden retailers. She was recently featured in The Times and LDC’s Top 50 Ones to Watch,
recognising her as one of the UK’s most inspiring business leaders.
Caitlin’s story is all about growth in business, people and purpose. She’s passionate about building teams where creativity, curiosity, and connection lead to meaningful results. Under her leadership.
Marco Paul has grown from a small operation into a thriving retail brand with a strong online
presence, selling through major marketplaces including Amazon, B&Q, and Tesco, and soon
expanding internationally through Walmart.
At her core, Caitlin believes success is about people. She leads with empathy, energy, and a
genuine commitment to helping others thrive. Whether she’s driving new growth strategies,
mentoring future leaders, or shaping culture within her business, Caitlin’s focus is always on
growing people as much as performance.

Adam Aubrey was until recently the Head of eCommerce at KBF Enterprises, the business behind two of the most recognised sports nutrition brands in the UK – Bodybuilding Warehouse® and Warrior®.  He is also a member of Attentive’s Client Advisory Board (CAB), an exclusive forum that brings together top marketing leaders to shape the future of digital marketing and the SMS channel. As a CAB member, we discuss best practices, provide direct product feedback to Attentive’s leadership team, and propose ways Attentive can improve to better suit customers’ needs, having a direct impact on the company’s product roadmap. Prior to working at KBF, Adam was Trading Manager at American Golf, responsible for overall trading, traffic, customer retention and implementation of the marketing plan for Online Golf websites.

Giles Smith is the former Head of Technology for Selfridges, responsible for the technology strategy and delivery of their Digital, physical retail and omnichannel technology. Prior to that he was the Digital Director for Burberry and has also delivered technology innovation and transformation at John Lewis, Arcadia, Matalan, Unilever, Diageo and more. He is a MACH Alliance founding board member and also a new judge on our prestigious People in Retail Awards 2024. He is currently advising, CTO, CPO, and CDO’s in various world-famous brands on broad aspects of Digital product, technology strategy and leadership.

Paul Morris was previously Director of Digital & eCommerce at Marshalls, Head of Marketing at Tesco Bank, Global Digital & eCommerce Director at PZ Cussons (St Tropez, Imperial Leather, Original Source, etc), led digital marketing at the Co-op Group (Food, Electrical, Funeralcare, etc) and has worked agency (McCann, Havas, Bray Leino Yucca & Visualsoft) and client side with brands including Wickes, Laterooms, Intercontinental Hotel Group, Cash Generator, Stagecoach & Silverstone. He is now Senior Director EMEA Performance Marketing & Web eCommerce at RS Group.

Dr Amna Khan is a Senior Lecturer in consumer behaviour and retailing and alumnus of Alliance Manchester Business School and received a prestigious corporate PhD scholarship from AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals. It was during her master’s degree at Alliance Manchester Business School and a project on consumer behaviour that she really fell in love with the deep understanding of how consumers tick, the way they respond, shift and change. Amna teaches consumer behaviour  and strategic marketing to apprenticeships, undergraduates and managers of leading household brands, MBAs from a huge cross section of industries, Government and public sector. She contributes to consumer behaviour, consumption practices and retailing research, publishing in leading academic journals.

Lalit Suryawanshi is the current Head of Architecture at NBrown Group and former Co-founder and CTO of Itechohealth, a Leeds-based healthcare startup. He holds a degree in Computer Engineering and an MBA from INSEAD, France – ranked among the world’s top business schools. With over 25 years of experience, Lalit has led complex digital transformations and delivered measurable business outcomes across sectors including courier and logistics, supply chain, omni-channel retail, healthcare, manufacturing, and technology consulting. He has successfully built and scaled high-performing technology teams and has worked with leading organizations such as Air Canada, Asda, Walmart, Hermes, QVC, Howdens Joinery, Wilko, NBrown Group, and the NHS.

Charlotte Howell is a creative digital marketing professional with proven success at implementing cross-channel digital strategies to increase traffic acquisition and positively impact sales growth. She began her journey in organic search and has since crafted a diverse skill set covering ecommerce, paid media and influencer marketing. She currently heads up the Digital & eCommerce team at Grafton International, known for creating and distributing beauty brands such as CARMEX, ORLY and Eyelash Emporium. Charlotte is a strong advocate for continual learning in digital and adapting to industry trends. Her 14 year experience working both in-house and agency side, has been rewarding, providing her with a deep understanding of the ever-evolving marketing landscape.

Sreeraman Mohan Girija is the Co-founder of Fynd and leads the company’s AI initiatives, where he oversees platforms such as Kaily, Boltic, PixelBin, and GlamAR, focusing on building AI solutions that are practical, easy to adopt, and deliver clear business impact. At Fynd, Sreeraman drives the company’s AI product strategy, guiding the development of systems that reduce customer-service workloads by up to 80%, process millions of queries in real time, and operate across 50+ languages. His approach blends design thinking with a strong emphasis on measurable outcomes and technology that scales reliably in enterprise environments. Sreeraman studied design at IIT Bombay, where he began exploring the intersection of design, technology, and business before deciding to build Fynd full-time. Beyond Fynd, Sreeraman has invested in around 30 startups across India and the US, supporting early-stage founders in technology and consumer-facing sectors. He is guided by principles of honesty, responsibility, and building products that create long-term value.

Nina Daniels is the award-winning founder and creative force behind Nina D, a premium lifestyle brand celebrated for its distinctive, art-led designs and exceptional craftsmanship. Each of Nina’s designs is inspired by a personal place or a person close to her, often reflecting her roots and memories from back home in Sweden, creating a deep connection with her audience and customers and fostering strong, lasting relationships. She collaborates with skilled British and European handcraft manufacturers and regularly works with independent creative businesses to bring her original artwork to life. Blending eCommerce with bespoke events in her studio, Nina offers a unique, immersive brand experience that connects with her audience and brings her collections to life. As an entrepreneur and designer, she champions independent British design and meaningful retail partnerships.

Michael Truluck joined Joe Browns, a remarkable and “feel good” UK fashion brand, in September 2023 as Chairman, to oversee the strategic direction of the company and help exploit its massive potential both in the UK and Internationally. Prior to this, he worked for Redcats (former parent company of La Redoute and part of the Kering ‘PPR’ Group) for over 15 years until 2023. He was involved in the management buyout of La Redoute and the subsequent sale of the company to its new shareholders, The Galeries Lafayette Group. Michael believes that for any business to succeed and ultimately create value for its shareholders, the business needs to be focused not only on its customers but also on its employees. Further, his philosophy is that if you have engaged and passionate employees, they will make your customers happy which in turn will create shareholder value. In 2012, Michael was awarded Finance Director of the Year at the Yorkshire Finance Director Awards.

Paul McDermott’s previous roles include eCommerce Director, Marketing Director and Change & Transformation programme management at retail brands including Pentland Brands, Speedo, Poundland, Ryman, Cotswold Outdoor, Snow+Rock and Matalan. He is currently delivering a website transformation programme at Diageo. Paul has an excellent record of leading change, developing people and delivering successful projects in a range of brands and retailers.

Nilam Atodaria is an experienced professional with 10+ years of growing and scaling both businesses and solutions in early-stage start-ups and large conglomerates. She started her career as employee number 1 at Wearisma, one of the first ‘influencer marketing platforms’, and then went on to lead Global Influencer Solutions across 30+ markets at GroupM. More recently, she joined TikTok as a Brand Partnerships Manager to help some of the biggest beauty brands scale across the platform, such as e.l.f., Refy, Inkey List, Beauty Pie, Made by Mitchell and many others.

Tom Armenante is an experienced ecommerce leader and strategist with over a decade driving digital growth and transformation. He is currently the eCommerce Director and Co-Founder at GTSE, where he leads the company’s online strategy, growth initiatives, and marketplace expansion. At GTSE, Tom combines deep expertise in ecommerce operations, digital marketing, B2B marketplaces, and platform strategy to help the brand scale and maximise their digital performance. Throughout his career, Tom has worked on complex re-platforming projects, developed data-driven growth strategies, and SEO strategies for high-profile brands such as First Direct, Money.co.uk and Bathstore. Tom is passionate about helping businesses unlock sustainable online growth and continually explores the intersection of technology, customer experience, and operational excellence in competitive digital markets.

Hilary Large is an experienced industry expert and the founder of Chandott Marketing. Her career has seen her in senior roles at the BBC, Shop Direct, Hotter Shoes, Chill Factore, In The Style and more recently she was interim CMO for fashion brand Forever Unique. Hilary is also the owner of her own multichannel business Wardrobe at the Cross.

Raphael Lawson has been fighting fraud in diverse industries for fifteen years. As Fraud & Payments Director at The Hut Group (THG), he has developed the company’s fraud protections to support its massive growth, while at the same time guarding against loss from fraud. Raphael oversees predictive research, fraud management tools and systems, false positive prevention and chargeback management for THG’s varied brands. He has a Masters in Applied Criminology.

As Irwin Mitchell’s Chief Information Security Officer, Graham Thomson is responsible for spearheading and overseeing all facets of information and cyber security to safeguard the Irwin Mitchell group. Additionally, he leads their cutting-edge client-facing cyber audit practice. This innovative and results-driven service offers small and medium businesses a pragmatic and cost-effective solution, providing invaluable guidance on cyber security and instilling peace of mind by mitigating threats.

Marco Lanzi, based in Switzerland, is the former Senior Director of Product Management at VF Corporation and brings a wealth of experience from previous roles at VF Corporation. He holds a 2007 – 2009 MSc. Industrial Engineering in Supply Chain and Management from Politecnico di Milano and has a robust skill set that includes online marketing, magento, eCommerce, and project management.

Eva Pascoe has pioneered ecommerce in UK, as the first Director for Ecommerce for Arcadia Group, where she developed fashion webshops for Topshop, Topman, Dorothy Perkins, Racing Green, Burton, Miss Selfridge and Evans and developed Omnichannel for the Group. After a successful Crowdcube fundraising campaign in January 2017, Eva joined Bluebella as a non-executive director, overseeing the brands digital acquisition and international eCommerce strategy. In her role as Charity Trustee for Trading Group, Eva has also advised one of the largest UK military charities, Help for Heroes, supporting the charity team since 2013 in their online trading activities on Digital Acquisition, CRM and transition to new e-commerce platform. She has recently co-authored  digital retail policy papers on Re-imagining The High Street and a new policy for West End of London in her “Surf and Turf” contribution to a recent publication commissioned by Centre for London and New West End Company.

Joseph Cave helps businesses optimise their financing and working capital as Relationship Director – Retail and Consumer Goods for Lloyds Banking Group. He was previously Trade Director at Lloyds for three years. Before that, Joseph was Director – Trade and Supply Chain Finance at Barclays Bank for 11 years. He started his career as an International Relationship Manager with HSBC Bank.

Ben Jones is a senior Product and Digital Experience leader with over 20 years of experience delivering high-impact eCommerce platforms across both B2C and B2B markets, particularly in regulated and high-growth sectors. He specialises in turning customer insight and data into measurable commercial outcomes through digital product strategy, optimisation & experience design. Ben has held leadership roles across organisations including RS Group, Sytner Group, Addison Global, William Hill, and The Tote, where he has led cross-functional teams to deliver significant revenue growth, major KPI improvements & award-winning web and mobile experiences. His work spans platform transformation, CRO programmes, personalisation, UX systems > scalable digital roadmaps.

Danny Simpson is CEO of MID Digital Solutions and Managing Director of MID Communications. He led the UK’s largest multi-award-winning O2 franchise in the Northwest (16 sites, 100k+ customers, £21M turnover 180 employees sold in 2024) and twice earned Investors in People Platinum accreditation. As co-founder of MID Digital Solutions MD for Sales Geek UK and Non-Exec Director and Trustee across several organisations such as Cash for Kids UK, Pro Manchester and a huge advocate and champion for women and diversity in business, week-in, week-out his mission is simple – build a diverse tribe of people who make a difference.