Wednesday 25 February – Thursday 26 February 2026 ICC Sydney
AGENDA
Don’t miss this agenda-setting conference, with an exclusive line up of speakers you won’t see anywhere else
Day One, Wednesday 25 February
Welcome to ARC Leaders Forum 26
8.30 AM
Welcome to Country
Uncle Gary Ella
8.35 AM
Yidaki Performance
Dhinawan Yarn
8.40 AM
Opening Remarks
Chris Rodwell, CEO, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
8.45 AM
Chair’s Address
Nicole Sheffield, Chair, ARC Board
9.10 AM
Presenting Partner Address
Robert Tedesco, Vice President & General Manager Global Merchant & Network Services A/NZ, American Express
GLOBAL TRENDS – Ahead of the Curve: Global Insights for Australian Retail
9.15 AM
Welcoming Remarks
Fleur Brown, Chief Industry Engagement & Marketing Officer, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
9.15 AM
Keynote: Slav Tabachnik, National Generative AI Transformation Partner, Deloitte
9.45 AM
Fireside Chat: The Changing Face of QSR and Food in the Retail Sector 2026
Hosted by: Fleur Brown, Chief Industry Engagement & Marketing Officer, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
In conversation with: Shane Bracken, Managing Director Australia & New Zealand, Subway
10.05 AM
Fireside Chat: Shaping our Future and Embracing Change
Hosted by: Chris Rodwell, CEO, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
In conversation with: Fiona Hayes, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, 7-Eleven Stores
Audience Q&A with Fiona Hayes
Morning Tea and Networking Break
10.30 AM – 10.45 AM
Leadership – Shaping the Future of Retail: Culture, Capability and Change
10.45 AM
Welcoming Remarks
Glenn Fahey, Chief Policy Officer & Chief Economist, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
10.50 AM
Fireside Chat: In Conversation with Aleks Spaseska
Hosted by: Chris Rodwell, CEO, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
In conversation with: Aleks Spaseska, Managing Director, Kmart Group
11.10 AM
Fireside Chat: Partnership That Delivers – Faster Options, More Choice
Hosted by: Gary Starr, EGM – Parcel, Post & eCommerce Services, Australia Post
In conversation with: Jere Calmes, Chief Executive Officer, THE ICONIC
11.30 AM
Fireside Chat: Authentic Leadership – Building Culture and Impact through People
Hosted by: Nathalie Rosette-Barber, Chief Operating Officer, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
In conversation with: Simone Van Veen, Chief Member Officer, Rest Super
11.45 AM
Fireside Chat:
Hosted by: Fleur Brown, Chief Industry Engagement & Marketing Officer, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
In conversation with: Scott Fyfe, Chief Executive Officer, David Jones
Audience Q&A with Scott Fyfe
Lunch and Networking Break
12.10 PM – 1.00 PM
CONNECTED COMMERCE – Retail Media in Action: Where Brands, Data and Customers Converge
1.00 PM
Welcoming Remarks
Laura Cordero, Director Marketing, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
1.20 PM
Panel: Trust, Attention and Influence – The Media Forces Shaping Retail in 2026
Hosted by: Darren Woolley, Chief Executive Officer, TrinityP3
In conversation with:
– Jane Huxley, Chief Executive Officer, Are Media
– Nathan Powell, Co-Founder, Product and Strategy Officer, Fabulate
– David Roddick, General Manager, Active International Australia
– Lizzie Young, Chief Executive Officer, Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA)
1.50 PM
Fireside Chat: AI Unleashed: Driving Faster Decisions and Superior Customer Outcomes
Hosted by: Laura Cordero, Director Marketing, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
In conversation with: Leslie Lorenz, Head of Retail Americas, Snowflake
2.25 PM
Fireside Chat: Signals, Strategy and Success: Unlocking Full-Funnel Impact with Retail Media 3.0
Hosted by: Willie Pang, Country Manager, Amazon Ads
In conversation with:
– Kasey Jamison, Head of Endemic Ads, Amazon Ads
– Marni Crookes, Digital, Media and Content Director, Mars Pet Nutrition ANZ
Afternoon Tea and Networking Break
2.45 PM – 3.00 PM
IMPACT – Purpose, Planet and Profit: Sustainable Retail in Practice
3.00 PM
Welcoming Remarks
Kenny Heatley, Principal Media Advisor, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
3.05 PM
Keynote: Sustaining BCorp in an AI World
Christelle Young, Managing Director, T2 Tea
3.20 PM
Panel: Waste Not: Retail’s Role in a Sustainable Future
Hosted by: Ryan Swenson, Founder & Managing Director, InPact Advisory
In conversation with:
– Scott Edwards, Associate Director Sustainability, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Australia
– Alice Kuepper, Head of Sustainability, Winning Group
– Richard Pittard, Chief Sustainability Officer, Australia Post
3.50 PM
Fireside Chat: Energy as a Strategy – A Fireside Conversation with Coco Republic
Hosted by: Gareth Mann, Managing Director, MTA Energy
In conversation with: Tim Schaafsma, Chief Executive Officer, Coco Republic
4.10 PM
Fireside Chat:
Hosted by: Ainsley Simpson, Chief Executive Officer, Seamless
In conversation with:
– Rebecca Hard, Group Retail CEO, The Sussan Group
– Angela Winkle, Chief Customer Officer, RM Williams
4.30 PM
Day One Closing Remarks:
Chris Rodwell, CEO, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
ARC Launch Celebration
Join us for an evening of celebration, connection, and cocktails as we toast the launch of the Australian Retail Council – a united voice for retail.
4.35 PM
Day Two, Thursday 26 February
8.00 AM
Opening Remarks
Chris Rodwell, CEO, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
8.10 AM
Keynote: Inside the World’s Best Stores: What Winning Retailers Do Differently
Trent Rigby, Director, RC Advisory
8.25 AM
Panel: Landscape for Leaders – Economic, Consumer and Community
Hosted by: Fleur Brown, Chief Industry Engagement & Marketing Officer, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
In conversation with:
– Kosmos Samaras, Director, Strategy and Analytics, RedBridge Group Australia
– Dr Adam Triggs, Partner, Mandala
– Trent Rigby, Director, RC Advisory
RETAIL INNOVATION – The Next Frontier: Technology and Ideas Transforming Retail
8.55 AM
Welcoming Remarks
Fleur Brown, Chief Industry Engagement & Marketing Officer, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
9.00 AM
Fireside Chat: From AI to Experience – The Next Frontier in Retail
Hosted by: Chris Rodwell, CEO, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
In conversation with: John Gualtieri, Managing Director, Officeworks
9.50 AM
Keynote:
Vince Koh, Global Head of Digital Commerce, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
10.05 AM
Fireside Chat:
Hosted by: Fleur Brown, Chief Industry Engagement & Marketing Officer, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
In conversation with: Sharon Mc Vicker, Omni Area Manager, IKEA Australia & New Zealand
Morning Tea and Networking Break
10.25 AM – 10.40 AM
RESILIENT RETAIL – Retail Under Pressure: Crime, Cyber Threats & Resilience
11.20 AM
Welcoming Remarks
Amy Lynes, Senior Workplace Relations Consultant, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
11.25 AM
Fireside chat: Leading Through Retail Crime: Balancing Safety, Service, and Resilience
Hosted by: Chris Rodwell, CEO, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
In conversation with: Anthony Shiner, Chief Customer Officer, Consumer, Optus
11.45 AM
Keynote: Designing Out Retail Crime: From Defensive Hardening to System-Level Collaboration
Prof Michael Townsley, Professor, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University
Lunch and Networking Break
12.45 PM – 1.30 PM
RETAIL TECH – AI Unleashed: From Supply Chain to Storefront
1.30 PM
Welcoming Remarks
Gary Mortimer, Professor of Consumer Behaviour and Retail Marketing, Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
1:35 PM
Keynote: How Retail will Harness the Power of Next Generation 2D Barcodes
Maria Palazzolo, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, GS1 Australia
2.10 PM
Panel: Putting AI to Work: Empowering Teams, Customers and Operations
Hosted by: Gary Mortimer, Professor of Consumer Behaviour and Retail Marketing, Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
In conversation with:
– Mark Cripsey, Chief Digital & Technology Officer, Wesfarmers Health
– Harshu Deshpande, Vice President, Product and Engineering Lead, Publicis Sapient
– Rachael McVitty, Chief Customer Officer, Bunnings Group
Afternoon Tea and Networking Break
2.55 PM – 3.15 PM
CUSTOMER & BRAND – The Experience Economy: Engaging Customers, Building Brands
3.15 PM
Welcoming Remarks
Alethea Eckersley, Director Member Relations, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
3.20 PM
Keynote: From Transactions to Trust: The New Economics of Experience
Michele Levine, Chief Executive Officer, Roy Morgan
3.35 PM
Panel: What Customers Are Telling Us about the Sensory Reality of Physical Retail
Hosted by: Fleur Brown, Chief Industry Engagement & Marketing Officer, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
In conversation with:
– Emma Beardsley, Autism Consultant Research & Practice, Aspect
– Marcelle Harrison, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Kmart Group (Kmart & Target)
– Natalie Phillips-Mason, Founder and Chief Ally, Inclusive Change
– Natalie Warren-Smith, General Manager – Customer and Marketing, Stockland
4.05 PM
Fireside Chat:
In conversation with: Alice Champion, Head of Retail Operations, LUSH
4.25 PM
Day Two Closing Remarks:
Chris Rodwell, CEO, Australian Retail Council (ARC)
2025 Leaders Forum Gallery
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE
If you’d like to work alongside us and make a positive difference to the Australian retail industry, please get in touch. We’d welcome the opportunity to understand your vision and develop a program where you will receive the maximum exposure and benefit from your investment.
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Acknowledgement of Country
ARC acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we live, learn and work. We pay our respects to their elders past and present, and recognise Australia’s First Nations’ peoples as Australia’s first traders with a sophisticated network of trading paths that have facilitated the exchange of goods, knowledge and culture for millennia.
