The Annual RLG conference is our flagship event bringing together industry leaders, students and professionals.

Each Spring semester, we look to address the most pressing issues in the retail and consumer sector. Our conference is open to the public and regularly draws 300+ attendees from around the world and across the industry. Programming spans various formats, including a half-day of sessions, networking reception, gift bag, and more. Below are the highlights from our conferences over the years.

Our corporate partners often look to our conference as a way to increase brand awareness and network with MBA students and industry practitioners. If you are interested in participating as a speaker, facilitator, gift bag contributor, or sponsor, please reach out to us.

PAST CONFERENCE THEMES AND SPEAKERS

2025

WHERE MATH MEETS MAGIC

Keynotes
Mickey Drexler (Chairman, Alex Mill; Founder, Old Navy; Founder, Madewell; Former CEO, Gap; Former CEO, J. Crew; Former Board Member, Apple)
Moderator: Lauren Sherman (Special Correspondent, Puck News)

Jonathan Simkhai (Founder, Simkhai)
Moderator: Naomi Elizee (Senior Fashion Editor, Vogue)

Raissa Gerona (Chief Brand Officer, Revolve)
Moderator: Oliver Chen (Managing Director, TD Cowen)

The Magic of Luxury

  • Camille Bruc (Vice President of Omnichannel Customer Development & CRM, Hermès)

  • Rick Corcoran (General Manager, Baccarat Hotel)

  • Catherine Santos (Head of Personalization, Ferrari)

  • Moderator: Alessandra Baker (Director, Luxury Education Foundation)

Advanced Analytics

  • Hanna Bang (Vice President of Lifecycle Marketing, L'Oreal)

  • Manuel Neto (Vice President of Global Analytics & Data Science, Capri Holdings)

  • Lisa Pillette (Global Chief Marketing Officer, Fossil Group)

  • Denise Wallen-Grant (Head of Planning, MoMA Retail)

  • Moderator: Prithvik Kankappa (COO, Impact Analytics)

Retail Reignited

  • Anne-Marie Albracht (Director of Public Relations, Reformation)

  • Rachel Abeles (SVP of Customer and Revenue Growth, Bloomingdale’s)

  • Lindzie Simmons Lawrence (Senior Manager of Global Buying and Planning, Coach)

  • Moderator: Michael Ghory (Retail & Luxury Goods Consultant)

Investing in Retail

  • Basil Alomary (Principal, Head of Growth & Research, Stripes)

  • Daniel Bloomgarden (Managing Director, JP Morgan)

  • Moderator: Catherine Nekavand (Partner, Alix Partners)

2024

HERITAGE REIMAGINED

Keynotes
Ari Hoffman (CEO of North America, Ted Baker)
Amanda Baldwin (CEO of Olaplex)

Omni-Channel: Technology

  • Amanda Bacal (SVP and Global Head of Marketing at JOOR)

  • Amish Tolia (Co-CEO & Co-Founder at Leap)

  • Kat Kim Choroco (Former Head of Industry - Retail at Google)

Omni-Channel: Branded Experience

  • Kirsten Anderson (VP, eConmerce Channel at Luxottica)

  • Mario Graniel (VP, Omnichannel & Supply-Chain at Fendi)

  • Mimi Fukuyoshi (SVP & GMM, Retail & Wholesale at Tom Ford)

Careers

  • Ashley Smalls (Early Talent Career Lead at Ralph Lauren)

  • Hayward Williams (SVP, Global HR & HR Operations at Tapestry)

  • Kristy Hurt (Founder of Co-Lab & Kristy Hurt Consulting)

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

  • Gabrielle Royal (AVP, DEI at Victoria’s Secret)

  • LaToya Williams-Belfort (Executive Director at 15% Pledge)

  • Susan Akkad (SVP, Corporate Innovation at Estee Lauder)

Sustainability (Presented by LEF)

  • Carl Poulter (Head of Supply Chain & After Sales at CHANEL)

  • Frederick Martel (SVP, Sales/Business Development at MycoWorks)

  • Vanessa Clemendot (Chief Supply Chain Officer, North America at L’Oreal)

Founders

  • Armando Cabral (Founder & Supermodel of Armando Carbeal)

  • Emily Erkel (Founder of Le Prix)

  • Eshita Kabra Davies (Founder of By Rotation)

2023

CAPTURING THE FUTURE

Keynotes

Stefan Larsson (CEO, PVH Corp)

Anushka Salinas (President & COO, Rent The Runway)

Next Gen Customer Engagement (Millennial, Gen-Z, Web3)

  • Kavita Gupta (Founder & GP, Delta Blockchain Fund)

  • Emily Culp (Principal, ECH Ventures)

  • Olivia Landau (Founder & CEO, The Clear Cut

Sustainability

  • Emily Rudman (Founder & CEO, Emilie Heathe)

  • Gourav Soni (CEO, 64 Facets America)

  • Michelle Gabriel (Graduate Program Director for Sustainable Fashion at GCNYC)

  • Logan Duran (VP, ESG Strategy at Tapestry)

Retail Tech

  • Silja Kim (Chief Business Development , Breezm)

  • Brian Berger (CEO/Founder, Mack Weldon)

  • Arpon Ray (Senior Principal & COO, Coefficient Capital)

  • Payal Shah (Founder & CEO, L' Dezen & Psylish)

New Paths for Luxury

  • Neda Whitney (Head of Marketing,Christie's Americas)

  • Michael Cabe (Director of Customer Experience, Steinway & Sons)

  • Liz Bacelar (Executive Director Global Tech Innovation, Estee Lauder)

2022

RETAIL AND THE NEW NORMAL

Keynotes

  • Robert Chavez (President & CEO, Hermès of Paris, Inc)

  • Scott Malkin (Founder & Chairman, Value Retail PLC)

  • Mortimer Singer (Managing Partner, Traub)

Data & Innovation

  • Matthew Kelleher (Head of Digital Marketing Transformation, Google)

  • Becca Mignanelli (VP of E-Commerce, Coach)

  • Paolo Pedersoli (Senior Partner & Deputy Manager for Internationalization, Jakala)

  • Moderator: Leila Jalai (VP of Retail Planning & Replenishment, Estée Lauder Companies)

Sustainability

  • Kristy Caylor (Co-Founder & CEO, for Days)

  • Cécile Lochard (Chief Sustainability Officer, Guerlain)

  • Indré Rockefeller (Co-Founder, Paravel)

  • Moderator: Stephen Picard (Associate Managing Director, Publicis Sapient)

Experiential Luxury

  • Noora Raj Brown (SVP of Communications & Brand Marketing, goop)

  • Mario Ortelli (Managing Partner, Ortelli & Co.)

  • Edward Padron (VP, LaFORCE)

  • Moderator: Joel Bines (Managing Director, AlixParters)

2021

The Future of Retail

Keynotes

  • Federico Marchetti MBA ’99 (Chairman, YOOX Net-a-Porter Group)

  • Lauren Claquin (President, Kering Americas)

The Future of Retail

  • Anushka Salinas MBA ’10 (President & COO, Rent the Runway)

  • Claudia Cividino (CEO, Loro Piana North America)

  • Erwan Rambourg (Luxury analyst and author of Future Luxe)

  • Moderator: Erica Kasel (Managing Director, Traub)

The Power of Diversity

  • Casandra Diggs (President, CFDA)

  • Corey Smith EMBA ’01 (Head of Diversity & Inclusion, LVMH North America)

  • Lindsay Peoples Wagner (Editor in Chief, Teen Vogue & Co-Founder, The Black in Fashion Council)

  • Moderator: Pamela Brown (Partner, McKinsey & Company)

The Acceleration of Digital

  • Emily Essner MBA ’09 (Chief Marketing Officer, Saks Fifth Avenue)

  • Laura Holman (Global Vice President of Direct-to-Consumer Sales, Oscar de la Renta)

  • Shar Caesar Douglas MBA ’13 (Head of Creator Marketing EMEA, Youtube)

  • Moderator: Carlos Trad (Director of Global Business Strategy, Planning, and Analytics, Google)

2020

THE FUTURE OF RETAIL: 20/20 VISION

lOW mEMORIAL lIBRARY AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY


Keynote Fireside Chat

  • Anish Melwani (Chairman & CEO, LVMH North America)

  • Moderator: Catherine White (Brand Director, Dom Pérignon)

Reconciling “New” vs. “Established” Luxury

  • Mimi Fukuyoshi (SVP & GMM, U.S. Retail & Wholesale, Tom Ford)

  • Trisha Gregory (Co-Founder & CEO, Armarium)

  • Valérie von Ferstel (Retail Talent Development Director, Moet Hennessy)

  • Christine Dagousset (Global Long-Term Development Officer, Chanel)

  • Moderator: Sarah Willersdorf (Managing Director & Partner, Global Head of Luxury, Boston Consulting Group)

Keynote

  • Mercedes Abramo (President & CEO, Cartier North America)

Exploring Beauty Inclusivity

  • Alisa Metzger (Co-Founder, Inn Beauty Project)

  • Susan Akkad (SVP of Local & Cultural Relevancy, Corporate Innovation, Estée Lauder)

  • Neha Govindraj (Co-Founder, President & COO, Glowbar)

  • John Gates (Senior Vice President, Global Retail and Travel Retail, Moroccanoil)

  • Moderator: Giovanna Campagna (Founder, La Curuba Beauty)

Keynote

  • Jeffery Fowler (President, Americas, Farfetch)

The Disruption of Health & Wellness

  • Caroline Gogolak (Vice President of Retail, SoulCycle)

  • Charlotte Duleyrie (Vice President of Marketing, Daily Harvest)

  • Kate Twist (Co-Founder & CEO, Ever/Body)

  • Amanda Baudier (Vice President of Business Development, Sakara Life)

  • Moderator: Ellie Burrows Gluck (CEO, MNDFL)

Entrepreneurship - FOUNDING AND FUNDING IN THE CONSUMER SPACE

  • Carly Bigi (Founder, Laws of Motion)

  • Sierra Tishgart (Co-Founder, Great Jones)

  • Violet Gross (CEO & Co-Founder, Tulerie)

  • Merri Smith (COO & Co-Founder, Tulerie)

  • Moderator: Andrea Hippeau (Principal, Lerer Hippeau)

Keynote

  • Philippe Pinatel (SVP & Global General Manager, M·A·C Cosmetics)

Wine reception sponsored by LVMH

2019

CONNECTING THE DOTS

lOW mEMORIAL lIBRARY AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY


How Kering is transforming its Business Model through Sustainability

  • Marie-Claire Daveu (Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of International Institution Affairs, Kering)

  • Introduced by Alessandro Carlucci (Chairman of the Board, BSR)

Investing in Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle Brands

  • Nick Brown (Managing Partner, Imaginary Ventures)

  • Scott Birnbaum (Founder, Red Sea Ventures)

  • Moderator: Meghan Cross Breeden (Managing Partner, AmplifyHer)

The Luxury of Wellness

  • Jason Wachob (Founder & CEO, mindbodygreen)

  • Poppy Jamie (Founder, Happy Not Perfect; Co-Founder, Pop & Suki)

  • Hillary Peterson (Founder & CEO, True Botanicals)

  • Rebecca Parekh (Founder & CEO, The Well)

  • Moderator: Soraya Darabi (Co-Founder & General Partner, Trail Mix Ventures)

Exploring Beauty’s Next White Space

  • Jane Hertzmark Hudis (Group President, The Estee Lauder Companies)

  • Moderator: Sarah Brown (President, Sarah Brown Advisory; Contributing Editor, Vogue; Columnist, Business of Fashion)

Envisioning the Future of Retail

  • Jeffery Fowler (President North America, Farfetch)

  • Matt Alexander (Co-Founder & CEO, Neighborhood Goods)

  • Moderator: Lokesh Ohri (Principal, Deloitte Consulting)

A Founder’s Roundtable

  • Isaac Ross (Founder & CEO, Solid and Striped)

  • Alexandra Van Houtte (Founder & CEO, Tagwalk)

  • Bridget Russo (CMO, Modern Meadow)

  • Moderator: Todd Breeden (Partner & Co-Founder, Tuhaye Venture Partners)

Meditation with Poppy Jamie

  • Poppy Jamie (Founder, Happy Not Perfect; Co-Founder, Pop & Suki)

The New Luxury

  • Marc Metrick (President, Saks Fifth Avenue)

    Wine reception sponsored by LVMH

Sponsors

Diamond: Saks Fifth Avenue
Platinum: Bain & Company, Denise Fasanello Flowers
Gold: Modern Meadow, Deloitte, Columbia Business School Office of Student Affairs, LVMH
Silver: The Luxury Education Foundation

2018

TAILORING RETAIL STRATEGY TO THE CONSUMER IN AN UNCERTAIN WORLD

Keynotes

  • Martin Croteau (President, Rimowa North America)

  • Jefferey Fowler (President, Farfetch North America)

What’s Keeping Luxury Brand CEOs Up at Night?

  • Maria Eugenia Giron (IE Business School)

  • Gourav Soni MBA’16 (CEO, 64 facets)

  • Professor Ketty Maisonrouge

Busting Myths on Retail’s Future

  • Milton Pedraza (CEO, Luxury Institute)

  • Sagra Maceira de Rosen MBA’96 (Chair of the Board, NAGA Group)

  • Bharat Khandelwal MBA’04 (Partner and Managing Director, Boston Consulting Group)

  • Moderator: Professor Keith Wilcox

New Decision-Making Tools in Retail

  • Jennifer Gootman (VP Social Consciousness & Innovation, West Elm)

  • Corey Moran (Head of Industry, Fashion & Luxury, Google)

  • Chaya Cooper (Founder and CPO, click2fit)

  • Prashant Agrawal MBA’98 (Founder and CEO, Impact Analytics)

  • Moderated by Karen Moon (Co-Founder and CEO, Trendalytics)

2017

RETAIL REALITY CHECK: NAVIGATING THE PATH FORWARD THROUGH DISRUPTION

Keynotes

  • Gaetano Sciuto (President, Fendi Americas)

  • Mary Beech (CMO, Kate Spade)

  • Emilie Arel Scott (CEO, Quidsi)

  • Henry Davis (COO, Glossier)

  • Nadine Ghosn (Nadine Ghosn Fine Jewelry)

  • Daniel Boulud (Daniel Boulud)

2016

Age of #mortartomobile

Keynotes

  • Mark Cohen EE’69 MBA’71 (Professor and Director of Retail Studies)

Luxury Marketing

  • Katherine Kim Choroco (Chanel)

  • Rachael Johnson (Moet Hennessey)

  • Ryan McIntyre (JackThreads)

  • Moderator: Tom Goodwin (Havas Media)

Dialogue on Beauty

  • Daria Burke (CVS Health - Beauty)

  • Kimberley Thomas (Bite Beauty for Kendo Brands)

Changing the Game in Retail

  • Michael Franklin (Oak Labs, Inc.)

  • Jared Schiffman (Perch Interactive)

  • Josh Wexler (RevCascade)

  • Moderator: William J. O’Farrell (Body Labs)

Winning through Content

  • Chris Anthony (POPSUGAR)

  • Lauren Crampsie (Ogilvy & Mather)

  • Jessica Schisano (Google)

  • Moderator: Louis Denny (EMBA Candidate, Columbia Business School)

Brand Strategy

  • Gabby Cohen (SoulCycle)

  • Melody Lee (Cadillac)

  • Nancy Tsuei (West Elm)

  • Moderator: Alden Lury (Kurt Salmon)

2015

THE NEW RETAIL EXPERIENCE

THE LIGHTHOUSE AT CHELSEA PIERS

Keynotes

  • Robin Lewis (Founder and CEO, Robin Report)

  • Jeff Chapin (Co-Founder and Head of Production, Casper)

  • Chris Fiore (CEO, Henri Bendel), introduced by Professor Mark Cohen EE‘69 MBA ‘71

  • Carole Silverman (CEO of the Americas, Caudalie)

The New Luxury Lifestyle

  • Lauren Remington Platt CC’06 (Founder and CEO, Vênsette)

  • Katina Moutanos (Co-Founder and CEO, Manicube)

  • Kerry Bennett (SVP of Marketing, DogVacay)

  • Moderator: Eliza Brooke (Associate Editor, Fashionista)

Technology & Premium Retail

  • Al Sambar (Managing Partner, Kurt Salmon)

  • Alan Tisch (Founder and CEO, Spring)

  • Clement Kwan (President, Yoox Corporation)

  • Moderator: Liz Bacelar JN‘06 (CEO and Founder, Decoded Fashion)

SPONSORS

Kurt Salmon, Toys R Us, BNP Paribas

gift bag participants

SoulCycle, Yoox, Toys R Us, Modern Luxury Manhattan, LUBLU, Sorrelli, Knowing Your Worth, Zoetik, Mott & Bow, Aromaflage, Wandering Bear
Coffee Company, Henri Bendel, Jack Erwin, Empowered by You, Closet Collective

2014

Retail Revolution

David Rubenstein Atrium at the Lincoln Center

Keynotes

  • Don Watros (President, Hudson’s Bay Company)

  • Andy Dunn (Founder and CEO, Bonobos)

  • Emmanuel Perin (President and CEO, Cartier North America)

  • Sarah Robb O’Hagan (President, Equinox)

2013

Retailing Unplugged: Innovate. Collaborate. Recreate.

Keynotes

  • Stephen M. Ross (Chairman and Founder, Related Companies)

  • Andrew Rosen (President and Founder, Theory)

  • Ronaldo Stern (Managing Director, H.Stern)

  • Rebecca Minkoff (Designer and Co-Founder, Rebecca Minkoff)

  • Uri Minkoff (CEO and Co-Founder, Rebecca Minkoff)

2012

BEYOND THE FOUR WALLS: RETAILING WITHOUT BOUNDARIES

Keynotes

  • Richard A. Baker (CEO, Hudson’s Bay Company)

  • Amy Shecter (President, C. Wonder)

  • Adam Saper (CFO, Eataly)

  • Julie Flakstad (Creative Director and Founder, Blow)