20th Annual Retail & Luxury Goods Conference
Intersections: Retail Rewrite
Manhattanville, New York, February 21st, 2026
Redrawing boundaries takes more than vision, it takes conviction. The milestone 20th Retail and Luxury Goods Conference will celebrate those who dare to blur, bend and break the lines in an industry that reveres legacy. These are the innovators, the boundary-pushers, the ones who didn’t wait for permission.
Their stories offer an outline for those brave enough to write our own.
Check In & Coffee
Early Private Market by Normal New York
Culture xx Commerce
Break
Founding xx Operating
Lunch, Networking & Private Market by Normal New York
Break
Heritage xx Evolution
Break
Break
Aspiration xx Access
Goodie Bag Handout
*Conference name tag required
Amanda Smith, CEO of Fairchild Media
Theme: Culture xx Commerce
Amanda Smith oversees the global portfolio of Fairchild Media Group, including Women’s Wear Daily (WWD), Footwear News (FN), and Sourcing Journal, and has spent more than two decades leading transformation across major B2B and B2C media brands. Her keynote will examine shifting consumer behavior, the changing media landscape, and her career navigating and influencing the global fashion and retail ecosystem.
Moderated by James Fallon, Chief Content Officer, Fairchild Media Group
Maxine Clark, Founder of Build-A-Bear, in conversation with Sharon Price John, CEO of Build-A-Bear
Theme: Founding xx Operating
Maxine Clark, who founded Build-A-Bear Workshop in 1997, built one of the most recognizable experiential retail brands in the world. Sharon Price John has served as CEO of Build-ABear since 2013 following executive roles at Stride Rite Children’s Group and Hasbro, where she led major children’s and toy-category businesses. Together, they will discuss the evolution of an entrepreneurial concept into a global retailer. Their conversation will highlight how the original vision behind such a beloved brand adapts, scales, and transforms under new leadership while remaining anchored in its core creative and consumer principles.
Moderated by Emma Hincliffe, Most Powerful Women Editor
Noura Sakkijha, CEO & Co-Founder of Mejuri
Theme: Aspiration xx Access
Noura Sakkijha founded Mejuri in 2015 with a direct-toconsumer model that reimagined modern fine jewelry and expanded the category to millions of consumers worldwide. Her session will delve into the intersection of aspiration and access, exploring how elevated craftsmanship, digital-first retail, and a rising self-purchasing culture can democratize luxury in an industry ripe for reinvention.
Moderated by Oliver Chen, Managing Director, TD Cowen & Adjunct Associate Professor, CBS
Shira Suveyke Snyder, CEO of Proenza Schouler
Theme: Heritage xx Evolution
Shira Suveyke Snyder became CEO of Proenza Schouler in 2024 after senior leadership roles at Shopbop, and Yoox Neta-Porter Group, bringing deep expertise in digital luxury and omnichannel strategy. Her keynote will center on the intersection of heritage and evolution, focusing on how legacy houses modernize through integrated consumer experience, digital innovation, and long-term brand building.
Moderated by Recho Omondi, Host of The Cutting Room Floor
AI xx The Retail Value Chain
Sponsored by Impact Analytics
An exploration on how Agentic AI is transforming the retail value chain through autonomous planning, real-time decision making, and advanced analytics. Panelists will discuss real-world use cases already generating results, including dynamic pricing agents that respond instantly to demand shifts and replenishment agents that anticipate needs before stockouts occur. The conversation will examine how these capabilities are redefining planning, execution, and organizational productivity across retail operations.
Sponsored by Impact Analytics, a category-leading AI solutions company that partners with retailers to deliver next-generation forecasting, pricing, and operational intelligence.
Tradition xx Innovation
Sponsored by the Luxury Education Foundation
This session explores the dynamic tension between tradition and innovation in the luxury field, from preserving savoir faire to developing new approaches, how do luxury brands balance innovation with a storied past.
Sponsored by the Luxury Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization, that cultivates the next generation of luxury leadership through transformative programs that provide access, belonging, and connections to a global community of accomplished executives and iconic brands.
Retail xx Investing
A discussion of topics key in investment decision-making process and central to the retail investing landscape, representing diverse perspectives from venture capital to investment banking.
Consumption xx Circularity
A discussion on the intersection of retail and circularity, and how circularity is driving sustainability across the industry.
Founded in 1998, the Retail & Luxury Goods Club at Columbia Business School fosters engagement between students and the global retail and luxury industries. The club’s mission is to bring the most influential and forward-thinking leaders in retail and luxury to engage with the Columbia Business School community. The club includes more than 500 members across MBA, EMBA, and MS programs, supported by a network of more than 4,000 alumni.
Event Organizers
Adela Koenig
Co-President, RLG
CBS MBA Candidate '26
Terrence Thompson
Co-President, RLG
CBS MBA Candidate '26
Lorena Reyes
VP of Conference, RLG
CBS MBA Candidate '26
Susanna Scarlatti
VP of Conference, RLG
CBS MBA Candidate '26
Lexa Armstrong
VP of Conference, RLG
CBS MBA Candidate '26
Hana Chop
VP of Conference, RLG
CBS MBA Candidate '26
Catherine An
AVP of Conference, RLG
CBS MBA Candidate '27
Kristen Park
AVP of Conference, RLG
CBS MBA Candidate '27
Laura Romano
AVP of Conference, RLG
CBS MBA Candidate '27
Rhea Somaiya
AVP of Conference, RLG
CBS MBA Candidate '27
Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Gifting Sponsors
