Head of Marketing, Events + Culture Forecasting
WGSN
Cassandra is a consumer forecaster and digital futurist. Her work looks at the evolving nature of human connection and how digital media and technology are reshaping culture and consumer identities and lifestyles.
Cassandra is an accomplished speaker appearing at The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France, NRF’s Big Show in New York, OnBrand in Amsterdam and Spikes Asia. Her work and opinions have been featured in Forbes, The Guardian, GQ, Vogue Business, Refinery29, BOF and many other major global outlets. Cassandra was named the host of WGSN’s Create Tomorrow podcast in 2024. Check out the latest episodes here.
Alongside WGSN, Cassandra is an adjunct professor teaching an assortment of undergraduate courses across a range of disciplines including trend forecasting, fashion writing and media studies at Long Island University (where she sits on the advisory board for its fashion programme) as well as FIDM/Arizona State. She has been a featured guest lecturer at Domus Academy in Milan and Parsons School of Design in New York.
Sunday Jan 11
1:00pm - 1:30pm
Javits North, Level 4, Mirakl Stage
In this session, Futurist Cassandra Napoli identifies the global drivers set to influence consumer behaviour by 2028. From the implications of fractured trust on the consumer landscape to a climate-impacted world and the rising importance of tactility within retail settings, she will explore both the domestic and global forces that will shape the business, social and cultural landscape in the years ahead.
Sunday Jan 11
11:55am - 12:15pm
Overview Lounge, Javits North, Level 5
A dynamic, interactive format where attendees can engage directly with NRF speakers: leading retail executives, experts in their field and technology innovators. These 20-minute sessions are an open mic opportunity for attendees with an All-Access Pass to ask their most pressing questions — whether about strategy, technology adoption, consumer behavior, talent or future trends. The topics discussed are decided by the audience-driven questions. These sessions are closed to press and off the record.
The session is designed to:
• Foster candid dialogue with industry leaders
• Surface real challenges attendees are facing in their businesses
• Provide practical insights that go beyond the prepared remarks of a keynote
• Encourage peer-to-peer learning as questions from the audience often spark ideas relevant to all
It’s less presentation, more conversation — an opportunity for attendees to hear personalized perspectives from the experts shaping the industry today.
