January 11: Opening Party
January 12–14: Conference & Expo
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center | NYC
CEO, The Store – WPP, Chairman BAV
WPP
David started his career at the House of Commons working for a member of the UK Parliament. He swapped politics for the cut and thrust of advertising then Kingfisher’s B&Q, sitting on the main board of directors as UK and International Marketing Director. David was on the management team leading B&Q’s international expansion to Eastern Europe and Asia including China where he lived in Shanghai for a while.
David is the CEO of The Store, The WPP Global Retail Practice, and Chairman of BAV. David leads WPP BAV, the world’s largest brand equity platform. David is an acknowledged expert in Branding and Consumer change in China. He is a leading authority on digital and Artificial Intelligence in retail.
David has authored a number of books including, “The History of Retail in 100 Objects”, “Smart Shopping - How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming the Retail Conversation”, “The Thoughts of Chairman Now”, “The Third Era of Digital Retail”, “The China Dream”; “Brand Stories” celebrating the enduring power of iconic brands. “Do you hear what I hear” Why brands have a crucial role to play in our voice-activated digital future. His latest book "LOOK - A Book of Changes," is a pictorial reflection of China over the past 10 years.
David is also the author and presenter of a number of documentary films on “Changing China”, “Open Sesame - the Birth and Rise of Alibaba” and a landmark series of interviews with global retail leaders from across the world.
David is a former board member of China-Britain Business Council and a non-executive director of VSBLTY Technology Group a specialist in computer vision.
12:00pm - 12:30pm
Javits North, Level 4, Logicbroker Stage
Some think that artificial intelligence will lead us toward a future of techno-retail, one of bots and algorithms, and agents selling and shopping with nary a human in sight. Others see a future where AI supports and deepens human-to-human interaction that has always been at the heart of retail. Join PacSun, Albertson’s and Schwarz Gruppe (Lidl and Kaufland) in a free-wheeling discussion around how artificial intelligence will augment decision-making at all levels, lift the burden of mundane tasks and allow smart retailers to listen more deeply to their shoppers and converse with them in a more personal and persuasive way.