Speakers

Opening Keynote Conversation

State of Retail:

Leadership, Market Risk and the Future of Retail

Paul Zahra in conversation with Craig Woolford

A senior industry conversation examining where Australian retail stands today, the market risks and strategic choices facing the sector, and the leadership decisions shaping its future.

Paul Zahra

Former CEO David Jones, 

Former CEO Australian Retailers Association, 

Chair and Non-Executive Director. 
A leading Australian retail executive and board director with over 30 years’ experience across retail transformation, governance and industry advocacy.

Craig Woolford

Senior Consumer Discretionary & Retail Analyst

MST Marquee

Featured 2026 Speakers

The 2026 conference programme brings together senior leaders from retail, technology, supply chain, grocery, store transformation and industry advisory to examine the priorities shaping retail execution across Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

Erica Berchtold

Chief Commercial Officer

David Jones

Bernie Brookes AM

Chairman 

AFGC

ShiSh Shridhar

Global Director, Retail & CPG Startups

Microsoft Corporation

Thu Ya Kyaw

Senior Developer Advocate

Google Cloud

Juanita Neville-Te Rito

Managing Director and Founder

RX Group

Martin Stirling 

Chief Executive Officer 

Master Grocers Australia 

Linda Johansen-James

CEO/ Founder 

International Retail Group

Peter Jones

Managing Director

Prological and The Iconic

Andrew Hoyne

Founder & Principal

Hoyne

Nick Gray

Founder / CEO

IGU GLOBAL

Dean Salakas

Partner

Retail Doctor Group

Adam Posner

CEO

The Point of Loyalty

Elvin Tan

Principal

ElvinTan Design

Gary Mortimer

Professor

QUT

MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED

ShiSh Shridhar

Global Director, Retail & CPG Startups

Microsoft for Startups

ShiSh Shridhar is the Global Director for Retail & CPG Startups at Microsoft for Startups. With nearly three decades at Microsoft, he has spent more than 15 years working alongside the world’s leading retailers and brands to address complex business challenges using AI, machine learning, agentic systems, and emerging technologies. He is known for championing disruptive retail innovation and helping founders scale through cloud and emerging technologies, and is recognised among the RETHINK Retail Top Retail Experts and RTIH Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers.

Keynote:

Agentic AI in Retail:

From Task Automation to Business Autonomy


How agentic AI is redefining retail,

 including:

  • The shift from task automation to autonomous decision-making
  • What makes an AI system truly agentic
  • Multi-agent architectures across merchandising, marketing, and supply chain
  • Transforming customer experience, operational efficiency, and competitive advantage

Thu Ya Kyaw

Senior Developer Advocate

Google Cloud

Thu Ya Kyaw is a Senior Developer Advocate for Google Cloud. At Google, he helps make learning, developing, deploying, and scaling applications on Google Cloud a delightful experience for everyone. He is passionate about using AI to solve real-world problems and enjoys sharing practical insights with global audiences.

Keynote:

Google AI Innovations

for the Retail Industry


How AI is transforming retail,

including:


Generative AI

Visual & product discovery

 Image & video generation

Virtual try-on & personalisation

Past Speakers from RSA 2025

Martin Skinner

Managing Director

Tailor Inc

Matthew Hill

Senior Vice President Business Development

SSP Asia-Pacific

Maegan Attwood

Compendium

Group

Kelly Cundell

Compendium

Group

Jay Whitmore

Country Manager

Pacific

Peter Wilson

Managing Director

The Shopper Collective Pty Ltd.

Nicole Venter

Stakeholder Engagement Manager

SaCSA

Taddeo Zanga

Principal Consultant & Founder

Work Made Simple Pty Ltd

Mick Moore

Founder & CEO

Scalene

Andy Baker

Chief Operating Officer

ZKONG

Professor Gary Mortimer

Prof: Marketing and Consumer Behaviour

QUT Business School

Russ Bai

Business Development Manager

Temu

James Wu

Founder / CEO / Board Member

Zappy

Phil Prosser

CEO & Founder

FeedbackASAP

Doris Yang

Partnership Manager

WorldFirst