Technology & eCommerce

The big picture matters, but so do the details. And that’s where our Hives come in. The topic-specific Hives allow you to engage in 2-way conversations with senior peers to brainstorm and overcome the challenges that most impact your job function. The RetailFest Hives are only accessible to our VIPs, by invitation only, to ensure an engaged, senior-level group of participants.

Hive members will benefit from:

Dynamic roundtable discussions resulting in a plethora of real world ideas to experiment with in your own organisation.
Deep-dive workshops sharing practical, tried-and-tested roadmaps to tackle your next big challenge

What is the Technology & eCommerce Hive?

The Technology & eCommerce Hive is designed for technologists grappling with conflicting priorities and challenges: limitations caused by legacy systems, the clamour to leverage emerging technologies, an increasingly demanding customer, the spotlight on tech spend and ROI, and increasing buzz around the metaverse.

Over the course of the day you’ll hear from our stellar speakers, spend quality time in workshops and 1:1s with your Hive.

The Hive – Who is it for?

Chiefs/Directors/Heads/Managers of Technology, eCommerce, Architecture, Engineering, Platforms & Digital Platforms

2023’s Innovators

Paul Sims

Chief Architect, Primark
As part of their on-going digital transformation, Paul and his team at Primark are overcoming the gravitational pull of legacy systems and launching new and exciting capabilities to establish a platform for innovation

Darryl Beckford

Chief Architect – eCommerce & Digital, John Lewis Partnership
Daryl and his team are at the centre of delivering the technology roadmap to enable John Lewis and Waitrose to deliver next-level personalisation capabilities

Catherine Luscombe

Director of Technology, The Body Shop
Catherine aligns The Body Shop’s business strategy with their technology roadmap to deliver future-ready capabilities designed to meet the on-going challenges of an omnichannel world

James Ewens

Director, Open 24 Seven
James has been instrumental in building the technology roadmaps for multiple eCommerce brands, most recently bringing next generation AR/VR capabilities to Furniturebox and now returning to Open 24 Seven to empower the next phase of growth.

Bettina Donmez

Senior Manager e-Commerce Platform Development, Puma
Bettina’s mission is to build strategies and teams that pave the way for the transformation of digital capabilities. At Puma, Bettina plays a key role in their move towards headless eCommerce and adopting microservices

Charles Howell-Morley

Head of Digital Technology – Performance & Commercial, Co-Op
Charles and his team occupy a unique position in Co-Op, providing the data and actionable insights into the cost, value and performance of the digital technology and data function across the Co-Op business, acting as a conduit between executive management and end users

Martin Tavener

CTO – HCL Commerce EMEA, HCL Software
Martin advises many of HCL’s eCommerce clients on both technical and business strategy. As a senior leader in the worldwide development organisation Martin has direct influence over the product vision, strategy, and roadmap of HCL’s Customer Experience portfolio.

Andy Knowles

Head of UK&I Retail, CPG & Hospitality, UST
With 30+ years of experience working for two UK high street retailers, Andy Knowles excels in all aspects of leadership in IT and customer contact centre development. Skilled in leading teams and driving change, he specialises in multi-sourcing, outsourcing, and off-shoring, and in particular delivering successful transformations in the retail industry.

Nistaar Chandhok

Senior Manager, ChannelAdvisor
Nistaar has 10+ years of experience in ecommerce and digital marketing specialising in marketplace implementation and digital strategy. As a trusted advisor and sales leader in Europe, Nistaar combines technical expertise with a strategic vision, delivering actionable insights and real-world success stories.

Richard Barber

Strategic Account Director, ChannelAdvisor
As part of ChannelAdvisor’s Strategic Accounts organisation, Richard works with some of the world’s biggest brands across multiple verticals including fashion, consumer electronics and CPG to automate and optimise their eCommerce operations. Having been with ChannelAdvisor over 6.5yrs he has seen the role of marketplaces explode in importance and performance for brands looking to increase cross-border trade.

Ket Patel

Personalisation Director, Virgin Media

Elliott Newsham

Commercial Manager, Peak

Giancarlo Morini

Commercial Manager, Peak

Paul Johnson-Barnett

VP, Operations, Maisonette

Simon Raynes

Co-Owner & Business Change, Riverford Organic

Ntola Obazee

Trading Director, Emma Bridgewater

View all our speakers

As a Hive you’ll deep dive into:

Leveraging new technologies while being tethered to the monolith
Moving towards MACH and headless eComm – what you need to know and how to manage it
Empowering agile technology teams to think big, start small and fail fast
Aligning business strategy, customer expectations and technology transformation
Delivering a future-proof technology roadmaps with capabilities to capitalise on future opportunities… fast

View the agenda