Retail Asia Summit - November 20, 2024

Kanaiya Parekh is an expert at Bain & Company’s Retail, Performance Improvement, Customer Strategy & Marketing and Results Delivery® practices.

He holds more than 20 years of end-to-end retail experience, which encompasses global sourcing, merchandising, online, supply chain, store operations and risk management. He has honed his experience across the UK, India, China and Australia.

In his role at Bain, Kanaiya specializes in advising retail organizations across APAC and EMEA on various issues at both the strategic and execution levels. In particular, he focuses on developing and executing revised value propositions to improve customer experience and overall profitability by focusing on improvement levers across the value chain, including the change management program. 

Prior to joining Bain in 2018, Kanaiya led the global sourcing division at both Debenhams and Target Australia. Previously, he was with Tesco for 16 years, where he held various positions in the UK and India.

He holds bachelor’s degrees in history and economics from the University of London.

Hui Zhu is an Associate Partner and member of Bain & Company’s Retail and Advanced Analytics practices.

She has worked with many of the top retail companies in Southeast Asia, across grocery, quick-service restaurants, department stores and fashion. Her work spans a wide range of topics, including strategy, revenue acceleration, marketing optimization, operating model, and digital transformations. She also has deep expertise in AI transformation, working with global leaders to develop AI strategies and build cutting-edge applications and solutions.

Beyond her client work, she contributes extensively to growing the South East Asia retail practice and developing firm IPs in AI and Generative AI. She is also a Vector champion, having worked extensively with FWRD, I&D, and AAG to bring the best of Bain to clients regionally. She is also passionate about coaching and developing the next generation of firm leaders through coaching and mentorship.

Prior to joining Bain, she worked at various Tech firms, including Meta, Branch Metrics and a payment tech startup, playing multiple roles across product management, growth marketing, product strategy, and data science. She graduated from the University of Cambridge with a B.A in Economics and holds an MBA from The MIT Sloan School of Management.

In her personal time, Hui is passionate about dancing, painting, playing board games, and travelling, and is always open to trying new things.

Quan Yao is a Senior Analyst (Channels) at Euromonitor International, leading research for the Retail and Digital Consumer sectors in Southeast Asia. He has a keen interest in the impact of retail digitalisation and evolving business models, and its implications for businesses and consumers within the region. 

Over his time in the company Quan Yao has engaged and advised clients on the industries’ competitive landscape, market trends & strategic outlook through his analysis on Euromonitor's Passport database, external publications, and client and industry conference engagements. He is the Co-Author of Euromonitor’s “Top 100 Retailers in Asia Pacific 2021” White Paper, and his sector commentary has been featured on prominent regional publications such as Singapore Business Review, Tech in Asia and DealStreetAsia. 

Quan Yao holds a Bachelor of Business Management degree with a Double Major in Operations Management and Analytics from the Singapore Management University. 

Mário Braz de Matos is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Flying Fish Lab, the Controlled Disruption™ company.
His journey of nearly three decades in the field across 5 continents is marked by exciting contributions in FMCG, technology and brand services industries. Having worked at Unilever, Nokia, as well as running entrepreneurial ventures like Cookwork, the world’s largest online chef community, the brand maverick combines a challenger mindset with a passion for results.
He has worked in 35 countries, lived in over 10, and is known for his cultural adaptability and strategic expertise. A polyglot, Mário is fluent in Portuguese, English, Spanish, and French, with a sprinkling of Dutch and Mandarin. A power networker, he enjoys connecting with and learning from people of different industries, backgrounds and perspectives. 
During his corporate career, Mário won several Marketing awards, including the Global Marketing Activation Grand Prix, during his tenure at Nokia and multiple Golden Triangle awards for driving exceptional business growth at Unilever. 
Mário is also an Executive Trainer at The Marketing Institute, where he has trained executives and delivered various Marketing and Brand related courses for companies. Mário graduated from the Nova School of Business and Economics in Lisbon.
 

As the APAC Marketing Solutions Lead at TikTok, Trixie drives thought leadership in ecommerce and crafts compelling stories to help brands grow with TikTok's performance marketing solutions. Prior to TikTok, she spearheaded innovative B2C campaigns such as Southeast Asia's first Super Brand Day while at Shopee, a leading ecommerce marketplace. When not strategizing, you can find her growing her slow fashion business dearsamfu.com with her twin sister, a passion project born out of her love for her Chinese heritage.