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.

Andrew was appointed CEO, Health & Beauty in November 2023, responsible for Guardian and Mannings’ businesses across all DFI markets. Andrew’s career spun from start-ups to the public sector and subsequently, to the business sector. He found his passion for business and entrepreneurship when he first ventured into the business world and has been ever since working to propel businesses towards excellence, innovation, and sustainability. Previously, Andrew had been CEO, Health & Beauty North Asia since 2021, responsible for Mannings’ businesses in Hong Kong, Macau and the Chinese mainland.

Prior to that, he was Group Chief Executive of Jardine Restaurant Group, overseeing the group’s businesses across Asia from 2018. He joined SSP Group in 2013 and was subsequently appointed Regional Managing Director responsible for developing the group’s multi-brand portfolio in Asia Pacific. Andrew also held various leadership roles at DFI and Pacific Coffee in the past. Andrew is also Chairman of MINDSET, a registered charity in Hong Kong founded by the Jardine Matheson Group devoted to making a positive and sustainable difference in mental health.

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.
 

Guillaume is a Partner at KPMG in Singapore. He has more than 25 years of experience in the tech industry with deep digital and customer experience expertise across the APAC region.

Prior to joining KPMG, he drove digital transformation, innovation and investments as Head of Strategy at Mediacorp between 2012 and 2017. He was subsequently appointed Head of Social to manage social media and digital marketing activities and build impactful campaigns.

Guillaume was previously a Partner and Managing Director with the strategy practice of Accenture, responsible for technology, media and telecom strategy clients in Southeast Asia.

He has spent more than 20 years in Asia, working in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Brunei, Vietnam, Philippines, Korea and China.

Recognised as a thought leader in the tech industry, Guillaume has published more than 15 articles and white papers on tech and innovation for various organisations and publications. He is invited regularly to present at industry events and conferences.

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.

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. 

Eucel is a Director of YCP Interactive Solutions Division based in the Philippines. He has over 13 years of experience working for Forbes 500 companies (Coca-Cola, Reckitt Benckiser, Mondelez, Mead Johnson) in different roles across marketing, sales, market intelligence, e-commerce, and finance. He also has experience in the advertising industry, where he’s worked with top brands such as Samsung, Unilever, Heineken, and Nestle as they ran their regional campaigns. On top of that, Eucel serves on the board of various non-profit organizations.     

As the Head of Singapore and Global Retail Excellence at Love, Bonito, Chun Yan is dedicated to crafting a seamless customer experience across all of the brand’s global stores. She drives global retail excellence through strategic brand and marketing partnerships, ensuring scalability, and overseeing people training. Prior to Love, Bonito, Chun Yan has a colourful career with 6 years in DFS Group Limited, and her last stint in Sea’s Group COO/Co-founder’s Office. She is also passionate about personal growth and mentorship.

Christopher Ang serves as the CEO of GS1 Singapore, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to aiding companies in product barcode ID registration for international sales and trades. By enabling supply chain traceability/sustainability and enhancing patient safety across various sectors, including online and in-store retail and healthcare, GS1 plays a pivotal role in optimising efficiency and business communication globally with a commitment to fostering global standards. 

Christopher was formerly the Centre Director of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation - Centre for Corporate Learning.  He has headed the SSG-accredited ATO (Approved Training Organisation) / CET Centre (Continuing Education & Training Centre) in areas of productivity & HRD consultancy, sales & marketing, training delivery & operations, curriculum development and career services since 2013.  

Christopher brings with him 30 years of cross-functional leadership roles and experience. He is actively involved in proposing industry digitalisation, productivity & quality initiatives to various industries and companies, including medical, manufacturing, retail and online businesses. 

Christopher holds a Master’s in Technology Management.  He is an SSG DACE Certified Adult Educator and Certified Six Sigma Black Belt.  He was also a Certified Practising Management Consultant (PMC-SBACC), Certified Quality Engineer (CQE-ASQ) and Certified Project Management Professional (PMP-PMI) during his industry/consultancy days.