Archives: Speakers

Dr Claudia Conen has been Managing Director of the BDL (Federal Association of German Leasing Companies) since 2020. Previously, she headed the ‘Promotion Policy and SME Financing’ division at the Federal Association of German Public Banks. Dr Conen holds a doctorate in business law and was a member of the executive board staff unit, which reports directly to the executive board of the state-owned development bank KfW. At KfW, she was responsible for European affairs and financial market regulation. Prior to that, she worked in KfW’s legal department, where her responsibilities included ship and aircraft financing as well as infrastructure financing. Dr Conen is Vice President of the non-partisan Europa-Union Deutschland and spokesperson for its European Economic Policy Working Group. Additionally, she is a member of the European Commission’s EUROPE DIRECT Speakers Pool Team.

Wasilios Kiosoglou is a leading transformation and migration expert with extensive experience guiding organisations through complex leasing and financial services system modernisations. He specialises in navigating large-scale business and technology transformations, helping organisations successfully transition legacy landscapes while maintaining operational stability and business continuity. Combining deep expertise in finance, strategic development, and digital transformation, Wasi is known for his ability to align stakeholders, manage complexity, and turn ambitious migration programmes into sustainable business outcomes

Mark brings over 20 years experience in the foodservice, retail and FMCG sectors to GlobalData.  Mark joined the GlobalData team in 2017 following 5 years living in Canada where he was an insights leader for PepsiCo and strategy consulting leader for the NPD group.   In his role at GlobalData, Mark brings bold thought-leadership to global partners across the manufacturer, retailer and distributor segments; always striving to find new ways to create growth by positively influencing shopper behaviour.

Mark brings significant FMCG knowledge and expertise to the conference having led research around the world on topics from shopper segmentation, to category market sizing to innovation planning and the study of global best practices.

Mark will be chairing the conference whilst sharing his views on the changing nature of next generation product offerings, the demands and expectations of today’s consumer, and the innovations and trends that will shape the future…

Paul is currently Head of Insights for EMEA and Shopper at Beam Suntory, prior to that he was Global Head of Insights for Asahi, and also headed up Insights for Africa at Diageo and looked after Insights in the UK for Ferrero.   Paul has also held pure innovation roles, and has worked across a number of agencies.

Paul’s superpowers in research are around team leadership, cultural understanding and simplification – landing big insights in the simplest way possible to drive business change.

Claire Warner has worked in the drinks industry for more than 20 years, starting at the sharp end as a bartender and working her way up, spending 15 years with LVMH’s owned brand Belvedere as Head of Spirit Creation. Claire was awarded Best International Brand Ambassador at Tales of the Cocktail in 2015.

A tireless advocate for better health and wellness within the hospitality industry, Claire joined Ben Branson in 2018 to develop Seedlip’s sister brand, Æcorn Aperitifs, a range of non-alcoholic aperitifs, which launched in May 2019.

William has many years of industry experience, most recently creating award-winning spirits first in Africa and now back in his rural hometown, where he is the co-founder of Alkemy Distillery. Alkemy focuses on food miles and emissions avoidance through innovation, along with promoting UK agriculture and sustainable practices in a way that does not detract from the end product.