The Financial Times will host the 13th annual Business of Luxury Summit on 14-16 May 2017 at the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz in Lisbon, Portugal. Chaired by FT editor Lionel Barber and co-chaired by fashion editor Jo Ellison, the summit will bring together leading industry executives, creatives and financiers to discuss how changes in manufacturing and trade have affected the global luxury market.
The 2017 summit will return to Europe at a time of extraordinary political, social and economic change. Lisbon in particular has emerged as one of Europe’s most dynamic and innovative cities. The summit will discuss craftsmanship, manufacture and the markets of the future, as well as the opportunities and challenges these bring to traditional brands and newer industry disruptors alike.
FT editor Lionel Barber said: “The manufacturing and trade of luxury goods has seen a sea-change in recent years. Craftsmanship is staging a comeback. This year’s Business of Luxury Summit will turn again to Europe, exploring how both new and established high-end brands are adapting to shifting consumer trends.’
Jo Ellison said: “There is tremendous excitement in the industry, with this year’s Summit taking a broad look at not only traditional skill sets within the industry, but at market changes, eastern-European disruptors, the evolution of manufacturing and much more”.
- John Ridding, Chief Executive Officer, Financial Times
- Souheil Badran, President, Alipay North America
- José Manuel Barroso, Chairman, Goldman Sachs International, Former President of the European Commission and Former Prime Minister of Portugal
- Gillian de Bono, Editor, How to Spend It, Financial Times
- Floriane de Saint Pierre, President and Founder, Floriane de Saint Pierre & Associates
- Robin Derrick, Executive Creative Director, Spring Studios
- Miroslava Duma, Founder, Buro 24/7
- Axel Dumas, Chief Executive Officer, Hermès International
- Nicolas Ghesquière, Artistic Director, Women’s Collections, Louis Vuitton
- Guram Gvasalia, Chief Executive Officer, Vetements
- Alex Illing, Chief Executive Officer, GES Export
- Marcia Kilgore, Founder, Beauty Pie
- Federico Marchetti, Chief Executive Officer, YOOX NET-A-PORTER
- Nuno Mendes, Executive Chef, Chiltern Firehouse
- José Neves, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Farfetch
- Angela Palmer, Artist
- Jean-François Palus, Group Managing Director, Kering
- Francesco Trapani, CEO, Bulgari
- Cyrille Vigneron, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cartier
- Martin Wolf CBE, Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times
Previous summits have been in San Francisco, Cannes, Vienna, Marrakech, Lausanne, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Shanghai, Venice, Tokyo, Monte Carlo, and Mexico City.
See the full 2017 FT Business of Luxury Summit agenda and list of speakers. Follow news about the summit via @FTLive and #FTLuxury.
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For further information contact:
Louise McKinlay
T: 0207 873 3316
E: louise.mckinlay@ft.com
About the Financial Times:
The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading business news organisations, providing a broad range of information, news and services for the global business community. It is recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. In 2016 the FT passed a significant milestone in its digital transformation as digital revenues overtook print revenues for the first time. The FT has a combined paid print and digital circulation of 845,000 and makes 60% of revenues from its journalism.