2025 Agenda
09:15– 10:25 > Registration and networking breakfast
10:30 – 10:35 > Welcome remarks
Panos Linardos, Chairman, RLC Global Forum
10:35 – 10:40 > Opening keynote
Regina Corradini D’Arienzo, CEO & General Manager, SIMEST
10:40 – 10:45 > Opening keynote
Adolfo Urso, Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy
10:45 – 11:10 > Unlocking Expansion in the Gulf’s Evolving Fashion Economy
As luxury and fashion demand accelerates across the Gulf, new entry points and expansion models are taking shape. This session explores the current realities of operating in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, from policy frameworks to luxury retail ecosystems. What do global brands need to know to navigate, scale, and seize the region’s growth momentum?
Speakers
Shane Eldstrom, CEO, United Developers, Qatar
Georges Barakat, Head of Market & Commercial Strategy – Retail, Local Real Estate Investment Division, PIF, KSA
Moderator
11:10 – 11:40 > Frontier Markets: Fashion’s Emerging Growth Engines
As stagnation persists in mature markets, emerging economies are offering fresh momentum and are becoming the new engines of value fashion growth. Leaders are scaling by aligning agility with affordability, and brand clarity with cultural reach. How far can emerging markets take value fashion, and what models will define the scale of that opportunity?
Speakers
Jaume Miquel Naudi, Chairman & CEO, Tendam, Spain
Fabio Adegas Faccio, CEO, Lojas Renner S.A., Brazil
Moderator
Erika Andreetta, EMEA Fashion Luxury Leader, PwC Italy
11:40– 12:00 > Leading in the Age of Intelligent Fashion
AI is moving to the center of fashion’s strategy, shaping how houses design, serve, and protect their brands. From clienteling and product development to supply chain resilience and counterfeit protection, intelligence is redefining the very mechanics of growth. Should CEOs double down on efficiency, on creativity, or on intimacy with clients—when intelligence itself is fast becoming the new competitive currency?
Speaker
Emanuela Prandelli, PhD, LVMH Professor of Fashion and Luxury Management, Bocconi University
12:00 – 12:10 > Special address
Daniela Santanchè, Minister of Tourism
12:10 – 12:40 > Reimagining Prestige and Desirability in a Supercharged World
In today’s landscape of endless access and choice, wonder, “meraviglia”—not just visibility—has become the ultimate luxury. This conversation examines the luxury market, the relevance of craftsmanship and manufacturing talents and how Italian brands such as Santoni create an enduring sense of prestige, artistry, desirability, and emotional resonance. What keeps audiences captivated when everything is within reach?
Speakers
Giuseppe Santoni, Executive Chairman, Santoni
Stefania Lazzaroni, CEO, Altagamma
Moderator
Filippo Bianchi, Managing Director & Senior Partner – Global Luxury Lead, BCG
12:40 – 13:10 > Inside the Middle East’s Growth Playbook
The Middle East is emerging as a key market of long-term growth for global fashion, shaped by sovereign capital, cultural vision, and rising consumer power. In this fireside conversation, Michael Chalhoub explores how the region is building next-generation ecosystems for scale, relevance, and influence. What’s the state of the industry in this dynamic region, what does it take to win, and how can international brands align with this momentum to secure long-term relevance and scale?
Speaker
Michael Chalhoub, CEO, Chalhoub Group, UAE
Interviewer
Panos Linardos, Chairman, RLC Global Forum
13:10 –13:20 > Official closing address
Elena Lorenzini, Deputy Head of Cabinet of Minister Urso – Head of the Fashion Roundtable – Judge of the Court of Auditors
13:20 – 14:30 > Networking lunch*
14:45 > Finale
*Lunch will be curated by Enrico Bartolini, MUDEC’s celebrated three-Michelin-star chef