KENDRA BRACKEN-FERGUSON
Co-Founder of LumiNicole Beauty

Kendra Bracken-Ferguson is an internationally acclaimed thought leader, award-winning executive, and best-selling author at the forefront of influencer-driven brand building. A digital media pioneer and three-time founder with two exits and over $30M raised, she has helped monetize and scale more than 200 beauty, fashion, and lifestyle brands—many powered by influencer partnerships—with a collective impact exceeding $100M in revenue. She is the co-founder of LumiNicole Beauty, a next-generation retail marketplace, and previously launched the first blogger management agency, Digital Brand Architects (DBA). She also helped establish Ralph Lauren’s social media footprint as the brand’s first Director of Digital Media.Through her brand development and investment firm, BrainTrust, Kendra has led strategy, licensing, and social media for talent and global companies including Halle Berry, Kelly Ripa Home, Under Armour, Cantu Beauty, and Dear Drew by Drew Barrymore.

CAROLYN D’ANGELO
Senior Managing Director of Brand Operations at Gordon Brothers

Carolyn D’Angelo has been a leader in both public and private companies for over 30 years, specializing in strategic marketing, licensing, and brand building among the best brands and celebrity talents in the home industry. Carolyn has worked with retailers across multiple distribution channels. She has industry connections across a variety of businesses, including retail, brand management, marketing agencies, education, and licensing. In her current role at Gordon Brothers, Carolyn is Senior Managing Director, Head of Brand Operations. Carolyn leads global operations under an asset-light model for the firm’s portfolio of brands. She focuses on new business development, securing and managing licensee and retail partners, marketing and product design. As former President of Laura Ashley (a Gordon Brothers portfolio company), she led the team that developed and expanded categories and geographies within the iconic British brand’s consumer home and fashion sectors. In addition, she spearheaded tentpole marketing campaigns. After creating tremendous value, Gordon Brothers sold Laura Ashley in December 2024, showing a closed loop transaction for the brand division. She currently oversees the eponymous fashion and lifestyle brand Nicole Miller, which became part of the portfolio in February 2022. She also manages the Broyhill brand which will be reintroduced to the market in Spring 2026. Prior to joining Gordon Brothers, Carolyn was President of Home at Marquee Brands, responsible for the Martha Stewart, Emeril Lagasse and Sur La Table brands. She created value for Marquee’s investors by growing the equity of these brands and developing new products, new market, and new content to keep the brands relevant to the market.

ANDREA FISHER-SCHERER
Managing Director of Merchandise Licensing at Artists Rights Society

Andrea Fisher Scherer is a merchandise licensing expert specializing in fine art copyright, with a BA in Art History from Pratt Institute and an MA in Art Market Studies from the Fashion Institute of Technology. At the Artists Rights Society, she has spent over ten years managing high-profile licensing collaborations, most recently including Alexander Calder x PUMA, Lee Krasner x Ulla Johnson, and the Louise Bourgeois x Sandro collections. With a dedication to protecting visual artists’ rights, Andrea brings strategic vision and a keen eye for partnerships that honor artistic legacy while expanding brand reach.

MELISSA GONZALEZ
Retail Expert and Author

Melissa Gonzalez is a pioneering force in the world of experiential design, widely respected for her ability to help brands forge meaningful connections with customers in both physical and digital spaces. A Principal at MG2, a global architecture and design firm, and Shareholder at Colliers Engineering and Design, Melissa leads the charge in developing cutting-edge retail strategies that blend brand storytelling with immersive customer experiences. Her journey began on Wall Street, where she sharpened her analytical and business acumen working in institutional equity sales. Fascinated by the evolving relationship between brands and consumers, she left finance to pursue her passion for creating dynamic retail experiences. In 2009, she founded The Lionesque Group, a firm specializing in conceptualizing and executing pop-up retail environments. Under her guidance, The Lionesque Group quickly became a go-to partner for global brands seeking to craft interactive, retail environments that captured consumer attention and fueled brand loyalty. Gonzalez authored the Pop-up Paradigm: How Brands Build Human Connections in a Digital Age, heralding a wave of pop-ups for luxury and specialty, long-lease and weekend drops. New York Business Journal named her one of “10 New York Executives to Watch in 2023,” Path to Purchase Institute included her among their 2023 Women of Excellence Winners, and Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) called her one of “25 Most Influential Women Leaders of 2022.”

LESLIE ANN HALL
CEO and Founder of Iced Media

Leslie Ann Hall is the CEO and Founder of Iced Media, the agency she made famous for helping to build, grow and exit some of the most beloved beauty brands in the world. She has guided Iced Media to become peerless in its acumen using social content, creators and ads. Leslie is the foremost expert on social media advertising and social shopping in the United States. For two decades, brands ranging from L’Oréal, Walmart, Paula’s Choice, Moroccanoil, SkinCeuticals, Neutrogena, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Glow Recipe and so many more have relied on Leslie and Iced Media to compete and win in the increasingly saturated beauty, wellness and lifestyle categories. Iced Media is a Meta Business Partner, Snapchat Business Partner, TikTok Marketing Partner and with the launch of TikTok Shop in 2023, Iced Media became one of the first badged TikTok Shop Partners in the U.S.. Iced Media’s pioneering approach has propelled Leslie Ann Hall to become one of the most sought after thought leaders across beauty and retail to educate and inform on the future of social shopping. Leslie is a trained public speaker contributing to top industry outlets including The Business of Fashion, Women’s Wear Daily, ShopTalk, CEW and more. Through Iced Media, Leslie supports organizations that align with her values; she is a CEW Small Business advisor and Andreessen Horowitz TxO mentor. Leslie is a mom of two boys and a devoted beauty junkie, audiobook reader, jogger and yogi.

NICOLE MILLER
Founder of Nicole Miller

Nicole Miller became a household name in 1991 when top supermodels Naomi Campbell,
Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, and Yasmin Le Bon all walked in her very first fashion show. That following year the trailblazer graced the cover of Forbes magazine for her renowned success. By 1996 Miller hit a major milestone with $100 million in sales. Nine years later, distribution exploded with the introduction of nicole by Nicole Miller at JCPenney. Over the past 40+ years, her distinctive style has earned her a loyal following among consumers, celebrities, and industry professionals. In 2019 she became one of the longest showing designers at New York Fashion Week. Everyone from Miley Cyrus and Beyonce to Angelina Jolie has worn Nicole Miller. She is a CFDA member and has been the recipient of numerous industry awards, including the Legend of Fashion Award (2006), Fashion Group International Lifetime Achievement Award (2012), the Visionary Woman Award (2014), and Fashion Designer of the Year at Hamptons Fashion Week (2022).

VIOLA NIGRONI
Head of Licensing at Elle and Elle Decor, Americas

Viola Nigroni is the Vice President and Managing Director of ELLE and ELLE Decor in the Americas where she leads licensing and brand expansion across categories from fashion and beauty to home and hospitality. With 15+ years of global experience at Lagardere, Paramount, Hasbro, and Warner Bros., she specializes in creating cross-sector partnerships that grow iconic brands and reach new consumer demographics.