Faced with an ever-evolving consumer marketplace and retail landscape, licensing executives will get a chance to gain insights from an exciting panel of top merchants and brand experts during the Executive Keynote Panel that will kick off Licensing Expo 2015, sponsored by LIMA and owned and organized by UBM Advanstar.

The keynote session takes place on Tuesday, June 9 from 8-9am and marks the start of the 2015 Licensing Expo in Las Vegas. The hour-long discussion, Where Is Retail Headed, and How Will We Get There? will feature:

Richard Barry, Executive Vice President, Chief Merchandising Officer, Toys“R”Us, Inc. –A 30-year veteran of the toy chain, Barry is currently responsible for all merchandising initiatives for the company’s U.S. operations. He also leads the company’s Global Commercial Committee, which delivers a strategic approach to the organization’s key merchandising decisions around the world.

Dow Famulak, President, Global Brands Group Holding Ltd. – Famulak is President and an Executive Director of Global Brands Group (“GBG”) since May 2014, responsible for managing GBG’s business operations globally. In 2000, he joined Li & Fung and assumed various senior management roles in Asia, Europe and the United States before moving into his role at GBG.

Mike Fitzsimmons, Founder & CEO, Delivery Agent Inc. –A recognized expert on commerce and convergence, Fitzsimmons is a trailblazer in shopping-enabled media, powering contextual commerce for major television networks, device manufacturers, recording artists, and hundreds of brands and advertisers.

Lisa Harper, CEO, Hot Topic Inc. –A career retailer, Harper leads the company’s 950 Hot Topic and Torrid stores across the U.S. and Canada. She previously was Board Chairman of Gymboree Corp., and, prior to that, held various merchandising and design positions at several apparel chains.  Click here for full bios of panelists.

LIMA Senior VP Marty Brochstein will moderate the keynote discussion, which is open to all registered Licensing Expo attendees.

– See more at: http://www.licensing.org/news/licensing-expo-2015-keynote-panel-to-focus-on-future-of-retail/#sthash.GbD1lmsA.dpuf