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Voice of the Retail Revolution

We have partnered with the most forward-thinking leaders — from CEOs to analyst — to bring to light the latest trends, understand how our ever-changing industry is evolving, discuss the challenges that new technologies present, and rethink how high-quality retail real estate can best be used to meet the needs of local communities.

Featured webinar: Sustainability and Luxury Retail: Opponents or Allies?

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Stephanie Benedetto Stephanie Benedetto
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Fashion has the power to solve the world's water crisis.

Stephanie Benedetto, CEO/Founder, Queen of Raw

About Stephanie

Stephanie Benedetto is the Co-Founder of Queen of Raw, a marketplace to buy and sell unused textiles, keeping them out of landfills and turning pollution into profit. Prior to starting Queen of Raw, Stephanie worked as a lawyer in the fashion, media/entertainment, start-up, and technology industries and co-founded a sustainable textile manufacturing facility. Stephanie is a 2020 Inc. Female Founders 100, a Cartier Women's Initiative Laureate, an MIT Solve - Circular Economy Solver, a Climate Change Finalist in Mohammed bin Rashid Initiative for Global Prosperity, and an LVMH Innovation Award Finalist.

Kirsten Lee

Kirsten Lee SVP, Director Luxury Leasing at Brookfield Properties

Kirsten oversees the strategic direction for Brookfield Properties’ high-street retail portfolio (New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami) and manages our relationships with global luxury maisons such as Kering, LVMH, Richemont, Hermès, and CHANEL. Kirsten is experienced in implementing leasing strategies for AAA, premier, large-scale shopping centers, mixed-use projects, and downtown urban centers. She recognizes luxury and high-street retail trends, translating them to experiential merchandising curation and placemaking.

Past Webinars

Deborah Weinswig

Deborah Weinswig, Founder and CEO of Coresight
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People want to be around people...and where better to do that than the mall.

Deborah Weinswig, Founder and CEO of Coresight Research

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About Deborah

Deborah Weinswig is the CEO and Founder of Coresight Research, a leading research and advisory firm that focuses on the intersection of retail and technology. She is a recognized retail industry expert and thought leader whose global perspectives and insights are regularly featured in national business publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Barron's, as well as on Bloomberg TV and CNBC.

From 2014 to early 2018, Deborah served as the founding Managing Director of Fung Global Retail and Technology (FGRT), the research arm and Think Tank for The Fung Group. Her deep knowledge and understanding of global retail and emerging technology trends were fostered through her extensive banking career, which included 12 years as Head of the Global Staples & Consumer Discretionary Team at Citi Research, as well as senior research positions at Bear Stearns and Morgan Stanley.

Deborah is a Certified Public Accountant and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She serves on the board of directors for GUESS?, Inc., Kiabi, and Xcel Brands, Inc. One of her greatest accomplishments in 2020 was founding RetailersUnited, a nonprofit dedicated to SME retailers and fashion brands that have been impacted by COVID.

 

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Meredith Darnall

Meredith Darnall SVP of Business Intelligence & Strategy

Meredith is a Senior Vice President of Business Intelligence & Strategy at Brookfield Properties. She oversees the analysis of external market dynamics to provide strategic recommendations on their impact to our retail real estate business model. Meredith established the Brookfield Properties’ proactive insights department and spearheads efforts in applying emerging technologies and trends that drive success to the company’s regional shopping centers.

Melissa Gonzalez

Melissa Gonzalez Melissa Gonzalez
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It's the intangible and deeply sensorial moments that happen in a physical setting that create not just happiness but true customer fandom.

Melissa Gonzalez, CEO of the Lionesque Group, an MG2 Company

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About Melissa

Melissa Gonzalez is an award-winning innovator, seasoned visionary, and brand storyteller. She is the CEO of The Lionesque Group, an MG2 company, pioneering the integration of physical environments and cutting-edge technologies to help companies such as Purple, Nordstrom, and Burrow foster foundational consumer engagement and evolve their offerings. In 2017 she led the invention of IRL, in real life, with the Brookfield Properties team as an early mover in creating turnkey retail platforms connecting real estate developers and leasing teams with some of the fastest-growing direct-to-consumer brands in the industry.

In 2020, her work with Burrow House was honored by Fast Company’s Innovation by Design for Retail Environments. In 2019 she was honored with ‘Women In Design’ award of the year by Contract Magazine and was recognized as one of LinkedIn and design:retail’s “Top 10 Retail Design Influencers of the Year”. 

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Michelle Isabel

Moderated by Michelle Isabel Regional Vice President, Brookfield Properties

Michelle focuses on growing Brookfield Properties' retailer portfolio in the Atlanta area. Her proudest professional achievement was being asked, by Senior Leadership, to develop and implement Brookfield Properties Black-Owned Business Initiative which will bring diversity to our shopping centers, better reflecting the local communities they serve and grow black-owned businesses in our physical spaces.

One-on-one with Melissa Gonzalez

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Voice of Retail Melissa Gonzalez Voice of Retail Melissa Gonzalez
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Why Customers Will Return to Brick-And-Mortar

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