Conference Agenda

8.30 – Registration 

9.30 – Main Stage: Welcome from the GCVA

Gail Cohen, Director General, GCVA
Adam Hobbs, Managing Director, Motivates & GCVA Co-Chair
Siobhan Moore, Partner, Keystone Law & GCVA Executive Co-Chair

9.50 – Main Stage: A Word from SVS our Lead Sponsor

Malc Berg, VP Business and Account Development, Stored Value Solutions (SVS)

10.00 – Main Stage: An Overview of the Retail Environment UK

Amanda Myatt, Partner, Transaction Services, KPMG UK

10.30 – Main Stage: Gift Card Industry ’22 KPMG – GCVA Data Insight

Alastair Cowen, Data Analytics Manager, KPMG

11.00 – BREAK

12.00 – Main Stage: The Cost of the ‘Cost-of-Living Crisis’:

How it has impacted the industry – for better or worse!

Chair: Adam Hobbs, Managing Director, Motivates
Panel: Jinesh Vohra, CEO, Sprive
Peter Dabrowa, CEO, Wonde
Annabel Le May, Senior Commercial Lead, Gift Cards and Concessions, John Lewis Partnership
Deji Damola, Director, EMEA Business Development, Fiserv Gift Solutions

12.15 (40 mins) GCVA 101: The Gift Card Ecosystem

Everything you’ve always wanted to know about gift cards but were afraid to ask! Supported by a video featuring industry experts. Kim will take attendees on a gift card tour.

Presented by: Kim Dinan, Head of Gift Cards, LEGO Retail

12.40 – Main Stage: SVS International Market Overview

Jenny Parris, Chief Revenue Officer, Stored Value Solutions (SVS)

13.00 – LUNCH

14.15 – Main Stage: Charity Spot: The Trussell Trust, supporting food banks throughout the UK

Win a lastminute.com Tour de France experience

14.15 (40 mins) – GCVA 101: The Changing Landscape of Digital Value 

Making sense of digital, virtual, and cryptocurrencies

Chair: Aron Alexander, Founder & CEO, WeGift
Panel: Ben Rabb, COO, USA Division, BitCard
Paul Swinton, co-CEO & Co-Founder, B4B Payments
Miranda Graesser, Head of Gift Cards & Sainsbury’s Energy, Sainsbury’s Group

14.30 – Main Stage: Keynote Speaker: Em Stroud

Laugh, Think, Play More… for Life and Business Success

Don’t miss this empowering session with Em – actor, speaker, presenter, clown. Every audience member will go away with ideas on how they can shift their perspective on showing up in their life and work.

15.15 – BREAK

16.00 – Main Stage: Sector Update: Top of the Gift Card Pops

What’s Hot? What’s Not! Join this interactive session and you decide

Presenters: Heather Rogers, Senior Director, eCommerce, Blackhawk Network;
Malc Berg, VP Business and Account Development, Stored Value Solutions (SVS)

16.00 (30 mins) – GCVA 101: B Corp

What’s it all about? And how can it help your business? A B Corp expert will provide first-hand experience of achieving B Corp certification

Speaker: Bill Alexander, Chairman, Motivates

16.20 – Main Stage: The Continual Rise of B2B in the Gift Card Industry, and Value it Delivers in partnership with IMA Europe

This European panel will focus on the exponential growth of B2B, and how to sustain it.

Chair: Andrew Johnson, CEO, Retail & Corporate, Diggecard
Panel: Hollis Thornton, Vice President Client Success, TOTUS
Stoytcho Vlaykov, Managing Director, Cashwave
Stephanie MacNeill, Senior Commercial Manager, Tesco Bank & 3rd Party Gift Cards
Husain Makiya, CEO, YOUGotaGift

16.30 (40 mins) – GCVA 101: Around the World in 30 Minutes

What’s new, what’s in, what’s out – what is shaking the territories all about?

Chair: Todd Tomlin, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder, Ncentiva
Panel: Julie Barbier-Leblan, Founder & CEO, Merit Incentives
Keith Brand, Co-Founder TOTUS Gift Card Management and Co-Founder TheGiftCardCentre.co.uk
Heather Rogers, Senior Director, eCommerce, Blackhawk Network

8.30 – Registration

10.00 – Main Stage: Musings on the Retail Sector – Customers, Key Opportunities & Challenges

Speaker: Don Williams, Partner – Retail Sector, KPMG

10.25 – Main Stage: State of the Nation 2023
Launch and highlights of the annual GCVA CONSUMER WHITE PAPER

Speaker: Joseph Robinson, Director of Consulting, GlobalData

10.45 (30 mins) – GCVA 101: Psychology of Gifting
Gift-giving activates regions of the brain associated with pleasure, social connection, and trust. Join this interactive session to explore the need to tap into why people really give. And how tapping into these emotional factors increases spending, feelings of success and enhanced wellness.

Speaker: Lisa Lloyd, Psychologist and Psychotherapist, Founder, It’s Time for Change

10.45 – Main Stage: What’s in a Name…Gift Cards, More Than Just a Gift

Launch of the GCVA industry White Paper. Gift cards in 2023 are highly likely not to be a gift, or even a card, so how is the industry changing and does this effect everything we do?

Chair: Steve Leigh, Director, PR Agency One
Panel: Alex Preece, CEO & Co-Founder, Tillo
Miranda Graesser, Head of Gift Cards and Sainsbury’s Energy, Sainsbury’s Group
Eoin Whyte, Chief Revenue Officer & Co-Founder, Savvy
Dan Brookman, CEO, Toggle & Airship
Lucio Marazzi, European Partnership Director, lastminute.com

11.30 – BREAK

12.10 – Main Stage: The Skills Challenge
How has the skills market changed? What are the opportunities and challenges? Do we have the right workforce?

Speaker: Eoghan Thompson, Director of Skills & Learning, KPMG

12.15 (30 mins) GCVA 101: Legal & Legislation

Industry legal legend Siobhan Moore makes sure you are across all the latest information

Speaker: Siobhan Moore, Partner, Keystone Law & GCVA Executive Co-Chair

12.30 – Main Stage: Role of Gift Cards in Attracting and Retaining the Best People

Gift cards play such a key role in the reward and retention space, but what more can we do? And how are we adopting the same philosophy for our people?

Chair: Briony Robertson, VP of People, Tillo
Panel: Molly Pemberton, Group Director of Retail, Reward Gateway
Chris Ronald, VP EMEA Incentives, Blackhawk Network
Kathy Heath, CEO, Healthy Minds Club
Eoghan Thompson, Director of Skills & Learning, KPMG

13.15 – LUNCH

14.15 – Main Stage: Charity Spot: The Trussell Trust, supporting food banks throughout the UK

Win an Inspire Europe Ltd getaway to Mallory Court Country House Hotel & Spa

14.30 – Main Stage: Commerce in the Metaverse – Preparing for a New Reality

Aron and guests discuss ‘Metaverse Moments; and D2A (direct-to-Avatar) commerce. Is your brand ready?

Chair: Aron Alexander, Founder & CEO, WeGift
Panel: Nick Rosa, Metaverse Strategy Lead Europe & Growth Market, Accenture
Noelle Reno, Global Marketing Director, SmartMedia Tech
Ashumi S, CEO & Founder, MAD Global

15.00 – Main Stage: Growing and Sustaining the B2C Ecosystem…

It’s official – customers love gift cards, physical and digital. So, what more can we do to grow this profitable channel?

Chair: Glenn Sizer, Head of Prepaid & Subscription, Currys
Panel: Dan Miller, Commercial Operations Manager, M&S B2C Gift Cards
Rob Coulstock, Commercial Development Director EMEA, InComm Payments
James Malia, Managing Director UK & Ireland, Prezzee
Katie Wilkinson, Managing Director, Jigsaw Business Solutions

15.45 – Main Stage: GCVA Executive Round Up
Top takeaways and predictions for the future with the GCVA board

16.15 – Main Stage Close

16.15 – Afternoon Tea and Final Networking

17.00 – GCVA Conference Close