BoF VOICES 2024: Latest Speakers Announced

BoF VOICES 2024 will be livestreamed for BoF Professional, Executive and Student+ members. Register now to join us for the whole event or the sessions of your choice. A limited number of invitation-only tickets also remain to join us in person at Soho Farmhouse, Oxfordshire, UK. To request an invitation, please click here.

Now in its ninth year, BoF VOICES, our annual gathering for big thinkers, remains committed to our mission of uniting the movers, shakers and trailblazers of the global fashion industry with the thought leaders, entrepreneurs and inspiring people who are shaping the wider world.

We are delighted to announce the latest speakers from across the worlds of film, music, philanthropy, activism, contemporary art, architecture and design who will be joining us at Soho Farmhouse, from November 12 to November 15.

• Tina Brown is an award-winning author, journalist and former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Tatler and Talk.
• Fred Swaniker is the founder and executive chairman of the African Leadership Group and the founder and chief executive of Sand Technologies, an AI and data solutions company.
• Julie Bornstein is the founder and chief executive of Daydream, an AI-powered online shopping platform.
• Ruth Diaz is the vice president of Amazon Fashion, Europe.
• Mory Fontanez is an intuition coach and founder of consultancy agency Eight22 Group.
• Daniel Ervér is the chief executive of the H&M Group.
• Laurie Parsons is a reader in Human Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London, and studies how climate change is articulated through social, political and economic systems.
• Abiramy Sivalogananthan is the regional coordinator for South Asia at the global labour and social alliance non-profit Asia Floor Wage Alliance.
• Beto Bina is the chief executive of supply-chain specialised consultancy company FarFarm.
• Bandana Tewari is a lifestyle editor, sustainable activist and formerly the editor-at-large and fashion features director of Vogue India.
• Rosey Chan is a multimedia artist and founder of Sonic Apothecary, a wellness technology company that creates immersive sound experiences.
• Olya Kuryshchuk is the founder and editor-in-chief of global fashion education platform 1 Granary.
• Cleo Valentine is a University of Cambridge doctoral scholar, and director of research and development at Sonic Apothecary.

They join an outstanding line-up including top fashion designers Alessandro Michele and Simon Porte Jacquemus; CEOs including Valentino’s Jacopo Venturini, MyTheresa’s Michael Kliger, Skims’ Jens Grede and On’s David Allemann; activists Bethann Hardison, Nemonte Nenquimo and Clover Hogan, drag queen Nicky Doll and contemporary artist Salman Toor. You can find our full list of speakers here.

BoF VOICES 2024 will be livestreamed for BoF Professional, Executive and Student+ members. Register now to join us for the whole event or the sessions of your choice.

A very limited number of invitation-only tickets also remain to join us in person at Soho Farmhouse. To request an invitation, please click here.

BoF VOICES 2024 is made possible in part by our partners Shop with Google, Amazon Fashion, McKinsey & Company, Getty Images, Soho House, Blacklane and Penfolds. If you are interested in learning about partnership opportunities, please contact us here.

Tina Brown is a writer and the former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and Tatler. She was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by the Queen for her services to journalism in 2000, and inducted into the Magazine Editors’ Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2008, Brown launched and edited the digital news site The Daily Beast, which won the news website of the year award in 2012 and 2013. For a decade she organised and hosted Women in the World, with summits in New York, London and Delhi, and smaller salons throughout North America. In 2017 The Vanity Fair Diaries, her account of her editorship of Vanity Fair, was chosen as one of the best books of the year by a number of publications, In October 2024, Brown Launched a weekly Substack newsletter, “Fresh Hell: Tina Brown’s Diary.”

Fred Swaniker is the founder and chief executive of Sand Technologies, a global technology company that builds artificial intelligence-powered applications for companies and governments. Swaniker began his career at McKinsey & Company in Johannesburg, South Africa as a business analyst. After his tenure at McKinsey, Swanker co-founded Synexa Life Science, a bioanalytical services provider and research firm. In 2004, he founded African Leadership Group, an umbrella organisation that houses ventures and educational institutions including the African Leadership Academy in South Africa, designed to groom the next generation of African entrepreneurs. Swaniker holds degrees from Stanford University and Macalester College.

Julie Bornstein is the founder and chief executive of Daydream, an AI powered fashion search engine. Prior to Daydream, she founded THE YES, a venture-backed fashion recommendation app, which was acquired by Pinterest. Bornstein has also served as the chief operating officer and board member of Stitch Fix, Inc., a personal style service and online retailer from. She also held the role of chief marketing and digital officer of Sephora US where she led the creation of its loyalty programme, Beauty Insider. Bornstein helped launch Nordstrom.com in 1999, where she ran e-commerce for 5 years. She serves on the board of directors of Redfin, Weight Watchers and Sweetgreen and holds a degree from Harvard University.

Ruth Diaz is the vice president of Amazon Fashion Europe. She joined the business in 2011 and has held several marketing and retail leadership positions at Amazon Italy as well as leading the Home Innovation Program for Europe. In her current role as vice president of Amazon Fashion Europe, a position she took in October 2020, Diaz leads all aspects of the business, including the responsibility for growing Amazon Fashion selection and improving customer experience across Europe. Prior to joining Amazon, Diaz earned a degree in Business Administration at the Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain. Subsequently she gained considerable experience and expertise in business, fashion, entertainment and e-commerce working at Universal Pictures and PricewaterhouseCoopers in Spain. She became the chief executive at the online entertainment company Entradas.com and was at the helm of BuyVip, the online fashion company that Amazon acquired in 2010.

Mory Fontanez is the founder of Eight22 Group, a consultancy that helps organisations and public personalities elevate their consciousness. After a notable career as a crisis manager for Fortune 500 companies, Fontanez realised many leaders fail because they are disconnected from their intuition and purpose. As an intuitive leadership coach, Fontanez guides C-suite leaders, performers and other public personalities, to reconnect with their inner wisdom to successfully navigate change, challenges and growth. Her first book, “The All-Knowing You,” will be published by HarperCollins in February 2025.

Daniel Ervér is the chief executive of the H&M Group. He joined H&M in 2006 as a business controller at the design and buying office in Stockholm. His extensive knowledge of the H&M brand was built through experiences in key markets like Germany and the USA, as well as leading H&M’s home market in Sweden. Within the H&M head office, Daniel assumed several roles such as head of global sales and global buying director. In 2020, he took on the leadership role of chief executive of the H&M brand, and since January 2024, he holds the position as the chief executive for the entire H&M Group.

Laurie Parsons is reader in human geography at Royal Holloway, University of London. His work explores the nexus of climate change and the global economy, focusing on how everyday objects like garments, bricks and other goods connect environmental impacts around the world. He is the author of three books: Going Nowhere Fast (2020), Climate Change in the Global Workplace (2021), and Carbon Colonialism (2023), as well as numerous papers and reports highlighting how the global factory hides and exacerbates the impact of climate change, especially in the global South. His awards for this work include the 2020 Times Higher Education award for Research Project of the Year, and the 2024 Association of American Publishers award for book of the year in Economics.

Abiramy Sivalogananthan is the South Asia regional coordinator for the Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA), where she leads efforts to advance labour and gender rights across the region. As a PhD candidate in Transitional Justice, her academic pursuits complement her extensive fieldwork, which has transitioned from political movements to a deep focus on labour rights in South Asia. With several years of experience addressing systemic injustices in the garment industry, Sivalogananthan is committed to effecting transformative change in global supply chains, ensuring equity and justice for garment workers.

Beto Bina is the founder and chief executive of FarFarm, a consultancy specialising in responsible supply chains. Bina previously led the sourcing team at VEJA, focusing on rubber in the Amazon and agroecological cotton. He is a member of the advisory board of Fibershed Brazil, and a counsellor at Papel & Caneta. He holds a degree in Business Administration and a master’s in social impact and sustainability from IE New York College.

Bandana Tewari is a culture journalist and sustainability advocate and formerly, the editor-at-large of Vogue India for 13 years. She sat front row to a rapidly evolving industry and reported extensively on the global fashion industry. With her unrestrained and fiercely independent voice, understanding of socio-political dynamics of fashion and trademark forward thinking, she is considered one of India’s foremost authorities on fashion. Tewari’s pieces have appeared in publications such as The New York Times, US Vogue, British Vogue, ATMOS and several leading Indian journals — Mint Lounge, Platform and Take. In December 2017, she, along with documentary film-maker Andrew Morgan of The True Cost and Vanessa Friedman, spoke at the United Nations on the new handworker economy. She sits on the advisory boards of Nest and Redress Hong Kong and is special advisor to Copenhagen Fashion Summit.

Rosey Chan is a London-based multimedia artist and composer whose visionary work merges music, technology, and wellness. As a classically trained musician and entrepreneur, she founded Sonic Apothecary, a well-tech company that integrates sound and science to enhance well-being. Sonic Apothecary collaborates with leading experts to create soundscapes that promote mental and emotional wellness. At its core, it is a collective of innovators exploring how sound can transform environments and uplift well-being, delivering solutions across business, hospitality, and healthcare.

Olya Kuryshchuk is the founder and editor-in-chief of 1 Granary, a leading global fashion education platform and creative network. With a focus on fashion design, 1 Granary uses its print, digital content, events, recruitment, and brand development program to drive positive change in the fashion industry and provide practical resources for the next generation of creative minds. Through the unique designer network built through 1 Granary, Kuryshchuk is a leading expert in talent acquisition and development, scouting design talent and building holistic brand strategies that encompass design, production, communication, and marketing. She is also an associate lecturer at Central Saint Martins and a regular jury member at international design competitions.

Cleo Valentine is a systems designer and doctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge, whose work sits at the intersection of environment, neurophysiology, and human well-being. Her research focuses on neuroimmunology, exploring how spaces and sensory stimuli interact with the body’s nervous and immune systems. Valentine also leads Sonic Apothecary’s research and development team, overseeing clinical testing and validation of sound-based wellness interventions. Valentine is currently affiliated with the Spatial Cognition Lab at University College London and MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning. She is an alumna of the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, McGill University, and the University of Copenhagen.

Ravi Agrawal is the editor in chief of Foreign Policy. He is also the host of FP Live, the magazine’s video channel and podcast, on which he regularly interviews world leaders and policymakers. Before joining FP in2018, Agrawal worked at CNN for more than a decade in full-time roles spanning three continents, including as the network’s New Delhi bureau chief and correspondent. He has shared a Peabody Award and three Emmy nominations for his work as a TV producer, and his writing for FP was part of a series nominated for a 2020 National Magazine Award for columns and commentary. Agrawal is the author ofIndia Connected: How the Smartphone Is Transforming the World’s Largest Democracy. He is a graduate of Harvard University.

David Allemann is the co-founder and co-chairman of Swiss sportswear company On, which he founded alongside Caspar Coppetti and Olivier Bernhard. Allemann leads On’s product, marketing and direct-to-consumer teams. Previously, he served as chief marketing officer for furniture brand Vitra, and advised global clients in sports and media at McKinsey, where he also supported entrepreneurs through the McKinsey startup accelerator programme. Allemann holds a master’s degree in law from the University of Zurich.

Gilda Ambrosio and Giorgia Tordini are the founders of The Attico, a ready-wear label based in Milan. Since its launch in 2016, The Attico has been well received by style icons, top editors, and celebrities, resulting in numerous public appearances, red carpets, and special projects. In 2018, Archive acquired 49 percent of the brand to support its creative and business growth. In September 2023, The Attico hosted its first fashion show during Milan Fashion Week .The brand is currently distributed in over 200 retailers, boutiques, and concept stores worldwide.

Mitch Anderson is co-founder and executive director of Amazon Frontlines, a non-profit organisation based in the Upper Amazon, which defends Indigenous peoples’ rights to land and cultural survival. In 2011, he moved to Ecuador’s northern Amazon to start a grassroots clean water project with Indigenous communities living downriver from contaminating oil operations. Through building more than 1,000 clean water systems in over 70 villages, Anderson supported the formation of the Ceibo Alliance, an Indigenous-led non-profit that won the prestigious UN Equator Prize.

Gemma D’Auria is a senior partner at McKinsey & Company and the global leader of its apparel, fashion and luxury sector. Based in Milan with over two decades of consulting experience across the US, Middle East and Europe, D’Auria partners with company executives to create lasting change through holistic growth strategies, digital transformations, and capability building at scale. She regularly publishes insights relevant to the fashion, retail, and luxury sectors including McKinsey and BoF’s annual State of Fashion report, which she leads and co-authors.

Karl Sanchez is a French-born New-York based makeup artist, performer and Drag Queen under the name Nicky Doll. Sanchez hosted the French version of the acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race. Sanchez is also a commentator of the EuroVision Song contest and participated in the Olympic Torch Relay in Marseille. He co-wrote and co-created a four episode documentary “Les Voyages de Nicky” which explores the art and history of drag.

Lauren Santo Domingo is the co-founder and chief brand officer of luxury e-commerce platform Moda Operandi. Moda Operandi launched in 2010 with a runway pre-order model and a focus on emerging designers and brands. In 2023, Santo Domingo was named artistic director of Tiffany’s home collection. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for Moda Operandi and Save Venice Inc., a non- profit dedicated to the conservation of the arts in Venice, Italy. She previously served as an editor at American ce.

Jens Grede is the co-founder and chief executive of viral lingerie and loungewear brand SKIMS, currently valued at $4 billion. The brand’s innovative approach to the intimates and lounge category has amassed millions of customers since its launch in 2019. He is also the co-founder and Chairman of FRAME and a prolific investor in retail and media through his holding company Popular Culture. Prior to partnering with his wife Emma Grede and Kim Kardashian to launch the business in 2018, Grede founded Los Angeles-based FRAME with Erik Torstensson in 2012. Before that, the duo spent years working in fashion and media, serving as editors-in-chief of magazine Man About Town and launching Industrie magazine, before co-founding the marketing agency Saturday Group in 2003.

Bethann Hardison is a model, documentary filmmaker and activist. Hardison became one of the first high-profile Black models when she walked in the historic 1973 Battle of Versailles fashion show. She is also the founder of her namesake modelling agency, which has guided the careers of young models with a focus on diversifying the fashion industry. In 1988, alongside model Iman, she founded Black Girls Coalition to advocate for equal pay for Black and minority ethnic models and has garnered accolades including the CFDA’s Founder Award for her advocacy. In 2018 Hardison founded The Designers Hub to guide and empower Black designers; the following year she became an inaugural member of Gucci’s Changemakers Council. Hardison made her directorial debut in 2023 with “Invisible Beauty,” a documentary that chronicles her career and has won awards including the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary Film. She serves on the CFDA’s Board of Directors and as Gucci’s Executive Advisor for Global Equity and Cultural Engagement.

Clover Hogan is a climate activist and the founder of Force of Nature, a non-profit organisation advocating for greater urgency around the climate crisis.Hogan is also a public speaker; her TED Talk, “What to do when climate change feels unstoppable,” has been viewed 2 million times. At 22 she was recognised on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for her work with Force ofNature. Hogan leads a 12-person team researching climate anxiety, which has delivered programmes to young people in 50+ countries to help them take action in their locales. Her organisation works with businesses, policy-makers and educators to place young people at the heart of decisions affecting their future.

Stephanie Horton is the senior director of global consumer marketing and strategy for commerce at Google where she leads the global B2C marketing teams helping to shape and drive the vision and strategy for Google Shopping and Payments. Prior to Google, Horton held positions as chief executive at Hemp Tailor, chief executive at Alexander Wang, chief marketing officer at Farfetch and senior level positions at Shopbop, US Vogue and The New York Times. Horton currently serves on The Advisory Boards of NYU Stern Fashion/Luxury MBA, The Black in Fashion Council and McMullen Boutique. She serves as a senior advisor for private equity firm Three Hills Capital Partners and has a board seat on one of their core investments FaceGym. Horton is also the co-founder of Fashion Tech Connects, which connects female college students of colour with fashion and tech internships.

Simon Porte Jacquemus is a French designer and the founder of Jacquemus, a ready-to-wear and accessories label. Jacquemus’ collections are inspired by fine art, photography, sculpture, French culture and the designer’s own life. Throughout the trajectory of the label the brand has challenged marketing norms in fashion, staging runway productions in unexpected locations including a Parisian swimming pool, a lavender field in Provence or a wheat field outside of Paris. Jacquemus’ career milestones include self-publishing the coffee table photography books “Marseille Je T’aime”(2017), “Images” (2020), and “Le Chouchou” (2023), shot by Martin Parr.

Jeremy Jauncey is the founder and chief executive of Beautiful Destinations, a strategy and creative agency servicing travel companies including hotels and airlines. In 2017, Beautiful Destinations was named as one of the most innovative companies in travel by Fast Company. Jauncey is also an ambassador for World Wildlife Fund, Panerai and Technogym.

Michael Kliger is the chief executive officer of Mytheresa, a position he has held since 2015. In this role, Kliger has assembled a leadership team dedicated to driving growth for the Munich-based luxury e-tailer. Under his leadership, Mytheresa completed its listing on the New York Stock Exchange. Kliger also sits on the company’s management board. Prior to joining Mytheresa, Kliger was the international vice president for eBay Enterprise. He has also held managing director roles and executive positions at Accenture, First Capital Partners and Real Holding, as well as serving as the former principal of McKinsey & Company, where he headed the consultancy’s German retail practice.

Jesse Lee is the founder and chief executive of Basic Space, an online marketplace specialising in men’s and women’s apparel. Lee is also chairman of Design Miami, a design company that holds four annual collectible design fairs in Miami, Florida as well as Los Angeles, California, Basel, Switzerland, and Paris, France. In 2023, Basic Space acquired Design Miami. Prior to launching Basic. Space, Lee had founded and operated dFm, a creative agency with clients in technology, media, retail and fashion.

Lawrence Lenihan is the chairman and co-founder of Resonance, a company that aims to enable any brand to make one garment on-demand, at scale, sustainably and profitably. Over the course of his 30-year career, Lenihan has started 10 technology companies and brands, and invested in dozens of transformational companies. He has also taught fashion innovation and entrepreneurship for more than a decade as an adjunct professor at NYU. Prior to Resonance, Lenihan was the founder and chief executive of FirstMark Capital, where he was an early investor in Shopify, Pinterest, Digital Currency Group, and Tommy John.

Alessandro Michele is the creative director of Maison Valentino, a role he has held since his appointment in May 2024. Michele began his career at knitwear label Les Copain and has worked under the creative leadership of Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini at Fendi. At Fendi, Michele was responsible for the growth of the accessories collection. In 2002, he was tapped by Tom Ford to design for Gucci. Over two decades at Gucci, Michele held a number of positions including creative director of the brand, which he assumed in 2015. In that role, Michele shaped Gucci’s creative vision and built on its brand identity.

Nemonte Nenquimo is a Waorani leader and the co-founder of both the Indigenous-led non-profit Ceibo Alliance and its partner organisation, Amazon Frontlines. Nenquimo led her people in an historic legal victory against the oil industry, protecting half a million acres of rainforest and setting a precedent for Indigenous rights across the region. Her leadership has been widely recognised; in 2020, she won the Goldman Environmental Prize for Central and South America and was named in the BBC’s 100 Women list and the TIME list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

Benjamin Paulin is the co-founder of Paulin, Paulin, Paulin, a family business that distributes, promotes and preserves the works of French designer Pierre Paulin (1927-2009). The company produces and sells rare pieces of the designer’s work, many of which were not commercially available at the time of design.

Josephine Philips is the founder and chief executive of Sojo, the UK based B-Corp certified repairs and alterations platform. Philips founded the fashion tech start-up in January 2021 with the mission of helping to make the fashion industry more circular by modernising the clothing repair sector. Sojo delivers door-to-door repair and alterations service to customers via their London-based tailoring studio. It offers an integrated and scalable solution for e-commerce retailers and fashion brands to help reduce returns and increase circularity within their businesses. Sojo launched its first B2B partnership with Ganni in 2021 and today counts 25 brands and retailers including Marks andSpencer, Vestiaire Collective and Peachy Den as clients.

Bohan Qiu is the founder and director of BOH Project, a communications and creative production agency located inShanghai, China and Seoul, South Korea. The agency hopes to bridge the creativity gap between Eastern and Western cultures. BOH Project has a client roster of global brands including Amiri, Balenciaga, Calvin Klein and Gucci. It also partners with emerging designers in China such as Louis Shengtao Chen, Mark Gong, and Rui, among others. The agency recently expanded into South Korea with the the goal tapping into the influence of Korean fashion and foster meaningful connections between the Chinese and Korean markets.

Utkarsh Saxena is the co-founder and chief executive of Adalat AI, an AI platform aimed at transforming justice systems in India and the Global South. Saxena has a decade of legal experience, including clerking for a justice of the Indian Supreme Court. He played a pivotal role in the fight for marriage equality in India, petitioning the Supreme Court and participating in the historic oral arguments that sought to legalise same-sex marriage. Beyond litigation, Saxena worked with the Ministry of Law and Justice and the Ministry of Finance to identify systemic challenges within India’s judicial system, such as court delays. His dedication to justice reform inspired him to pivot towards technological innovations, culminating in the founding of Adalat AI. Saxena holds dual bachelor’s degrees in economics and law from the University of Delhi, an LL.M. from Harvard Law School.

Sven Smit is a senior partner at McKinsey & Company and the chairman of the McKinsey Global Institute, the firm’s business and economics research arm. He is a member of McKinsey’s Shareholders Council as well as its executive committee, known as the Acceleration Team, overseeing insights and ecosystems. As chairman of MGI, Smit leads research and authors reports on global economic trends and topics such as productivity and growth, urbanisation, innovation and technology and the future of work. He’s also the co-author of two books: “Beyond the Hockey Stick” and “The Granularity of Growth.” Smit previously led McKinsey’s western Europe region and its global strategy and corporate finance practice. He holds a degree from Delft University of Technology and an MBA from INSEAD.

Ravi Thakran is the founder and managing partner of Turmeric Capital Holdings, a Singapore-based private equity firm focussed on investing in Asia’s consumer sectors. Thakran served as group chairman of LVMH Asia as well as chairman of L Capital Asia (now L Catterton Asia), which he founded in 2008 and grew into one of Asia’s largest consumer-focused growth investment firms. In his two decades at LVMH Asia, Thakran held top roles across the likes of Sephora Asia and LVMHWatches & Jewellery Asia before serving as group president in 2008 and group chairman in 2014. Alongside his involvement with museums, global tourism boards and animal conservation charities, he serves on Harrods’ board of directors and is involved in the Saudi Fashion Commission.

Salman Toor is a Pakistani visual artist based in New York City. His work, which depicts the lives of imagined young, brown and queer men, can be found in the permanent collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Whitney Museum of American Art, as well as the Tate in London and the Pinault Collection in Paris. Currently, his work is on view in the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennaledi Venezia.

Jacopo Venturini is Maison Valentino’s chief executive officer, a role he has held since 2020. Venturini began his career at La Rinascente, an Italian department store, as a buyer in 1995. He has held positions across large fashion houses including merchandising coordinator at Prada Group as well as executive vice president and chief merchandising and licensing officer at Gucci. Prior to assuming the role of chief executive at Valentino, Venturini served as womenswear and menswear brand manager and as the house’s ready-to-wear collection and retail image director. Venturini holds a degree in economics and business from Bocconi University in Milan.

Brandon Wen is the creative director of the fashion department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium. He teaches design and guides the department through a focus on creativity and connection with the goal of developing Antwerp’s artistic community. Wen is also a fashion designer and performance artist working on projects based on personal themes around identity.