October 6–7, 2025
GK Retail Innovation Summit Europe 2025 in Amsterdam

Ian is an independent consultant with 23 years experience within the retail sector.

His work has included design and implementation of store environments and displays, store research, behavioral psychology, retail strategy and for the past 5 years, retail trends and innovations.

He travels extensively, visiting stores around the world, as well as writing in depth reviews on what he discovers. As well as visiting stores, he works   at a strategic level with brands and retailers, providing insights, assisting with store development and offering a consumer-centric perspective.

He introduced the concept of Symbiotic Retail, highlighting how all channels need to work together as one ecosystem for the benefit of the shopper.

Simon Pierro is the digital Magician. Performing worldwide from Hong Kong to Hollywood, he takes audiences to places they’ve never been, using a technological marvel they know and love — an iPad. Simon’s spellbinding live performances, along with 100 million views of his online videos, have launched him into global prominence, with critics calling his brand of digital magic “unforgettable,” “mind-blowing” and “unique.”

Michael Scheibner, born in 1975, has been responsible for GK Software's business and product strategy since 2009. His main focus has been on the global go-to-market strategies and the expansion of the partner ecosystems as well as the scalability of the business model within the priorities of customer satisfaction and profitability of the company.

Most recently, as Chief Strategy Officer, he was responsible for partner management and strategic development. In this role, he established GK Software as a global innovation provider for the SAP Retail Ecosystem and drove the company's growth. As Managing Director, he was also responsible for the development and consolidation of GK Software Africa.

Michael Scheibner has over 20 years of experience in the IT industry. Prior to joining GK Software, Michael Scheibner worked for leading international companies such as Lexmark, MICROS and Reflexis, where he held executive positions in sales, partner sales and sales management.

Prof. Dr. Maximilian Lude, is an expert in innovation and future development in medium-sized companies. Born in Swabia, socialized as a European-curious thought leader, he started his academic career at Zeppelin University with a stopover at the Copenhagen Business School. After studying economics, he devoted himself to his doctorate at the interface between marketing and family businesses. His vision of linking practice more closely with science ultimately led him to found a future office focusing on the strategic and future-oriented topics of innovation, transformation and the future of work. Professional monogamy is not his strength, so he remains loyal to science. Since October 2023, he has been Professor of Innovation & Strategy at the Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences, teaching international students in the metaverse. In his consultations, workshops and lectures, he inspires his participants with a firework of inspirations. He knows how to prepare well-founded scientific findings in a practice-oriented way and make them accessible to the audience.

Chris Shortt has been the Group Chief Technology Officer of The Shoprite Group of Companies since January 2024.

With over 30 years of experience in the digital Technology sector, he has a proven record of delivering successful outcomes, overseeing large-scale programs, and leading high-performing teams in the retail tech sector.

He is known for his exceptional analytical skills, strategic planning ability, attention to detail, and practical approach towards achieving goals. Chris is an experienced executive leader who delivers advanced tech solutions that improve customer experience, business performance, and operational efficiency. He has extensive knowledge of SAP Retail, architecture, project implementation, and online and digital technologies. He also focusses on applying technology for problem-solving and creating value for organisations, which aligns with his personal mission to empower people with technology that they adopt, use, and make their own every day.

As Director Checkout and Technical Store Platform at ALDI Nord, Nils Dunker holds end-to-end responsibility for the technical store platform and checkout processes across 5.400 stores in eight countries. He seamlessly bridges IT and business, ensuring that every solution is outcome-driven and directly supports the company’s core retail operations. With his profound background in strategic consulting and operational responsibility, he consistently delivers measurable impact through efficiency gains, cost reduction and revenue growth. With a strong focus on in-store technologies and processes, Nils Dunker combines strategic foresight with practical execution. He is committed to driving innovations at scale and building platforms that are operationally robust, internationally scalable, and designed to meet evolving customer expectations efficiently.

Daniel Aurich is Global Head of Product at GK Software, where he leads the strategic development of the company’s flagship solutions of the GK CLOUD4RETAIL commerce platform. With over 18 years of experience at GK, Daniel has played a pivotal role in shaping the product portfolio and driving innovation across retail technologies. Prior to his current role, he served as Director of Presales, guiding technical sales teams, managing prototypes, trade shows, and customer workshops, and acting as a trusted advisor in complex solution design. With a background in electrical engineering and information technology from TU Dresden, Daniel combines deep technical expertise with a sharp understanding of retail business needs.

Orit Bar-Ad is Chief Innovation Evangelist at GK Software, where she champions forward-thinking strategies and transformative technologies for the global retail industry. With over 25 years of experience across more than 60 countries, Orit brings a unique blend of strategic insight and hands-on expertise from both the retail and technology provider sides. Prior to her current role, she served as VP Global Head of Portfolio Strategy and led strategic initiatives and innovation partnerships at GK. Her background includes leadership roles at Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, Retalix (now NCR), and Morrisons, where she was instrumental in shaping software portfolios and managing complex retail technology programs.

Randy John has been part of the retail family for over 15 years, driving technical enablement in stores. His focus includes POS systems, merchandise management, RFID, task and knowledge management, mobile devices, and other technologies that empower store teams and enhance the customer experience at Fressnapf.

Jan Lingenbrinck based in Berlin, is a seasoned retail expert with over two decades of experience at the crossroads of in-store operations and cutting-edge technology. With a deep understanding of retail dynamics, Jan brings a unique perspective to the Strategy & Ventures team at GK, where he bridges the gap between innovative partner technologies and real-world retail challenges. 

James is an Enterprise Architect and has been in the IT industry for 36 years, the last 25 with Fujitsu. He has extensive experience in both Public and Private sectors, working with strategic partners to bridge the gap between business strategy and technology execution. He is passionate about leveraging cybersecurity best practices to protect critical assets, minimise risk exposure, and enable business innovation.

Craig Boyle is UK based offensive security practitioner with over 20 years experience across various information technology disciplines, including network and systems administrator, penetration tester, red team operator and security researcher.

In recent years, Craig has been instrumental in developing modern security services for some of the world's biggest managed security service providers and global systems integrators. Services are focused on continuous and contextualised understanding of adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures in order to empower organisations with the knowledge to implement tailored prevention, detection, and mitigation strategies.