Looking ahead: My Digital Shelf Summit 2025 Must-See sessions

We’re just weeks away from the Digital Shelf Institute’s Digital Shelf Summit in London, and the agenda is shaping up to be one of the most relevant yet. 

Having launched and led the Digital Shelf Institute Executive Forum in Europe back in 2021, I’ve seen first-hand how valuable these gatherings are. Lauren Livak and her team consistently curate conversations that give our industry a deeper understanding of digital shelf challenges, successes, and evolving best practices.

Now, as an Executive Consultant, I spend my days in the trenches with clients—helping them solve pressing problems and build strategies that future-proof their organizations for the omnichannel shopper. Wearing my second hat as Global Head, Digital Shelf Solutions ensures that ICP are delivering the right strategic and technical services to support clients on this journey. And there’s no denying the landscape has shifted: with AI reshaping the shopper journey, product content is no longer just an operational necessity—it’s the very foundation of discovery and recommendation engines.

Think Like an AI Agent - With Max Sinclair

I’m particularly looking forward to Max Sinclar’s session: Think Like an AI Agent at 4:30PM, which promises to explore this new reality. This session is especially timely—AI is no longer just a tool; it’s becoming a strategic partner, capable of augmenting human decision-making, delivering real-time insights, and reshaping how we engage with consumers. The conversation promises to challenge us to think critically about the balance between automation and human judgment, and how transparency and ethics must guide AI adoption. This is about more than efficiency—it’s about fundamentally reimagining decision-making in an AI-driven world.

Winning the Omnichannel Shelf: Rethinking Category Management - With Laura Hellie

Equally compelling is the panel Winning the Omnichannel Shelf: Rethinking Category Management at 2:25PM, featuring my client and friend Laura Hellie of Nestlé alongside leaders from Philips and Arla Foods. The future of category management is no longer confined to optimizing shelf space—it’s about leveraging data, AI, and integrated omnichannel strategies to create seamless, consumer-first experiences. This conversation will push beyond tools and technology to explore mindset, organisational alignment, and actionable strategies for turning insights into measurable growth.

Disrupt or Be Disrupted: Why Innovation is the New Growth Strategy - With Dean McElwee

Finally, Disrupt or Be Disrupted: Why Innovation is the New Growth Strategy at 2:55PM, with leaders like Dean McElwee, will confront one of the most critical questions facing business today: how do we prioritize innovation that truly moves the needle? Beyond incremental improvements, I'm excited to dive into a discussion that is likely to centre on creating cultures that embrace experimentation, harness AI and automation to accelerate execution, and focus on bold, high-impact opportunities that define the future of growth.

Why This Matters Now

The digital shelf has always been a dynamic space—but this moment feels different. AI, omnichannel complexity, and rising shopper expectations mean transformation is no longer optional, they're fuelling the drive for change.

Taken together, these sessions highlight a clear truth: the intersection of AI, data, and human ingenuity is transforming the digital shelf, category management, and the broader retail ecosystem. The conversations we need to be having now are not just about adopting technology—they are about rethinking strategy, mindset, and organizational design to thrive in a world where speed, personalization, and innovation are the new currency of growth.

I’m excited to connect with peers in London, explore within these discussions, and hear how brands are tackling these challenges head-on.

If you’re attending on October 16th, let’s connect at the Summit—I’d love to hear how your teams are approaching the future of the digital shelf.