Keynote Topics
From international conferences to team seminars, my job is to ignite enthusiasm and kickstart innovation.
Whatever the category, there is so much we can learn about truly engaging with our customers.
My talks are high energy, visual journeys through the world of groundbreaking retail that build a clearer picture of where we’re heading. I’m known for being provocative, challenging, brutally honest, evidence-based, as well as thoroughly entertaining.
But there’s a dark and murky side to all this democracy. ME Agers have evolved into an army of super-entitled consumers, brimful with great expectations. Any semi-literate teen is a potential vlogging evangelist now, preaching how we should live, how we must better our lives.
Howard Saunders designed stores for over twenty five years. I learnt my trade at one of the biggest and best London agencies, Fitch. Rodney Fitch pretty much invented retail design. He passionately believed that design was a force to make ordinary people’s lives better, much better. Those days in Soho were life changing. It was […]
Howard Saunders designed stores for over twenty five years. I learnt my trade at one of the biggest and best London agencies, Fitch. Rodney Fitch pretty much invented retail design.
He passionately believed that design was a force to make ordinary people’s lives better, much better.
Those days in Soho were life changing. It was ridiculously competitive and brimful with flamboyant and opinionated characters.
That’s why we worked so hard… to be smarter than the next. It was an exciting time and I’m very grateful for everything I learnt at Fitch.”
“As a Retail Futurist Howard Saunders encourages my clients to take a fresh look at what they do and what they really stand for. Business is often too busy to pause and think, you have to force these things. I try to unravel the meanings behind the things we buy: why our aspirations shift and how the future is likely to change the way we behave.
Howard Saunders believes shopping is not only the engine of our economy, it’s the foundation of a thriving community. This isn’t some business to business thing, this is life.”
Howard has worked in retail design for over twenty five years. As a former Creative Director of Fitch, based in London, he was responsible for retail design and branding and for creating multi-disciplinary teams of architects, graphic designers, product designers and copywriters and making them work together!
As an independent consultant Howard Saunders has worked closely with Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and Westfield, for over a decade, helping them develop new store designs and keeping them informed of the latest retail innovations and shifts in customer expectations.
Howard Saunders work with Westfield, for example, culminated in the creation of the artisan Great Eastern Market at Westfield Stratford, Europe’s largest shopping centre, which opened in 2011 on London’s Olympic Park.
Now based in New York, Howard Saunders current clients include CBRE, Claire’s Accessories, Consumer Goods Forum, Ebay, Johnson & Johnson, L’Occitane, Magento, Mothercare, Permira and Westfield World Trade Center.
As an international speaker Howard Saunders talks are big, visual journeys across the world of retail. Provocative, challenging, brutally honest, evidence based and thoroughly entertaining.
Retail is in the middle of a revolution and too few companies are prepared or even fully aware. We all changed in the wake of the global financial crisis and the consequences of this are just becoming apparent.
More than ever before we seek out things that give us reassurance; products with meaning or stories to tell. We look for retail spaces that enhance our sense of community, of belonging, and we’re turning away from stores that only want to sell us more stuff. This is as relevant for value brands as it is for the luxury end of the market.”
Retail is the lifeblood of our towns, cities and most importantly, our communities. So it’s critical that we keep innovating and maintain enthusiasm for our stores.”
“The key is to understand what customers are really looking for, then we can start to engage.
It’s not the porn you need to worry about. It’s the feeding frenzy of entitlement your children are locked into that will distort their view of life on earth. Remember, they are all beautiful now, no matter what, and all deserving of our undying respect, as well as a flawless complexion, of course.
The entitled generation is already percolating into our shopping centres, and you can expect them to become ever more demanding as they grow in number. Every mundane thing you take for granted, or haven’t thought much about, they will have an opinion on, passed to them, no doubt, by one of their teenage life coaches.
Toothpaste, toilet paper, washing-up liquid, fruit juice, shampoo, aspirin…they’ll be keen to enlighten you as to how deadly these seemingly innocent products are to the health of you and the planet. Clearly, we must prepare for a mighty surge in demand for products and services that are specifically tailored to their highly individual tastes.
Contact us at Speakers Inc and subscribe to our YouTube channel
In order to view the below you must be logged in.
Leanne Manas is a household name in South African broadcasting, renowned for her role as the anchor of Morning Live, the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s flagship morning show. With a career that spans over two decades, she has garnered widespread respect for her eloquence, professionalism, and unflappable demeanor in front of the camera. Her ability […]
Alan Committie is a comedic force of nature, revered as one of South Africa’s leading comics with a stage presence that is both dynamic and endearing. A master of multiple crafts—stand-up comic, actor, director, producer, and even a fully qualified high school teacher—Alan blends wit with wisdom in a way that few performers can. With […]
The founder of Divas on Decks DJ Lady Lea – Conference Entertainer is an icon in the local music scene. Passionate about making music, Lady Lea has been in the music and DJ industry for 17 years. Lady Lea, now playing on CD players, vinyl and laptop, started DJ’ing at the age of 14 years old. Since then, […]
Neil Andrews is married and has two children. Neil Andrews went to school in Cape Town and completed a BA degree and HDE at UCT. Neil has worked in Sports-casting for over 20 years and began his broadcasting career as an announcer, race commentator and journalist for the Cape Turf Clubs. From 1991 -2000, Neil […]
Victor Vermeulen had it all. He excelled in academics and sports and he boasted an expensive list of bursaries and awards. At the age of nineteen, played with a young South African team at Lords, the famous English test ground and he was settling into a career with Transvaal. It was a matter of time […]
Jeannie D has experiences that have resulted in Jeannie being an ideal MC for local and international clients who are looking to add that “little bit extra” to their event. The famous Arabian tale goes something like this………Aladdin rubbed the lamp three times, out popped a ‘Genie’ and granted him three wishes. In today’s story, […]
Robin Banks is one of the world’s leading authorities on the subject of Mind Power and Personal Mastery. He is a highly-sought after International Speaker and has spoken to CEO’s and Senior Management from Global Fortune 500 companies. He is a prolific speaker and presenter and has an amazing ability to combine solid content with […]
Naledi Moleo career began as a child star presenting children’s shows like Kids News, X Marks the Spot and Just Chill all the way back in 2004. Having worked as a Television Producer on “Youth Expression” a youth Current Affairs programme on SABC News International for a period of two years(from 2008), Naledi Moleo – […]
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Speakers Inc.
All talent fees exclude VAT, travel and accommodation where required.
Our Mission
Our Mission:
© All rights reserved 2025. Designed using Voxel
