Phil Wahba is a senior writer at Fortune primarily focused on leadership coverage, with a prior focus on retail. His award-winning features include profiles of CEOs at Costco and J.C.Penney, PepsiCo's CEO factory and an examination of how private equity transformed the retail sector. Phil joined Fortune in 2014 from Reuters, where he covered retail, corporate bankruptcies, the stock exchanges, and wrote a weekly column about IPOs. He has also worked as a trade commissioner in New York for the Canadian government. He holds a B.Comm from HEC Montréal and an MBA from the University of Ottawa. In 2007, he graduated from Columbia University with a Masters in Journalism. He is also a CFA charter holder. In addition to his native French and English, Phil speaks conversational Danish, Spanish, and Dutch. He has run a marathon in every U.S. state.
Tuesday, February 24
8:45 AM Main Stage: Keynote Fireside Chat: From TV to TikTok: How QVC Is Redefining Live Selling with Social Commerce
Live selling has evolved far beyond its television roots, emerging as a dynamic, interactive way to engage audiences and drive sales across today’s most vibrant digital platforms. With the rise of social commerce, brands are blending entertainment, community, and instant shopping to meet customers where they already are—scrolling, streaming, and sharing. Join this fireside chat to discover how QVC is reimagining its iconic live selling model for the TikTok era, creating compelling, conversion-focused experiences that capture attention and inspire purchase. Expect to hear about:
- Discovering how QVC is translating decades of televised live selling expertise into a TikTok-first strategy.
- Exploring the role of creator-driven content, interactive formats, and community engagement in driving live commerce success.
- Learning key lessons in aligning brand trust with the fast-paced, viral nature of social commerce platforms.
- Understanding what QVC’s TikTok journey reveals about the future of livestream shopping and consumer discovery at scale
12:05 PM Main Stage: Keynote Panel: Embracing the Everywhere Customer: Strategies for the New Discovery Landscape
Shoppers now move effortlessly across devices, platforms, and channels—expecting to discover and purchase what they want anytime, anywhere. This new “everywhere customer” is redefining retail discovery, pushing brands to innovate bold and agile strategies that captivate attention and ignite loyalty in a complex digital world.
In this keynote panel, leading industry experts unveil groundbreaking tactics to embrace the everywhere customer, unlocking powerful new pathways to connect, convert, and drive explosive growth in today’s fast-evolving discovery landscape. Panelists will discuss:
- Identifying and mapping diverse customer touchpoints across multiple channels to capture early-stage interest
- Adapting marketing strategies to meet customers wherever they start their discovery journey
- Leveraging data and technology to personalize interactions and guide customers seamlessly through the purchase funnel
- Developing agile approaches to stay ahead of evolving consumer behaviors and emerging discovery platforms
Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Phil.
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