Gina Azaric is a seasoned senior executive, board professional, and thought leader with extensive experience in leading business transformations across telecom, medical technology, food, beauty, and startups in Scandinavia. As a former Chief Marketing Officer and commercial leader, Gina has significantly contributed to the growth and success of several high-profile brands. Her exceptional innovative leadership in building the Three brand and expanding market shares across Scandinavia has earned her the prestigious title of Marketing Manager of the Year and she has been consistently listed among the Best Marketing People, affirming her significant impact and effectiveness in the marketing field.

With a strong focus on sustainability, Gina has promoted initiatives in digitalization, eco-friendly product development, and sustainable branding. She is dedicated to reducing inequalities and promoting inclusion and environmental awareness in the industries she leads.

Gina holds a Bachelor of Science in Business and Economics from Lund University, Sweden, and has pursued studies in Innovation, Tech Entrepreneurship, and AI strategies at Harvard University and Harvard Business School. Her leadership philosophy is grounded in innovation, social responsibility, and creating a meaningful positive impact in both business and society.

In 2017, she founded Yoga for Good to support The Hunger Project, reflecting her belief in the power of community and inner development for social change.

Jane is an experienced professional with an international background in the fashion industry, specializing in sustainable and circular fashion. She has worked in Denmark, Italy, Germany, and the USA, bringing a well-rounded, global perspective to her work. Jane holds a Bachelor of Fashion Design and a Master’s in Fashion Styling from Istituto Marangoni in Milan, Italy. Her expertise spans technical skills like pattern making, high-end tailoring, and costume design, as well as creative disciplines such as fashion styling, graphic design, and brand communication.

For the past eight years, Jane has been a lecturer at leading fashion universities in Milan, sharing her expertise and passion for sustainability with future industry professionals.

Throughout her career, Jane has held various roles across different types of organizations. As an independent contractor, she has shown versatility and innovation. She has also worked in large multinationals like ONLY (Bestseller Group), gaining valuable experience in global operations.

Additionally, Jane has collaborated with prominent artistic institutions like the Houston Ballet. Her dedication to sustainable fashion drives her efforts to promote environmentally responsible practices and foster innovation for a more sustainable future in the fashion industry.

Kenneth Au is the Chief Technology Officer of StyleSpace AI, an AI solutions company and an incubatee of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park (HKSTP), focused on transforming the fashion retail industry. With over 8 years of experience in artificial intelligence research, Kenneth has been at the forefront of applying AI to fashion. He conducted extensive research in AI during his MPhil studies at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, laying the groundwork for his innovative work in AI-driven fashion solutions.

At StyleSpace AI, Kenneth leads the development of technologies, including 3D body measurement systems for precise sizing, diffusion-based virtual try-on solutions that enable customers to visualize garments with just a photo, and AI-powered fashion image stylists driven by large language models. His vision bridges the gap between cutting-edge AI and its practical applications in retail, helping brands enhance customer experiences and optimize operations.

Kenneth’s unique combination of technical expertise and market insight enables StyleSpace AI to deliver solutions that empower fashion brands to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving industry. His work is driving the AI revolution in fashion, expanding what technology can achieve for retailers and customers.

Joanne Yip, a professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), holds a BSc (Hons) in Textile Technology (with first class Honors) and a PhD from the same institution. Her doctoral research focused on Low Temperature Plasma and Excimer Laser Treatments on Polyamide. Before joining PolyU, she worked as a visiting researcher at Rice University in the US, conducting instrumental experiments. Prof. Yip has published over 100 papers in Textile and Material Science Journals. She also has industry experience, having worked in the intimate apparel sector where she gained extensive knowledge of materials, quality requirements, and production techniques. Currently, she serves as Associate Dean and Professor at PolyU, teaching courses on intimate apparel and activewear. Her research interests include functional garments for scoliosis, new materials and technology, surface treatments on textiles, and moulding or seamless techniques used in intimate apparel and activewear.

Ms. Chloe Deng is currently the public affairs director of international business at Cainiao Group, Alibaba’s smart logistics arm. As the company’s first overseas government relations expert hired for global expansion, she directs strategic planning for priority markets. She drives effective stakeholder engagement for business growth, strategic partnerships, policy advocacy, and the Group’s significant social impacts. She is now devoted to promoting green supply chain management and sustainability in the region, as well as talent and tech development for e-commerce logistics, empowering the industry to upgrade. She formerly worked in regional advisory roles for over ten years at consulting firms including PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), as well as international trade associations, with career footprints and extensive project experience across Greater China, APEC, and EMEA.

Ms. Deng holds a Master of Journalism from the University of Hong Kong and is a graduate of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China.

Hongbo Fu is a Professor and Acting Head at the Division of Arts and Machine Creativity, Hong Kong University of Science Technology. Before joining HKUST, he worked at the School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong, for over 15 years. He had postdoctoral research training at the Imager Lab, University of British Columbia, Canada, and the Department of Computer Graphics, Max-Planck-Institut Informatik, Germany. He received a Ph.D. degree in computer science from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2007 and a BS degree in information sciences from Peking University, China, in 2002. His primary research interests fall in computer graphics, human-computer interaction, and computer vision. His research has led to over 100 scientific publications, including 70+ papers in the best graphics/vision journals (ACM TOG, IEEE TVCG, IEEE PAMI) and 30+ papers in the best vision/HCI conferences (CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, CHI, UIST). His recent works have received a Silver Medal from Special Edition 2022 Inventions Geneva Evaluation Days (IGED), the Best Demo awards at the Emerging Technologies program, SIGGRAPH Asia in 2013 and 2014, and the Best Paper awards from CAD/Graphics 2015 and UIST 2019.

Esterina Nervino is Assistant Professor at the City University of Hong Kong, jointly appointed in the Department of English and the Department of Marketing, for which she is the co-director of the New Frontiers in Professional Communication Lab (NFPC) and Associate Director of the Sales and Marketing Consulting Unit (SMCU) respectively. She is also Cultore della Materia at the Department of Studies on Language and Culture of the Universita’ degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia (Italy), invited External Member of the Research Centre for Professional Communication in English at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, executive committee member and outreach officer of the Asia-Pacific LSP& Professional Communication Association, and core member of the Communicating Sustainabilities network. She holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and her research interests include social semiotics, multimodality, corpus linguistics, sustainability discourse, digital media, cultural development and city brand, professional communication across sectors, including luxury, arts, and finance.

Prior to CityU, Esterina was the Director of Retail in Asia (part of Bluebell Group) in charge of media brand operations including content selection, curation, edition, and commercial strategy. At Bluebell Group she also took on the additional role of Public Relations Lead.