Steve Little will draw on his extensive experience to provide 21st-century strategies for building your company. Little regularly speaks for some of the world’s leading companies, institutions and associations, including UPS, Sprint, Microsoft, Bank of America, and the Small Business Administration (SBA.) His style has been described as “real-world,” “highly credible,” and “uniquely engaging.”

Throughout the 1980s and 90s, Little was president of three fast-growth companies. Both FAME Inc. and Erb Industries Inc. achieved profitable growth rates of over 500 percent during his tenure. As president of The Queensboro Shirt Company, Little helped to build one of the country’s most successful sites for Internet commerce. Little began his career in advertising with Foote, Cone and Belding/Chicago and DKB Advertising, where he worked companies including Frito-Lay, Grandma’s Cookies, Frigidaire, Pearle Vision Centers, and Jiffy Lube.

Kate Ancketill is managing director of London-based GDR Creative Intelligence Ltd. She’ll present the most innovative retail case studies from around the world, covering themes including balanced commerce, the cult of culture, and the move toward more emotionally engaging in-store experiences. Her presentation will span case studies in many retail sectors, from food through high tech to fashion.

GDR, Global Design Resources, was established in 1992, and has shortlisted agencies in all design disciplines for clients like Virgin Atlantic, Orange, Kraft, Unilever, Vodafone, M&S, and Barclays. Under Ancketill’s direction, the company has reoriented towards research into design trends and publication of quarterly Global Innovation Reports. GDR’s unique relationship with the creative industries allows it to be a conduit between designers and clients, effectively cherry-picking the best new concepts. She continues to select design agencies for clients, most of whom now subscribe to GDR’s Global Innovation Reports.