TRENDFACTORY MUNICH

Photographer, climber, and free diver Andy Bardon has traveled to some of the most remote regions on earth to document human interactions with the natural world. From the slopes of Mount Everest and the walls of Yosemite’s El Capitan to the clear blue waters of French Polynesia, Andy is driven by a passion to help people see the beauty in wild places, and ultimately, protect them. His work for National Geographic has included documenting an 85-day climbing expedition on Mount Everest with some of the world’s finest climbers and scientists, as well as a story about the pearl farming industry in French Polynesia that sought to gain a better understanding of its environmental impacts and sustainability. He was also selected by National Geographic to climb, ski, and help scientists measure the rate of glacial change in the highest mountains. Andy has won numerous industry awards, and has an active career as a photographer and director in the world of commercial advertising, often utilizing his outdoor skillset with clients such as Patagonia, Redbull, and The North Face. His work has been featured in scientific studies with prestigious organizations such as the Mayo Clinic and the Waitt Foundation, and he is currently represented by the National Geographic Image Collection.

With over 23 years of experience in fine jewelry, Elle has amassed an unparalleled array of international business management expertise, omnichannel marketing savvy and a stable of A list clients served by her and her team of fine jewelry industry experts.

Elle has:
- Launched her own international award-winning fine designer jewelry retailer in 2011 which she brought public with a $10M IPO on the Australian Stock exchange in under four years
- Overhauled the business model of double DTC site holder Dalumi Diamond’s multi-million dollar jewelry company, making it profitable, in 2010
- Opened up the European market while she grew cornerstone USA businesses - five of the top 10 retailers - as Vice President of mass-market jewelry manufacturers (Fabrikant, Andin)

From rebooting a legacy brand, to launching a new one, or identifying exactly where focus is required to see rapid results, Elle moves businesses from zero to market swiftly and increases profit innovatively for mid-sized to $500M+ businesses.

Rita Lahlou currently heads the jewelry business of Amazon in Europe. Since she joined Amazon in 2013, she has held diverse managerial roles in business development, product management, buying and strategy on the marketplace and retail businesses across Amazon US and Europe. She is currently responsible for buying and strategy for 5 marketplaces: Germany, UK, France, Italy, and Spain. She also co-chairs the Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of London where she supports London’s startup community by connecting credible angel investors with exciting high potential investment opportunities. Prior to Amazon, she was an Entrepreneur in Residence at Rocket Internet – a global incubator which invests in online business models in fast-growing markets. Prior to that she was a brand manager at Reckitt Benckiser – a multinational consumer goods company. Her areas of interest include jewelry, retail and consumer tech, and digital innovation. Rita is multilingual and has lived in seven countries to date. Rita earned her BA magna cum laude in international business and economics from Al Akhawayn Uni-versity and Bocconi University. She also holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was awarded the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship.

Jewellery insider Katerina Perez is a specialist with professional knowledge and insight of the industry. Since training as a gemmologist at The Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A), Katerina has worked as a freelance journalist and content editor since 2011. Through her website KaterinaPerez.com, she shares an exclusive look at the luxurious world of fine jewellery.

The son of medical missionary parents, Toby Pomeroy grew up in the foothills of the north Indian Himalayas where he was indelibly influenced by its wild bio-diversity, simple native cultures, and talented, resourceful craftspeople.
An award-winning designer, Toby has created jewelry in his Oregon studios since 1968 and his forged work is recognizable by its elegant simplicity and wearable style.
Toby is a social and environmental activist standing for the jewelry industry being a driving force in responsible gold mining practices, transparent supply chains and jewelry that is authentically beautiful, from mine to market.
Toby has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Responsible Mining based in Medellin, Colombia since 2010.
In 2017 he founded Mercury Free Mining, a non-profit organization committed to the discovery of a safe and effective mercury alternative so that 15 million subsistence gold miners could mine safely, cleanly, and profitably without poisoning themselves and polluting the earth.

Kyle Roderick is the author of BEJEWELED: THE WORLD OF ETHICAL JEWELRY, published by Rizzoli in 2019. The first book ever to survey the design, fabrication and sourcing of sustainable jewelry and its materials, BEJEWELED also surveys 14 designers from around the world who are leading the way in this increasingly important jewelry realm. Roderick is the founder and editor of bijouxreview.com and the Instagram jewelry gallery @bijouxreview. She writes about design-driven jewelry for Forbes and consults on jewelry brand development. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Roderick lives in Malibu, California.