Daniel Aurich is Global Head of Product at GK Software, where he leads the strategic development of the company’s flagship solutions of the GK CLOUD4RETAIL commerce platform. With over 18 years of experience at GK, Daniel has played a pivotal role in shaping the product portfolio and driving innovation across retail technologies. Prior to his current role, he served as Director of Presales, guiding technical sales teams, managing prototypes, trade shows, and customer workshops, and acting as a trusted advisor in complex solution design. With a background in electrical engineering and information technology from TU Dresden, Daniel combines deep technical expertise with a sharp understanding of retail business needs.

As Chief Technology Officer at Ahold Delhaize Europe & Indonesia since 2019, I lead technology strategy and execution across a global retail group with over 7,700 stores and 17 brands.

My focus is on scaling innovative solutions and fostering engineering excellence to drive digital transformation across diverse markets, all with a clear customer-centric mindset.

I’m a passionate leader and I believe every organization thrives when people collaborate.

By sharing best practices and delivering high-quality technology across brands and geographies, we unlock collective potential and drive meaningful improvement, and ultimately create better experiences for our brands’ customers.

Ian is an independent consultant with 23 years experience within the retail sector.

His work has included design and implementation of store environments and displays, store research, behavioral psychology, retail strategy and for the past 5 years, retail trends and innovations.

He travels extensively, visiting stores around the world, as well as writing in depth reviews on what he discovers. As well as visiting stores, he works   at a strategic level with brands and retailers, providing insights, assisting with store development and offering a consumer-centric perspective.

He introduced the concept of Symbiotic Retail, highlighting how all channels need to work together as one ecosystem for the benefit of the shopper.

Jan Lingenbrick based in Berlin, is a seasoned retail expert with over two decades of experience at the crossroads of in-store operations and cutting-edge technology. With a deep understanding of retail dynamics, Jan brings a unique perspective to the Strategy & Ventures team at GK, where he bridges the gap between innovative partner technologies and real-world retail challenges. 

Prof. Dr. Maximilian Lude, is an expert in innovation and future development in medium-sized companies. Born in Swabia, socialized as a European-curious thought leader, he started his academic career at Zeppelin University with a stopover at the Copenhagen Business School. After studying economics, he devoted himself to his doctorate at the interface between marketing and family businesses. His vision of linking practice more closely with science ultimately led him to found a future office focusing on the strategic and future-oriented topics of innovation, transformation and the future of work. Professional monogamy is not his strength, so he remains loyal to science. Since October 2023, he has been Professor of Innovation & Strategy at the Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences, teaching international students in the metaverse. In his consultations, workshops and lectures, he inspires his participants with a firework of inspirations. He knows how to prepare well-founded scientific findings in a practice-oriented way and make them accessible to the audience.