Inaugural Link Jewelry Summit Comes to Vienna

NEW YORK - (BUSINESS WIRE) - This April, the LINK Jewelry Summit, organized by the International Herald Tribune, the global edition of the New York Times, will bring together business leaders, educators and some of the most creative minds in jewelry, retail and design for an innovative forum. Conference chair, Katharina Flohr, Creative and Managing Director of Faberge, along with Deborah Lloyd, President and Chief Creative Officer, kate spade new york; Joseph Wan, Group Chief Executive, Harvey Nichols and Delfina Delettrez Fendi, Founder, Delfina Delettrez have been announced as panel guests. The first of its kind, the summit will be hosted by Swarovski in Vienna, Austria at the Aula der Wissenschaften (Hall of Sciences) from April 23-24, 2013.

LINK - Learn, Imagine, Network and Know - will address the pressing topical issues facing the jewelry industry today. This exclusive international conference will give industry leaders the opportunity to examine key issues in an open and objective environment, while also allowing them to Learn about the critical factors that are shaping and driving the global fashion jewelry market; Imagine the possibilities and explore the opportunities; Network with the brightest and best commercial and creative brains, and Know how to plan for the future of the industry. Swarovski, an industry leader in creative innovation for over a century, is proud to host this new platform; endorsing the goals of the summit: to link the participants and put their visions, passions and knowledge to work to form a creative think tank for the entire fashion jewelry business.

With more than thirty years of expertise in delivering prestigious industry conferences, the International Herald Tribune has put together a think tank panel of speakers ranging from Andrea Morante, CEO, Pomellato; Joe Cavalcante, CEO, Ippolita; Claus Teilmann Petersen, Vice President, Group CSR Pandora, to Colin Welch, President and Chief Operating Officer, Financo and Chris Bangel, Car Designer, Chris Bangle Associates. The distinguished list of speakers will also include three members of Swarovski's executive board, Robert Buchbauer, Markus Langes-Swarovski and Nadja Swarovski as well as Swarovski Executive Vice President - Manufacturing, Bernhard Pleschko. The summit will further be strengthened through the presence of global industry leaders such as: Iris Apfel, Businesswoman, Style Icon and Tastemaker; Richard Saul Wurman, Architect, Designer and TED Founder; Massimo Carraro, Founder and CEO, Morellatto S.p.A.; Lois Sherr Dubin, Director George Gustav Heye Center, Smithsonian Institution; Mohammed Al Fahim, Group Chief Executive Officer, Paris Galley; and as guest chair Victoria Gomelsky, Editor in Chief, JCK Magazine with many others scheduled to attend. A diverse international awareness, coupled with the wealth of category knowledge brought by the unique group of speakers, will certainly entertain, educate and inspire; sparking further dialogue around the world and helping place LINK firmly on the international stage. For more information on the LINK Jewelry Summit, please visit WWW.LINKJEWELRYSUMMIT.COM