Meet the gia Expert Jurors
Wolfgang Gruschwitz
(PC: Stefan Huber)
Gruschwitz GmbH
www.gruschwitz.de
With a strong background and expertise in retail architecture and design, Wolfgang Gruschwitz leads his eponymous company, Gruschwitz GmbH, based in Munich. The design and realization office is dedicated to customer-oriented spaces, including retail (shops, showrooms), food (restaurants, food markets), co-working (offices, hotels, law firms, clinics) and co-living spaces. In 2005, Gruschwitz got its first international recognition with the brand world in Munich’s Allianz Arena Soccer Stadium. Over the years, Gruschwitz has served high profile clients such as Burberry, Gucci, Stone Island, UNIQLO, ZARA, Superdry, Jaguar/Land Rover and Red Bull. In addition, Gruschwitz has redesigned the Duty-Free shop at the Munich Airport.
Since 2021, Gruschwitz and his partner Thomas Frey have been devoting themselves to topics that are important for the future in their “Talk4Future” podcasts and are in regular contact with high-caliber representatives from retail, gastronomy, politics, industry, healthcare and other areas.
Wolfgang has been a member of the gia Expert Jury since 2003.
Scott Kohno
Retail Element LLC
www.retailelement.com/
Scott Kohno is a retail executive and has developed several hundred million square feet of retail projects worldwide, in every continent from Asia to South America and from Australia to Europe. With projects in over 20 countries, Scott’s perspective is quite unique, and his passion for retail has been instrumental in the creation of groundbreaking concepts such as the NASDAQ Marketsite in Times Square in New York City.
Recently, with his family, he co-founded EJL Entertainment – a creative food, retail and delivery concept – bringing the “Wow” experience to customers with brands such as Sushi With Attitude. This concept started during the pandemic and has grown exponentially in two years, from a staff of four to a current staff of 80 in Los Angeles, California.
As a respected expert in the retail field, Scott has addressed conferences worldwide, including the National Retail Federation and The Asian Retailers Conference. He has been a featured expert in USA Today, INC magazine and Forbes magazine.
Scott has been a member of the gia Expert Jury since 2005.
Henrik Peter Reisby Nielsen
ReisbyConsult ApS
www.reisbyconsult.dk
Henrik Peter Reisby Nielsen is the CEO and Founder of Reisby Consult—a consulting company with a strong focus on creating and delivering consumer centric solutions for the digital future. Reisby Consult combines old school virtues with new technologies and services. They have aided and created innovative and digital solutions for cities, retail chains, and large international corporations such as AIG and Mastercard. Henrik formerly owned Inspiration H.P. Nielsen, a home and housewares store in Denmark, running the family store in its 4th generation. In 2007, Henrik’s store Inspiration H.P. Nielsen won the gia Global Honoree Award.
Henrik has been a member of the gia Expert Jury since 2010.
Anne Kong
Anne Kong is an educator and designer specializing in Visual Merchandising, Exhibition Design and Special Events. With over 20 years of experience, she works to develop design concepts and solutions for retail, showrooms, trade shows, and promotional events. Anne recently co-authored the 7th edition of Visual Merchandising and Display for Bloomsbury Publishing with Martin M. Pegler.
As Professor and Program Coordinator for the Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design Program at Fashion Institute of Technology, she is best known for innovating professional collaborations between retailers and brands to enhance the classroom experience.
Anne is a partner of A+D Kong, her own design company that she shares with her husband David Kong. Together they work with a vast range of clients to produce large-scale installations and product prototypes. Design: Retail Magazine recognized her as a Design Influencer in 2012 and she received the prestigious 2018 Markopoulos Award for outstanding achievement and contributions in visual merchandising and store design. Anne currently serves as Vice President of Education for the PAVE Global executive board and has served on the gala committee for past six years.
Anne has been a member of the gia expert jury since 2017.