Dragon’s Den investor and retail veteran Touker Suleyman joins RTS 2026 speaker line-up

Touker Suleyman has been confirmed as a headline speaker at Retail Technology Show (RTS) 2026, which will take place in London during April.

Suleyman brings more than 50 years’ experience across retail and is best known as the Founder of clothing manufacturer and brand owner, Low Profile Group, British menswear label Hawes & Curtis, and womenswear house Ghost. He joined Dragon’s Den in Series 13 and to date has pledged more than £3.8 million in investments during his ten years on the TV show.

Taking place at London’s ExCeL on 22nd–23rd April, RTS will bring more than 16,000 senior retail professionals together for its showcase of retail innovation.

Speaking on the Supernova Stage on day one at 2.35pm, Suleyman will join Customer Whisperer, Kate Hardcastle for a fireside chat drawing on his decades of experience building and scaling businesses, turning around underperforming brands and backing early-stage ventures.  The session will also explore the realities of retail growth, strategies for resilience and long-term value creation.

Suleyman has a keen interest in supporting startups and invests in a number of small British companies spanning circular fashion, marketplaces and consumer products, including Loop Generation, Bikesoup, Matchstick Monkey, Little Rolla and Sonisk.

“Building and rebuilding businesses has taught me that success rarely comes without risk, but the right risks, taken with discipline and belief, will create long-term value,” Suleyman says. “Retail is an industry that rewards those prepared to back themselves, learn fast and stay close to both the detail and the customer - and that’s a conversation I’m keen to have with my sector peers at the Retail Technology Show in April.”

Matt Bradley, Founder & Event Director at RTS, says: “Few figures in retail can match Touker’s depth and breadth of experience, from manufacturing and brand building to investment and turnaround leadership.  His ability to translate decades of lessons learnt from operating at the forefront of the sector into practical insight makes him an outstanding addition to our 2026 headline speaker line-up.”

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Startups will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards will open for entries in April. They celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 15th October.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.