Main Stage
Jon Petz
AMAZEMENT ARTIST
Jon Petz is the world’s only Amazement Artist - a hall-of-fame keynote speaker, and a professional magician and mentalist. He formerly worked in sales and marketing, so his showmanship is underpinned by real commercial relevance. As someone who knows how to challenge a room and spark inspiration beyond the norm, we’re excited to have Jon join us in Killarney! Here’s what to expect:- Practical mindset and leadership insights that you can bring to your team
- A fresh take on performance, presence, and connection
- A keynote that keeps you locked in and fully engaged
Stefanie Sword-Williams
TEDx Speaker & Author
Stef is a TEDx speaker, two-time author, and founder of F*ck Being Humble, a global movement helping people speak confidently about their achievements and get recognised for the value they bring. Named a Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree and one of the UK’s Top 50 Workplace Leaders, Stef has supported teams across more than 50 countries. Here’s what you can look forward to:- Straight-talking advice you can use immediately
- Smarter ways to celebrate your team’s wins
- Fresh perspectives on confidence and visibility
- Plenty of inspiration to take back to your business
Elfried Samba
Co-founder of creative house Butterfly 3ffect
Elfried Samba is a former Gymshark executive, co-founder of creative house Butterfly 3ffect, and branding strategist who helps challenger brands and individuals unlock the true potential of their vision. After immigrating from the D.R. Congo to the UK at age 14, Elfried went on to scale Gymshark’s social community from 1 million to 20 million followers, playing a pivotal role in the brand’s £1 billion "unicorn" valuation. He has delivered high-impact keynotes and strategic guidance to global powerhouses including Apple, Sky, E&Y, and Vodafone. Here’s what you can look forward to:- Battle-tested strategies to help challenger brands outperform industry giants
- Actionable frameworks for building authentic, multi-million-member communities
- Engaging storytelling that bridges high-level marketing with relatable life lessons
- Fresh perspectives on leveraging vision and culture to drive business growth
Workshops
Charlotte Braithwaite
Psychotherapist & Leadership Coach
Charlotte Braithwaite is an award-winning psychotherapist, leadership coach and keynote speaker who has worked with organisations including the BBC, Tesco Bank, Scottish Ballet, and US Special Services. She advocates for the powerful integration of human intelligence with artificial intelligence, and joins us at the Phorest Summit 2027 to show salon owners how to translate insights and data into meaningful dialogue with the people at the heart of their salon's success: their team. Charlotte also brings a personal stake to this stage: as the daughter of Penny and Trevor from The Studio Health & Beauty, a long-standing Phorest salon, she and her brother were introduced to the Phorest community last year, which sealed the deal for them to join the family business!
Chrissy Alger
CEO of Freedom Mastery Business Coaching
Chrissy Alger is a business strategist, psychologist, and CEO of Freedom Mastery Business Coaching and BeastMode Digital Marketing. She has helped hundreds of salon and clinic owners generate millions in revenue by building more profitable businesses, high-performing teams, and businesses that give owners greater freedom - not more overwhelm. Renowned for her practical, no-BS approach, Chrissy delivers high-impact presentations packed with real-world strategies, actionable insights, and proven systems that audiences can implement immediately to drive measurable results.
Joe O’Connor
Professional Doctorate Researcher in human performance and innovation
Joe O'Connor is a university lecturer and professional doctorate researcher in human performance and innovation. His research explores how leaders' health, fitness, nutrition and lifestyle habits influence cognitive performance, creativity, decision-making and resilience under pressure. Drawing on both academic research and practical business insights, Joe helps leaders understand how everyday habits can improve wellbeing, reduce burnout risk and unlock higher levels of professional performance. At the Phorest Summit, he will share evidence-based strategies that salon owners and managers can use to manage stress, sustain creativity and perform at their best.
Steve Gomez
Business Coach, Trainer & Author
Steve Gomez is a business coach, trainer and author with over 33 years of experience helping salons, spas and beauty professionals build better businesses and accelerate growth. He has coached over 800 salons and spas and delivered training to more than 600,000 people internationally. Steve is the founder of Stephen Gomez Business Coaching and has developed business systems and training content for leading industry organisations including Milady, Phorest, the Professional Beauty Association and Lanza Healing Haircare. He is also the author of Financial Fitness and Interdependent Leadership.
Michelle Tanner
Multi-salon Owner & Business Coach
Michelle Tanner is an Australian multi-salon owner, business coach and international speaker based in Switzerland. Michelle teaches the business strategies, systems and leadership practices she uses inside her own salons every single day. She's passionate about making business education relatable, practical and actually useful, helping salon owners build strong teams, healthy profits and businesses that don't depend entirely on them.
Cameron Dermody
Founder of Dermody Coaching & Managing Director of Nichares Salon
Cameron Dermody is the Founder of Dermody Coaching and Managing Director of Nichares Salon, which he built from the ground up after starting his career as an apprentice hairdresser at 15. He scaled Nichares to six-figure profits in under three years, with the salon named Salon of the Year, South West for six consecutive years (2021–2026). Through Dermody Coaching, Cameron now helps salon owners build stronger teams, increase profitability and create better systems, drawing on his firsthand experience of growing and leading a successful salon business.
Allyson Hurley
Owner of Hair & Co BKLYN & CEO of Beauty 360 Consulting Group
Allyson Hurley is a beauty industry leader, entrepreneur and former President & CEO of a 1,200-location salon organisation, with more than 30 years of experience spanning salon ownership, executive leadership and consulting. Her career includes leadership roles with ULTA Beauty, Clarins and DESSANGE Group North America, as well as advising salon owners, beauty brands and technology companies through Beauty 360 Consulting Group. Today, Allyson is the owner of Hair & Co BKLYN and Founder & CEO of Beauty 360 Consulting Group, where she focuses on leadership, profitability, talent development and sustainable business growth.
Jordan White
Founder of URBAN Medical
Jordan White, BSN, RN, CNI, known as "The Murse Injector," is the founder of URBAN Medical, an upscale medical aesthetics and functional medicine practice and a Merz Center of Excellence. An aesthetic injector, educator and international trainer and speaker, he is founding faculty for Evolus and an advanced trainer for multiple laser platforms, specializing in advanced ablative laser resurfacing. He sits on multiple advisory boards for large aesthetic companies and speaks at some of the most respected professional symposia and conferences, including AmSpa, Aesthetic Extender Symposium and Aesthetic Next.