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Abigail ScottGIA Accredited Jewelry Professional Benari Jewelers

Abigail Scott is a GIA Accredited Jewelry Professional (AJP) and GIA Diamonds Graduate with over 20 years of experience in the luxury jewelry industry. She specializes in client relationship building, brand storytelling, and guiding customers through memorable, meaningful purchases.

Amedeo ScognamiglioFounder, Creative DirectorFarone Mennella & Amedeo Fine Jewelry Brands

Co-Founder and CEO of award winning Fine Jewellery brand FARAONE MENNELLA. Recipient of the Fashion Group International’s 2006 Rising Star Award for Jewelry Design; VicenzaOro 2017 Palladio Award for Best Italian Jewelry Designer, 2020 Alta Gamma's Award. Founder and CEO of AMEDEO, the artisan brand featured by NYT, FT, Vogue, globally recognized as the only authority in the ancient Italian craft’s tradition, having brought Cameos to the status of “design” and objects of desire in the international fashion and design arena; founder with Roberto Faraone Mennella of the acclaimed high jewelry brand Faraone Mennella by RFMAS.

Producer of the award winning Docu-Film “Open Doors” by Pavel Marcano: a heartbreaking, uplifting, eye opening real story about the almost-abandoned mental health hospital in Argentina, and the daily lives of the lifetime “guests” of the institution.

Amy NicholsHead of Wholesale

Amy Nichols is a fashion executive with over 12 years of experience across luxury, contemporary, and emerging brands. Her career began with a defining chapter at Alexander McQueen during Lee McQueen’s tenure, where she managed VIP clientele and deepened her passion for creative, client-driven business. Since then, she has led sales and brand strategy for top labels in both the wholesale and retail arenas, including roles at Cotton Citizen, and 10 Eleven Showroom.

Known for her entrepreneurial spirit and sharp eye for style, Amy has also worked as a freelance stylist, ecommerce consultant, and brand builder for fashion startups and household names alike. Whether on the showroom floor or behind the lens, her approach blends creativity with commercial strategy. Based in Los Angeles, she’s passionate about mentoring the next generation of fashion talent and helping others navigate their own path to growth in this dynamic industry.

Carlo PignataroCEOPignataro & Associates

Carlo Pignataro is a Turin-born author, entrepreneur, and corporate-education specialist who has spent the past two decades decoding the psychology of luxury sales for the world’s most discerning brands. Now based in Dubai as CEO of Pignataro & Associates, he advises Gucci, Luxottica, Swarovski, and countless mid- to high-market players on elevating perceived value through client-experience design, sales-cycle optimization, and service-culture training. Carlo distills his research in the best-selling manuals "Sell with Style" and "Serve with Style", and explores the ideas further on his podcast "Lux and Friends", where he hosts thought leaders and industry icons.

Anchored in rigorous research—and enriched by his credentials as an NLP and Non-Verbal Hypnosis master practitioner, body-language scholar, and trained opera singer—Carlo’s methodology blends neuroscience, behavioral psychology, and theatrical flair. Whether speaking on a global stage, designing bespoke training programes, or coaching founders one-to-one, he helps organizations align the value they deliver with the value clients perceive, transforming routine transactions into memorable luxury experiences.

Chiara PassoniCEO & DesignerChiara Passoni Design

I was born and grown up in Milan where I graduated in business economy. I was brought up in a family, whose library wall is full of books about Painters, old architecture and old crafts, this awakened in me an early very sensitive interest to a large variety of Arts and Crafts. My mother is still an active painter using several techniques and supports, my father, a Physician, had a strong inclination towards painting too. As a result, since I was a child, I have always felt great attraction to Arts and handcrafting. I have started to express my creativity in a lot of ways, discovering myself very attracted and interested in creating, designing and producing unusual pieces. I cannot say I’m an artist but I love thinking of myself as an eclectic self-taught person able to give artistic interpretations.

I create many different objects, but not as much as my passionate spirit would be able to produce. At the moment I range over designing, painting and wood carving but my favourite activity is creating unique precious jewels.

I draw inspiration from the enchantment of the silence of the two places where luckily I lived for more than 15 years: the Egyptian Red Sea and the Swiss Alps. In these two frames, colours and shapes of nature are suggesting me continuously ideas and materials.

My jewels take life from my senses, always searching for natural refined materials: rare woods, precious and original stones, mammoth tusk, prehistoric shark teeth, fossils and antique Chinese mother of pearl gaming counters and Jades.

Every piece represents a Love Poem to Mother Nature.

Kristin HornerCommunity Manager & Senior Résumé WriterBrobston Group

Kristin is a Certified Professional Résumé Writer (CPRW) with over 20 years of experience in fashion retail management and human resources, including time with Prada, Coach, Stella McCartney, and Etro.

As an experienced industry professional she knows first hand what industry employers look for in candidate résumés. Kristin’s partnership will ensure your profile stands out from the crowd and helps convert your applications to more interviews.

Megan Mariko BoggsSenior Candidate Relations SpecialistBrobston Group

A creative professional with investment in the ever-changing fashion industry and job market trends. Megan has a background in artistic direction, performance, and training and development. From Ewa Beach, Hawaii Megan now resided in Chicago, IL and is a 2022 graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University.

Monica AbbatemaggioStylist, Visual Advisor, and StorytellerMonica Abbatemaggio

Monica is a multilingual, sophisticated and passionate sales leader with 30 years of high-end fashion retail and merchandising experience. Undeniable ability to inspire customer loyalty through excellent relationship-building skills, personalized service and a keen eye for clients’ needs, body type and personality. Robust client book and a successful track record of repeat business and meeting sales targets.

As a boutique owner herself in New York’s prestigious TriBeCa neighborhood for nearly 10 years, Monica developed some of her strongest relationships. She has since served as a top sales performer at Brunello Cucinelli, as well as a private personal stylist, visual advisor, and event stylist to some of the world’s most influential executives, artists, and entertainers.

William AmayaAuthorThe Art of Luxury: Insider Secrets to Mastering High-End Sales

William Amaya is a luxury‐retail authority with more than two decades of front-line experience cultivating VIP client relationships for the world’s most storied fashion houses, including Brioni, Dior, Bottega Veneta, Prada, and Dolce & Gabbana. From the couture salons of Beverly Hills to his current base in Houston, William has mastered the art of brand storytelling, experiential selling, and client-development strategies that translate into sustained revenue and long-term loyalty.

Today, William consults for emerging and established labels that understand true luxury goes far beyond the transaction—it’s the memory, trust, and prestige built around every interaction. He distills this philosophy in his new book, The Art of Luxury: Insider Secrets to Mastering High-End Sales (April 2025), a playbook hailed by industry veterans as “wisdom packed on every page.” When he isn’t elevating brand messaging or crafting VIP client programs, William shares practical insights with executives, sales teams, and readers who aim to make excellence impossible to ignore.

William BrobstonPresidentBrobston Group

William Brobston spent 15 years in the luxury retail industry, holding leadership roles with European and American luxury apparel & fine jewelry brands.