Curated by partners
Two advisory boards of Apple Premium Partners decide what is on the programme. Their job is to keep every session interesting for everyone in the room and to get the highest possible value out of the time you spend in Utrecht.
A programme chosen by the people it is for
An event like this only works if the content reflects the real decisions partners face. Organisers and commercial partners alone cannot judge that well enough. So we asked partners to take shared ownership of the programme.
The boards validate the themes, suggest speakers and retailer cases, review every proposal and vote on what goes into the programme. They reshape or reject anything that reads like a sales pitch. For APP Product, the board also selects which vendors take part in the expo.
The result is a programme where each session has to answer a question a partner actually asked, and leave you with something to take back to your own team.
As inclusive as we could make it
We composed both boards to represent the whole APP community, so the programme catches every possible need rather than the priorities of one market or one type of business.
From all around the world
Members come from Europe, Africa, the Americas and Asia-Pacific.
From smaller to bigger APPs
A partner with a handful of stores faces different questions than a group with hundreds. Both are represented, and both have an equal vote.
From different backgrounds
The leadership board combines long-standing APP leaders with leaders who are newer to the business. On the product board, some members work only in APP retail, while others also run distribution. Together they cover every base.
APP Leadership Advisory Board
Five C-level leaders from complementary functions. They shape the APP Leadership day around growth, profitability, customer experience, people, operations, marketing and transformation.
Roelof de Rijk has been in the APR and APP business since 2008. As CEO of Amac, he is responsible for the retail organisation, marketing and e-commerce, and category management. He also chairs Amac's Board of Directors, which further consists of the CFO, COO and Director B2B. Roelof's main goal for the event is to learn from peers in other countries. He is convinced partners do not need to reinvent the wheel, as they all face more or less the same challenges. By opening up and sharing what works, and what does not, he wants to make the APP brand as strong as it can be.
Felipe Maristany is CEO of Quintec Distribución, a wholesale distributor of Apple products and third-party accessories in Chile. Quintec owns and operates MacOnline, an Apple Premium Partner with 40 stores across the country, and BackOnline, its Apple refurbished retail brand with five locations. MacOnline recently acquired AufBau, a competing Apple Premium Partner, making it the only Apple-focused retailer in Chile. As a wholesaler, Quintec sells Apple products mainly to corporate customers and indirect Apple accounts, and distributes accessory brands including Decoded, Xtorm, Belkin, Native Union, Zens and ZAGG. Felipe has led the company for 20 years, from its days as a pure wholesaler through the opening of its first stores. He hopes the event will let him meet other CEOs facing similar challenges, share best practices and learn how others navigate the difficulties facing the industry.
Espen Berger is CEO of Eplehuset, an Apple monobrand partner in Norway operating since 2002. Eplehuset runs 26 stores, all APP or APR, with more on the way. It is a full-service partner, with an online store on APP Digital, Apple Authorised Service Provider repair and a business and education unit (APEP) serving companies, schools and the public sector. After acquisitions and competitors leaving the market, it is now the only Apple monobrand chain in Norway. Espen joined Eplehuset in 2005 and became CEO in 2017. Since August 2026 the company has been owned by Elkjøp Nordic, part of Currys plc, while continuing to operate as its own chain and brand. He looks forward to honest conversations with fellow partners about what works in customer experience, services and profitability, business sales and developing people, and to sharing experience from the Norwegian market.
APP Product Advisory Board
Five leaders in purchasing and assortment. They select the topics and speakers for the product mornings and vote on which vendors take part in the expo.
Raymond Timmer leads category management at Amac, the only Apple Premium Partner in the Netherlands, with 47 stores. He defines the third-party accessory assortment, from brands and categories to individual products, in close cooperation with Amac's purchasing team. His team is also responsible for product texts, specifications and other product content across Amac's webshops and POS systems. Before joining Amac two years ago, Raymond spent 20 years in category management in Apple distribution, with a strong focus on third-party accessories and private label.
Hampus Nilsson looks after all things accessories at Eplehuset, the leading Apple retailer in Norway, with 26 stores including five APPs. He joined Eplehuset in 2009 and spent many years in the buying team before moving to marketing in 2023. Today he decides which brands, categories and products Eplehuset focuses on and sets its pricing strategy. He also shapes the role accessories play across the company's stores, storytelling, campaigns and social media, with the aim of making Eplehuset the best destination for Apple users in Norway.
Nikki Rosenberg is Head of Accessories at iStore, part of The Core Group, which distributes Apple in South Africa and various other African territories. iStore operates 45 stores in South Africa, including 15 APPs, as well as 14 APP and APR stores elsewhere in Africa, with seven more APPs opening soon. Nikki has been with the group for 19 years, and the visual merchandising team also falls under her portfolio.
Laksawat Rienjaroensuk is Managing Director of KOAN, a subsidiary of Copperwired in Thailand. KOAN distributes digital lifestyle products, accessories and IoT solutions for more than 100 brands, including Aqara, Bellroy, Nomad, Oura, Shokz and ZAGG, across APP stores, consumer electronics, telecom, department store and duty-free channels. Copperwired operates over 100 retail stores nationwide, including its own digital lifestyle brand Dotlife. Laksawat has been with the company for 18 years.
Select a member to read their biography.
One member, one vote
When there are more good proposals than places, the board decides by simple majority. Amac takes part as an equal voting member. The organisers facilitate the meetings without a separate chair and remain responsible for budget, logistics and feasibility.