Look who’s talking – meet the speakers at The Monocle Quality of Life Conference 2026

From architects and mayors shaping better cities to fashion, retail and culture visionaries, this year’s conference line-up brings together global leaders and bright talents who are all redefining quality of life. Explore the speaker list below.

The line-up is still growing – check back for the latest updates.

Manuel Aires Mateus
Architect and founder of Aires Mateus, Portugal

Aires Mateus’s work is grounded in the relationship between the physical and cultural worlds. Passionate about the roles that memory and knowledge play in the spaces that we inhabit, the veteran architect has won several national and international prizes in addition to showcases at renowned industry events such as the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Biennale Villa et Culture in Rabat, Milan Design Week and the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism.

Tatiana Bilbao
CEO and founder, Tatiana Bilbao Estudio, Mexico

Bilbao founded her eponymous studio to bring research, design, community-led strategies and responsible construction together under one roof. She sees architecture as a form of care, with a human-centric approach and a deep sense of social and environmental responsibility. She holds a recurring teaching position at Yale University and has won multiple awards and honours globally.

Ricardo Nunes
Airline captain for TAP Air Portugal

With more than 20 years of experience in military and commercial aviation, Nunes has flown rotary and fixed-wing aircraft in demanding environments. Through his work as a search-and-rescue pilot in the Portuguese Air Force, and now as an airline captain for the nation’s flag carrier TAP Air Portugal, he has accumulated more than 7,000 flight hours. He is also the co-founder of the Portuguese Foresight Association (APP), focused on promoting strategic foresights for business in the region.

Carlos Moedas
Mayor of Lisbon, Portugal

Now in his second term, Moedas was first elected as mayor of Lisbon in 2021. Previously he was European commissioner for research, science and innovation, where he led the Horizon 2020 programme worth €100bn and launched an ambitious innovation strategy. Preceding that, he was secretary of state to the Portuguese prime minister, responsible for co-ordinating affairs during the eurozone crisis. He is also vice-president of the Jacques Delors Institute in Paris.

Maria João Carioca
Co-CEO and CFO of Galp, Portugal

With a career spanning consulting, banking, technology and energy, Carioca has held leadership roles at McKinsey & Company, Caixa Geral de Depósitos and Euronext Lisbon before joining Galp, where she became CFO in 2023 and co-CEO in 2025. Guided by the belief that prosperous societies depend on balancing economic growth, sustainability and energy security, Carioca is focused on building practical solutions towards a resilient energy future.

Takashi Fukuchi
Founder and CEO, Stride, Japan

A movement specialist with deep expertise in exercise physiology and athletic innovation, Fukuchi founded Stride in 2016 to focus on foot health, natural movement and incorporating running, hiking and walking into your daily life. His philosophy centres on the belief that proper movement is key to quality of life, and that thoughtful design across multiple disciplines – shoes, nutrition, space and coaching – can unlock human potential.

Dr Courtney Conley
Founder of Gait Happens and author of ‘Walk’

With more than 25 years of clinical practice, Conley is one of the world’s foremost authorities on foot and gait health. In 2015, she founded Gait Happens, a foot health and movement education company championing the belief that healthy feet are the foundation of every body. A bestselling author, her book ‘Walk’ explores the profound connection between foot function and whole-body health.

Otávio Suriani
Founder of Pulso Hotel, Brazil

With a background in filmmaking and a grounding in finance, Suriani knows what it takes to run one of São Paulo’s largest independent hotel operators, Estancorp. His latest creation, Pulso Hotel, is an art-filled, architecturally bold ode to the city. His passion lies in convivial places where culture, design and city converge.

Yü-Ge Wang
Director, senior client advisor and global auctioneer at Christie’s, UK

Born in Beijing and raised in Bavaria, Wang advises collectors across the international art market and conducts landmark auctions for Christie’s and various charitable organisations worldwide. Passionate about opening up the auction world to new audiences, she is committed to making art and collecting more accessible to a wider audience.

José António Uva
Co-founder and chairman, Amble, Portugal

A visionary entrepreneur and hospitality developer, Uva is behind two of Portugal’s most celebrated destinations: São Lourenço do Barrocal, a 780-hectare family estate in Alentejo; and Na Praia, a coastal ecological destination in Comporta set to open in 2027. His latest venture, Amble, combines the worlds of hospitality and product design.

Adrien Roose
Co-founder and CEO, Amble, Portugal

A mover and shaker at the intersection of mobility, technology and design, this serial entrepreneur and co-founder of one of Europe’s best design-led e-bike companies has turned his focus to Amble, a new kind of connected mobility brand.

Julian Hoenig
Co-founder and designer, Amble, Portugal

With more than 400 design patents to his name and a career spanning Audi – where he worked on the RSQ, A4, R8 and Q3 vehicles – and Apple’s design team, where he was lead designer on the Apple Watch, Vision Pro and Apple Car programmes, Hoening is one of the most accomplished industrial designers of his generation.

Joana Astolfi
Architect, artist, designer and founder of Studio Astolfi, Portugal

Astolfi founded Studio Astolfi in 2007, bringing together a team of architects, artists and designers to craft immersive spaces and experiences. For nearly 20 years, Astolfi has worked with a range of brands, including Hermès, L’Oréal, L’Objet, Vitra, The Ritz Four Seasons and Torel Hotels. With a practice rooted in storytelling, Astolfi constructs intimate, often whimsical narratives that blur the line between memory and imagination.

Paul Sirisant
CEO of Cloud 11, Thailand

Sirisant leads Cloud 11, a 250,000 sq m creative campus in Bangkok. The complex brings production studios, recording facilities, rehearsal spaces, hotels, a live performance hall and more than 100 retail operators onto a single site. Prior to that, Sirisant spent 12 years at Diageo; served as CEO of Universal Music Thailand; and founded Made By Legacy, Southeast Asia’s largest community market, among other ventures. He has also DJed across Southeast Asia for 30 years.

Nicolas Gabard
Founder and creative director of Husbands, France

Gabard founded Husbands in 2012, trading a career in law for one in fashion. He discovered the craft of tailoring through his first bespoke experience, where he realised that he could be his own designer. Having come of age in the 1990s and early 2000s – when men’s fashion broke rigid codes – Husbands carries that legacy forward. Its collections feature Parisian tailoring built on graphic lines, high-waisted trousers and material that make classic menswear desirable again.

Early-access rate available until 25 July with code QOL26EARLY