In an era of unprecedented technological innovation and shifting consumer behaviour, the world of commerce is undergoing rapid transformation. This talk delves deep into the evolving landscape of commerce, offering insights into emerging trends, the fusion of digital and physical retail, and the rise of experiential commerce. Drawing from cutting-edge research and real-world case studies, we will uncover the drivers behind the next wave of commerce evolution and what it means for businesses and consumers alike.

Audience Takeaways:

Ceteris paribus is a broken idea. All other variables won't remain the same. It’s imperative to embrace a more nuanced and adaptive approach to decision-making.

In a volatile and unpredictable market, the concept of 'sustainable' competitive advantage has become an elusive dream. The competitive advantage is at best ‘transient’.

KPIs and Metrics are not the same. Misinterpreting the difference tends to lead to a dangerous short-termism. Metrics alone don’t capture the insights necessary for strategic decision-making.

If customer experience is the ultimate battleground, marketing must take center stage in every organisation’s business strategy.

In a 'permacrisis' world, success hinges on experience's ability to set aside our hubris.

In today's competitive landscape, talent is often heralded as the magic bullet for success. However, merely possessing talent isn't enough; the true game-changer is the relentless pursuit of mastery through deliberate practice. This talk seeks to debunk the myths surrounding inherent talent and focuses instead on the transformative power of continuous, intentional practice.

Audience Takeaways:

Talent is an accidents of genes and a responsibility

Practice and experience are not the same thing. You can make ‘bucatini alla amatriciana’ for 20 years, and still make crappy bucatini.

Deliberate practice is purposeful and systematic. If you apply it to your talent, after a while you won’t make any effort.

Investing in your talents unlocks a virtuous circle called the multiplier effect as you get bigger motivation to practice, better coaching, more support from your peers, the respect of your competitors and in turn you nurture your self-awareness and your self-confidence.

Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.

Contrary to popular belief, industry giants like Blockbuster and Nokia didn't fail due to a mere oversight of technological shifts. Their decline was rooted in operational rigidity and an entrenched resistance to change. Yet, companies like Lego and Microsoft managed to reinvent amidst evolving landscapes. The secret? A balance of humility and ambition, coined as 'Humbition', which propels leaders to challenge the status quo and adapt before it's too late. This talk will explore 'Humbition' as the essential antidote to innovation's self-fulfilling prophecy.

Audience Takeways:

Established companies' success often stems from their cautious approach, but in a dynamic world, reliance on stability can be their downfall.

Declines are less about 'not getting it' and more about the inability to act upon recognized visions.

Reinvention is key: companies like Lego and Microsoft demonstrate the power of continual adaptation in changing markets.

While the old real estate adage, "Location, location, location" has long governed the world of retail, its dominance is waning in light of rapid market transformations. These upheavals stem from geopolitical shifts, disrupted market dynamics, intensified competition, channel fragmentation, and unpredictable consumer behaviors. Recent failures of major, established players have even led the business community to describe the situation as a ‘retail apocalypse’.

In the book Redefining Retail, Professor Philip Kotler and Dr. Giuseppe Stigliano provide a hands-on exploration of retail's evolving landscape and consumer brand marketing.

During the talk, Giuseppe will delve into the mindset needed and actionable strategies essential for refining an organization's operations, processes, and strategy. The focus will be on better aligning with the entire value chain while emphasizing sustainability, diversity, inclusion, and progressive employee work policies.

Giuseppe will highlight the ten core principles from their book, which remain relevant across startups, SMEs, and large, established organizations. The discussion will also encompass the primary challenges faced by retailers in a digitally transformed world and strategies for future-proofing marketing efforts centered on novel customer experiences. Attendees will gain insights into opportunities and challenges of crafting a seamless customer journey across physical, digital, and virtual realms.

In essence, this talk offers the definitive guide to retail and consumer brand marketing for professionals ranging from managers and entrepreneurs to investors and B2B/B2C consultants.

Audience Takeaways:

Omnichannel is a like sex for teenagers everybody speaks about it, everybody thinks that the others do it, nobody actually does it well.

The customer journey has become three-dimensional - digital, physical and virtual. And this has major implications to be considered.

We are entering the 5th wave of Retail. One in which technology will be less visible but far more present.

The retail landscape is undergoing a transformative shift, driven by technological advancements and evolving consumer expectations.
As we move into this new era, companies must develop a more sophisticated approach to integrating these innovations, focusing not
just on the technology itself, but on creating meaningful and seamless customer experiences. This transformation is redefining
traditional operating models and business strategies.

Key Components:

Explore the shift from the urgency to digitize to understanding the specific digital transformations that individual companies can absorb and implement effectively.

Analyze the evolving concept of the customer journey that now spans physical, digital, and virtual realms and understand how to create seamless and integrated experiences across these three dimensions.

Delve into the importance of optichannel, a strategy that optimally combines multiple sales and communication channels to meet customer needs in a fragmented world.

Learning outcomes:

Understand the importance of tailored digital transformation strategies that align with a company’s unique capacity to absorb and implement change.

Gain insights into designing customer experiences that seamlessly integrate physical, digital, and virtual touchpoints.

Develop the skills to implement an optichannel strategy that ensures cohesive and personalized customer interactions across multiple platforms.

Explore the future implications of AI-driven interactions on consumer behavior and business operations.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionising the business landscape, driving efficiency, innovation, and the creation of new business
models. In this new phase, companies must navigate the complexities of AI integration to remain competitive and relevant. This
masterclass will explore the profound business implications of AI, from operational enhancements to strategic transformations, as well
as its impact on marketing, sales, and brand loyalty. Participants will gain insights into how businesses can harness AI's potential to
thrive in the modern market.

Key Components:

Examine how AI is reshaping business processes, from automating routine tasks to enhancing decision-making capabilities.

Discuss the strategic shifts required for effective AI integration across various business functions.

Explore the role of AI in personalising customer interactions and improving service delivery.

Delve into the ethical considerations and governance frameworks necessary for responsible AI deployment.

Learn how to leverage AI to gain a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving market landscape.

Learning outcomes:

Learn how to identify and implement AI solutions that align with your business goals and operational needs.

Gain insights into how AI can augment decision-making processes with predictive analytics and data-driven recommendations.

Explore the ways AI can fuel innovation and help businesses stay ahead of the competition.

Learn how to strategically position your organisation to leverage AI for long-term success and market leadership.

The term "Post-digital" refers to the beginning of a maturity phase in the so-called digital era, where people, institutions, and
companies develop a more mature relationship with what was previously seen as a disruptive technological revolution. In the postdigital age, we take that disruption for granted and focus on creating a new reality. This phase has widened the gap between old and
new leadership models. Leaders at both emerging and established companies must navigate different customer expectations,
consumer behavior, experiential benchmarks, and a competitive landscape.

Key Components:

Understanding Organisations: Explore how different organisational structures adapt to the post-digital landscape.

Different Leaders for Different Companies and Stages: Identify the types of leadership required for companies at various stages of their lifecycle.

What Makes a Leader: Delve into the essential qualities and skills that define effective leadership in the post-digital era.

The ‘Right’ Leadership: Discuss strategies for cultivating the appropriate leadership style to meet contemporary challenges.

Learning outcomes:

Understand how to integrate digital technologies in a mature and sustainable manner that aligns with current organisational needs and goals.

Develop the ability to assess and implement different leadership models suited for both emerging and established companies in a post-digital context.

Gain insights into evolving customer expectations and behaviors, and learn how to design experiences that meet these new benchmarks.

As Jeffrey Gitomer famously said, “
People don’t like to be sold—but they love to buy
.” The "Consultative Sales Masterclass" focuses on
evolving sales techniques in a rapidly changing marketplace. This session explores how professionals can adopt a consultative, customer-centric approach, transforming from ‘sellers’ into trusted ‘advisors’. Participants will learn to align the needs and challenges of clients with the solutions offered by their organizations, fostering long-term relationships and driving mutual growth.

This approach goes beyond selling products or services, emphasizing the creation of genuine shared value for clients through deep understanding and partnership.

Key Components:

Understanding the Consultative Sales approach: delve into the core principles that shift focus from selling products to solving client problems.

Building Trust and Credibility: learn techniques for establishing and maintaining trust, ensuring credibility in all client interactions.

Tailoring Solutions: develop skills in customizing solutions based on deep client insights, addressing unique challenges and goals.

Leveraging Data: use data analytics to inform sales strategies, enhance client engagement, and provide value-driven insights.

Managing Complex Sales Cycles: explore methods to effectively navigate longer sales processes, including stakeholder management and maintaining engagement.

Learning outcomes:

Gain a comprehensive understanding of consultative selling and its importance in modern sales environments.

Develop skills in building and maintaining trust with clients, essential for long-term relationships.

Learn to create tailored solutions that address client-specific challenges, enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Utilize data and analytics to support decision-making and refine sales strategies.

Navigate complex sales processes with confidence, ensuring sustained engagement and effective stakeholder management.

Effective leadership in transformational change has become a critical skill for business leaders. The challenge is not just in implementing change but in leading it in a way that inspires confidence, overcomes resistance, and creates a sense of shared purpose across the organization. While change is often situational and reactive, true transformation is cultural—it involves a deeper shift in mindset rather than just a change in skillset. To leave a lasting impact, leaders must aim for transformation that permeates the organization’s culture and values, fostering adaptability and resilience at every level.

This masterclass will provide a comprehensive framework for leaders and managers to understand the dynamics of transformational change, emphasizing the need to balance structured planning with the flexibility to adapt to unforeseen circumstances.

Key Components:

Understand the critical elements of a transformative vision that resonates with all stakeholders.

Learn strategies to communicate the vision effectively, addressing concerns and anxieties, and turning resistance into support.

Discuss real-world examples of businesses that successfully navigated transformational change by blending strategic planning with agility.

Learn how to cultivate an organizational culture that embraces change, values innovation, and is resilient in the face of challenges.

Identify common barriers to transformational change, from silos to cultural resistance, and develop strategies to overcome them.

Learning outcomes:

Understand the critical role of leadership and management in driving transformational change.

Develop practical skills to create a compelling vision, engage stakeholders, and build a roadmap that balances structure and flexibility.

Learn from firsthand CEO experience and real-world examples to refine your approach to leading change.

Leave with a toolkit of strategies and techniques to lead successful transformational change initiatives in your organization.

Scaling a business is a complex and demanding process that requires a fundamental shift in leadership style and approach. This masterclass will explore the critical leadership adjustments needed to successfully scale an organization. Participants will examine the unique challenges that arise during rapid expansion—such as decision-making bottlenecks, communication breakdowns, and the 'success trap' where past achievements can hinder future innovation.

The session will also delve into strategies for cultivating a robust leadership pipeline and fostering an environment that empowers individuals at all levels to contribute effectively to the organization’s ongoing success.

Key Components:

Learn to adapt leadership styles to suit different phases of growth, ensuring alignment with evolving organizational needs.

Explore how to transition from hands-on management to strategic oversight, fostering a culture of trust and delegation.

Recognize key challenges like decision-making bottlenecks, communication failures, and stagnation from the 'success trap,' and learn strategies to streamline processes and improve cross-functional communication.

Understand the role of leadership in fostering an environment where team members feel empowered to make decisions and contribute to the company’s strategic goals.

Learn how to maintain the agility and entrepreneurial spirit of a startup even as the organization scales.

Learning outcomes:

Gain a clear understanding of the leadership transformations required to scale an organization effectively.

Develop practical skills to overcome common scaling challenges, ensuring sustainable growth and continued success.

Learn from firsthand CEO experience and real-world examples how to refine your approach to scaling the business.

Leave with actionable strategies to build a strong leadership pipeline and create an empowering culture that drives innovation and growth.