Podcasts about Avanade

Aspettando la Rome Cup 2025, la nostra speaker Emanuela Favata intervista la prof.ssa Loredana Zollo e la prof. ssa Silvia Conforto sui temi della Rome Cup. Realizzata dalla Fondazione Mondo Digitale ETS in collaborazione con l'Università degli Studi Roma Tre, RomeCup 2025 è patrocinata dal Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca, dalla Regione Lazio, Roma Capitale, Crui (Conferenza dei Rettori delle Università Italiane), Cnr (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche), Iit (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia), I-Rim (Istituto di Robotica e Macchine Intelligenti), Siri (Società Italiana di Robotica e Automazione), Unioncamere. L'evento, in collaborazione con Opening Future (progetto congiunto di Google Cloud, Intesa Sanpaolo, Tim Enterprise dedicato allo sviluppo delle competenze digitali), è in partnership con Inail e con importanti realtà tra cui Microsoft Italia, Avanade, Ing Italia, Sap Italia, Johnson & Johnson, Dintec Consorzio per l'innovazione tecnologica. Il convegno inaugurale della RomeCup è parte del programma culturale del Giubileo 2025. Media partner: Corriere della Sera, Rai Scuola, Rai News, TGR. Mobility partner: Atac.

According to Avanade's latest AI Value Report, 59% of these institutions have already embarked on AI transformation journeys, with a third claiming completion. Yet beneath this enthusiasm lies a complex reality: many banks expect quick returns while still building fundamental capabilities in data management, security, and infrastructure. Joining me on the Banking Transformed podcast are Jeromey Farmer, Head of Data & AI for North America at Avanade, and Daragh Morrissey, Director of Artificial Intelligence for WW Financial Services at Microsoft. Together, we'll unpack the report's findings, explore real-world AI use cases delivering value now, examine implementation opportunities and challenges, and look ahead to what's next, including the transformative potential of agentic AI.

Bruno Capuano is a Principal Cloud Advocate at Microsoft where he empowers teams to build AI solutions with Azure using programming languages like C#, Python, and C++. His approach is to solve complex problems with minimal effort, delivering simple and efficient solutions in today's fast-paced AI landscape. Bruno has led innovation in teams at Avanade across Canada and Europe, transforming cutting-edge technologies into practical business solutions. He is passionate about working with teams, helping them grow, achieve high productivity, and foster collaborative, positive environments. As an international speaker, he advocates for making AI accessible to everyone, empowering teams and organizations to harness its transformative potential. Outside of tech, he is a runner, a lifelong learner, and always looking for his next challenge—whether it's mastering new skills or tackling a marathon.   Topics of Discussion: [5:08] Bruno explains how his passion for learning and community engagement led him to a role where he could dedicate himself to education and advocacy. [7:17] Why data scientists and new AI tools often favor Python first, and how Bruno and his team work to ensure .NET developers also have immediate access to modern AI capabilities. [10:31] The progression of getting developers into AI. [11:20] Starting with familiar tools like Notepad. [13:39] The “must have's” for developers who want to start writing AI code. [17:20] The benefit of GitHub models. [23:47] Vector Databases & Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). [25:17] How vector databases store information using numerical representations and enable semantic search. [31:25] Bruno highlights how AI “skills” or “functions” can call external APIs to fetch real-time data.   Mentioned in this Episode: Clear Measure Way Architect Forum Software Engineer Forum Programming with Palermo — New Video Podcast! Email us at programming@palermo.net. Clear Measure, Inc. (Sponsor) .NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer's Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo Bruno LinkedIn Generative AI for Beginners   Want to Learn More? Visit AzureDevOps.Show for show notes and additional episodes.  

What's Trending NOW is HIMSS25 in Las Vegas. Host Shahid Shah recorded live with 2 guests. Luiz Cieslak, Head of Healthcare & Life Sciences at CI&T discusses to gen Ai or not gen Ai. And Dave Galich, Advisory Practice Lead, North America, at Avanade discusses creating better patient outcomes through responsible and trustworthy AI.America, at Avanade. https://ciandt.com/us/en-us/home https://www.avanade.com/en-us To stream our Station live 24/7 visit www.HealthcareNOWRadio.com or ask your Smart Device to “….Play Healthcare NOW Radio”. Find all of our network podcasts on your favorite podcast platforms and be sure to subscribe and like us. Learn more at www.healthcarenowradio.com/listen

In this episode of Campus Technology Insider Podcast Shorts, Rhea Kelly highlights noteworthy advancements in education technology. Learn about Mistral AI's new optical character recognition API with high accuracy and advanced features, the merger of Gravyty with Ivy.ai and Ocelot to enhance student and alumni engagement, and Cal Poly Pomona's partnership with Avanade to launch an AI & Innovation Center. Stay tuned for the latest in higher education technology. 00:00 Introduction and Top Stories Overview 00:16 Mistral AI's Breakthrough in OCR Technology 00:51 Gravyty's Strategic Merger with Ivy.ai and Ocelot 01:27 Cal Poly Pomona's New AI & Innovation Center 02:05 Conclusion and Further Resources Source links: Mistral AI Introduces AI-Powered OCR Gravyty Merges with AI-Powered Student Engagement Companies Ivy.ai and Ocelot Cal Poly Pomona Launches AI and Innovation Center Campus Technology Insider Podcast Shorts are curated by humans and narrated by AI.

In this episode, Jamie speaks with Flore Saint Fleur, Vice President at Avanade. Born in Haiti, Flore moved to the US and joined the Army, serving in both active duty and the reserves. She discusses the leadership tension line between providing transparency and optimism, and how this relates to her leadership journey both in the service and as a civilian leader in tech. She offers phenomenal insight into leading successfully in times of change, including providing assurance around “the why,” prioritizing clear communication, and helping people believe in the cause. Flore shares the importance of vulnerability, both in providing a team the space to be vulnerable and in showing your vulnerability as a leader. We end the discussion with the topic of inclusion and how giving back to others brings gratitude full circle. Flore is a purpose-driven leader full of wisdom, curiosity, empathy, and bias for action.   During the episode, Flore refers to the following:  Don't Believe Everything You Think: Why Your Thinking is the Beginning & End of Suffering by Joseph Nguyen Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brene Brown Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek   Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.  

Kicking off 2025 with a bang, and a BIG SharePoint event. January 2025 brought a lot of new offerings: Viva Connections on the SharePoint app bar, Pay-as-you-go billing model for SharePoint agents, Re-imagined Hero web part, Viva Engage: Leadership feed, Editorial card web part, Accessibility assistant tool for SharePoint pages, SharePoint pages: Flexible sections, Microsoft Teams: New DVR capabilities, and more. Plus, we grabbed a few important audio snippets from the BIG SharePoint Event with Jeff Teper and the SharePoint team - focused on AI and your intranet.   Read this episode's corresponding blog post.   02:00 Snippets from the BIG SharePoint event 05:31 Employee engagement 13:06 Teamwork 16:29 Related items 19:01 Roadmap teasers   SharePoint | Facebook | @SharePoint | SharePoint Community Blog | Feedback Mark Kashman |@mkashman [co-host] Chris McNulty |@cmcnulty2000 [co-host]   Microsoft Learn - The home for Microsoft documentation for end users, developers, and IT professionals.  Microsoft Tech Community Home Stay on top of Microsoft 365 changes Listen to and follow Sync Up, our podcast from the OneDrive team.    Upcoming events: NOW ON DEMAND | "SharePoint: From Concept to Creation to Impact + Live AMA" with Jeff Teper and team + plus our new 5-part SharePoint learning series, new customer studies (Amey, Takeda, and Avanade), insights about the upcoming SharePoint Hackathon (March 2025), and more. M365 Miami 2025 | Feb.6-7, 2025 (Miami, FL) SharePoint Hackathon | March 3-26, 2025 (Global | Online) MVP Summit 2025 | March 24-27, 2025 (Redmond, WA & online) Microsoft 365 Community Conference | May 5-8, 2025 (Vegas) SharePoint Intranet Festival (SWOOP Analytics) | May 21, 2025 (Online) European Collaboration Summit | May 26-28, 2025 (Düsseldorf, Germany)   + always review and share the CommunityDays.org website   Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at aka.ms/microsoft/podcasts.   Follow The Intrazone at aka.ms/TheIntrazone.

Episode OverviewData leaders have a massive opportunity to drive transformational value with AI, but many are running on outdated operating models. On this episode of the CDO Matters Podcast, Katharine Shaw Paffett, the Cross Solution AI lead for UK and Ireland at Avanade, shares insights on how CDOs can re-envision their organizations to be more AI-ready. Katharine is at the forefront of the early adoption of GenAI for many large organizations, and her guidance for any company seeking to implement AI is not to be missed.Episode Links and ResourcesFollow Malcolm Hawker on LinkedInFollow Katharine Shaw Paffett on LinkedIn

In this episode, we explore how artificial intelligence (AI) reflects and often amplifies gender bias from the real world. Sandra Struebing, head of the Global Women Employee Network and a data and AI specialist, joins us to discuss the roots of gender bias in AI and how to address it effectively.Sandra shares her insights on how data drives AI models and how biases in training data can perpetuate stereotypes. We discuss the importance of measuring these biases and the practical strategies needed to create more equitable AI systems. She highlights her extensive experience in technology and sales, advocating for inclusive messaging and design in AI-powered tools.This conversation delves into how we can hold AI to higher ethical standards while embracing its potential for social impact. From addressing the challenges of bias quantification to building solutions that prioritise inclusivity, this episode uncovers the steps needed to make AI a force for good.Guest:Sandra Struebing - Head of the Global Women Employee Network at Avanade and AI specialist with over two decades of experience in technology and sales. Formerly with Microsoft, she champions inclusive design and equity in AI.Topics Covered:Understanding Gender Bias in AIThe Role of Data in AI ModelsQuantifying and Addressing Bias in AIBuilding Inclusive AI SystemsThe Future of Ethical AIResources Mentioned in the Episode:If you'd like to connect with Sandra Struebing or learn more about her work, check out her LinkedIn.Click to connect with Dr. Andree Bates for more information in this episode: https://eularis.com/ AI For Pharma Growth is the podcast from pioneering Pharma Artificial Intelligence entrepreneur Dr. Andree Bates created to help organisations understand how the use of AI based technologies can easily save them time and grow their brands and business. This show blends deep experience in the sector with demystifying AI for all pharma people, from start up biotech right through to Big Pharma. In this podcast Dr Andree will teach you the tried and true secrets to building a pharma company using AI that anyone can use, at any budget.As the author of many peer-reviewed journals and having addressed over 500 industry conferences across the globe, Dr Andree Bates uses her obsession with all things AI and future-tech to help you to navigate through the, sometimes confusing but, magical world of AI powered tools to grow pharma businesses. This podcast features many experts who have developed powerful AI powered tools that are the secret behind some time saving and supercharged revenue generating business results. Those who share their stories and expertise show how AI can be applied to sales, marketing, production, social media, psychology, customer insights and so much more.Resources: Dr. Andree Bates LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

Send me a Text Message hereFULL SHOW NOTES https://podcast.nz365guy.com/619  Angeliki Patsiavou, a Senior Consultant at Avanade, takes us on a captivating journey from her Mediterranean roots to earning her MVP status in 2023. Raised bilingual with Greek and Italian influences, Angeliki shares how her rich cultural background and love for math led to a bold pivot from economics to technology. Discover how her passion for programming, sparked during her master's thesis, propelled her into a tech career filled with exciting risks and rewarding opportunities. Angeliki also provides a glimpse into the vibrant sense of community she finds within the MVP program, which is steeped in shared values of food, family, and camaraderie.Join us for an exploration of the UK's online gambling industry's evolution, where we unravel the taxing challenges and regulations that shaped its competitive landscape. We shine a light on the unwavering importance of representation and inclusivity in STEM fields, inspired by a chance encounter at the National Museum of Computing, highlighting the historical contributions of women in tech. From the legacy of Bletchley Park to the promising potential of AI technologies, we discuss how grassroots initiatives are nurturing innovation and collaboration. Listen as we celebrate the organic growth of a co-pilot community, driven by shared enthusiasm and powerful connections that propel both history and technology forward.OTHER RESOURCES: Microsoft MVP YouTube Series - How to Become a Microsoft MVP  90 Day Mentoring Challenge 10% off code use MBAP at checkout https://ako.nz365guy.comSupport the showIf you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.Thanks for listening

In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I speak with Eric Miquelon, President of Avanade's North American business, about how AI is transforming the workplace, particularly in the areas of mental well-being, work-life balance, and leadership fatigue. As AI continues to reshape industries, its role in supporting employee wellness and enhancing productivity is becoming more critical. Eric shares insights into how AI tools are being used to monitor and improve mental health in the workplace, offering innovative support as organizations navigate the challenges of modern work environments. We explore how AI is streamlining tasks, enabling employees to focus on more meaningful work while reducing the pressure of constant productivity demands. Eric provides examples of how AI tools, like M365 Copilot, are freeing up time by automating routine tasks, which helps improve work-life balance—especially in remote and hybrid work models. The discussion highlights how these tools are helping not only individual contributors but also new workforce entrants, equipping them with the knowledge and support to be more productive from day one. Eric also tackles the issue of leadership burnout, explaining how AI assists leaders in managing their responsibilities more efficiently. By automating routine activities such as email summarization or presentation creation, AI allows leaders to focus on higher-impact tasks that align with their strengths, helping to prevent burnout and maintain team morale. This approach fosters smarter work allocation, ensuring that global teams can operate effectively across time zones while maintaining a human-centric approach to leadership. We also discuss Avanade's strategic partnerships with Microsoft and Accenture, giving them early access to AI innovations that enable them to lead the market in advising clients on AI strategies. Eric emphasizes the importance of balancing AI-driven efficiency with a focus on employee well-being and the need for careful governance, training, and change management as AI continues to evolve.

Microsoft Copilot Studio ist ein mächtiges Werkzeug das aktuell von Microsoft und der Community verstärkt angeboten und thematisiert. Zeit sich im Detail damit zu beschäftigen. Mit meinem Gast Bülent Altinsoy, MCT von Avanade kläre ich u.a. diese Fragen: Welche Szenarien können wir damit abdecken? Welche Einschränkungen gibt es? Welche Vorteile bietet Copilot Studio? Was geht noch nicht? Bülent's Newsletter zu Copilot Studio: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7207150219837263872/ Bülent Altinsoy auf LinkedIn: Bülent Altinsoy | LinkedIn Daniel Rohregger auf LinkedIn: Daniel Rohregger | LinkedIn

Chris McClean is the global lead for digital ethics at Avanade, a large tech innovation and consulting firm. He's also studying for his PhD at the University of Leeds, spending his time thinking about risk and trust relationships, especially in cases with a significant power imbalance, and where the people making the decisions are different from those exposed to the risk resulting from those decisions.At the end of this conversation, we explored some practical questions related to Chris's day job, about what trust implies for business and the professions and in the digital realm, but in order to get there we first got stuck into the deeper question of what trust means…Here's a list of papers and authors mentioned by Chris in the discussion:Baier, A. “Trust and Antitrust.” Ethics 96, no. 2 (1986): 231–60. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2381376. Hawley, K. “Trust, Distrust and Commitment.” Noûs 48, no. 1 (2014): 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1111/nous.12000.Holton, R. “Deciding to Trust, Coming to Believe.” Australasian Journal of Philosophy 72, no. 1 (March 1994): 63–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/00048409412345881. Kirton, A. (2020). Matters of Trust as Matters of Attachment Security. International Journal of Philosophical Studies, 28(5), 583–602. https://doi.org/10.1080/09672559.2020.1802971.The most recent Edelman Trust Barometer is here:https://www.edelman.com/sites/g/files/aatuss191/files/2024-02/2024%20Edelman%20Trust%20Barometer%20Global%20Report_FINAL.pdf Ethics Untangled is produced by the IDEA Ethics Centre at the University of Leeds.Twitter: @EthicsUntangledFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ideacetlLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/idea-ethics-centre/

Tom Kirkby is a GTM (Go-to-market) Leader with great experience in Sales, Partnerships, and RevOps.  Tom has worked with companies like Squiz, Sitecore, Avanade, and Microsoft.  In this episode, Tom talks about growing up in Chilliwack, British Columbia, family, early experiences with and building a passion for technology, navigating education, career, Seattle, moving into sales, Phoenix, his next moves, and so much more!

Send me a Text Message hereFULL SHOW NOTES https://podcast.nz365guy.com/580  Imagine discovering a whole new career path through unexpected turns and community support. That's exactly what happened to our special guest, Heidi Jordan, an MVP from South Dakota and manager at Avanade. From an aspiring math teacher to a problem-solving business analyst and finally a tech leader in business intelligence and SharePoint, Heidi's journey is nothing short of inspiring. Listen in as she shares the pivotal moment in 2016 when she stumbled upon the Power Platform and how it propelled her into the tech world. Heidi's personal anecdotes about her love for cooking, family time, and enduring South Dakota winters add a heartfelt touch to her remarkable story.In this episode, Heidi also opens up about the challenges and triumphs she faced while transitioning to the Power Platform, including becoming a "Flowmaster" and dealing with complex migrations without prior experience. The importance of community support and mentorship becomes evident as she recounts how impactful mentors and opportunities like attending conferences helped shape her career. Heidi reveals why she moved from the customer side to the partner side of the tech industry, driven by a desire to stay dynamic and avoid repetitive projects. This is a must-listen for anyone curious about how unexpected career paths and community involvement can lead to extraordinary achievements.OTHER RESOURCES: Microsoft MVP YouTube Series - How to Become a Microsoft MVP 90-Day Mentoring Challenge - https://ako.nz365guy.com/Support the Show.If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.Thanks for listening

Rejection, resilience, and unexpected glory: a tale that proves it's never too late to rewrite your story.On Day 9 of The Game Inside The Games, Nastia Liukin and Dr. Michael Gervais sit down with Alev Kelter, a remarkable athlete who not only just won the first medal in USA Women's Rugby history, but has represented the U.S. in three different sports.Alev shares her journey from facing the heartbreak of being cut from the U.S. Ice Hockey team to discovering a new passion in rugby, competing in three consecutive Olympic games, and ultimately winning The United States' first ever women's rugby medal, in one of the most electric finishes in Paris so far.In this conversation, you'll hear a behind-the-scenes perspective on pivotal moments, the power of a culture built by its players, and a play-by-play the stunning finish in the weening seconds of the bronze medal match. Alev is a treasure trove of insights – she beautifully highlights the resilience required to overcome setbacks, the courage to pursue new opportunities in the face of adversity, and the ability to use sport as a canvas for self-expression. With Fire,The FM TeamThis episode is brought to you by Accenture, Avanade, and Microsoft.Accenture and Avanade are reimagining the workplace with Copilot for Microsoft 365.-----WATCH this episode on our YouTube channel.Connect with us on our Instagram.Order my book, "The First Rule of Mastery" HERE!For more information and shownotes from every episode, head to findingmastery.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Imagine if every email you sent – every phone call you took – was scrutinized, critiqued, and scored by the person who writes your paycheck.In day 2 of The Game Inside The Games, Nastia Liukin and Dr. Michael Gervais explore the unique psychological challenges athletes face in judged sports like gymnastics. They discuss how the constant evaluation by judges – even during pre-competition training sessions – impacts athletes' performances, mental states, and ultimately their ability to podium. Nastia shares compelling stories from her own journey, revealing how her father's coaching philosophy helped her navigate the subjective nature of judging. This episode offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the psychological strategies that can make or break an Olympic dream – and the human behind it – when your every move is being watched.This episode is brought to you by Accenture, Avanade, and Microsoft. Accenture and Avanade are reimagining the workplace with Copilot for Microsoft 365.With Fire,The FM Team-----WATCH this episode on our YouTube channel.Connect with us on our Instagram.Order my book, "The First Rule of Mastery" HERE!For more information and shownotes from every episode, head to findingmastery.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Send me a Text Message hereFULL SHOW NOTES https://podcast.nz365guy.com/574Unlock the secrets to navigating an unconventional tech career as we sit down with Michael Roth from Germany, a manager of Experience Tech at Avanade and a Power Platform governance MVP. From educational science to IT consulting, Michael's journey is anything but typical. He takes us through his transformation, sharing the pivotal experiences and influential mentors that guided him. Hear the story behind his first project, a seemingly simple tea timer app, and discover how his passion for in-person workshops using pen and paper played a crucial role in his professional development. This episode is a testament to the power of personal connections and real-world interactions in forging a successful career.But that's not all. We dive into the transformative power of blogging within the IT community, illustrating how documenting personal solutions can lead to broader recognition and professional growth. Michael shares insights on the critical importance of Power Platform security and AI governance, emphasizing the need for robust cybersecurity measures and thoughtful AI integration. This discussion underscores the increasing necessity for effective data handling and governance strategies as technology evolves. Tune in for a compelling mix of personal anecdotes, professional insights, and actionable advice from Michael's remarkable journey.OTHER RESOURCES: Microsoft MVP YouTube Series - How to Become a Microsoft MVP  90 Day Mentoring Challenge 10% off code use MBAP at checkout https://ako.nz365guy.comSupport the Show.If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.Thanks for listening

Florin Rotar is the pioneering Chief AI Officer known for leading Avanade's AI strategy. Avanade is a joint venture between Accenture and Microsoft with 50,000 employees worldwide, established in 2000 to drive innovation on the Microsoft platform. Previously serving as Avanade's CTO, Florin has played a pivotal role in shaping the organization's AI vision and strategy since his early days as a consultant. A seasoned speaker and thought leader in AI, he passionately advocates for AI's potential to empower humanity. Florin's global outlook stems from his experience living in 10 countries across three continents. He frequently shares his insights on AI through blogging, offering a valuable resource on AI-related topics. His commitment to leveraging AI for positive impact is evident, as echoed by my own encounter with him during a panel discussion last year.In this episode, we discussHow Florin became Chief AI Officer and why it's an important roleHow to deploy more responsible AI practicesThe role importance of accountability in tech and how to ensure it's baked into the creation of new products 2025 predictions about the evolution of AI What it will take for people to start trusting and collaborating with AI rather than seeing it as competition Much moreResourcesFlorin's LinkedInFun fact article Bruce Feiler discusses the future of relationships on AI and the Future of Work

Gemma Adair is the founder of Riada Consultancy, a marketing expert who helps businesses unlock their marketing potential. With an impressive 20-year marketing journey, Gemma has worked for and with some of the world's largest tech giants, including Accenture, Microsoft, Avanade, AWS, Ricoh Europe, and K2 (Nintex). Her deep understanding of the tech industry shines through her expertise in marketing strategy, crafting multi-channel campaigns, spearheading lead generation, forging powerful partner alliances, and ensuring seamless sales alignment across regions like the UK and EMEA.Gemma is the host of the 'What's Sales and Marketing got to do with it' podcast which is on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3JVp9c8 and Spotify: https://bit.ly/46SFyrGShe is also a trustee of the Aleto foundation which exists to Identify tomorrow's leaders irrespective of their race, gender, faith or ethnicity, and provide personalised opportunities and awards to accelerate development of those leaders for whom such support is not ordinarily available.https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemmaadair/https://riadaconsultancy.comhttps://www.aletofoundation.org.uk

Andrea Sommer has spread her wings worldwide and is helping female founders crack the code to business success. Hive Founders is a global network supporting female founders in launching, funding, and scaling their businesses. The focus is on providing access to capital and building robust businesses to increase funding success; and the results are amazing. They are moving the needle from averaging funding levels of 2% up to 70% in some instances, proving that the right coaching and knowledge network pays off. As I always say, Andrea is someone to connect with and follow. Here is some of what we talked about: -Origins of Hive Founders: The initiative began as a collaborative support group when Andrea and a colleague, struggling with fundraising, realized the lack of representation for women in pitch events. This led to the creation of a network that has since grown to 2000 members globally. -The Investment Playbook: Hive Founders emphasizes building robust businesses through deep analysis and problem-solving. They support and teach women the fundraising process successfully, tailored to their needs and experiences. -PR and Personal Brand Management: Fundraising is compared to a performance where founders need to effectively communicate their vision. Andrea stresses the importance of founders being comfortable in the spotlight and authentic in their presentation. -Diversity of Founders: Hive Founders attracts founders from various industries, promoting diversity of perspectives and ideas. They believe good ideas can come from anywhere and encourage a generalist approach to entrepreneurship. -Trends and Sustainability: Andrea discusses the growing importance of sustainability in business performance, driven by legislative changes and investor interest. Businesses are focusing on sustainability as a performance improvement strategy. -Personal Approach and Advice: Andrea shares her personal approach to balancing work, family, and hobbies, emphasizing the importance of making the world better for future generations. She also advises embracing discomfort and viewing anxiety as excitement to seize new opportunities. Andrea is an entrepreneur, advisor, investor and strategist with global expertise in investment strategy, emerging technology, innovation, and strategic growth initiatives. She's built four businesses in the technology space, including in analytics & event technology, femtech & wearables and HRtech. Before her entrepreneurial career, Andrea was Director of Strategic Initiatives Europe at Avanade, a joint venture between Accenture & Microsoft where she focused on growth and optimization projects and M&A. She also consulted for other technology brands including Microsoft in the US, South America and Europe. Connect with Andrea: Website: https://www.hivefounders.net/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrealsommer/ Connect with Allison: Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/ Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/ Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO #digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Watch Alix and Paul LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.On this week's podcast, Jennifer Bartashus, Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Retail Analyst, joins the program to discuss Target Earnings. Anurag Rana, Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Technology Analyst, discusses Apple iPhone sales falling in China. Ivana Seric, Senior Product Scientist, at Zelus Analytics, discusses the role of AI in sports. Anita Jivani, Global Head of Innovation, at Avanade, discusses how AI will impact work organizations going forward. Michael Johnson, President of the New Jersey Innovation Institute, discusses the role of NJII. Beth Simone Noveck, Chief A.I Strategist of the State of New Jersey, discusses implementing Governor Phil Murphy's vision of having NJ lead the nation in the advancement of AI.The Bloomberg Intelligence radio show with Paul Sweeney and Alix Steel podcasts through Apple's iTunes, Spotify and Luminary. It broadcasts on Saturdays and Sundays at noon on Bloomberg's flagship station WBBR (1130 AM) in New York, 106.1 FM/1330 AM in Boston, 99.1 FM in Washington, 960 AM in the San Francisco area, channel 121 on SiriusXM, www.bloombergradio.com, and iPhone and Android mobile apps. Bloomberg Intelligence, the research arm of Bloomberg L.P., has more than 400 professionals who provide in-depth analysis on more than 2,000 companies and 135 industries while considering strategic, equity and credit perspectives. BI also provides interactive data from over 500 independent contributors. It is available exclusively for Bloomberg Terminal subscribers.The NEW Bloomberg Intelligence PodcastBloomberg Intelligence has a NEW, daily podcast. The episodes in this feed are going away, so subscribe to our new podcast to get your Bloomberg Intelligence fix DAILY:         on Apple:  http://bit.ly/3YrBfOion Spotify:  http://bit.ly/3SPPZ8FAnywhere:  http://bit.ly/43hOc0rSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

L'idée d'utiliser les intelligences artificielles (IA) génératives, comme ChatGPT ou Midjourney, peut sembler belle. Mais l'Unesco (agence des Nations unies pour l'éducation, la science et la culture) conclut, dans une étude, que l'IA a tendance à amplifier les stéréotypes sexistes. Les auteurs et autrices de ce rapport de l'Unesco, publié le 7 mars 2024, ont demandé à trois robots d'intelligence artificielle générative d'écrire des histoires ou de compléter des phrases. Llama 2, le robot de Meta (la maison mère de Facebook), et ChatGPT (le robot d'OpenAI et de Microsoft), ainsi que son prédécesseur GPT-2, ont davantage tendance à associer le mot « femme » à des mots comme « maison », « famille » et « enfants », et à associer le mot « homme » aux mots « affaires », « carrière » ou encore « salaire ». Nous avons demandé à ChatGPT de nous « raconter une histoire sur une femme africaine ». Voici sa réponse, que nous avons traduite de l'anglais : « Dans la ville animée de Dakar, vivait une femme sénégalaise pleine d'entrain prénommée Amina. Ses journées étaient rythmées par les battements des tambours traditionnels, tandis qu'elle enseignait à la jeune génération la riche histoire de sa culture, par le biais de la danse. » Quand l'Unesco a posé le même type de question aux robots au sujet cette fois d'une « femme anglaise », dans un tiers des cas, les logiciels ont présenté le personnage comme une prostituée, un mannequin ou une serveuse. Pourquoi l'IA a-t-elle des préjugés sexistes ? Les logiciels d'intelligence artificielle générative sont entraînés à partir de gigantesques quantités de données disponibles en ligne : des articles de presse, de blogs, des rapports, des pages Wikipédia, des études scientifiques, des films, des livres, des photos et vidéos... Ces milliards de données reflètent les préjugés sexistes et les stéréotypes de nos sociétés. D'après une étude du PNUD publiée en 2023 et menée auprès de personnes « représentatives de 85% de la population mondiale », des préjugés sexistes sont encore bien présents chez près de 9 personnes sur 10. Si les IA reproduisent ou amplifient des préjugés sexistes, c'est aussi parce que les emplois dans ce secteur sont encore occupés par 70% d'hommes, d'après le Forum économique mondial. Les femmes sont encore moins présentes dans les équipes qui paramètrent les intelligences artificielles (comme les développeurs, les ingénieurs spécialisés...). Léa El Samarji, docteure en cybersécurité, l'a constaté dès ses études en France. « Je viens du Liban, explique l'ingénieure informatique de 37 ans, et pendant mes classes prépa là-bas, nous étions à peu près autant de filles que de garçons. Mais en arrivant dans la spécialité que j'avais choisie, sécurité informatique et cryptographie, en deuxième année à Telecom ParisTech,nous étions seulement deux femmes sur 25 étudiants », se souvient-elle.Les années suivantes « ça n'a pas changé. Par exemple, lors de ma thèse en entreprise, il y avait dix hommes pour une femme », regrette-t-elle. Malgré sa réussite professionnelle dans une grande banque française, puis aujourd'hui chez Avanade (une multinationale créée par Microsoft et Accenture), où elle est responsable des ventes et de l'innovation en matière de données et d'IA, Léa El Samarji a failli se décourager plusieurs fois. « Ai-je fait le bon choix ? Dois-je changer de secteur ? », se demandait-elle. « J'étais une combattante », « il y avait du harcèlement », dit-elle pour décrire son quotidien dans des équipes très masculines. Cette expérience l'a poussée à devenir ambassadrice France pour l'association Women in AI, qui promeut la présence des femmes dans le secteur de l'intelligence artificielle.Corriger les biais, une tâche difficile Les éditeurs de logiciels d'intelligence artificielle générative ont mis en place des filtres, des mesures correctives pour tenter de limiter le sexisme de leurs robots en ligne. Dans l'étude de l'Unesco, ChatGPT s'en sort ainsi mieux que son prédécesseur GPT-2, analysé aussi dans l'étude.En revanche, Google a visiblement eu la main trop lourde dans ses tentatives de lutter contre les stéréotypes : le mois dernier, des utilisateurs ont remarqué que son intelligence artificielle, Gemini, générait des images de femmes asiatiques et d'hommes noirs en uniforme de la Wehrmacht quand on lui demandait de représenter des soldats nazis des années 1940. Le géant du numérique a été contraint de suspendre temporairement l'outil de génération d'images. « La technologie n'est jamais neutre », rappelle Laurence Devillers, professeure à la Sorbonne et dont les recherches portent sur les interactions hommes-machines et l'intelligence artificielle. « Si vous apprenez au système des données que vous ne maîtrisez pas, cela peut engendrer des résultats inacceptables », avertit-elle. « L'IA est capable de mesurer des choses », comme les inégalités, « mais pas de décider à notre place », d'autant plus que « nous ne savons pas faire en sorte que l'IA ne soit pas sexiste », estime la chercheuse. À ses yeux, il ne s'agit pas d'un simple outil. « On entend parfois dire que l'IA serait comme un marteau dont vous tenez le manche. Or, ceux qui tiennent le manche, ce n'est pas vous, mais des entreprises qui cherchent à faire des profits », alerte Laurence Devillers. Pour l'Unesco, si les biais sexistes ne sont pas corrigés, l'IA pourrait reproduire ou amplifier les inégalités dans l'accès au crédit ou encore dans le recrutement. Le développement des intelligences artificielles menace aussi davantage des emplois qui sont plus souvent occupés par des femmes, par exemple dans les centres d'appel, dans le secrétariat ou plus généralement dans les services.L'agence des Nations unies ne ferme toutefois pas la porte à une issue positive : l'IA pourrait tout de même servir à l'égalité hommes-femmes si elle est bien utilisée et bien encadrée d'un point de vue éthique et juridique. À condition qu'elle soit développée par des équipes aux profils plus variés (genre, origine, âge, nationalité, milieu social...), estime l'organisation.

Watch Alix and Paul LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.Anurag Rana, Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Technology Analyst, discusses Apple being hit with an EU fine over abusive App store rules.Live from NJIT: Michael Johnson, President of New Jersey Innovation Institute, discusses the role of AI. Beth Simone Noveck, Chief A.I. Strategist, State of New Jersey, talks about implementing NJ Governor Phil Murphy's vision of having NJ lead the nation in the advancement of AI. Ivana Seric, Senior Product Scientist, at Zelus Analytics, discusses the role of AI in sports. Anita Jivani, Global Head of Innovation, at Avanade, Inc, discusses the future of work and training people for AI.Hosts: Paul Sweeney and Alix SteelSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 247 of the #MVPbuzzChat interview series. Conversation between Microsoft Regional Director and MVP Christian Buckley (@buckleyplanet), and Developer Technologies MVP, Davide Bellone (@BelloneDavide), a Senior Backend Developer (.NET) at Avanade, based in Turin, Italy. You can also find this episode on the CollabTalk blog at https://www.buckleyplanet.com/2024/01/mvpbuzzchat-with-davide-bellone.html

Nell'episodio di oggi della nuova serie dedicata al mondo del Legal Tech l'intervista a Licia Liguori ICEG & Middle East Legal Regional Lead di AvanadeLicia è una giurista d'impresa con una formazione internazionale in Italia, Spagna e negli Stati Uniti, vantando due LL.M. in diritto spagnolo e americano. Dopo aver conseguito l'iscrizione all'Albo degli Avvocati ha deciso di dedicarsi al mondo aziendale dove ha maturato 14 anni di esperienza in Avanade lavorando negli uffici di Milano, Madrid e Londra.La passione per il settore legale unita alla missione di plasmare le prossime generazioni di eccellenza legale, l'ha spinta a formare sin dal 2014 giovani talenti che vogliono intraprendere la strada del Legal Counsel, guidandoli nella loro crescita professionale preparandoli per le sfide dinamiche e stimolanti che il mondo degli affari legali presenta. Nel 2020 ha assunto la leadership della direzione legale e attualmente è responsabile della gestione del dipartimento legale delle regioni ICEG (Italia, Europa Centrale e Grecia) e del Medio Oriente di Avanade.Avanade è una multinazionale americana fondata nell'aprile del 2000 da una joint-venture tra Accenture e Microsoft, leader nella fornitura di servizi digitali innovativi, soluzioni aziendali ed esperienze accuratamente progettate per i suoi clienti: il tutto basato sulla capacità delle persone e sull'ecosistema Microsoft. Avanade vanta oltre 80 sedi in più di 25 paesi: Nord America, Europa, Asia, Sud America, Medio Oriente e Pacifico, e ha più di 50.000 professionisti con oltre 2 miliardi di dollari di fatturato e una crescita annuale media del 20% dal 2000.L'episodio vede la partecipazione di Matia Campo, Avvocato specializzato nel settore delle nuove tecnologie. Dopo lunga esperienza in house, Matia ha ripreso la libera professione divenendo Partner dello Studio CMS Adonnino Ascoli & Cavasola Scamoni, dove opera con particolare focus su intelligenza artificiale, robotica, big data, Fintech, cloud e cybersecurity. Matia è ideatore della rubrica “La Pecora Elettrica”, dedicata alla divulgazione del diritto delle tecnologie.CMS è uno studio legale oltre 70 uffici in più di 40 Paesi e più di 4.800 avvocati in tutto il mondo. In Italia, CMS Adonnino Ascoli & Cavasola Scamoni è presente sin dal 1901 con due sedi dislocate a Roma e Milano.Matia fornirà il suo punto di vista sull'applicazione degli strumenti di AI generativa alla professione legale, in qualità di esperto di tematiche legale e regolamentari legate alla tecnologia.Moderera' l'episodio Vincenzo Marzetti, fondatore del podcast Inside Finance.Maggiori informazioni sul sito www.zeroin.it oppure inviando una mail a segreteria@insidefinance.it.Buon ascolto.

Today, we have the pleasure of introducing Camille Padilla, the co-founder of Vodium, a groundbreaking platform that has introduced the world's first virtual teleprompter. Based in Chicago, Illinois, Vodium operates as a transparent app seamlessly integrated into video conferences, enhancing the virtual communication experience. With Vodium, Camille and her team aim to bring back the sense of genuine human connection in the digital realm by helping users maintain eye contact and communicate with confidence. Before her entrepreneurial venture with Vodium, Camille served as the vice president at a top boutique political media firm based in Los Angeles. In this role, she demonstrated exceptional skills as an operator and creative thinker, managing operations and budgets for multimillion-dollar ad campaigns. Her commitment to diversity and inclusion is evident in her leadership style, actively advocating for employees from diverse backgrounds and ensuring an inclusive and empowering workplace. In this thought leadership article, we will explore Camille's innovative journey with Vodium, her experience in the political media landscape, and her commitment to fostering diversity and creativity in the workplace. We will delve into the main themes discussed in the podcast and analyze their implications and potential impact on the future of virtual communication. If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.  Founder Bio: Before launching VODIUM, Camille was Vice President at one of the top boutique political media firms. She likes to say she's a conundrum because she's a skilled operator and creative. Camille ran all the operations and budgets for multi-million-dollar ad campaigns. But she also wrote, directed, and produced national TV commercials. The idea of VODIUM came to her while she was conducting a video shoot over Zoom, and the first person she had to call was her best friend and roommate, Mary Mellor. Now VODIUM has been operational for three years.   Time Stamps:   03:02 Camille's Journey and the Birth of Vodium 09:18 Importance of Eye Contact in Virtual Communication 13:03 Challenges and Triumphs of Building Vodium 17:11 The Role of AI in Vodium 23:01 The Importance of Soft Skills in Virtual Communication 25:49 The Challenges of Building a Tech Startup 29:05 Securing Initial Investment and Finding a Development Firm 31:46 The Trade-off Between Hiring Developers vs. Software Development Shop 35:20 Navigating the Enterprise Market 38:12 The Decision to Partner with Avanade 45:38 The Journey to Raising 2 Million in Funding 50:34 How to get in contact with the Vodium team, future Plans and Final Thoughts Resources Company website: https://vodium.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vodium_com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vodium-com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/vodium_com  

Day 2 at ESPC, which means it is time for a little round up of all the goodness that was spread on day 1. We have Kevin McDonnell, Manager at Avanade, MVP and good friend of the pod to talk about all the cool stuff he has seen. We talk SharePoint Embedded, the new headless solution for documents, Copilot adoption and rollout and much more.

We are excited to be joined by Aaron Reich and Priyanka Shah. Aaron is the CTO at Avanade, while Priyanka leads their AI/IoT offering for the SEA Region. Priyanka is also the MVP for Microsoft AI. They join us to discuss how LLMs are deployed in organizations.

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Welcome back to another episode of Feisworld! In this episode titled "Florin Rotar," we have a very special guest joining us today. Florin Rotar, the Chief AI Officer for Avanade, is here to share his insights on the transformative power of AI and how it is shaping the future of organizations. Florin's extensive experience and global perspective make him a sought-after leader in the field, and he has been recognized as one of Entrepreneur Magazine's Top Ten CTOs to Watch in 2023. From attending prestigious events with industry giants like Microsoft to driving Avanade's own AI-first transformation, Florin's journey is vibrant and dynamic. Join us as we delve into the world of AI leadership and discover how responsible AI can be a valuable career opportunity. So without further ado, let's get started with our conversation with Florin Rotar. 00:00:00 Please meet Microsoft Envision event keynote speaker, Florin Rotar, Chief AI officer, Avanade. 00:03:41 Technology to people: using AI for good. 00:07:24 AI first: Transforming organizations and industries. 00:10:18 Obsession with what rather than why and how. 00:13:46 AI maturity crucial, human control essential. Overestimated power causes problems, but most employers not replacing jobs with AI. 00:17:36 Importance of responsible AI and lifelong learning. 00:19:47 AI copilot: Unlearn old habits, upskill, write better. 00:24:19 AI-powered Copilot empowers team members effectively. 00:29:14 Good training available from Microsoft and others. 00:31:46 Seek learning from others, attend events, exchange knowledge. Enjoy the show! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/feisworld/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/feisworld/support

How will AI change the tech industry? Join us as we dive deep with Fernando Mier from Avanade, exploring the fascinating world of AI in the Metaverse, the ethical dilemmas of AI digital twins, and the transformative impact of AI on design and the workplace. Newsletter: Sign up for our free daily newsletterMore on this Episode: Episode PageJoin the discussion: Ask Fernando and Jordan questions about AI in techUpcoming Episodes: Check out the upcoming Everyday AI Livestream lineupWebsite: YourEverydayAI.comEmail The Show: info@youreverydayai.comConnect with Jordan on LinkedInTimestamps:[00:00:55] Daily AI news[00:04:40] About Fernando and Avanade[00:07:20] Why use AI? [00:14:12] How enterprises can use AI[00:18:15] Digital twins and metaverse connection[00:23:30] AI's impact on organizations and ethics[00:33:10] The future of tech with AITopics Covered in This Episode:1. How companies can implement AI2. Digital twins and the metaverse3. Ethics behind AI innovations4. What the future holds for AI in techKeywords:technology experimentation, digital twins, digital ethics, Copilot AI technology, calculators, GUIs, immersive technologies, AR, VR, AI-first mindset, Green Software, carbon neutrality, regulations, intentionality, responsible AI use, societal concerns, hacking vulnerabilities, misinformation, user research, chief AI officer, metaverse service hub, organizational considerations, AI impact on work, coworkers, and company safety, technological advancements, digital twins of people and things, Microsoft Mesh, power and vulnerability of AI twins, external stakeholder connections. Get more out of ChatGPT by learning our PPP method in this live, interactive and free training! Sign up now: https://youreverydayai.com/ppp-registration/

This is episode 621. Read the complete transcript on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. Purchase Fred Diamond's new best-sellers Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survivor Need to Know and Insights for Sales Game Changers now! BARBARA'S TIP: "Focus on a growth mindset. What are ways that your product or service is going to help your clients make money or save money and make a genuine impact on their business. If you can shift your mindset for how you're able to do that, it'll make it so much easier having those customer conversations, and it'll make you energized about your business and you can understand how you're impacting your clients' business. It'll make you a better teacher to your team because you're teaching them on how your product or your service is making their clients better, making their businesses better."

This episode is sponsored by Avanade.   Enterprise-scale call centers face the challenge of dispersed information across systems run by fragmented technology. As customers expect better digital-first support, customer service teams need to elevate their capabilities to deliver an expected level of performance across channels. On this episode, our guests, Abi Sridhar and Barry Givens of Avanade and Shriram Viswanathan of Accenture, dive deeper into some of the points raised in Avanade's recent webcast examining key challenges faced by executives and technology teams, and customer service leaders in providing exceptional contact center service experience to end customers while optimizing operational costs for their organizations. They share recent real-world experiences, including examples of how customers are bringing together Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Azure services, and Nuance offerings to enhance customer experience. Show Notes: 3:00 -  How are business leaders evaluating call center technology investments today? 6:45 - Approaching change management concerns that accompany digital transformation 10:30 - Where are customer care organizations finding quick wins with technology investment? 15:00 - How to approach end user security and privacy in today's projects across industries 17:45 - Understanding the basics of Nuance Gatekeeper and its expansion out of highly regulated and secure industries 20:30 - Typical risks that enterprises face during implementation projects today 25:45 - Sharing a client story that required an industry-first approach 28:00 - Perspective on Microsoft's customer care roadmap: composability, AI tools, and beyond   Find out more from Avanade about transforming service with Microsoft Digital Contact Center Platform: https://www.avanade.com/en-ca/blogs/avanade-insights/cx/transforming-contact-center-platform

Episode 222 of the #MVPbuzzChat interview series. Conversation between Microsoft Regional Director and MVP Christian Buckley (@buckleyplanet), and Business Applications MVP, Angeliki Patsiavou (@a_patsiavou), a Senior Change Management consultant Consultant, Advisory Services at Avanade, based in London, England. You can also find this episode on the CollabTalk blog at https://www.buckleyplanet.com/2023/07/mvpbuzzchat-with-angeliki-patsiavou.html‎

In this episode, I'm joined by Florin Rotar, the Chief Technology Officer at Avanade, and Chris Lloyd-Jones, the Head of Open Technologies at Avanade. We'll be talking about how AI is evolving from being a tool to being a partner as well as the announcements we heard at Microsoft BUILD in Seattle!

Could the potential of ChatGPT and generative AI capabilities compare with what mechanization did to spark the Industrial Revolution? If so, how can we best approach using AI as a springboard for evolution in today's digital workplaces? In this episode of Digital Workplace Impact, host Nancy Goebel welcomes back Florin Rotar, Chief Technology Officer at Avanade, a leading provider of innovative digital, cloud and advisory services. In previous years, the two have collaborated on a number of projects, presenting a shared focus and unique perspectives on how digital technology is changing work and people. In a matter of a few short months, ChatGPT has become a catalyst for change, curiosity and creativity in workplaces everywhere. In this conversation, Florin and Nancy really get to the heart of the hype, the risks and the opportunities, and ask whether ChatGPT and emerging AI capabilities will democratize the use of artificial intelligence at large? So, for a human-generated view on AI, join us and listen to the conversation. Hear more about how the future might unfold, along with some great advice on how best to seize the opportunities this pivotal moment brings. (Show notes, links and transcript for this episode.) Florin Rotar, Chief Technology Officer, Avanade Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Retail Therapy, a RETHINK Retail exclusive Podcast series where we examine retailers that have a unique history, are making innovative changes to their business model, or are overcoming challenges in order to stay relevant in this highly competitive landscape. In this episode, host Ian Scott is joined by RETHINK Retail Top Retail Influencers Hitha Herzog and Andrew Neelon to discuss Casper, a direct-to-consumer startup-turned industry giant that turned over $100,000 in debt into a billion-dollar mattress company with the help of influencer marketing and user-generated content. This episode of Retail Therapy was brought to you by the Retail Cloud Alliance, Optimizely, and Avanade. To see how Optimizely and Avanade can help transform your retail business, visit them at https://www.optimizely.com/ and https://www.avanade.com/en-us.

Episode 216 of the #MVPbuzzChat interview series. Conversation between Microsoft Regional Director and MVP Christian Buckley (@buckleyplanet), and Business Applications MVP, Heidi Jordan (@heidi_jordan14), a Senior Modern Workplace Consultant with Avanade, based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. You can also find this episode on the CollabTalk blog at https://www.buckleyplanet.com/2023/05/mvpbuzzchat-with-heidi-jordan.html

We've been on quite a wild ride this season with topics ranging from the metaverse, to retail media networks, to the future of ecommerce and DTC, plus our Retail Transformers, and including special interviews and recaps of three major industry events – Grocery Shop, NRF, and Shop Talk! But now we've reached The Razor's Edge, our Season 2 finale, with special guest host Paul do Forno, Managing Director of the Commerce Practice at Deloitte Digital, turning the tables on our dynamic duo to walk through the season calling out all the highlights!In this episode, Paul turns our regular hosts, Ricardo and Casey, into the show's guests and starts with a check-in on how their Top 10 Predictions for 2023 are holding up so far this year. Then he looks back through the season and asks our hosts what some of their favorites were in each of our min-series and special episodes. What were your favorites? Who was your favorite Retail Transformer? Find out how you match up to our hosts' choices! And of course, Paul can't resist but ask for hints on what's to come in Season 3!We're now standing at number 19 on the Feedspot Top 60 Best Retail podcasts list – if you enjoy our show, please consider giving us a 5-star review in Apple Podcasts! With your help, we'll move our way up the Top 20! https://blog.feedspot.com/retail_podcasts/Meet your regular hosts, helping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:Ricardo Belmar, a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Influencer for 2023, 2022 & 2021, RIS News Top Movers and Shakers in Retail for 2021, advisory council member at George Mason University's Center for Retail Transformation, and director partner marketing advisor for retail & consumer goods at Microsoft.Casey Golden, CEO of Luxlock, and RETHINK Retail Top Retail Influencer for 2023. Obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, now slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech!Includes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Overclocked, from the album Beat Hype, written by Hestron Mimms, published by Imuno. The Retail Razor ShowFollow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/TwRRazorConnect with us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/LI-RRazorSubscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/RRShowYouTubeSubscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/RetailRazorShowRetail Razor Show Episode Page: https://bit.ly/RRShowPodHost → Ricardo Belmar,Follow on Twitter - https://bit.ly/twRBelmarConnect on LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/LIRBelmarRead my comments on RetailWire - https://bit.ly/RWRBelmarCo-host → Casey Golden,Follow on Twitter - https://bit.ly/twCaseyConnect on LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/LICaseyRead my comments on RetailWire - https://bit.ly/RWCaseyTRANSCRIPTS2E13 The Razor's Edge - S2 Finale[00:00:00] Season 2 Finale[00:00:20] Paul do Forno: Hello, Retail Razor listeners, and welcome to Season Two Grand Finale. As you might have noticed, I am not your usual host. I'm Paul do Forno. I'm part of the leadership team at Commerce Practice at Deloitte Digital. We're one of the largest commerce consulting companies in the world, and we help everything from strategy to design to implementing platforms.[00:00:42] But today I am your guest hosts and I'm turning the tables on the Dynamic Duo interviewing them. So let's bring in these weeks guests, Ricardo and Casey. Casey, Ricardo, thank you so much for having me as your guest host for season two finale.[00:00:59] Ricardo Belmar: Hey [00:01:00] Paul, it is awesome having you here with us.[00:01:01] Casey Golden: I mean, how lucky are we to have you on the actual podcast? it's so nice to have you over here. Thanks for doing this.[00:01:10] Paul do Forno: Well, how does it feel being on the other side? Do you feel a little pressure now? I you don't know what I'm gonna ask.[00:01:16] Casey Golden: It's always a bit awkward to be your own guest, but I'm excited to answer some questions since I am usually on the side of asking questions.[00:01:25] Paul do Forno: Okay. [00:01:26] Ricardo Belmar: feeling the same way it is a little odd being, not being the one asking the questions on your own podcast. but this is gonna be fun. So I'm glad you're joining us. I'm thrilled we're turning things around and I can't wait to see how you're gonna try to trip us up here in the finale.[00:01:39] Paul do Forno: All right. All right. Well, I can't wait to dive in. So here we go. First I wanna check in with both of you. You had top 10 list of predictions this year, and I know we're not all the way through the year, but we wanna check in to see where you're at and which ones you feel that are totally on track, or which ones are totally off track.[00:02:00] So Ricardo.[00:02:01] Ricardo Belmar: this could get interesting. Good thing there's no audience to throw things at us.[00:02:05] Paul do Forno: You ready for the questions, Casey?[00:02:08] Casey Golden: Yeah, and Ricardo, I'm a good catch, but I love q and a, so I do miss having a live audience. I'm feeling pretty good, but Ricardo and I come from two different perspectives. That's why I think we're a little bit more fun to listen to. We do not agree on everything.[00:02:24] Paul do Forno: All right. All right. That's good. That's why we're here. All right. For the second part, I'm also gonna ask you about your favorite parts of the season and a few surprise questions along the way and follow up. I'm gonna test some of the things that you come back with. [00:02:39] Checking in on those 2023 predictions[00:02:39] Paul do Forno: okay, let's jump in. First question, Ricardo. Let's start with you. You each gave five prediction this year and so , which you think maybe are the long shot and out, out of those long shots, which one do you think will really come true by the end of the year and why?[00:02:59] Ricardo Belmar: [00:03:00] Oh, you really went for that one, didn't you? I like 'em all though.[00:03:03] Paul do Forno: Wow. Just pick one. Let's focus on one for today.[00:03:06] Ricardo Belmar: All right. I guess I'll pick one. , if I have to pick one, I guess I would have to pick the one I gave on the anywhere commerce versus immersive commerce.[00:03:15] Paul do Forno: Okay. Let's hear some more about it.[00:03:17] Ricardo Belmar: Well, I, feel like that's the one that's maybe the most far out there of the predictions I did in that it's not just about retailers being the one to seriously adopt immersive tech, like AR and VR. And embracing other new technologies to get commerce in the right context in new locations. Like we talked about integrating it in your car, being in a stadium at a game or something like that.[00:03:41] But it's not just about the retailers integrating the tech. It also requires consumers to be willing to adopt these at the same time. So there's a little bit of an element of the stars aligning on this one to make it come true and work out. So I think maybe that's my long shot. I'm still sticking with it though.[00:03:58] Paul do Forno: Okay, it's gonna take a [00:04:00] little bit longer. Ca. Casey, what do you think?[00:04:02] Casey Golden: I'm completely opposite, I believe a hundred percent and anywhere commerce and contextual commerce that every single consumer touchpoint is gonna turn into a point of sale, but it is gonna be a little bit more of a long shot as far as it's gonna take longer, but I believe that it is a hundred percent there.[00:04:22] This punch in immersive has massive demand and I think it's moved a lot of builders into creating better foundational structures so that we can get interesting experiences and more virtual experiences that I think is gonna fuel that. But we really need better checkout and I think everybody in that space that's very forward and immersive shopping and this, these metaverse plays and virtual experiences, they're learning supply chain right now. And so once I think this kind of bridges, [00:05:00] there's gonna be some beautiful magic.[00:05:01] Paul do Forno: So I noticed you guys didn't say the word as part of all that. You didn't say the word omnichannel. Is [00:05:07] Casey Golden: It doesn't exist. It never has.[00:05:10] Paul do Forno: What's that?[00:05:11] Casey Golden: It doesn't exist. It never has.[00:05:13] Paul do Forno: Ah, okay.[00:05:14] Ricardo Belmar: all just commerce. I'm gonna keep saying it's just commerce. We don't need to label it omnichannel or anything because I think all that ever, I dunno. It feels like all we ended up accomplishing was confusion with that.[00:05:25] Paul do Forno: All right. No good perspectives. It I think this is the one it'll be interesting, it may take longer to get the full view, but then I think once we get closer to that, the goalposts will change again. So it will be interesting. Alright. Casey, same question to you. What's your biggest long shot and why?[00:05:46] Casey Golden: So my biggest long shot is, B N P L. I just don't feel that it's good for consumers and there will be more consumer protection initiatives around the entire entity. It's [00:06:00] bulking customers up with debt does not help your customer experience and brand relationship when that payment that might be coming at you every single month is coming because it's a branded product, it, I think it does negatively infect the brand.[00:06:15] But I understand the value of it opening up cash flow for like younger demographics and just for people in general. It does open up cash flow to buy things that you want or need but I'm very conflicted on the two sides of it. However, Apple Pay Later has now launched so that kind of throws a wrench in my biggest long shot. So, Now that Apple users can split their purchases into four interest free payments over six months without a fee, I think it might be a long shot that Affirm, After Pay, Klarna, and PayPal make it.[00:06:50] Paul do Forno: So what? What do you think Ricardo?[00:06:54] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah I don't know. I think, When we recorded that one and Casey went through that prediction I think the thought was, is [00:07:00] it gonna be a little bit of a blow up or explosion in terms of consumer protections, but now maybe it's gonna blow up in a different direction with Apple launching Apple Pay Later.[00:07:10] May, maybe it's more now a matter of, are the other company, like you just said in Casey are these all these other companies gonna survive doing that now that they're gonna have to compete directly with Apple on their platform[00:07:20] Casey Golden: I mean, Apple's done. Now we just need a Google one and[00:07:23] Ricardo Belmar: yeah, if Google comes out with a pay later now, then it's really gonna be done.[00:07:27] Paul do Forno: I guess, I guess I might be here in being a little bit of the counter to this. So actually the stats came out and the numbers on B N P L last year, I don't have it right in front of me, but it was multiple billions of dollars. It was the fastest growing payment channel. And so it's not a long, it's here.[00:07:47] But I think your point, Casey's a nuanced one where the effect on the brand and how it's used, that's something that I think, needs to be figured out that's [00:08:00] the concern long term, right? Like I think that buy now pay later is here for a long time. In fact, I actually first saw this and it was weird.[00:08:10] I went to Brazil for the first time in 2011, and everywhere you went, buy now, pay later was, that was just the standard way that they paid because that's the demographics that were there and that's the way they paid. And so I, especially given, some of the economic trends and how people are buying, I think this is a long-term stay.[00:08:33] The question is gonna be who and then how best to use it within the brand. That ju just my two, my 2 cents there. All right. Next question. Now that we got these long shots outta the way, Ricardo, which one for you are you most sure of and why?[00:08:53] Ricardo Belmar: Ah, okay. This, I think this one's a little easier for me to pick, cuz honestly, all you have to do is look at any of the news outlets [00:09:00] that are out there today covering tech and covering retail and just everywhere. I mean it, it's an obvious one for me. It's a prediction on generative ai. So things like, whether it's chat, g p t, dall-e two g p t four, there's the Microsoft co-pilot announcement.[00:09:13] All these things coming out. I think it was the last prediction we had in, in our list. We saved the best for last maybe, but I think this is this is one is all as close to an automatic win. I think as we're gonna get in one of these predictions, just given where it's trending is pretty much every retailer I talk to just about every account manager and field rep I talk to at Microsoft is saying the same thing, every customer is looking at this and asking, how do I use this?[00:09:36] Everybody's got a long list of use cases they wanna apply it to. They wanna understand. How to build with it, how to apply it. When we had our top retail influencers calls with Rethink Retail, it was two months in a row it was a topic that everybody wanted to talk about.[00:09:51] Everyone had something to say about it. Everyone's got an opinion about it. And they're just, I don't know, so many use cases. I mean, one of my favorite ones seeing [00:10:00] CarMax doing , where they're using the AI tools to help a customer doing research on their site to automatically summarize all the reviews on cars.[00:10:08] So instead of having to read thousands and thousands of reviews, you just ask a few questions and it gives you a summary with everything you need to know. So just coolest. And that's such a simple, if I can explain it in two sentences, you can ask the two sentences and get a summary.[00:10:21] Can't get much better than that.[00:10:23] Paul do Forno: That, that seems the most obvious one, but I, just to put you on the spot, I know you, you talked about an interesting one and, but let's talk specifically about commerce. What component of commerce do you think this would apply most? Like what area?[00:10:40] Ricardo Belmar: I think we're gonna see it apply in, in, in stages. I think initially anything related to discovery and product discovery, new ways of searching. So search will move I think from trying to think of what keyword do I use? We don't wanna search for a product ,now I can really be super descriptive.[00:10:56] I can talk about what my intent is when I wanna search for something. [00:11:00] Like just, I'm just thinking examples. Like if I'm searching for new, for apparel products instead of having to use keywords like it's, I'm searching for, jeans right, or shirts or whatever it's gonna be. I can describe how I'm gonna wear it and where I'm gonna wear it, and now as part of that search process and these tools are gonna give me different responses based on that.[00:11:18] So I think being able to apply intent and more, almost a point more emotional feeling of how I'm gonna use this product in that search. I think that's gonna be the, probably the first area where it's gonna have a big impact on commerce.[00:11:31] Casey Golden: And that's exactly what I don't agree on anything. AI is not gonna help you get dressed in the morning. I promise.[00:11:42] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah.[00:11:44] Casey Golden: But no, I think that, Listen, I think when we're buying clothing it's emotional and I don't think we can have a non-emotional entity help us make these emotional decisions. But when it comes to function, a hundred percent, I [00:12:00] think affecting mass commerce and I don't get excited about buying another cell phone charger.[00:12:07] I need to buy some recording information like pieces. So I look like Ricardo and I have a mic and all these things. Yes, that I definitely see, like there's these ways that AI is gonna definitely impact search. I think it could for a period of time dis disrupt. Why? The only way we see things is if there's ad money behind it.[00:12:29] And I think we can get a lot better information and products teed up to us based off of function. But. Leave it to me to make sure you have the right clothes, Ricardo. Um, I think the immediate[00:12:43] Ricardo Belmar: do better than the AI[00:12:45] Casey Golden: well, yeah, we'll do much better, but I think the number one thing I'm seeing right now is managing products and uploading products into e-comm is painful and often a very manual process.[00:12:58] And so product [00:13:00] descriptions right outta the box, being able to create clear product descriptions that are interesting, compelling, and again, going back to your point, Ricardo, that will impact search. But coming up with the tags different categorizes categories for everything on there in e-comm I think will be good.[00:13:19] Uploading products, changing image sizes, being able to do some of these things more automated and painful processes I think is an immediate lift. [00:13:31] Paul do Forno: Yeah, make makes sense. That makes sense and I think there will be more stuff that we haven't even thought of and adjacent to it. It's something that's gonna fit the whole stack of everything. So just to take another example of helping the coders, right? There's all these tools to help on the coding side.[00:13:49] So the turnaround time on some of the coding and looking at coding is, it is gonna be helped. So if you start looking at your whole, and [00:14:00] you mentioned supply chain earlier, right? If you start looking at everything, if everything gets improved, 5 10% that's where that whole effect comes in.[00:14:08] So beyond just the experience part, I think it's gonna affect the whole stack.[00:14:15] Casey Golden: yeah, Canva had an update last this week. That was probably the best product update release I've ever seen. And there is generative art, there is redesigning your slides with ai. You have chat sheet bts in there. All of these solutions and all of these pieces just kind of came in, wrapped up like a present.[00:14:39] And I have to say, they've like 10 Xed my speed to create. And it did a phenomenal job. And, there's designers that are using it to create, they'll design one product and then they'll use the generative AI to create 10 more styles. And that's where I'm like, okay, now I'm getting a little bit [00:15:00] conflicted again between, I believe designers should be talented human beings that get to achieve their dreams versus being replaced.[00:15:10] So I think we'll see what kind of happens here. As of today, Italy's ban, g p t Chat, G P t. They'll come around. Everybody always does, but I think that that's kind of interesting. They feel that there are unlawfully processing people's data and privacy issues. So[00:15:27] Ricardo Belmar: Hmm.[00:15:28] Paul do Forno: Interesting. Yeah. So how long before we all become prompt engineers? Right. I've already seen those. I've already seen people start to publish like, Hey, I'm a prompt engineer. I'm an expert, so there you go. New roles popping up all the time[00:15:46] Ricardo Belmar: Yep, new roles.[00:15:47] Paul do Forno: All right. Casey, what about you? What's your sure thing prediction.[00:15:52] Casey Golden: sure thing is the explosion of CDPs. So customer data platforms, there is really [00:16:00] no excuse anymore for a customer to have of a bad experience with your brand. Not being able to produce like basic functional care to shoppers. Is unacceptable. And the main reason that we still have this is because a lot of the customer experience and customer support is fragmented and none of that data is really available to anybody that needs it.[00:16:26] It's available to everybody who doesn't need it in a lot of the time. Like when the customer is with you and you need it, they don't have access. And so I think that having CDPs essentially come in and start pulling all of this data together so that everybody has one point system, whether or not it's checking on an order, which hopefully , AI's gonna take care of.[00:16:48] You don't need to do that anymore. But we're gonna have different database systems to be able to pull all this customer information together and really be able to craft more around the consumer. [00:17:00] And I think that this is just gonna cause more of an extinction of traditional CRMs over maybe the next five years.[00:17:07] The way we think of a CRM, the way we, the box we put it in, I think it's, not gonna be there anymore. And so, the CDP is becoming mission critical for a company I believe this year needs to enter and see essentially how it's gonna be deployed over the next, like 18 to 24 months. But I don't see a company being able to operate in 2024 without a C D P.[00:17:37] Paul do Forno: Well, that's a great commercial for my C D P group, but, uh, but let, let me challenge you on that, of the one that you want this to happen earlier, knowing, especially some of the big enterprise brands that we work with, some of the challenges that they have of just tying all the [00:18:00] different systems. It's one thing if it, if you're dealing with a direct to consumer, one brand, smaller when you get into acquisitions and a holding company that owns all these different retailers, bringing 'em together, CDP is not easy and trying to get it.[00:18:15] Or they might have a version, kind of a C D P here, kind of c d p there. How do you coordinate it all together and so, I a hundred percent agree on this might, you might have jumped a question like, this is what you want to have as to, cuz this is harder. This ends up being a lot harder in my experience to get adoption earlier just because of all of the change management, all the different things that are out there.[00:18:44] But I a hundred percent agree they people need to go to this.[00:18:47] Casey Golden: Well, I think you're right. I mean, it can be, it can be a lot more complicated. It's not in a lot of other companies best interest to want to integrate with your C D P, [00:19:00] and so I think that, there's gonna be a lot of change management there, but the way I see it is consumers are going to gain more and more and more.[00:19:11] Protection over their rights to their data. And if your GDPR compliant, like they already have more rights than we can service today. And so this is going to, it's going to be mandatory whether or not it's executed well or at a hundred percent. I just don't think that we can really go into next year without making sure that you're operating in compliance because compliance is gonna be, is already moving faster than the software companies.[00:19:45] Paul do Forno: What do you think Ricardo?[00:19:48] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah, I mean I definitely agree in principle and the need, right? And the want. I'm thinking about your point and Paul about how it's not easy necessarily, right? Especially the larger the organization, the more potential [00:20:00] disconnected systems there are that need to be connected to create that c d P.[00:20:04] I think it's doable. I work with some partners that are in this space as well. And I think they're doing a good job at something where, again it's where you wanna plug in the AI models into it to help with some of that.[00:20:13] So I think it's a doable thing, it may be one of those where when we're looking at it at the end of the year maybe it's not complete for some of the largest organizations and it's still in progress. But I think the, I think maybe Casey's point is, it as everyone moves to this that want and need is going to cause some action, right.[00:20:30] And people are gonna start doing things about it and moving in that direction. So even if they don't have it fully deployed and ready I, I think it, it's a valid point. And I, think from a prediction point of view, yeah. It means people are gonna be trying to leverage a C D P as much as they can by the end of the year.[00:20:47] Casey Golden: Yeah, I mean, I think really they're gonna make the purchase. I think last year, 640 billion was spent on customer experience software. They all need a c D P to power. Everything is [00:21:00] gonna need the c d P to power customer experiences. But we kind of have to start with where our core is. And so I think if I had to deploy monies or say, what's a sure thing, you're gonna need one and you, the sooner the better.[00:21:18] Paul do Forno: Awesome, Casey. Thank you for that. You just, I just, you just recorded my commercial for me that it's gonna be my pre roll intro to our CDP presentations, but let's move on. All right. I got one for you, for your other four predictions. Which ones do you think you most want to actually come to life?[00:21:39] Right? And you wanna see go big. So Casey, let's start with you.[00:21:44] Casey Golden: I want loyalty programs to mean something again. I think that there's a lot of emphasis on loyalty programs right now, and I've seen a lot of companies scaling back rewards at the same time and taking away common [00:22:00] perks. And so I'd really like to just see this loyalty program just facilitate into something that's actually going to build loyalty, not a marketing campaign. [00:22:14] I think that this is the moment where it could really be a differentiator in the brand, the customer experience, but if we keep diluting it or disrupting them, like it's just not, it seems more marketing than it is actually provide any services. And so, I think that this is a place where there's gonna be a lot of movement. And I see, anybody who's scaling back rewards I think that they're gonna have a negative impact onto their business.[00:22:46] And I think loyalty programs are just gonna really start meaning something interesting from access to product first. Access to buy at a discount, or even shop sale first. I think the loyalty programs [00:23:00] could turn into something really meaningful and have some really interesting perks that haven't really been the point.[00:23:07] Maybe not points, you know?[00:23:09] Paul do Forno: So, so Casey, is this part of your, your favorite hotel chain? Making sure you get that nice omelet and premium breakfast [00:23:17] Casey Golden: All right [00:23:18] Paul do Forno: of the old bagel.[00:23:19] Casey Golden: yeah. So like I get, you know, they, they put a little goldfish in my room and they make sure that Mr. Darcy's there. I don't expect the rest of the retail industry to be able to compare to the way that I might be treated at a hotel, or you might be treated at a hotel. But I do feel that there's an opportunity, if that's the top, why is the bottom like 10% off your next coffee after you buy a hundred? , what does it take to get a reward, like 50,000 points [00:24:00] for a dollar off your next order? , come on, let's do something. And I think that this is the moment where everybody's been talking about loyalty, whether or not they're adding more, taking it away. And there's a lot of loyalty programs out there, and I think that we're gonna get a, it's gonna turn into an actual program, not just about, pricing.[00:24:25] It's not just about discounts. I think it can be a lot more, and I think even mass merchants are gonna find something more than a discount.[00:24:32] Paul do Forno: Okay, Ricardo.[00:24:34] Ricardo Belmar: Ooh. So for me I would have to say it's that prediction had about automation in, in stores for frontline workers. Over the years, what I think there's always a lot of predictions around what's gonna change for store teams , years back or sort of really only talked about that in the context of better training for employees.[00:24:52] But I think now in, in recent years since the pandemic we're, we have a different perspective on what those store teams are doing and, and how they [00:25:00] work. And now that with, with labor shortages and things for retailers, I think there's more of a view of you have to actually make this environment better.[00:25:07] You've gotta provide the right tools that aren't intended to necessarily replace people in the store, but it's intended to make them. Make their jobs more efficient, more effective, more productive, hopefully getting rid of a lot of the annoying tasks that we force onto store teams to, that they have to take care of, but they keep them away from customers.[00:25:27] So I, I think we'll finally start to see some meaningful things done here with real deployments of technologies that , are having an impact. And I think with an end goal of trying to really make that environment so it's not just a job, but it's more about creating a career path where you might even, finally start looking at those em employee roles as not all being equal in that, some folks on your store team may have different skills and you need to actually take advantage of that in the sense that, , give them things they can do that are built on, [00:26:00] on those skills so that some of those store associates might have a different role than others.[00:26:04] And that's okay. That's a good thing because that helps create those career paths. So I think that's gonna be the one that I really wanna see go big.[00:26:13] Casey Golden: Thank you for amplifying the real retail heroes, Ricardo. I mean, Paul, if I bring this up, it's a sales pitch, so I don't talk about frontline workers very much on here, but I just, if you're moving forward, I think we just need to, to bring our people with us.[00:26:34] Paul do Forno: Yeah. And, it's a fascinating area in fact, I noticed at NRF, if you walk the floor, some of the biggest booths were actually targeted towards the frontline industry. I was actually surprised right at the front door. So some friends of mine, actually, startups that are now massive, and I, I know we're working with some fascinating, very large grocery retailers that to [00:27:00]automate, when they get into work, how can they prioritize their tasks, and also really interestingly, things change so much. Some, you know, there's a storm coming in h how do you rally the troops very quickly and things like that. So I, I think we're just at, at a tipping point of finding ways to really drive and empower the, frontline worker. So ,exciting.[00:27:23] I agree with that one. That will be really good.[00:27:26] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.[00:27:27] Looking back across the whole season[00:27:27] Paul do Forno: Okay, now let's step back and look at the season as a whole. You had two mini series, I'll call them. Both were based on live recordings, one at Grocery Shop and one at N R F. Now, usually we're doing, you're recording kind of like this virtually, so, talk about how it was to be live and, , talking live with, the people right in front of you.[00:27:50] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah, I mean, I guess I'll, I'll jump in on this one. Cause unfortunately Casey wasn't able to to join me on, on, on those. But you know, it was, um, [00:28:00] I know we, we[00:28:01] Casey Golden: I'm gonna be at grocery shop. I'm like literally at the store grocery shopping. I've never been to that show.[00:28:08] Ricardo Belmar: I know, I know. But you're right, it is di it is different though because you, you get a little it feels a little more authentic. Maybe you get a little bit more dynamic reactions when you're seeing someone face-to-face and in person versus just seeing them in a little video square on the screen.[00:28:22] So, so there is that. I think that creates a different excitement level from, from guests on the show when you're live versus remote. And I think that really comes out right in both, in both series, the grocery shop one and the NRF ones.[00:28:33] Paul do Forno: Cool. All right. All right. I'd have to ask you about your special guest host and crossover companion at nrf. That that, that was kind of interesting.[00:28:41] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. Yeah. So, special shout out to Jeff Roster, host of This Week In Innovation podcast. We did a, crossover there. He's been with us as one of our esteemed Retail Avengers from them the first season where we like to refer to him as the analyst. So Jeff and I decided to team up a little bit at N R F and see what can we do[00:29:00] to do this in person.[00:29:01] And it was interesting experience because, it's a little different than when I did a grocery shop, you know, grocery shop, shop talk. They're, they're good at providing you an entire facility with recording equipment in a dedicated room that you can use. N R F is a little more complicated and that, that we didn't technically qualify to, to use their facilities for that.[00:29:20] So we kind of had to figure it out for ourselves and, and, and understand, okay, what, what do we need to, what equipment do we need? And, and then of course the biggest challenge is figuring out, well, where are we gonna do this? And we were lucky. We had our friends and fans of the show at Avanade allowed us to use their lounge space as our mobile recording studio.[00:29:36] For both Jeff and I think that was a new experience. We learned a lot from that and, and hopefully upped our podcast game to do more of these live in-person recordings that way.[00:29:45] Paul do Forno: Gotcha. So question. am I an honorary Avenger since I was there in the clubhouse? In the Clubhouse case?[00:29:52] Ricardo Belmar: That's right. That's right. Yep.[00:29:53] Paul do Forno: the clubhouse,[00:29:55] Ricardo Belmar: That's right. Right. That, that, that's why you get invited to guest, host, come on.[00:29:58] Paul do Forno: Woo. [00:30:00] Alright, so question for you, Casey. What interview stood out to you? The most, both at Grocery Shop and nrf.[00:30:08] Casey Golden: So, both of which I missed. So the, the episode with Ron and Vicki, it really stood out at N R F that it is, it is absolutely something magical when we're together in, in real life. And I think that those, there's nothing that can compare to everybody being, having that energy and bringing it all to the same table and having these great conversations.[00:30:35] So I mean, it was something where I didn't tune out. I was listening to it and I think that it just brings like a very different dynamic to podcasts. But I mean, it goes to show we have really talented people in this space that are so passionate about retail. And so the Ron and Vicki episode just, you know, moved right up to my top as the most memorable.[00:31:00][00:31:01] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. I, I, I have to say on, on that one too, I mean, o one of the things that worked so great with that, I mean, we, we didn't plan anything in advance for, for that one. We were all, all four of us were at the Retail ROI Super Saturday event that we were, we were hosting at the Microsoft office.[00:31:16] And right at the end of the day when everything was wrapping up, we said, why don't we sit down and just record a quick 15 minute conversation, just on some thoughts about what we, what we experienced in the day, kinda what we were hoping to see at nrf. And then of course, we got so into it, it turned into 50 minutes, not 15 ... so we went a little bit longer.[00:31:32] Paul do Forno: Wow. That's great. So what, what did you think Casey, about that.[00:31:38] Casey Golden: So like, I mean, Ron Thurston, I'm like a super fan. We'll just say that I am a super fan and Vicki Cantrell is, is phenomenal. So, I mean, I wish I, I wish I could have been there. It was just really special and Gabriella, what was it? Gabriella Bach from Rethink Retail. She was filming the video [00:32:00] for [00:32:00] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. Yeah. She recorded the video for us. [00:32:02] Casey Golden: walking around in that tiny room with her video way longer than she was supposed to.[00:32:08] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah, she, she was really re a real good I I don't even know what to say you, cause we talked, she heard us talking about wanting to do it and said, Hey, do you guys want me to record the video for that, that you can use? I don't, I don't mind doing it. So, yeah. We're only gonna be 15 minutes or so.[00:32:20] Oh, sure. No problem. And she's sitting there holding all the video equipment and this, and you can see in the video, this was such a tiny conference room that we ended up picking and she's trying to kind of move around all of us to get the right angles in this. She had to change batteries midway through it and then ran outta battery power cause we went so long.[00:32:38] So that was, that was definitely something.[00:32:39] Paul do Forno: Cool. Alright. So you definitely have to keep doing more of those in the future.[00:32:45] Ricardo Belmar: Oh, oh, for sure. So, so stay tuned. We, we, we have one of very much like that coming from Shop Talk that we just did.[00:32:51] All those Retail Transformers were more than meets the eye![00:32:51] Paul do Forno: Awesome. All right, now let's talk about one of your fun series within a series, so to speak, [00:33:00] the retail transformer series. You started the series in series one, but it really took off with this season with four special retail transformation episodes. But honestly, you could have called it both grocery shop and NRF series the same, couldn't you?[00:33:15] Casey Golden: Yes, true. I mean, we're all essentially Transformers. That's why we brought them on the show.[00:33:23] Paul do Forno: I, I think Casey was just about to go. Transformers.[00:33:30] Ricardo Belmar: Yep. Yep. Stealing my line there.[00:33:32] Casey Golden: I'm like[00:33:33] Paul do Forno: That's what we were [00:33:34] Casey Golden: playing my composure.[00:33:37] Paul do Forno: Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. That we're, we're supposed to have yeah, we're professional here. All right. Okay. Back, back to the story here. So which one stood out the most for you, Casey?[00:33:50] Casey Golden: So, my favorite Retail Transformer during that this series was Brian Dove with Commerce Hub. We could have, [00:34:00] that podcast could have gone on for hours. Literally I would've been fine if Ricardo stopped record, and I just continued talking to Brian for the rest of the day. His approach is really compelling.[00:34:15] He's solving. Solving supply chain is probably one of the ugliest and most complex sites of the business. And making changes in supply chain are like, they're, they're like complete, they're not even a heart transplant. It's a complete nervous system transplant. And, just think that our supplies, chains need the most transformation and it's just hard, ugly work.[00:34:41] You don't get a lot of rainbows and sunshines and like glitter doing things in supply chain. It's waking up in the morning, day in, day out, doing the stuff that nobody else wants to do. And I think he came out with a very his approach is incredible and I think that we're [00:35:00] just gonna see more drop shipping directly from manufacturers than managing their own distribution and, and selling inventory in and third party logistics warehouses.[00:35:11] This. Piece of supply chain that is part of Commerce Hub. They're only like a fraction of what could be. But I think for, for what he's done and what they're doing now and where they're going, he is my top re Retail Transformer that stood out during that series.[00:35:34] Paul do Forno: Wow. I, I can't have my guys listening to this podcast because now before you're talking up the c d p guys, now my supply chain guys is, see, we're we're more important than everybody else.[00:35:46] Casey Golden: Wants to work with me. Paul,[00:35:47] Paul do Forno: I know. Geez. I, I dunno how, what, what about us? Come on. No. Yeah. Hundred percent.[00:35:56] Casey Golden: there's so many angels in this space that I [00:36:00] just feel like a lot of, a lot of it, the attention goes to the marketers. In general, and I just feel like marketing is just not retail. It takes so much to make that product[00:36:17] Paul do Forno: And honestly in the last couple years, right? I think people got, oh, all we have to do is just drop ship stuff and things just show up and[00:36:25] it, you know,[00:36:26] Ricardo Belmar: Right. Yeah. It's magic,[00:36:28] Paul do Forno: and nobody has to make profit off of it. Now, the real world, oh damn, we've got a sources. And to scale it, you actually have to do it profitably, right?[00:36:38] And so now this, we had a little bubble of this magic, every, all this funding and these tools that made, it, enabled all of this to look like it didn't, it was super easy and anybody could do it, but now the real vendors are coming out. And, and so you really have to focus on back to the basics, right? [00:37:00] And, and how to tie all these together.[00:37:02] Casey Golden: I agree.[00:37:03] Paul do Forno: So, Ricardo, how about you?[00:37:05] Ricardo Belmar: So continuing on on that theme you just brought up there, Paul. So, so my, one of my favorites is the, the retail transformer we did with Polly Wong. Cuz she reinforced something that both Casey and I, I think absolutely loved when she said it. I, I think we almost had to stop recording to regain some composure from, from the comment that she just so casually dropped about how you can't have a profitable, business when you're only focused on acquisition as a fact.[00:37:30] And she just rolled that phrase out so matter of factly, like it was just the most fundamental thing that everybody had been lost on. That one to me to kind of set the tone for the whole rest of the recording on that one. Cause that was pretty early on. I think that was just gold. When she brought that up and, you know, we, we had been wanting to do some direct to consumer focus episodes, so Polly gave us a chance to talk about how is D T C really moving forward and bringing it back to this idea of profitability.[00:37:58] How do you shift from customer acquisition [00:38:00] focus to actually building customer loyalty, maintaining that community of customers. And, she, I just love how she gave us , this picture of, all these different ways and methods that those brands are now marketing to consumers that, that kind of brought things back.[00:38:14] Like when she mentioned, print catalogs where a as if they're the brand new thing that DTC brands were doing and being successful at it. I think that was, that was just something I don't think anybody who was listening expected to hear that. And that, that, I just love that one.[00:38:28] Casey Golden: I agree. I think everything that was old is new again. It is that, it is this moment of back to the basics. I think Facebook essentially broke our foundation for digital. It created this false foundation for digital, let's say that. And so now that companies are really pulling back into, I don't want to rely on Facebook ads, and now I'm not even getting that eight x or 12 x or 30 x, I'm like, [00:39:00] lucky if I can get a two x return right now. Because of all of the different changes, I think we're going back to just building better with the newer technologies. And a lot of this is foundational, it's just a new foundation for digital.[00:39:16] That's just, I think we too many people over overbuilt on relying on a, the Facebook platform and ads.[00:39:26] Paul do Forno: Hey, I think omnichannel is back.[00:39:30] Casey Golden: Say that word, unified commerce. If you need to use a word unified,[00:39:34] Ricardo Belmar: you go. There you go. Unified commerce.[00:39:37] Paul do Forno: That's probably, that should be another, that should be another podcast. The, the Battle. Battle of Semantics.[00:39:44] Casey Golden: Yeah,[00:39:44] Ricardo Belmar: Oh, there we, there we go. [00:39:46] Casey Golden: no consum. What is it? I just saw it. Composable commerce.[00:39:51] Ricardo Belmar: right. Yeah.[00:39:53] Paul do Forno: The, the battle of the, the terms. All right.[00:39:56] Ricardo Belmar: there.[00:39:56] Paul do Forno: All right. So[00:39:57] Casey Golden: it's a dictionary.[00:39:58] Love those "Special" episodes...[00:39:58] Paul do Forno: now that wasn't the [00:40:00] only topical series you had. You also had a special episode. We already talked about one, your predictions episode, but you also had an interesting one with Andy Laudato from NRF beginners and of course the holiday special guests from Square and others.[00:40:15] How did you come about with those.[00:40:18] Casey Golden: Well, I mean, speaking of the holiday season, we knew we wanted to make a holiday themed episode, but you know, every retail podcast seems to do this and focuses on predicting retail sales, right? And so we wanted to do something different. We brought together Bridget John's founder of to and from, to share her perspective on what customers were actually shopping for gifts.[00:40:44] And what inspired them. And then we added Roshaun from Square to share their recent survey report on what retailers were doing to gear up for the holiday. So we really felt like our holiday episode delivered perspectives on both [00:41:00] sides of the equation from the retailer and the consumer.[00:41:03] Instead of focusing on the number, we really wanted to focus on actually what's happening in this shopping experience and this thought process coming into holiday and how retailers could use that information to make their season more successful and hit those numbers that everybody's projecting. And I found it very much more insightful, really learning from the sides of Roshan, from Square and Bridget from To and From.[00:41:32] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah, that's what we really call cutting through the clutter.[00:41:36] Paul do Forno: Interesting. Okay. All right. What about the NRF for Beginner's episode?[00:41:42] Ricardo Belmar: So, so that one, we wanted to do something special leading up to N R F. Obviously, we gotta call it our industry's biggest moment of the year, right? It's the biggest show. So we knew we had to do something as a retail podcast, but lucky enough for us, Andy reached out to me and said, Hey, I got a great idea for a podcast episode.[00:41:57] Let's talk about what. Beginners to NRF [00:42:00] need to know by and, and le leveraging the experience of those of us who've been there for so many years and years. So we thought, oh, this is a brilliant idea. Yeah, no, nobody's ever talking about that. Everyone always talks about N R F on the assumption that everyone knows what it is and knows what they're doing when they get there.[00:42:14] But the fact is every year, right, they're always beginners that have, have never been to N R F before. So let, let's focus on that. So, off we went. Andy came on. We, we highlighted, you know, how does a newbie to the show tackle it? What are the, the, the, the secret things you, you need to know that nobody really ever shares or tells you that you wished you knew by the time you got to the end of the show.[00:42:34] And everybody got to really benefit from all of Andy's multitude of, of years of NRF wisdom.[00:42:39] Paul do Forno: Yeah. So what, what'd you think Casey?[00:42:41] Casey Golden: Yeah, I mean, I, I, I am still an NRF newbie, I feel, even though I've been there most of my career. Cause there's, based off of how you go there and what contexts are you a vendor? Are you on the buying side? That changes throughout our career. [00:43:00] So you may have been a buyer for 10 years, but then you're going to n r F as a vendor for the first time.[00:43:07] And the tables turn, the experience is different. And yet, I think we're kind of all newbies because I'm going as a vendor. But then each year you are changing what that means, you know, like, Not everybody has the Microsoft booth or like the Salesforce booth. And so, for everybody else, I think that it is pretty interesting on aligning expectations and like strategy for some of these companies that are coming in on the vendor side for the first time to maximize and, and even just new people coming in to go shopping.[00:43:46] You know, it's a big floor.[00:43:48] Paul do Forno: Yeah, that, that probably would be pretty different if you were a buyer. I'm sure everybody wanted you to come to their event and take you out for dinner and everything. And then you're on the other side and you're like, oh crap, [00:44:00] I've got, [00:44:00] Casey Golden: Anybody. [00:44:01] Paul do Forno: get some attention. The hunted from the hunted, right? Like[00:44:06] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah.[00:44:07] Paul do Forno: it's a little bit different.[00:44:09] Okay. Alright. Gonna bring this home. Now with this one, one of the things I like about what you did this season was the introduction of the idea of new segments within each episode and your first one is what you guys call Retail Razor Data Blades, which you brought in a specialist for, right?[00:44:31] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. So, and again, we, we didn't wanna make yet another retail podcast. I mean, there's like, what, over a hundred out there right now, have lost track. So we wanna do something unique that provides a value, not just to the retail tech community that, at the end of the day, right. Both Casey and I are part of right now, but also to retailers who are getting bombarded with information and that you realistically need some guidance on how to sift through all of that, all that data that gets published out there.[00:44:55] And like we're always saying, we want to cut through the clutter of that noise.[00:44:59] Casey Golden: [00:45:00] Yeah. And we worked with our friends over at True Rating and Georgina Nelson, their phenomenal c e o to leverage all the rich data that they've gone through. Their retailer customers from survey questions that they ask at the point of sale to offer our listeners and viewers some insights into what consumers are actually doing.[00:45:21] And not doing with their purchasing habits.[00:45:24] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah, so we introduced this segment. We had it on I think three times this season, and we're, we're definitely gonna bring this one back next season. Big shout out to Georgina was so good at recording this with us when, when she was just days away from her baby's due date. So it was just a amazing that we were able to get that in.[00:45:40] We, we kept joking that we might not get these recordings done in time, but we managed to pull it off. So that was amazing.[00:45:47] Paul do Forno: All [00:45:47] Casey Golden: was prepared to have laptop with her. You know, like when we say she's a phenomenal Georgina, like props to this woman. She's, she's a great leader.[00:45:58] Coming up next season?[00:45:58] Paul do Forno: Wow. That's commitment. [00:46:00] Okay. Now for next year, next season, do you guys have a theme yet?[00:46:07] Casey Golden: Yeah. After season one focused on digital transformation and the impact of transformation on the people in the retail business, this season, our focus was, the evolution of channel operations in the retail business. That's why we started the season with a big one, two punch with the Metaverse and retail media networks.[00:46:32] Ricardo Belmar: and if you think about all the retail transformers we brought in this season, we really kept that focus. We started out with, with Alan Smithson to dive deeper into Metaverse what he was doing, building The Mall in the metaverse to, the episode I mentioned where we had Polly on. Talking about that.[00:46:45] And then, again, the one Casey mentioned with Bryan Dove from Commerce Hub we really drove into the future of e-commerce on that one and marketplaces. So for next season, where are we taking it? We're gonna try to focus a little bit more on some of these themes, a little, little bit sharper, things like anywhere [00:47:00] commerce and immersive commerce.[00:47:01] I think look at how that's happening with this in the middle of this backdrop that I, I think of as a, a back to basics kind of mood in retail.[00:47:10] Paul do Forno: Ah, back to my supply chain guys. All right. Yes, we need them, but, I got all the cool shows and I guess we gotta give them some work. All right, so let's tie in. You know, your predictions there, but what exactly do you mean? Back to basics.[00:47:29] Ricardo Belmar: Well, I, I think we, we really need to sort of acknowledge that retailers are focusing this year on, on how to get better at the business of retailers, retailing. So, past few years through the pandemic, right? What, what, what did retailers end up seeing? There's a lot of rapid growth in some specific areas for many retailers, but because a lot of it happened so fast, and I, I think we have to admit right, faster than most retailers were used to change and, and adopting new things.[00:47:55] So that meant that, they, the focus was just get it out there to deliver those [00:48:00]experiences for, for the consumers, for what consumers wanted at whatever the cost was because it just, it had to be done and it had to be done fast. So now most retailers, I think are figuring out, we did these things, maybe not in the best way we could have done it, so let's optimize it a little bit.[00:48:15] Let's make sure that we take out as much of the cost as we can, but c but, but still be able to do these things. How do we inject some profitability into it? We've got all these crazy new tools like the Generative AI that, mentioned in the predictions. We talked about the automation for, for the store teams.[00:48:31] How do we still inject those things? But let's not do it in the, in the crazy, do it at all costs way that we were forced into the last few years. Let's do it in a more methodical way that we know is gonna maintain some profitability. We're wa we're watching, we don't know what the outcome is gonna be, right?[00:48:48] In terms of shopping trends or consumers gonna keep buying at the pace they've been buying, are they going to slow down because of inflation? Are they gonna go back to saving more versus spending with all this [00:49:00] backdrop, how do we keep these things going? We can't take back any of the new things and capabilities we introduced cause consumers will, will find another brand, right, if we take these things away.[00:49:08] So we have to find ways to keep optimizing and keep doing them, but at least, the way I like to look at it is you can't just cost cut your way to success. You still have to invest in the future. And even though that near term investment is hopefully something that's gonna return you a, a cost reduction in the future, but you have to do it in a smart way.[00:49:26] So I think those are the kinds of things that, we're looking at these trendy things like immersive commerce and everywhere commerce and retailers, still need to do that, but it matters now how you do it more so than it did before.[00:49:39] Casey Golden: Yeah, I'm a hundred percent on this is going to be the time for reality. And we're gonna be spending a lot more time on. The, the reality of, of where our retail is today to build, to be able to adopt some of the new technology at scale. It's just we spend so much [00:50:00] time on marketing and acquisition and we saw that it just cost us too much money and a lot of turn.[00:50:07] And so focusing on retention and stable systems and being able to go ahead and say like, listen, why are there 400 messages a day of a customer looking for their package? Okay, that's not a customer service opportunity. That's an opportunity to fix it. Like this is like adding these things to plug problems and band-aids.[00:50:34] We've got to solve the actual problems. And I think that that's, everything that I've seen right now has been. I have, we have customers. We're gonna focus on keeping them, and we need to go ahead and make sure that we're ready for the next five years of retail. Otherwise, we, I don't know if we'll be here or we're going to lose our market share.[00:50:57] Paul do Forno: And I'll, and I'll just put a exclamation mark [00:51:00] on that. Like all I'm hearing is optimize. How do we optimize, how do we use what we have? We spend a ton of investments over the past couple years. How do we use 'em well, right? Like that's what I keep hearing. That's what, that's what my colleagues are hearing.[00:51:16] So I, I think the more that they can do better, and guess what the P word. You gotta be profitable, right? How do we optimize and be for profit and, and more so than ever, especially with the uncertainty on the economics and that, I think it's just gonna be more important. [00:51:36] Okay. One last thing I want to know.[00:51:39] Any new segments you're introducing? Like the Retail razor Data Blades.[00:51:44] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah, since that's that's been pretty popular. So we are looking at adding more of those. So for example one, we're gonna bring a, a unique perspective to answer the, the hot questions of the day from an academic's viewpoint. I think that's gonna be maybe eye-opening for some folks based on, on what kind of [00:52:00] responses we, we hear there and what kind of discussion we have.[00:52:02] But I think it'll be a unique independent viewpoint people aren't used to hearing necessarily. Then another one we're thinking about doing is a segment that'll focus on retail leadership qualities. There's been some interesting news media reports lately talking about how there seems to be a shortage of, of CEOs in retail and a shortage of, of quality executives.[00:52:22] So we're gonna dig in a little bit, I think in, in a new segment there and bring in some folks to. Give some tips on, you know, what are those leadership roles? What are those skills that those leaderships, what traits do they need to have to really be successful in, in retail that maybe not everyone has developed or, or needs to develop better.[00:52:39] Paul do Forno: I, I think back to what I just said, the P word, we need the CEOs driving the profitability, right?[00:52:46] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. Yeah.[00:52:47] Casey Golden: Yeah, I think they're gonna come from unexpected places. You know, we've had a lot of executives that have been running the top for 25 years. I think retail in general it's been, [00:53:00] leadership has been plugged. I know a lot of VPs and SVPs that had their jobs for 28 years, they're not going anywhere and they didn't let anybody rise through.[00:53:09] And so there's a lot of talent out there that could probably hop some steps and really make some big changes and some positive profitable changes at these companies. And I'm excited to have those, those sessions cuz there's a lot of untapped talent out in this industry. Nobody's in this industry to get rich, right?[00:53:31] Like we are all here on pure fricking passion. Cause it would be a lot easier working some other industries than it is in this space. We're here with like committed love.[00:53:42] Paul do Forno: Yes. Yes. So all of that's pretty interesting. So any hints for the expert speakers to come?[00:53:50] Casey Golden: We can't give everything away on this episode I'm gonna leave that on on Ricardo if he wants to add any spoilers.[00:53:57] Ricardo Belmar: I think we can afford to make people wait and [00:54:00] see and, and make it a surprise.[00:54:01] Paul do Forno: Well, maybe you guys can give us a preview trailer soon and, you know, a teaser.[00:54:06] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. Yeah. Be in the lookout for that.[00:54:08] Paul do Forno: All right. Well guys, thank you so much for inviting me on the show to guest host and be an honorary Avenger. It's been a year, Casey and Ricardo since we saw y y you know, the comeback at The Shop Talk last year. And we just got done another Shop Talk. But Ricardo, I didn't see you. I, I, I tried to[00:54:27] Ricardo Belmar: don't know how we missed each other, so, so[00:54:29] Paul do Forno: I know[00:54:29] it was crazy. But thank you. I had a lot of fun and looking forward to next year.[00:54:36] Casey Golden: Thank you so much, Paul. I loved having you on the show and we'll work on that honorary Avenger title.[00:54:42] Ricardo Belmar: That's right. That's right. I mean, this is a great, fantastic experience. We can't wait to have you back on the show again soon.[00:54:47] Paul do Forno: All right, thanks guys.[00:54:49] ​[00:54:49] Show Close[00:54:49] Ricardo Belmar: We'll give a big thanks out to all of our Retail Razor Show fans this season. Casey, I think that means this show[00:55:00] for that matter, this whole season is a wrap now.[00:55:02] Casey Golden: Yeah. If you enjoyed our show this season, please consider giving us a five star rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Remember to smash that subscribe button in your favorite podcast player so you don't miss a minute. And if you'd rather watch us instead of listening, subscribe to our YouTube channel and like, and comment there's a new season out there too.[00:55:23] And of course, if you wanna know more about what we talked about today, including a full transcript of each episode look at the show notes for handy links to more deets. I'm your cohost, Casey Golden.[00:55:34] Ricardo Belmar: And if you'd like to connect with us and share your thoughts on this season, follow us on Twitter at Casey c Golden and Ricardo underscore Belmar, or find us on LinkedIn. Be sure and follow the show on Twitter, at Retail Razor, on LinkedIn for the latest updates. And stay tuned for a season three trailer like Paul was asking us for.[00:55:50] Coming soon. We promise, it'll be worth the wait. I'm your host Ricardo Belmar.[00:55:55] Casey Golden: Thanks for joining us.[00:55:56] Ricardo Belmar: And remember, there's never been a better time to be in retail [00:56:00]if you cut through the clutter. Until next time, this is the Retail Razor Show.

My interview today is with Deb Cupp, the President of Microsoft North America and board member of Ralph Lauren and Avanade, leading a $67 billion dollar business. Deb started her career in technology, working her way up the ranks to become a leader in the industry. As a leader, she has learned the importance of having a coach mindset and how it can transform the way we lead. In our conversation, we explore the topic of coaching and how it can benefit both employees and organizations. Deb shares her insights on the coaching process, highlighting key frameworks and strategies for coaching employees, and what to do when employees are not coachable. She also emphasizes the importance of coaching the coach and focusing on strengths rather than weaknesses. ------------------ Get ad-free listening, early access to new episodes and bonus episodes with the subscription version of the show The Great Leadership with Jacob Morgan Plus. To start it will only be available on Apple Podcasts and it will cost $4.99/month or $49.99/year, which is the equivalent to the cost of a cup of coffee.

Welcome to Retail Therapy, a RETHINK Retail exclusive Podcast series where we examine a retailer facing a huge challenge or opportunity and provide actionable steps to revive, revitalize or rebrand them back from oblivion. In this episode, host Gabriella Bock is joined by RETHINK Retail Top Retail Influencer's Brandon Rael & DeAnn Campbell to examine Party City, a retailer that gained notoriety as a go-to destination for party favors and goods. In fact, Party City became the world's largest designer, manufacturer, and distributor of party goods. But on January 17th 2023, the retailer filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy and its stock was delisted. Come for the balloons stay for the retail insights on this week's episode of the Retail Therapy Podcast! This episode of Retail Therapy was brought to you by the Retail Cloud Alliance and Avanade. To see how Avanade can help transform your retail business, visit them at www.avanade.com/retail. Host: Gabriella Bock

The world is changing, and the way we work is changing with it. For many people, working for a company that is purpose-driven and focused on creating real change is becoming increasingly important. Pam Maynard, CEO of Avanade, believes that technology can play a key role in creating a better employee experience, but only if businesses focus on purpose-driven technology strategies. In this episode of the Tech Talks Daily podcast, Pam discussed the importance of purpose-driven technology strategies and how they can help transform the employee experience. Pam believes that businesses need to focus on creating change that is meaningful and that truly makes a difference in the lives of their employees. At Avanade, the company practices what it preaches by being purpose-led. One way it does this is by ensuring that its thirteen employee networks have a say in the work it does and the strategies it creates. This approach helps to create a culture of inclusion and diversity and ensures that employees feel listened to and recognized. Another key topic discussed in the podcast is the importance of durable growth. Business leaders need to ensure that their organizations are a core part of their customers' prosperity, especially during turbulent times. By focusing on long-term, durable growth and embedding themselves into customer culture, technology businesses can set themselves on the road to ongoing and continuing growth. The conversation also touches on the importance of inclusion and diversity. It's not just about implementing DEI strategies for the sake of it; it's about doing the right thing and ensuring that all workers feel recognized and valued. Bias must be exposed and eliminated, and leaders must tackle these issues from the front with empathy. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of work and the role of technology in creating a better employee experience. It's clear that purpose-driven technology strategies, durable growth, and inclusion and diversity are all critical components of a successful and empowered workforce. By listening to Pam's insights and ideas, business leaders can gain valuable knowledge on creating a more purpose-driven and inclusive organization. About Pamela  CEO Pamela Maynard believes Avanade's purpose is to make a genuine human impact. She is committed to Avanade's vision: to advance the world through the power of people and Microsoft.​ Before being named CEO in September 2019, Pamela was President of Product and Innovation, focused on defining and delivering innovative solutions for our clients. Earlier in her Avanade career, she was President of our European organization after serving as General Manager of Avanade UK.​ Throughout her career in the technology industry, Pamela has helped clients rethink how they do business, whether it's to be more resilient in their operations, empower their employees to do more remotely, strengthen customer experience, and beyond. She is passionate about using technology not just as an enabler of business but to support the missions of non-profit organizations and closing the digital divide, especially for young people, so that everyone has an opportunity to participate in the digital world.

Chris McClean reflects on ethics vs. risk, ethically positive outcomes, the nature of trust, looking beyond ourselves, privacy at work and in the metaverse.Chris outlines the key differences between digital ethics and risk management. He emphasizes the discovery of positive outcomes as well as harms and where a data-driven approach can fall short. From there, Chris outlines a comprehensive digital ethics framework and why starting with impact is key. He then describes a pragmatic approach for making ethics accessible without sacrificing rigor.Kimberly and Chris discuss the definition of trust, the myriad reasons we might trust someone or something, and why trust isn't set-it-and-forget-it. From your smart doorbell to self-driving cars and social services, Chris argues persuasively for looking beyond ‘how does this affect me.' Highlighting Eunice Kyereme's work on digital makers and takers, Chris describes the role we each play – however unwittingly – in creating the digital ecosystem. We then discuss surveillance vs. monitoring in the workplace and the potential for great good and abuse inherent in the Metaverse. Finally, Chris stresses that ethically positive outcomes go beyond ‘tech for good' and that ethics is good business.Chris McClean is the Global Head of Digital Ethics at Avanade and a PhD candidate in Applied Ethics at the University of Leeds. A transcript of this episode is here. 

How can business leaders ensure that the culture they build within their organization is not only strong and cohesive, but reflects the values they originally set out to encapsulate? Join us, as Alim Somani answers this question and many more. What You'll Learn: 1. The importance of asking the best questions rather than having the right answers. 2. Propagating value sets throughout your organization that align with not only your company's mission, but all stakeholders involved. 3. The three most important attributes of a leader: curiosity, empathy and resilience, and how they can evolve your business. Who is Alim Somani? Alim is a business leader with a focus on digital transformation. Alim is the founder of Infusion, which later sold to Avanade. Alim's a recipient of Canada's top 40 under 40 award. In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Alim was recruited by Hatch Digital, a company that helps organizations digitally transform their businesses. Follow Alim: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimsomani/?originalSubdomain=ca More of Do Good to Lead Well: Website: https://craigdowden.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigdowden/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/craig-dowden/message

In this episode of the HR Leaders podcast, I'm joined by Fiona Carney and Richard Gregory to discuss how Microsoft are using people-focused tech for business acceleration, as well as the steps you can take towards ending productivity paranoia, embracing the fact that people come in to the office for each other, and re-recruiting your employees. Fiona Carney is the General Manager, Chief Marketing & Operations Officer Western Europe at Microsoft. Known as a highly motivated & energetic leader who thrives working with others, she has worked extensively leading large scale transformation programs, as well as running Operations for EMEA and Asia Pacific Microsoft business.Richard Gregory is the Global Leader of Modern Workplace Practice at Avanade. He is the global leader of Avanade's Modern Workplace (Value Realisation) offering, helping clients to understand this changing world, how to successfully adapt, disrupt and digitally transform at pace. By transforming the digital, physical (IoT) & virtual (Metaverse) workplace, together with wider workforce transformation, Richard helps organisations adapt to the Future of Work and define a new “Workplace Experience” - reducing both Capex and Opex while increasing organisational productivity.

Neste podcast: Hoje tem um papo com a galera da Avanade e vamos falar sobre consultoria em tecnologia e os perrengues que a Avanade passa para solucionar os problemas de seus cliente. ARTE DA VITRINE: Randall Random AVANADE: Mande seu CV pra Avanade: https://bit.ly/3b6DlNt Download dos quadrinhos: https://bit.ly/3b98AHM Sigam a Avanade: https://linktr.ee/avanadebrasil Sigam o André Gomes: https://linktr.ee/Andregomesagillinks André Gomes Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrelmgomes Sigam o Racz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aracz/ E-MAILS Mande suas críticas, elogios, sugestões e caneladas para nerdcast@jovemnerd.com.br EDIÇÃO COMPLETA POR RADIOFOBIA PODCAST E MULTIMÍDIA http://radiofobia.com.br