Podcasts about emea

Why you should listenSarah McDevitt shares insider insights from HubSpot's Partner Experience team, revealing what separates successful partners from those stuck in license-selling modeLearn why data quality is the hidden bottleneck preventing partners from delivering on AI promises—and how to fix it before it destroys client trustDiscover HubSpot's innovative use of AI tools to democratize partner feedback and accelerate decision-making across their ecosystemYou're stuck selling licenses when you should be solving business problems—but every time you pitch "transformation," clients just want to know the price per user.In this episode, I sit down with Sarah McDevitt, who leads the Partner Experience team at HubSpot, and we cut through the AI hype to talk about what actually matters. Sarah spent 16 years in agency land before joining the "dark side" (her words) at HubSpot seven years ago, so she knows both sides of the partner equation intimately.We explore why the best partners stop being platform experts and start being business growth experts. Sarah reveals how HubSpot uses AI internally to democratize partner feedback, the real reason behind their partner program changes, and why selling AI without fixing data structure first will be your downfall.If you're a consultant partnering with any SaaS platform—or considering it—this conversation will change how you think about your role. Stop reading the toaster manual to clients. Start asking better questions about their actual business problems.About Sarah McDevittSarah Stone McDevitt is a Radio broadcasting graduate who spent the early part of her career in local radio before moving into agency life. She spent 16 years working across creative, media, content and web development agencies before joining HubSpot almost 7 years ago. She initially joined to manage the CC team in EMEA, and shortly after that, she added the EMEA Onboarding team and Pro Services teams to her management portfolio. In 2020 at the height of the pandemic, she took over the Pro Services NAM and EMEA businesses. Today, Sarah leads HubSpot's Partner Experience team, where she focuses on creating exceptional experiences for HubSpot's global partner ecosystem. In this role, she has emerged as a thought leader in the field of Relational Intelligence (RI), pioneering approaches that demonstrate how human relationship-building and emotional intelligence work alongside artificial intelligence to drive business success. Sarah advocates for the irreplaceable value of authentic human connections in an increasingly AI-driven world, showing how RI and AI complement each other to create more meaningful customer and partner relationships.In her personal life, Sarah is married with four children and lives in Dublin, Ireland. She proudly served 13 years in the reserve army in Ireland as a corporal in a communications unit. She is the founder and chairperson of a charity called Help Us Give Smiles which has seen her travel to Kenya for almost 20 years working with vulnerable children and communities. And finally, she is an LGBTQ+ activist focused in particular on the rights of LGBTQ+ parents.Resources and LinksHubspot.comSarah's LinkedIn profileWatch “Why the Future of Work is More Human Than You Think“SpeechifyNotebook LMPrevious episode:

How privacy rules, AI growth, and EV competition are reshaping advertisingIn this episode of the Media Intelligence Podcast, the team unpacks the week's biggest stories in media, marketing, and global business. From Europe's push toward ad-free social media to AI's economic boom and the worldwide EV race, they explore how regulation, consumer values, and technology are reshaping advertising strategies. Regional insights from WPP's global forecast and the impact of major sports events round out a packed agenda.Key Topics DiscussedEurope's “consent or pay” social media models and regulatory push on privacy, youth safety, and mental health.Global sentiment on banning social media for children under certain ages.Potential long-term advertising impacts if younger generations delay or avoid social media adoption.PepsiCo's Q3 performance, cost optimization, and brand refresh toward healthier products.Dell's AI-driven growth, PC sales trends, and the Windows 10 end-of-support upgrade cycle.China's goal to produce one-third of the world's cars by 2030 and its EV export strategy.Tesla's pricing changes and the challenges of EV adoption in the U.S.Economic bifurcation affecting auto sales and marketing messaging.Digital addressable advertising now comprising ~80% of total ad spend.Regional insights from WPP's “This Year, Next Year” forecast: EMEA, APAC, and LatAm trends.The advertising boost from the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Winter Olympics.Gen Z's shifting values and what they mean for brands and hiring managers.Chapters00:00 Introduction & Europe's Ad-Free Social Media Models05:25 PepsiCo Earnings & Healthier Snacking Trends09:50 Dell's AI Growth & Hardware Market Insights14:55 China's Auto Ambitions & Global EV Competition19:46 Economic Divide, Auto Marketing & Addressable Ads22:25 Global Ad Forecast Insights: EMEA, APAC & LatAm25:44 Sports Events Driving Future Ad Spend27:13 Closing Thoughts & What's Next

Welcome to a special, brand new mini series of the Legally Speaking Podcast, legally on the move Mercedes world, powered by Clio, the engine driving the future of legal tech and innovation.On our second minisode, we speak with Natalie O'Keeffe. She is the Director of Sales, EMEA at Clio, where she plays a pivotal role in organising and delivering impactful events for the legal community. At Mercedes Benz World, Natalie emphasised Clio's commitment to helping mid-sized law firms innovate and adapt to change. She highlighted the importance of creating environments that inspire new ways of fostering connections among legal professionals. Natalie is passionate about integrating Clio's product suite into law firms' daily operations to help them work smarter and she values the opportunity to bring firms together to share ideas and best practices.So why should you be listening in? You can hear Rob and Natalie discussing:- Drive to Thrive: Empowering Mid-Sized Law Firms at Mercedes Benz World- Clio's Vision: Innovating Legal Tech and Supporting Law Firm Growth- Natalie's Insights and Goals for Inspiring Leadership- Upcoming Highlights: Legal Geek and Clio Con Events- Building Connections: Fostering Collaboration and Best Practices Among Law FirmsConnect with Natalie O'Keeffe here - https://ie.linkedin.com/in/natalieokeeffe

Dion Hinchcliffe, Vice President of CIO Practice at Futurum Group, reveals how EMEA software companies can turn Europe's regulatory rigor into a competitive superpower while navigating AI adoption and cloud transformation challenges.Topics Include:AWS surveyed 750+ EMEA software companies to understand their growth challenges.European tech firms lag US counterparts but AI presents catch-up opportunity.EMEA companies prioritize data sovereignty and privacy over rapid cloud adoption.Tier-2 local cloud providers often lack capabilities needed for global scaling.Cloud-native companies show faster growth and innovation than traditional competitors.Best practices for cloud architecture now well-established across major platforms.CEOs lead AI transformation; 100% of tracked companies using AI substantially.Software companies report 80% of customers now requesting AI capabilities.IT talent shortage requires solutions needing minimal specialized skills to deploy.ERP modernization accelerating as cloud-native systems offer superior capabilities.Europe's regulatory rigor becomes competitive advantage in trustworthy technology.AI adoption continues at light speed; quantum computing emerges within five years.Participants:Dion Hinchcliffe - Vice President of CIO Practice, Futurum GroupMassimo Ghislandi – Head of EMEA Marketing for Software Companies, Amazon Web ServicesSee how Amazon Web Services gives you the freedom to migrate, innovate, and scale your software company at https://aws.amazon.com/isv/

The unexpected election of the LDP's Sanae Takaichi and her known bias for expansionary fiscal policies is questioning the yen's bull case and the currency's sharp and broad selloff since the Oct. 4 result is a taste of what could come. For now, we don't have enough information to assess how or when fiscal stimulus will eventually unfold, so it's premature to call a sustainably bearish view until the fiscal prospects can be quantified.  In this episode of FX Moment, Bloomberg Intelligence Chief FX Strategist Audrey Childe-Freeman and Jordan Rochester, head of FICC strategy for EMEA at Mizuho Bank, discuss Japanese fiscal and monetary-policy dynamics and the potentially binary yen implications. Jordan and Audrey also discuss the dollar and the euro's near-term political predicament.  This episode was recorded on Oct. 8. Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

All links and images can be found on CISO Series. Check out this post for the discussion that is the basis of our conversation on this week's episode co-hosted by David Spark, the producer of CISO Series, and Dan Walsh, CISO, Datavant. Joining them is their sponsored guest, Ash Hunt, vp, strategy, EMEA, Cyera. In this episode: The access creep challenge Bridging intent and execution Looking for integrity Racing against exponential complexity Huge thanks to our sponsor, Cyera     AI is moving fast - can your security keep up? Join the leaders shaping the future of data and AI security at DataSecAI Conference 2025, hosted by Cyera, Nov 12–13 in Dallas. Register now at https://www.cyera.com/?utm_source=cisoseries        

With European imports of products refined from Russian crude oil set to be banned in the beginning of 2026, the spotlight is on exporters such as India and Turkey, and how flows of diesel and jet fuel in the EMEA region are anticipated to change in the coming months. Gary Clark is joined by middle-distillate reporters Nadia Bliznikova and Aruni Sunil to delve into the shifting trade patterns of oil products and the latest market reaction to the soon-to-be imposed EU sanctions.   Related stories (Subscriber content): European jet fuel regrade recovers with low refinery output, dipping imports ARA jet, kerosene stocks rise to 4-year high: Insights Global Global air passenger demand rises 4.6% on year in Aug: IATA AAVBG00 AAWYZ00 PJAAU00 PJABA00

Send us a textLeadership Development | Executive Career Track | Career Pivot | AWS | In this Femme Lead episode, Melanie McGrory, Director of the EMEA Tech team at Amazon Web Services, shares her unique career journey spanning cybersecurity, defense, and tech leadership. Known for her “zig-zag” career path, Melanie discusses pivotal moments of risk-taking, overcoming challenges in male-dominated industries, and the evolving nature of leadership in today's digital world.Melanie and her team at AWS support digital native companies and enterprises by enabling digital transformation, innovation, and new customer experiences. With expertise across 175+ AWS services, including AI/ML, migration, security, and hybrid cloud, Melanie is a recognized leader in driving business outcomes through technology.Before AWS, Melanie held leadership roles at HP and the UK Ministry of Defence, bringing two decades of experience in strategy, consulting, and general management across sectors such as travel, transport, logistics, and retail.A STEM advocate and veteran charity participant, Melanie holds a Bachelor's degree in Physics and Operational Research from the University of Cranfield. Tune in for career insights, leadership lessons, and practical advice for women forging paths in tech and beyond!Follow Melanie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-mcgrory-4684757/

In this episode of AWS Executive Insights, Tanuja Randery, VP and Managing Director of EMEA for AWS interviews Darren O'Kelly, CEO of Untold Studios, a next-generation creative powerhouse that has earned BAFTA and Grammy nominations for its groundbreaking work across advertising, music, and film. The conversation explores O'Kelly's journey from traditional VFX production to co-founding an entirely cloud-based creative studio that launched in just six weeks, challenging industry conventions with projects ranging from Super Bowl commercials to Netflix's "The Crown." O'Kelly shares his leadership philosophy of combining "two-thirds experience and one-third naivety," discussing how this approach has enabled Untold Studios to build a culture of excellence that attracts global talent, including major artists like Adele, Billie Eilish, and Oasis. The discussion also delves into the impact of AI and emerging technologies on the creative industry, O'Kelly's commitment to mentorship and diversity, and his vision for the future of storytelling.

Pax8 Beyond EMEA 2025 is less than a week away, and I wanted to take a minute to talk about the cyber sessions. What Matt Lee, of Pax8, is doing (today's guest), specifically his AI and CTF session. We might drift a bit in our conversation and go down a deep rabbit hole when setting up a home lab on the cheap. Enjoy!

Join host Helen Gidney, Head of Architecture at Softcat, as she sits down with Adam Spearing, VP of AI Go-To-Market for EMEA at ServiceNow, and Oliver Meadows, ITXM Sales Lead at Softcat. Together, they explore how organisations can streamline internal service operations, dismantle silos, and harness AI to enhance the end-user experience. Whether you're in IT, HR, Finance, or Operations — this episode is packed with insights for you. What's covered in this episode: Redefining Service OperationsWhat service operations mean in today's business landscapeMoving beyond ITSM to drive enterprise-wide transformation Maximising EfficiencyPlatform consolidation strategiesDoing more with less through smarter workflows AI & Automation in ActionWhere AI and automation are making a tangible impactFrom governance to data-driven decision-making Leadership in a Changing EnvironmentHow leaders can adapt to evolving business structuresAligning service delivery with rising user expectationsSoftcat's Explain IT podcast is the place where we discuss, debate and demystify tech in simple, jargon-free language.For more information visit softcat.com.This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 In this episode, we kick off the final instalment of our Security September Series with a lively conversation featuring Ardon Anderson, Vice President of EMEA at Verkada. Ardon joins Rob Eldridge to introduce Verkada's mission, explore how their smart security solutions are reshaping the modern workplace, and share insights into what makes their approach stand out. Whether you're curious about cloud-managed cameras or just want to know what makes Verkada tick, this 15-minute episode is a perfect introduction. 

Meet Cath Possamai, Amazon's Talent Acquisition Director for EMEA, APJC and LATAM. With over 20 years in recruitment and talent management, Cath has worn almost every hat in the industry — from in-house roles to outsourced partnerships — across Financial Services, IT, Telco, BPO, and even Defence. She's a champion of collaboration, believing that great business outcomes and exceptional candidate experiences go hand in hand. Now at Amazon, she's shaping talent strategy across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia — making recruitment smarter, more human, and future-ready. And in this episode of the TA Disruptors podcast, Cath Possamai shares how she is reimagining recruitment at Amazon — blending human connection with AI, tackling talent disruption, and future-proofing the workforce. Sharing bold insights on entry-level roles, tech-driven efficiency, and why the next generation of talent depends on us getting it right.Listen as Cath and host Robery Newry dive in to discuss:

Lee Hardman, Senior Currency Analyst, and Seiko Kataoka-Fisher, Director from Japanese Customer Sales for EMEA in London, discuss how positive US economic data surprises have been encouraging a stronger USD. Will the divergence between weak US employment growth and stronger US GDP growth continue in the week ahead? 

It's Day 3 of IAAPA Expo Europe, and this episode of Skip the Queue brings you insights from industry leaders. Hear from Andreas Andersen (Liseberg), Peter van der Schans (IAAPA EMEA), Laura Read (Marwell Zoo), Aaron Wilson (ProSlide), and Robbi Jones (Katapult) on resilience, creativity, and the future of attractions.Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is Paul Marden, with co host Andy Povey and roving reporter Claire Furnival.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website SkiptheQueue.fm.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on LinkedIn. Show references:  https://www.liseberg.se/en/https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreas-veilstrup-andersen/Andreas Veilstrup Andersen is the CEO and President of the Liseberg Group, Sweden – operating one of Scandinavia's most visited amusement parks. Andreas has a legal and financial background and has been working in the amusement park industry since 2000.  First in several capacities at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark, later as Vice President of European operations at IAAPA EMEA in Brussels, Belgium. Andreas was the 2018 Chairman of IAAPA. He currently holds board positions at Farup Sommerland and Alsik Hotel in Denmark, as well as Momentum Leisure and Leo's Lekland, Europe's largest chain of FEC's. Andreas is heading up IAAPA's sustainability initiatives, and occasionally blogs on https://reflections.liseberg.se/.Plus, live from the Day 3 of the IAAPA Expo Europe show floor, we catch up with:Aaron Wilson - Vice President, Business Development Europe & Latin America, Proslide Technologyhttps://www.proslide.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronlouiswilson/Robbie Jones - Insights Director, Katapaulthttps://www.katapult.co.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrrobbiejones/Peter van der Schans - Executive Director & Vice President, IAAPA EMEAhttps://iaapa.org/expos-and-events/expo-europehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-van-der-schans-87715717/Laura Read - Chief Executive, Marwell Zoohttps://www.marwell.org.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-read-she-her-98110726/ Transcriptions:  Paul Marden: Welcome to Skip the Queue, the podcast about the world's best attractions and the amazing people that work in them. I'm your host, Paul Marden, and together with my co-host, Andy Povey, and roving reporter Claire Furnival, we're here at day 3 of IAAPA Expo Europe. On today's show, Andy talks to Andreas Andersen, CEO and President of iseberg Group, about resilience. I meet Peter van der Schans from IAAPA EMEA, and we catch up with Laura Read from Marwell Zoo. First, let's go over to Andy.Andy Povey: So I'm joined now by Andreas Andersen, who's the chief exec of Liseberg, Scandinavia's most visited amusement park. Andreas, welcome to Barcelona. It's very good to see you here. Can you tell the listeners at home a little bit about Liseberg and what you do there?Andreas Andersen:  Sure. So I'm heading up one of the classic regional city-based parks in Northern Europe. So you have Liseberg, you have Tivoli in Copenhagen, you have Kornalund in Stockholm, and Linnanmaki in Helsinki. And we're part of this tradition of parks that have a very strong community base and a long history. Liseberg is 102 years old and three years old. And also parks that represent cultural heritage as well as reflect the cities we're located in. Lovely, lovely regional park in downtown Gothenburg. And if you haven't been, you should come visit.Andy Povey: Absolutely. I must admit, I haven't made it there myself yet. It's on the bucket list. So our theme for today's recording is about recovery and resilience. And recently, in your blog address, you wrote that you feel like for the past four years, you've been in constant crisis mode. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?Andreas Andersen: Well, I think a lot of executives or just people working in this industry can recognise that the last four or five years have been very turbulent, very, very, very volatile.Andreas Andersen: It all started with the pandemic in March 2020, we were at Lisa closed down for 17 months, so we didn't have any any business at all for for 17 months. Then we reopened in the middle of '21, very very hard— you know, with a lot of restrictions and an organisation that had not been you know operating anything for a long time and we also had to let go a lot of people. Then in '22, I think everybody experienced this giant rush, you know, that everybody wanted to get back into the park. So we couldn't really keep up with demand. And that was stressful in a different way. In '23, the market in the Nordics really suffered for some reason. It was a wit, summer and inflation, and interest rates.Andreas Andersen: And everything that went with, you could say, sort of the beginning of an economic downturn. And then, in 2024, our biggest investment, our biggest project expansion in the last 100 years, a large new indoor water park burned down. So it feels like these four or five years has really been this chain of crisis that we've had to get over and manage, basically.Andy Povey: Yeah, I mean, what we're hearing from people on the show floor is that the economic and political unrest that we have all over the Western world is creating some turbulence in the market. So talk to us a little bit more about the fire at Oceania. What happened?Andreas Andersen: We had been building the water park for almost three years, and we were six, seven weeks away from handover. It was some of the last works on the right installation that went wrong. It was a plastic welding that overheated, and these things happen, as you know.Andreas Andersen: Unfortunately, we lost a colleague in the fire and that was basically, you could say, that overshadowed, I would say, everything, especially in the first weeks. Andreas Andersen: That was devastating to all of us and obviously, especially his family. But soon after, we also had to make some decisions. You know, did we want to rebuild? How did we want to rebuild? At what pace? How would we finance? etc. etc. So you also very quickly move into the next phase of a crisis management and that is recovery. And we've been in that phase ever since. Andy Povey: Interesting. It's a devastating situation. I mean, your concern obviously has to be for the team and the people involved— not just those affected directly, but everybody on the floor who feels an emotional impact from this situation. So what tips would you give, as a leader, going through a situation like that, to anyone else listening who may be facing their own challenges?Andreas Andersen:  Well, I think I learned a lot during those weeks and months. And I think I learned that in a crisis, especially of this magnitude, everything becomes very naked. Everything becomes very raw. And you cannot really play a role as a leader. You have to be yourself. You have to be authentic. And it's okay to also show emotions and be caught up in this process of figuring out what to do with the project and the team and yourself when you meet challenges of this severity. Andreas Andersen:  So I would say be yourself, but also recognise that I always say that leadership in a crisis is a little bit like your biggest asset is the confidence that people have in you. And that confidence is something you build up over years. It's a little bit like a bank account that you can then draw on when the crisis hits. But you really have to make sure that you have something on that bank account. You can't borrow confidence. It's not up for loan. So you really, you know, crisis management, from a leadership perspective, actually starts a lot earlier than the crisis. It's about, you know, building a team that works well together, that trusts you and has confidence in you. And then, when the crisis hits, you know, you can draw on that trust, draw on that confidence. So I think that's two of the learnings that I had during this process.Andy Povey: I love the idea of the bank that you can draw on. We're making deposits in our bank every day, not just as a commercial leadership level, but a personal level as well. You need to have that resilience built in yourself. A lovely analogy. And I really love the idea of authenticity. So, if we move on now to talking a little bit more about what we do in an attraction, I think authenticity plays a really big part in that. So, how important is it for you to keep innovating at Liseberg?Andreas Andersen: It's super important because we are in a regional market. I mean, if you look at how our guests are composed, you know, we have 90% Swedish people and then 10%, maybe 12% in a good year from other, especially Nordic countries. But the majority are Swedish and about 60% of our total volume is actually from the local market. And if you want to attract the local market and you want to drive revisitation, Gothenburg is a large city, but it's not a huge city. You have to keep the product fresh. You have to reinvest, reinvent, and constantly adapt. And I think that's actually... part of the, you could say, the formula for these Nordic city-based parks that we've actually had to all reinvent, you know, throughout our history. I mean, Tivoli, that was founded in 1843, it was built by this crazy entrepreneur called Geo Carstensen.Andreas Andersen: And when Tivoli opened on the 15th of August, it was late, it was over budget, and it was not quite finished. And he got a question from a journalist, you know, asking him, you know, when will Tivoli be finished? And his response was, 'Never.' Tivoli will never be finished. And I think, you know, it's almost 200 years ago that he said this, but I think it encompasses sort of the real DNA of our industry that we have to constantly evolve with our guests and reinvent ourselves. And I think, again, that the city, the Nordic city-based parks have really been quite good at that.Andy Povey: Obviously, I mean, Liseberg with 100 years, Tivoli with almost 200 years. There's something good there. You're doing something right. So more recently, you've taken a position with, I'm going to pronounce this awfully, Leo's Lekland. Compare and contrast Liseberg to Europe's largest chain of family entertainment centres?Andreas Andersen:  I mean, there are a lot of similarities and also a lot of differences. I think what is interesting for me, you know, working with Leos is that it's, in many ways, the model is the same. I mean, you pay an entrance fee, you spend a few hours with your family, you may eat a lunch or buy an ice cream or a plush animal. So in many ways, it's the same. But I think, when we're talking about these attractions that are really designed for shorter visits, there is a convenience perspective to them that it's slightly different than, you know, visiting an amusement park or a theme park for a full day. I remember once I had a conversation with one of our competitors in this market, not FECs as such, but, you know, these shorter visits, you know, two, three-hour visit attractions, very often midway attractionsAndreas Andersen: And he said, 'What we sell is actually not.' necessarily an experience, it is two hours spent and I think that's a little bit of a different perspective on an attraction that you actually also go to, Leo's Lekland, to have your kids, you know, be really really tired when they get home, you know, in today's world, where everything is a lot of a lot of stuff is digital and and the kids sit there with their with the tablets and their phones and or their game consoles or they're online with their friends. I think play has a huge and important role to play in the development of motoric and social skills for kids. I think physical play will be something we're going to discuss a lot in the decades to come, because I think we lost a couple of generations the last 20 years. And I think that's a super dangerous thing. So getting back to your question, a lot of similarities, but there are also some differences and I've learned a lot by working with them.Andy Povey: Fantastic. The talk about play really resonates. We lost a year, maybe 18 months through COVID. I have 11-year-old twin girls. I love the idea that me taking them to our local FEC on a Saturday morning so I could recover from a hangover while they went and played was a really positive, good parent thing to do. So thank you for that. We're at the show. What are you looking forward to seeing when you get out on the show floor, when we eventually let you go out on the show floor?Andreas Andersen:  Oh! I very rarely have a plan. I like to just stroll around. Actually, I see it a little bit like visiting an amusement park. You shop for experiences and you see what happens. I think one of the great things about these expos is the fact that, and that's probably what I look most forward to, is that you meet your industry colleagues.Andreas Andersen:  A company like ours, Liseberg, we do not exist; we do not operate within a chain structure. We do not have a corporate mother that knows a lot about what we do. We do not have other parks that we can benchmark with. So these shows is also a little bit a way for us to get out of the bubble and meet other people that work with the same thing as we do. So it's actually not as much the expo floor or the events or the educational program as it is meeting the people. I enjoy.Andy Povey: Andreas, it's been great talking to you. Thank you very much for your time and have a fantastic show.Andreas Andersen:  And I wish you the very same. Thank you.Paul Marden: Now let's head over to the show floor. So we are here on the ProSlide stand, and I'm here with Aaron. Aaron, introduce yourself. Tell us a little bit about ProSlide.Aaron  Wilson: Hi, nice to meet you. Thanks for coming in. I'm Aaron Wilson, Senior Vice President, Business Development, EMEA, with ProSlide. I've been with ProSlide for nine years. We're focused really on the design and innovation of rides. That's where we really form the nucleus of who ProSlide is.Paul Marden: Okay, so what are you launching here at this year's IAAPA?Aaron  Wilson:  Yeah, so let's walk over here to our model table. Where we have a large model of our newest feature, which is the Hive. We actually opened up two rides this year, one at Chimelong in China, the most attended water park in the world. Paul Marden: Wow. Aaron  Wilson:  And that's with a five-person family raft, everyone seated facing each other.Paul Marden: That's amazing. So you're going through this on a five-person ring kind of thing?Aaron  Wilson:  Exactly, a five-person tube. So it's a tight radius helix curve. So as you enter, you're entering into a completely open, basically cathedral space. But as you're dropping and turning very quickly, you're staying really stuck along the outside of the wall, feeling those centrifugal forces. And you have a 360-degree global view. So you're able to look forward, backwards, upwards, down. See everywhere where you came from and where you're headed.Paul Marden: It's amazing, isn't it? Because you've got transparent sides on it. So you can see outside as well.Aaron  Wilson:  Absolutely. And there's a ton of theming potential here. In the middle is a support structure. And so we're working on theming there in the middle, if we can. Special effects around the outside. In this case, it's transparent. Exactly.Paul Marden: You've got some amazing models on the table here. This is one of those rides that you can't really bring to IAAPA and experience in real life because we'd all have to be in our swimmers.Aaron  Wilson:  Unfortunately, yes.Paul Marden: But some amazing, amazing models. What's innovative about this? What's this bringing to the market, which is unusual?Aaron  Wilson:  So you have that 360-degree helix turn. We've completely opened it up. So normally in a turn, you can only see a few meters in front of you. In this case, it's a feature that's completely open as you're making that turn. And so you can see everywhere, right? Up and down, forwards, backwards. And that's really part of the differentiation. But obviously the biggest sensation is actually that experience you feel as you have those centrifugal forces around the outside. With a five-person boat, you're looking at about 800 pounds, and you're whipping around the outside, gaining tons of speed throughout. So it's really exciting. The additional interesting thing about this element is we're also doing a two-person tube and a small compact footprint.Aaron  Wilson:  So it's very adaptable for indoor parks or even outdoor parks that don't have a ton of space. That compact footprint gives a lot of flexibility in the design.Paul Marden: So you've got this in China at the moment, you say?Aaron  Wilson:  Yep, and one in the US. And there are a lot more to come in the next one to two years already programmed and open. So we're really excited about this for the water parks.Paul Marden: That's amazing. So we've been asking everybody to get their crystal ball out and tell us trends for 2026. Where do you think the market is going? What do you think that we can expect to see this time next year at IAAPA? Aaron  Wilson:  Water coasters. Water coasters are the big thing. Paul Marden: What on earth is a water coaster? Aaron  Wilson:  Yeah, well, let's head over here to another model table. We have a couple of examples here. So I would say, like in the last couple of years, specifically speaking about Europe, we've seen an amazing response to our water coaster technology using water propulsion. We call it the rocket blast.Paul Marden: Right.Aaron  Wilson:  And so what you have is a series of injectors placed along the uphill sections that actually push the boat uphill. That's amazing. And so with that technology, we're able to do a number of things. And this actually, this ride opened about a year and a half ago at Land of Legends in Turkey. This is, you know, one of the biggest things that will stand out to you here is, as you're looking around all the models, what's very common with a water park is you have—gravity-fed rides, meaning you climb a tower and use gravity to go down. Paul Marden:  This is very flat and long. Aaron  Wilson:  Exactly. This is built essentially on grade. There's no tower here. So, I mean, the first thing is accessibility. So now, as you know, there's no steps. You know, water parks are historically very difficult to meet accessibility. Paul Marden: Yeah. Do you know, I've never thought of that before. But of course, you need to climb the stairs to be able to get to the top of the tower.Aaron  Wilson:  So this case, this is called Turtle Coaster. And this is at Land of Legends. Our guests can walk or, you know, walk or wheel.Paul Marden: Yep.Aaron  Wilson:  As they want up this ramp. This is about four meters off grade. We have a little bit of a drop here. So this is a closed-circuit coaster, right? Meaning the guests are finishing and ending in the same location. Also something different from a water ride. Normally you're going up a tower and finishing in a pool. Here you're finishing and starting at the same location, much like a mechanical dry-growing coaster.Paul Marden: And this, just for listeners' benefit, this has got eight or nine turns in there. It's really, you know. It's going to be a normal coaster-type ride, isn't it?Aaron  Wilson:  This is a 420-meter-long coaster. You're looking at about a minute-and-a-half water ride, which is crazy. Most water rides are about 30 seconds, you know? So it's a really long experience. You have eight uphill last sections, along with what else is unique with our technology is we're able to incorporate these flat last sections. So much like a mechanical coaster has that launch element to it. We're able to do that with water propulsion. So right off the stop, you have this completely flat launch blast. Up, you're getting the elevation. You go around for 420 meters, a series of flying saucer features, uphill sections. Coming back into a water channel.Aaron  Wilson:  And landing in the landing pool, it picks you up on a moving station conveyor. So this conveyor is actually moving at a very slow pace. Guests are cutting off and getting back on.Paul Marden: This is not a lazy river, is it? That you're just sat around for a little while. This is going to hair around.Aaron  Wilson:  Absolutely not. And then here at Siam Park is another coaster here. We opened up in '23. Doolin. So you had two lanes.Paul Marden: Oh, wow.Aaron  Wilson:  And you're racing side by side throughout the experience.Paul Marden: That is amazing. Well, Aaron, look— it's been wonderful to meet you. Find out more about what you're doing here. Looks super, super exciting. I want to get my swimmers on and go and try some, but maybe not whilst we're here in Barcelona, but maybe one time soon.Andy Povey: So we're on the show floor again and I'm with Robbie Jones from Katapult. Robbie, please tell the listeners at home a little bit about Katapult, what you do with them.Robbie  Jones: So we design themed attractions, experiences and destinations. So that can be anything from theme parks all the way through to museums. And our— I guess our core competency is design stage, so pre-concept designs. We get involved quite a lot in theme parks that are very early stages. And my role in that is quite unique within the team of creatives and designers, in that I look towards the insights. So sometimes I work with feasibility partners to kind of pull together the economic requirements for a theme park or an attraction to exist. But more often than not, it's about the guest journey, the guest behaviour, how can we make the guest experience as best as possible by understanding information research that we might have already but also doing some primary research as well to make sure we're creating like that amazing moment for every person that walks through the door.Andy Povey: Fantastic. That sounds really, really impressive. Looking back over 2025, what are your key takeaways from this year so far?Robbie  Jones: Goodness, me. I think I'll speak with a lot of what the industry would say, which is it's been a little bit sticky in places in 2025. There's certainly been more maybes than yeses or nos in terms of projects. But I think we're starting to see things beginning to move. Someone's put some oil in the engine somewhere, which is great. And there's some really exciting projects coming up. Obviously, as a UK-based company, seeing the likes of Universal, Poodie Foo, setting up shop. It's going to be really interesting to see how that impacts not just the UK, but the European market as well.Andy Povey: I couldn't agree more. I really, really look forward to seeing that anticipated improvement in quality of experience that we'll get across the UK. So looking forward to '26 now, what are you anticipating as being the exciting things we're talking about in 12 months' time?Robbie  Jones: Gosh, I mean, I think there will be an element of a quiet time, I think, especially with the new build theme parks, whether that's in the UK or, of course, in the Middle East. I think there'll be an element of quiet that we need to get used to in terms of waiting to see what the next big thing is or the next IP that's going to be in those rides. But I certainly see a lot more positive vibes coming out of the industry. I think we'll see more exciting local experiences, maybe not just big global ones. And yeah, just on the horizon, maybe plenty more opportunity and positivity.Paul Marden: It has been my first IAAPA Expo, and I've had a whale of a time. And I am joined here by Peter van der Schans, the VP and Exec Director of IAAPA EMEA. Peter. Tell me a little bit about what the show has been like for you because I've had an amazing time.Peter van der Schans: Well, so did I. The funny thing is we've always worked so hard on these expos. It takes a hell of a lot of time and it all comes back in this one week. And once you exit that plane or train or however you arrive, you start in a bus and then it's over before you know it.Peter van der Schans: And the week is done and you fall in this big black hole. That's where we're going now. So it's been a wonderful week and it's great to see all our members and every industry leader that is visiting us. We're a small team at IAAPA. We're not a huge organisation, but we have our members supporting us. It's a team effort from both IAAPA and our members, basically. And it's only pride.Paul Marden: One of the most important parts of the show, I think, is the educational side of what you do. There's been a big educational program. Are there any big themes that you've spotted coming out of that education strand?Peter van der Schans: So the education program actually is built with our members and by our members. So, of course, we guide it and shape it. But it's actually done by our members. So it's our members saying, 'Hey, this is where I have issues with. This is the trends I see. This is where I think this is going, which makes it always accurate because we have that industry knowledge by our members.' So in that sense, what we saw this year, there's a lot of focus on AI, obviously, the hot topic nowadays. Paul Marden: It's not a single interview I do where somebody hasn't dropped AI into it. So it's a hot topic.Peter van der Schans: It's a hot topic. And I'm very curious also to see where it's going because right now, if you see execution, the focus is much on back office. For example, Parks Reunidos for example, shared on stage, that they can now predict their next, the next day in visitor numbers with accuracy of 93% which is perfect. Things like that. But I'm curious exactly to see how it's going to evolve in the future to the front end. So what is that visitor going to see in the future? Whenever I go to a theme park, for example, will I be recognised by my name? And if I ride a ride, will the animatronic know my name, for example? Things like that. I think there's limitless possibilities.Peter van der Schans: And we're just at the verge of the beginning. And it's also so, so, so excited about that education program that we share what we know and we work together to get to that point to make it better. Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. The collaboration in this sector is just amazing. And IAAPA is just the living proof of that. So many smiling faces. You know that there were competitors together on stands just chatting and enjoying. It's a really enriching experience seeing everybody work together.Peter van der Schans: It is, it is. And the funny thing is I've worked in this industry since I was 16. I started as a ride operator. I didn't know any better than when I had an issue when I became supervisor and manager that I could call the park at the other end of the country and ask, like, 'Hey, how are you dealing with this?' And they helped me. And then I worked at the cinema industry and suddenly I realised that that is not that common in all industries, to say it lightly. It was much more competitive and I didn't want to share anything and really opened my eyes in a way that I realised, like, 'hey, this is special'. And also made me realise that IAAPA plays a big part in that as well, as an organisation to bring all those people together, to provide that platform to work together.Paul Marden: Yes, the facilitators of the community, aren't you? I'm going to ask you a slightly controversial question here. Outside of show hours, what has been your favourite party or event? And you can name drop any one of them. It's absolutely fine. Nobody will be upset with you.Peter van der Schans: I must say the ballpark reception, obviously for the British people. Always good beers. The Tuesday events with the opening ceremony, where we really kick off the week. They made me dance again. I don't recommend watching that back, but that's always just a fun, fun morning where we really kick off the week with a big energy, with a nice connection to the host city as well. Peter van der Schans: It's always fun to work on that and to execute that, but also the evening event, the opening reception where we gather. Well, this year we had 1,400 industry professionals coming together and mixing, mingling in Tibidabo. Without rain, thankfully. Paul Marden: Well, yes, this is the thing. So I was watching the skies thinking this could go really badly wrong. The BBC weather forecasts were not looking good. Peter van der Schans: There's this tradition in Barcelona that you bring eggs to nuns and they make sure you'll have good weather. We did that. We brought three dozens.Paul Marden: Took a lot of eggs. There was a lot of eggs broken in the making of this party. But you did very well. We're at the end. And everybody gets to heave a big sigh of relief that the show's done. It's in the can. But there's also a touch of sadness and fondness looking forward to what comes next. So next year, what have you got coming up first? I understand there's something in the Middle East.Peter van der Schans: Yeah, absolutely. We actually last year at this expo in Amsterdam, we announced the launch of our newest expo, IAAPA Expo Middle East, which is actually the first time in IAAPA's history that we built a new expo from scratch.Peter van der Schans: Never done that before, our members and and people in the industry ask us year after year like, 'When is IAAPA coming to the Middle East?' Of course, there's a huge amount of investments going on in that region. It's crazy. And in that sense, we we simply listen to our members and decide that this is the time we need to go. And we're excited to get closer and closer to the actual launch of the event in March in 2026 in Abu Dhabi.Paul Marden: So March 2026, Abu Dhabi is our next event. But there is another event coming next year. IAAPA is coming to London, which I'm very pleased about. Tell me, is the planning all starting on Monday? Are you already a long way through planning? Plans you can share with me about what's coming up in London?Peter van der Schans: We will have an exciting program for sure, but we're not there yet with with the actual education programme. That takes a little bit more of time, but we do have the show Florencial already and that's looking to be another record-breaking show. What I think also remarkable is that we will have one third more education than we will have in our previous show. So we always had two conference rooms— we'll have three in London. So we'll have actually quite a big increase in our educational offerings as well.Paul Marden: That's amazing. I cannot wait. This has been my first IAAPA, but it won't be my last IAAPA. I think I can confidently say that. So grateful for you and the team inviting us along as Skip the Queue to be part of what you've been doing. We've had an amazing time and I cannot wait to see you again in London.Peter van der Schans: Thank you very much and happy to have you here.Paul Marden: We are here at the end of day three of IAAPA Expo Europe. We've had a wonderful time. Andy Povey: I'm broken. Paul Marden: Oh man, I'm going home a broken man. The voice is barely holding on. I am here with Laura Read from Marwell Zoo. Welcome to Skip the Queue, Laura.Laura Read: Hello. Thank you for having me.Paul Marden: Laura, what's it been like for you? What's the benefit of coming to IAAPA for you?Laura Read: So this is my first IAAPA. For me, this was all around looking at what's new for visitor attractions, what's innovative, what's coming up, and what could we potentially bring to the visitors of Marwell Zoo that might be exciting and might drive more visitors to come to us, really, ultimately. It's all about, for us, diversification, keeping the zoo product at the core of our offer, obviously, but seeing how we can augment that with other things.Paul Marden: So what can we expect? Is it going to be a 4D immersive ride experience? Water slides? Or are you looking for something that enriches the in-real-life experience for you? And it's a bit more low-tech.Laura Read: Oh, I'd love to put in like a water park. Do you know what? That's something like the coolest stalls. Like going around going, 'oh, I'd love to design a water park. That's so fun. No, no'. So for us, it's really about looking at sort of smaller, lower-level, new attractions that we can bring in, you know, we're primarily a family audience. So it's what do kids want to play on? You know, I've seen some really cool little ride-on Jeeps that we think would work really, really well because we also want to stay true to our ethos. You know, Marwell's built its reputation on our conservation work, our hands-on conservation work in the field, you know, reversing species decline and also around sustainability. So sustainability is really core to our offer.Laura Read: This is not about turning Marwell into a theme park or a water park or anything like that, because the animals are still very much the stars of the show, as is the conservation work. But it's about how we can best utilise our space to provide that density of guest experience. And I think seeing all the things here today. That's where the inspiration comes in.Paul Marden: I think it's really interesting, isn't it? Because when you take your kids to the zoo, you need some space. You need a palate cleanser between the animals, don't you? To give the kids time to burn off some energy, to do something a little bit different. And then they come back re-energised and you're hiding the vegetables. You're teaching them about the conservation efforts and all the really important stuff that you do, but hidden around lots of things that keep them happy and engaged in what's going on.Laura Read: Exactly. The problem with zoos is the animals— they don't care that they're the exhibits.Laura Read: And, you know, we are a primarily outdoor attraction. Extremes of heat, rainy days, animals disappear. We know that. We know that the perennial problem is: I didn't see any animals because we have really, really high animal welfare levels and standards. And if those animals want to go off show and take themselves off to bed or away from the public view, they all can and should and do. So we need something that can keep kids particularly engaged and entertained, hopefully getting across a bit of education and messaging as well at the same time. That's a massive tick in the box. But, you know, it fills in the gaps when those animals just aren't playing ball.Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. Andy, what's been the highlight of day three for you, mate?Andy Povey: So I think it's actually talking to Laura.Paul Marden: Such a charmer.Andy Povey: Let me finish. Let me justify. It's really picking up the fact that this isn't just a theme park show. Yeah. There are elements for everything you could possibly do any day out any attraction, even in any shopping centre or any place you go to where there's large crowds of people— so it's all of that kind of stuff. I think is it's refreshing to see it through someone else's eyes, through our conversations.Laura Read: I was going to say, 'I have to say,'  Before I was chief exec at Marwell, I ran a really large, shopping centre like retail, leisure, events, and destination. And I'm amazed that this is not on more commercial real estate people's radar. I look to see if there's anyone from a previous company here, then there isn't on the attendees list. And I'm like, 'Wow,' this is all the stuff that we should have been thinking about five years ago, ten years ago, when we were realising that diversification from a retail point of view is so important because of online shopping. So that's really interesting what you say. It's not just the theme parks.Andy Povey: No, absolutely not. It's all about the day out. And ultimately, that's all. We're all here to do is we work in a fun industry, and fun doesn't have to just be an amusement park.Paul Marden: Yeah, I found it really interesting. Seeing the things that I've seen has stretched my definition of what a visitor attraction actually is, because it is more than just a theme park. As you wander around and you see the different exhibitors, I was expecting to see... The ride designers and some of the really cool tech that I've seen. But there was other stuff that I've seen that I just hadn't expected.Andy Povey: No, I mean, I was chatting yesterday to a guy who supplies park benches and litter bins.  You see them everywhere. Paul Marden: I say the park bench thing. I remember when I was working at the Botanic Gardens in Wales as it was being built, the importance of the park bench and sitting on them. And they were beautiful park benches, but they were also super comfy. The importance of a park bench, like a good toilet, can't be underestimated.Laura Read: You can always tell someone who works in visitor attraction operations, when they go to any other visitor attraction, they take pictures of the bins. I think that is an absolute giveaway. When I go places with my family and the kids are there, taking pictures of animals or taking pictures of each other or whatever they're doing. And I'm there. Oh, I'm just gonna take a picture of that sign. You know, like.Andy Povey: I have another confession to make. I had a conversation with my wife who took the kids to an attraction a couple of weeks ago. And I was most distressed that she hadn't taken a picture of the till for me.Paul Marden: Oh, you would know what the part number and everything about that till, wouldn't you? Such a retail geek.Paul Marden: Laura, thank you so much for joining us on Skip the Queue. It has been delightful. I feel that there might be a full episode coming on, talking about the zoo, if you'll have me.Laura Read: Yes, absolutely. Bring it on. Paul Marden: Oh, wonderful. Thank you so much.Andy Povey: Andy, take me to the airport.Paul Marden: If you enjoyed this episode, please like and comment in your podcast app. It really helps more people to find us. Show notes and links to all our guests this week are available on our website, skipthequeue.fm. It's been a massive team effort to take Skip the Queue to IAAPA. A huge thank you to Emily Burrows and Sami Entwistle, Steve Folland and Wenalyn Dionaldo, Claire Furnival and Andy Povey, as well as Erica Washington-Perry and her team at IAAPA Global Communications.Paul Marden: Next week, we're wrapping up our IAAPA theme, talking to Choni Fernandez, Chief Sustainability Officer at PortAventura Entertainment, and Jakob Wahl, President and CEO of IAAPA. See you then.  The 2025 Visitor Attraction Website Survey is now LIVE! Dive into groundbreaking benchmarks for the industryGain a better understanding of how to achieve the highest conversion ratesExplore the "why" behind visitor attraction site performanceLearn the impact of website optimisation and visitor engagement on conversion ratesUncover key steps to enhance user experience for greater conversionsTake the Rubber Cheese Visitor Attraction Website Survey Report

Guest post by Cathy Mauzaize, President, EMEA, ServiceNow The momentum around AI is stronger than ever. Across EMEA, organisations are moving quickly by running pilots, rolling out use cases, and exploring how AI can help them work smarter. The energy is there, and the ambition is clear. However, ServiceNow's latest research, the ServiceNow Enterprise AI Maturity Index 2025, shows something surprising: while adoption is accelerating, AI maturity is actually falling. It's not that leaders are holding back or underinvesting. What's missing is a deliberate focus on people. Success with AI demands more than the right technology. It requires the people who help to design it, train it, scale it and, of course, use it. It's the people that turn innovation into impact. This is especially true now, as agentic AI becomes part of everyday work. These intelligent agents can transform how we operate by handling tasks, solving problems, and even making decisions on our behalf. But they don't work in isolation. If we want to see real results from AI, we have to stop seeing it in isolation. If AI is the engine of business transformation, then it is people - their vision, skills, and leadership - who drive it toward success. Create a culture where experimentation is the norm Every leader talks about innovation; however, experimentation only really works if people feel safe and supported to try new things. That means creating an environment where curiosity is encouraged and failure isn't feared. In EMEA, we're seeing progress. More leaders are giving teams the space to explore new ideas and take ownership of how AI is applied in their day-to-day work. In fact, 46% of organisations in EMEA say they're encouraging a culture of experimentation to engage employees in assessing the utilisation of AI solutions. One telecom leader recently told me they invited frontline teams to experiment with GenAI at their contact centre. By engaging and empowering teams to be part of the solution, they've seen higher resolution rates and increased customer satisfaction. What's more, they have a pipeline of new AI use cases identified by the teams on the ground, closest to the processes and customers. This is because when people are part of the process, they're more likely to trust the outcome. They understand the technology because they helped shape it. That kind of engagement leads to better adoption, better solutions, and ultimately, better business outcomes. Nevertheless, experimentation still needs guardrails. It needs purpose. Otherwise, it risks becoming chaotic or disconnected. That's where leadership needs to play an active role. It is important that leaders set clear priorities, align teams, and create the conditions for experimentation to feel both possible and valued. Skills are the hidden barrier to AI maturity Agentic AI is powerful - but it's not magical. It doesn't just appear and work because you want it to. Successful adoption depends on people having the right skills to design, use, and govern AI effectively. Yet, across EMEA, only 28% of organisations feel they have the right mix of talent to deliver their AI strategy. That's a major barrier to innovation and one that too often gets overlooked. The reality is most businesses don't need everyone to be a data scientist. However, they do need people across the organisation to understand what AI can do, how to use it responsibly, and how to apply it to move the business forward. Scale starts with capability That means investing in the basics - from AI literacy to upskilling programmes. It also means building cross-functional teams that combine technical talent with domain expertise, creativity, and collaboration - because that's what it takes to make AI work in the real world. Real transformation is people transformation If there is one simple truth leaders should take away from this year's AI Maturity Index, it's this: AI will not transform your business unless your people are ready. I recently ...

70% of critical security debt stems from third-party code - what can be done upstream?How real-time threat intelligence and policy enforcement are closing the gapWhy DORA and modern CI/CD pipelines demand pre-emptive visibility and automation Thom Langford, Host, teissTalkhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/thomlangford/Paul Holland, Cyber Capability Manager, Royal Mailhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/paulinfosec/Tiago Rosado, Chief Information Security Officer, Asitehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/tiagorosado/Jean Carlos, Information Security Lead, Trade Republichttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanpcarlos/John Smith, CTO of EMEA, Veracodehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jtsmith123

Alex Perry, head of growth at The Romans, and Yvonne Maher, chief growth officer for EMEA at Cognito, are the guests on this week's Beyond the Noise podcast. How can a UK-based PR agency successfully expand its operations across the globe? PRWeek's latest Beyond the Noise podcast delves into the topic, looking at the reasons for opening more offices, and which regions are currently booming.Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest issues affecting communications and PR. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.Interviewed by PRWeek UK's deputy news editor, Evie Barrett, our guests share anecdotes from the growth stories of their own agencies, offering advice for agency bosses who may be considering opening international offices.They discuss the challenges of ensuring your business has a cohesive brand identity worldwide, as well as how to find the right fit when it comes to regional leadership.Perry also reveals what's next on the cards for The Romans' international growth plans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"If you're a VP of Sales and things go wrong, you either failed or got a bad plan. But if you're a CRO and things go wrong, you probably shouldn't have taken the job."In today's episode of Bricks & Bytes, we had Mike Pettinella and we got to learn about scaling construction tech from zero to a $275M exit, the brutal realities of international expansion, and why targeting owners instead of contractors is the harder but smarter play... and many more!Tune in to find out about:✅ Why sales is only two things: volume and efficiency (and you can't train volume)✅ The real difference between selling to American vs British buyers✅ How Building Connected went from zero revenue to Autodesk acquisition✅ Why dedicated reality capture beats DIY solutions every timeMike's journey from forensic construction consulting to leading sales at unicorn startups reveals hard-won insights about building in the most relationship-driven industry on earth.Listen on Spotify now to hear the full conversation.-----------Our Sponsor: Archdesk - “The #1 Construction Management Software for Growing Companies - Manage your projects from Tender to Handover” check archdesk.comBuildVision - streamlining the construction supply chain with a unified platform - www.buildvision.io---------------Chapters00:00 Intro02:49 Understanding Roles: CRO vs. VP of Sales03:58 Building Connected: The Journey to Acquisition06:05 Transitioning to Monetization: Challenges and Strategies07:55 Sales Strategies: From Inside Sales to Enterprise Deals11:49 Geographic Sales Dynamics: Where's the Business?14:03 Consulting to Sales: Skills and Strategies Transferred16:22 Managing Sales Volume: Efficiency and Technology19:14 Cultural Shift: Selling in EMEA vs. North America24:59 Expanding Markets: Product Adaptation is Key28:58 OnSight IQ: The Journey and Vision of a Startup33:34 Characteristics of Great Founders: Relentlessness and Empathy37:25 Cooking and Morning Routines38:38 Targeting Owners in Construction42:54 The Importance of Construction Data Ownership46:12 Strategies for Targeting Developers49:14 Reality Capture in Construction53:04 Best Practices for Reality Capture56:08 Future of Data Utilization in Construction58:45 Speeding Up Sales Cycles1:00:35 Managing Multiple Stakeholders1:02:09 Closing Big Deals1:04:04 Pricing Strategies in Construction Tech1:05:48 Mentoring in Sales1:09:02 The Story Behind the Art1:11:29 Exciting Product Developments

Mardi 23 septembre, Frédéric Simottel a reçu Chloé Poisbeau, COO de Alice & Bob, Laurent-Pierre Baculard, senior partner chez Bain & Company, lead digital innovation EMEA, et Jean-Christophe Gougeon, expert à Bpifrance, technologie quantique, HPC et Cloud, dans l'émission Tech&Co Business sur BFM Business. Retrouvez l'émission le samedi et réécoutez-la en podcast.

Mardi 23 septembre, Frédéric Simottel a reçu Chloé Poisbeau, COO de Alice & Bob, Laurent-Pierre Baculard, senior partner chez Bain & Company, lead digital innovation EMEA, Jean-Christophe Gougeon, expert à Bpifrance, technologie quantique, HPC et Cloud, Armand Thiberge, président fondateur de Brevo, Benoit Trivulce, directeur général par intérim de Business France, Yannick Jarlaud, président fondateur du groupe Imagine Human, ainsi que Olivier Piepsz, président et cofondateur de Prométhée Earth Intelligence, dans l'émission Tech&Co Business sur BFM Business. Retrouvez l'émission le samedi et réécoutez la en podcast.

Dangote's RFCC outage has added additional length to the global fuel oil market, with Singapore blending significant volumes of feedstocks into their very low sulfur fuel oil bunkering pool. Host Gary Clark is joined by Charlie Wright, Joseph Jaffe and Kelly Norways to explore the impact of the outage on the fuel oil market in the EMEA and Asia regions.

Send us a textIn this episode of Embedded Insiders, Rich and Jeff Baldwin, Director of Engineering at Sealevel Systems, discuss the process of designing systems for harsh environments and how Sealevel's expertise helps customers get started with safe and reliable solutions.Our next segment is sponsored by Infineon Technologies. Rich Nass is joined by Erik Wood, Infineon's Senior Director of Microcontroller Cryptography and Product Security, and the two discuss quantum computing and how the experts at Infineon are working to keep systems secure.But first, Ken and I engage in some rapid-fire questions regarding a recent story on Embedded Computing Design about robotic telesurgery, featuring Stéphane Lavallé, a serial entrepreneur of startups and pioneer in surgical robotics, and Jim Hirsch, VP of the North American and EMEA general embedded market at QNX. Read the story here: https://embeddedcomputing.com/application/healthcare/telehealth-healthcare-iot/the-good-invasion-of-robotsFor more information, visit embeddedcomputing.com

En la cuarta hora de Capital Intereconomía seguimos en directo desde la sede de Qaracter. Entrevistamos a Enrique Galván, CEO de la compañía, quien compartió la visión presente y futura de Qaracter, destacando su transformación de firma española a socio internacional de referencia en banca y seguros, su expansión en EMEA, LATAM y USA y los proyectos globales que refuerzan su liderazgo. En el Foro de la Inversión, Ignacio Vacchiano, country manager en Iberia de Leverage Shares, habló sobre la expansión internacional de la firma, sus nuevos productos y el éxito de sus Income Shares. La hora concluyó con una mesa redonda con directivos de Qaracter, donde se abordaron casos de impacto y éxito y la estrategia de crecimiento en sus diferentes regiones de negocio.

In Episode 182 of Earned, CreatorIQ's Chief Marketing Officer Brit Starr sits down with Roya Zeitoune, Head of YouTube Culture & Trends, EMEA. Diving in, Roya shares her journey—from early days in the matchmaking industry to leading YouTube's whimsically named “cats team”—and what it's taught her about connecting audiences with content that matters. She opens up about her unconventional career path, which includes undercover reporting for the BBC and a serendipitous opportunity at Google, and the lessons she's learned along the way: stay curious, hire for potential, and never stop exploring. Roya also shares her take on the rise of short-form video, the cultural shift toward participatory content, and how AI is shaping the next era of creation. Listeners will walk away with a fresh perspective on how YouTube is democratizing culture and fostering passionate communities worldwide. Join us as we explore what authenticity and engagement really mean for the future of content—and the marketers and creators shaping it. In this episode, you'll learn: What YouTube's 20-year journey tells us about the rise of internet culture, from niche communities to mainstream influence. Why creators who stay true to their passions and actively connect with audiences build the strongest, most lasting relevance. How brands and marketers can borrow from creator playbooks to cultivate communities that feel authentic, engaged, and loyal. Connect with the Guest: Roya's LinkedIn - @roya-zeitoune Connect with Brit Starr & CreatorIQ: Brit's LinkedIn - @britmccorquodale CreatorIQ LinkedIn - @creatoriq Follow us on social: CreatorIQ YouTube - @CreatorIQOfficial CreatorIQ Instagram - @creatoriq CreatorIQ TikTok - @creator.iq CreatorIQ Twitter - @CreatorIQ

20,000 people. One huge transformation. Live from Cisco GSX in Las Vegas

Helen Miall - Chief Marketing Officer, VIOOH As CMO at VIOOH, the leading premium digital out of home (DOOH) supply side platform, Helen is responsible for global marketing strategy, thought leadership and supporting the expansion and adoption of programmatic DOOH worldwide. She is committed to helping the OOH industry transition to audience-led and programmatic trading, maximising the opportunities for OOH with the wider digital media landscape. Helen has previously held senior marketing roles at Parkopedia, O2 (Telefónica UK), Turn, and Microsoft Advertising. Whilst at adtech company Turn, Helen set up and ran marketing across the EMEA region, helping grow programmatic display from c10% to a majority share of market spend. Helen spent the first 9 years of her career in various marketing roles at United Airlines and Air France.

Esportmaníacos 2367: En el programa de hoy hemos hablado largo y tendido de la expulsión de Movistar KOI de VCT EMEA y cómo eso podrá cambiar la liga y los esports en España en general. Después hablamos de la serie entre Karmine Corp y G2 Esports. Finalmente, hemos hecho previa del Fnatic vs Movistar KOI. APÓYANOS AQUÍ https://www.patreon.com/Esportmaniacos https://www.twitch.tv/esportmaniacos 🔁Nuestras redes🔁 https://twitter.com/Esportmaniacos https://www.tiktok.com/@esportmaniacos 💙Referido de AMAZON: https://amzn.to/36cVx3g

Klaviyo has become the de facto personal CRM for eCommerce. Ben Jackson, Managing Director for EMEA, joins us to unpack how brands move beyond campaign calendars into relationship-building at scale. We get into rocketship growth, why attribution is still broken, and how Castore's multi-instance CRM model points to a future where both/and thinking beats false trade-offs.If You're Just Following the Data, You're Following the PastKey takeaways:The marketer's identity crisis: Evolving from channel specialists to customer relationship managers orchestrating holistic experiences.Scale meets personalization: Castore manages 32 Klaviyo instances while maintaining intimate relationships through strategic automation.Attribution's cultural revolution: How brands are moving beyond "either/or" to "both/and" so they can measure immediate performance while building long-term value.Channel affinity intelligence: AI identifies not just preferred channels, but optimal timing to eliminate fatigue."There's not many brands that you would get tattooed on yourself. But if you're a sports fan, if you're a supporter of a national team or a football club... that means you really care about the experience you have with that brand." - Ben Jackson on Castore's passionate customer base"Rather than our reliance being quite heavy on sending out a load of email blasts to try and tick revenue targets... Let's tell those stories. Let's give the customer who we know is already incredibly passionate a reason to be loyal." - Max Holland (Castore) on content-driven relationship building"If you're just following the data, you're following the past. If you're following the competition, you're following what everybody else has done, and it's really difficult to differentiate if you're gonna do that." - Ben Jackson on creative marketing philosophy"Some of the impact you have as a marketer today, typically you take credit for the success in that moment. But some of it is about building that brand, building that customer experience... that doesn't just last for that point of one transaction. It kind of lasts over years." - Ben Jackson on long-term value thinkingIn-Show Mentions:Castore - Athletic wear brand managing 32 Klaviyo instances for partner teams and clubsRory Sutherland - Behavioral economist discussing explore/exploit marketing philosophyK London - Klaviyo's European conference with 1,500 attendees and waiting listAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

European VC Power Law Report: Why Revenue Beats Unicorn StatusDealroom's recently released 2025 Power Law Investors Ranking 2025 report offers a unique milestone for European venture capital: 700 companies across EMEA now generate over $100 million in annual revenue. These aren't just unicorns floating on paper valuations. These are businesses with real customers paying real money.The report introduced a new category called "thoroughbreds" to capture this shift toward fundamental business metrics. While unicorns still matter for their forward-looking promise, thoroughbreds tell us something different: which companies actually built sustainable businesses that can weather market cycles.Today, Andreas Munk Holm digs into this topic and more with Saul Klein, co-founder of Phoenix Court (home to LocalGlobe, Latitude, Solar, and Basecamp) and the #1-ranked investor in the report, alongside Yoram Wijngaarde, founder & CEO of Dealroom.⏱️ Here's what's covered:00:39 - Saul on what topping the ranking says about Phoenix Court's approach01:53 - Yoram explains the thoroughbreds metric03:49 - Revenue vs valuation debate, lessons from Skype07:36 - Why Phoenix Court became multi-stage13:02 - The $35-50 billion growth stage funding gap17:38 - Advice for seed firms considering multi-stage expansion22:31 - Defense of the methodology's seed weighting24:58 - Picking companies at seed vs later stages

Integrity360, one of Europe and EMEA's leading cyber security specialists, has been named as a Representative Vendor in the 2025 Gartner Market Guide for Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR). The Gartner Market Guide provides security and risk management leaders with insights to understand the DFIR market, evaluate trends, refine requirements and identify market players. Integrity360 is listed among 40 vendors globally which, according to Gartner, best represent the DFIR market and attract the most client interest through Gartner.com searches and inquiries. DFIR retainers are increasingly viewed as a cornerstone of cyber resilience, providing organisations with rapid access to expert teams who can investigate malicious activity, conduct forensic analysis, support recovery and perform post-incident reviews. According to Gartner, these retainers are now often required by cyber insurance policies and certain regulations, such as the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA). The guide also highlights that the DFIR market continues to grow in response to rising security incidents, with AI integration significantly reducing investigation times and improving incident context. It emphasises the value of providers offering both reactive services - such as breach investigation and ransomware negotiation - and proactive measures including tabletop exercises, penetration testing and readiness assessments. "We are pleased to be recognised by Gartner as a Representative Vendor in the DFIR market," said Richard Ford, CTO at Integrity360. "As organisations face tighter regulatory mandates and increasingly sophisticated threats, we're proud to offer DFIR services which are designed to minimise impact, support recovery and strengthen defences against future threats." Integrity360's DFIR services give clients 24/7 access to incident response specialists across multiple regions, enabling rapid deployment when needed. These services include forensic investigation, malware analysis and breach containment to help strengthen long-term resilience. See more stories here.

This interview is part of a Microsoft Agentic AI Playbook, the download link is below.James Caton interviews Dmitry Tikhomirov, VP, Head of Cloud Technology and Delivery, EMEA and APAC, EPAM Systems, on the Agentic conversations he is having in Industry. We discuss:• a project from the insurance industry where Agentic AI-driven claim submission and risk flagging significantly speed up decision-making.• how EPAM is upskilling their workforce across all job functions to leverage AI, including retraining sellers to articulate AI value and training engineers in AI for business solutions.• Dmitry's advice that companies start experimenting with AI to avoid missing opportunities for basic capabilities, and then continuously evolve with the fast-moving industry YouTube:https://youtu.be/52HFtUvIfVYApple:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/generate-now/id1566458654Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/43XcU8A1dsNfW3YGT8KXhp?si=97412552ae4c439aDmitry Tikhomirov:https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmitrytikhomirov/James Caton:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmcatonAgentic AI Playbook:https://aka.ms/AgenticPartnerPlaybook

Your HQ just moved. Your team didn't. That's the reality for companies across the Middle East. RHQ mandates. Saudization. Emiratization. Legal shifts are redrawing the talent map — and companies who don't adapt are getting left behind. Would your hiring strategy survive if you had to rebuild it tomorrow? In this episode of Talent Talk, Executive & Team Coach Andrea Ross sits down with Kinetic's Rudy Bier (Managing Director) and Chris Atkinson (Business Consultant UK & EMEA) — seasoned recruitment experts in life sciences and industrial sectors across GCC — to break down the new hiring battleground in the Middle East. Here's what's inside: → Why Saudi's RHQ laws are forcing leadership teams to relocate — or risk missing out → What Saudization and Emiratization are really doing to salaries and sourcing → Why nationalization is widening the talent gap — and how Kinetic's closing it → How top candidates are standing out in the region's most competitive job market → The 3-year rule that's quietly wrecking careers across the Gulf Also covered: • Why LinkedIn isn't enough (and what's working instead) • The mistake expats are making in Saudi hiring • Why mentorship is becoming a survival skill If you're scaling in Saudi or UAE — you need this episode.

PLAT CHAT MERCH IS HERE!! https://platchat.com/ Members check the Discord or Community Posts tab on Youtube for $5 off your purchase. Thanks!

We had the privilege of sitting down with Marek Wasilewski, the dynamic Vice President of Sales for Americas and Latin America, to uncover the secrets behind his remarkable journey from aspiring fashion designer to sales powerhouse. Marek's story is a captivating narrative of ambition, resilience, and mentorship, painting a picture of how early experiences in selling timeshares and novelty memberships shaped his career. He shares invaluable lessons on how tough sales environments can be transformative, providing the backbone needed to succeed. Marek's tale is not just about climbing the career ladder but about sculpting one's character in the process and turning challenges into stepping stones.  We also explore the TEAM framework, a game-changing strategy Marek developed to revitalize underperforming business units, showcasing the power of communication as a cornerstone of success. The conversation takes a futuristic turn as we dissect the impact of AI on sales, with frameworks like BANT, CHAMP, and MEDDIC offering foundational guidance in this evolving landscape. Marek offers insights into the philosophical dimensions of AI advancements, pondering their broader implications on the sales field. With AI's rapid evolution, epitomized by tools like ChatGPT-5, Marek's forward-thinking perspective challenges us to envision a transformed future where adaptability and team alignment become the keys to thriving in sales.  Marek Wasilewski is a globally accomplished Revenue Leader with over two decades of experience leading high-performance teams and scaling multi-million-dollar growth across enterprise, SaaS, cloud, and service provider markets. From driving 28% growth in a major LATAM region to taking enterprise revenue from $0 to $5M in just 12 months, Marek has consistently delivered transformative results at scale.  Currently based in Austin, Texas, Marek brings a powerful mix of boardroom credibility and field-tested resilience. He's the creator of the T.E.A.M. Leadership Framework—Talk, Evaluate, Action, Mentor—designed to inspire performance and build trust across global teams. His leadership ethos? “Business is like cycling—every climb builds strength, and success comes from preparation, endurance, and shared effort.”  Named to CRN's Channel Chief list and a multi-time President's Club and Chairman's Inner Circle winner, Marek has held executive roles with some of the largest companies, leading teams across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. His expertise spans GTM strategy, recurring revenue models, AI-driven sales transformation, and customer-centric execution.  When he's not leading global sales strategy, you'll find him on two wheels—contributing to Dallas-based cycling charity events and recharging through endurance sports that mirror his leadership style: focused, resilient, and purpose-driven.    Quotes: Nobody grows up saying I want to be a salesman. I left school wanting to be a fashion designer, but sales found me, and it turned out to be my true passion." "Selling timeshares and novelty memberships taught me resilience. It's about understanding that you're one call away from success and learning to deal with rejection." "Effective communication is the cornerstone of success. Over-communicating both internally and externally can transform underperforming business units." "The TEAM framework is built on four principles: Talk, Evaluate, Act, and Mentor. It's about creating a consistent and disciplined approach to revitalizing teams."   Links: Marek's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwasil/ Extreme Networks - https://www.extremenetworks.com Find this episode and all other Sales Lead Dog episodes at https://empellorcrm.com/salesleaddog/ 

Media platforms, including Meta, TikTok, X, Spotify, Pinterest and others, have been advancing their own AI capabilities to improve the advertising process of creating and serving ads to an audience. So where does this leave media and creative agencies?Meta, has gone so far as to call itself a “one stop shop” for advertisers, by reportedly aiming to fully automate advertising, including the creation and targeting of ads, by the end of the year. After this was reported, Meta's stock price went up, while Publicis, Omnicom, IPG and WPP's all took a dip. Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said: “Over the long term, advertisers will basically just be able to tell us a business objective and a budget, and we're going to go do the rest for them.”In this episode, the Campaign editorial team discusses how much of a threat media platform's advancement of AI poses and how agencies are adapting to not lose their role in the advertising process.Hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley, the episode features deputy media editor Shauna Lewis and editor Maisie McCabe.Further reading:You can't just tell an AI to create ads like a CCOWhy is principal-based media buying so controversial?Buckle up for the ride as agency world will look significantly different in two yearsUK TV commercial chiefs on 'radical collaboration' and ‘bullishness' in the face of LHFSir Martin Sorrell: Tech platforms are encroaching on clients of large agenciesWill media buyers be the first victims of AI?Media buying among 'first areas to go' with rise of AI, says MediaMonks co-founderGoogle's EMEA president urges adland: ‘Don't wait for magic AI moment – it's here'Microsoft AI CEO: Bigger organisations are ‘starting to feel the pressure' from AI Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's another big week ahead with all eyes on the US jobs report and on-going headlines regarding the firing of Fed Governor Cook. In Europe, we discuss upcoming inflation data, some central bank divergence, and the potential fallout from the vote of confidence in France. In Asia, the focus is on China's growth outlook and Beijing's likely policy strategy amid a strong rally in equity markets. Finally, in a special segment in this episode, we focus on the next leg of easing by Asian central banks and market implications, with Sonal Varma, Chief Economist for India & Asia ex Japan, and Albert Leung, Asia Rates Strategist. Chapters: (US: 01:53, EMEA: 08:08, China: 12:19, Asia Central Banks Special: 17:25).

What's shaping the future of hotel development beyond the U.S.? In this hashtag#NoVacancyNews, Bruce Ford of Lodging Econometrics and I break down the latest pipeline data across EMEA—and what it means for owners, operators, and investors.

In the first episode of our new Trophy Case podcast series, PRovoke Media editor-in-chief Paul Holmes sat down with Dave Frauenfelder, VP brand, marketing communications and sponsorships at Dutch telecom provider KPN, and Jacqueline Bosselaar, executive strategy director, CEO and founder of HPB Het PR Bureau, to discuss the “Piece of Me” campaign, winner of our Platinum SABRE for the best public relations campaign in the EMEA region.

We discuss Fed Chair Powell's long-awaited speech at the annual central bank gathering in Jackson Hole. In Europe, our focus is on the ECB and European inflation trends, and we touch on the Russia-Ukraine war and economic implications. Then across Asia, we examine key coming data in China and Japan, and central bank meetings in Korea and the Philippines. Featuring a special segment, we welcome Jonathan Cohn, Head of US Rates Desk Strategy, to discuss key trends in Global Markets. Chapters: (US: 01:46, Global Markets Special: 08:10, EMEA: 15:30, Asia: 18:46).

Danny sits down with Philip Davies—brand builder, simplicity evangelist, and President EMEA at Siegel+Gale - for a powerful conversation on how simplicity can be a strategic superpower in the age of AI.Philip brings over two decades of experience leading global brand transformations across industries—from financial services and aviation to luxury and tech. His career spans journalism, advertising, and strategic consulting, with clients including Barclays, British Airways, Fabergé, Saudi Aramco, and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. As a frequent keynote speaker and thought leader, he's known for helping organizations unlock clarity, trust, and competitive advantage through unexpectedly fresh brand strategies.Philip shares how leading brands are shifting from fear to fortune when it comes to AI adoption, and why the smartest organizations are doubling down on clarity, trust, and human creativity. From rethinking brand strategy to navigating fast-moving tech trends, this episode is packed with real-world insights and leadership lessons.What You'll Learn:Why simplicity isn't just a design principle - it's a competitive advantageHow progressive brands are using AI to elevate - not replace - human creativityWhat leaders must do now to stay relevant and build resilient brand strategiesWhich industries are most in need of a simplicity overhaulHow to lead through uncertainty and make bold, clear decisions in complex timesPlus: rapid-fire reflections on mentorship, mindset-shifting books, and the simplest idea that changed everything.Tune in if you're ready to rethink how simplicity and AI can unlock clarity, confidence, and competitive edge in a world that's only getting faster and more complex.Are you getting every episode of Digital Transformation & Leadership in your favourite podcast player? You can find us Apple Podcasts and Spotify to subscribe.

In this episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire's Aimee Newell-Tarin and Mat Broughton are joined by Ross Jenkins, EMEA and APAC CEO, Mediahub, to discuss Meta's AI restructuring, zero-click search tools, and agency roles in media buying.

Dr Sally Anne Hinfey,  VP Legal at SurveyMonkey has over 20 years' experience in Irish law firms. Dr Hinfey was SurveyMonkey's first legal hire outside the US, and played a vital role in building the EMEA business at its Dublin-based HQ. I recently caught up with Dr Hinfey and had an interesting chat with her.Dr Hinfey talks about her background, what SurveyMonkey does, AI, what are the right questions to ask, Steve Jobs and more. More about SurveyMonkey:SurveyMonkey is a global leader in online surveys and forms. Their fast, intuitive platform empowers people with the insights they need to make decisions quickly and confidently.They provide answers to more than 20 million questions every day, helping organisations of all sizes build products people love, create winning marketing strategies, delight their customers, and cultivate an engaged and happy workforce.

Lee Hardman, Senior Currency Analyst, and Seiko Kataoka-Fisher, Director in Japanese Customer Sales for EMEA in London, discuss how the latest economic data is shaping the outlook for BoJ and Fed policies. Will widening policy divergence put greater pressure on USD/JPY as we head into the autumn?  

Lee Hardman, Senior Currency Analyst, and Seiko Kataoka-Fisher, Director in Japanese Customer Sales for EMEA in London, discuss how the latest economic data is shaping the outlook for BoJ and Fed policies. Will widening policy divergence put greater pressure on USD/JPY as we head into the autumn?

This Spring, Laurent Segalen was invited by Solar Power Europe to moderate a panel, during the Solar Power Summit, around the theme ”Winning the Flex challenges”.The Speakers were:Andrea Wechsler, Member of the European Parliament, EPP, GermanyPaula Rey Garcia, Acting HoU Renewables & Energy System Integration, DG ENER, European CommissionNick Bitsios, Head of Brussels Office, MetlenJuan Rivier Abbad, Head of Global Renewables Regulation, IberdrolaVlasios Souflis, COO EMEA, Lightsource BPJose Manuel Carvalho, Head of Renewable Energy JV & Partnerships, Arcelor MittalThere is a European Policy being developed called the Green Industrial Deal. What is it? Does it work? Does it answer the current issues faced by Solar developers and Energy Consumers?The panel confront the views of various actors, from policy makers to the private sector. A very lively debate with unexpected outcomes.  We thank Walburga Hemetsberger and the whole team of Solar Power Europe for organising that great event

When your audience thinks they already know your story, the boldest brands flip the script and earn their attention in the process. That's exactly what happens in Wicked, the smash-hit film adaptation that reimagines one of pop culture's most iconic villains. In this episode, we explore the marketing lessons behind it with special guest Allison MacLeod, Chief Marketing Officer & GM of US Education at Flywire.Together, we explore what B2B marketers can learn from reframing brand narratives, building fan-level community, and executing with bold, high-stakes detail that actually gets noticed.About our guest, Allison MacleodAllison Macleod currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer & Head of US Education at Flywire (Nasdaq: FLYW), a global payments enablement & software company. At Flywire, Allison leads global marketing and revenue operations, & US Education sales, relationship management & pre-sales. She played a key role in guiding Flywire to a successful IPO in May 2021.Allison brings nearly 20 years of experience with a background spanning marketing and revenue-focused roles. Prior to Flywire, she spent seven years at Rapid7 (Nasdaq: RPD), where she played a pivotal role in building and scaling demand generation, business development, and analytics. Before that, she held various digital and field-based positions at Forrester, including launching the marketing function in EMEA.Outside of work, Allison sits on the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council and serves as a strategic advisor to early-stage companies through F-Prime & Underscore VC.What B2B Companies Can Learn From Wicked:Reframe what they think they know. Wicked works because it flips a legacy story on its head. The same power lies in brand repositioning. “How do you really reframe what people think they know about you and your brand,” Allison says. Whether it's entering new markets or expanding product lines, your biggest unlock might come from telling your old story in a completely new way.Community is your flywheel. Wicked isn't just a show, it's a movement. Audiences don't just watch it, they live it. That level of advocacy isn't accidental. “How do you really cultivate that community, whether that's your clients, the advocacy, and make people… feel that deep passion for what you do,” Allison asks. In B2B, fandom might look like retention, referrals, or customer-led storytelling, but it starts with emotional connection.Be bold and unforgettable. Every production choice in Wicked is a masterclass in attention to detail. From the live vocals to the stunts, they took creative risks that resonated. “How do you be bold and unforgettable,” Allison says. The safest move in saturated categories? Standing out.Quote“I think that's sort of the lesson and the beauty in this, taking something that everyone already thought they knew, and they thought they knew the story… and completely reframing it. And I think that's where you just think of us as businesses, us as consumers… there's so much clutter. So the brands that stick out and do things differently, and even if it is trying the same channel but in a different way, there's so much power in that."Time Stamps[0:55] Meet Allison MacLeod, Chief Marketing Officer & GM of US Education at Flywire[01:05] Why Wicked?[02:29] The Role of CMO at Flywire[04:00] Breaking Down of Wicked[09:22] B2B Marketing Takeaways from Wicked[21:54] The Appeal of Villains and Taking Risks[23:37] The Power of Visual Design in Branding[24:54] Marketing Strategies for Global Brands[29:26] Flywire's Unique Differentiation Approach[40:03] Final Thoughts and TakeawaysLinksConnect with Allison on LinkedInLearn more about FlywireAbout Remarkable!Remarkable! is created by the team at Caspian Studios, the premier B2B Podcast-as-a-Service company. Caspian creates both nonfiction and fiction series for B2B companies. If you want a fiction series check out our new offering - The Business Thriller - Hollywood style storytelling for B2B. Learn more at CaspianStudios.com. In today's episode, you heard from Ian Faison (CEO of Caspian Studios) and Meredith Gooderham (Head of Production). Remarkable was produced this week by Jess Avellino, mixed by Scott Goodrich, and our theme song is “Solomon” by FALAK. Create something remarkable. Rise above the noise.

Carneros, Mexican Roots, a Love Story, To Kalon, Salsa Saturdays and interview w Amelia Ceja, Founder & President of Ceja Vineyards in Carneros. ON THE ROAD with mrCAwine is about California's cool, aspirational lifestyle and awesome wines hosted by Chuck Cramer, a California native, living in London and is the Director of EMEA & Asia, sales & marketing, Terlato Wines. This is a wine journey covering the hottest topics in the business of California wine, chatting along the way with the people who work in wine, and make it all happen. This week's episode includes an interview with Amelia Ceja, Ceja Vineyards.