Podcasts about excellence coe

In this episode, Zachary Nippert, Chief Commercial Officer at Shore Capital, discusses building out the Commercial Center of Excellence (COE) to accelerate organic growth across the firm's portfolio. Drawing from his experience in global advertising, tech entrepreneurship, and revenue leadership, Zack shares how he is creating a structured approach to commercial strategy, talent development, and sales enablement. He also explains how peer collaboration within the COE fosters innovation, enabling commercial leaders to exchange insights, overcome challenges, and enhance performance across diverse industries.Key Takeaways:How Zachary Nippert is building the Commercial Center of Excellence at Shore CapitalThe three core pillars of commercial excellence: talent, strategy, and sales processHow peer collaboration within the COE drives innovation and growthReal-world strategies for sales training and go-to-market successWhy commercial excellence is crucial for scaling microcap companiesChapters:00:00 Introduction06:14 The Role of the Centers of Excellence07:15 Commercial Excellence Function10:46 Challenges and Opportunities16:09 Success Stories and Future AspirationsListen to our podcasts at:https://www.shorecp.university/podcastsYou'll also find other Bigger. Stronger. Faster. episodes, alongside our Microcap Moments and Everyday Heroes series—highlighting the people and stories that make the microcap space unique.Other ways to connect:Blog: https://www.shorecp.university/blogShore Capital University: https://www.shorecp.university/Shore Capital Partners: https://www.shorecp.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shore-universityThis podcast is the property of Shore Capital Partners LLC. None of the content herein is investment advice, an offer of investment advisory services, or a recommendation or offer relating to any security. See the “Terms of Use” page on the Shore Capital website for other important information.

On this episode of Tales From the Heart, host Lisa Salberg chats with Dr. Kenneth Taylor and officially welcomes Piedmont Heart as a Center of Excellence (COE).   This conversation was recorded Apr. 18, 2025.

Host Lisa Salberg chats with Dr. David Owens and welcomes UW Medicine Heart Institute aboard as a Center of Excellence (COE).   This conversation was recorded March 21, 2025.

Tales From the Heart host Lisa Salberg chats with Jose Madrazo and Rick Carrick as we welcome back Johns Hopkins University as an HCMA Center of Excellence (COE).   This conversation was recorded Feb. 28, 2025.

This episode of Curing with Sound features Elisa Konofagou, PhD, the Robert and Margaret Hariri Professor of Biomedical Engineering and professor of radiology at Columbia University, who is a pioneer and leading expert in focused ultrasound. Dr. Konofagou discusses her important research using focused ultrasound to open the blood-brain barrier, the development of portable therapeutic ultrasound devices, and the future of this noninvasive technology and its role in treating a variety of conditions. The Focused Ultrasound Foundation recently designated Columbia as the seventh Center of Excellence (COE) in the US and the 14th worldwide. The COE program recognizes luminary sites for their merit in translational and clinical research in focused ultrasound, training, and patient care. The Centers serve as hubs for collaboration, bringing together academia, industry, and the Foundation to champion therapeutic ultrasound technology in innovative ways. Key points from the conversation: Blood-brain barrier opening – Clinical trials using focused ultrasound for blood-brain barrier (BBB) opening, enabling delivery of therapeutics for treating a wide range of conditions including, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and diffuse midline glioma (DMG) in pediatric patients.   Breast cancer – Dr. Konofagou is studying the use of focused ultrasound to ablate primary tumors, both benign and malignant. She is also using the technology to mechanically vibrate tumors, then evaluating the changes in stiffness or elasticity as a biomarker of chemotherapy response.  A portable ultrasound device for broader accessibility – Unlike MRI-guided focused ultrasound, which requires expensive imaging equipment, Dr. Konofagou's team developed a portable device that can be brought to patients, allowing real-time monitoring and faster treatment times. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT ---------------------------- QUESTIONS? Email podcast@fusfoundation.org if you have a question or comment about the show, or if you would you like to connect about future guest appearances.  Email info@fusfoundation.org if you have questions about focused ultrasound or the Foundation.  FUSF SOCIAL MEDIA LinkedIn X Facebook Instagram TikTok YouTube FUSF WEBSITE https://www.fusfoundation.org SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTER https://www.fusfoundation.org/newsletter-signup/ READ THE LATEST NEWSLETTER https://www.fusfoundation.org/the-foundation/news-media/newsletter/ DOWNLOAD "THE TUMOR" BY JOHN GRISHAM (FREE E-BOOK) https://www.fusfoundation.org/read-the-tumor-by-john-grisham/

Welcome to Tales from the Heart! This week host Lisa Salberg chats with Dr. Mariko Harper. Dr. Harper is with Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, WA. The HCMA has officially certified Virginia Mason as a Center of Excellence (COE).   The conversation was recorded Jan. 31, 2025

Thank you for joining us for another episode of the Low Carb MD Podcast. Dr. Steven Reyes is an experienced clinician with many specialties including bariatric psychology, body image issues, substance dependence, mood disorders, and relationship issues. He is affiliated with multiple Centers of Excellence (COE) bariatric programs in southern California where he does pre-surgery psychological assessments, & facilitates pre-surgery educational classes. As an active member of the weight loss surgery community, he is passionately committed to helping people implement their own long-term behavioral change strategy. In this episode, Drs. Tro , Brian, and Steven talk about… (02:55) How Dr. Steven became interested in pursuing Bariatric Psychology as a career (04:31) Common denominators among those who, in Dr. Steven's experience, seek out and/or would benefit from Bariatric Psychology (08:30) Challenges faced by those who have undergone bariatric surgery (18:22) The social/psychological aspects and complexities of obesity and poor metabolic health (23:02) Satiety, pop tarts, and food addiction (26:48) Indicators that a particular patient is not a good candidate for bariatric surgery (29:28) The acceptance rate of patients seeking bariatric surgery, problems with the incentive structure for bariatric surgery, and how the incentive structure might be fixed (39:42) GLP-1 and post-op weight regain (44:35) How to stay ahead of hunger and be prepared for those moments and circumstances where you will feel week to your cravings (54:09) How to help and be there for those in our lives who struggle with food addiction (56:03) How to help yourself psychologically and emotionally if you struggle with food addiction For more information, please see the links below. Thank you for listening! Links: Resources Mentioned in this Episode: New England Journal of Medicine Article on the “Spread of Obesity in a Large Social Network over 32 Years”:https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa066082 ASMBS Study on the Top 6 Behaviors that Post-op Bariatric Surgery Patients Engage In: https://asmbs.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Heinberg-Bariatric-Behavioral-Health-Post-Operative-Considerations.pdf Dr. Steven Reyes: Website: https://www.drstevenreyes.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.stevenreyes/ Books: https://www.drstevenreyes.com/thebariatriccode The Selfcare Society: https://www.drstevenreyes.com/membershipsupport-1deb03be Dr. Brian Lenzkes:  Website: https://arizonametabolichealth.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrianLenzkes?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author Dr. Tro Kalayjian:  Website: https://www.doctortro.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoctorTro Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doctortro/ SMHP Position Statement: https://journalofmetabolichealth.org/index.php/jmh/article/view/100#:~:text=The%20SMHP%20recommends%20open%20access,research%20on%20TCR%20for%20T1DM Toward Health App Join a growing community of individuals who are improving their metabolic health; together.  Get started at your own pace with a self-guided curriculum developed by Dr. Tro and his care team, community chat, weekly meetings, courses, challenges, message boards and more.  Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/doctor-tro/id1588693888  Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.disciplemedia.doctortro&hl=en_US&gl=US Learn more: https://doctortro.com/community/ 

Chris Perry is the Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, a satellite Center of Excellence (COE) for eCommerce education and change management. He is also an Executive Educator and Keynote Speaker at Path to Purchase Institute. With over 12 years of experience as an eCommerce leader and executive educator, Chris aims to empower leaders to embrace change with actionable knowledge, strategies, and KPIs. In this episode… As brands grapple with small teams and increased content demands, compelling, optimized content remains a priority. In a landscape where even a 1% improvement can produce significant gains, how can brands ensure their content resonates with target audiences across channels? With platform and retailer algorithms ranking content based on qualitative and quantitative factors, eCommerce thought leader Chris Perry emphasizes the importance of conducting content page audits. This includes measuring keywords for specific categories, identifying your target audience, including relevant images, and ensuring your titles reach the required character count. Updating your PDPs with a single image can increase conversion rates by 2%. Chris also recommends optimizing your content for mobile devices to meet customers where they shop. This involves creating user-friendly designs and prioritizing image creation. Tune in to this episode of The Digital Deep Dive as Aaron Conant hosts Chris Perry, the Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, to discuss optimizing content for the digital shelf. Chris explains how to test content creation tools, how to produce and measure full-funnel content, and firstmovr's ENDCAPS educational program.

Um die Digitalisierung voranzutreiben, setzen insbesondere größere Unternehmen häufig auf ein oder mehrere Kompetenzzentren oder Centers of Excellence (CoE). Diese Institutionen agieren quasi als eine Art Startup innerhalb der Organisation und können sich mit weniger Zwängen mit neuen Ideen und Trends auseinandersetzen – natürlich mit dem Ziel, gemeinsam mit dem Business Lösungen auf die Straße zu bringen. Wie das in der Praxis aussieht – das erklärt Mark Zimmermann, Leiter des Center of Excellence zur mobilen Lösungsentwicklung bei der EnBW Baden Württemberg.

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Scratch Event DJs, Ownit AI, and Mirakl. In today's Retail Daily Minute:Amazon Enhances Visual Search Features: Amazon introduces new AI-powered visual search tools, making it easier for shoppers to find products quickly and accurately, while increasing global visual search queries by 70%.Whatnot Thrives in Livestream Shopping: Whatnot's livestream marketplace, popular among collectors, reaches $2 billion in GMV, driven by collectibles and expanding into new categories like fashion and electronics.Walmart Expands Cancer Care Benefits: Walmart broadens its Cancer Centers of Excellence (COE) program, offering associates access to comprehensive cancer care through a collaboration with Mayo Clinic, with no out-of-pocket costs for eligible associates.Stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Hitachi, Ltd., and Google Cloud has announced a multi-year partnership to accelerate enterprise innovation and productivity with generative AI. Hitachi will form a new business unit focused on helping businesses solve industry challenges with Gemini models, Vertex AI, and other cloud technologies, and it will also adopt Google Cloud's AI to enhance its own products and services. Through the partnership, Hitachi will further accelerate growth of Lumada, its core digital business, and it will advance operational efficiencies for the Hitachi Group. Led by GlobalLogic, a leader in digital engineering and a subsidiary of the Hitachi Group, the companies will establish the Hitachi Google Cloud Business Unit and the Google Cloud Center of Excellence (CoE) to rapidly scale Google Cloud technology to new and existing enterprise customers. Additionally, Hitachi will collaborate with Google Cloud to incorporate training on Google Cloud's GenAI as part of Hitachi's GenAI Professional training program. The program will deepen the expertise and managed services available through these business units, which will ensure large-scale organisations have access to the resources needed to fundamentally improve how they operate with AI. Additional focus areas of the partnership will include: New GenAI solutions for software modernisation and customer service: Hitachi will use Gemini models to build solutions that help businesses efficiently modernise legacy software systems, and it will adopt Google Cloud Contact Center AI to power more effective and accurate customer service experiences. For instance, using Google Cloud Agent Assist, customer service representatives can be supported with real-time knowledge assistance and resolution suggestions to help them be more productive and provide better service. The new solutions will be compatible with GlobalLogic's Platform of Platforms architecture, which is designed to address the needs of intelligent enterprises. Enabling safe, secure GenAI solutions for on-premises and cloud environments: Hitachi's new solutions will support customers running both on-premises and in the cloud, enabling enterprises to modernise operations while retaining existing IT environments. The solutions will also be compatible with Virtual Storage Platform One,so that users can build GenAI applications using data stored on Hitachi Vantara's hybrid cloud platform. Joint go-to-market initiatives: Hitachi and Google Cloud will better align their sales, marketing, and engineering teams to ensure that customers across industries have access to the resources needed to optimally deploy and manage GenAI projects through Hitachi Google Cloud Business Unit and Google Cloud CoE. This will include the GenAI Professionals that Hitachi trains on Google Cloud technology. Strengthen GenAI talent development: Hitachi's GenAI Professionals play a critical role in supporting customers' transformation with AI, and Hitachi will train more than 50,000 GenAI Professionals through its global training program, As part of the program, Hitachi will include training on Google Cloud's Gen AI solutions and AI technology. GlobalLogic and Google Cloud have collaborated for more than 15 years and helped empower enterprises with solutions that achieve their business objectives with efficiency and scale. "Through this partnership, Hitachi will leverage Google Cloud's AI capabilities to improve and enhance employee productivity and accelerate innovation. By augmenting the capabilities of our developers and customer success units with Google Cloud GenAI solutions, such as Vertex AI and Gemini models, Hitachi will be able to better serve the needs of its customers in diverse industries and across complex domains such as energy, mobility, manufacturing and digital services," said Toshiaki Tokunaga, Executive Vice President and Executive Officer at Hitachi. Nitesh Banga, CEO, Digital Engineering Business Unit, Hitachi, and President & CEO, GlobalLogic, added: "Thr...

In this episode, I sit down with Felicia Shakiba, the founder and host of CPO Playbook. Felicia shares her HR origin story, and then we get into organizational design in HR. Felicia emphasizes the importance of effective people management in supporting business growth and suggests that HR teams should adopt a Center of Excellence (COE) model and implement agile practices. Felicia also shares her decision to leave corporate and start her venture, highlighting the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship in the HR space.  We also touch on the value of external perspectives in HR and the need for more women and HR leaders on boards. We debunk the misconception that HR is unnecessary in the boardroom, emphasizing our strategic importance. Felicia's resources: Balancing Acts: Unleashing the Power of Creativity in Your Life & Work by Daniel Lamarre

When you start thinking about your independent consulting business as a center of excellence, the level of impact, fulfillment, and growth provided to your clients can dramatically shift.You're an expert and thought leader in your field. By thinking of your consulting business as a Center of Excellence, you can set yourself up to generate more inbound leads and offer higher-paying consulting services.In this episode, Melisa offers a detailed and actionable framework to help consultants transform their solo consultancy business into a Center of Excellence. Using real-life examples, Melisa clearly defines how the Center of Excellence concept and shares the benefits of implementing this concept into your independent consulting business. She outlines six critical elements for establishing a thriving Center of Excellence in a solo consultancy, emphasizing clarity, innovation, and client-centricity. Finally, Melisa concludes with an important warning and shares a series of questions to help consultants transform their independent consulting practice into a center of excellence. Click here for the full show notes and more information.Then, click here for more on coaching tailored to you as an independent consulting business owner.

In this episode, I sat down with Aaron Weller, the Leader of HP's Privacy Engineering Center of Excellence (CoE), focused on providing technical solutions for privacy engineering across HP's global operations. Throughout our conversation, we discuss: what motivated HP's leadership to stand up a CoE for Privacy Engineering; Aaron's approach to staffing the CoE; how a CoE's can shift privacy left in a large, matrixed organization like HP's; and, how to leverage the CoE to proactively manage privacy risk.Aaron emphasizes the importance of understanding an organization's strategy when creating a CoE and shares his methods for gathering data to inform the center's roadmap and team building. He also highlights the great impact that a Center of Excellence can offer and gives advice for implementing one in your organization. We touch on the main challenges in privacy engineering today and the value of designing user-friendly privacy experiences. In addition, Aaron provides his perspective on selecting the right combination of Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs) for anonymity, how to go about implementing PETs, and the role that AI governance plays in his work. Topics Covered: Aaron's deep privacy and consulting background and how he ended up leading HP's Privacy Engineering Center of Excellence The definition of a "Center of Excellence" (CoE) and how a Privacy Engineering CoE can drive value for an organization and shift privacy leftWhat motivates a company like HP to launch a CoE for Privacy Engineering and what it's reporting line should beAaron's approach to creating a Privacy Engineering CoE roadmap; his strategy for staffing this CoE; and the skills & abilities that he soughtHow HP's Privacy Engineering CoE works with the business to advise on, and select, the right PETs for each business use caseWhy it's essential to know the privacy guarantees that your organization wants to assert before selecting the right PETs to get you thereLessons Learned from setting up a Privacy Engineering CoE and how to get executive sponsorshipThe amount of time that Privacy teams have had to work on AI issues over the past year, and advice on preventing burnoutAaron's hypothesis about the value of getting an early handle on governance over the adoption of innovative technologiesThe importance of being open to continuous learning in the field of privacy engineering Guest Info: Connect with Aaron on LinkedInLearn about HP's Privacy Engineering Center of ExcellenceReview the OWASP Machine Learning Security Top 10Review the OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications Privado.ai Privacy assurance at the speed of product development. Get instant visibility w/ privacy code scans.TRU Staffing Partners Top privacy talent - when you need it, where you need it.Shifting Privacy Left Media Where privacy engineers gather, share, & learnDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Copyright © 2022 - 2024 Principled LLC. All rights reserved.

Join us for a conversation with Scott Green, a seasoned business leader with over 30 years of international experience. Scott is the Founder & CEO of Profit Drivers, a company specializing in System Integration and pricing strategy services for solutions like Pricefx. They also offer their own proprietary software to help businesses tackle their pricing challenges. In this episode, Scott dives deep into: The benefits of diverse industry experience in navigating the complexities of pricing strategy. Profit Drivers' offering: a fractional Center of Excellence (CoE) to empower businesses with pricing expertise. Top business priorities companies are facing today. C-suite expectations and how to meet their needs. The typical project process at Profit Drivers. Why pricing consulting goes beyond simply improving margins and unlocks broader business value. This episode is packed with insights for anyone looking to gain a competitive edge through strategic pricing. website: https://profitdrivers.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottgreen5/ email: scott.green@profitdrivers.com 

Show Notes: Karen Friedenberg discusses a project she worked on to design an Intelligent Automation Center of Excellence for a Fortune 500 medical supply company. The challenge was that the organization was initially looking to leverage robotics process automation (RPA) technology to automate repetitive and manual processes. This led to the development of Intelligent Automation, also known as hyper automation. Defining the Meaning of Intelligent Automation The first step in this project was defining Intelligent Automation and defining its meaning. The client wanted to develop a center of excellence to coordinate efforts across the company to take advantage of new technology and benefits quickly and in a coordinated way. The center of excellence would serve various needs and be a resource for the organization. Karen explains that the first step was to identify the pockets within the organization where people were learning about robotics, process automation, AI, and chatbots. She then interviewed stakeholders to understand their strategic imperatives and goals, and a key understanding was to let business lead the way, not the technology. The second step focused on developing the structure of the Intelligent Automation Center of Excellence (COE), its interaction with other teams, and the roles and competencies of the COE team. The COE team would be responsible for staying on top of the evolving technologies and coordinating efforts to leverage project management and program management capabilities in a coordinated way. One of the great things about new technology is putting it in the hands of the business and users, allowing them to solve problems themselves. However, there were challenges, opportunities, and fear to address,  such as change management and fear of the business starting to do this. For example, IT was beginning to fear redundancy in many of their roles.  As a solution to these challenges, it was necessary for the COE team to identify their mission, roles, and responsibilities. The Center of Excellence Explained The Center of Excellence (COE) is a team that works to identify and prioritize automation candidates in business units. Karen talks about the knockout criteria they use to assess if a process is an automation candidate and if it can be done within existing systems. The COE then uses a box prioritization matrix to assess the impact and effort of each candidate. If it is easier and less risky, it may be a candidate for a citizen developer role. Governance is also a key aspect of the COE's role. The COE's role involves oversight and sharing best practices. They train and certify citizen developers to use new technology and processes, ensuring proper controls are in place. The SDLC (Software Development Lifecycle) is a model that aims to maintain flexibility and speed while ensuring proper controls. People submit requests through various methods, such as email, phone, or using shared systems like Leisha shared through SharePoint and Microsoft tools. The COE's role is to ensure that the process is secure and efficient, while also ensuring that the right controls are in place to prevent unauthorized changes to code. Discussion on the Design Phase of a Project Karen explains that they are still in the design phase and it has not been fully executed yet. The vision was to analyze incoming requests and determine who gets help. The team is divided into a business lead and an IT lead who would work with business analysts to assess the project's feasibility. The group provide different levels of support, such as a half-hour conversation or a three-month project with a business analyst and consultants.The first step is to train the business unit citizen developer and to provide regular reviews to the client. The team would also provide additional technical, business process, and change management assistance. The goal is to help the client team navigate their blockers and be a centralized source for sharing learnings and best practices across the business. Integration with The Center of Excellence The COE is complex and interacts with multiple systems, including  project management teams and various departments across the business. The team would also be aware of other projects in the company and work with them to ensure each project is documented and shared within the ecosystem to share information across departments and projects as required. Karen discusses the development of an Intelligent Automation center of excellence and the marketing approach taken to promote the service.  The center consists of five people and is being promoted internally through business optimization managers. The company is taking a crawl, walk, run approach, starting small and growing. She explains that some barriers to the center include resourcing, funding, and fear of AI impacting employees' jobs. Organizational change management is crucial in these efforts, as it ensures sustainability and avoids unintended consequences for employees. The Benefits of a COE The company anticipates benefits from the center of excellence, such as faster deployment of technologies, reduced manual tasks, and cohesion of information. The technology has tremendous benefits, but the bigger benefit is the new ways of working that can be applied across various parts of the business. The center of excellence also helps in teaching new ways of working and chain collaboration between the business and IT. Timestamps: 01:02 Designing Intelligent Automation Center of Excellence for a Fortune 500 company 02:22 Establishing an Intelligent Automation Center of Excellence 06:40 Automation and citizen development in a business unit 10:49 Implementing a citizen developer program 14:32 Implementing an Intelligent Automation center of excellence Links Website: https://www.piconsult.net/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-friedenberg/ Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.  

Chris Perry is the Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, a satellite Center of Excellence (COE) for eCommerce education and change management. He is also an Executive Educator and Keynote Speaker at Path to Purchase Institute. With over 12 years of experience as an eCommerce leader and executive educator, Chris aims to empower leaders to embrace change with actionable knowledge, strategies, and KPIs. In this episode… The eCommerce landscape is advancing rapidly, and first-mover organizations are capitalizing on digital trends for 2024. What eCommerce projections should you observe, and how can you implement them to drive explosive growth in 2024? First mover and change leader Chris Perry notes that shoppers expect omnichannel integrations at every touchpoint, so everything from online and in-store shopping experiences to retail media should include omnichannel strategies. With the rapid adoption of retail media, first movers must dismantle advertising and media silos to develop a full-funnel approach that engages audiences. As Gen Z consumers shop on social media platforms like TikTok, social commerce has become the leading driver of digital, making it crucial for first movers to leverage. Additionally, increasing acquisitions and partnerships have led to competition, so by partnering with agencies of record (AOR), you can enable long-term leadership and growth. Category management strategies are imperative in generating incremental omnichannel growth. To ensure effective omnichannel capabilities, you must update your processes, details, and workflows. In this episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Chris Perry, the Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, to discuss the leading digital commerce trends for 2024. Chris shares how to develop winning online and in-store shopping strategies, how to promote first-mover leadership training and education, and how to execute omnichannel strategies.

With an aim to create one of the worlds' largest AI ready workforce, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), with significant operations in Ireland, has strengthened its AI capabilities across its value chain. After training over 150,000 employees in the foundational skills of Generative AI, TCS has launched an AI Experience Zone, to foster hands-on proficiency in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI (GenAI) for its employees. Within this immersive environment, TCS employees can explore, engage, and experiment with cutting-edge GenAI-powered applications, creating innovative use cases, with all necessary guardrails and while upholding Responsible AI principles. The AI Experience Zone facilitates experimentation with open-source technologies and key large language models from industry giants like Amazon Web Services, Google, Microsoft, and others. Employees can gain experience in using these tools with use cases like content creation, information discovery, and task automation. They will also have access to a wealth of knowledge in the form of tutorials covering essential GenAI concepts. Siva Ganesan, Head of TCS AI.Cloud Unit, said "GenAI holds great potential as a co-worker, enabling automation and enhancing efficiency. Through the AI Experience Zone, we are empowering our associates with the ability to harness the transformative potential of GenAI through hands-on experience. A distinct feature of the AI Experience Zone is that it fosters collaboration. Associates from different parts of the world with shared interests can come together to build a solution for a specific problem. TCS' strides in AI have not gone unnoticed. Recently, global market researcher, Forrester named TCS in its report titled 'The AI Services Landscape Q1 2024', as a large provider of AI services (the highest-level rating), among 40 fortune 500 enterprises. Another leading global research firm, Everest, recognized TCS as a leader, in its report titled 'PEAK Matrix assessment 2023', that assessed 26 top global service providers. These recognitions underscore TCS' commitment to enhancing its capabilities in the AI domain. TCS is leveraging its existing ecosystem of innovation hubs via its 6 Pace Ports set up across the world to enhance its AI offerings. It has launched GenAI offerings around Industry Value Chains, SDLC reimagination, and Responsible AI. Apart from Hyper scalers, TCS has collaborated with players like Nvidia and Anthropic, to offer best-in-class services to customers. It will continue to expand its existing partnerships and build new AI focused partnerships. TCS has additionally invested in 24 Centers of Excellence (CoE) and 14 innovation labs around the world to develop accelerators, frameworks, and assets across the entire AI adoption lifecycle spanning Advisory, Implementation and Operations to create a cohesive ecosystem of AI capabilities. Dr Harrick Vin, Chief Technology Officer, TCS, commented: "As we navigate the digital landscape, TCS is steadfast in its commitment to becoming AI-first. Embracing Gen AI as a key component of our strategy, we are transforming not just how we operate but also how we lead and innovate in a rapidly evolving world. By harnessing the potential of GenAI across our operations, we aim to set new benchmarks in innovation, efficiency, and client success, propelling us into the future." Next week, TCS takes centre stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos, leading the conversation on a future powered by AI. Partnering with leading technology institutes like Carnegie Mellon University, MIT Connection Science and MIT Computer Science & AI Lab, TCS will bring together an elite assembly of change-makers, innovators, and business leaders to debate future innovations and breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence. As a precursor to Davos, TCS MD & CEO K Krithivasan shared insights on how AI can augment what humans are capable of and the need for enterprises to create an AI-first architecture here: https://www...

Within the Shore Resource Team is a specialized group called the Centers of Excellence (COE). COEs came from operating careers to provide subject matter expertise and support to portfolio companies. COEs directly support companies on projects, share best practices between companies, and promote connectivity between companies so that 40+ companies create a competitive advantage through collaboration.   In this episode we discuss Shore's COE focused on Human Resources. Sarah Gabriel, Chief People Officer for Shore, talks about the unique employee value proposition that Shore provides our portfolio companies and their people. As part of this, she also shares how HR leaders from across the portfolio work together to support each other and problem-solve through both formal gatherings and informal relationships and interactions. This podcast is the property of Shore Capital Partners LLC. None of the content herein is investment advice, an offer of investment advisory services, nor a recommendation or offer relating to any security. See the “Terms of Use” page on the Shore Capital website for other important information.

Within the Shore Resource Team is a specialized group called the Centers of Excellence (COE). COEs came from operating careers to provide subject matter expertise and support to portfolio companies. COEs directly support companies on projects, share best practices between companies, and promote connectivity between companies so that 40+ companies create a competitive advantage through collaboration.   In this episode we discuss Shore's COE focused on Technology. Imran Shaikh, Chief Technology Officer for Shore, talks about the minimum IT operating standards that Shore requires of portfolio companies, and the way in which Shore uses IT as a value generator. He also discusses real world examples and solutions for dealing with IT security threats in the microcap context. This podcast is the property of Shore Capital Partners LLC. None of the content herein is investment advice, an offer of investment advisory services, nor a recommendation or offer relating to any security. See the “Terms of Use” page on the Shore Capital website for other important information.

In this episode of The Ecommerce Braintrust, host Kiri Masters talks with Chris Perry, co-founder of firstmovr. They delve into the concept of "smarter growth" and how it can help brands and retailers achieve incremental growth in the e-commerce space. From driving households, baskets, and trips to leveraging category management principles, they cover a range of strategies and tactics.  Chris Perry is the Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, a Satellite Center of Excellence (COE) for CPG Omni Education & Change Management on a mission to help empower first movers — both people and organizations — to win in a disruptive marketplace. Make sure you tune in to find out more! In today's episode, Kiri and Chris discuss: - Introduction to firstmovr as a center for omni education and change management in e-commerce. - The "smarter growth framework" as a means to organize and drive incremental growth. - Drawing principles from brick and mortar to leverage them for e-commerce success. - Moving beyond tactics to focus on the "why" of growth and driving incrementality. - The importance of understanding household penetration, buy rate, and the four quadrants of growth. - Applying the SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) framework for more strategic and measurable growth goals. - Emphasizing the need for intentional content optimization and leveraging levers at scale. - Examples of best practices in basket building, including stocking up, trade up, and bundles. - Strategies employed by Procter & Gamble (PNG) and L'Oreal in driving growth through advertising and product differentiation. - Harnessing shopper purchase data for targeted personalization in advertising. - Practical ways for brands to deploy investments and gain more control over their growth strategies. - The upcoming "smarter events" by Firstmover, offering education and support for implementing smarter growth strategies.

Implementing a tool or standing up a new capability can be a complex task. Standing up a Center of Excellence as part of this implementation can help ease the pain for new users. However, it is not always clear what a CoE shall do and how it is integrated into an organization (or where it is located in the org structure). In this episode we are talking with Thi Nguyen about exactly this topic, and he has some interesting -and maybe sometime controversial?- opinions about this topic. Thi is a Vice President at SAP in Asia and spent a significant amount of time in various positions at Siemens in Vietnam, Germany, the UK, and the Czech Republic - being a CIO as well as a CFO, and leading CoEs. However, his passion lies in sharing his knowledge and ideas in two shows: "Tea with Thi" and "Differential Hallucinations". In this episode of the ⁠podcast⁠ we are talking about: Thi's background What is a Center of Excellence? How are they structured? What is the business case for a CoE? How do you stand up a CoE? When do you move on from a Center of Excellence (think a hamster lifespan)? Do you need a COE for each technology or each process? What's next? Thi is very active on LinkedIn with is "Tea with Thi" and can be found here: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/teawiththi/⁠. Please reach out to us by either sending an email to ⁠hello@whatsyourbaseline.com⁠ or leaving us a voice message by clicking ⁠here⁠.

Within the Shore Resource Team is a specialized group called the Centers of Excellence (COE). COEs came from operating careers to provide subject matter expertise and support to portfolio companies. COEs directly support companies on projects, share best practices between companies, and promote connectivity between companies so that 40+ companies create a competitive advantage through collaboration.   In this episode we discuss Shore's COE focused on Continuous Improvement. Kevin Williams, Chief Improvement Officer for Shore, talks about the strategies he and his team employ to help our portfolio companies continuously improve. He discusses examples from our Healthcare, Food and Beverage, and Business Services verticals. This podcast is the property of Shore Capital Partners LLC. None of the content herein is investment advice, an offer of investment advisory services, nor a recommendation or offer relating to any security. See the “Terms of Use” page on the Shore Capital website for other important information.

Within the Shore Resource Team is a specialized group called the Centers of Excellence (COE). COEs came from operating careers to provide subject matter expertise and support to portfolio companies. COEs directly support companies on projects, share best practices between companies, and promote connectivity between companies so that 40+ companies create a competitive advantage through collaboration.  In this episode, we discuss Shore's COE focused on Revenue Cycle Management (RCM). Sarah Hirsch, Chief Revenue Officer for Shore, talks about the strategies she employs to help multi-site healthcare portfolio companies navigate the complex world of RCM. Sarah also discusses the RCM infrastructure that Shore offers to enable these companies to thrive and scale. This podcast is the property of Shore Capital Partners LLC. None of the content herein is investment advice, an offer of investment advisory services, nor a recommendation or offer relating to any security. See the “Terms of Use” page on the Shore Capital website for other important information.

The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. During this episode, US Army COL John Agnello discusses the Army's pursuits related to Information Advantage. Our conversation traverses the meaning of Information Advantage, the functions of Information Advantage, how Information Advantage fits within the larger Information Environment, as well as related initiatives. One such initiative is the Theater Information Advantage Detachment (TIAD) concept which will be Army theater-level teams that influence and inform–especially during the competition continuum phase of operations. Research Question: John Agnello suggests an interested student examine ways to help commanders “see” the information dimension; take every piece of information, bring them together into a decision space which enables speed and accuracy. Resources: Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned #24 John Davis on Modern Warfare, Teamwork, and Commercial Cognitive Security #125 Journey from conception through JP 3-04 #131 Brian Burbank on the Ghost Team, Transparent Battlefield Concepts and Multi-Domain Operations FM 3-0 Operations 3.0 (October 2022) Like War by Peter Singer Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War by Paul Scharre Art of Invisibility: The World's Most Famous Hacker Teaches You How to Be Safe in the Age of Big Brother and Big Data by Kevin Mitnick Link to full show notes and resources Guest Bio:  Colonel John Agnello is a United States Army Cyber Branch officer currently stationed at the United States Army Cyber Center of Excellence (CoE), at Fort Gordon, GA, as the Director of the Army Program Office for Information Advantage, where he oversees the development and implementation of Information Advantage across elements of DOTMLPF-P for the CCoE. Prior to that assignment, COL Agnello was the Director of the Commander's Planning Group, where he was responsible for Public Affairs, Protocol, strategic engagements and planning on behalf of the Commanding General. Prior to his assignments to the Cyber CoE, COL Agnello was assigned to United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM), in Fort Meade, MD, as the Chief of the Development Branch in USCYBERCOM's Acquisition and Technology Directorate (J9), responsible for all offensive and defensive tool development as well as data science and data analytics. Prior to that, he was a Joint Cyber Operations Team Leader in USCYBERCOM; responsible for supporting Combatant Commanders' objectives include planning, coordinating, directing, and executing daily cyber missions through four separately focused cyber teams, in addition to maintaining infrastructure, training, capability development, mission execution, and support services.  Prior to his assignments at USCYBERCOM, COL Agnello was stationed in Wiesbaden, Germany as the Research & Development subject matter expert for the Defense Science and Technology Center – Europe, where he reviewed international technologies on behalf of the US DoD; followed by the Deputy Director of the Ground Intelligence Support Activity – East; where he was responsible for managing nine different networks at over 45 various locations throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and established the first Intelligence Support Cell for Defensive Cyberspace Operations in US Army Europe (USAREUR).  Prior to his cyber specific roles, COL Agnello was a Field Artillery Officer and spent nine years in the 3rd Infantry Division in roles including Sustainment Automation Systems Management Officer, Rear Detachment Commander, Company Commander, Assistant Operations Officer, Battalion Fire Direction Officer, and Division Fire Control Officer. Prior to his assignments at Fort Stewart, GA, COL Agnello was a Battalion Fire Direction Officer, and a Battery Executive Officer at Fort Sill, OK. John is a combat veteran of Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn, and his various military decorations include the Bronze Star with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Combat Action Badge, and Basic Parachutist Badge. His military training includes the Joint Network Attack Course, Joint Computer Network Operational Planners Course, the Information Systems Management Course, and many more. About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain. For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org. Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Gurdeep Singh is the Automation Center of Excellence (CoE) and Tools innovation lead at Tryg which is Scandinavia's largest insurance company. He is Lean Six Sigma black belt certified and is passionate about improving and optimizing processes by engaging with businesses. In this podcast, we chat about his Lean RPA CoE and his learnings in establishing the same. We delve into LLMs and AI use cases for the insurance industry. He shares many practical tips for everyone on their automation journey. Let's listen in. More information and Links: Podcast video: youtu.be/_63ytHFYUok Connect with Gurdeep: linkedin.com/in/gurdeep-singh-chopra-05276388/ Links to LEAN articles by Gurdeep: Lean RPA the what, why, and how Identifying LEAN's 8 Waste in Intelligent Automation Adopting 15 Steps of DMAIC ( Six Sigma) in a Process Mining Project

Introduktion till MLOps - Machine Learning Operations. Hur du produktionssätter maskininlärningsmodeller inom AI. Kim Berg, lösningsarkitekt på Sogeti, berättar mer om hur man kan göra maskininlärning till en operationell del av verksamheten istället för en isolerad experimentell process. Om avsnittet: Målgrupp: Företagsledare, Dataanalytiker, IT-chefer, AI-entusiaster Lär dig: MLOps, AI-implementering, maskininlärning, DevOps, företagsinnovation, framtidens teknologi, AI-strategi, datahantering, kontinuerlig förbättring Utmaningar och Fördelar med ML Ops Ett av de stora hindren för framgångsrik AI-implementering är bristen på en effektiv process för att hantera och förvalta de många modeller som utvecklas. Kim förklarar hur MLOps hanterar detta genom att integrera maskininlärning med DevOps-metodiken. Detta resulterar i bättre processkontroll, bättre modellprestanda och kontinuerlig förbättring över tiden. Framtiden för företag med MLOps Få inblickar om hur MLOps kommer att forma framtidens företag. Med en ökande mängd data och en växande medvetenhet om AI: s potential blir det allt viktigare för företag att implementera AI på ett strukturerat sätt. ML Ops ger företag möjlighet att skala upp och hantera sina AI-initiativ på ett sätt som tidigare inte var möjligt. Detta är en nyckelkomponent för att frigöra AI: s fulla potential i företag. För att lyckas är det viktigt att bygga starka team med olika kompetenser, samarbeta effektivt och fokusera på att produktionssätta modeller istället för att fastna i experimentella faser. Med MLOps kan företag skapa en solid grund för framtidens AI-drivna innovationer och förbättringar. Jonas Jaani, Kim Berg (24:39) Videoversion av avsnittet: https://youtu.be/FGa8Xxtl1mw https://youtu.be/FGa8Xxtl1mw Länkar / mer information: Om Kim Berg:Kim Berg är en passionerad lösingsarkitekt med fokus på Azure. Med över ett decennium i IT-branschen har han utvecklat en djup kompetens och erfarenhet. Under de senaste sex åren har han specialiserat sig inom Microsoft Azure Kim brinner för att skapa innovativa och nyskapande lösningar. Hans engagemang sträcker sig bortom tekniken, då han delar sin värdefulla kunskap genom mentorskap och inspirerande föreläsningar. AI, Machine Learning, Kubernetes och IoT-lösningar. Kim jobbar integrerad Sogetis nationella Center of Excellence (CoE), där han konstant strävar efter att lyfta fram de senaste innovationerna och bästa praxis inom teknologi. Ett särskilt ansvarsområde för Kim är att leda lösningsacceleratorn SARAH (Scalable Adaptive Robust AI Hub). Översiktsbilder på MLOps Alla avsnitt av digitaliseringens podcast Effekten Prenumerera: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Z49zvPOisoSwhwojtUoCm Vill du att vi tar upp ett specifikt ämne eller intervjuar en person inom digitalisering? Maila oss på info(a)effekten(punkt)se

Within the Shore Resource Team is a specialized group called the Centers of Excellence (COE). COEs came from operating careers to provide subject matter expertise and support to portfolio companies. COEs directly support companies on projects, share best practices between companies, and promote connectivity between companies so that 40+ companies create a competitive advantage through collaboration.  In this episode, we discuss Shore's COE focused on healthcare payor strategies. Christy Vitulli, Head of Payor Strategies for Shore, talks about the importance of implementing a payor strategy from platform inception through the typical 5-year holding period for our portfolio companies. Christy shares insights that can help optimize the business, evaluate acquisition targets, and maximize company valuation upon exit. This podcast is the property of Shore Capital Partners LLC. None of the content herein is investment advice, an offer of investment advisory services, nor a recommendation or offer relating to any security. See the “Terms of Use” page on the Shore Capital website for other important information.

In diesem Roundtable diskutiere ich mit Andreas Schmelzer, Head of Digital Transformation & Services @Porsche Holding und Florian Rühl, Vorstand @Simplifier über folgende Themen: Was versteht man unter dem Begriff "Low Code Mindset"? Welche Rolle spielt das "Mindset" bei der Einführung neuer Technologien wie Low Code in einem Unternehmen? Wie kann man die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Fachabteilungen und einem Center of Excellence (CoE) verbessern, insbesondere im Kontext der Einführung von Low Code? Wie können Fachabteilungen und IT-Abteilungen ihre Denkweise ändern, um offener für neue Technologien wie Low Code zu sein? Erhalte jede Woche aktuelle Strategien in dein E-Mail Postfach: https://www.stateofprocessautomation.com/ Podcast-Moderator: Christoph Pacher LinkedIn Interviewgast: Andreas Schmelzer, Head of Digital Transformation & Services @Porsche Holding LinkedIn Interviewgast: Florian Rühl, Vorstand @Simplifier LinkedIn

Within the Shore Resource Team is a specialized group called the Centers of Excellence (COE). COEs came from operating careers to provide subject matter expertise and support to portfolio companies. COEs directly support companies on projects, share best practices between companies, and promote connectivity between companies so that 40+ companies create a competitive advantage through collaboration.  In this episode, we discuss Shore's COE focused on Data. Ross Koenig, Chief Data Officer for Shore, talks about what good data infrastructure looks like, misconceptions about data, and how answering a few simple questions can lay the foundation of a powerful data strategy. This podcast is the property of Shore Capital Partners LLC. None of the content herein is investment advice, an offer of investment advisory services, nor a recommendation or offer relating to any security. See the “Terms of Use” page on the Shore Capital website for other important information.

www.CPOPLAYBOOK.comEpisode TranscriptAboutCPO PLAYBOOK podcast solves a business challenge in every episode. Podcast Host, Felicia ShakibaFelicia Shakiba is the Founder and Fractional CPO of CPO PLAYBOOK Consultancy. She has led HR teams across the globe and served as the VP, People and Culture for several of her clients in industries such as fintech, biotech, digital advertising, energy, and more. She has over 16 years of experience in people strategy and talent management, with expertise in total rewards, DEI, succession planning, L&D, performance management, and people analytics.She previously served as the Global Head of Performance Management for WPP, a leading advertising and communications giant with over 100,000 employees and a revenue of $12 billion. During her tenure, she was responsible for leading the implementation of performance management initiatives for HQ and over 13 subsidiaries.In addition to her work at WPP, Felicia also served as the Center of Excellence (CoE) for Harman International's Professional Solutions division, a subsidiary of Samsung with 30,000 employees in 110 countries. During this time, she built the talent management team from scratch and helped drive the company's success through the transformation of performance, succession, talent acquisition, and learning and development for all employees.Felicia has a wealth of experience in all aspects of people strategy and has a proven track record of success in building and scaling human resources departments. She has also been instrumental in scaling startups from the ground up and founded her own people management and analytics solution.Felicia holds a master's in industrial - organizational psychology and graduated from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She trained with top consulting firms such as Korn-Ferry International and the Center for Creative Leadership. With her extensive knowledge and experience, she works closely with her clients to drive best- in-class people initiatives and take company culture to the next level.Felicia resides in Los Angeles' Silicon Valley Beach, the heart of fast-growing tech and entertainment businesses. She loves hiking and enjoying the outdoors.*Be a guest on the showAll media inquiries: media@cpoplaybook.com

Today's guest is Ryan Rascop, Senior Business Development Manager at Insight, a leading IT solutions provider specializing in streamlining enterprise data infrastructure. In conversation with Emerj Senior Editor Matthew DeMello, Ryan discusses what sets Centers of Excellence (CoE) apart as an organization-wide approach to adopting AI. Throughout their conversation, he spells out what organizations should pursue CoEs, what signals can tell business leaders that a CoE is the ultimate remedy for reconciling data with their business goals, and how to approach scaling infrastructure for those ends. This episode is sponsored by Insight. Learn how brands work with Emerj and other Emerj Media options at emerj.com/ad1.  

EP97 — ¿Por qué Agile? con las HormigasEn muchas ocaciones los esfuerzos en la adopción de Agile terminan en decepción y frustración a la hora de ver los resultados. En este episodio platicamos con las hormigas sobre las típicas causas de estas circunstancias de estos “finales amargos”. Para ver un “final”, hay que partir de un “principio”, por lo tanto analizamos los típicos “porqués”, las motivaciones, los orígenes, de la adopción Agile en las organizaciones.¿Agile para: … ser mejores? … entregar con menos errores? … entregar más? lograr objetivos de Tecnología? … lograr algún objetivo de negocio? …adaptarse? … resolver algún dolor? ¿qué dolor? … generar impacto? … generar más impacto?Platicamos de historia de la gestión de proyectos, y de varios “porqués” de las adopciones ágiles que, según nuestra experiencia, conducen a un “precipicio ágil”, mientras otros “porqués” le permiten avanzar en terreno sólido hasta resultados positivos.Si piensas que Agile es Scrum, o Kanban; o si piensas que Agile es para desarrollar software? este es un episodio para ti y para tu organización.En este episodio entregamos muchas, muchas, muchas perspectivas, consejos y reflexiones, que de seguro serán de interés para los Agile Center of Excellence (CoE), Agile Transformation Office (ATO) y otras gerencias o unidades de transformación, pero que solo reflejan la experiencia y opinión personal de las hormigas participantes.En este episodio participan las hormigas: Yohan Páez Maldonado, Antonio Gallardo Burgos y Rodrigo Burgos Noceti.Si deseas conocer más sobre este episodio y todos los demás, visita el sitio: HormigasAgilistas.CL¡Gracias por ser parte de la comunidad de Hormigas Agilistas y comencemos!#HormigasAgilistas #QueVivaLaAgilidad #Agile #PorqueAgile #MotivosParaAgile #Podcast

Chris Perry is the Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at firstmovr, a satellite Center of Excellence (COE) for eCommerce education and change management. He is also an Executive Educator and Keynote Speaker at Path to Purchase Institute. With over 11 years of experience as an eCommerce leader and executive educator, Chris aims to empower leaders to embrace change with actionable knowledge, strategies, and KPIs.  Oskar Kaszubski is the Co-founder and Chief Growth Officer at firstmovr and a Digital Advisor and Investor at Shop Crated, LLC. As a global eCommerce leader, he has over 16 years of experience leading eCommerce and digital transformation for global, midsize, and startup organizations. Oskar's track record of transforming companies with global footprints, complex markets, and diverse cultures includes launching over 40 DTC eCommerce stores for notable brands, negotiating customer agreements with Amazon, and creating innovative new customer experiences. In this episode… eCommerce as a concept is daunting, with professionals struggling to understand digital product launches and same-day deliveries. Yet, this rapidly evolving space demands a certain level of organizational change and management. As a first mover navigating the tumultuous digital world, how can you educate your team to facilitate digital transformation? According to Chris Perry and Oskar Kaszubski, the most common growth barrier eCommerce companies face is siloed teams. This occurs because businesses haven't modified their goals to accommodate future transformation. When dismantling silos, it's necessary to collect performance measurements of each function in an organization. But true change transpires when eCommerce leaders remain involved in operations and embrace the learning curve that accompanies digital organization. In today's episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant welcomes Chris Perry and Oskar Kaszubski of firstmovr to talk about digital change management and organizational development. Together, they cover how to educate eCommerce executives on change management, the importance of accountability, personal measurement, and growth, and eCommerce leaders' biggest pain points.

EP84 - [Agile Escalado] - Introducción al Modelo unFIX, con César Machado y Nicolas EscobarEn este episodio nos asomamos al Modelo unFIX para Organizaciones Versátiles. Un modelo que, en opinion de nuestras hormigas invitadas, es una biblioteca de patrones organizacionales (de estructura, de procesos), al estilo de un LEGO®, y en función de un contexto.En este episodio participan las hormigas invitadas: Nicolás Escobar y Cesar Machado. Acompañados de las hormigas del hormiguero: Antonio Gallardo Burgos, Jonathan Silva, Jorge Abad (en su primera participación como hormiga oficial) y Rodrigo Burgos Noceti.Temas del Episodio:* ¿Qué es unFIX?. Escalado en unFIX: Tripulaciones, Bases y Team Topologies. * Organización Líquida, Flexibilidad.* Caso de un Agile Center of Excellence (CoE) como Enabler Team.* Tripulación de Gobierno de la Base y alineamiento en la Base: unFIX no te dice cómo operar. * Foco en los Agilistas y Managers (Tripulación de Gobierno de la Base), para que diseñen la operatividad.* Organizaciones Fractales.* El bum de charlas sobre unFIX en LATAM: Business Agility Mexico, Scrum LATAM Comunidad, y ahora Hormigas Agilistas Podcast.* El "Alta Cohesión y Bajo Acoplamiento", aplicado a las estructuras organizacionales.* "Más que Producto, lo que importa es la Experiencia".* "El problema de la falta de pertenencia e identidad que se da en organizaciones matriciales".* "El Cliente esta en todos lados". El concepto Cliente es amplio en unFIX.* Transformación Orgánica: Prueba en Pequeño, prueba barato.* "unFIX y Management 3.0 no han inventado nada, pero sí han reorganizado patrones preexistentes de una forma inteligente, convirtiéndose en bibliotecas donde cada quien saca el patrón que necesita en el momento que lo necesita".* unFix + Estructuras Liberadoras: una mezcla genial.* Deprecar el Modelo Tuckman y el "Constante Storming"Te invitamos a revisar las referencias de este y todos los otros episodios del podcast, en http://hormigasagilistas.cl/#HormigasAgilistas #QueVivaLaAgilidad #unFIX #ScaledAgile #AgileEscalado #InvitaAUnaHormiguita.

This episode of Be Customer Led with Bill Staikos features Bella Obudho, Head of Operations and Customer Experience at BrighterMonday Kenya. BrighterMonday Kenya is part of Ringier One Africa Media Group (ROAM), one of Africa's major digital publishers, offering global businesses to access targeted audiences nationally, regionally, and continentally. Bella is regarded as a thought leader in ROAM Africa, where she manages the CX Centre of Excellence (COE) and drives the adoption and accountability of NPS best practices. Throughout the span of today's episode, we delve into a diverse range of topics pertaining to the process of setting up a CX Team for Success. [01:17] Background - Bella recounts her life and career, mentioning the path that led her to become an expert in customer experience. [03:56] CX in Kenya – Bella discusses the current state of customer service in Kenya and how she believes it may have changed over the past several years. [08:09] Core Tenants – Bella shares her take on the fundamental principles of customer experience. In addition, she describes how the COVID epidemic has altered her perspective or method for reaching the consumer or employee voice. [16:05] Technology – We discuss how technology has shaped a new direction in the consumer experience. Additionally, Bella lists a few tools she is eager to use and begin testing. [26:54] Advice - As a frontrunner in the CX industry, Bella guides individuals who wish to head a function or team. [31:46] Inspiration – Bella mentions the people she admires and where she finds inspiration. Resources: Connect with Bella: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosebella-abok-10951a19/?originalSubdomain=ke (linkedin.com/in/rosebella-abok-10951a19/?originalSubdomain=ke)

Tonia Sideri was a data scientist herself before taking on her role as head of Novo Nordisk's AI and Analytics Center of Excellence. Now she's putting her experience to use helping the Danish pharmaceutical company in its quest to develop medicines and delivery systems to treat diabetes and other chronic diseases, such as hemophilia, obesity, and growth disorders. In a highly regulated industry where failures are costly, Tonia's philosophy is to fail fast through what she calls “data-to-wisdom sprints.” These two-week hackathons enable her group to rapidly test the feasibility of new product ideas with input from their colleagues on the business side. Tonia joins this episode to discuss her team's approach to hypothesis testing, the benefits of incorporating design thinking into building data and AI products, and why she believes empathy is the most important skill a data scientist can have. Read the episode transcript here. Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the coordinating producers are Allison Ryder and Sophie Rüdinger. Stay in touch with us by joining our LinkedIn group, AI for Leaders at mitsmr.com/AIforLeaders or by following Me, Myself, and AI on LinkedIn. Guest bio: Tonia Sideri is head of the AI and Analytics Center of Excellence (CoE) at Novo Nordisk, a global pharma company based in Denmark that develops diabetes care products, as well as solutions that target other chronic diseases, such as obesity, growth disorders, and hemophilia. The CoE is a group of data scientists, machine learning engineers, and software developers located within Novo Nordisk's Global IT group who work cross-functionally with the company's machine learning/analytics systems and its machine learning operations platform. Sideri was a data scientist before taking on a management role. She has years of experience in startup incubators and corporate transformation labs, where she helped unlock the potential of data across the banking, pharma, and biotechnology industries and across a variety of business models, including B2C, B2B, and digital native vertical brands. We encourage you to rate and review our show. Your comments may be used in Me, Myself, and AI materials. We want to know how you feel about Me, Myself, and AI. Please take a short, two-question survey.

Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, I'm your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by CommX.Meet Doug Jensen, SVP Go-to-Market (GTM) Analytics & Activation and Learning Center of Excellence (COE) at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Having spent his career in media and measurement, Doug takes us through his rigorous approach from full-funnel marketing measurement to social media sentiment analysis to building an analytics team. All this is in the service of the multiple beauty brands within The Estee Lauder Companies, a tremendous shared resource that powers tremendous results.Corporate web site to explore opportunities at https://www.elcompanies.com/enAbout DougGlobal marketing analytics professional with 30 years' experience in the Beauty & CPG / FMCG industries, leading analytics teams, consulting with marketing and sales leaders and scaling insights through enterprise-wide marketing and analytics training. Superior understanding of technical elements in statistical models and skilled interpreter of client needs, flexibly designing appropriate research designs and delivering solutions to exceed client expectations. Specific expertise in regression-based marketing mix modeling analytic to measure marketing ROI, market share measurement, CRM strategies and analytics (including trial to loyalty analytics), enterprise-wide marketing training (content creation and deployment).ABOUT US: Veronika Sonsev is the Co-Founder of CommerceNext. She also leads the retail practice for Chameleon Collective and is a contributor for Forbes on how to grow retail and ecommerce in the age of Amazon. Having spent the last 10+ years working with some of the largest retailers and direct-to-consumer brands, Veronika has intimate knowledge of the challenges facing retail and ecommerce today. She is also an advocate for women in business and founded the global non-profit mBolden, which is now part of SheRunsit. Michael LeBlanc  is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice.   He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.  Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada's top retail industry podcast,       The Voice of Retail, plus        Global E-Commerce Tech Talks  and       The Food Professor  with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois.  You can learn more about Michael       here  or on       LinkedIn. 

Welcome to the PMO Strategies Podcast + Blog, where PMO leaders become IMPACT Drivers! .fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-0{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 20px;}.fusion-builder-column-0 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 1.92%;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 1.92%;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-0{width:100% !important;order : 0;}.fusion-builder-column-0 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-0{width:100% !important;order : 0;}.fusion-builder-column-0 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-1{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;} PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen (Strategic and Business Management) .fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-1{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 20px;}.fusion-builder-column-1 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 1.92%;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 1.92%;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-1{width:100% !important;order : 0;}.fusion-builder-column-1 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-1{width:100% !important;order : 0;}.fusion-builder-column-1 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-2{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}Hey, IMPACT Driver! Have you wondered about the differences between a Project Management Office (PMO), Center of Excellence (CoE), and Community of Practice (CoP)? In this episode, we are going to look at the differences between PMO, CoE, and CoP and how a Community of Practice, specifically, can be an incredibly important service to the organization, especially when you are a small or growing PMO. I'm joined by our dear friend, Jennie Fowler, to learn about her experience and insights gained from starting multiple Communities of Practice over the years in different organizations. You'll learn how to know if a CoP is right for your organization and the steps you can take to start a high-IMPACT Community of Practice today. And don't forget to join the PMO IMPACT Summit for free in September to see Jennie's session on the differences between a PMO and a Strategy Realization Office. Jennie Fowler has over 20 years of experience as a PMO Leader in multiple verticals and has numerous PM Certifications as well as a being Certified as a DiSC Coach.  She has built and matured 8 PMO / EPMO / SROs and is passionate about all things project & change management! Jennie was also recently named a semi-finalist for PMO Leader of the year for the Americas as a part of the PMO Global Awards hosted by the PMO Global Alliance. Congratulations to Jennie!   Enjoy!   Thanks for taking the time to check out the podcast! I welcome your feedback and insights!  I'd love to know what you think and if you love it, please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast player. Please leave a comment below to share your thoughts. See you online! Warmly, Laura Barnard     .fusion-body .fusion-button.button-1{border-radius:2px 2px 2px 2px;}GET NOTIFIED ABOUT NEW EPISODES  .fusion-body .fusion-button.button-2{border-radius:2px 2px 2px 2px;}TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN  .fusion-body .fusion-button.button-3{border-radius:2px 2px 2px 2px;}PDU REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS .fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-2{width:100% !

What's it take to become a Master Anaplanner? Stacey Brooks' career went to a new level when she discovered Anaplan and went ALL IN. She went from financial analyst to leading an Anaplan Center of Excellence (COE) as a Master Anaplanner and now runs the Master Anaplanner program at Anaplan. Learn what holds model builders back from growing in their career and get insights on what separates technical model builders from Solution Architects and Master Anaplanners. This show is powered by CoThryve – the firm that helps EPM professionals grow their career.

Sreenivas Vemulapalli and Joe Lynch discuss how to streamline your logistics operations. Sreeni is Associate Vice President at Emtec Digital, a global technology services company that provides digital software engineering and transformation solutions to clients across multiple industries. About Sreenivas (Sreeni) Vemulapalli Sreenivas (Sreeni) Vemulapalli is Associate Vice President at Emtec Digital, a global technology services company providing digital software engineering and transformation services to some of the leading transportation and logistics companies across the world. Sreeni is a passionate Digital Practice lead with core competencies in Logistics & Supply Chain and Automotive industries, and 25+ years of experience across several industry verticals, delivering highly scalable enterprise applications using the latest digital technologies and handling pre-sales, solution architecture, project management, and delivery. Sreeni has been instrumental in establishing the RPA Center of Excellence (CoE) and growing the Intelligent Automation practice at Emtec Digital.  Sreeni has a passion for helping customers across industries to realize their digital transformation vision using emerging tools/technologies. About Emtec Digital Emtec Digital is a global technology services company providing digital software engineering and transformation services to some of the leading transportation and logistics companies across the world. We believe delivering superior solutions with agility and speed is critical to success in the logistics industry. Our expertise in technology modernization helps clients resolve critical operational challenges such as effective management of peak loads and seamless anytime, anywhere access to distributed freight data. We have helped clients address emerging threats and capitalize on new market opportunities by leveraging the power of advanced digital technologies. Our comprehensive services portfolio for the logistics industry spans Digital Strategy Consulting, Data Analytics & Engineering, Platform Development, and Intelligent Automation. We provide world-class modular services designed to help logistics companies build innovative solutions that create exceptional digital experiences. Clients trust our customer-centric services approach and agile software development practices to address critical business challenges and accelerate their digital maturity. Key Takeaways: Streamline Your Logistics Operations Sreenivas (Sreeni) Vemulapalli is Associate Vice President at Emtec Digital, a global technology services company providing digital software engineering and transformation services to some of the leading transportation and logistics companies across the world. In the podcast interview, Sreeni and Joe discuss how to streamline your logistics operations. Sreeni and the Emtec Digital team work with dozens of top logistics, transportation, warehousing, supply chain, and freight tech companies on a variety of technology projects, but the interview was mostly focused on digital automation using robotic process automation (RPA) and intelligent process automation (IPA). Artificial intelligence is a part of intelligent automation. Intelligent automation is the intersection between rule-based, relatively inflexible robotic process automation (RPA) with the adaptive learning and decision-making capabilities of artificial intelligence. While the technology is not easily understandable for non-techies, RPA and IPA are affordable, easily implemented and widely used by the top transportation and logistics companies. To stay competitive in the increasingly tech-centric logistics and transportation space, companies should consider investing in IPA and RPA – the return on investment is very attractive, which is why so many companies are taking the plunge. In the interview, Sreeni described how companies are using RPA and IPA to streamline the following logistics operations: Tracking and tracing Freight quotations Appointment scheduling Document management including proof of delivery, bill of lading, accessorial, etc. Once an operation is automated using RPA and IPA, the operation is performed faster, better, and less expensively - and it frees up your team to focus on higher value work. Emtec develops digital products or platforms that are customer facing – products that have the ability to delight customers and give your company a competitive advantage. Emtec is a global technology services company providing digital software engineering and transformation solutions to clients in logistics, transportation, and warehousing. Emtec also works some of the leading technology companies in the freight tech space. Learn More About Streamline Your Logistics Operations Sreeni's LinkedIn Emtec LinkedIn Emtec Reimagining Freight Forecasting Using Machine Learning Technology Load Board Integration - Creating a Profound Value Proposition for 3PL TMS Provider Achieves Scale and Faster Time-to-market with Comprehensive IT Services Top Asset-based Carrier Solves Quality Issues, Optimizes Costs, and Accelerates Release Cycles with a Robust Platform Engineering Strategy Why shippers and 3PLs should integrate Dynamic Freight Pricing in their TMS Some of the top KPIs 3PLs need to diligently track and monitor in real time Owning The Customer Experience with Larry Gordon The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast Check out The Logistics of Logistics on Youtube

To better understand the status quo of process mining inside organizations as well as to provide best practices and recommendations on how to drive scale, Celonis and Fraunhofer FIT have conducted a joint study on Centers of Excellence (CoE) for process mining. Maximilian Röglinger, co-author of the study, is going to discuss with us further details.

Chris Abramson, Senior Director of Cloud Security Engineering at Walgreens, and 20-year IT industry veteran shares what he learned from shifting from on-prem to Microsoft's Azure Cloud on this week's Reimagining Cyber episode, “Journey to securing the Cloud.”Abramson recommends adapting your strategy to your new environment. In on-prem, it's all about firewalls and technology that's wrapped around an environment, but in the Cloud, it's how things communicate with each other, he cautions. By changing your thought process about how to work in this new environment, you'll be able to better secure it.When changing IT infrastructures, security can get lost in the shuffle. To mitigate this, Abramson worked in lockstep with his Cloud Center of Excellence (COE), building security directly into the deployment model.“So, as our teams, whether it be an infrastructure team or even an application team, go to do that deployment, they're hitting the gates of security,” he says. “Not at the end, not after everything's deployed.”Security issues aren't being discovered after the fact. Teams hit them as they come upon them, enabling them to make changes on the fly and deploy the appropriate fixes with the least amount of security risk in the environment.By checking out industry forums and CVE data on vulnerabilities in the Cloud that have been made public, learning from peers that have already been through it is key. This enables companies to bake the correct actions into the new Cloud environment.Abramson recommends working in lockstep with other teams, for example, deployment teams and security, to prevent any issues and enable reacting quickly when something happens.“This is one that fundamentally, really takes a lot of interaction between development teams and the security teams [to] make sure that they're thinking about what the impact is going to be if they pull from some rogue repository or just, you know, off the internet and things like that,” Abramson says.As the Cloud space evolves, so will the software development, deployment, and security space to adapt to the ever-changing Cloud environment.Many companies purchase software from a third party, embed it into their software, which gets embedded into yet another software. Enter the Russian Doll Syndrome.“[You've] got to think about software that you're buying from a third party. That now also embedded software from another third party, that likely embeds software from another third party. That's the Russian Doll Syndrome.”Abramson recommends considering how you're connecting and the level of software integration to determine the level of risk. He also recommends implementing a strong vendor management program.“Talking with your partners, understanding their security practices, what they're doing, and how they're managing their code, their releases, their ingest of those same platforms, or same libraries, or same third-party integrations as well, too, [is helpful],” he says.Encrypting data offers its own challenges and isn't always possible, but where it can be done, Abramson wholeheartedly recommends doing it.“Wrapping environments in a model that doesn't allow access to, or very limited access to, it's kind of, I'll call it the vaulted environment, you know, the no ability to touch, change, maneuver through or ingress or egress without somebody watching you do it. That stuff, it's expensive, and it's highly operational because there's a lot of eyeballs having to do that.”Encryption is the quickest and easiest way to protect your data, Abramson says. Abramson recommends partnering closely with the business and IT sides of the house to determine the best way to protect sensitive workloads shifting to the cloud and mitigating data exposure and privacy compliance risks. Sometimes, encryption just isn't an option. In these cases, Abramson recommends bringing your own encryption keys and avoid reliance on key services provided by Cloud Service Providers (CSPs).

In this next episode of Tech-Driven Business, Mustansir Saifuddin talks with Dawn Solomon of Haworth. With Dawn's decades of industry and tech experience, she shares what she has learned while implementing and using SAP Business Planning and Consolidation (BPC). Dawn not only shares what has worked well, but also what to watch out for when implementing BPC; especially if you look to combine it with Microsoft Power BI. Her key takeaway: as a life-long learner, Dawn has been able to stay abreast of changing technology and support Haworth through it's refinement and use of SAP. Dawn Solomon is a Sr. SAP Business Process Analyst supporting HR and Finance in the Center of Excellence (COE) at Haworth Inc.  During Dawn's career she's done everything from Accounts Payable to being a Subject Matter Expert to joining the COE. Involved with multiple upgrades of the finance systems at Haworth, she has also supported Haworth globally including North America, Asia Pacific, and European sectors. This global support was for not only finance applications but some parts of Human Resources as Haworth moves to Success Factors. Dawn is an active volunteer with America SAP User Group (ASUG) where she shares her insights and expertise with others. Continue the conversation on: LinkedIn: Dawn Solomon Mustansir Saifuddin Innovative Solution Partners  Twitter: @Mmsaifuddin @DawnSolomon5 YouTube or learn more about our sponsor Innovative Solution Partners to schedule a free consultation.    

Amol leads the Digital Automation Center of Excellence (CoE) at DuPont, a large specialty manufacturing company based out of Wilmington, USA. Amol and the team have built a truly remarkable Automation program with processes and technologies worth emulating. So, let us listen in as Amol describes the various aspects of their Automation journey.

CoE ด้านนวัตกรรมผลิตภัณฑ์ทางการเกษตร "เกษตรกรไทยยุคใหม่ ทำน้อย ได้มาก" #SUTCoE #SUTPRIDE

I've heard this term bandied about for many years now, "Single Version of the Truth". As Jack Nicholson once said, "You can't handle the Truth!" I would paraphrase that as, "You can't afford a Single version of the Truth, and you wouldn't want it anyway!". So, let's see how many of you I can get to agree on this one :). What is Implied? From a business standpoint, "Single Version of the Truth" or SVT, is often pimped as this utopian idea that all of your data, about everything to do with your customers and your business is in one place. providing the coveted 360-degree customer view. First, no such Utopian application can be subscribed to from anyone on this planet today. However, you can subscribe to several applications and potentially spend an enormous sum of money and time to wire them all together, giving the illusion of a SVT. While some of you might be sad to hear that SVT is not "push-button", I will try to cheer you up by saying you would not want it anyway. Silos are Bad! Yes, if you read back on my blog, you will see me also preaching that data silos are bad. In fact, I used the same post image for this post. But that was then, and this is now. Back in the days before the Power Platform, when all we had was Dynamics 365, we also sang Microsoft's tune of the time that "You want all of your data in one place", meaning in a Dynamics 365 database. This was a strong argument for a customer who was considering multiple point solutions made by vendors other than Microsoft. And we had a great deal of success consolidating those multiple point solutions under a single Dynamics 365 umbrella. But to call that a SVT was a stretch. Maybe "Fewer Versions of the Truth" with a 245-degree view of the customer was a more realistic goal, as that was typically the outcome. Dynamics Silos Even under the Dynamics 365 brand there were, and still are, silos. Dynamics 365 Sales runs on top of Dataverse, while Dynamics 365 Business Central or Dynamics 365 Finance run on their own databases. Dual-write is an ongoing effort to create the SVT illusion. Power Platform The Power Platform arrived and blew up the whole concept of SVT. Even Microsoft started singing a different tune, promoting their Center of Excellence "COE", so you could more easily manage the possibly thousands of environments (aka Data Silos) that users could now create in your enterprise tenant. So, is SVT dead? The problem was never with "Point Solutions" and their siloed data, it was with "Point Solutions" and silos from other vendors. With the Power Platform, Microsoft created a rocket engine to crank out "Point Solutions"... but these would be "inside the wall". Silos are Good! So now let me be my own devil's advocate. I will take our own organization, Forceworks for example. The Sales side of our business watches over AppSource prospects and website prospects etc. You can probably imagine that with over 50K users of our RapidStartCRM app, that means there were way more prospects than that, who did not move forward. So, we have thousands of prospects and most of these will never amount to anything, of course. Not unlike any other business where the number of prospects is typically exponentially higher than the number of actual customers. The Services side of our business works with our actual customers, not every RapidStartCRM user becomes a customer. Our customers are organizations who have engaged us to support or customize not only RapidStartCRM, but also Dynamics 365 or anything Power Platform related. So, our Service database is a fraction of the size of our Sales database. In our case, Sales runs on a customized version of RapidStartCRM in one environment, and Service runs on another customized version of RapidStartCRM in another environment. The rationale? Why should the service team have to navigate around thousands of irrelevant records?  If they are not customers, they don't need to be in the Service silo. But what about Synchronization! Much of "Synchronization" is unnecessary hype. Yet many organizations pay us tons of money to try to achieve it. Flow can handle 90% of what is actually useful. For example, when a prospect in our Sales solution becomes a customer, a simple flow creates the record in the Service solution. If a service customer asks about a new app or service, a simple flow in the service app updates the record in the Sales solution. Unintended Consequences If you have not yet built a flow that acted beyond the scope of what you intended... you have not bult enough flows. Both of our environments have multiple flows, many quite complex, automating a bunch of things. Were all of these in a single environment, the chances of a Service flow accidently scooping in some Sales records for example is much higher. So, flow development becomes much more complex. But what about my 360-degree view of the Customer? Let's face it, you are not going to get around the fact that you will have multiple sources of data. At least with Microsoft, it is possible to have all of those data sources under one roof, which I do not believe can be provided by any other company today. If you really want that 360-degree view, yet another application can give you that, Power BI (Microsoft's Business Intelligence app). Power BI can not only connect, munge together and regurgitate beautiful charts and graphs using data from all of your Microsoft sources, it can bring in most of your external data sources as well. I would still argue that the "360-Degree view" is over-rated, the only positions that might actually need that are very high senior management, and we all know they don't look at data anyway... unless it supports a personal agenda. So that's my take on this. If you are looking to shovel money to someone in pursuit of this dream, hit me up. Or if you just want business applications that "work" for your business, you can also hit me up. Feel free to leave any comment you like, as long as it supports my personal agenda, I am a CEO after all :)  

Allan is joined by Rafal Los, industry innovator, strategist, and personality. His career spans 20+ years while working inside companies from the Fortune 10 to a firm of less than 10. Additionally, Rafal is a founder and host of the Down the Security Rabbithole Podcast - an industry podcast delivering a weekly take on cybersecurity since 2011. Join Allan and Rafal as they discuss cyber security centers of excellence, metrics, marketing and acceptance in this conversation between two friends.   Key Takeaways: 01:56 Bio 04:27 Goals for Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (CoE) 06:44 How do you birth a Cybersecurity CoE? 09:45 Selling your service 15:18 Cost - who pays in the end and how? 17:10 Getting management on board 24:22 It's not all about cost – but it is. 26:37 Metrics 31:05 Quality metrics 34:33 Your mess for less 38:02 What is something outside cyber that helps on the inside?   Links: Follow Allan on LinkedIn and Twitter Follow Rafal Los on LinkedIn and Twitter Check out his podcast Purchase a Cyber Ranch Podcast T-Shirt at the Hacker Valley Store Learn more about Hacker Valley Studio and The Cyber Ranch Podcast Sponsored by our good friends at Axonius

Stuart Kliman serves as the newly appointed Partner and Head of Building Industry Partner’s newly formed Center of Excellence (CoE) focused on human capital management. Building Industry Partners is the leading private equity firm in the building and construction industry, focused on helping companies create value not just for their customers and shareholders, but for their most critical stakeholder, their employees. In his role Kliman’s primary focus is helping BIP’s portfolio companies and the industry-at-large create “people-first” cultures that reinforce the holistic well-being of employees and their families while at the same time deliver better business performance and bottom-line financial results. Prior to joining BIP, Kliman was a founder and partner for 25 years at Vantage Partners, a mid-sized consulting and training organization specializing in biopharmaceuticals and healthcare. In addition to helping steer Vantage’s strategic direction and sitting on its management committee, at various times Kliman oversaw several operational functions, including human resources and marketing, and directly drove revenue for the firm. In this episode Tracy interviews Stu Kliman- consultant to the health ecosystem turned private equity Human Capital COE leader – on the unexpected connection between his current work and enhancing overall health and wellness. Tracy and Stu explore the ever-evolving boundaries of the health industry, Building Industry Partner’s vision for enhancing health and wellness within the building and construction industry, and their belief that investing in people is not only the right thing to do- it’s also a means to achieving organizational and financial success. Show Notes Building Industry Partners, a private equity firm focused on the building sector, believes firmly that there is an inextricable link between leadership’s ability to tap into the best in people and the overall success of an organization. Investing thoughtfully into an organization’s people is the right thing to do in and of itself in terms of helping enhance health and wellness through improving health benefits, increasing individual autonomy, and building financial stability and career resilience of populations. Building Industry Partner’s seeks to prove that in addition to these inherent benefits, investing meaningfully in people is a reliable method for generating world class business results. Building Industry Partner’s believes there are five key criteria for defining a strong employee value proposition that translates to financial wellness – Financial Security, Career Resilience, Advancement Opportunity, Engagement, and Wellness. People are the key to unlocking innovations needed to tackle today’s most complex industry challenges such as sustainability, talent attraction and retention, and responding to growing complexity within customer base. When it comes to enhancing health and wellness, collaboration is the difference maker - both on the front lines in how we interface with individuals and work in teams- and more broadly in how we approach complex challenges facing the country as a whole.

As pharma reps' roles evolve, one pattern is evident: the traditional reach and frequency-based approaches are no longer adequate for pharma selling. Join Axtria's Vandana Singh as she explains how the pandemic has accelerated innovation in the pharma industry and why many more roles require increased coordination. Tune in as we talk about what the field rep of the future will look like, how pharma leadership needs to enable a field force of the future, and why organizations need to reevaluate their end-to-end field operations processes.   IN THIS EPISODE: [02:20] The traditional reach and frequency-based approaches used for pharma selling are no longer effective. [05:50] The pandemic has accelerated the speed with which innovation has occurred in the past year. [07:40] What the field rep of the future will look like, and how will the role change from what it is today.  [11:30] What pharma leadership needs to do to enable a field force of the future. [14:10] Is the role of a field rep diminishing or becoming more powerful?   KEY TAKEAWAYS: The pharma commercial model is increasingly complex, with more roles requiring greater coordination. The industry is focusing more on customer experiences. Reps need to be master orchestrators in providing the right message to the right customer using the right channel at the right time.  Working in silos is not enough. Instead, organizations must reevaluate their end-to-end field operations processes to enable the field force to work in these new ways.   LINKS MENTIONED: Axtria https://www.axtria.com/   BIO: Vandana has more than 20 years of experience in various strategy, operations, and analytical roles within the life sciences industry. Currently, she is a principal within the Commercial Excellence organization at Axtria. She leads the Integrated Resource Planning Center of Excellence (COE) with her strong passion for developing new analytical solutions that enable omnichannel customer engagements.  Vandana joined Axtria from Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), where she held a variety of positions with increasing levels of responsibility. There, she led the insight generation and recommendations for a company's rebranding during the BMS-Celgene integration. Prior to BMS, Vandana also worked at Sanofi-Aventis and ZS Associates in multiple field force effectiveness roles.

Welcome to another episode of Digitally Irresistible. Today's guest is Ada Smith, Director of Analytics. Ada works with very cool technology known as RPA, which stands for robotic process automation. In this episode, Ada explains what RPA is, some use-cases for it, and provides two real-world examples of how iQor is deploying intelligent automation solutions.    Ada has been with iQor for 20 years. Her career journey has taken her from finance to data solutions and analytics, where she learned software deployment. She joined the iQor Innovations Lab, which allowed her to experiment with technologies using gamification concepts. Currently, Ada is in the Customer Satisfaction and Digital Solutions Group, where she gets to deploy digital solutions such as robotic process automation (RPA).    As Director of Analytics, Ada gets to work with other analysts and developers in iQor's Center of Excellence (COE) group to develop technology-enabled solutions to improve processes. Such process improvements are time savings at scale, which results in a substantial monetary value. Automating manual processes through RPA represents significant time savings or a boost in productivity, often both. It also reduces call handle time as well as agent training time, which accelerates customer care delivery.    What is RPA?   Robotic process automation is software developed to perform complex, repetitive, rules-based tasks. RPA allows employees to focus on high-value tasks and decision-making by handling rote tasks. It enables employees to improve the customer experience, their own employee experience and get better survey results from the end-user. RPA can eliminate errors, improve accuracy and help call center agents meet their KPIs. RPA use cases range from back-office tasks to customer-facing operations.    Customer support professionals love RPA because it takes away the guessing of what to do next when dealing with a customer support issue in real-time. RPA solutions can be attended, which guides the agent through a task, moving from field to field, guiding or prompting the agent along the way. Or, they can be unattended, which delivers automation from end to end on a task. Customer service professionals who use RPA are more satisfied with their work because they can spend more time working on issues that require thinking and decision-making.     Criteria for Deploying RPA    Deploying RPA from use case to use case requires an iQor Center of Excellence evaluation to determine the ROI potential regardless of whether it's a customer-facing or a back-office task. COE analysts examine the efficiencies that will be realized for our customer or for our own company if an internal use case is being considered and asses if the ROI potential is worth the level of effort of creating an RPA solution.      Two RPA Use Cases    The first RPA example Ada shares is an internal use case at iQor. It was a queue-based, human-managed, repetitive task with multiple levels of review and approval. It was time-consuming and frequently experienced jams in the queues. The RPA software deployed is full end-to-end automation, reviewing and approving the entire request, deciding the result, and completing the task. This RPA process is still in production at iQor. Ada likes this example because it has fully automated a human process, saved time and effort and enables employees to spend their time on more value-based activities.    The other RPA example Ada shares is being deployed for an airline customer. iQor was having to specially train groups of support experts to handle a specific task pertaining to back-office voucher fulfillment for the airliner's end customers. Talented customer support experts were spending an excessive amount of time on calls, manually copying and pasting content from spreadsheets to complete the task at hand.      An RPA solution was deployed to automate the steps in each task, such as finding an account number, typing in the data, and other repetitive actions across many steps. It was automated as a guided workflow for the employee agent. Once it was implemented, the RPA solution enabled the airline's customer service teams (staffed by iQor) to significantly reduce call handle times. This RPA solution continues to evolve to serve the client best over the long run.     What's Next for RPA?  Robotic process automation is never done evolving. There is always room for process improvement. Even when RPA is built for end-to-end task completion, we may sometimes still want a human to complete a task.    The biggest benefit RPA provides is ROI derived from process improvement. This is usually measured in terms of time savings or improved customer service. The primary ROI is always measurable. We also listen to anecdotal insights from customer support employees on the front lines delivering a good customer experience.     Robotic process automation has also enabled us to gain valuable insights through metrics such as time spent on tasks, which allows the operations team to learn more about the process being automated. RPA is a crucial stepping stone to improving performance, which is a perpetual goal for all iQor clients, and one that we continually iterate on.     Other use cases under consideration include integration with other applications. Ada says that iQor will continue to expand the use of RPA within our own company, too. The COE team is also looking at integrating RPA with other applications such as IVR and SMS to help our customers deliver customer care more efficiently. “We're always looking for an opportunity to improve processes,” says Ada.       When Ada is not working, she says that she enjoys the arts as well as reading voraciously and cooking, and singing.     Learn more about iQor digital customer experience capabilities.   Read the show notes page here. Watch the video interview with Ada Smith here.       

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today's podcast news podcast is sponsored by Franz: www.hellofranz.com OTIS LAUNCHES EMBEDDED SYSTEMS CoE IN DETROIT On the heels of announcing its newest elevator platforms, Otis said in July it is opening a new Embedded Systems Center of Excellence (CoE) in the Detroit suburb of Farmington Hills, Michigan. Currently composed of approximately 12 Otis colleagues, the CoE will be “a global hub for innovation in model-based design, advanced control software, automated testing and electronic safety systems at Otis.” The new facility will help the OEM transform its offerings by adding electronics and other software-rich digital and connected technologies to its line of elevators and escalators, such as its new elevator platforms, Gen3™ and Gen360™. Much of this technology has been used to develop safety-critical systems including touchless user interfaces, drive-by-wire and ABS braking. The Detroit CoE is part of Otis' global engineering organization and will work on projects on a worldwide scale in collaboration with other engineering centers across the Americas, Europe and Asia. Image credit: courtesy of Otis To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news Subscribe to the Podcast: iTunes │ Google Play | SoundCloud │ Stitcher │ TuneIn

In case you missed it, Microsoft released an amazing new resource named the Power BI Adoption Roadmap - an in-depth and all-encompassing resource to blueprint how to drive usage and adoption in your organization. Today's episode investigates one of the sections, driving a Center of Excellence. What is a Center of Excellence (CoE) in the Power BI world? It's the team, users, and nucleus that drives and advances the goals for adoption, and in-turn help form the support of building a data culture. The idea of an CoE is not new, and the guys share their feedback from experience and passion for this topic. What are the pillars, what are the pitfalls of making a CoE successful, and impactful? Get in touch: Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page. Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/ Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPwPrIpZwlfIKcoUpRwl9OQ Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎ Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/ Follow Seth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-bauer/ Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

In part 2 of our interview with Abhi Seth, he tells us that part of his role is to really drive scale for analytics across the ten businesses within TE. We learn how the adoption of analytics is enabled throughout the organization and a big component of that is driving, understanding and building capability within the Centre of Excellence (COE). He says the first 90 days in the COE is about building capability and being able to have experts in data science, cloud, dev ops, ML Ops, data visualization, user experience, storytelling, and data engineering. Abhi says his focus is now on building a small COE team within each of the businesses and moving to a “hub & spoke” model as the analytical maturity of the organisation improves. Abhi goes on to tell us about how he creates and enables “seed teams'' and how it's important to ensure the problems you're solving are creating value for the company and are tied to a strategy. He also says you should have a committed executive sponsor. Throughout the episode we discuss the results of our poll questions: Does your organization have a data science or analytics Center of Excellence? How is your organization's cloud migration going? Does your organization centrally manage the delivery of analytics across the enterprise? Does your organization measure the success of the analytics function? Does your organization develop their analytical talent? Enjoy the show! Read the full episode summary here: Ep 163 Thank you to our sponsor, Talent Insights Group. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/datafuturology/message

Inilah ajang buat para petani Indonesia untuk berkompetisi mencari kopi dengan nilai tertinggi dalam event Indonesia Cup of Excellence (COE). Michael Utama, Wakil Ketua Umum SCAI sebagai koordinator COE akan menjabarkan bagaimana event ini akan memberikan keuntungan bagi para petani untuk mendapatkan harga terbaik dan akses akses market yang lebih luas selain kebanggaan buat para petani itu sendiri tentunya.

There are eating disorders and then there is disordered eating.  What's the difference?  Who is impacted?  Get the facts to help you notice clues that disordered eating might be occurring within your own household.  Get the 4-1-1 on insurance issues, what will likely occur at the doctors' office, especially from the perspective of a parent, and much more. Listen as Dr. Samantha Hill shares vital life saving information as health organizations have revealed the alarming increase in cases as a side effect of the global pandemic.   Guest: Dr. Samantha Hill is a Board-Certified Pediatrician and an Adolescent Medicine Physician with a Masters in Public Health Policy and Organization. She is a dedicated to improving the lives of adolescents and young adults through healthcare, advocacy, and community service. Dr. Hill works tirelessly to advocate for adolescents and young adults physical, mental, reproductive and spiritual well-being as they transition into adulthood. A recipient of many awards, Dr. Hill is also a past trainee in the Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH), Centers of Excellence (CoE), Trainee Ambassador Group (TAG) programs funded by HRSA's Maternal and Child Health Bureau and the co-creator of a mentoring program for high school students.   Discussion Points/Time Stamps: Who is Dr. Samantha Hill? :57 Disordered eating vs eating disorders 2:15 BMI and what you need to know about it 4:37 Adolescent pediatrics 6:03 The doctor's visit 14:36 Stereotypes 21:26 The road to recovery 23:54 Possible warning signs 27:06 Profile characteristics 36:57 One size doesn't fit all 39:44   Resources: Email – hill.med@gmail.com National Eating Disorders Hotline - https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/contact-helpline  or 1-800-931-2237 Questions:  Email: www.newhorizencoaching.com/contact

Friends,Our guest this week, Steve Nelson, takes us on a journey into a new category of company that is curating the collaboration between employers and providers. It’s an incredibly exciting adventure - actually a leap into the world of value-based care. The insights that he shares provides a lens into where healthcare is going - empowering patients & payers to navigate to healthcare that is appropriate, high quality and reliable. Into this mix are enabling technologies that contribute to the value proposition. It’s an incredibly enlightening dialogue - not one you’ll want to miss.Steven Nelson leads the Contigo Health team as President. He was one of the leaders who initiated Contigo within Premier, a leading hospital supply chain company. Before joining Premier, he served as Vice President of Strategy and Planning and COO of Anthem’s diversified business group. Prior to joining Anthem, Nelson led strategy, product and marketing at Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and helped to build Allegheny Health Network, a provider entity consisting of seven hospitals, 2,000 doctors and various other facilities. In this episode, we’ll discover:The challenge that employers face in understanding and dealing with the staggering costs of healthcare, and how they’re responding.   How the ‘Centers of Excellence’ program and network management - which are foundational to employer-based healthcare - are evolving.  The use of ‘2nd opinion’ interventions in maintaining high standards of quality in employer healthcare navigation offerings.   How Contigo is convening local collaborations between employers, healthcare systems & health plans - and creating vertical ecosystems with numerous other enabling partners.   One of the revealing insights that Steve shares during the interview is that the purpose of Centers of Excellence (COE) is not necessarily to drive costs down; but instead, to drive value up!  For years, I’ve heard the concern that bundled payments are a 'race-to-the-bottom'. Steve reframes them as a 'race-to-the-top'. The value of these COE’s is NOT that they provide a lower unit price for heart surgery or joint replacement. The value is that they don’t perform unnecessary procedures. They provide an overall bundle of care that is of higher quality, safety and legitimacy. I underscore this because we know that a significant percentage of procedures and surgeries performed in this country are unnecessary, thereby subjecting the American public & employees to unnecessary harm & costs. In fact, the Lown Institute just published a report demonstrating that over 60% of hysterectomies and nearly 25% of cardiac arterial stenting procedures were unnecessary. This was a 2-year Medicare study of 3100 hospitals which discovered that older Americans were subjected to over 1,000,000 unnecessary tests & procedures. Within that were 200,000 cardiac stent procedures that fell into the category of ‘overuse’.Core to Contigo’s approach is that they convene and coordinate local collaborations between employers and healthcare systems. Not only are they convening, but they are optimizing care through: (1) standardized, high reliability, bundled pathways in specialty areas; (2) providing physicians with clinical decision support tools, best practice alerts and patient benefits information; (3) assisting employees in navigating to and accessing high quality care; and (4) using both clinical data, claims data, and advanced analytics to identify patients at risk. Contigo is also bringing health plans into this ecosystem, as well as in numerous enabling technology vendors. What I find encouraging is that Contigo is not alone in creating a more integrated, seamless value-based system of care. While many healthcare systems across the country are hedging their bets and responding as if fundamental transformation is not around the corner, this movement of direct-to-employer curators & navigators is leading and catalyzing the transformation to assure that patients receive the right care. In 2020, over two-thirds of large employers were steering, or planning to steer, their employees to Centers of Excellence. There is little doubt that employers will continue to play an increasing role as a major market force pulling us toward value-based payment & care. As healthcare becomes less affordable for the majority of Americans, we are rapidly reaching a tipping point, or perhaps more like a boiling point. This does not seem like the type of bet any healthcare stakeholder should be hedging.Until Next Time, Be Well.Zeev Neuwirth, MD 

With the increasing pace of change, organizations are rapidly pivoting services and operating models, impacting their change strategy. In this episode of the Change Exchange, host Kate Morican and her guests discuss how change centers of excellence (CoE) are becoming key to executing organization strategy. Kate is joined by Kat Lee and Emily Boudreau, both Deloitte Canada partners in the organization transformation practice.  With her guests, Kate will discuss the definition of a change CoE, and how that changes for different organizations, how to get clear of the value it will deliver and the operating models and structures to be in place to ensure success with a change CoE.

In this episode we cover how you can sucessfully setup a hyperautomation Centre of Excellence (CoE) in your organisation. From Change Management and Governance to launching the CoE and support. This is part 1 of our 2-part episode.   Do you have any questions? Would you like to give us feedback? Are you interested in workshops on the topic of automation? Are you an expert in the field of automation and would like to be on the podcast? LinkedIn Arno: https://bit.ly/3aABArd LinkedIn Sascha: https://bit.ly/36Jd31T Velocity-IT: https://www.velocity-it.com/about-us/ convedo Group: https://www.convedo.com/about-us

In this episode we cover how you can sucessfully setup a hyperautomation Centre of Excellence (CoE) in your organisation. From Change Management and Governance to launching the CoE and support. This is part 2 of our 2-part episode. Do you have any questions? Would you like to give us feedback? Are you interested in workshops on the topic of automation? Are you an expert in the field of automation and would like to be on the podcast? LinkedIn Arno: https://bit.ly/3aABArd LinkedIn Sascha: https://bit.ly/36Jd31T Velocity-IT: https://www.velocity-it.com/about-us/ convedo Group: https://www.convedo.com/about-us

Note: This episode is sponsored by Avanade. Learn more about Power Platform at Avanade here. Venkat Rao, Power Platform go to market lead for North America at Avanade, joins us for a conversation following up on his recent five part article series on the Power Platform and its role in supporting the evolution of business applications. (Check out parts one, two, three, four, and five.) Enterprise-grade systems like Dynamics 365 applications are here to stay. But, Venkat believes, thanks to low-code tools, organizations can now expect to give more responsibility back to their workers as they plan the future of their enterprise investments. Much of Venkat's writing has dealt with newcomers to the Power Platform, and he explains that embracing the tools here requires the acceptance of concepts and practices like running a Center of Excellence. He also reflects on recent customer successes in areas like  managing the return to work, mixed reality, and initiatives to empower citizen developers. Show Notes: 1:30 - Making sense of Power Platform and how to approach it for the first time 5:00 - Thinking about low-code and no-code solutions as a technology segment 7:30 - The importance of considering complex software requirements when evaluating low-code solutions 9:30 - Venkat's evolving professional focus, from Dynamics CRM to Power Platform 14:30 - What it looks like to scale up Power Platform initiatives across an organization 18:00 - The frequent challenge of bringing a Power Apps deployment back under control after rapid spread 21:00 - The Power Platform Center of Excellence (CoE) starter kit - Venkat's views on its usefulness 24:30 - How organizations build upon the CoE starter kit 27:00 - How Power Platform and HoloLens 2 work together 33:30 - Is RPA mundane or amazing? 36:00 - Looking ahead: New technology Avanade clients are excited about

Für Folge 23 unseres Automation-Podcasts haben wir Tobias Schicht und Sebastian Städing von Leadvise Reply als Gäste eingeladen. Während unseres gemeinsamen Plauschs ging es besonders um die Frage, ob und wie ein Center of Excellence (COE) aufgebaut werden sollte, welche Rollen wichtig sind und was eine Unternehmen machen muss, damit die Mitarbeiter und Kunden begeistert an der Prozessautomatisierung teilnehmen. Wir wünschen viel Spaß mit Folge 23! Hast Du Fragen? Möchtest Du uns Feedback geben? Bist Du interessiert an Trainings zum Thema Automatisierung? Bist Du Experte im Bereich Automatisierung und möchtest im Podcast dabei sein? Melde dich einfach: E-Mail: podcast@botsandpeople.com LinkedIn Olli: https://bit.ly/30a5f4I LinkedIn Nico: https://bit.ly/2QJtSCf

Are you keeping up with the data and science that are driving the profession? The panelists who will be highlighting the critical importance of adult learning principles and certification of knowledge to career training insights on March 8 in Miami are: Donna Holder, PharmD, Executive Director, Global Field Medical Center of Excellence (CoE) at Merck, Stephen Valerio, MS, CMP, AstraZeneca Senior Director of Oncology Medical Training, Urvashi Vashee, PharmD, Team Lead Director, Global Scientific Training Oncology at Merck & Co, and Danielle C. Heuer, Director of WD Communications.

Host Robin Winter-Sperry MD, Head of Global Field Based Medical Excellence & Insights at Sanofi Genzyme introduces Donna Holder PharmD, Executive Director, Global Field Medical Center of Excellence (CoE) at Merck, and Ralph Rewers PharmD, AbbVie's Global Head, Field Medical Excellence who organized this specialized course that is being offered at the MAPS annual meeting on March 8 in Miami.

In this episode, Richard Sandlin sits with Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) Executive Director, Darrin Daniel. Darrin shares the history of the COE, his experience as a volunteer with the organization & where he hopes to help take its future. For coffee professionals looking to learn more, join The Crown & the Alliance for Coffee Excellence for a unique set course focused on cupping, sensory skill-building & the COE's unique way of evaluating cuppers skill and confidence in March 2020 at The Crown. Shout out to Michael Senderovich for the music & logistical support. Thank you to Chris Kornman for the engineering support. Feedback? podcast@royalcoffee.com   

The FAA definition of an aircraft, drones and agriculture, UAV privacy issues, FAA solicits a UAS Center of Excellence, Amazon Prime Air, X-47B milestone, drone legislation, and a successful UAV company despite regulatory uncertainty. News FAA Thinks Two Pound Drones Aircraft. But 1100 Pound, Manned and Flying Craft?  Unsure. The FAA's June interpretive rule treats model airplanes as aircraft. But what about other devices that fly - like the Flying Hovercraft that Hammacher Schlemmer sells for $190,000? Are those aircraft too? With integrated wings and a 130-hp gasoline engine driving a 60" wood/carbon composite thrust propeller, this hovercraft manufactured by Universal Hovercraft as the 19XRW-Hoverwing, can fly up to 70 mph over obstacles up to 20 feet high. When asked about the status of wing in ground effect machines, the FAA replied that they haven't made any determination because they have not received any applications for certification. Commercial drone dealers take farming to new heights Tellus Agronomics AgriEye drone The University of Maryland Extension and Wye Research Center understands that technology plays key role in the future of precision agriculture. So they brought together local farmers, agricultural educators, and representatives from farming technology tool companies. Perhaps not surprisingly, UAVs were a prominent part of the event. Virginia-based consulting company Tellus Agronomics demonstrated their AgriEye Drone, a quadcopter for agronomists that features autonomous flight, live video feed, aerial mapping simulator, and RC simulator pre-flight training. Helicopter Ag Pilot Harassed by UAV in Illinois The National Agricultural Aviation Association reports that an ag helicopter was buzzed by a fixed wing “UAV” that caused the pilot some distress. The pilot notified the FAA FSDO (Flight Standards District Office) who called local police, and they are seeking to prosecute the owner of the “UAV.” Only it was not a UAV, it was an Extra 300 aerobatic R/C plane. President Barack Obama to issue executive order on drone privacy Last month, President Barack Obama announced that he would be signing an executive order placing the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in charge of developing voluntary privacy best practices for unmanned aerial vehicles. We haven't seen an executive order on this yet. FAA Solicits Center of Excellence for UAS Applicants The Federal Aviation Administration released a solicitation for a new FAA Center of Excellence (COE) for Unmanned Aircraft Systems. This COE was mandated by Congress under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014. This “COE will be tasked with identifying current and future issues critical to safe integration of UAS into the nation's airspace.” The COE will study: detect-and-avoid technology, control and communications, low-altitude operations safety, compatibility with air traffic control operations, and training and certification of UAS pilots and other crew members. The deadline for submission of proposals is September 15th. Amazon Will Test Drone Delivery System in India Amazon is reported to begin testing of Amazon Prime Air in Mumbai and Bangalore, India, possibly as soon as late this year. Why India? Because commercial drone use in India does not need a permit from India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Video: The Navy's X-47B drone reaches a new milestone Testing of the U.S. Navy X-47B continues, and recently it was launched from the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, as was an F/A-18E Super Hornet. Carrier-based unmanned and manned aircraft had not previously flown together. The end game for the Navy is the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Surveillance and Strike aircraft (UCLASS). Drone manufacturer grows amid uncertain market DSLRPros in Oakland Park, California manufactures and sells drones and equipment for professional unmanned aerial filmmaking. The company started in 2012,

An FAA Center of Excellence for UAS, 3D printing a drone, the industry pressures FAA on UAS regs, drone privacy, a thought-controlled quadcopter, drones used for and against hunters, anti-drone legislation, Korean drones, and who needs drones when you have gulls? The News: Notice of Intent to Establish the FAA Center of Excellence (COE) for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Within the next year, the FAA intends to competitively select a Center of Excellence for UAS. The Center will conduct UAS related research, education, and training. It will also work with university partners on issues of mutual interest and concern. Following the Notice of Intent, the FAA will issue a Draft Solicitation for public comment, hold a public meeting in May, and issue awards within "the next year." Engineers print a functioning 1.5m-wide prototype unmanned aerial vehicle Additive manufacturing, popularly known as 3D printing, has been used by the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) at the University of Sheffield to build a UAV. The polymer UAV made of nine parts that snap together. It's thought to be an example of a low cost craft that could be built “on demand.” Aerospace, Consumer Tech Lobbies Join Forces to Push for Domestic Drone Regulations The aerospace and the consumer electronics industries are teaming up to pressure the FAA into moving quickly to define the regulations governing UAS operations. Mansfield woman says missing drone "freaked me out" An 18-year old student with hopes of becoming a filmmaker was flying his DJI Phantom when some kind of failure occurred. It went down around some homes, but couldn't be found after a 2-hour search. So he put fliers on doors, hoping someone would find the Phantom. One woman found the flier and contacted the police, the mayors office, and even State officials fearing she was being spied on. UNG students test drones to be controlled by thoughts In a project funded through the Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities, the University of North Georgia is using brain impulses to control a small quadcopter. Using an electroencephalogram-sensor headset, students are experimenting with control by thoughts without actually moving. Alaska bans hunters from using drones The Alaska Board of Game has wants to ban hunters from using drones to track animals. It's already illegal there to use manned aircraft to spot game and kill them on the same day. Colorado Bans the Use of Drones in Hunting Alaska is not alone in this. The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission banned unmanned aircraft “from hunting, scouting, and any other pursuit involved in the taking of wildlife.” States Mulling Legislation to Ban Drones The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance is pushing states to take up legislation that protects “hunters, anglers and trappers from harassment by unmanned, aerial drones while exercising their legal right to pursue and take wildlife.” Editorial: Bill imposes pre-emptive limits on promising technology The Washington State Legislature has passed anti-drone House Bill 2789, which seeks to address privacy concerns. This “speculative lawmaking” looks at negative uses of drones, and not positive ones. The Bill does look for transparency and appropriate legal approval to collect personal information via drones. South Korea investigates two suspected North Korean drones As North and South Korea recently exchanged hostilities, some blue drones equipped with cameras crashed in South Korea. Gull drones to assist island deliveries Under the concept from Block Island called B.I.R.D.S. (Block Island Rural Delivery Service), restaurants and stores on the island will use gulls to deliver food and merchandise. Gull training is underway now. Video of the Week: Tooth Extraction by Drone? Mentioned: National Association of Drone Sportsmen AerialWorx