The Thought Leader's Voice Podcast

Join us in this engaging conversation with Janet Pogue McLaurin as we navigate the future of work and empower employers to adapt and thrive in the evolving world and workplace.

Join us as we delve into the profound impact of thought leadership on cultural and commercial growth, women in leadership, and the hot topics in the realm of thought leadership, including the dynamic landscape of generative AI and what it might mean for B2B marketing and insights.

Tune into, The Thought Leaders’ Voice podcast as David shares his expertise on ESG data in decision-making and the power of innovative thought leadership.

Tune into The Thought Leaders’ Voice podcast as Elias Ghanem, Global Head of Capgemini Research Institute for Financial Services shares his expertise on ensuring sustainable performance in the finance sector and on understanding the role of financial technologies.

Discover the secrets of successful communications campaigns with Puneet Pal Singh, Director of Communications at Cisco. Join our Thought Leader's Voice podcast as Puneet shares his expertise in thought leadership, crisis management, and media evolution. Download now!

We are thrilled to be in conversation with our very own Associate Director of Thought Leadership Sales, Kevin Anthony, in our podcast series, The Thought Leader’s Voice. As a seasoned Sales, Communications, Research, PR, and Business Development professional with over 13 years of experience in the industry and a global remit in building and nurturing business relationships, Kevin’s expertise lies in helping global business leaders meet their strategic objectives through insight-led thought leadership initiatives. Kevin’s client portfolio consists of leading business publishers and top market research and consultancy firms worldwide, with a specific focus on North America and Europe. Kevin has leveraged his industry knowledge and relationship management skills to expand the reputation of iResearch Services across a breadth of industries. In Kevin’s spare time, he is passionate about mentorship, especially to recent graduates, offering them his expertise and experiences to help them advance in their careers. In this podcast episode, Kevin will be talking about how sustainability in financial services has evolved in recent years, sharing his industry knowledge and perspectives with our audience. 1) Considering geopolitical challenges, the continued fight against Covid-19, and rapidly rising costs and inflation, can the financial services sector sustain the momentum on sustainability? 2) What do companies stand to gain from their ESG efforts? What does sustainability mean for staff retention and recruitment? 3) Which financial services companies stand out as exemplary in their sustainability efforts? 4) How much progress is being made by financial services companies, specifically toward Net-Zero? 5) Are economic pressures affecting financial services’ commitments to sustainability? 6) 70% of senior financial services leaders believe greenwashing is rampant in the industry. What is the solution to this problem? 7) Do collaboration and innovation hold the solution to sustainability within financial services? What learnings can the industry adopt from other sectors?

Keith Browning joins us on The Thought Leader’s Voice, the flagship podcast series by iResearch Services. Aptly named one of “Ireland’s Brightest Marketing Minds”, and with over fifteen years of experience in innovative start-ups and at multinational firms, Keith leads brand marketing globally for the Marketing Solutions business unit at LinkedIn. His interests include brand strategy, B2B marketing strategy, and digital marketing. Keith has created stand-out marketing campaigns across North America and Europe for high-profile brands across the travel, technology, and hospitality sectors. His most recent B2B marketing campaign for LinkedIn – “B2Brilliant” – launched a new suite of tools and tactics to help B2B marketers produce creative campaigns that borrow from the B2C playbook. Keith is an impassioned keynote speaker with notable engagements at BloggerCONF and Social Selling Summit. Tune in to the podcast as Keith shares new perspectives on the surge in creativity within the B2B space and how to measure the success of a brand campaign akin to “B2Brilliant”, along with insights on purpose-led branding. Key Takeaways · How does the customer journey for B2B marketing differ from that of B2C? · How can marketers bring emotion and creativity commonly associated with B2C marketing into B2B campaigns? · How do the 3Ms (Minutes, Media Channels, Money) factor into the development of effective campaigns? · LinkedIn’s international headquarters are based in Ireland, which has become a hub for tech innovation nicknamed ‘Silicon Docks’ – how does this factor into LinkedIn’s overall business strategy and point of differentiation? · What are the most significant factors to note when delivering purpose-led branding? · What are crucial aspects to consider when creating creative campaigns within the B2B space that borrow from the B2C playbook? How do you go about measuring the success of these campaigns? · What does the future look like in the B2B marketing space?

Sepideh Matinfar is a senior researcher at Ericsson IndustryLab. She has been immersed in sustainability, performing Life Cycle Assessments of ICT products and services. She holds an MSc in Environmental Science from Stockholm University and has recently broadened her area of research to industry and enterprise. In this episode, she shares insights into sustainability from IndustryLab's recent market research. Ericsson Consumer & IndustryLab explores the future of technology for consumers, enterprises, and a sustainable society. The organization delivers world-class market research, insights, and design concepts to drive innovation and sustainable business development. Their knowledge is gained from global consumer, enterprise, and sustainability research programs, including collaborations with leading customers, industry partners, universities, and research institutions. Their research programs cover in-depth studies and over 100,000 interviews with consumers, working people, and decision-makers each year, in 30 countries – statistically representing the views of 1.1 billion people. Join us as Sepideh shares how enterprise leaders are preparing for a more sustainable and resilient future, along with insights on approaches (that work) to reduce emissions. Key Takeaways: · What are the industry's driving forces for change, and how are they connected to sustainability? · What factors will determine the future of enterprise sustainability? · What are the barriers to effective adoption of sustainable practices? · How will enterprise business models change to be better prepared for and more resilient to future disruptive events? · How resilient is today's enterprise? How can companies move towards net zero while becoming smarter, more agile, and play a more international role? · Resilience affects sustainability, and vice-versa. What do decision-makers believe will make their company more resilient and sustainable? · Does 'resilience preparedness' need to be redefined to ensure a more sustainable and resilient future for all?

We are thrilled to be joined by Dr. Samyr Mezzour, Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of HITS - House of Insurtech Switzerland. It was formerly known as Innovation Garage, which was and is part of Generali, the insurance group. House of Insurtech aims to provide customer-centric and disruptive solutions to businesses within the insurance industry. Dr. Mezzour has 18 years of experience in the insurance and consulting industry, including as a senior strategy consultant at Roland Berger. Dr. Mezzour’s core areas of expertise include customer-centric innovation, strategy development and implementation, as well as digital strategies. Join us as he provides insight on how the insurance and fintech sector can foster a spirit of innovation, and how open innovation can be the pathway to solutions that are not only sustainable, but also drive results. Key Takeaways: · How do you foster a spirit of creativity and innovation in an archetypally traditional industry like insurance? · What most motivates innovation in established companies, and how can they continue to be innovative? How aware should you be of your competitors in that process, rather than just doing your own thing? · What is the most efficient and effective way to approach solutions that are customer-centric? · What type of evidence can help firms to determine if they’re on the right path to innovation? · What benefits does Thought Leadership bring to opening up opportunities and building an ecosystem that sets the platform for innovation? · What are the existing and future threats to innovating within fintech over the next 3 to 5 years?

As part of our The Thought Leader’s Voice podcast series, we are thrilled to be in conversation with Prashant Shukla, an ideas entrepreneur and experienced thought leader in technology strategy. Based in Boston, USA, Prashant is Principal Director for Research at Accenture, a global professional services company. He designs and leads cross-enterprise research programs that anticipate and identify key business, market and technology trends. Prashant has led many impactful thought leadership projects throughout his tenure at Accenture. Among major research issues and ideas he has worked on are Crowd Capital, Missing Middle, Human + Machine, Digital Decoupling, and Future Systems. He has lectured at universities, including Boston University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has been published in business publications including the Harvard Business Review. Join us as Prashant shares the imperatives and strategies for growth and scaling innovation in enterprise technology. He also sheds light on how company executives can pave the way for better business outcomes. Key Takeaways: A recent study by Accenture shows that leading companies that amplified their technology investments during the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly extended their growth advantage over competitors, growing revenue at five times the rate of lagging companies. The research highlights the practices adopted by leaders in tech investments and innovation in comparison to laggards. What differentiates the leaders from the laggards? Why are they stronger positioned for growth, and how do they approach and scale innovation differently? How are leading organizations reframing their mindsets regarding technology and innovation – and demonstrating growth even in these challenging times? What temptations does the industry often succumb to when it comes to technology growth? Where do companies need to direct their efforts, investments, and budgets? Why do companies need to provide employees with a better experience? And what impact does setting the right culture have on business outcomes? What are the key challenges that businesses will need to address, and what are the key trends on the horizon to look out for?

We are thrilled to be in conversation with our very own VP of Sales – Thought Leadership, Gurpreet Purewal, in our podcast series, The Thought Leader’s Voice. With over a decade of experience in strategic sales and marketing roles with global organizations, Gurpreet has been at the heart of growth teams leading technology, legal and financial services segments. Gurpreet knows how to drive sales growth, and his approach focuses on aligning the client’s marketing objectives to their business needs to achieve the desired outcomes. His expertise lies in consulting on campaign strategy, media planning, market research, thought leadership, marketing activation and events, while staying ahead of industry trends, opportunities and challenges. Gurpreet is particularly interested in sustainability and corporate purpose, business growth in times of economic instability and inequality, business ethics, and sustainability in times of financial and geopolitical pressures, focusing on the importance of human connection in a digital business world. In this episode, we hear Gurpreet’s insights as he shares his expertise on how technology businesses can reap the benefits of sustainability, drawing from some fascinating findings from the recent iResearch Services report, ‘How Sustainable is the Technology Sector?

We are excited to be in conversation with Douglas Hamandishe, guest speaker on our podcast series, The Thought Leader’s Voice. Douglas is a Clinical Consultant for Alcidion, Expert Representative for IT & Digital Development at the Royal College of Nurses, and a proven Chief Clinical Information Officer. Douglas has a real passion for patient empowerment, digital transformation, and bringing innovative technologies to the hands of healthcare professionals. He has implemented large-scale IT transformation projects in health and social care for the NHS and private software companies. He is passionate about finding and implementing solutions to some of the biggest challenges within the NHS, such as patient flow, cybersecurity increasing user adoption, user experience, and benefits realisation. Douglas also has a strong background in broadcasting, communications, and engineering. His own podcast series, Centric Health Media, is a clinically led interactive media platform bringing incisive insights and sharing best practices in digital healthcare to both a health and social care audience. Join us as Douglas sheds light on the roadblocks to industry advancements and the need to deploy the right infrastructure, technologies, and workflows to provide the best clinical safety and patient care. Key Takeaways: · The Covid-19 pandemic, shifting working models, and new technologies have brought forth multiple challenges for the healthcare industry. How has the sector landscape changed, and what are the key challenges from both an operational and clinical viewpoint? · Are tech innovations helping to ease these challenges? What are the prerequisites for technology to be used effectively and ensure the best level of patient care, empowerment, and outcomes? · Is there a need for an intervention to reinvigorate and enforce processes and procedures that will build the foundation for better health outcomes? Do the Government and policymakers have a role to play in this? · How has a digital divide created hindrances in social care and services and access to healthcare? · What other health inequalities exist, and how can upskilling of various participants push the industry forward? · How has digital data helped the industry, and what transformation do we need when it comes to healthcare data, the backbone of driving real digital transformation and patient outcomes in the field? · Current industry challenges demand problems to be solved at a large scale. Looking at the bigger picture and dealing with changes in workflows, processes, and mindsets is required. What practical steps can enable this transition and what roles are needed to implement change? What leadership style does the industry need, what tools are required, and what constitutes a good leader within the healthcare field?

As part of our The Thought Leader's Voice podcast series, we are thrilled to be in conversation with Archana Venkat on B2B marketing that takes care of profits and people. One of India's leading B2B marketers, Archana Venkat is the Chief Marketing Officer at Trilegal, with a reputation for creating competitive advantages and driving sustainable growth through strategic initiatives. Archana has led marketing teams for prominent financial services, legal, and technology companies to drive innovation and maximize profitability and growth. Archana is passionate about empowering women and enabling them to advance in their careers. She is the author of Seize Your Career, a book that documents the experiences of women in white-collar positions. She has also created an assessment-based framework for career management called the Happy Hexagon and has founded a support group for women professionals in Bangalore. Tune in to the podcast to listen as Archana shares new perspectives and insights on B2B marketing, how teams can be more effective, and how leaders can be change agents. Key Takeaways: What are the secrets of running a successful B2B marketing department, and how can teams achieve a better return on investment? What role do partnerships play in the marketing process? What is the most significant value that partnerships can bring to a marketing team? How has the Covid-19 pandemic driven companies to pivot their go-to-market strategy? What are some important factors of consideration for effective content marketing and brand building? How can content be delivered strategically in different stages of the customer journey? What does it mean to follow ethical principles in marketing? What benefits does this bring to a company both internally and externally? What are the biggest barriers women face in advancing their careers, and how can they overcome them? Can marketing leaders better integrate women into their teams? How can women be supported to progress into leadership roles?

We are excited to be in conversation with Paolo Sironi on unlocking innovation in banking and finance, as part our The Thought Leader’s Voice podcast series. One of the most respected FinTech experts worldwide, Paolo is the Global Research Leader in banking and financial markets at the IBM Institute for Business Value. He provides business expertise and strategic thinking to a network of executives at financial institutions, start-ups, and regulators, driving C-level conversations about business model adaptations in platform economies. Paolo founded start-up Capitects – acquired by IBM – and headed up the quantitative risk management department at Banca Intesa Sanpaolo. He is a celebrated author of several books on digital transformation, quantitative finance and economics, including his latest bestseller, ‘Banks and Fintech on Platform Economies: Contextual and Conscious Banking’. He is also a keynote speaker at major international events. Tune in to the podcast for Paolo’s thought-provoking and future-forward insights on driving innovation in banking and financial services, and on how firms can differentiate themselves within competitive markets. Key Takeaways The financial services sector has seen a massive shift during these times of volatility and is having to adapt to regulatory shifts, geopolitical pressures, digital transformation, and changing customer demands. How can financial services leaders optimize their businesses to deal with these shifts? How can banking and financial services leverage technology in their business models? Is there a need for a different outlook and tailored vision of how technology needs to be integrated within the ecosystem? The macro-economic and regulatory environment impacts how different financial services business models operate. What are some of the key factors that can help firms differentiate in this context? What is the best approach to materialize this? How can humans and technology be leveraged within the framework in a way that improves stickiness with customers? What are some key elements in driving innovation? Who are the stakeholders responsible for transformation, and how do they need to adapt to achieve this? What are some prerequisites for building a sustainable ecosystem with a firm foundation? How can banks and financial services approach ESG, and what is a key takeaway for marketers?

As part of our The Thought Leader’s Voice podcast series, we are excited to be in conversation with Jenna Pipchuk, who speaks on a seismic shift to unify B2B sales and marketing. With over 20 years of experience in technology, Jenna is currently the Chief Sales Officer and Executive Vice President at SMART Technologies, a provider of hardware, software, and training solutions to educators and business professionals worldwide. She started her career in Product Management and is now responsible for global sales at SMART, where she has helped to bring many successful products to market. During the pandemic, Jenna and her team at SMART Technologies forged a novel, groundbreaking path for SMART. By identifying the behaviour of digitally dominant B2B buyers and to meet the customer where they are, the team completely dismantled traditional sales, marketing, success, and service teams, and restructured into what they term as the ‘Unified Commercial Engine’ (UCE). In this episode, Jenna shares with us details about the UCE model, what contributed to its success, and how this has been woven into the fabric of the organisation. Key Takeaways: What is the ‘Unified Commercial Engine (UCE)’ and why did SMART Technologies build this model? What results have this restructure driven for the company? How is the UCE approach contributing to the evolution of the industry, job roles and individuals? How has the UCE shift impacted employee satisfaction and engagement? What were the findings when measuring this pre- and post-restructure? Would this model work across all sectors and business types, or would it lend itself more naturally to some industries than others? Over and above ‘The Commercial Engine Pods’, SMART created three centers of excellence – one focused around Data and Analytics, one for Customer Insights and Positioning, and one for Creative and Digital Experience. How did each facilitate the UCE, and the organisation overall? Are there particular steps that SMART Technologies is taking to ensure that the model continues to be robust and aligns with the next stage of growth, and to allow for any potential changes that may be needed given the continual evolution of buyer behaviour?

We are excited to be in conversation with Navjot Sawhney on ‘Sustainable Tech for a Greater Good’, as part of our The Thought Leader’s Voice podcast series. This series explores how independent thought leaders bring their ideas to scale within the business world as they share powerful, thought-provoking insights with our listeners. Our objective remains to amplify the voices of business leaders who share their thoughts on solving some of today’s most pressing challenges. We are thrilled to be joined in this episode by Navjot Sawhney, Founder of the Washing Machine Project, TEDx speaker, and Member Board of Trustees at Engineers Without Borders UK. The Washing Machine Project’s (TWMP) sole purpose is to alleviate the burden of handwashing clothes. Realising that 70% of the world’s population lacks access to an electric washing machine, TWMP is working on an accessible, portable, and affordable washing machine solution to eliminate this predicament faced by women in low-income and displaced communities. Navjot is passionate about helping others, with a particular interest in International Development. With over five years of professional engineering experience at global technology companies, Dyson and Jaguar Land Rover behind him, now is the perfect time to combine this desire to help people with his Engineering skills. Key Takeaways: What are the origins of The Washing Machine Project (TWMP)? How did Navjot’s background and skills play a role in giving life to this project? What are the current plans for the project, and what initiatives are TWMP working towards in the coming months? The power of research in effecting positive change Strategic partnerships are crucial to this mission, enabling TWMP to use engineering for good. How have partnerships powered this project? Now is the time for action, in so many ways. How can the corporate world help make a difference?

As part of our Thought Leader’s Voice podcast series, we are excited to be in conversation with Jennifer Smith on the evolution of the CMO, and how today’s marketers can drive purpose and growth in an uncertain world. Our podcast series, The Thought Leader's Voice, explores how independent thought leaders bring their ideas to scale within the business world as they share powerful, thought-provoking insights with our audience. We amplify the voices of senior-level marketers and business leaders, who share their thoughts on solving some of today’s most pressing business challenges, as well as on identifying new opportunities. We are thrilled to be joined in this episode by Jennifer Smith, Chief Marketing Officer and Fractional CMO practice lead at MarketingProfs. With over 20 years of experience helping B2B marketing teams prove their value to businesses, Jennifer has worked within the financial services, insurance, manufacturing, technology, consulting, and healthcare industries. Jennifer is a strong advocate for the power and value of Marketing, particularly in demonstrating its impact on business growth, as well as its relevance across the organization. She wears many hats: senior marketer, creative director, digital strategist, writer, designer, developer and editor. Throughout her career, she has led on creative strategy and execution, brand building, digital strategy, demand generation, events, product marketing, and PR at B2B companies and agencies, large and small. With her unique combination of knowledge and experience, she solves large, complex challenges for organizations, utilizing her wide skillset to build and implement effective strategies and campaigns. Key Takeaways: Amidst uncertainty brought on by a global pandemic and the rising importance of online channels in B2B, there has been a shift in focus on approaching marketing communications with empathy and emotion. Do B2B marketers need to pivot their strategy in line with this transition? How can they ensure a better customer experience in the long run? Due to the speed and ease of exchanging information at our disposal today, due diligence has taken a backseat, leading to a spiral of inaccurate content. This poses a problem for businesses worldwide. What role does thought leadership play in this? In a world crowded with content, how can you make sure that someone engages with yours? Agility has become the new mantra for B2B marketers, partly down to digital transformation. How can B2B marketers contribute to business growth while remaining true to purpose? What is the best way to deploy agility in your marketing to achieve business goals? The pandemic has led to the speedy implementation of new marketing and data technologies to help marketers understand and engage more effectively with audiences, and deliver on business objectives. What is the role of leaders in enabling this transition, and in implementing the right technologies at the right time? Data privacy is bringing about a gradual goodbye to third-party cookies and stricter laws, creating new obstacles to marketers’ digital advertising efforts. What strategies and capabilities can businesses look to adopt now to future-proof brands? What are the key challenges that CMOs face today, and what are the top opportunities? Marketers are more stressed than ever before, and are joining the ‘Great Resignation’. What can leaders do about this? How can they retain talent and foster team success?

As part of our Thought Leader’s Voice podcast series, we are thrilled to be in conversation with James Redgrave on ‘The Future of Asset Management: Key Trends and Insights'. In the Thought Leader’s Voice podcast series, we explore the world of how independent thought leaders bring their ideas to scale within the business world and share powerful, thought-provoking insights with our listeners. Our objective from this podcast series remains to educate senior-level marketers, business and thought leaders to help them solve some of the most pressing questions today and in the future. This is an independent and self-sponsored series aimed towards enhancing the profiles and importance of thought leaders. We are thrilled to be joined by asset management expert, financial journalist, and researcher, James Redgrave, Head of EMEA Insights at State Street. With over 15 years of journalistic and content creation experience across respected titles and financial services firms, James has seen the growing importance of insight, thought leadership, and quality content in the financial services industry, particularly in the drive for sustainability across the asset management sector. James has degrees in History & Politics and Journalism. He has extensive experience providing distribution-focused research and market intelligence consultancy services to Europe’s largest institutional asset managers. As a journalist, he has worked with specialist financial publishers, including the Financial Times, covering institutional investment and retail financial services. James regularly speaks at industry conferences on the evolution of the asset management industry and sustainability in the sector. Join the conversation for an inside view of the challenges and opportunities in asset management marketing and communications. Key Takeaways: The asset management industry has faced a tumultuous and unprecedented time since the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, challenging the global regulatory environment, and changing demands from investors. Asset managers are required to not only make good portfolio investment decisions but also help navigate their businesses through challenges. How are asset managers adapting to these challenges? The asset management industry has seen an increasing role of thought leadership and content, not only to connect internally and externally but also to inform and drive action. How is the role of marketing and content evolving within the asset management sector? Most global asset managers seem to continue to accelerate the investment in data scientist teams, data analysts and technology, especially in the last 3 years. Has a comprehensive data strategy become paramount for asset managers? How is this process being managed? How are asset managers adapting to help broader financial institutions to provide more personalised, unified customer journeys and in doing so, maintaining a competitive edge? A fundamental priority for asset managers and all financial services companies is ESG and they are using several sustainability partners to drive this. How are these unique partnerships evolving in the industry? What other kind of partnerships are asset managers likely to look for in the future? What are the challenges faced by asset managers when it comes to ESG reporting standards? Is there a need for support and a top-down push in this space to create a more level playing field?

As part of our Thought Leader’s Voice podcast series, we are thrilled to be in conversation with Adrian Del Maestro on ‘The Energy Evolution: A Sustainable Energy Transition for Growth’. In the Thought Leader’s Voice podcast series, we explore the world of how independent thought leaders bring their ideas to scale within the business world and share powerful, thought-provoking insights with our listeners. Our objective from this podcast series is to educate senior-level marketers and business leaders by bringing together thought leaders to help solve some of the most pressing questions we face now and in the future. This is an independent and self-sponsored series aimed towards enhancing the profiles & importance of thought leaders amongst CXOs. We are thrilled to be joined today by global energy expert, Adrian Del Maestro, Director of Research and Head of Global Thought Leadership in Energy at PwC Strategy&, PwC’s strategy consulting business. With his unique experience spanning three decades of consultancy, financial and professional services, Adrian has deep insights into the challenges and opportunities facing the energy sector, and to leading thinking in this space. Adrian possesses deep industry knowledge of oil and gas and broader energy trends, such as low carbon, electric vehicles and digitization. He is a front runner in driving the development of thought leadership to building leading research capabilities. Join the conversation and listen to meaningful industry insights from a true sector thought leader. Key Takeaways: It is a pivotal time for the Energy sector, especially in light of a sense of urgency to decarbonize and with a growing focus on ESG. How has this impacted the industry and what are the other factors influencing an energy transition? Covid-19 probably accelerated the energy transition and governments in various regions around the world are looking to build back better. However, the dependence on hydrocarbons is not likely to disappear in the near future and organizations will need technologies to mitigate and abate their impact. What are the technological innovations that are helping in driving this? Collaborations are key to facilitate solutions to the current industry challenges. How are various partnerships paving the way for an energy transition? How does the energy transition tally with the current regulatory framework and where will it need to evolve? Businesses need to step back and have a look at their overall strategy to deal with the industry changes. With more stringent regulation, accounting for costs and keeping the consumer at the center, how are business strategies evolving to shape a cleaner business? With a change in strategies, careers and key roles in the industry are evolving in line with the energy transition. What challenges/opportunities does this evolution bring to light? How is this changing the focus on the skills required and the way businesses operate?

As part of our Thought Leader's Voice podcast series, we are thrilled to be in a conversation with Paul Nunes on 'Becoming a future-ready organization: See and seize the future.' In the Thought Leader's Voice podcast series, we explore the world of how independent thought leaders bring their ideas to scale within the business world and share powerful, thought-provoking insights with our listeners. Our objective from this podcast series remains to educate senior-level marketers & thought leaders to help them solve some of the most quizzing marketing questions propping up right now. This is an independent and self-sponsored series aimed towards enhancing the profiles & importance of thought leaders amongst CXOs. We are thrilled to be joined today by renowned innovator, author, and speaker on business strategy, Paul Nunes, Global Managing Director of Thought Leadership for Accenture Research. Through more than 35 years at Accenture, Paul has researched technology-led changes in business and marketing strategy. His findings and writing on marketing and business strategy are regularly featured in publications worldwide, and he writes a regular column on disruptive innovation for Forbes with author Larry Downes. Paul is co-author of three award-winning, international-bestselling books – and frequently speaks at industry and management conferences around the globe and top business schools, including Harvard, Columbia, Wharton, and Dartmouth. Paul was a front runner in pivoting strategies, having been awarded a U.S. patent in 2010 for his systematic method of improving organizational innovation processes. He earned his Master of Science in Management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Join the conversation to access actionable advice shared in an incredibly insightful way. Key Takeaways: The amalgamation of an increasingly complex business landscape, the proliferation of data, and the pressing desire to be at the forefront of competition have led organizations to focus on using analytics to make strategic business decisions. How important is it for businesses to embed data analytics and AI into their core strategy rather than focus on the past for insights to stay at the forefront of digital disruption? In the Financial Services sector, we have seen banks leading the analytical space by discovering new ways to leverage transactional and behavioral consumer data by going beyond traditional structured information and looking for unconventional sources of information that predict an applicant's creditworthiness. How can organizations leverage risk analytics to find themselves better positioned to quantify, measure, and predict risk? The need for adaptability and speed while remaining cost-effective will not end with the pandemic. How has the growing fragmentation and changing consumer preferences made moving decision-making authority to people at the edges not just possible but necessary? Redesigning structure and decision-making processes demand rethinking the skills of the workforce. To give people the right mix of skills at speed, how can organizations take a data-driven approach to identify and predict new pockets of skills demand while still empowering employees to chart their course? How important is it for organizations to build sustainability into their operations' fabric and make social responsibility sustainable? Can continuous innovation and reinvention become a learned behavior/process and be built into business routines, as well as operating and strategic models?