All Podcast Episodes
The Interview: The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. VP Innovation & Technology, Ophelia Ceradini
The Interview: The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. In this episode, host Karl McKeever is joined by Ophelia Ceradini Vice President of Digital Technology and Innovation at The Estée Lauder Companies.
Artificial intelligence and augmented reality are transforming the beauty shopping experience through seamless and omnichannel experiences. In our latest of episode of The Interview Series, recorded live in the heart of New York City during NRF 2023, Ophelia explains how, using technology to offer interactive, immersive, and sustainable solutions, brands in the beauty space are creating a solid foundation to solving consumer pain points and firming up loyalty and sales.
Presented by Peak Technologies
The Interview: Hollister Co. Snr Director Brand Marketing Strategy, Jacee Scoular
The Interview: Hollister Co. In this episode of The Interview Series, host Karl McKeever is joined by Jacee Scoular, Snr Director Brand Marketing Strategy. at Hollister Co., Gilly Hicks and Social Tourist. Recorded live in the heart of New York City during NRF 2023, Jacee joins us to discuss why authenticity must lie at the heart of the building successful brand collaborations with content creators, the growing trend for purpose-driven retail, and how brands can stay in tune with their customers by acting in a way that is not only good for shareholders, but also good for the planet and for local communities.
Presented by Peak Technologies
The Interview: IKEA US Head of Home Furnishing Identity & Retail Design, Seana Strawn
The Interview: IKEA - In this episode of The Interview Series, host Karl McKeever is joined by Seana Strawn, Head of Home Furnishing and Retail Design at IKEA US.
At IKEA US, Seana Strawn leads, among other things, the omnichannel sustainability customer communication and sustainability retail visual experience as IKEA develops toward their goal of being a fully circular company by 2030.
Recorded live in the heart of New York City during NRF 2023, she joins us to discuss the need for retailers to place sustainability at the heart of strategic thinking, its growing influence on retail design and how, if done right at store level, the trend for resale can increase foot traffic with unique offerings, and boost customer loyalty.
Presented by Peak Technologies
The Interview: FitFlop CTO Sal Usmani
The Interview: FitFlop. In this episode of The Interview Series, host Karl McKeever is joined by Sal Usmai, CTO of ergonomic and wellness footwear brand, FitFlop. Leading the company's transition to an omnichannel organisation, Sal is a seasoned technology leader with 20+ years of experience managing multichannel business applications in a strategic environment, Sal joined FitFlop in 2022 as chief technology officer to ensure that innovation, data, technology and a customer-first approach are central to the retailer's overall growth plans. Before joining FitFlop he led technology teams at Belstaff, LVMH and the Conran Group. In our latest of episode of The Interview Series, recorded live in the heart of New York City during NRF 2023, Sal joins host Karl McKeever to discuss the changing face of digital transformation, and explore FitFlop's journey to becoming an AI-driven retailer.
Presented by Peak AI
The Interview: Neighborhood Goods CEO and co-founder Matt Alexander
The Interview: Neighborhood Goods. In this episode of The Interview Series, host Karl McKeever is joined by Matt Alexander, Co-Founder and CEO of Neighborhood Goods, as well as the brand’s President, Ashley Shelton Conger. Recorded live in the heart of New York City during NRF 2023, together we explore the brand story of Neighborhood Goods, the future of department stores, and the shift towards community-focused retailing.
. Presented by Peak Technologies
The Interview: Organic Garden CEO and co-founder, Martin Wild
The Interview: Organic Garden. In this episode of The Interview Series, host Karl McKeever is joined by Martin Wild, founder and CEO of Germany-based food-tech start-up, Organic Garden. As Martin prepares to take to the stage at Shoptalk Europe 2023 in Barcelona, we sit down together to discuss the brand’s journey, how the retail food industry can pursue a future that is good for people, the environment, and for business, and the story behind an unexpected appearance in Playboy magazine. Presented by Shoptalk Europe 2023
The Interview: Dickies Global VP of Digital Strategy, Calvin Anderson
The Interview: Dickies: In this episode of The Interview Series, host Karl McKeever is joined by Calvin Anderson, Global VP of Digital Strategy at Dickies.
Founded a century ago, the Dickies brand originated as a denim bib overall company, selling workwear to farm and ranch hands around the Southwest. Acquired by VF Corporation in 2017, today it is a global brand found in more than 100 countries —with a style that resonates as much with pop culture icons as it does with auto mechanics.
Calvin currently serves as Global VP of Digital Strategy for Dickies, as well as two other brands within the VF Corporation stable of brands – Altra and Smartwool – overseeing digital technology, customer lifecycle, data analytics, engineering, and science.
Prior to his role at VF Corp, Anderson served in several executive positions within the hotel industry including Head of Commercial at OYO NORA, the world’s fastest growing economy hotel chain.
Recorded live in the heart of New York City during NRF 2023, together we explore changing face of digital transformation, and what retailers can learn from Calvin’s experience in the hospitality industry.
Presented by Peak Technologies.
The Interview: Fabletics SVP Head of Retail, Ron Harries
The Interview: Fabletics: In this episode of The Interview Series, host Karl McKeever is joined by Ron Harries, SVP Head of Retail at US activewear brand Fabletics.
2023 marks the 10th anniversary for the digitally-native brand, co-founded by actress and entrepreneur Kate Hudson. In that time, Fabletics has been busy pulling in a loyal online consumer following.
For the last six years, Ron Harries has been the person responsible for leading the development of its retail proposition – unpicking the ever-more complex interplay of data and retailing. His tenure has seen the go-faster brand significantly increase its visibility across the US, with a raft of strategic store openings.
He reveals the importance of data-driven retail growth; why digitally-native and established retailers aren’t cut from the same cloth; how the lines between online and in-store are becoming increasingly blurred; why he’ll never step away from the challenge of delivering ‘better retail’; and the brand’s plans for the future.
Presented by Appriss Retail.
The Interview: Warner’s Gin CEO and co-founder, Tom Warner
The Interview: Warner’s Gin: In this episode of The Interview Series, host Mark Faithfull is joined by Tom Warner, co-founder & CEO of Warner’s Gin.
Celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2022, Warner’s Gin has had much to do the gin-naissance boom over the last decade.
In this episode, Warner walks us through the story of how he and his then business partner decided to launch the brand; the influence of Warner’s Gin in revolutionising the category boom through its rhubarb flavoured gin (at the time, a ‘first’); the importance of balancing the need to do good with doing business; and his own personal tales of the trials and tribulations of entrepreneurial life.
Recorded at Retail Week Live 2022
The Special: US Retail
The Special: US Retail. In this episode of The Special, we report from our New York studio to focus on the latest developments in US retail. Host Karl McKeever is joined by Laura Lewi, associate and concept designer at global architecture and design practice CRTKL to discuss the importance of reimagining physical retail for our new reality.
We speak to Neil Saunders, retail analyst and managing director of GlobalData Retail in Arizona about the current state of US retail, consumer confidence, and the prospects for growth ahead of the Golden Quarter. Plus: we’re joined by Aimee Grandfield, head of insights at retail display specialist arken P-O-P International to talk beauty retail, following her own recent visit to New York City.
The Interview: Spotify Head of Industry – Retail Vertical, John Gregory
The Interview: Spotify: In this episode of The Interview Series, host Karl McKeever is joined by John Gregory, Head of Industry – Retail Vertical at Spotify. From bombs, to beer, to Bloomingdale’s. Gregory has enjoyed a varied and storied career that has seen him involved in everything from the F-15 fighter program to the role of VP Marketing at the US luxury department store chain.
We explore the secrets to delivering a successful digital customer experience; how technology and data can be used to truly understand the individual and appeal to consumer senses and emotions; and what retailers can do to inspire shoppers through the joy of discovery.
Recorded at Retail Week Live 2022
The Interview: C&A Europe – Director Global Sustainability, Aleix Gonzalez
The Interview: C&A Europe: In this episode, we’re talking Sustainability. More specifically, how retailers can build a sustainability action plan that delivers meaningful action and traction within the business. Host Karl McKeever is joined by Aleix Gonzalez, Director Global Sustainability at C&A Europe – one of the leading fashion retail businesses in Europe with 1,575 stores in 21 countries, as well as a presence in Brazil, Mexico, and China.
For C&A, sustainability means rethinking how it designs its products for their next life. In his role, Gonzalez is responsible for overseeing the implementation of C&A’s global sustainability strategy. He explains what sustainability means to him; his experience of building momentum behind sustainability initiatives within multiple global retail businesses; his thoughts on the burning issues affecting fashion retailers’ ability to drive change; and the secrets to success for other retailers who are embarking on the journey to cut waste, improve circularity, and achieve Net Zero goals.
Recorded at World Retail Congress 2022
The Interview: Majid Al Futtaim – Retail, CEO Hani Weiss
The Interview: Majid Al Futtaim: In this episode, host Karl McKeever is joined in conversation by Hani Weiss, Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim – Retail, the exclusive partner of choice for international hypermarket and supermarket brand, Carrefour.
The last few years have brought profound, powerful change to retail. The critical factor holding everything together is Leadership. Hani’s own career began at Majid Al Futtaim - Retail in 2001, as a Section Manager at Carrefour in City Centre Deira, the firm’s first hypermarket in the region. Today, as its CEO, Hani leads a business of 37,000 colleagues, operating over 450 Carrefour stores across 16 countries in the region, and serving more than 750,000 customers a day.
We sat down with him to explore the story behind the Majid Al Futtaim Retail business; the challenges of operating a successful grocery retail franchise business in the Middle East, and to hear his thoughts on what great leadership looks like today and, more importantly, for the future.
Recorded at Shoptalk Europe 2022.
The Interview: UGG, VP of Global Marketing Carole Diarra
The Interview: UGG: In this episode, host Karl McKeever is joined in conversation by Vice President of Global Marketing for global lifestyle brand UGG, Carole Diarra.
Diarra reflects on how a brand can stay relevant in today’s uncertain times, and the enduring principles that make great brands stand out. She also shares the story of her own personal career journey that saw her spend 15 years in New York honing her skills at L’Oreal, before eventually settling in her current role (and into a new life) in Paris.
Recorded at Shoptalk Europe 2022.
The Interview: Frugi, Chief Executive Officer Sarah Clark
The Interview: Frugi: In this episode, host Mark Faithfull is joined by Sarah Clark, CEO of UK organic clothing brand, Frugi. We to explore how sustainable fashion has changed; the brand’s plan for growth; what a sustained approach to business growth looks like; how to better influence and empower customers to live more sustainably; and how can it replace the pursuit of profit, and to reflect on her first year in post.
Recorded at Retail Week Live 2022.
The Interview: LIFVS, co-founder and COO Daniel Lundh
The Interview: LIFVS: In this episode, host Karl McKeever is joined by LIFVS co-founder and COO Daniel Lundh to explore the story behind Europe’s largest unstaffed grocery chain; why it classes itself as a technology start-up first and retailer second; and how its business model could teach others a thing or two about how to enjoy retail success in low traffic areas and rural communities. Recorded at Shoptalk Europe 2022.
In Focus: Customer Loyalty
In Focus - Customer Loyalty: In this episode, we explore the importance of taking time to foster loyal and lasting customer relationships. Host Karl McKeever sits down with Gousto Chief Marketing Officer Tom Wallis and Inkpact Founder & CEO Charlotte Pearce to discuss the challenges, twists, and lessons for success to connect, engage, and retain valued customers.
The Interview: Boots UK, Chief Information Officer Rich Corbridge
The Interview: Boots UK: In this episode, host Karl McKeever is joined by Boots UK CIO Rich Corbridge and Director of IT – Customer and Category, Jennifer Duffy.
We explore the digital initiatives that the retailer has recently spun up to continue offering services to customers; the importance of speed of adaptation; how its omnichannel approach is helping to build a digital ecommerce experience for the future; and why this initiative is so fundamental to their tech talent acquisition, retention, and development strategy.
Recorded at Retail Week Live 2022
The Interview: Coresight Research, founder & CEO Deborah Weinswig
The Interview: Coresight Research: In this episode, host Karl McKeever is joined by Coresight Research founder and CEO, Deborah Weinswig, to explore the disruptive trends and priorities that are shaping the new retail landscape, and to hopefully provide some answers to the question about the next digital “reality”: the metaverse.
The Interview: Zalando, VP Direct to Consumer Carsten Keller
The Interview: Zalando: In this episode, host Karl McKeever is joined by Dr Carsten Keller, VP Direct to Consumer of fashion e-tailing giant, Zalando. With more and more brands continuing to gear their processes to direct-to-consumer models, the platform has seen a boom in brands collaborations. Carsten explains how Zalando is supporting brand’s DTC ambitions, what the future will look like for ‘platforms’, what he believes will drive the next phase of hyper growth in retail, and why ‘progress, not perfection’ is more crucial than ever.