All Podcast Episodes
The Interview: Brompton Bicycles Head of Marketing NA, Dawn Fichot
In this episode of The Interview Series, host Karl McKeever is joined in conversation by Dawn Fichot, Head of Marketing North America for iconic British foldable bike manufacturer, Brompton Bicycles.
We explore how this most British of companies is adapting its message to move in line with needs of the North American audience; the ways Brompton is leveraging digital solutions to track new consumers; urban change in the US; and why innovation and loyalty will always be Brompton’s obsession.
Recorded at NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show
The Interview: Kmart Australia Managing Director, Ian Bailey
In this episode of The Interview Series, host Karl McKeever sits down with Ian Bailey, Managing Director of Kmart Group Australia.
With over 450 stores, Kmart Australia is the country’s number one performing general merchandise and apparel retailer, and one of the most trusted and loved brands in Australia and New Zealand.
We explore how Kmart Australia doubled down on clarity of purpose and innovation to develop a strategic blueprint and operational architecture to transform its business model, moving it from a traditional discount chain to an innovative, modern, hybrid retailer.
Presented by World Retail Congress.
The Interview: Camper Global Retail Director, Isabelle Aberman
In this episode of The Interview Series, host Karl McKeever travels to Barcelona to sit down with Isabelle Aberman, Global Retail Director of iconic footwear brand, Camper.
Founded on the small Spanish island of Mallorca in 1975, Camper is a family business with a rich shoemaking heritage that it uses to create unique designs that continue to enjoy global appeal.
Passionate about retail in all its forms, Isabelle joins us to discuss Camper’s unique approach to retail design, share the inside story of CamperLab and ReCamper, and to look ahead to what the future of retail holds for us all.
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.
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.
The Interview: Pandora, SVP Omnichannel Retail Kate Walsh
The Interview: Pandora: In this episode, host Karl McKeever is joined by Kate Walsh, SVP Omnichannel Retail for Pandora. She reveals the charm of working for this iconic jewellery brand, how it is repurposing and revitalising its offer for the future, the lessons she’s learned about how to do business better, and her views on whether The Apprentice is as good as it used to be.
The Interview: Costa Coffee, Global Creative Design Lead Adam Dunt
The Interview - Costa Coffee: In our latest episode, we sit down with Adam Dunt, Global Creative Design Lead at Costa Coffee. He talks coffee culture and explains how the right kind of design can create a warm, welcoming space that truly connects with the local communities the brand serves.
The Interview: Enjoy, Chief Executive Officer Ron Johnson
The Interview - Enjoy: US host Dave Evans brings you a special interview with Ron Johnson, perhaps best known for his work creating and leading Apple Stores, then later as CEO of JCPenney.
The Interview: Foot Locker
The Interview - Foot Locker: In this special episode, we sit down with respected retail designer, Kambiz Hemati. Best known for his work with brands such as Foot Locker and Starbucks, he discusses the art of great retail design and looks back on his own storied career.
The Interview: Macy’s
The Interview: Macy’s: In this special episode, guest host Karl McKeever travels to New York for an exclusive interview with Macy's national director of window presentation, Roya Sullivan. She shares the behind-the-scenes story of preparations for its highly anticipated Christmas windows, and talks about the challenge of managing windows for the one of the world’s most iconic department stores.
The Interview: Allbirds
The Interview - Allbirds: In this special episode, we explore the story of footwear brand Allbirds. Guest host Karl McKeever travels to San Francisco for an exclusive interview with the brand’s head of global retail operations, Travis Boyce, to learn more about this increasingly popular shoe brand with sustainability at its heart.
The Interview: Samsung KX
In this episode, we revisit our interview with Samsung Showcase Director Tanya Weller. She joined guest host Jason Bradbury to discuss the story behind the Samsung KX concept and explore her many career highlights.
The Interview: Cheil
The Interview: Cheil UK: In this episode, special guest host Jason Bradbury sits down with David Coombs, head of strategic services at Cheil UK to talk about the changing face of brand loyalty, the issue of consumer data rights ownership, and sort tech myths from the reality.
The Interview: Happy Socks
The Interview: Happy Socks: Recorded at World Retail Congress 2019, Happy Socks’ head of retail, Aleksander Milenkovic sits down with Ben Bland to talk about the brand’s story – one that’s full of colourful designs, celebrity collaborations and exceptional charm, that’s guaranteed to make you smile.
The Interview: Rapha
The Interview - Rapha: In this episode of The Interview Series, we sit down with Rapha’s Director of Retail & Development, Caroline Crosswell, and Head of Retail, Darren Read, to explore our growing love of all things two-wheeled.