Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute and EI-Xpert, joins us in episode 037 of SHIPS. Milton talks with us about the importance of connecting on a human level using emotionally intelligent-based skills and how the luxury industry is leading the movement in human connection in the business world. We discuss how human connection drives business performance and how expertise on people and relationship building can make all the difference in businesses and their profits.

To learn more about Milton and the impactful work he is doing, be sure to check out https://www.luxuryinstitute.com/ and https://www.eixpert.com/.

Milton Pedraza is the CEO of the Luxury Institute and EIX (Emotionally Intelligent Xpert). Today, the Luxury Institute is the world's most trusted research, training, and elite business solutions partner for luxury and premium goods and services brands. With the largest global network of luxury executives and experts, the Luxury Institute has the ability to provide its clients with high-performance, leading-edge business solutions developed by the best, most successful minds in the industry. Over the last 16 years, we have served over 1,100 luxury and premium goods and services brands. We have conducted more quantitative and qualitative research with affluent, wealthy and uber-wealthy consumers than any other entity. This knowledge has led to the development of our scientifically proven high-performance, emotional intelligence-based education system that dramatically improves brand culture and financial performance. Milton advises and coaches luxury CEOs and advises and serves on the boards of top-tier luxury and premium brands, as well as luxury and premium startups. He is a sought-after speaker worldwide for his practical, innovative and humanistic insights and recommendations on luxury and high performance and is the most quoted global luxury industry expert in leading media and publications. Milton is also an authority on Customer Relationship Management and Artificial Intelligence technologies, Analytics, and Big Data. Prior to founding the Luxury Institute, his successful career at Fortune 100 companies included executive roles at Altria, PepsiCo, Colgate, Citigroup and Wyndham Worldwide. Milton is a frequent guest speaker at Columbia University and has presented at Harvard. He has been recognized as a top Latin Entrepreneur by Stanford Business School. Milton was born in Colombia, raised in the United States, and has lived in several countries. He has conducted business in over 100 countries and speaks several languages.