According to PwC, nearly 80% of American consumers say that speed, convenience, knowledgeable help, and friendly service are the most important elements of a positive customer experience. The increasingly sophisticated consumer, along with these heightened expectations, is changing the way business leaders think about how to approach growth strategies.

Simply relying on the traditional levers of promotion is not enough to win the customer’s attention. With Ernst and Young reporting that around 70% of trade promotions lose money, it is clear that as business becomes increasingly complex and unpredictable, the separation of planning and execution functions can help provide clarity through a more holistic view of growth for promotional activities, pricing strategies, and assortment planning.

How can businesses untangle planning from execution to reach consumer expectations and achieve their growth targets in the new year?

In this episode, host Caleb Masters is joined by Francisco Crespo, former Chief Growth Officer at The Coca-Cola Company, to discuss:

In today’s dynamic business environment, successful collaboration with suppliers is essential. However, this is no small feat. According to McKinsey & Company, auto manufacturers, on average, have around 250 tier-one suppliers and up to 18,000 total suppliers across the entire value chain. Aerospace manufacturers have an average of 200 tier-one suppliers and 12,000 across all tiers, and technology companies have an average of 125 tier-one suppliers and more than 7,000 across all tiers. 

How should you approach aligning and collaborating with your suppliers to ensure a resilient supply chain?

In this episode, host Caleb Masters and Joerg Hellwig, an investor and the former Chief Digital Officer at LANXESS, discuss:

According to McKinsey, 67% of businesses that attempt digital transformations fail to achieve the maximum financial benefits from their original goals. 

Forbes cites a lack of shared vision, accountability, and innovation as key contributors to these failures. Ensuring that large-scale digital transformations deliver the desired long-term impact remains an immense challenge.

How can today’s technology leaders ensure their digital and cultural transformations stick?

In this episode of Masters of Digital Transformation, Robert Weltevreden, the former head of technology at Novartis, joins host Caleb Masters to discuss:

According to a recent study by Gartner, through 2024, more than 80% of digital strategies will fail to deliver value because of a lack of alignment and collaboration between IT and business units. There's a clear leadership opportunity for technology executives to step up and enable their businesses to achieve successful digital transformations.

However, separate research by Gartner reports that 63% of CIOs and CTOs find it challenging to articulate the business value of IT within their organizations.

How can CIOs and CTOs demonstrate their value and transform the perception of their position from order takers into more strategic roles in the eyes of the board?

In this episode of Masters of Digital Transformation, Rhonda Vetere joins host Caleb Masters to discuss:

According to a recent study conducted by PwC, 41% of consumers stated they are willing to pay additional fees. With consumer expectations further shifting to an always-on virtual e-commerce experience, same day delivery expenditure is expected to reach $15.6 billion by 2025 in the U.S. alone.

Additional research from McKinsey & Company recently reported that mature integrated business planning (IBP) processes increased sales opportunities by as much as 50%, improved service levels up to 20%, and lowered freight costs by 10 to 15%.

How can companies leverage the next generation of IBP technology to win in the marketplace and simultaneously optimize cost and service? 

In this episode, host Caleb Masters is joined by Darrell Edwards, the former COO of La-Z-Boy, to discuss:

Building a supply chain workforce equipped for major industry evolutions—or for the innovations emerging seemingly overnight—can be a complex challenge.

Consider generative AI, for instance. We're currently witnessing an AI boom that could potentially reshape the way employees work across various. A recent CNBC survey found that 47% of top technology —including chief information security officers and chief technology officers—state that artificial intelligence is their number one budget priority for the coming year.

Just five years ago, the results produced by generative AI were unimaginable for 2023. Yet, a recent study by Accenture reveals that only 38% of supply chain executives believe their workforce is mostly or completely prepared to adopt the technological tools already available to them. Thus, the demand for tech-savvy, innovative supply chain professionals has never been higher.

How can supply chain leaders anticipate the roles they'll need in five years and start hiring and developing talent today?

In this episode of "Masters of Digital Transformation," Peter Bolstorff, Executive Vice President at the Association for Supply Chain Management, joins the show to discuss

According to a PWC survey from 2020, 34 percent of CFO’s indicated that “supply chain issues were among their top three concerns.” Another 30 percent indicated that they were considering making changes to the existing supply chain due to the pandemic. Simultaneously, McKinsey & Company conducted a survey reporting 92% of supply chain executives had successfully made their supply chains more flexible, agile, and resilient. 

Supply chain leaders had the ears of their c-suite and board to achieve operational changes and reshape how businesses work.

How can supply chain leaders leverage to retain their influence in their organization?

In this episode of Masters of Digital Transformation, Radu Palamariu, the managing director of Alcott Global and the Global Head of the Supply Chain & Logistics Practice, joins the show to discuss:

The world of today and the years ahead presents a cocktail of unprecedented challenges to business leaders. Sustained delivery of growth and profitability has become more complex considering challenges of climate, inflation, geo-political risks, and the imperative to drive sustainability while building resilience and agility. The good news – this sets the ideal stage for supply chains to rise to the occasion and operate at their full potential as strategic differentiators that impact the triple bottom line.

But realizing this state requires supply chain leaders to move beyond “a seat at the table.” Instead, they need to lead it.

In this episode, host Caleb Masters is joined by Vineet Khanna, former SVP and Global Head of Supply Chain at Nestlé, to explore:

According to the EPA, 90% of a company’s environmental impact comes from its Supply Chain. Despite a majority of senior Supply Chain executives stating they are putting an increased emphasis on establishing and delivering against net-zero targets, nearly 1 in 5 do not have a net-zero strategy or know where to begin, and half of the executives don’t have an integrated scorecard to measure supply chain sustainability results.

Organizations need to understand, measure and reduce their environmental impact. Unfortunately, most of it occurs in the far corners of their supply chains, spanning suppliers and logistics providers. But the visibility of their extended networks is a must if companies are to make better decisions for the planet.

According to Montse Montaner, the former Chief Sustainability Officer at Novartis, “It is imperative for the business to take action. Businesses need to transform their supply chain and operations to make it sustainable.”

But how do you use visibility to deliver against your sustainability targets while optimizing profitability?

In this episode, Montaner joins Masters of Digital Transformation to share:

Supply chain organizations are losing talent—fast.

While most departments suffered high levels of attrition during the Great Resignation period of the pandemic, “turnover is 33% higher in supply chain organizations compared to pre-pandemic levels,” according to Gartner,

With nearly half of employees saying they are open to leaving their jobs in a recent Gallup survey, the market for highly qualified talent remains tight.

As supply chain functions struggle to attract, hire and retain the uniquely skilled talent required to operate world-class networks, how should leaders adapt their approach to building the high-performing teams required to drive digital transformation success?

In this episode, we sit down with Tracey Allen, Vice President of IT Procurement at Nokia, to discuss how she’s developed the teams, leadership and talent uniquely suited to drive digital transformations in procurement throughout her career.

Tracey joins host Caleb Masters to cover: