The FODcast

Episode 2 of Season 6 is here – and features an insightful conversation on all things ‘digital transformation’ with well-known Digital Leader, Stuart Barker - Technology Enablement & Advisory Practice Lead at International business and technology consultancy, Slalom. 

With over 25 years of experience in both retail and consulting roles, there are few people with better experience to share their unique perspectives on how industries can successfully navigate their digital journeys. 

In our chat, Stuart sheds light on how customer expectations have changed, and the importance of considering employee experiences in multi-channel environments. We talk about the need for a strategic approach in implementing technology and driving business changes, as well as the importance of understanding the WHY behind any transformation initiative. 

Don't miss this episode filled with valuable insights, real-life anecdotes, and practical advice on how to ensure your digital transformation journey is set for success from the get-go. 

Simply Commerce is the leading supplier of talent into digital commerce across technology, digital marketing, product, sales, and leadership.

Find our more about our approach and our services within digital commerce recruitment here: https://simply-commerce.co.uk/

Welcome to Season 6 of The FODcast by Simply Commerce.

This season, we're diving deep into three pivotal areas shaping the future of digital commerce: navigating digital transformation, building a successful eCommerce business, and the innovations driving the sector forward. 

In our first episode, we chat with Nathan Lomax, co-founder of Quickfire Digital, European Digital Agency of the Year (2022) – and probably one of the most driven individuals we’ve had the pleasure of speaking to.

Certainly a household and well-respected name in the wider world of all things Shopify, Nathan shares the good, the bad, and the ugly of launching and scaling an eCommerce business, the impact on home life, and the challenges faced along the way. 

Nathan’s journey from starting a website company after college to co-founding a leading digital agency is inspiring, and in our chat, he talks about the importance of streamlining business processes, making sacrifices, and finding a work-life balance, all while staying passionate and laser-focused on growth and success.

 Whether you're growing a business or launching a new venture, this episode is packed with invaluable insights and strategies to help you succeed .

Simply Commerce is the leading supplier of talent into digital commerce across technology, digital marketing, product, sales, and leadership.

Find our more about our approach and our services within digital commerce recruitment here: https://simply-commerce.co.uk/

In this final episode of Season 5, our host and Director of Client Engagement, James Hodges looks back on the conversations we've had with our guests from across the sector on the continued topic of Composable.

This short wrap-up looks at some of the key insights shared with our guests; the challenges faced with real-world examples, mistakes and learnings along the way, and invaluable top tips for those beginning the move to a Composable architecture themselves - as well as a look towards the future.

A huge thanks to all who have tuned in, downloaded, and watched over the last few weeks - and of course to our guests who have given up their time to talk to us about a topic that shows no sign of abating.

• Michiel Tielemans | Lab Digital
• Tomas A Krag | NoA Ignite
• Dom Selvon | Apply Digital
• Gert van Vliet | TouchTribe
• Craig Smith & Rico Adler | SCAYLE
• Rex Bigger | Cabiri
• Mikko Mantila | IONA
• Kelly Goetsch | commercetools

Season SIX....in production and coming soon!

Simply Commerce is the leading supplier of talent into digital commerce across technology, digital marketing, product, sales, and leadership.

Find our more about our approach and our services within digital commerce recruitment here: https://simply-commerce.co.uk/

We are excited to present the finale of Season 5 of our podcast -and our first repeat guest as we welcome back Kelly Goetsch, Chief Strategy Officer at commercetools.

With nearly 8 years at commercetools, Kelly transitioned from Chief Product Officer a couple of years ago to his current strategic role – the first of its kind for the cloud-based headless commerce platform.

With an illustrious career including pivotal roles at ATG and Oracle, where he spearheaded groundbreaking initiatives, including Walmart's global tech implementation, Kelly is undoubtedly a well-known visionary and thought leader within the sector.

As one of the original co-founders of the MACH Alliance, Kelly is at the forefront of advocating for composable architectures and was therefore an ideal guest to conclude the last 16 episodes around the composable conversation.

In our chat, Kelly shared invaluable insights on the evolution of composable, highlighting its mainstream adoption and dispelling common myths. His perspective on the changing landscape of buyers, the role of innovation, and the importance of the human aspect and cultural fit of vendors are covered in detail – as well as a candid discussion on the reasons why transformations fail.

If you’re embarking on a composable journey, or still in the consideration stage, this episode will provide a wealth of information on the positives and pitfalls > > >

Simply Commerce is the leading supplier of talent into digital commerce across technology, digital marketing, product, sales, and leadership.

Find our more about our approach and our services within digital commerce recruitment here: https://simply-commerce.co.uk/

Welcome to Episode 7 of The FOD: The Future Of All Things Digital - the podcast designed to bring you the latest hot topics and trending discussions across the wider world of eCommerce.

In this penultimate episode of Season 5, we were delighted to welcome seasoned
digital leader, Mikko Mantila , Co-Founder and CEO of IONA - an award-winning agency who specialises in next-generation eCommerce.

Founded in 2019,  IONA has gone on to experience rapid growth, with studios now in Helsinki, London, and Davao City in The Philippines. And, with a client base that continues to expand across the Nordics and the UK, Mikko has most recently experienced success with notable involvement in the MACH Alliance's C-suite advisory board. 

The episode delves into IONA's background, pioneering the adoption of headless technology, as well as a focus on the evolution of composable strategies over their first 5 years in business.
 
In our chat, Mikko reflects on the 'hype' surrounding the concept and the necessity for businesses to consider its implications carefully, emphasising the importance of organisational readiness, cultural alignment, and clear communication of expected benefits and ROI. 

The conversation deep dives into the complexities and realities of embracing composability in today's rapidly evolving business landscape, offering valuable insights and guidance for businesses navigating this transformative journey. 

 ENJOY | COMMENT | SHARE

Simply Commerce is the leading supplier of talent into digital commerce across technology, digital marketing, product, sales, and leadership.

Find our more about our approach and our services within digital commerce recruitment here: https://simply-commerce.co.uk/

Seasoned professional Rex Bigger joined the composable conversation for this episode - the sixth of Season 5.

With over 25 years working in the tech and IT sector following a first-class degree in Astrophysics from UCL, Rex has a vast amount of experience with a varied career that has seen him work as a Senior Java Developer for the likes of MTV and Disney, before moving into Consultancy roles with Philips and e2x Limited where he led projects for high-profile clients including LEGO and Ikea. 

Rex then co-founded specialist headless commerce consultancy, Cabiri in 2017 where he is currently CEO.  

In our chat for the FOD, Rex spotlights the early days of composable (before the term itself even existed) and why the agency chose to join the MACH Alliance in late 2023. 
 
He also considers future developments within IT more generally, and whether its cyclical nature means a new generation of monoliths could be where we end up as businesses embrace composable, but with a desire for a homogenous interface – it’s another fascinating discussion and viewpoint.  

Please do share within your network and let us know your thoughts! 

Simply Commerce is the leading supplier of talent into digital commerce across technology, digital marketing, product, sales, and leadership.

Find our more about our approach and our services within digital commerce recruitment here: https://simply-commerce.co.uk/

Welcome to Episode 5, Season 5 of The FOD: The Future Of All Things Digital - the podcast designed to bring to you the latest hot topics and trending discussions across the wider world of eCommerce.

Something a bit different for Episode 5 as we welcome TWO guests to join the conversation about Composable – digital and eCommerce experts Craig Smith and Rico Adler from one of the fastest-growing global eCommerce platforms, SCAYLE. 

 SCAYLE, a B2C specialist, is certainly making headlines – notably as a named ‘niche player’ in  Gartner’s Magic Quadrant™ for Digital Commerce last year, as well as the more recent announcement that Manchester United Football Club has selected them as their official eCommerce platform provider. 

Craig – UK & Ireland Country Manager at SCAYLE has worked in the digital tech industry for over 3 decades across retail brands, retail tech companies, and as strategic advisor to UK retailers at Salesforce.  

Rico meanwhile– Director Solution Consulting at the company, has a similarly impressive background in the sector – joining the German online giant About You as Head of Client Development to build out the SCAYLE platform. 

In our chat for The FOD, we talk in detail about the rising expectations of consumers and, knowing that these will continue to grow as tech develops, remembering their needs specifically whilst businesses and IT teams plough ahead with their digital transformation change programmes. 

 We also discuss the most common reasons why composable transformations falter, as well as the future of eCommerce and current trends impacting the market for all stakeholders >>>

Simply Commerce is the leading supplier of talent into digital commerce across technology, digital marketing, product, sales, and leadership.

Find our more about our approach and our services within digital commerce recruitment here: https://simply-commerce.co.uk/

Welcome to Episode 4, Season 5 of The FOD: The Future Of All Things Digital - the podcast designed to bring to you the latest hot topics and trending discussions across the wider world of eCommerce.

In this fourth episode we were delighted to welcome digital expert, Gert van Vliet to the ongoing Composable conversation.

Gert has many decades of experience working in and around the digital commerce space; initially as a functional designer and developer, before moving into consultancy across sales, marketing, accountancy and IT functions for a range of businesses and agencies.

Gert is currently the Managing Director for Netherlands-based digital commerce agency, TouchTribe - part of the MakerStreet Network, one of the country's biggest digital agencies, offering complete end-to-end solutions for its clients.

In our chat for The FOD, we talk in detail about the number one reason why Composable transformations fail, the importance of culture and the 'human element' of being part of an often very complex project, and the inevitable (and unpredictable) future of the sector as AI-use and implementation start to take hold.

Simply Commerce is the leading supplier of talent into digital commerce across technology, digital marketing, product, sales, and leadership.

Find our more about our approach and our services within digital commerce recruitment here: https://simply-commerce.co.uk/

Welcome to Episode 3, Season 5 of The FOD: The Future Of All Things Digital - the podcast designed to bring to you the latest hot topics and trending discussions across the wider world of eCommerce.

In this third episode we welcome seasoned technology leader, Dom Selvon, to the ongoing discussion on all things Composable. 

Dom has many decades of experience within the sector, working initially within management consultancy services and technology delivery, and then as a solutions architect and CTO for systems integrators.  

Currently the Global Chief Technology Officer of Apply Digital – a leading digital solutions agency, Dom has spent the best part of the last five years advising clients on the move to composable and has helped some of the world’s most recognised brands including, Moderna, Kraft Heinz, Lululemon, and The Very Group.  

An Executive Board Member of the MACH Alliance, Dom chats to us in detail about the importance of departmental collaboration, ensuring the IT/Tech department is part of the wider delivery team (and not viewed as a ‘supplier’) and why understanding the business vision is critical for all parties who embark on the journey to composable. 

Simply Commerce is the leading supplier of talent into digital commerce across technology, digital marketing, product, sales, and leadership.

Find our more about our approach and our services within digital commerce recruitment here: https://simply-commerce.co.uk/

Welcome to Episode 2, Season 5 of The FOD: The Future Of All Things Digital - the podcast designed to bring to you the latest hot topics and trending discussions across the wider world of eCommerce.

For the second episode of the season, we were delighted to welcome experienced digital leader, Tomas A. Krag to join the discussion on all things Composable.

Currently Chief Technology Officer at full-service agency NoA Ignite, a full-service agency based in Denmark, Tomas has also held senior positions client-side, with CTO roles at home retailer and manufacturer Hilding Anders and more recently Bang & Olufsen where, in building an eCommerce team from scratch, went on to win multiple awards for front-end design and MACH architecture.
 
In our chat with Tomas, he talks openly about the most common mistakes companies make when going down the composable route, as well as reasons why some decide to change paths altogether and move towards a more monolithic architecture >>>

Simply Commerce is the leading supplier of talent into digital commerce across technology, digital marketing, product, sales, and leadership.

Find our more about our approach and our services within digital commerce recruitment here: https://simply-commerce.co.uk/