Warren Kornblum, a marketing leader and author of Notes from The Brand Stand discusses the importance of “share of heart" in building brands by engendering and building trust.  The former CMO of Toys R Us says that our need for trust, human connection and long-term growth outweighs the need for any short-term focus on efficiency and scale. In this fast-changing world of algorithms and data, he says, we must focus on human-centric leadership and emotional connections in building lasting brand loyalty.

#marketing #business #leadership

Carla Michelotti, a legend in advertising and law, discusses the importance of rebooting, staying relevant, and the need to grow new muscles before our “old” brain muscles become atrophied by AI.  Carla has held senior roles at Leo Burnett, BCom3, and the Publicis Groupe and today continues as an advisor to many firms and organizations, including the American Advertising Federation as its Government Affairs Chair, and the as a board member of BBB National Programs. In this conversation, she highlights the impact of AI on the legal and advertising sectors, and the necessity of adapting laws and business models to accommodate AI, truly an alien intelligence. She advocates for increased education and literacy about AI, especially regarding its use in children's AI companion bots, and stresses the importance of maintaining human involvement and particularly the business value that human wisdom has in an AI-driven world.

Learn more about the BBB National Programs Center for Industry Self-Regulation (CISR) initiative on guardrails for AI companion bots.https://industryselfregulation.org/incubator/ai

Jess Butcher MBE, CEO and founder of Scrollaware on her transition from tech entrepreneur to social advocate for digital balance. The award-winning consumer tech entrepreneur, (most notably with AR pioneer, Blippar), a Fortune "Most Powerful Female Entrepreneur", BBC's 100 Women and three times TEDx speaker, calls for an urgent, more ethical approach to societal tech-addiction.  She argues that consumers, educators, legislators... and now business must take action to address the rapid society-wide growth of overwhelm, distraction, negativity, polarisation and loneliness . She shares evidence of the growing shoots of digital defiance among Gen Z and Gen Alpha and cites marketers and advertisers from KitKat to Heineken who are already leveraging cultural changes to shift the conversation.  She declares this the next CSR frontier, with the potential for businesses to work together to reprioritise the IRL embodied lives of both their staff and customers. 

Teresa Barreira, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Publicis Sapient on the role of human values in the AI integrated business. The former Chief Marketing Officer of Deloitte Consulting, with senior leadership roles at Accenture and IBM argues that the shift from human-first AI strategies to AI-first approaches is redefining human roles and enhancing productivity in the workplace. But she says it’s the opportunity to build a culture of exploration and learning that AI can offer, by automating up to 90% of tasks and freeing humans to focus on high-value activities. A hybrid work environment is one which places value on human failure and reflection and where humans and AI can collaborate seamlessly.

#Business #AI #FutureOfWork

Todd Irwin, founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Fazer on de-positioning, a strategic approach to outperform competitors by solving hero customer pain points better than anyone else. The musician and artist turned brand strategist who has advised Fortune 500 companies, SMEs and startups for three decades, argues for a shift in thinking from differentiation to problem solving, and simply being better. An expert in delivering competitive brand strategies to visionary leaders seeking growth, he argues that creativity is downstream of positioning, and solving problems reminds us that when people grow, brands grow, and when companies grow, we all grow. 

Veronika Kryuchkova, Global Head of Capability Building for the Reckitt Marketing Academy, joins Rishad to explore how we can thrive in a world that’s becoming more human and more machine.

She reveals why high-agency professionals, those who combine belief, action, and ownership, will dominate the future of work. Veronika reframes career growth for the new era: it’s no longer about climbing the ladder but designing your own Capability Stack, the intentional blend of core, human, and future capabilities that compounds like an investment portfolio. And she makes a bold case for continuous micro-reinventions as the growth engines of fulfilling careers. Her message is clear and timely: in a human-machine age, those who thrive will treat their careers as investments to grow, not contracts to protect.

#FutureOfWork #Advertising #Business

Christian Godden, Head of Strategy at Malmo FF on the role of community in driving international partnerships and long-term development for Sweden's most successful football club. The former strategic Director and Partner at BBDO in the Nordics, advising global brands on marketing and communications, explains Malmo FF’s unique model of competing in human currency rather than financial resources. Owned by its 14,110 members, it puts community engagement at the heart of its business, with initiatives like educational programs and job placement services. It is community and relationships, he argues, that work harder for the club than data-driven strategies in brand building and societal development.

#Sports #Business #Communications

Dr Katie Best, leadership coach and consultant on how to solve 10 of the toughest leadership problems. Her titular book addresses common leadership challenges, clustered into three main areas: managing oneself (avoiding burnout, making good decisions, increasing influence), managing teams (cultural issues, employee performance, staff engagement), and leading change (strategy implementation, hybrid working). With an academic background at The LSE and King's College London Business School, she explains how making good decisions, handling burnout, managing cultures in teams, is ultimately all about good communication and listening, especially in a hybrid workplace. Finally, she argues the case for her own model of SOLVE: State your problem, Open the box, Lay out your solution, Venture forth! and Elevate your learning. #Leadership #FutureOfWork

Ross Benes, Senior Analyst at EMarketer on the impact of media deregulation on entertainment quality. Deregulation, he argues, has led to an increase in trashy content like infomercials and reality TV, but marketeers should recognize its value which millions find meaningful. The author of 1999: The Year Low Culture Conquered America who has been quoted by publications such as Marketplace, Bloomberg and LA Times, explains how despite the rise in sports fees, the increase in sports programming has led to more exposure for lesser-known sports. We also discuss trend of media personalities moving from online platforms to traditional media, exemplified by Bari Weiss's acquisition by Paramount.

#FutureOfMedia #Entertainment #FutureOfBusiness

Omar Imtiaz, Distinguished Enterprise Architect at Salesforce on the transformative impact of AI on human work. With a background in computer science and IT, Omar argues the importance of the shift from technology-driven to human-centered transformation with AI enhancing human capabilities rather than replacing them. Advocating for a collaborative approach where AI and humans work together, he reminds us that meaning, purpose and emotional engagement is the future of the workplace, unleashing a completely new generation of creativity.

Omer joins us in his personal capacity. The opinions shared are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Salesforce. Nothing here is confidential, proprietary, or advice; it’s a general discussion of industry topics.

#AI #Creativity #Futureofwork