Growth Strategy

Meet Joe Toscano Joe Toscano is an award-winning designer, published author, and international keynote speaker and featured regularly on Fox News as a technology expert, along with other major media outlets. You may have seen Joe featured in The Social Dilemma or read his articles on Forbes. Watch his TEDx Talk, “Want to work for Google? You already do,” for a summary of his work. Previously an Experience Design consultant for Google, Joe left Silicon Valley because he believes the industry misuses data and feels the issues need to be addressed through innovation rather than strict regulation. Since leaving, Joe has written a book, called Automating Humanity, and he has started the Better Ethics and Consumer Outcomes Network (BEACON), both focused on increasing technology literacy, discovering opportunities for purpose-driven innovation, and moving communities forward through purpose-driven innovation. Joe’s talks focus on how we can create a better, human-centered approach to designing the internet. His deepest knowledge is in privacy, data protection, digital literacy, and the larger conversation around data rights as human rights.

Why organisations work with Adolfo Fernandez Operator perspective from inside the two platforms reshaping global retail. He has led commercialisation strategy for Google Shopping’s mid-market segment and now Global Product Strategy and Operations for TikTok’s eCommerce advertising suite. A working framework for cross-border growth, drawn from running Google’s internationalization advisory practice for the mid-market. It addresses the question most growth-stage companies misjudge: when domestic plateau means it is time to enter a new market, and on what terms. Recognised by the World Economic Forum, which invited him into its Expert Network on Retail, Consumer Goods and Lifestyle, and Digital Communications. That credential signals depth that bureau platforms alone cannot. Comfort across three buyer registers: regulators and policy bodies (UN, WTO), executive education audiences (IE Business School, MIT), and corporate boards. Leaders get a speaker who can move between policy frame and operating frame without losing either. Delivery in English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, which makes him useful for European and Latin American leadership audiences that other Silicon Valley operators cannot reach without translation. Biography highlights Global Director of Product Strategy and Operations for eCommerce advertising at TikTok, based in San Francisco Former Google leader: Business Development Manager for Spain and Portugal, Global Program Manager for Internationalization advisory, and Google Shopping commercialisation strategy lead for the SMB segment World Economic Forum Expert Network member since 2019 in Retail, Consumer Goods and Lifestyle, and Digital Communications Speaker at more than 200 international conferences, including United Nations and World Trade Organization platforms Guest lecturer at IE Business School and MIT MA in International Management, IE Business School; BA in Business Administration, University of Santiago de Compostela Biography Most companies still treat international expansion as a sequencing problem: which market next, in what order, on what timeline. The harder question is platform-shaped. Discovery, conversion and brand association now run through a small number of global commerce environments, and the rules of entry differ across them. That is the terrain Adolfo Fernandez works in. He is currently Global Director of Product Strategy and Operations for eCommerce advertising at TikTok, where he leads product strategy, product marketing and go-to-market for the platform’s commerce advertising suite. The role sits at the centre of one of the most consequential shifts in consumer attention of the last five years. Before TikTok, he spent close to a decade at Google. He started as Business Development Manager for Spain and Portugal in 2015, then took over Google’s Internationalization advisory services for the mid-market in 2018, before moving to San Francisco to lead Google Shopping commercialisation strategy for the SMB segment. The arc gave him an unusual vantage on how mid-sized firms actually win, and lose, in cross-border digital commerce. His public-facing work has reached the UN and the World Trade Organization, executive audiences at IE Business School and MIT, and the World Economic Forum, which invited him into its Expert Network on retail, consumer goods and digital communications in 2019. He works in English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, which extends his reach into European and Latin American audiences that most Silicon Valley operators cannot serve directly. Key speaking topics Digital commerce and platform strategy International growth and market entry Retail technology and consumer behaviour Brand building in digital-first markets Innovation and product strategy Future of work in technology-led organisations Ideal for Boards and executive teams of mid-market and large companies planning international growth CMOs, commercial directors and digital leaders rethinking discovery, paid media and conversion economics Retail, consumer goods and lifestyle leadership teams reassessing platform dependency Executive education and leadership development audiences in Europe and Latin America Audience outcomes A clearer read on how Google and TikTok are changing the economics of consumer attention and commerce A practical lens for deciding when and how to enter new international markets A working distinction between innovation and creativity inside large organisations Specific examples of how digital-native brands have built relevance and speed without losing core values

Meet Aric Dromi Aric Dromi is a highly respected keynote speaker, futurologist, geopolitical, environmental & social Strategist. Aric spent years helping executives and decision makers to refine their offer and understand the potential impacts that lie along the road ahead. Aric’s strengths lie in his ability to identify patterns and challenge them, along with his ability to use this skill to define new directions and experiments that provide a pathway forward. With a long career in choice architecture and systems design, innovation and futurology, Aric believes that our world is on the cusp of seismic changes that society, business and policymakers are not prepared for. He believes strongly in humanity’s ability to adapt and overcome, and thinks that technology has come to define, rather than serve us. He wants to change this equation, by working towards a more resilient societal model that enables a free market and a future for our children. Aric does this by providing strategic advice to organisations and executives, policymakers, cities and governments. His focus areas include: Automation and fast tracking, Privacy, integrity, surveillance and legislation, Social trends and economic models, Transformation, smarter innovation and monetization structures, Mobility, logistics, energy, communication and smarted data, The reciprocal relationships between policy, society and technology, The future of cities and urban structures, The next frontier of Intelligence amplification in the era of VR, AR and AI. Aric is the Founder and CEO of TEMPUS.MOUU GROUP breakthrough Advisory board as a Service platform.

Meet Sarah Ann Macklin Sarah Ann Macklin is a multifaceted force in the realm of health, nutrition, and advocacy. As the founder of the acclaimed podcast Live Well Be Well and the visionary behind the Be Well Collective, she has galvanised change in the wellness landscape. A registered nutritionist, TEDx speaker, international model, and esteemed health journalist, Sarah’s impact exceeds boundaries. Sarah was talent-spotted by a top London model agency at the age of 15 then whisked off to New York and catapulted into the world of high fashion and glamour, appearing on the front cover of Harpers, Vogue, and was the face of many high-profile campaigns. However, the reality was a brutal industry, which lacked any compassion and empathy. The apparent success of Sarah ultimately led to her health failing and being admitted to A&E which subsequently forced a huge career rethink, leading to the decision of turning her back on high fashion and pursuing her other love, nutrition! Through drive and determination, and ‘hindered’ with dyslexia, Sarah achieved a first-class degree in nutrition! Her dedication to preventative mental health initiatives led to the establishment of the Be Well Collective, a not-for-profit organization committed to preventable mental health support, on a mission for all minds to BE Well. Through her top UK health and nutrition podcast, Live Well, Be Well, one of the biggest UK health podcasts with most exclusive of the moment health conversations involving the world’s renowned scientists and health experts, Sarah has publicised invaluable insights and garnered widespread acclaim. Sarah’s influence extends to the political sphere, where she presented crucial findings on dietary guidelines and their link to the Type 2 diabetes epidemic at the European Parliament. Her book, “The Great British Veg Out,” ignited a nationwide campaign for healthier eating habits, earning support from prominent figures like Gary Barlow and Victoria Pendleton. Additionally, Sarah has consulted for leading brands such Ennismore group, Farmstand restaurant and The GoodLife as well as help patients in her clinic from magazine editors, popstars, actors and C-suite level executives and worked for Netflix. Sarah talks candidly about her own battles during her time as model recognising the lack of nutritional guidance in the modelling industry, Sarah founded the Be Well Collective, which has positively impacted thousands of young individuals through education summits, workshops, mentoring programs, and online resources. Her TEDx talk, “Are models, role models?” underscored her prowess as a compelling public speaker on physical and mental health, further solidifying her reputation. Sarah’s contributions to esteemed publications such as the Financial Times, Telegraph, and Harper’s Bazaar reflect her unwavering commitment to empowering individuals to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives.

Ozwald Boateng OBE; Internationally renowned luxury fashion pioneer and icon. Celebrating over 30 years in fashion, Ozwald Boateng conceived a new silhouette, function and palette for international menswear; creating a concept of style and luxury for men not previously envisaged but desired by men everywhere. Born in London, Ozwald Boateng was inspired by the immaculate suits his father wore. Later, he would fall in love with an artist and helping her finish her collection for a fashion show, he had a foresight of his future. Following this vision, he sold his first collection to a menswear shop in Covent Garden. He was only 16. After spending time with Tommy Nutter, the iconic tailor for the Beatles and the Stones, Ozwald Boateng visualised his future: he would have a shop on Savile Row that would offer ‘bespoke couture’, suits an expressive cut that would enhance the wearer’s spirit and character. Ozwald Boateng began working earnestly towards his goal opening a studio on the Portobello Road in 1991. Recognizing the potential that English tailoring could have on the world’s fashion scene, Ozwald Boateng staged his first catwalk presentation during Paris Fashion Week in 1994 introducing “Classic with a Twist” to the world and becoming the first English Tailor to do so. The success was felt immediately and his boutique was opened on at the south end of Savile Row, in 1995. In 2003 Ozwald Boateng was appointed the first Creative Director at Givenchy Homme, part of the LVMH, the world’s largest luxury goods conglomerate. This huge success relaunched the now hugely successful menswear brand. In 2007 Ozwald Boateng relocated its flagship store and HQ to a prominent location at 30 Savile Row. The designed with David Adjaye, the flagship store is the blueprint for the global expansion. In parallel to his career in fashion Ozwald Boateng has demonstrated his creativity through film. He is known for opening each fashion show with a short film depicting the essence of the collection. His skills in writing and directing short films have been critically acclaimed and awarded. Ozwald Boateng’s innovative approach to design has attracted a number of high profile collaborations, such as Coutts & Co, Johnnie Walker and Virgin and most recently the collaboration with the UK’s esteemed airline ‘British Airways’ and Poltrona Frau, furniture.

Why organisations work with Peter Field His IPA Effectiveness Databank analysis – spanning over 1,000 campaigns, 80+ categories, and 30 years – gives senior marketers an empirical base for budget decisions that no internal dataset can match in scale or authority. The 60:40 principle he co-established with Les Binet is now the dominant reference point for CMO-level investment decisions globally; organisations use it to resist short-term pressure from finance and hold the case for brand building with the board. His 2019 Crisis in Creative Effectiveness report – showing that creatively-awarded campaigns had lost their effectiveness advantage entirely due to short-termism – gives marketing leaders the evidence to argue for sustained creative investment rather than disposable activation. The Creative Effectiveness Ladder, co-developed with James Hurman for Cannes Lions and WARC, gives organisations a practical evaluation tool for assessing the long-term ambition of creative work before it runs. His extension of effectiveness principles into B2B – The Five Principles of Growth in B2B Marketing – fills an empirical gap that most B2B marketing leaders have had to navigate without equivalent guidance. Biography highlights Cambridge graduate; 15 years as a strategic planner at advertising agencies including BMP (later part of the DDB network) Co-author with Les Binet of the IPA Effectiveness Databank series: Marketing in the Era of Accountability (2007), The Long & The Short of It (2013), Media in Focus (2017), Effectiveness in Context (2018) Author of The Crisis in Creative Effectiveness (IPA, 2019) – analysing 24 years of data on the declining relationship between creative awards and business outcomes Co-author with James Hurman of The Effectiveness Code (Cannes Lions/WARC, 2020), which produced the Creative Effectiveness Ladder framework Honorary Fellow of the UK Institute of Practitioners in Advertising Regular keynote speaker at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, IPA EffWeek, and WARC Sessions Biography Marketing measurement has a structural flaw: the channels easiest to measure in real time are the ones least suited to building durable growth. Peter Field has spent 25 years making that argument with evidence – the IPA Effectiveness Databank, a repository of independently verified advertising effectiveness data spanning more than three decades. With Les Binet, Field co-authored the series of IPA Effectiveness Databank reports that set the empirical terms for decisions about budget allocation, media strategy, and creative investment. The Long and the Short of It (2013) established the 60:40 principle: most organisations systematically under-invest in brand building relative to short-term activation. Long-term emotional campaigns, the data showed, generate roughly double the profit of short-term approaches. The series has been cited in over 70 international academic publications and textbooks. Field’s solo research extended these findings into the relationship between creativity and effectiveness. The Crisis in Creative Effectiveness (IPA, 2019) revealed that creatively-awarded campaigns had become no more effective than non-awarded ones – the first time in 24 years of data – driven by the industry’s shift toward short-term activation work. His co-authored Creative Effectiveness Ladder, developed with James Hurman for Cannes Lions and WARC, provides a practical framework for evaluating the long-term ambition of creative work before it runs. A Cambridge graduate and former strategic planner at BMP, Field is an Honorary Fellow of the UK Institute of Practitioners in Advertising. His research has been presented at Cannes Lions, WARC Sessions, and IPA EffWeek, and has shaped how CMOs, CFOs, and boards across the world evaluate the returns on marketing investment. Key speaking topics Marketing effectiveness and budget allocation Long-term brand building vs. short-term sales activation Creative effectiveness and the business case for creativity Measurement, metrics, and the limits of digital attribution Brand growth and pricing power B2B marketing effectiveness Evidence-based commercial strategy Ideal for CMOs and senior marketing leaders under short-term commercial pressure from CFOs or boards CFOs and CEOs seeking an empirical framework for evaluating marketing investment decisions Brand and creative strategy leads making the case for long-term creative ambition internally B2B marketing directors who have lacked an effectiveness evidence base equivalent to B2C Audience outcomes A clear, evidence-based framework for allocating budget between brand building and short-term activation – grounded in 30+ years of campaign data A working understanding of why short-term digital metrics can systematically mislead commercial decision-making The analytical language to present the commercial case for brand investment to a CFO or board Practical criteria for evaluating whether a creative strategy is built for long-term effectiveness or short-term efficiency Awareness of how the Five Principles of Growth in B2B Marketing translate consumer effectiveness evidence into B2B strategy

Why organisations work with Henry Coutinho-Mason He brings a working method for trend-driven innovation, set out in Trend-Driven Innovation and refined across a decade as Managing Director of TrendWatching, rather than a curated list of things happening now. His second book, The Future Normal, co-written with WSJ bestseller Rohit Bhargava, gives executive audiences a structured view of the thirty shifts most likely to reshape the next decade, tailored by sector. He has delivered more than 100 keynotes and workshops across 30+ countries for Mastercard, Johnson & Johnson, Calvin Klein, Tata, Siemens, Google, HP and Marriott, so the material is already pressure-tested on senior corporate audiences. His AI sessions are built around a people-first innovation strategy, not a tools tour, which lands with leaders who need to commit capital and organisational focus rather than pilot for the sake of it. The 3Space track record, recognised by the FT/Citi Urban Ingenuity Awards and NESTA New Radicals, gives him operator credibility beyond the commentary layer. Biography highlights Co-author, The Future Normal: How We Will Live, Work and Thrive in the Next Decade, with Rohit Bhargava (Ideapress). Co-author, Trend-Driven Innovation: Beat Accelerating Customer Expectations. Former Managing Director, TrendWatching. Guest lecturer, HEC Paris. Co-founder, 3Space; European winner of the FT/Citi Urban Ingenuity Awards, commended by Fast Company World Changing Ideas, selected by NESTA New Radicals. Keynote and workshop engagements with Mastercard, Johnson & Johnson, Calvin Klein, Tata, Siemens, Telefonica, HP, Google, GE, Accenture, and Marriott. Biography Most large organisations know their customer expectations are moving. What they struggle with is turning that awareness into a pipeline of decisions a board will back. That gap, between trend awareness and commercial commitment, is where Coutinho-Mason does his work. He spent roughly a decade at TrendWatching, ending as Managing Director of what became one of the most widely referenced consumer trend intelligence firms in the world. That run produced a method, published as Trend-Driven Innovation, for converting shifting customer expectations into concrete innovation bets rather than observations. His second book, The Future Normal, written with Wall Street Journal bestselling author Rohit Bhargava, maps thirty ideas and instigators shaping the next decade, from generative AI to biophilic design. Leadership teams at Mastercard, Johnson & Johnson, Calvin Klein, Tata, Siemens and others have booked versions of the material tailored to their sector, often as the opening frame for a strategy offsite. Alongside the speaking and advisory work, he co-founded 3Space, a social enterprise that turns empty commercial property into space for charities and community groups. It won the European section of the FT/Citi Urban Ingenuity Awards and was commended by Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas, a proof point that the innovation method travels beyond the corporate setting into organisations that have to ship results with little margin for error. Key speaking topics Trend-driven innovation Consumer and customer expectations Strategic foresight People-first AI strategy Future of retail, work and cities Business model innovation Growth strategy Ideal for CSOs and heads of strategy commissioning a multi-year innovation agenda CMOs and customer experience leaders recalibrating propositions against shifting expectations Chief innovation officers and transformation leads looking for a repeatable method, not a trend deck Executive offsites and board sessions opening a decade-horizon strategy conversation Audience outcomes A shared vocabulary for distinguishing durable consumer shifts from short-cycle noise A working framework for translating trend signals into specific innovation bets A sharper view of where generative AI changes the economics of their category, and where it does not Concrete examples of how peer-scale organisations have already moved, drawn from cross-sector research A clear set of questions to take back to strategy, product and marketing teams

Why organisations work with Cassandra Stavrou She has lived the operational reality of scaling a challenger consumer brand against entrenched incumbents, from cement-mixer experiments in her parents’ garage to listings in every major UK retailer. She made PROPER the first B Corp certified snacks company, then proved the model could withstand a major private equity consolidation deal, completed through Brexit and COVID. She speaks credibly to founders and corporate brand teams about the operational discipline required when purpose stops being a marketing claim and starts being an audited certification. A recognised authority on UK food and drink policy, sitting on the government’s Food & Drink Sector Council, with Veuve Clicquot New Generation and National Business Award recognition behind her. Biography highlights Founder, PROPER Snacks (PROPERCORN and PROPERCHIPS), launched 2011 MBE for services to the food industry, 2020 Veuve Clicquot New Generation Award, 2016 National Business Awards New Business of the Year, 2014 Member, UK Government Food & Drink Sector Council Board member, WARP Snacks, formed in 2021 through the Exponent-backed combination of PROPER and Eat Real Biography PROPER started in a kitchen with a cement mixer and a popcorn recipe. A decade later it was Europe’s largest independent healthier snacking business, with listings in every major UK supermarket and distribution across more than twenty countries. The category it competed in was dominated by global incumbents with budgets that dwarfed anything an independent founder could put behind shelf negotiation, marketing or supply chain. Cassandra Stavrou co-founded PROPER in 2011 and ran it as a challenger brand built on a specific premise: that healthier snacks did not have to compromise on taste, and that the business behind them did not have to compromise on its social and environmental obligations. PROPER became the first B Corp certified snacks company, embedding the standard from the inside rather than retrofitting it later. The Veuve Clicquot New Generation Award in 2016, an MBE in 2020 and a seat on the UK Government’s Food & Drink Sector Council mark a track record that goes beyond brand storytelling. The 2021 consolidation with Eat Real under private equity backer Exponent, forming WARP Snacks, gave the next test: whether the discipline that built the brand could survive the rationalisation that follows institutional capital. She speaks to founders, brand teams and boards on what changes when purpose moves from a positioning line to a binding operating constraint, and on the practical economics of building a category challenger that the incumbents eventually have to take seriously. Key speaking topics Founder-led brand building in consumer categories Scaling challenger brands against incumbents B Corp certification as an operating discipline Purpose and profit in the food and drink sector Female founders and capital UK food and drink policy Ideal for Founders and senior commercial leaders in consumer brands and FMCG Brand, marketing and category leaders in retail Investors and boards backing purpose-led businesses through scale events Conferences on entrepreneurship, sustainability and women in business Audience outcomes A working view of what changes operationally when B Corp standards are written into a consumer business from day one Honest detail on the trade-offs between speed of growth and brand integrity in a price-sensitive category The mechanics of negotiating shelf space, retailer relationships and supply chains as an independent challenger A practitioner’s account of running a founder-led business through a private equity consolidation