Heroes of Disruption

Francis Hellyer is co-founder and executive chairman of London Theatre Direct. Founded in 1999, it was the first of its kind in the UK, and has since grown to become one of the UK’s leading ticket agents and distributors - and even led the way as the first in the industry to accept payments on the blockchain. Francis is an investor, innovator and futurist, who has aided a variety of companies including: StartupYard and Blue Horizon Ventures - whilst also setting up his own investment company, Hellyer Capital. He is a volunteer at a number of organisations such as YPO and Monaco Impact and is host of the weekly podcast, the ‘Metaverse.’ In this conversation, he describes how disruption and the evolution of technology has been part of his journey and the company’s mission to make the booking process more straightforward; shares his optimism for the implementation and expansion of blockchain technology and how it is “giving power back to the people'' whilst creating equal opportunities; and explains the need for humans to improve how we connect with nature, and continue to travel and discover whilst living in the metaverse.

Nadim Sadek is the founder and CEO of ProQuo AI. The brand management platform uses AI and data collection to drive brand growth - facilitating brands such as BMW, American Flatbread, Flickr and Meyenberg. His previous leadership roles include chief executive of TransgressiveX, global chief executive of Millward Brown’s Qual Network, and worldwide commercial and strategy director for Research International. Nadim also built his own brand, the ‘Inish Turk Beg,’ based on the eponymous island he purchased off the coast of Ireland. In this conversation, Nadim shares how his interest in neuroscience has aided his understanding of how people interact with brands, and identifies 16 relationship drivers such as integrity, which can be used to measure brand performance; describes how the platform provides an “iron man suit” for brand managers, utilizing AI to help them make better decisions; and they discuss how the pandemic has created a shift in consumer behavior whilst providing a “significant entrepreneurial opportunity.