People Changing Enterprises

Meet Tim and Harrison, the tech leaders behind LADbible Group's relentless innovation. They discuss how the company has repeatedly reinvented itself to stay ahead in the ever-changing world of social media. Recorded live in LADbible's Manchester offices, the episode captures the energy of a team committed to embracing change, shedding technological debt and creating a culture of continuous improvement.

Creating change is hard. Creating change inside a traditional bank? That's a whole other level of hard. Today's guest is Priscila Bezerra, Head of Martech and Digital Acquisition at Banco Itaú. In this episode, she unveils the secrets behind instituting change inside a century-old banking institution with over 100,000 employees.Priscila shares invaluable lessons on embracing a startup mindset, taking calculated risks, and identifying strategic starting points in a composable transformation journey. Hear her advice from a four-year transformative journey that is helping to redefine traditional banking. This episode is a masterclass in innovation and change management.Timestamps:01:16 The challenges of innovation in a century-old bank04:25 Building the martech foundation at Banco Itaú06:03 Deciding where to start with composable: Overcoming cultural and operational hurdles11:37 The Importance of "the people part" in technology transformation18:00 Creating a startup mentality in a traditional bank21:24 How the perception of martech has shifted inside the business, four years later24:49 The importance of preserving the "startup" mindset after initial successes28:52 Advice on maintaining personal motivation and choosing your battles

Outlet shopping centers aren't the first industry you'd think of for being on the forefront of digital transformation. But Jasper de Jong, Group Director for Digital and Media at VIA Outlets, shares why it's more important than you'd think for this business to switch to a composable ecosystem. Learn how Jasper set the strategy for transformation within VIA Outlets, how he got buy-in, and what he sees as the key drivers of digital growth for the retail industry as a whole, and for the outlet shopping business specifically, to maintain a competitive edge. 01:02 Introduction to VIA Outlets02:02 The (digital) customer journey of an outlet shopping center visitor03:01 Digital differentiation strategy for VIA Outlets06:55 The role of data 08:00 Key drivers for going composable12:58 What does Jasper wish he'd known before he started?15:40 Selling in composable to stakeholders21:20 Advice for others starting a digital transformation 

Earth Reiser, Director of Strategy and Innovation at Topgolf Callaway Brands, offers advice on goal-setting, the importance of having a strategic vision as a business, and how to bridge the gap between this vision and actionable objectives. She also shares why she's excited about the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), discussing how she leverages it in her work today, and its potential for increasing organizational efficiency.01:06 The Importance of clear goals 04:06 The balance between top-down and bottom-up goal setting06:09 The power of sharing goals 07:51 The promise and opportunity of AI11:12 Examples of using AI in professional settings

Earth Reiser, the Director of Strategy and Innovation at Topgolf Callaway Brands, offers advice for navigating the murky waters of customer data and analytics, and how brands need to be mindful of customers' desire for privacy. She discusses the implications of the increasing call for privacy across various platforms, and why it's important to gather and use data ethically for decision making. Earth also offers advice on marketing analytics, and the art of asking the right questions when using data, without collecting data for its own sake.

Earth Reiser, the Director of Strategy and Innovation at Topgolf Callaway Brands shares insights on the company's transformation journey. Earth shares how Topgolf Callaway Brands restructured its technology and business model around empowering its employees and customers. She provides advice on bridging the gap between business and technology, balancing a north star vision with the necessity for flexibility, and building a strong composable strategy. Listen in to learn why a monolithic structure isn't always a bad thing, how to help companies embrace change, and why a 'one size fits all' approach isn't right for every organization.01:25 The Topgolf Callaway journey to transformation 05:22 How the brand decided to go composable08:01 How the company aims to serve the modern golfer not just today, but in the future09:33 The importance of flexibility in business11:36 How to embrace change13:59 Advice for companies looking to go composable

In this episode, we check in with some of our first guests, sharing what they've been working on over the past year - and their advice for anyone looking to embark on a transformation in 2024. Bob Howland, Chief Digital Officer at Dawn Foods, explains how composable technology helps their company to effectively cross-pollinate content between their e-commerce and corporate sites. Jon Richards, Head of Digital at Golfbreaks, shares how composable architecture provides time-saving benefits. Danielle Diliberti, CEO of Sommsation, talks about the fast-paced innovative advantages of building a digital marketplace using composable technology. Andreas Westendörpf, CTO of Emma Sleep, shares how their composable stack helped them handle high business spikes during the holiday season. Along with these insights, the guests offer advice for organizations looking to begin their composable transformation journey.Timestamps:1:02 Bob Howland on the benefits of Dawn Foods merging onto a single composable CMS02:48 Jon Richards on the benefits of composable transformation for Golfbreaks04:07 The Golfbreaks portal project (CXAs award finalist)05:44 How Sommsation, a digitally native business benefits from composable (Danielle Diliberti)8:27 How Emma Sleep leveraged composable to thrive and innovate during the holiday season (Andreas Westendörpf)12:16 Advice for composable transformation: Strategic planning14:45 The value of quick wins16:33 Bridging business and technology - before you begin18:59 Remember the long game

A year recap of customer experience transformation: the Contentstack team reflects on 2023's major changes in tech and comms landscape, and offers advice for the year ahead. Discover what's next for personalization and AI, and how businesses can make their composable initiatives more successful given all the changes that have shaped the year behind us. This episode features:Jasmin Guthmann, Head of Corporate Communications, ContentstackVasu Kothamasu, GM and Head of Engineering, ContentstackNishant Patel, CTO, ContentstackConor Egan, VP Product, ContentstackNeha Sampat, CEO, ContentstackTimestamps:0:59 How has business to customer communication changed over the past year? (Jasmin Guthmann)2:34 The challenge and promise of personalization (Vasu Kothamasu)4:24 How the AI landscape changed in 2023 (Nishant Patel)6:16 Is this the year of true hyper-personalization? (Nishant Patel)7:46 Practical implications of AI for businesses (Conor Egan)9:47 Unlock efficiency with automation (Conor Egan)11:28 Why composable is the way forward, and how to make composable transformation successful (Vasu Kothamasu)13:57 Navigating periods of significant change (Neha Sampat)15:59 Advice for businesses heading into 2024 (Neha Sampat)

How do you introduce agile to a business, or an area of the business, that's unfamiliar with it? Damir Dimitrovici, Senior Website Manager at FREE NOW led a digital transformation of the technology stack at FREE NOW in just five months, while also introducing agile practices. He shares his experiences, lessons learned and what he would do differently. Tune in for advice on change management, digital transformation, and the balance of trust and responsibility when leading a project in a large organization.01:01 Damir's role in transforming FREE NOW01:29 The importance of transparency and collaboration02:12 Building trust and respect in the team04:43 The useful concept of MLP (Minimum Lovable Product)06:17 The importance of documentation and decision logs07:44 The pressure of being a product manager08:43 Staying aware of culture when leading change

Damir Dimitrovici, Senior Website Manager at FREE NOW, transformed FREE NOW's marketing site from a monolithic system to a headless setup in a short five months. Damir explains what key decisions he made, how the move prepared the European mobility company for the future, and his top advice for composable transformation. Timestamps:01:08 About FREE NOW 02:25 The drivers for transformation at FREE NOW03:56 Key decisions in the transformation process06:17 The benefits of a composable architecture14:48 Lessons learned from the transformation15:44 The importance of documentation16:56 Future plans for FREE NOW

Sky Group has cracked the code to developer-led innovation, and Oliver Cavanagh (Lead Developer) and Richard Mace (Senior Product Manager) are here to tell us how. From agile thinking to collaborative practices, learn how Sky's unique approach empowers developers to own their projects, experiment fearlessly, and transform ideas into reality. Listen for advice on how to foster happier developers and supercharge innovation inside your enterprise.Timestamps:01:10 Richard and Oliver's background at Sky group01:32 The culture at Sky01:58 How Sky gives developers freedom to innovate03:19 Why you can't schedule innovation04:29 The importance of developer buy-in05:09 How do decisions get made?06:18 Guiding principles for the platform06:54 The bridge between developers and business users - what to do if tensions arise?10:15 Advice for implementing developer-led innovation in your business

Sky is one of Europe's leading media organizations, and since going composable, they've created a revolutionary way inside the business for content editors to create and update websites without involving developers. It's called Sky Websites, and it won the Contentstack Experience Awards in 2023. Project leads Richard Mace, Senior Product Manager and Oliver Cavanagh, Lead Developer, join the show to talk about how Sky Websites was created, how it's helped to both developers and content editors work more effectively, and what hurdles had to be overcome to make it happen.Timestamps:01:22 Richard, Oliver, and Sky Group introduction02:14 The drivers behind composable transformation at Sky Group03:39 What is Sky Websites?05:37 A composable content model POC06:58 What impact has Sky Websites had on the business? 09:40 The hurdles of changing mindsets and challenging the status quo 12:36 Why it's important to be able to let go of your work13:25 Why composable is essential for the Sky Websites project 15:15 The importance of small steps - transformation won't always go smoothly17:49 Setting yourself up for future success

Deep dive into taking a traditional brick and mortar business into the digital age. Bjørn Kreijen, Director of Digital and eCommerce at Boels equipment rental company, shares his firsthand experience of starting a digital department from scratch with a team of just three people, and steering an 8,000 employee enterprise onto the path of digital transformation. Learn about: The unique strategies that guided Boels' digital revolution Creating customer journeys instead of traditional "personas", which shaped their technology and digital strategy Implementing a monolithic platform before making the leap to a composable approach You'll learn how Bjørn overcame challenges, convinced stakeholders to invest in digital, and his roadmap to digital success in the world of brick and mortar businesses. Timestamps:1:06 What is Boels?1:35 Bjorn's role at Boels when he started as director of marketing and communications2:19 Technical landscape at Boels and how the idea of a digital department came to be4:29 Talking to the board about investing in digital 5:26 How the team structure changed during the company's digital transformation 7:06 Making the decision to have front end and back end developers in different teams8:25 Changing the ways of working - selecting a framework11:32 Creating customer journeys for digital (instead of personas)14:24 Going monolith first, then composable17:45 Advice for brick and mortar companies starting digital transformation19:13 Working with partners for change management 

How to create a disruptive brand from scratch, but in an industry that spans hundreds of years of tradition? Crystal Langley and Alex Tanck join this bonus episode of the new Content Series to share how they did just that for wine startup Sommsation. Learn how they used data-driven approaches to create a new brand, how they built out the brand's first integrated campaign, how they pulled all of that through the brand's digital channels - and advice they have for other creative teams.Check out the Sommsation campaign assets discussed in the episode!Timestamps:02:20 What is Sommsation?03:20 Creating a data-driven brand identity for a brand bridging tradition with innovation06:26 Brand guidelines and training the business09:45 The process of developing the brand's first integrated campaign12:28 Key considerations in pulling creative campaigns through the digital experience14:38 Why templates are crucial15:57 How brand & company values can inform digital strategy19:05 The importance of transparency in decision making in digital

In the second part of our anniversary celebration, we're revisiting one of our cornerstone themes - People Changing Enterprises. Join us as we recap the insightful conversations with guests who have mastered the art of driving change from within their organizations.We'll give you three strategic lessons on making change happen, and three super tactical tips you can use today to make change stick. Whether you're a seasoned change-maker or just starting out, this episode is packed with actionable advice and wisdom you can use.Timestamps:0:44 Danielle Diliberti - CTO of Sommsation on the power of peers2:38 Bob Howland - Chief Digital Officer of Dawn Foods on the power of advocates04:29 Jason Greely - Solutions Archtiect at REI on the power of persistence06:18 Cultivating radical resiliency (Bob Howland)08:36 Mindy Montgomery - Senior Technical Product Manager at ASICS on how to reduce the pressure of change10:18 The 3-3-3 rule (Danielle Diliberti)11:16 Keith Mazanec -  Director of Software Engineering at Brad's Deals on the value of documentation12:28 Jon Richards - Head of Digital at Golfbreaks on how to build resonance, and 13:24 Óskar Völundarson, Edvardas Paskevicius and Hallur Þór Halldórsson from Icelandair - on how to make your mark

Join us in celebrating a remarkable milestone - People Changing Enterprises is turning one! In this special anniversary episode, we're taking a journey back to where it all began, exploring our most captivating insights from the past year. And what better way to kick off this anniversary special than revisiting one of our most talked-about subjects: Composable Digital Experiences, featuring our stellar lineup of guests who've generously shared their expertise with us.Timestamps:01:02 Jurre van Ruth - Strategic Program Manager, Composable DXP at the Dutch postal service, PostNL. He'll provide insights into what a composable DXP truly means.03:48 Andreas Westendörpf - CTO of Emma Sleep explains why going composable might just be the last re-platform you'll ever need.05:28 Kat Valdre and Jason Greely - Members of the REI Platform Engineering team explore the exciting possibilities that composable strategies unlock for businesses.09:12 Mindy Montgomery - Senior Technical Product Manager at ASICS takes us through ASICS' journey from monolithic technology to a composable customer experience ecosystem.12:51 Zach Crittendon - Software Architect at Levi's shares firsthand experiences of "going composable" and how this transformative journey can benefit your business.15:51 Watchouts from our guests: What they wish they'd known before going composable.18:18 Juliette Olah - Senior Manager of Editorial at Booking.com emphasizes the importance of launching projects in a tiered approach for maximum impact.

Narisa Wild (Informa) shares how the company introduced an innovative "digital skills index" to raise digital literacy across the organization. She also shares the keys to effective digital transformation that are crucial for any digital leader embarking on any change initiative. Tune in to gain practical strategies and a fresh perspective on how to empower people at all levels of the business to create a stronger digital foundation for a future-ready enterprise. Timestamps:01:28 What were Narisa's biggest challenges when starting to digitally transform the giant organization Informa?04:12 The "digital skills index": what is it and why was it important?06:50 How digital literacy factors into organization-wide goal setting07:58 Advice for digital leaders looking to raise digital literacy inside their organization11:08 Narisa's key mindset for becoming a better digital leader overall

This week we dive into the complex topic of content migration with Narisa Wild, who has spearheaded the digital transformation at Informa, a global B2B events and information services company. We cover the drivers behind content migration, and how to make data-driven decisions about migration and transformation processes -- and how AI is going to offer new opportunities, not just for migration, but for taxonomy, content, and the events space overall.Timestamps: 1:06 What does Informa do?1:43 Narisa's role in digital transformation 2:23 3 drivers for content migration4:08 The #1 content migration question5:04 Where content creation fits in7:22 Why a composable stack makes migration decisions easier10:21 How dashboards help11:43 The future of content at Informa13:53 How AI can aid content migration16:57 How AI can impact event CX strategy 18:27 Looking deeper at the future of enterprise content

This week we explore the topic of developer experience with REI's Kat Valdre and Jason Greeley. They take us behind the scenes of platform engineering at REI and how the two of them think about creating the best possible experience for developers working on these platforms. Kat Valdre is the Engineering Manager of the REI Platform Organization, and Jason Greeley, Solutions Architect, manages content and experience at REI. Collectively, Kat and Jason bring a wealth of knowledge in creating user-friendly infrastructure for developers, supporting their productivity, and fostering innovation in their work. Learn:- How REI's platform engineering teams provide tools and services to enhance developer experience and ultimately benefit the end customer- How making a developer's workday easier and reducing repetitive tasks can lead to better productivity and satisfaction- The importance of providing established solutions with robust SDKs and APIs, and offering reliable support for technical questions- Encouraging exploration and flexibility within the development team and the benefits of involving developers in decision-making processesTimestamps:01:20 The role of platform engineering teams at REI03:05 What is developer experience?04:42 The role of creativity05:54 How to support several developer teams and help them be successful08:11 What Jason and Kat look for in technology to support a good developer experience10:37 Advice for developers seeking a better experience

Kat Valdre and Jason Greely from the REI Platform engineering team share their composable transformation story. They discuss the challenges they faced while decomposing their monolithic architecture and their approach to building trust across the organization as they embark on a years-long transformation. Their transparent and refreshing perspective on tech transformation will resonate with anyone who feels their progress is slower than they (or their organization) would like to move. Kat and Jason provide valuable insights and advice for any business making a major technological shift. Timestamps:1:41 What were things like at REI before they decided to go composable04:06 What pushed REI to start their composable transformation?06:25 The importance of introducing changes in manageable parts07:54 What composable will enable for the business11:17 Advice for companies embarking on composable transformation12:55 Dealing with differing opinions and disagreements13:57 The importance of documentation16:41 Hurdles and challenges REI has faced along the way 18:50 Managing expectations and maintaining morale when transformation takes a long time