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Profiling an Award-Winning Real Estate CEO

Posted on September 10, 2018 | by root

Established in 2008, Cavendish Maxwell is a highly-regarded independent firm of surveyors and property consultants, working across the Middle East and Africa. In June, Cavendish Maxwell’s Chief Executive Officer, Nigel Armstrong, was named as the UAE’s Real Estate CEO of the Year, in CEO Monthly Magazine’s esteemed 2018 CEO of the Year Awards programme. On the back of this well-deserved achievement, we profiled Nigel to see how he has built the exceptional career he celebrates today.

Nigel Armstrong, who is well known in the UK for being a CEO with a rich history of operating and scaling businesses, talks about his latest undertaking at Cavendish Maxwell where his prowess has led him to be selected UAE’s Real Estate CEO of the year 2018.

The firebrand Chief Executive of Cavendish Maxwell tells us why his firm is one of the most respected and reliable real estate consultancies in the GCC. We also delve into his experience before he took the reins of this young and dynamic consultancy, which has since helped him take the brand and the company above and beyond its projected growth.

Nigel has always been a proactive leader with a passion for developing and executing business plans. Starting his career with reasonable qualifications, he was eager to venture straight into the workplace and approached Pannell Kerr Forster, where he subsequently spent four years gaining hands-on experience in all disciplines of accounting. Simultaneously he also studied part-time to obtain professional qualifications in accounting, economics and business studies. After vital years spent in practice, working as a management accountant in the manufacturing industry and subsequently being headhunted to run a national transport and distribution company, aged 26, his experience gave him the platform to be engaged for the formation of Bannatyne Fitness Ltd, where he later became the group’s CEO.

Nigel gained vast experience with the group, through his fundamental role in growing the number of health clubs under him from scratch to a portfolio reaching 37 clubs nationwide, additionally 14 children’s day nurseries under the Just Learning brand, (which was later disposed off to Alchemy in 2001), in a very short period, which led him to become a prominent name in the health and leisure sector. Following months of due diligence, in 2006 he was instrumental in spearheading the acquisition of 24 health clubs from Livingwell, owned by Hilton International. As Managing Director during that time, Nigel carried out all negotiations for the deal. In his own words, “Being involved in the refinancing of the whole company to raise an additional circa £100 million for the acquisition was an immense experience to be so centrally involved with.” This acquisition brought the total number of health clubs under him to 61, with over 30 additional day spas, reaching a membership base of 180,000. In addition to demonstrating confidence in the UK health sector, this deal was designed to give the chain stronger geographical presence in the UK, the group also boasting several hotels within the portfolio, both built and/or acquired during his tenure.

In 2014, as Chief Executive for the same group, Nigel’s career encountered another defining moment, when he led the sale and lease back of the ground leases of 39 health clubs with M&G Investments, one of the world’s leading investment management businesses. This sale was successfully agreed at an attractive yield enabling the company to pay down debt and facilitating its future expansion.

Nigel’s stint at Cavendish Maxwell began in 2016 as CEO, exploring more opportunities and accelerating the company’s already enviable growth trajectory. Under his leadership, the company has now expanded into new markets, increasing its workforce by 40% and revenue growth nearing 100%. When joining Cavendish Maxwell, he brought with him a strong managerial background with more than 25 years senior experience across a range of sectors including leisure, hospitality, spas, health clubs, children day nurseries, transport and manufacturing.

Nigel has proudly been named UAE’s Real Estate CEO of the year 2018, a recognition of his ambitions during a time of high-level competition in the market, and the endeavour to move into new territories and expand service offerings in Muscat and Abu Dhabi, creating wider employment opportunities. Under his leadership, the company intends to continue this expansion and promote greater brand presence by entering into new markets and areas such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, amongst others in the wider GCC and African territories.

Cavendish Maxwell was established in 2008, emerging in the financial storm, led by two business partners. Jay Grant, Founder and Chairman of the company, remains actively involved with an enviable vision and hunger, coupled with a desire for quality and success. The British run company has since become a regional powerhouse and one of the most influential voices in the real estate industry, leading the way in providing property consultancy services in the Middle East and Africa. As a RICS accredited property consultancy, Cavendish Maxwell offers a range of services within valuation, advisory and building consultancy services. The company arguably has the largest residential team in the region as well as an ever-expanding commercial valuations team.

Cavendish Maxwell completed more than AED 124 Billion worth of commercial and residential valuations last year and have already broken revenue records in the first half of 2018. The company’s Investment and Agency team have been at the forefront of some of the region’s largest deals. This summer they concluded a single transaction for over AED 700 million, which is believed to represent one of the largest ever deals in the Gulf. In addition to the company’s strength in building consultancy, plant and machinery, research, development advisory, the company looks to focus on new service offerings and are excited to now embark on project management.

As Cavendish Maxwell celebrates its 10-year anniversary, the Chairman and CEO are working closely, dovetailing their individual skills, ensuring that the company goes through one of the most exciting phases in its history and eagerly look to help it expand exponentially, growing its network of chartered surveyors and property consultancy services across the GCC and Africa.

“Since joining the company in 2016, Nigel’s strong managerial background and unique business insights have enabled us to not only navigate through challenging times in the industry, but also to significantly grow the company and expand our service lines. His keen market intuition combined with his ability to bring teams together to execute resultant opportunities has been fundamental to our recent progress. We have very exciting times ahead of us and I can think of no one better to lead Cavendish Maxwell through the next stage of the company’s development,” says Cavendish Maxwell Founder and Chairman, Jay Grant.

Empanelled and trusted by 40 banks in the Middle East, the name Cavendish Maxwell is synonymous with trust and reliability. Companies including Thomson Reuters, Bloomberg and MSN anticipate and publish all reports created in-house by Cavendish Maxwell, as the company continues to lead the way in informing the industry on trends and behaviours in the real estate market, through its data intelligence platform, Property Monitor.

Property Monitor is one of the major product lines that has grown under Nigel’s leadership. Under his supervision and guidance, it has become one of the UAE’s leading real estate and data analytics platform that was developed in response to a need for greater market transparency. The company introduced this platform in 2014 and it has since grown both in size and respect, becoming an industry praised, credible source of independent transaction evidence and market insight. Property Monitor is now a prominent platform in the proptech space and offers more comprehensive house price data, both public and proprietary, than anyone else in the market. The data and insight are available to the market in a fast-growing set of products and solutions: online and offline, out-of-the-box and customisable.

The drive that Nigel has demonstrated in acquiring, scaling and growing businesses from scratch throughout his career, has been replicated at Cavendish Maxwell. Looking ahead, as CEO of Cavendish Maxwell, he is determined for continual organic growth and employee development. Cavendish Maxwell have already had successful openings in Abu Dhabi and Muscat, with ambitions to cement the foothold in these areas and expand their presence into all the emirates; their next move will be into the wider GCC. With excitement at the prospect of exploring opportunities in Africa, Nigel expresses the undeniable interest in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, stating that KSA is an exciting market place and in honesty, too great a market to ignore.

For Nigel, motivation comes from success and achievement which occurs in many forms, from successful business expansion, profit growth to harnessing relationships. He believes success is also synonymous with a company working productively together, therefore he aims to bring focus and commitment to employees and takes great pride in developing staff and seeing their careers progress. In a position of leading and encouraging delegation within the company, he has always been fascinated in understanding what makes people tick and has used this tool to assess and motivate everyone within the organisation as an individual. A ground breaker, who leads his endeavors from the front, his key principle is to ensure the business has an open-door policy which creates full transparency and discussion amongst the company’s departments and its employees. As well as being extremely driven and ambitious, Nigel encourages employees to continuously strive for positive results and industry-defining achievements. He has always focused on simplifying rather than complicating matters and this would be his advice for anyone trying to maintain a successful business.

Committed to the Healthcare Experience and Scientific Innovation

Posted on September 10, 2018 | by root

Simpson Healthcare Executives, founded by Kelly Simpson-Angelini, CEO & CSO, is a diverse scientific agency. We caught up with Danielle Gallagher to discover more about the firm who are currently celebrating their 20th year of business.

Established in 1998, Simpson Healthcare is a diverse scientific agency currently celebrating its 20th year of business. In an ever-evolving healthcare landscape, Kelly believes that providing great branded and disease education to physicians is essential to advancing the story of science that their clients need to tell. Brands of the future must be more personalised and precise as the firm prioritises the overarching goal of healthcare: helping people live better.

For the past 20 years, the firm have had the opportunity to work with heritage biopharmaceutical clients including: Pfizer, Shire, AstraZeneca, Genzyme, Merck, to name a few, having focused our innovations on supporting them in the development of new therapies. The scientific expertise and disruptive thinking methods among members of their organisation span across a broad array of many major disease categories, including respiratory, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, rare diseases, gastrointestinal, adult vaccines, and severe asthma. The firm’s medical and strategy teams are catalysts of industry innovation as they bring to bear the larger context of healthcare for their clients, aligned in their purpose and always keeping the patient at the centre of their focus.

Discussing the steps Simpson Healthcare take when undertaking a new project to ensure that clients receive the best possible outcome, Danielle explains to us the process the team abides by.

“Here at Simpson Healthcare, we pull through the story of why our clients’ therapeutic brands matter for patients and how they will improve their lives. We dig deeper into the science of the therapies that our clients are developing and what it means for patients who could benefit the most from their therapy. At the start of a new project, our internal team will align with our client on strategic vision, project management details, and the long-term value that will be added to the healthcare industry throughout the entire therapeutic brand lifecycle. After working with our client to clearly define the problem or opportunity, we will then outline our objectives and timelines and move forward in a collaborative path.”

A few years ago, Simpson Healthcare’s leadership team, under the guidance of Kelly Simpson-Angelini CEO&CSO, revisited the mission and vision of Simpson Healthcare and transformed this into a purpose statement. This purpose is rooted in their internal core belief systems, guides their teams in every moment, and is the reason why the firm do what they do here every day at the agency. The firm’s purpose is to support their clients to share the scientific story of the disease they touch and therapies they discover for all in need. They challenge key healthcare stakeholders to think disruptively about healthcare beyond next year and into the next decade as they work to develop and deliver the therapies of the future.

Simpson Healthcare has a unique internal culture that has been designed by the founder, Kelly Simpson-Angelini to be one that is experience-driven, educational, patient-centred, and rooted in our core values. They have over 20 years of agency experience across many therapeutic areas to leverage, and also carve the path of success for their clients’ brands. Danielle goes into detail about the team and the culture within the firm, as well as how all the staff are equipped to provide the best possible service to their clients.

“At Simpson Healthcare, we realise the value in taking a step back during the decision-making process to practice mindfulness, and we examine our own thoughts, emotions, and the potential results of those decisions prior to moving forward. Our intention is always to ensure we develop and provide the right medical education to physicians that lead to the best possible outcomes for our clients and for their patient communities. In our 20th year of business alone, we are currently working to impact roughly 1/3 of both national and global populations.”

Moving forward, Kelly Simpson-Angelini believes that the firm live in a time where they must encourage both their clients and their fellow healthcare community to look beyond next year, as well as into the next decade as they pioneer the future of healthcare and uncover what patient needs are, how they may change, and how they can be most impactful in improving health outcomes. Danielle envisions what the future holds for the firm, as well as reflecting on how far Simpson Healthcare have grown throughout the years.

“The core stories of disease, diagnosis, and new therapies will continue to be new and abundant. There is a huge opportunity to continue to build knowledge and skills in organising and showcasing scientific content. We will have more brands to build, and more ways to build and explain them. A personalised and individualised approach to disease education will be something to simplify and focus on in marketing material. Most of all, we are proud to unite and support our clients, to shape the future of healthcare so that the best therapeutic treatments may be available to provide a brighter health outlook for those in need.”

Company: Simpson Healthcare

230 Shore Road, Old Lyme, Connecticut, 6371, USA

Telephone: 001 860 598 9812

Web Address: www.simpsonhealthcare.com

The rise of the Chief Experience Officer

Posted on August 31, 2018 | by root

The rise of the Chief Experience Officer: Who they are and how they are transforming businesses

By Frédéric Durand, CEO and founder of Diabolocom

In recent years a new role has emerged in a growing number of businesses: that of the Chief e(X)perience Officer (CXO). Otherwise known as the Customer Experience Director or the Customer Experience Manager (CXM), the CXO has a pivotal position within the organisation.

Their main responsibility?

To create customer-centric strategies which help companies to deliver an exceptional customer experience.

The growth of this role in today’s corporate hierarchy is not surprising. According to The Economist Intelligence Unit, 59% of companies see their turnover increase faster when they prioritise investment in the customer experience[1]. Earlier this year, PwC announced its appointment of their first Chief Experience Officer, announcing that the role would “evolve the firm’s approach to business transformation by bringing in experience strategy, design, and user experience (UX) capabilities”[2].

Such a decision reflects how expert customer experience has become a real competitive tool for companies. Indeed, 90% of CEOs believe the customer has the greatest impact on their business[3]. Companies who cannot meet consumer demands and exceed their expectations might find their number of existing, and potential customers, dwindling.

Job description of the CXO

In order to properly define the role and duties of the CXO, it is helpful to first consider what is meant by customer experience. The business consultancy, Wavestone, defines customer experience as the feelings consumers have, based on the accumulation of their total interactions with a company, represented by its employees, products, stores and websites, marketing campaigns, its values and its customer service centres.

Therefore, the scope of the CXO extends beyond a Customer Service Manager: as the spokesperson for the customer experience they are tasked with ensuring each aspect of the business contributes towards a positive engagement between the brand and the consumer.

Businesses are investing more than ever in customer relationship innovations and the efforts are beginning to bear fruit, as the latest Customer Satisfaction Index report demonstrates. The average scores for customer trust and effort with brands remains the same from the previous year, whilst the percentage of customers experiencing a problem has decreased from 13.1% to 12.8%. The report however does indicate that the gap between organisations who are upholding high customer satisfaction levels and those who are struggling to maintain a great customer experience is increasing[4]. For companies today, a superior experience must deliver value, positive emotions and be convenient for the customer.

Disrupting business strategy

Similarly to how a Chief Digital Officer is responsible for their company’s digital transformation, the CXO must lead the company in becoming more customer-oriented, which might require disrupting some core structures within an organisation.

The CXO’s five main objectives are to:

1 – Promote the culture of customer orientation internally

2 – Develop knowledge and understanding of customers

3 – Implement targeted campaigns to increase customer loyalty, retention, and satisfaction

4 – Promote the customer perspective and make sure it is considered for all topics and projects of the organisation

5 – Measure all the factors that form the customer experience through various KPIs.

Wavestone further highlights in its report on the keys to a successful customer experience transformation that the role requires, “experience in quality assurance, operations or marketing. The Customer Experience Manager should fully understand the company issues and strategy, not just to give them greater legitimacy, but also, most importantly, so that they can identify areas for improvement in each department”[5].

The CXO is most valuable when an internal transformation is required, helping to drive better customer interactions and enhance the overall business performance. Consequently, an organisation’s need for a CXO depends on how customer-centric they already are. Amazon is one example of a company whose approach is founded upon expert customer understanding and management. If this notion already forms part of a company’s DNA and is rooted in its culture, organisation, and processes, the customer experience has no need for a champion.

Customer experience also means employee experience

The CXO is also not limited to the needs of customers. Another part of the CXO’s responsibility is to ensure an optimal experience for staff. Managed by HR, the employee experience is a reflection of the customer experience. The principle of Symmetry of Attention (a concept developed by the Académie du Service), suggests that there is a reciprocal relationship between the employee journey and the experience delivered to the customer. The satisfaction and well-being of employees is essential for guaranteeing customer satisfaction and turning those customers into brand ambassadors. As such it is important for the CXO to ensure that this symmetry is respected.

The CXO acts as an internal customer ambassador, creating a bridge between the company and its customers. They ensure that each department is unified in providing a seamless, high-quality experience for customers which leaves a lasting positive impact. The rise of the CXO reveals a growing awareness amongst executives that the customer experience must become central to the company’s culture, organisation and processes in order to drive customer retention and acquisition.

[1] http://perspectives.eiu.com/sites/default/files/Genesys_Executive_Summary_-_GLOBAL_FINAL.pdf

2 https://www.pwc.co.uk/press-room/press-releases/pwc-consulting-appointment-roger-gagnon-chief-experience-officer.html

3 https://www.pwc.co.uk/ceo-survey/the-key-factors-in-building-trust.html

4 https://www.instituteofcustomerservice.com/research-insight/research-library/ukcsi-the-state-of-customer-satisfaction-in-the-uk-july-2018

5 https://www.wavestone.com/app/uploads/2017/03/Customer-experience-keys-successful-transformation.pdf

6 Reasons Why Gareth Southgate is a Transformational Leader

Posted on August 22, 2018 | by root

How to become a leader in your business

By Geoff Lawrence, marketing director at Vistage UK

There’s a discernable difference between being a good leader, and a great one. Great leaders adopt a unique approach to their role and manage to get everyone on board right from the get-go. Which leadership figures spring to mind when we think of a transformational leader? This summer Gareth Southgate won hearts and minds not just among his young team, but right across the whole country; his efforts with the England football team surpassed all expectations and sent a feel-good factor surging through the supporting public back home when he led the team to an unprecedented World Cup semifinal.

Part of Gareth’s success is often credited to his approachable and engaging demeanor, not to mention an impeccable eye for a good waistcoat. But Southgate’s appeal went far beyond a decent dress sense and affable demeanour.

His ability to instill belief, whilst eliminating the overriding sense of pressure which has dogged England teams since 1966 contains lessons for any transformational business leader:

1. Loosen your grip

When entering a managerial role, it’s easy to jump in guns blazing in order to make your mark and assert authority. Instead, take a step back and ask yourself, ‘am I over managing?’. If so, try adopting a more relaxed approach. Have faith you’ve led your staff effectively enough to encourage ownership and accountability, ensuring they have the correct resources to get the job done well. When Southgate first took up his role, he actively sought out advice from experts. He saw the value of stepping outside of his immediate peer-group to seek advice inspiration from other sporting disciplines such as the NFL and Cricket. He saw parallels and was able to cherry pick and emulate key plans, philosophies and style of play to formulate his own unique playbook, personalised for the England squad. Good leaders are humble, seek advice and spread their nets far and wide to seek it out.

2. Trust and respect your staff

In a similar vein, fostering an environment of mutual levels of trust and respect, with all team members, is crucial to being a leader. Don’t be afraid to get ‘stuck in’ with the rest of them. Next time you’re watching a match keep your eyes on Southgate. He’s grounded and isn’t afraid to run alongside on the pitch to keep abreast with the players. Your presence as a leader instils support and empowers your team members.

3. A Company is not a machine

Part of what makes Southgate a great leader are his interpersonal skills. He understands the value of a team working towards the same goal without neglecting the needs of the individual within that team. Look at how he squad players spoke about their roles in the team. They felt valued. Don’t be afraid to show some emotion as a leader. Inflexible rules and a robotic hierarchy won’t get you very far when leading a team and you’ll lose engagement and respect soon after. Exceptional leaders are able to use their interpersonal skills to open dialogue with their team and inspire them. This will allow your employees to relate and feel more comfortable bringing issues to your attention. Put your team first and listen to their individual opinions and needs. Tailoring your management style to the individual enables you to get the best out of them and is a sure way to bolster performance. Take England’s two penalty shootouts this World Cup. Each player was able to focus on their own contribution, but when it came to the bigger picture they were able to trust their teammates – and finally break the England penalty curse.

4. Change = Opportunity

Business leaders see change as an opportunity to be seized. It’s important to know that continual success and growth only comes for organisations willing to embrace the new. In the selection process for the World Cup, Southgate formed a squad comprising of young players such as Jesse Lingard and experienced veterans such as Gary Cahill. The influx of new talent brought news ideas to the table and no doubt will help develop future leaders within the national team. Additionally, Gareth Southgate managed to bring an entirely new way of coaching and leadership to English football by spending more time with each player. Linking back to Gareth’s agility in nurturing individual and group needs, continually invest in employee training and development to reap the rewards of a trustworthy, varied and diverse team.

5. Make work a fun place to be

It goes without saying: competition is rife. Even within the same organisation employees can feel divided amongst departments, teams and groups. Despite working towards a common end, different departments tend to have their own objectives, which at times can get in the way and blind them from the shared business goal. They are often compared and marked against another department’s progress. Exceptional leaders unite their teams with a single vision and never lose sight of it. Gareth managed to blank out the white noise to focus on ensuring the team shared the sense of purpose. He also treated the squad as professionals, letting them set their own curfews, and allowing them to celebrate their wins. Gareth’s goal wasn’t restricted to just winning the cup, as manager he single handedly orchestrated a strategy that instilled the same vision throughout the entire country: Footballs fans, the general public and media alike all wanted the same thing.

6. Empowerment – reinforce positivity in the face of failure

Failure is an unfortunate and regular reality in the world of business. A fear of failure can be crippling for organisations; especially if team members feel uneasy about making calculated risky decisions that could potentially yield great results. With mounting pressure on a global stage, Gareth Southgate’s management style empowered players to approach each game positively. Finally we had a team that was enjoying their time on the pitch. Lead by example, and show your team that failure is a stepping stone for learning and change.

England’s success at the World Cup delighted the nation, and Gareth Southgate’s leadership has been front and centre of the team’s set up. Like a failing/struggling business, incoming leaders have to find their identity and adapt to a new situation. Incredible leaders have a different understanding of their role than average leaders. Gareth has had to do things differently to help these group of men to achieve their goals this summer.

What’s in store for the future of the high street?

Posted on August 17, 2018 | by root

After the introduction of online shopping, the high street took a nosedive in terms of footfall. But strangely, in 2015, figures showed weekly shoppers were visiting physical stores up to 40% more, and 2018 is predicted to see a 44% increase. So, what’s changed?

Presumably, the social element of shopping is bringing customers back to the pavements, along with innovations in-store. Plus, physical stores all you to try on clothes even if you’re going to order online later — no matter how many maxi dresses you find online that you adore, you won’t know how well they fit till they arrive!

With both high street stores and an online store launched in 2005, we’ve turned to the expertise of QUIZ Clothing, to see what changes are happening to make the high street more appealing than ever before.

A digital imprint on the high street
Technology was, initially, largely an internet-based element for retail. But, recent research still indicates that people value brick-and-mortar stores — in fact, 81% of UK customers said that the physical stores were vital to the shopping experience. So, when it comes to improving the high-street and implementing in-store technology, what should retailers be getting involved with?

Customers have been noted to enjoy using in-store kiosks as a convenient way to get information. However, not all retailers are getting on board — 66% of those surveyed in one study said that they were yet to encounter artificial intelligence in-store. Do retailers realise the huge potential of this type of technology? In fact, 60% of consumers are attracted to the idea of using them to find products that they weren’t aware of before. As an example, in QUIZ’s digital stores, an in-store kiosk enables visitors to browse the full collection (even if some products aren’t available in-store) and order them to their homes or local store.

Staff can also make use of in-store technology in order to amplify the customer experience. One way to do this is by providing employees with handheld iPads or other smart tablets. This allows staff to find the answer to a query, check a product’s availability and place orders for the customer without having to use a fixed computer. This can improve the customer’s experience and help build a stronger brand-to-customer relationship.

Augmented reality is the next big trend in technology, and it’s coming to retail too. This can help the customer with their purchase decision and help them visualise themselves with the product. Although this can be made available through an app, there are also ways to introduce it in-store. In a fashion store for example, a smart mirror can allow customers to dress themselves in different outfits without actually trying them on. Similarly, in a furniture store, visitors can upload a photo of their home and try out pieces of furniture to see if it would suit their rooms.

More visits, more loyalty
Technology not only enhances the in-store experience, but it can help encourage more in-store visits. It’s possible that having in-store technology in a physical shop can make a brand more attractive to customers, and potentially a better option over competitors. Some retailers are recognising this too as one report suggested that 53% of retailers view investments in new automations and appliances in-store as vital to keep up with their competitor activity.

Keeping up with technology and outfitting a store accordingly can be a big boost to a brand’s image too. One study revealed that 46% of those surveyed said that a positive experience due to well-functioning technology increases their brand confidence.

Imperfect technology
Technology can, however, experience a few blips. This can be frustrating and add time onto a customer’s visit which may result in a negative experience. RetailWeek found that two thirds of those surveyed had experienced problems and breakdowns in-store with the technology. Unfortunately, this then affects sales — one third of customers said that they were unable to complete their transactions because of the technology difficulties.

Any in-store experience that fails to live up to expectations can damage a customer’s viewpoint, and in-store technology is part of this. Retailers must keep software and technologies updates and well-maintained to avoid issues like this.

Complicated technology can also be a damaging problem. This could make people feel excluded too — in-store tech should be simple to use, and visitors should be accompanied when using it if it’s more complex.

In-store technology can be hugely advantageous when used effectively. Although customers are happy to shop online, they also enjoy shopping as a leisure activity and appreciate an interactive experience when doing so.

Sources
https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/industries/retail-consumer/consumer-insights-survey.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2017/06/20/the-future-of-retail-how-well-be-shopping-in-10-years/#21188bbe58a6

https://www.itproportal.com/features/consumers-love-in-store-technology-so-its-time-for-retailers-to-respond/

https://internetretailing.net/themes/themes/quiz-brings-digital-into-westfield-stratford-store-15243

https://www.fool.com/investing/2018/07/06/can-in-store-technology-slow-the-retail-apocalypse.aspx

What role does automation play in GDPR compliance?

Posted on August 13, 2018 | by root

By Larry Augustin, CEO at SugarCRM

It’s been a couple of months since GDPR came into force and businesses are starting to realise the impact of the new regulations. According to reports, the first month of GDPR saw a sharp increase in the number of complaints to regulators across Europe and people are now starting to think a little more about how a business might be using their personal data.

Businesses need to be ready to deliver on requests from the public on their right to access and erase data and will need to ensure processes are in place to tackle these incoming queries. But just what effect has GDPR already had, what will the future look like and what role will automation play in helping companies deal with incoming requests?

Corporate victims

Several big businesses have already been affected by the regulations. Retailer Fortnum & Mason has already had to admit the loss of around 23,000 customer records – which included emails, telephone numbers and delivery addresses of customers who filled out a survey. Travelodge was also forced to announce that 180,000 personal details of its clients were taken, including date of birth, passport numbers and billing information.

Both companies have had to contact each person whose data has been lost, as the new regulations require disclosure within 72 hours of a breach.

Overwhelmed by Requests

Although there are many aspects to GDPR, one side effect is that it encourages people to think about what personal data about them that a company might keep. And it requires companies to respond to certain requests from people. For example:

– What kind of personal information do you have about me?

– How specifically is this information being used?

– Provide me a copy of all the data you have on me

– Forget me

Some of these requests are hard. Think about what it means for your business to forget someone. Consider for a moment your people and systems. Most systems are designed to not forget things. Do you have backups? Forgetting means forgetting everywhere. Can you even find all the places where you have data on a person?

Imagine your business inundated with requests from the public demanding the right to access and erase data. If you fail to respond in a timely way, you run the risk of hefty fines. You will need to put in place processes to tackle incoming queries, and ensure timely follow-up and resolution. You need a system to manage requests and make sure they don’t go unanswered. Response is not just a matter of customer satisfaction. It’s the law.

The role automation plays

Technology can play a big part in helping businesses to navigate the GDPR journey. Using an automated system to capture all data requests helps companies manage the influx of customer queries, and means inbound requests can be constantly monitored. Ongoing compliance with GDPR needs to become part of the daily operation of the business.

Automation also helps companies efficiently retrieve information requested by customers, especially if they hold multiple forms of data on the customer. For example, businesses that receive requests to erase customer data will need technology to ensure the masses of information they have on each individual can all be found and erased. Any missed data could lead to gaps in compliance and fines.

The need for human intervention

In the midst of GDPR compliance, you also need to run your business. People may want to be forgotten, but a business also needs to maintain accounting records, tax information, and other legal data on its customers. GDPR allows for this. But technology by itself cannot be relied upon to determine which data can be erased, and which data you are otherwise required to keep.

Technology can only go so far with capturing and filtering queries; the system then needs help to decide the right action. Enter a human. The Data Privacy Officer steps in and makes a judgement call as to which information a business must keep, and what can be erased.

Humans and technology must work together to ensure compliance with the new regulations. Automating some of the processes will better equip your business to respond efficiently and effectively to customer data requests.

GDPR as an opportunity

In the era of the Internet and instant globally visibility, businesses depend even more on delivering a great customer experience. Take advantage of the need to comply with GDPR to understand your customer journey, what information you need to maintain about customers, and your overall customer experience. The more information you know about the customer, the more you can tailor to them a personalised experience. You need customer data to personalise the experience, and GDPR lets you maintain that data. If you’ve been collecting information in the hope of elevating the customer experience, now is your chance. Put that data to good use now. Otherwise you need to stop collecting and erase that data. Use GDPR as an opportunity to finally finish that customer journey or personalisation project that you’ve had on hold.

No more excuses or delays! Businesses need to automate their GDPR processes. As GDPR becomes better understood, the potential for more automation grows. But for the foreseeable future humans need to make key judgement decisions. Ultimately, GDPR is a great opportunity to galvanise your business and automate some of your existing processes. Use it to help employees become more efficient and keep the business aligned with the new regulations, whilst also strengthening client trust and relationships.

The Future is Luminous for WEC Energy Group

Posted on August 9, 2018 | by root

WEC Energy Group, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is one of America’s leading electric and natural gas holding companies, with $31 billion of assets and over 8,000 employees. In June, CEO Monthly Magazine named WEC Energy Group, and its CEO and Chairman Gale Klappa, among the winners of the 2018 CEO of the Year Awards programme, with the title of Most Outstanding Energy Delivery Holding Company. On the back of this achievement, we spoke to Gale, who reveals some of the secrets to his – and WEC Energy Group’s – success.

WEC Energy Group is a Fortune 500 company that provides electricity and natural gas to 4.5 million customers across Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota. Through seven utility subsidiaries, its family of companies is committed to delivering world-class reliability and the best customer care anywhere.

Firstly, Gale outlines his unique approach to leadership and the role of the CEO: “I believe that the core responsibility of a CEO is to define the company’s mission and to clearly articulate what success looks like – so that every employee understands their role in creating lasting value for the enterprise. Every successful leader has a set of core values. For me, that list of values starts with integrity, customer focus, a sense of urgency, financial discipline and taking personal responsibility for results.

“I remember early on, when I first became CEO here, at my very first leadership forum, I laid out our list of values. And those values are now part of everyone’s performance assessment. For example, my senior leadership team – they will have three to five important goals. When I sit down with my direct reports, we agree on three to five important goals that fit the next 12 months. But in addition, there’s another goal. To demonstrate the company values in the way they manage the business and in the way they conduct themselves.”

It’s clear that this perspective is defined, primarily, by the lessons learned during Gale’s early career. “I worked my way through college as a newscaster at the No. 1-rated radio station in Milwaukee and earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from the University of WisconsinMilwaukee. In 1973, I accepted the position of national news director for a chain of radio stations with an operational base in Atlanta, Georgia. One Sunday, I was paging through the Atlanta newspaper and saw a blind box advertisement that said, ‘Fortune 500 energy company seeks spokesman.’ I applied and became the spokesperson for one of the largest companies in America’s energy industry.

“The CEO of Southern Co., at the time, was a gentleman named Alvin Vogtle. For one reason or another, he took me under his wing. He would ask me to look into something that he was concerned about and come back to him with recommendations. I realized that he was really helping me to learn the business. He exposed me to the entire span of company issues. And he would also ask, ‘How can we use the influence, the leverage and the capabilities of this company to help make our communities better?’ The foundation of knowledge that Mr. Vogtle helped me to acquire was of tremendous value as my responsibilities grew – including service as the chief executive of a British utility that Southern Co. acquired in the 1990s. My final role at Southern was Chief Financial Officer.”

“In 2003, I returned to my home state and have helped to guide WEC Energy Group through a period of significant growth over the past 15 years. In 2015, we completed the acquisition of Integrys Energy – nearly doubling the size of our company. WEC Energy Group is now the eighth-largest natural gas distribution company and one of the 13 largest investor-owned utilities in the United States.”

Being such a large presence in the industry allows WEC Energy Group to advocate an outstanding company culture that speaks of collaboration and celebrating the everyday successes. We asked Gale how he manages his staff; “with clear goals, open communication and teamwork. Everyone needs to take personal responsibility for results. Equally, we try not to take ourselves too seriously. We need to enjoy and celebrate the milestones along the way.”

“I would describe our culture as one of accountability, of teamwork and of open communication, where we focus on developing employees who make a difference in a mission that truly matters.”

Just as Gale learned from those who mentored him through his early career, Gale himself is well placed to pass on some of the wisdom he has learned in his decades of executive experience: “Become a student of the business – whatever business or industry you’re engaged in. Don’t be afraid to take on challenging assignments. Along the way, I’ve found that three simple letters capture the key to professional growth and progress: ‘CFF.’ Those letters stand for commitment, focus, followthrough. Finally, don’t hesitate to ask for help. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength.”

Finally, Gale discusses the imminent future of WEC Energy Group: “I’m very optimistic. Our future is bright. Advancements in technology are enabling us to gain even greater efficiency, improve our environmental performance and provide our customers with clean, reliable energy at an increasingly affordable cost. We have a deep leadership team, fully capable of delivering on our promises and proving that we’re great stewards of an enduring franchise.”

By all regards, Gale is no stranger to accolades – championing a strong work ethic and personal responsibility, he has been the recipient of numerous high-profile and industry-leading awards. CEO Monthly Magazine’s recognition is just another in a long line of recognition – a testament to his outstanding abilities as a leader and CEO.

Company: WEC Energy Group
Name: Gale Klappa, Chairman and CEO
Web Address: www.wecenergygroup.com
Address: 231 W. Michigan St., Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Telephone: +1 414-221-2345

Keeping the Wheels Turning in the Industrial Sector

Posted on August 8, 2018 | by root

Established in 1995 by Mark Lord, Aztec Oils is a distributor of lubricating oils for the automotive and industrial market within South Yorkshire and the East Midlands. In June, CEO Monthly Magazine named Mark as one of our CEOs of the Year for 2018, with the title of Most Outstanding in Manufacturing. We spoke to Mark to find out how he has built Aztec Oils into one of the leaders of the industrial sector.

Mark has always had an eye for business, building his career on the back of an expertise in the lubrication markets, he has been the driving force behind Aztec’s position as one of the UK’s leading specialists in high performance lubricant manufacture and distribution. His outstanding leadership has transformed Aztec Oils from a one-man band, to a European tour-de-force. Mark attributes the company’s enduring success to teamwork, and a trusting partnership with his managerial team, “The key to our growth and the company’s success is a result of teamwork, and allowing management to take ownership of their own areas of responsibility.”

Mark continues, “We operate a very informal non-hierarchical framework where all operatives are made to feel part of one team pulling together. Good communication is key throughout the organisation with the different departments coming together on a regular basis to pre-empt any problems.”

Mark sums up his role in the business as something akin to a guide, leading the team from the front with his years of experience in the sector, “my role is to advise and allow them to take ownership of their own decisions.”

This leadership style stands, foremost, as testament to Mark’s ability as a CEO. He has created a team, from the ground up, who are competent, capable and highly trained. When we asked Mark what advice he would give to someone looking for success in their business, he echoed similar sentiments, “with the right people around you can do anything. Find the right people, look after them and don’t let them go.”

“My key managers take responsibility for their own areas of the business. My role is to advise and allow them to take ownership of their own decisions.”

Over the coming years, in light of a possible Brexit, Mark is moving to protect his business; early in 2018, Aztec Oils made a strategic purchase of Netherlands-based Oil-Water Treatment (OWT) Services, a global oil field chemical services company. In many ways, this is the perfect encapsulation of Mark’s leadership. From the very start, Mark has steered Aztec in smart directions, seeing opportunities for sustainable growth in emerging markets. Mark explains his process for developing Aztec, “the company successfully grew from buying packed product to bulk introducing our own filling lines. The next phase saw the company move to blending their own products, investing heavily in plant equipment and developing a sophisticated analytical laboratory to maximise our ability to utilise the widest range of raw materials.” In a nutshell, Mark wanted Aztec Oils to “offer a first-class service to local companies working on the
principle that customers would get so reliant on our service they wouldn’t go elsewhere.”

Ultimately for Mark, the key to Aztec’s enduring success is a simple one; “The key for me was always to be in a position to offer the most competitive product in the fastest possible time. Inevitably, this led to developing a capability to manufacture the whole range of products we sell.” For their many clients, Aztec Oils offers – simply- an irreplaceable service.

Contact: Mark Lord
Company: Aztec Oils Limited
Intake Road, Bolsover Business Park, Bolsover, Derbyshire, S44 6BB, UK
Telephone: 01246 823 007
Web Address: www.aztecoils.co.uk

The 2018 Global CEO Excellence Awards Press Release

Posted on August 6, 2018 | by root

CEO Monthly Magazine Announces Winners of the 2018 Global CEO Excellence Awards.

United Kingdom, 2018– CEO Monthly magazine announces the winners of the 2018 Global CEO Excellence Awards.

Now in its second year, the Global CEO Excellence Awards has returned to recognise the outstanding achievements made by leading CEOs from across the world. We reveal the CEOs responsible for driving change while successfully managing the day-to-day operations within an organization.

Commenting on the success of the years’ winners, Katherine Benton, Awards Coordinator stated: “This awards programme rewards the chief executives who are more than just role models for their employees and can also operate as motivators and innovators, with the vision and drive to take an enterprise to the next level. I am proud of all my winners, and wish them a hearty congratulations and good luck for the future.”

To find out more about these prestigious awards, and the dedicated professionals selected for them, please visit https://www.ceo-review.com where you can view our winners supplement and full winners list.

ENDS

Notes to editors.

About CEO Monthly

A business is only as good as its leadership, and whilst it takes many hands to make a company work, CEOs hold the majority of the responsibility and power in any organisation. This is a tough challenge, and as such through this dedicated publication, bought to you by internationally renowned publishing house AI Global Media, aims to offer the very latest insight, interviews and profiles of Chief Executive Officers from across the corporate landscape.

Free to subscribe to, the publication offers a dedicated newsletter, an ever evolving website and a series of awards designed to showcase the hard work and commitment of businesses from every market and every region.

Keeping pace with the ever changing corporate landscape around the world, CEO Monthly’s dedicated editorial team work diligently to provide the latest news and updates, drawing on their network of contacts from across the globe who span every major industry and sector, providing comment and insight which is invaluable.

CEO lack of engagement is a major issue for business growth

Posted on August 1, 2018 | by root

CEO lack of engagement in communications is a major issue for business growth

Whilst 95% of CEOs claim to engage with marketing, 42% of CMOs disagree

New research commissioned by communications agency Speed has outlined the perception gap that exists for Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) when looking to engage their CEO. Whilst 95% of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) claim to work effectively with marketing, 42% of CMOs still say that they struggle to keep their CEO involved in communications.

Despite the initial view of these CEOs, and the fact that 84% do believe that external communications is critical to business growth, the research further supports the gap that exists, with 70% of CEOs providing a range of reasons for not engaging their CMO and only half (50%) of them meeting regularly with their CMO or involving them in board and strategy sessions.

Lack of time was the most common reason given by CEOs for not engaging, highlighted by some of the comments provided within the survey responses. However, this appears to hide other obstacles. For some respondents, these included low perceived importance and relevance and, lack of interest and respect for marketing and communications.

The research which surveyed 250 CMOs and 250 CEOs across a range of businesses in the UK has highlighted further the challenges that exist for CMOs looking to support change and growth through a robust communications program.

Laura Tallett, Director Business & Corporate, Speed: “CEOs are key to business engagement, and we know that the most respected or disruptive businesses – the likes of Uber, Virgin, Airbnb – are those who put communications at the board table, and are marketing led, driven by an engaged leadership team.

“The research further validates the challenge that exists for CMOs and it is crucial that we find a way to demonstrate the power of communications and build understanding, respect and ultimately engagement with CEOs and their leadership teams. Marketing and communications should be at the board table to support the commercial aspirations of any business.”

Laura added: “We must get the message out there and work hard as an industry to ensure businesses understand the importance of this function in supporting business growth. Given the economic uncertainty being felt by business at the moment it is important that communications, more than ever, is leading the business agenda and developing new opportunities to engage customers and identify new markets.”

For more information and a white paper on this topic, please go to:

https://speedcommunications.com/xchange/leadership-marketing-gap/

How To Be A Successful Female Executive

Posted on July 27, 2018 | by root

Alice in Wonderland has much to teach us about the route to success for female executives

By – Niki Fuchs, managing director of Office Space in Town

In Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts tells Alice, “My dear, here we must run as fast as we can, just to stay in place. And if you wish to go anywhere you must run twice as fast as that.” The route to becoming a successful female entrepreneur in a traditionally male-dominated industry can sometimes feel just like that.

Today’s business environment is transitioning from being very male-dominated to being more inclusive for women. However, despite some brilliant initiatives to drive greater gender parity, women still face barriers in terms of proving themselves in industries that are traditionally male-dominated. As an entrepreneur in the real estate sector, I can certainly identify with some of those difficulties.

There is a growing body of evidence to indicate that having women in leadership positions is good for the bottom line, not simply a matter of political correctness. A study from The Peterson Institute for International Economics found that, of 22,000 publicly-traded companies in 91 countries ranging from Mexico to Norway and Italy, those with 30% female executives make as much as six percentage points more in profits than those with fewer female decision makers. Despite this, the number of women holding the most senior jobs in the boardrooms of Britain’s biggest 100 companies has barely changed in the past 10 years, standing at just 8%, compared with 6% a decade ago. On our board of seven people, five are women. Many talented women, denied the opportunity to pass through the ‘oak’ ceiling of less progressive companies, simply start their own businesses and build the boards of directors they need to succeed.

Clearly, there needs to be a significant shift within the corporate world before the benefits of gender diversity are fully embraced, but every female executive has the opportunity to make a difference day to day and help to drive this change. These are a few things that I have learnt in my 20 years as a managing director that might help to make that a reality just a little bit faster.

Learn, grow and keep on learning

Good decisions are informed decisions, so we should never stop learning and developing ourselves as leaders. Learn as much as you can about your people, your industry and your competition, but also the wider economic environment in which your business is operating.

I make sure that absorbing the news and keeping up with the changing industry landscape is an integral part of my daily routine. As for the day to day details of the business, I ensure that my leadership team feel empowered and are not micro-managed, whilst maintaining a healthy and balanced line of communication about what’s going on. Pragmatic attitudes to reporting and knowledge sharing means that we as a senior leadership team are still well equipped to make effective decisions.

Plan for success

Sometimes the size of certain challenges as a leader can feel overwhelming. I’ve learned to take a step back and encourage the team to be creative about problem-solving and break the task down into bite-sized, deliverable chunks. Women, as consummate multi-taskers, tend to be good planners, and planning is key to achieving strategic goals. It’s vital to decide what success for the challenge ahead looks like: only then can you properly determine how to get there. To extend the Alice in Wonderland analogy; when she asks the Cheshire Cat, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”, the Cat’s reply is as true for business as it is for Wonderland: “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” Then, having determined the route to success, as a CEO, it’s vital to be able to pull together the right team to execute the plan, playing to each individual’s strengths.

Create and innovate

The business world is highly competitive. Planning for the next quarter can be a challenge as it isn’t always certain what’s around the corner. Even more problematic is committing to a five or even a ten year plan particularly when it comes to how complex issues such as the current Brexit negotiations will affect business opportunity in the future.

Successful women leaders can inject creativity and innovation into the equation by bringing diversity, different working styles and viewpoints to a leadership team. It’s hardly surprising that women usually have valuable insights when it comes to devising successful products or services as they tend to be highly influential in household decision making, and increasingly the family breadwinner, as well as having insights into those products that better serve female clients or children for example.

Inspire other women to achieve

They say that life’s tough at the top. That’s certainly true for both male and female leaders, however, men have leadership role models in abundance and, perhaps, don’t face as much of an uphill climb when imagining that they can affect change and become leaders.

More needs to be done to shine a light on the ambitious, successful women who are in positions of leadership. These women are role models for the next generation of female leaders. So, when you get into a position of influence and power yourself, make sure that you help other women feel that they can make it just like you did. It might be something you invest a lot of effort in such as mentoring another female perhaps in a totally different industry, or be as simple as passing along an opportunity or making a useful introduction.

Only when women have gained the appropriate recognition for their contribution to business and its bottom line, will women be embraced as equals in the workplace. Only then, with the pay gap and gender imbalance also reduced from the back room to the boardroom, can we safely say that we have truly broken through the ‘looking-glass’ ceiling.

Cultivating customer experience superheroes

Posted on July 26, 2018 | by root

By Anthony Hynes, Managing Director and CEO, eNett International

We’re all familiar with the phrase ‘digital disruptors’. Companies born in the digital era who are giving traditional firms, across all industries, a run for their money. Just look at Airbnb or Netflix. As a result, traditional businesses are having to up their game, ensuring they’re adaptable and agile enough to rival their competitors and importantly, draw in customers and retain them.

However, what’s interesting is that price isn’t always king in consumer purchasing decisions. Increasingly, customer experience (CX) is the true differentiator. And the winners are those that can create, personalise and guide a customer’s journey – providing a high-quality customer experience throughout.

In fact, research from Smith Co, global leaders in CX, found that improving CX directly impacts business performance: a 5% increase in customer loyalty can boost profits by up to 85%. But this can’t just be underpinned by fast technology or great interfaces. The research also found that cultivating a good employee experience and business culture is essential for delivery exceptional CX too.

The working environment must therefore be one that’s happy, where employees feel valued and motivated to deliver an amazing experience to customers. Here are a few approaches I’ve seen that can help create this:

1) On-board and nurture: When you’re growing your company and on-boarding new hires, you want to get someone new entrenched in your brand and culture as quickly as possible. Welcome packs, a new starter video, and branded notebooks, mugs, pens and t-shirts, are all things that can help make new employees feel instantly welcome. Also consider launching a buddy-system, running from an initial induction through to 30/60/90-day touch points, to help a new starter integrate with the team.

2) Training and development: Delivering on-the-job training is vital for developing employees’ skills, for their own personal development and to support company expansion. Consider implementing frequent feedback processes to ensure you’re continuously evaluating employees’ needs and fulfilling their passion to learn. Also look at learning platforms such as Lynda.com that offers thousands of online courses that can help your employees learn business, software, technology and creative skills to achieve personal and professional goals.

3) Have a “super hack day”: A FedEx Day is 24-hour blitz for participants to originate, develop, and deliver new products, new services, or business process improvements overnight. In the same spirit, we hold bi-annual “eNex Days”, where we set challenges for employees to come up with new ideas which will drive the business forwards, such as as how to work better as a team and technologies to consider for product innovation. This helps employees be part of the overall company vision.

4) Foster feedback: The most innovative brands create ways of encouraging feedback from a wide range of people interacting with their business – not only partners and customers, but also employees too. This can be executed in a number of ways, from employee surveys to customer interviews, and gaining feedback from customer facing teams. Don’t just sit on this information. Review and action ideas that could drive the business forward. We also hold quarterly all staff Town Halls and “coffee sessions” with cross-functional groups of people so leaders can communicate what’s going on in the business and answer questions people may have in different forums.

5) Give back: Getting behind a good cause or charity is an enriching experience. We’ve seen first-hand the enthusiasm, creativity and generosity that came from all areas of the company when we launched our Corporate Social Responsibility programme, Repay the eNett Way, which supports impoverished communities around the world that have been displaced by tourism – the industry we work in. It’s been amazing to see our employees come together to support the initiative, from arranging fundraising activities, to helping with hands-on projects in Cambodia, South Africa and Nepal.

6) Small touches: Remember the little things. Games, snacks and “How To” sessions support engagement and retention of employees. And even having beers in the fridge, ready to be cracked open at the end of a hard day, can go a long way.

If people love where they work, and are passionate about what the company is doing, they will become your customer experience superheros – bringing more innovation to the table and helping the organisation be successful in a fast-moving, competitive world.