.jpg?format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Long-term tech strategy: Advice from a Chief Digital Officer
In this episode, Bob Howland lays down your keys to success as a Chief Digital Officer. For his most recent success, Dawn Foods, Bob sketched out his ideal eCommerce architecture - which was a "composable commerce" stack before that term even existed - and built it in just 22 weeks (which was ahead of time & on budget). This is a massive enterprise transformation - Dawn Foods is a 4,000 people company, and prior to Bob, they had zero eCommerce infrastructure or expertise. Less than 6 months to a fully self-service eCommerce experience from scratch? Yup. And it doesn't stop there. Listen to find out Bob's top 5 lessons for CDOs.
Timestamps:
- 0:11 Intro & Dawn Foods story
- 2:08 Lesson 1: How to buy technology
- 5:13 Why Bob allocated more dev hours to post-launch than pre-launch
- 5:55 Taking internal opinions with a grain of salt
- 7:23 Handling the quality, cost, time, triangle
- 8:20 How Dawn Foods collects customer data (Voice of Customer)
- 9:30 Lesson 2: How to allocate your time
- 11:15 "But we're doing just fine" - pushing for change when you're already market leader
- 12:25 Lesson 3: How Bob gains credibility in the first 30 days in any company (30 doughnuts in 60 days)
- 14:56 Lesson 4: The importance of "disproof"
- 16:44 How to avoid offending people when you point out what needs to change - and get them to help you instead
- 20:53 Lesson 5: How (and why) to play the long game when it comes to transformation
Related episodes
Startup spirit in a traditional industry: Unleashing innovation at Banco Itaú with Priscila Bezerra
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
The future of retail is digital, with VIA Outlets' Jasper de Jong
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
Efficiency unleashed: Leveraging better goal-setting and AI, with Earth Reiser (Topgolf Callaway Brands)
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
Ask better questions: The art of data analytics with Topgolf Callaway Brands’ Earth Reiser
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.