Everyone wants to build a brand. But few people actually know how.

For most, a brand is a logo and a vague mission statement - and little more.

And you can really blame them. Creating a unique brand identity - and articulating it so that others (ideally customers) understand what you stand for - is a lot bigger undertaking than it seems.

I'm Jane Singer, and welcome back to A Seat at the Table.


In each episode, we sit down with some of the smartest and most innovative people who join us as guests on this show and share a ton of valuable business and life enhancing insights.
A big shout out to all of our esteemed listeners in over 140 countries around the world. Thank you for being there with us today.

Today we are joined by Nigel Davies, a brand consultant who helps business owners untangle their brands so that they are more relevant, unique and memorable.

With over 25 years in the creative industry, Nigel was employed by leading design agencies (creating the first global standard for Ford Motor Company), before establishing his own agency.

Not surprisingly, he has won multiple awards for ‘Brand Transformation’.

In today’s podcast, Nigel will be discussing:

- Biggest mistakes that organizations make in the early stages of building a brand

- The importance of brands creating ‘an emotional connection’ with their customers

- Some of the most challenging projects he’s worked on - and how he turned them into success stories.


USEFUL LINKS:

Inside Fashion website: insidefashionlive.net

Connect with Nigel Davies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pincreative/

Nigel Davies' website: https://untangleyourbrand.com/https://untangleyourbrand.com/

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

AI has become one of the most talked about technologies. A lot of the hype makes AI seem like a magic wand that can do anything or an evil demon that will leave massive numbers of people without jobs.

While it's unlikely, at least for now, that these extreme cases are true, there is little doubt that AI is a technology we need to understand.

For most companies, the challenge is identifying what are practical use cases for AI in their organizations.

I'm Jane Singer and welcome back to A Seat at the Table. On this show, we sit down with leading entrepreneurs, innovators, and thought leaders to get a close-up look at the technologies and developments that are impacting industry.

Today, I am joined by professor Calvin Wong, CEO and center director of AID Lab and Chung Yee Kung, endowed professor in fashion of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Professor Wong is ranked among the world's top 2 percent of most cited scientists in the field of artificial intelligence and image processing with over a 170 high impact journal publications.

His work bridges industry and academia.

In 2019, he worked with one of the world's largest online shopping platforms to establish the first of its kind fashion AI dataset.

In 2022, he and his team developed the world's first design led AI system, AI based interactive design assistant for fashion, otherwise known as AIDA.

In this podcast, professor Wong will be discussing:

• The top myths around AI that need to be busted
• The role that humans are playing in AI driven design applications
• The most practical use case for AI in textile manufacturing
• What might be the next gen application of AI in the apparel and textile industry.

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

The apparel industry is being forced to re-imagine itself in the face of pressure to meet new green standards.

Suddenly, what we thought was sustainable turns out to be merely a ‘good try’ - but not enough.

While apparel needs to now recycle, be circular, reduce carbon emissions and lower water usage, it also has to appeal to consumers - who want clothing that is eye catching, comfortable, high quality and personalized.

That’s a big ask for any industry, let alone an industry that runs on razor thin margins and almost as thin lead times.

I'm Jane Singer, and welcome back to A Seat at the Table.

In each episode, we sit down with some of the smartest and most innovative people who join us as guests on this show and share a ton of valuable business and life enhancing insights.
A big shout out to all of our esteemed listeners 140 countries around the world. Thank you for being there with us today.

Today we are joined by the legendary Giusy Bettoni, founder and CEO of C.L.A.S.S., which stands for Creativity Lifestyle and Sustainable Synergy.
CLASS is an international eco-hub – based in Milan - which since the very beginning has been advocating for a new generation of fashion where the fusion of design, innovation, communication and responsibility shape an informed and competitive business, able to play both at an economic and social level.

Giusy is a pioneer in the field of sustainable textiles having started out in 2007, before they coined the term ‘sustainability’ and we were still talking about being ‘eco-friendly ‘ - if we were talking about it all. She has superior technical knowledge within the raw material market sector, as well as precise marketing and communication skills.

In this podcast, Giusy will be discussing:

• What she sees at the biggest challenge facing the fashion industry
• Why sustainability has to be about more than just environmental impacts in order to be effective.
• How the apparel industry could re-imagine itself to benefit people and planet.

The apparel industry is complicated and constantly changing. To win, you not only have to know what’s happening, you need to understand why - and how it could potentially impact your business.

When apparel industry executives want a sharp of view of global supply chains - from factory to retail selling floor they turn to Inside Fashion.

Why should you read Inside Fashion? In the words of one subscriber:

“Inside Fashion consistently provides an extremely comprehensive yet concise take on the apparel industry - simplifying key topics and making them accessible and understandable - while also highlighting what’s next on the horizon.”

Find out how you and your team could benefit from Inside Fashion.

Head on over to insidefashionLive.net to learn more.

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

Retail sales continue to outperform expectations - in both the US and in key European markets. Yet analysts are still waiting for that slowdown that was supposed to be driven first by inflation - and then by higher interest rates.

Yet, consumers are proving resilient - but for how long?

Long term a lot is likely to come down to the retailers themselves.

Those with the right products - and the right retail formats are likely to keep growing sales.

So the question is which retailers are set to be the winners?

Today we are joined by leading retail consultant, Walter Holbrook who shares his view of what’s driving success at retail - and who’s likely to be the next retail success stories.

Walter will be sharing:

- Key differences in purchasing behavior amongst the professional class, millennials, and Gen Z, and how retailers are catering to each demographic.

- How older fast fashion brands are responding to the shifting preferences of price-conscious Gen Z - and the threat of newer market entrants.

- How retailers like Costco redefining the apparel market and presenting challenges to traditional retail channels.

USEFUL LINKS:

Connect with Walter Holbrook: https://www.linkedin.com/in/waltholbrook/

Learn more about The Current Situation in Sourcing: https://insidefashionlive.net/the-current-situation-in-sourcing

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

It seems we live an age of documentation. There are increasing levels of regulations around everything - and the supporting documentation around those regulations keeps getting more complex.

Paper work that used to be handled by one or two people now requires a department with a hierarchy of staff - just to understand the regulations - let alone do all of the necessary documentation.

This is becoming a serious challenge for HR departments in a world where company staffing can include not only full time and part time employees, but also contractors, free lancers, service providers and many other terms of engagement that each requires specialized contracts and payment management.

And that’s led to the development of innovative HR tech that promises to automate this burdensome but necessary process.

Today we’re joined by Timmothy Partasevitch, Co-Founder and CMO of Juggl, an HR tech company that specializes helping companies manage global teams - from contracts and payroll, to benefits, document management and on boarding.

In this podcast, Timmothy will be talking about

How HR tech is helping companies maintain better relationships with their global team members.

Why digitizing the entire HR process is critical for saving time and avoiding costly mistakes.

How HR tech is now scalable, putting it reach of small and medium size businesses, as well as enterprises.


Another critical part of running a successful global business is understanding what’s happening in your international supply chain.

The last thing anyone wants is to be blindsided by an issue they didn’t see coming.

Or miss an opportunity to drive cost savings or reduce lead times.

When global sourcing directors want a sharp view of their Asian supply chains they turn to the Current Situation in Sourcing.

It’s a 6-page quarterly snapshot that highlights essential shifts, alerts, and opportunities along with actual feedback about how other sourcing executives are reacting to the market.

USEFUL LINKS:

Connect with Timmothy Partasevitch on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-partasevitch/

Learn more about Juggl hr tech: https://juggl.co

Learn about The Current Situation in Sourcing: https://insidefashionlive.net/the-current-situation-in-sourcing

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

Telehealth got a serious toehold into healthcare during the pandemic. Now it looks set to be a massive disrupter to the healthcare industry, powered by greater digitization and the use of AI.

If it comes to its full potential, more people will be able to get better healthcare - at more affordable prices.

The opportunity here is so massive that Amazon has been betting heavily on digitized health care with its One Medical service.

But there is more to it than digitization. A lot more.

Today we are joined by Shanil Ebrahim, Life Science and Healthcare Leader at Deloitte Canada. He’s had hands on experience in the healthcare sector as a Clinical Epidemiologist, as well as an assistant professor at McMaster University and a researcher at Stanford University.

Today Shanil will be discussing …

• How artificial intelligence is reshaping the landscape of patient care.
• How payers and providers are changing their models to focus more on value and patient outcomes.
• Whether technology can genuinely enhance patient experience and outcomes, without depersonalizing care.

USEFUL LINKS:

Connect with Shanil Ebrahim: linkedin.com/in/shanil-ebrahim-75914a7a

Asianet Consultants website: https://asianetconsultants.com

A Seat at The Table podcast course: https://seat.fm/podcastcourse

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

After decades of being counseled to become specialists - to find our niche - to be known as an expert in a specific field - it seems now the pendulum might be shifting in the opposite direction.

Are we at the cusp of a new era that favors generalists?

And if so, why the change?

And just as importantly, we do we need to do to get ahead of the curve?

Today we are joined by Ed Fidoe, founder and CEO of the London Interdisciplinary School, which offers an innovative, interdisciplinary curriculum focused on tackling complex global issues.

He believes that the future of work demands leaders who can navigate a complex, interconnected world, where traditional leadership is often blind to its own limitations due to over-reliance on specialised knowledge.

In this episode Ed will explore why leaders need to embrace interdisciplinary thinking to anticipate and adapt to the next big shifts.

He’ll be discussing:

- Why organizations now need generalists, particularly in leadership roles.

- Balancing the benefits of breadth of knowledge with the advantages of depth of knowledge.

- The new role of libraries in supporting less siloed education.


USEFUL LINKS:

Connect with Ed Fidoe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-fidoe/

London Interdisciplinary School website: https://www.lis.ac.uk/

Asianet Consultants website: https://asianetconsultants.com

Podcast Course: https://seat.fm/podcastcourse

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

One of the biggest supply chain concerns right now is materials costs.

While most stakeholders would like to see costs go down, everyone would at least like some clarity on what prices might be like - especially for cotton, which plays a key role in the apparel supply chain.

While nobody has that proverbial crystal ball that can see the future, there are people who have the kind of first hand market knowledge that helps them to make more accurate predictions.

Today we are joined by Dr. O.A. Cleveland, professor emeritus, Agricultural Economics at Mississippi State University in the United States.

Dr. Cleveland has over 50 years of experience in commodities as an analyst, professor and advisor and consultant to some of the world’s biggest cotton organizations.

His achievements are far too many to list here. However, if you are looking to get a sharp view of what’s happening with cotton prices - and more importantly - what pricing could look like going forward, there’s no better person to ask than Dr. Cleveland.

In this podcast he will be giving a realistic look at:

- The outlook for world cotton consumption
- Where we can expect current cotton to trend
- Trends for 2025 cotton prices

USEFUL LINKS:

Dr. O.A. Cleveland: https://www.cottongrower.com/author/dr-o-a-cleveland/

Asianet Consultants: https://asianetconsultants.com

How to become a Podcast Guest (course): https://seat.fm/podcastcourse

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm