The B2B Experience

John Kelly has spent over 25 years navigating the realities of FMCG and Food and Beverage, an environment defined by operational discipline, complex routes to market and a low tolerance for risk. 

In this episode, John reflects on his 15‑year journey at Heineken, where he helped scale a B2B digital ecosystem from three pilot markets to more than 30 countries, generating over €2.5bn in digital revenue and fundamentally reshaping how the business goes to market. 

John shares honest stories from the frontline of transformation, from failed big‑bet initiatives to the power of incremental innovation, agile ways of working and building belief market by market. He explains why early pilots should focus on adoption, not ROI, how to balance annual planning with sprint‑based delivery, and why customer centricity must come before technology. 

The conversation also explores practical AI use cases, including dynamic sales routing and next‑best‑action models, alongside John’s framework for scaling digital capability through distinct growth phases without moving too fast. 

Grounded, pragmatic and deeply experienced, John’s perspective is a reminder that successful transformation in FMCG is rarely about disruption for its own sake, it’s about patience, proof and bringing people with you. 

Özlem Özümer has spent her career navigating the world of global trade, first through banking and later through credit insurance, but she’s clear that her motivation has always been helping businesses grow with confidence. 

In this episode, she reflects on launching a greenfield operation in Turkey, the realities of building trust in an emerging market, and why credit insurance sits quietly behind so much of the world’s commerce. She talks about the human side of risk, the importance of being close to buyers on the ground, and the role people play in guiding clients through uncertainty. 

Özlem shares the story behind Allianz TradePay, from early experiments that didn’t land to the breakthrough moment when co‑creation with a major client shaped the product’s future. She explains the challenge of innovating inside a large, established organisation, the resistance faced by a small new team, and why sponsorship, alignment and constant communication matter more than any single idea.

Her perspective is thoughtful and practical, a reminder that real innovation in B2B comes from patience, proximity to customers and the determination to keep going when the easy answers run out. 

Maxim Gelmann didn’t set out to make edible spoons. He set out to change how people think about sustainability. His journey from strategy consulting to Burning Man to Dragons’ Den shaped the way he now builds his brand: with creativity, playfulness and a refusal to make sustainability dull. 
 

In this episode, Maxim talks about building Stroodles as a brand from day one, not just a product line, and why fun travels faster than fear when it comes to behaviour change. He explains how edible tableware creates the kind of memorable, shareable moments that no carbon‑reporting framework can match, and why B2B hospitality and wholesale adoption requires more than innovation, it requires storytelling, patience and “pre‑chewed” ideas that help chefs and venues imagine what’s possible. 
 

Maxim’s view is clear: sustainability only shifts when it becomes visible, tangible and joyful. And for B2B leaders wrestling with innovation, distribution complexity and customer expectations, his story offers a reminder that differentiation often comes from narrative, not novelty. 

Przemek Kotecki has spent his career sitting between business and technology, but he’s the first to say his leadership style didn’t come from corporate life, it came from volunteering.

In this episode, he reflects on how working with people you can’t “manage” in the traditional sense shaped the way he now leads transformation at Brenntag, a global organisation built through decades of acquisitions and complexity.

Przemek talks candidly about the hidden work of transformation: understanding motivations rather than mandates, building bridges between legacy systems and modern expectations, and creating clarity in environments where nothing is simple and everything is interconnected.

He shares stories of outages, crisis recovery, difficult conversations with CEOs, and the mindset shift that changed how he operates: “do not negotiate with yourself.”

His perspective is steady, practical and grounded in real experience, a reminder that meaningful transformation happens through people, trust and shared purpose, not technology alone.

Tejal Patel has spent her career inside some of the world’s most influential brands, from Virgin and the BBC to Microsoft, Nokia and Cisco.

In this episode, she explains the simple truth many B2B organisations overlook. You cannot innovate if your foundations are broken. Tejal shares how easy it is for teams to overengineer marketing, lose sight of customers and gravitate toward rational messaging while ignoring emotion, even though every B2B buyer is still a human being.

She talks openly about the gaps she discovered when moving from B2C into B2B, the absence of customer research in large enterprises and the over rotation on technology instead of customer insight. She reflects on the relationship between sales and marketing, the need for marketing teams to raise their ambition and why proving value internally is just as important as storytelling externally. Tejal also explores how to use AI with purpose, not hype, and why human judgement can never be removed from the process.

A clear reminder that before you chase new technologies, you must understand your customers, simplify your marketing and get the basics right.

Abdul Khaled’s career did not follow a straight line. He moved from contract work to shaping major digital and CX transformations, learning along the way that impact does not come from titles or long term plans, it comes from knowing your strengths and using them with intention.

In this episode, Abdul talks about finding his superpower, how contracting compressed decades of learning into a few intense years, and why emotional intelligence became the skill that unlocked his leadership style.He explains how thought leadership can shift the perception of an entire brand when it is rooted in real change rather than rhetoric, and why organisations must prove disruption instead of simply claiming it. Abdul shares stories from energy, fintech and beyond, showing how authentic ideas, delivered through action, build trust at scale and create opportunities no strategy document could predict.

This is a conversation about confidence, contribution and momentum, and about why the future belongs to leaders who look forward, not back.

Tim McIvor has spent more than twenty years helping organisations understand what customers actually value and, more importantly, what they will reject without hesitation.

In this episode, he explains why successful transformation is rarely about technology and almost always about empathy, curiosity and a culture that listens.

Tim reflects on lessons from Trainline, River Island, Hobbycraft and Magnet Kitchens, and how working with Biglight helped him challenge assumptions and bring the outside view into the organisation. He talks about how to anticipate customer needs, how to break through organisational bias and why culture is often the deciding factor in whether change lands or fails.

Practical, grounded and full of lived experience, Tim offers a clear view of how to stay one step ahead of customers and competition by understanding motivation, removing friction and creating teams that keep moving forward.

Ed Soo Hoo has spent twenty five years in global technology roles, yet the thread that runs through his career is not hardware or strategy, it is storytelling.

In this episode, he explains how finding his voice changed the trajectory of his life and why story, not data, is often the thing that unlocks curiosity, trust and transformation.

Ed shares how a childhood need to be heard became a lifelong skill, why he once abandoned a corporate slide deck minutes before a keynote, and how storytelling can take someone from fear to fearlessness through practice and reflection. He does not see storytelling as persuasion, he sees it as an invitation for people to look at themselves differently and discover something they had not seen before.

For B2B leaders navigating complexity, Ed offers a reminder that influence does not come from frameworks or channels, it comes from resonance, from knowing yourself well enough to speak with clarity, colour and confidence.

Adam Collett’s route into digital transformation didn’t begin in technology, it began in marketing, where he learned how customers think, how propositions land, and how measurable impact drives growth. That background shaped the work he later led at Brakes, now part of Sysco GB, where he partnered with Biglight to reimagine the digital experience. The collaboration helped the business challenge its assumptions, rethink customer journeys and build a far more intuitive, content‑rich platform.

In this episode, Adam reflects on how marketing fundamentals, customer insight, clarity of proposition, and the discipline of knowing what truly drives the economic engine remain the backbone of B2B change. He talks about the shift from a transactional ordering site to a digital shopfront customers actually want to use, the internal conversations needed to overcome resistance, and why understanding the customer better than anyone else is still the most powerful lever in B2B.

What comes through is a practical, grounded view of transformation: start with the customer, stay close to the numbers, and surround yourself with partners who help you see what you can’t see alone.

MQ Qureshi has spent his life navigating complexity, from architecture to digital, leading transformation inside companies as varied as Ford and McDonald’s.

In this episode, he talks about the moments that shaped him, and why B2B remains one of the most fascinating and challenging spaces to transform.

MQ explains why B2B complexity humbles even experienced digital leaders, how resistance to change shows up in different forms, and why understanding someone’s pressures and motivations matters more than any roadmap. He talks about the dangers of building for “today only,” the traps leaders fall into when change feels risky, and the mindset he uses to keep teams focused on the future: solve the real problem, not the one you wrote down first.

What emerges is a candid, grounded view of transformation from someone who has lived it across industries, a reminder that lasting change happens when technology, process and people move together, not in isolation.

Steve Bloodworth didn’t plan to spend his career fixing product data and content. He left university wanting to write ads, stumbled into Caterpillar via a neighbour’s recommendation, and ended up becoming a Six Sigma black belt. That mix of creativity and discipline now underpins how he thinks about digital: if the content is wrong, nothing else really works.

In this episode, Steve tells the story of how he’s used content to unlock growth at RS Components, Nisbets, AstraZeneca and now ERIKS. From a photography backlog that would have taken seven years to clear, to a “giant teapot” that turned out to be ten lids, to a bearing listed as the size of Big Ben, he shows how small errors destroy trust and conversion and how structured problem‑solving can put it right.

What comes through is a simple philosophy: understand what customers are actually trying to do, use data to find where you’re letting them down, and fix those journeys first. Technology matters, but Steve is clear that change is mostly about people, process and persuading leaders to care about the details customers see every day.

Justin Rinaldi’s journey from minor league baseball photographer to leading B2B marketer gives him a unique lens on how customer behaviour has changed. Now director of marketing and ecommerce at Safety Speed Manufacturing, he has tripled online revenue by combining data discipline with a deep understanding of how people consume information.

In this episode, Justin explains how the media landscape has shifted since 2020, why major platforms now function as ad‑delivery networks, and what that means for B2B marketers trying to earn attention. He shares why video is outperforming all other formats for customer education, how AI‑driven discovery is reshaping search behaviour, and why brand loyalty is increasingly built long before a product is held in someone’s hands.

Justin’s approach is grounded and practical, identifying the gaps customers experience, creating short, high‑value videos to close them, and using data to influence decisions across the organisation. His view is clear: marketers who adapt quickly, test small and build around real user needs will thrive in the new attention economy.

Sergio Schiavone’s career spans early internet coding through to leading digital transformation for global fashion brands. As a former Biglight client during his time at VF Corporation, he partnered with the team to modernise wholesale portals and evolve digital showroom capabilities that support how brands sell, serve and inspire their retail customers.

In this episode, Sergio shares how digital showrooms can improve sell‑in, reduce sample production, strengthen storytelling and elevate both customer and employee experience. He discusses what it takes to align merchandising, design, supply chain and sales around a single vision, how to shift long‑standing behaviours in wholesale teams, and why small pilots can deliver major commercial impact.

For Sergio, long‑term success isn’t about transformation, it’s about continuous evolution.

Bernd Hirschle has spent his career moving between strategy consulting and senior commercial leadership, giving him a rare perspective on why so many transformation programmes look convincing on paper yet fail in practice. Across global roles in manufacturing, construction and industrial markets, he has seen how customer needs, legacy structures and internal complexity shape whether digital ambition ever turns into measurable growth.

In this episode, Bernd explains why technology is almost never the blocker in B2B, and how progress depends on simplifying complexity, aligning commercial models and bringing people with you, especially those under pressure to deliver short‑term results. He shares examples of transformation derailed by pricing models, channel conflict and organisational habits, and offers clear guidance on how to build momentum through vision, sequencing and rigorous execution.

Rooted in practical experience, Bernd’s perspective shows what it really takes to move from strategy to outcomes in large organisations, and how leaders can drive profitable growth by combining customer insight with disciplined delivery.

Tanja Tschech has built her career across continents and industries, but a single thread runs through every role: a belief that digital transformation only succeeds when it makes people’s working lives better. From early online banking at Citibank to chemical manufacturing today, she focuses on removing mundane work, solving real problems and creating experiences that help employees and customers thrive.

In this episode, Tanja shares how she uses empathy, listening and customer insight to overcome resistance and build digital experiences that feel intuitive and valuable. She explains why B2B customer expectations have shifted, how to uncover real needs through direct conversations, and why demos and early prototypes can change more minds than business cases.

Her view of transformation is practical and human, showing how adoption grows when organisations design from the outside in, give customers a voice, and support teams through the discomfort that always comes with change.

Franck Chenet’s career spans early B2B ecommerce in North America through to leading transformation for major European organisations, giving him a long‑term view on how digital change actually happens. His experience has taught him that technology alone rarely moves the needle; the real breakthroughs come from shifting mindsets, building confidence and helping teams understand how digital fits into their day‑to‑day work.

In this episode, Franck shares how he approaches digital evolution inside complex B2B organisations, from assessing digital maturity to challenging assumptions about what customers really need. He explains why transformation fails when businesses chase trends rather than fixing fundamentals, how to align sales teams around new channels, and why customer experience becomes a growth driver only when teams are brought into the process early.

Franck’s reflections show how momentum builds through co‑creation, early wins and practical change management, offering a grounded view on what sustainable transformation looks like in practice.

Germán Sarmiento’s path from a lab in Bogotá to leading digital sales channels in a 60‑year‑old global manufacturer shapes the way he thinks about transformation. He approaches change with the mindset of an entrepreneur: curious, practical and unafraid to start small to prove what’s possible.

In this episode, he shares how Endress+Hauser built an autonomous digital team designed to challenge established structures and accelerate B2B ecommerce transformation.

Germán explains why early experiments rarely show immediate commercial value, how momentum develops once organisations focus on customer needs, and why cultural resistance is often the biggest barrier to progress. He discusses the shift from content to commerce, the complexity of redesigning B2B experiences in a traditional sales‑led environment, and what it really takes to align KPIs, sponsorship and expectations.

His reflections offer a grounded view of why transformation stalls, how to keep it moving, and how disruption can grow from inside even the most established organisations.

David Shell’s career has taken him from Wharton to Microsoft, Oracle and the classroom at Northwestern University, but a constant thread has been his focus on how technology reshapes marketing.

In this episode, he shares a clear and honest view of where B2B marketing is heading, why many teams feel unprepared, and what leaders must rethink as customer expectations shift. Drawing on years spent leading global programmes, David explains how marketing has moved from channel‑driven tactics to outcome‑driven experiences, and why customer‑centric thinking still matters more than any tool. He discusses the changing nature of search, the growing pressure to fix long‑standing data issues, and the mindset needed for teams to adapt with confidence rather than hesitation.

What emerges is a grounded and practical view of B2B marketing transformation, one shaped by real‑world experience, organisational reality and a belief that the future belongs to teams willing to learn, experiment and evolve.

Jonathan Newman has spent his career inside some of the world’s most complex B2B organisations, leading ecommerce, operations and transformation across global teams. His perspective is shaped by real experience of what happens when organisational structure, incentives and legacy processes collide with the customer journey — and what it takes to change them.

In this episode, Jonathan reflects on the moment he realised that a transformation mandate isn’t always what it appears, and why understanding a company’s history is essential before deciding how to modernise it. He explores how internal KPIs and entrenched behaviours create friction for customers, and why walking the full B2B customer journey reveals more than dashboards ever can.

Jonathan explains how genuine transformation depends on cross‑functional alignment, shared ownership and the willingness to redesign journeys around real customer needs. His insights offer a clear view of why B2B transformation often stalls, what leaders can do to overcome resistance, and how small improvements build trust and momentum.