Events Archive - Page 2 of 52

Incredible technologies and geopolitical shifts, complex markets and stagnating growth, demanding customers and disruptive entrepreneurs, environmental crisis and social distrust, unexpected shocks and uncertain futures.

For every business leader, the challenge is about making sense of today’s rapidly changing world, and understanding how to prepare for, and succeed, in tomorrow’s world.

We explore how businesses can survive and thrive, and move forwards to create a better future. How to reimagine business, to reinvent markets, to reengage people. We consider what it means to combine profit with more purpose, intelligent technologies with creative people, radical innovation with sustainable impact.

We learn from the innovative strategies of incredible companies – Alibaba and ASML, Biontech and BlackRock, Canva and Collossal, NotCo and Netflix, Patagonia and PingAn, Spotify and Supercell, and many more. We also take a look at what this means for insurance, and some of the most innovative companies in the field.

Are you ready to seize the opportunities of a changing world?

How will you – and your strategy, organisation, people and projects – embrace the challenges and opportunities of change ahead of us? Where are your biggest opportunities for innovation and growth? What are your priorities to balance short and longer term? How will you behave as a manager and leader?

We’ve developed a new program for business leaders, managers of companies large and small, to get up to speed with the very latest ideas, tools and approaches to business, learning from companies and experts around the world. It’s called the Executive Management Program, delivered as a hybrid program online and in face to face in Madrid.

It’s like a Mini MBA, but fit for today’s world, where challenges like economic uncertainty and climate change are matched by opportunities like the applications of AI and new business models. It includes an exciting dynamic business simulation, about managing and leading change, plus insights and ideas from the world’s most interesting companies, right now.

In fact it brings together much of the Global Online MBA from IE Business School, which is ranked #1 in the world, and in particularly for topics such as ESG and sustainability. The faculty is made up of expert professors from IE and beyond, and we spend a number of days in Madrid at IE’s Executive Education campus.

For more info, contact me directly: peterfisk@peterfisk.com

Module 14: Project Delivery

In today’s dynamic business environment, the ability to deliver projects rapidly and effectively has become a core capability for every organization. As the pace of change accelerates, the traditional divide between “strategy” and “execution” is collapsing—transformation is no longer a separate initiative but the day-to-day work of modern businesses. Whether it’s launching a new product, implementing a digital platform, rethinking a customer journey, or rolling out an AI strategy, change now happens through projects.

More than ever, everyone has become a project manager. Leaders, product owners, marketing specialists, IT engineers, HR teams—all are responsible for delivering change through projects. In this context, project delivery is no longer just a technical skill; it is a leadership discipline, a strategic enabler, and a cultural capability.

Why Project Delivery Matters More Than Ever

Business transformation no longer occurs in periodic bursts. It is continuous, overlapping, and multi-dimensional. The average organization today is managing dozens—if not hundreds—of change initiatives simultaneously. Some may be strategic programs lasting years (e.g. digitizing supply chains or implementing ESG goals), while others may be short-term sprints (e.g. launching a new feature or campaign). Together, they form a complex portfolio of interdependent work that must be coordinated and delivered at speed.

Effective project delivery determines whether strategic goals are achieved or remain stuck in PowerPoint slides. It defines how well companies respond to emerging customer needs, new technologies, and market disruptions. It is also how organizations align people, budgets, and capabilities toward outcomes that drive innovation and value.

The Essentials of Project Management Today

At its core, project management involves planning, executing, and closing work to achieve specific goals within defined constraints—typically scope, time, and budget. However, in today’s world, effective project delivery also requires agility, learning, and alignment. Here are the essential pillars:

Clarity of Purpose: Every successful project begins with a clear understanding of the “why.” What problem are we solving? What outcome are we aiming for? How will success be measured? This clarity anchors all subsequent decisions.
Defined Scope and Milestones: Even in agile environments, projects need structure. Clear milestones, deliverables, and workstreams help teams stay aligned and accountable.
Dedicated Leadership: A strong project leader provides focus, motivation, and decision-making. They manage stakeholders, resolve conflicts, and keep the team moving forward despite inevitable challenges.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Most impactful projects cut across departments—IT, marketing, operations, finance, etc. Effective project delivery depends on the ability to align different functions and break down silos.
Risk Management: Projects rarely go exactly as planned. Anticipating risks, building contingency plans, and adjusting course in real-time are critical skills.
Adaptability: In a volatile environment, project goals may shift. Agile methodologies emphasize short sprints, feedback loops, and iterative delivery—enabling rapid adaptation without losing momentum.

The Rise of the “Citizen Project Manager”

In the past, project management was a specialist function—certified professionals with Gantt charts and governance frameworks. Today, project responsibility is distributed. Everyone from a marketing analyst to a product designer may be expected to lead or participate in projects.

This democratization of project work requires new mindsets and tools:

Empowerment over control: Instead of micromanaging tasks, organizations need to empower teams to solve problems and deliver outcomes autonomously.
Collaboration platforms like Asana, Trello, and Jira enable real-time tracking, accountability, and communication—making project delivery visible and manageable for all.
Skills development: Training in basic project principles—goal setting, stakeholder management, prioritization, communication—should be part of every employee’s toolkit.

In this new world, leadership isn’t about commanding from the top—it’s about enabling execution at every level.

What Makes Projects Work Best

High-performing project teams tend to share several traits:

Clear Roles and Responsibilities: Everyone knows what they’re accountable for—and who to turn to for decisions or input.
Psychological Safety: Teams that feel safe to raise issues, test ideas, and admit mistakes move faster and learn quicker.
Rapid Feedback and Learning: Frequent check-ins, retrospectives, and testing loops help identify and resolve issues early.
Shared Purpose and Motivation: Successful teams believe in the importance of their work and see how it connects to broader organizational goals.
Time and Focus: Too often, projects fail not because of lack of skill or resources, but because team members are overextended. Dedicated time and focused effort matter.
Leadership Support: Executive sponsorship, resourcing, and visible commitment send a clear signal that a project matters.

Delivering Programs: Coordinating Across Projects

Individual projects rarely exist in isolation. Many companies run programs of multiple projects that aim to deliver broader transformation—such as customer experience redesign, technology modernization, or sustainability integration.

Program management introduces a new layer of complexity: interdependencies, shared resources, and sequencing. It requires:

Program governance to track overall progress, manage dependencies, and make trade-offs.
Portfolio management to prioritize which projects to invest in and when—based on strategic value, capacity, and risk.
Change management to ensure that new ways of working are adopted across the organization.

For example, a retailer undergoing digital transformation might simultaneously launch projects to revamp its e-commerce site, implement a new CRM, integrate supply chain analytics, and train staff in digital tools. These projects must be aligned in timing, goals, and communication—or risk duplication, friction, and confusion.

Maximizing Pace and Impact

In a fast-changing world, speed matters—but speed without direction creates chaos. The key is to balance velocity with value. Here’s how:

Prioritize ruthlessly: Not every idea deserves a project. Focus only on initiatives that advance key goals or solve real problems.
Start small, scale fast: Launch pilots, learn quickly, and scale what works. This approach reduces risk while maintaining momentum.
Design for adaptability: Build in flex—both in scope and teams—so that projects can pivot as needed.
Celebrate progress: Recognize milestones, highlight wins, and keep morale high. Momentum breeds momentum.
Learn across projects: Create shared knowledge systems, post-mortems, and communities of practice to capture lessons learned.

Ultimately, project delivery is a muscle that organizations build over time. The more change becomes routine, the more capable a business becomes of executing transformation continuously.

Project Delivery as a Strategic Capability

In today’s volatile, fast-paced business world, project delivery is how strategy gets done. It turns bold intentions into concrete results. It bridges the gap between ideas and impact. And it gives organizations the agility to respond to change not with panic, but with purpose.

Building a culture of effective project delivery requires more than just better tools or templates. It requires a shift in mindset—from projects as temporary disruptions to projects as the new normal. It means equipping people across the organization to lead and deliver change. And it means aligning leadership, teams, and systems around a shared commitment to execution excellence.

Because in the end, the companies that deliver best are the ones that succeed.

For every business leader, the challenge is about making sense of today’s rapidly changing world, and understanding how to prepare for, and succeed, in tomorrow’s world.

Are you ready to seize the opportunities of a changing world?

For more info, contact me directly: peterfisk@peterfisk.com

Module 8: Technology Potential, Reinventing Business in the Age of Intelligent Systems

We are entering an era where the convergence of advanced technologies is poised to fundamentally reshape how businesses operate, create value, and compete. No longer confined to efficiency gains or process improvements, today’s technologies—led by artificial intelligence (AI) but spanning everything from blockchain and robotics to genomics and quantum computing—are enabling the reinvention of business models, industries, and value chains.

The magnitude of this shift is profound. It’s not just a technological transformation; it’s a strategic one. Businesses that embrace these capabilities can leap beyond incremental innovation to reimagine customer value, unlock entirely new markets, and redefine their role in the economy. Those that don’t may find themselves obsolete in a world that moves faster than they can adapt.

Artificial Intelligence: The Engine of Intelligent Reinvention

Among all emerging technologies, AI stands at the center of the modern transformation agenda. It is not just a tool—it is becoming a core infrastructure for decision-making, operations, and growth. AI can analyze massive data sets in real time, learn from patterns, and automate complex tasks, from fraud detection and logistics optimization to creative tasks like writing, designing, and coding.

Companies like Microsoft and Nvidia are at the forefront, embedding AI in everything from cloud services to industrial design. Meanwhile, traditional companies are rethinking their operating models through AI-powered insights. For instance, Unilever uses AI to anticipate consumer trends, optimize product formulations, and reduce waste in supply chains. Ping An, a Chinese financial giant, uses AI to underwrite insurance, manage investments, and provide health diagnoses—automating complex services that once required human judgment.

AI also fuels personalization at scale. Retailers like Amazon and Shopify use AI to create highly individualized experiences, predicting what a customer wants before they know it themselves. This is not just about recommendation engines—it’s about creating adaptive, self-improving businesses that learn and evolve faster than their competitors.

Digital Platforms: The New Operating System of Business

Digital platforms—cloud-based, data-driven ecosystems—are revolutionizing how businesses scale, collaborate, and monetize value. These platforms enable modular business architectures, where capabilities (e.g., payments, logistics, identity verification) can be plugged in as needed.

Companies like Shopify, GitLab, and Salesforce provide foundational platforms that empower millions of businesses to grow without owning physical infrastructure. Meanwhile, platforms like Alibaba, Airbnb, and Uber have shown how software can unlock underutilized assets (like rooms and cars) and scale marketplaces globally with unprecedented speed.

These platforms are not just enabling businesses—they are redefining what it means to be a business. A retailer can become a media company. A logistics provider can become a data platform. The boundaries are blurring, and platforms are becoming central nervous systems of business ecosystems.

Blockchain and Decentralization: Trust Without Intermediaries

Blockchain technology has unlocked the possibility of decentralized, transparent, and tamper-proof systems. While still maturing, its potential to transform industries is enormous—especially those reliant on intermediaries, from finance to real estate to supply chains.

In financial services, blockchain is enabling faster, cheaper cross-border payments, tokenized assets, and decentralized finance (DeFi). Companies like Circle and Chainalysis are building core infrastructure for a programmable financial future. In supply chains, blockchain enhances transparency and traceability—Walmart, for example, uses blockchain to track food safety across its global sourcing network.

Beyond finance, blockchain has potential to reinvent identity management, intellectual property, and even voting systems. It challenges the centralized models that have dominated the 20th century and opens the door to more democratic, transparent digital infrastructure.

Robotics and Automation: The Physical Transformation of Work

Advanced robotics, combined with AI and machine vision, are transforming industries like manufacturing, logistics, agriculture, and healthcare. Robots today are more dexterous, intelligent, and collaborative than ever—working alongside humans, rather than replacing them.

Amazon’s warehouses are powered by fleets of robots that move goods, scan items, and optimize picking routes. In factories, companies like ABB and Fanuc provide precision robotics that can adapt to different tasks. In agriculture, autonomous drones and robotic harvesters increase yield and reduce labor intensity.

This is not just about efficiency. Robotics enables new business models. For example, Zipline uses autonomous drones to deliver medical supplies to remote regions in Africa. In healthcare, robotic surgery and assistive robots are redefining care delivery, particularly in aging societies.

Genomics and the Bioeconomy: Rewriting the Code of Life

The genomics revolution—propelled by AI, cheap DNA sequencing, and synthetic biology—is opening entirely new frontiers in health, agriculture, and beyond. Companies like Illumina and Ginkgo Bioworks are decoding the biology of life and engineering it for new uses.

Precision medicine—tailoring treatments to an individual’s genetic profile—is transforming healthcare. Gene editing tools like CRISPR allow us to not only detect but also fix genetic defects. In agriculture, genetically engineered crops can resist drought, reduce pesticide use, and boost nutrition.

The implications are vast. Biotech can replace petrochemical-based products with bio-based ones, create lab-grown meat, or manufacture materials with programmed functions. The future of business may increasingly be written in biological code, not digital.

Energy Storage and Climate Tech: A New Industrial Revolution

The twin pressures of climate change and energy transition are accelerating innovation in clean tech and energy systems. At the center of this transformation is energy storage, which enables the use of intermittent renewables like wind and solar at scale.

Tesla and CATL are leading the battery revolution, while startups like Form Energy are developing long-duration storage technologies. Better batteries mean electrified transportation, decarbonized grids, and more resilient infrastructure.

This is catalyzing a shift to a circular, regenerative economy, where waste becomes input and sustainability is embedded in design. Companies like Schneider Electric are leading by example, offering digital platforms that optimize energy use in buildings, factories, and cities—turning sustainability into a competitive advantage.

Quantum Computing: Leaps in Possibility

Though still in its early stages, quantum computing promises to solve problems that classical computers cannot—transforming industries like pharmaceuticals, finance, and logistics.

Companies like IBM, Google, and D-Wave are making rapid progress. Quantum could enable the simulation of complex molecules to discover new drugs, optimization of global supply chains with millions of variables, or even breakthroughs in material science.

When it matures, quantum computing won’t just be an upgrade—it will be a paradigm shift, enabling solutions previously thought impossible.

Tech-Powered Business Reinvention

The technologies now reshaping the business world are not additive—they are multiplicative. Their power compounds when combined: AI + robotics = autonomous systems; blockchain + IoT = trusted supply chains; genomics + AI = precision health.

Leading companies are not waiting for maturity. They are experimenting boldly, scaling fast, and reimagining their roles in value creation. They’re turning technology from an IT concern into a strategic capability—embedding it in culture, governance, and customer experience.

To unlock technology’s full potential, leaders must do more than adopt tools. They must shift their mindset: from efficiency to exploration, from linear planning to adaptive learning, from ownership to orchestration.

We are only at the beginning of this transformation. The next decade will not just change how business is done—it will change what business is. The companies that harness this technology potential will not only survive—they will shape the future.

For every business leader, the challenge is about making sense of today’s rapidly changing world, and understanding how to prepare for, and succeed, in tomorrow’s world.

Are you ready to seize the opportunities of a changing world?

For more info, contact me directly: peterfisk@peterfisk.com

Module 7: Leading Change

In today’s world of accelerated disruption, climate imperatives, digital revolutions, and shifting customer expectations, leading change has become one of the most critical—and complex—challenges facing business leaders. Change is no longer a discrete event to be managed occasionally; it is a continuous state, a new normal in which adaptability and vision are key determinants of success.

To lead change effectively now means guiding your organization through uncertainty, aligning diverse teams behind a shared future, and orchestrating transformation across products, platforms, people, and processes—all while delivering performance today. It requires clarity, empathy, and the courage to embrace ambiguity. Most of all, it means creating the conditions in which step-change innovation and value creation can flourish.

Change has changed

Traditional change management approaches—top-down, project-based, process-heavy—are too slow and rigid for today’s pace of change. Businesses are now dealing with concurrent disruptions: technological advancements, shifting customer behaviors, new regulations, talent shortages, and geopolitical shocks. These forces do not arrive one at a time; they converge, amplify, and evolve unpredictably.

Transformation is no longer confined to IT systems or cost structures. It now touches everything at once: business models, customer relationships, culture, talent, ESG performance, innovation pipelines, and organizational purpose. Change is systemic, dynamic, and often existential.

Companies like Microsoft, Schneider Electric, and Ping An have shown that leading change is not about reacting to trends—it’s about shaping them. It’s about seeing further, moving faster, and inspiring deeper engagement.

Transformation is a journey of many changes

True transformation rarely happens overnight. It’s a journey that unfolds over time, typically through a series of interrelated changes that reinforce each other. These may include:

Redefining the business strategy to focus on future growth areas
Evolving the operating model to support speed, agility, and innovation
Embedding digital technologies to unlock new capabilities
Shifting culture and leadership behaviors to foster creativity and accountability
Building new skills, partnerships, and ecosystems
Rewiring governance and decision-making to be more dynamic and inclusive

Each of these steps is significant on its own. Taken together, they reshape the DNA of the business.

For example, Fujifilm’s transformation from a photo film business into a diversified health and high-tech materials company took more than a decade. It was driven by a portfolio of changes—investments in new R&D, the acquisition of medical companies, the divestment of legacy operations, and a culture that supported long-term reinvention.

Transformation is not about quick wins—it’s about durable shifts that create future-facing value.

Leading Through Uncertainty: Vision and Anchoring

In periods of intense uncertainty, people crave clarity. One of the most important roles of a change leader is to anchor the organization in a compelling vision of the future—a North Star that helps people make sense of change and feel confident in the direction.

This vision must be ambitious enough to inspire, but concrete enough to guide decision-making. It should articulate not just what will change, but why—the strategic rationale, the opportunity being pursued, and the kind of organization you’re building together.

Satya Nadella’s early years at Microsoft illustrate this well. His reframing of Microsoft’s mission (“to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more”) and focus on a growth mindset culture gave the company a refreshed identity, while also setting the stage for deep business and cultural transformation.

Vision provides the compass. But to navigate uncertainty, leaders must also create safety—psychological safety, career safety, and organizational safety. People need to know they are not being left behind, that they are supported through ambiguity, and that risk-taking is valued.

Engaging People in the Change

Change is ultimately about people. No transformation succeeds without the engagement, belief, and energy of the workforce. This requires leaders to listen deeply, communicate frequently, and act visibly.

Co-create the journey: Involve people at all levels in shaping solutions. This builds ownership, surfaces insights, and accelerates learning.
Tell human stories: Use stories to bring the vision to life. Share real examples of teams trying new things, overcoming setbacks, and creating impact.
Recognize and reward: Celebrate progress and acknowledge those who model the new behaviors. Culture changes one conversation, one decision, one story at a time.
Equip for change: Invest in upskilling, reskilling, and digital literacy. Help people move from fear of change to fluency with change.

When people are part of the transformation—not just subject to it—they become its champions.

Aligning Organizations and Processes

Leading change means aligning the hard and soft systems of the organization to support the new direction. This includes:

Structure: Move from siloed hierarchies to cross-functional networks that allow ideas and decisions to flow faster.
Processes: Streamline governance and shift from annual planning to agile, iterative cycles that can respond to change in real-time.
Metrics: What gets measured gets managed. Align KPIs with the desired outcomes of transformation—innovation speed, customer satisfaction, carbon reduction, talent mobility—not just legacy financials.
Technology: Make tech a strategic enabler. Invest in platforms, data, and automation that increase speed, personalization, and scale.

Schneider Electric aligned its organizational design, leadership development, and customer experience metrics to support its repositioning as a digital sustainability partner. This alignment enabled it to deliver both top-line growth and impact, helping it to consistently rank among the world’s most sustainable and admired companies.

Creating step-change innovation and value

At its best, transformation leads to step-change innovation—new products, new markets, new ways of working—and transformational value creation. This isn’t about 10% improvements; it’s about unlocking new strategic possibilities.

Ping An, the Chinese financial giant, created entirely new ecosystems in health, fintech, and smart city services by fusing data, AI, and platforms. It moved from traditional banking and insurance to a digitally integrated enterprise with multiple value engines.

What made this possible? Clear vision, long-term leadership commitment, organizational integration, and the courage to redefine itself in a fast-moving landscape.

Innovation at this scale requires leaders to create the conditions for creativity and experimentation—psychological safety, time, tools, and trust. It also requires discipline: innovation must align with strategy, be customer-centric, and scale effectively.

Leadership in a changing world

Finally, leading change begins with leading oneself. In fast-changing environments, leaders must constantly evolve. They must cultivate humility, curiosity, resilience, and emotional intelligence. They must move from command-and-control to coach and catalyze.

The best change leaders are not heroic figures at the top, but enablers of change at every level. They ask better questions, unlock others’ potential, and make space for new thinking to emerge.

To lead change today is to lead through uncertainty with purpose. It means seeing transformation not as a threat, but as an opportunity to reimagine what your organization can become. It means aligning vision, strategy, systems, and people into a coherent whole that can learn, adapt, and grow faster than the world around it.

And above all, it means believing in the possibility of better—a more innovative, sustainable, inclusive, and valuable future—and helping others believe it too.

For every business leader, the challenge is about making sense of today’s rapidly changing world, and understanding how to prepare for, and succeed, in tomorrow’s world.

Are you ready to seize the opportunities of a changing world?

For more info, contact me directly: peterfisk@peterfisk.com

Module 10, 12, 13: Transforming Business

In a world of relentless technological change, shifting consumer expectations, and mounting environmental and societal pressures, the ability to fundamentally reinvent a business has become a prerequisite for survival and success. Business transformation today is no longer about marginal efficiency gains or tweaking product lines; it’s about reshaping the core of what a company is and what it does. Automakers must evolve into mobility platforms. Social media companies branch into commerce. Retailers become content creators. It’s a time of tectonic shifts that demand bold thinking, deep reinvention, and sustained commitment.

A Step Change in Value Creation

At the heart of business transformation lies a radical shift in how value is created. No longer is it sufficient to optimize existing operations. Today’s transformative strategies seek to unlock entirely new revenue streams and operating models. Companies must pivot from being product-centric to platform-oriented, from transactional to experiential, from physical to digital, and from linear to ecosystem-based thinking.

This transformation often starts with a critical recognition: the old model is reaching its limits. Market saturation, technological disruption, or changing consumer expectations can all serve as catalysts. What follows is the search for new engines of growth—whether through data monetization, digital services, subscription models, sustainability innovations, or entry into adjacent markets.

Critically, these shifts are not just about operational improvement or entering new verticals—they are about financial reinvention. Transforming a business in a meaningful way often involves redefining how value is measured and unlocked in the market.

From DVDs to Content Streaming: Netflix

Netflix’s story is emblematic of what business transformation means in the digital age. Once a DVD-by-mail rental company, it foresaw the shift toward digital and transformed into a streaming platform. Not content to distribute others’ content, it reinvented itself again as a creator of original content, competing directly with Hollywood. Netflix’s transformation required not only a new business model but a new organizational culture—risk-taking, creative, fast, and data-driven. Today, Netflix continues to evolve, experimenting with ad-supported tiers, gaming, and international content production, demonstrating that transformation is not a one-time act, but a continuous mindset.

From Cameras to Healthcare: Fujifilm

When digital photography disrupted its core film business, Fujifilm faced what many thought would be a slow decline. Instead, the company reimagined itself. Leveraging its deep expertise in chemicals and imaging, it expanded into healthcare, cosmetics, and high-performance materials. Today, Fujifilm manufactures everything from regenerative medicine to anti-aging skincare. Rather than clinging to legacy products, it mined its intangible assets—like R&D capabilities, patents, and brand trust—to enter high-margin, future-facing industries. It’s a model of diversification based not on opportunity alone, but on strategic coherence.

From Banking to Digital Ecosystem: Ping An

China’s Ping An Insurance provides one of the boldest examples of a traditional company building a digital ecosystem. Initially an insurance provider, Ping An evolved into a tech-enabled services conglomerate spanning health, finance, and smart city infrastructure. The company created platforms like Good Doctor (healthcare), Lufax (wealth management), and OneConnect (fintech infrastructure), embedding AI and cloud services into everything it does. These platforms serve as both revenue generators and customer acquisition engines, creating a loop that deepens engagement and data intelligence. Ping An didn’t just add technology—it rebuilt its entire operating system.

The Architecture of Transformation

These transformations didn’t happen by chance. They were designed, often around several key pillars:

New Business Models: The shift from ownership to access (e.g., subscriptions, platforms, sharing economy), from physical to digital goods, and from product to service-based revenues is a hallmark of modern transformation.
Technology Integration: Cloud, AI, IoT, and data analytics are not just tools—they are catalysts for building new capabilities, reducing costs, enabling personalization, and scaling quickly.
Mergers and Acquisitions: Strategic M&A is often a lever to acquire capabilities, enter new markets, or accelerate transformation. Microsoft’s acquisition of LinkedIn and Activision Blizzard, Schneider’s purchase of software firms, and Ping An’s ecosystem spin-offs all show how transformation frequently involves reshaping the portfolio.
Culture and Leadership: Cultural reinvention is the hardest but most essential part of transformation. Organizations need to foster agility, curiosity, collaboration, and a willingness to learn and fail. Leaders must be visionaries and system thinkers who can navigate ambiguity and inspire new ways of working.
Customer-Centric Design: True transformation starts with a deep understanding of unmet customer needs. It’s not about pushing new technologies but solving real problems in new, scalable ways.
Sustainability as Strategy: Increasingly, environmental and social challenges are becoming central to transformation. Schneider, Fujifilm, and Ping An show how companies are embedding purpose into business models, creating long-term value while addressing global issues.

Changing the Narrative

True transformation often means changing not just the business model but the narrative—and this includes the story told to investors. CEOs and boards must help shareholders see beyond short-term financials and toward the company’s long-term strategic potential.

When Schneider Electric transformed itself into a digital sustainability leader, it didn’t just add new services—it repositioned the entire company in the eyes of investors. The market began to value Schneider not just as an industrial player, but as a data-driven, climate-tech innovator. This re-rating contributed significantly to its market cap expansion.

Netflix’s reinvention into a streaming and content powerhouse wasn’t just operational—it fundamentally changed how analysts and investors valued the company. It moved from being seen as a low-margin logistics business to a high-growth media and technology platform. The resulting surge in valuation was not driven by cost control or improved DVD returns, but by a bold reinvention of the company’s future.

Innovation drives Market Value

For public companies, market value is the ultimate scoreboard. To double or triple your market capitalization, you cannot simply keep doing more of the same. Investors reward growth, but not just any growth—growth that is scalable, future-facing, and strategically sound.

Transformational innovation is often the only path to unlocking this kind of exponential financial value. It allows a company to:

Expand its total addressable market : By entering new markets or creating new categories, companies redefine their growth potential. Think of Amazon moving into cloud computing or Apple expanding from hardware to services.
Shift to higher-margin, recurring revenue streams: Subscription models, platforms, and ecosystems offer predictability and scale that traditional product sales don’t. Microsoft’s transition to cloud and SaaS significantly improved its margins and valuation multiples.
De-risk the future: Companies that show a credible roadmap for reinvention are seen by investors as more resilient to disruption and more aligned with long-term trends such as digitalization, decarbonization, and demographic change.
Attract long-term, forward-thinking investors: Institutions increasingly seek companies that can sustain growth, demonstrate purpose, and stay ahead of disruption. ESG-minded capital is also flowing toward businesses that align sustainability with profit.

Transformation Journey

Perhaps the most important insight is that business transformation is not a one-time pivot—it’s a continuous discipline. As markets evolve and technologies converge, today’s innovations quickly become tomorrow’s legacy. Companies must build systems, cultures, and leadership practices that allow for constant reinvention.

Tesla is not just an automaker but a software-driven energy company. Amazon morphed from a bookstore to a global logistics, cloud, and AI powerhouse. Meta (formerly Facebook) is shifting its identity toward the metaverse while experimenting with digital commerce. Retailers like Nike and Walmart now operate content studios and tech incubators. Every industry is in motion, every business under pressure.

Business transformation is a journey of reinvention in pursuit of relevance, growth, and impact. It demands courage, clarity, and commitment. It requires a shift from linear thinking to exponential ambition. Most importantly, it calls for a new financial mindset—where growth, valuation, and innovation are inseparable.

Companies that succeed in transformation don’t just evolve—they multiply their market potential. They don’t just adapt—they redefine their industries. And in doing so, they prove that the future belongs not to the biggest or richest—but to the boldest.

For every business leader, the challenge is about making sense of today’s rapidly changing world, and understanding how to prepare for, and succeed, in tomorrow’s world.

Are you ready to seize the opportunities of a changing world?

For more info, contact me directly: peterfisk@peterfisk.com

Module 9: Growth Strategies, defining direction and accelerating progress in a world of relentless change

In today’s volatile, fast-evolving business environment, growth is no longer a linear, predictable process. Market conditions are constantly shifting, technology is accelerating, competition is intensifying, and customer expectations are becoming more fluid. For business leaders, the challenge is not just how to grow—but how to grow smartly, sustainably, and strategically in a world defined by complexity and uncertainty.

The New Growth Imperative

Growth remains the ultimate barometer of business success. It fuels innovation, attracts talent and capital, and secures long-term competitiveness. But how growth is achieved—and the mindset required to pursue it—has changed. Yesterday’s playbooks often fall short in today’s dynamic context. Strategic planning must now embrace flexibility, agility, and optionality, while maintaining a clear sense of direction and differentiation.

There is no single growth formula. Instead, businesses need to develop multi-dimensional growth strategies that combine organic and inorganic approaches, short-term wins and long-term bets, core reinvention and new market expansion—all underpinned by data, experimentation, and cultural alignment.

Organic vs. Inorganic

Growth strategies broadly fall into two categories:

Organic Growth: achieved from within—by improving products, services, operations, and customer experiences. Organic growth is typically more sustainable and aligned with the company’s core capabilities and culture. It includes product innovation, market expansion (new geographies or segments), pricing optimization, digital transformation, customer retention and loyalty programs. Organic growth is especially effective when a company has a strong brand and customer base, clear differentiation and internal capabilities, opportunities to expand wallet share or improve efficiency
Inorganic Growth: achieved from outside – by acquisitions, partnerships, or investments. It is often used to enter new markets quickly, acquire new technologies or capabilities, consolidate share, or accelerate scale. Inorganic growth can be faster, but also riskier, particularly if cultural integration is poor or strategic alignment is weak.

Apple has achieved sustained organic growth by building an ecosystem of products and services—iPhones, Macs, AirPods, and now a growing suite of digital services (iCloud, Apple Music, Apple Pay)—designed to work seamlessly together and increase customer lifetime value. Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods gave it immediate access to the grocery space, while its purchase of MGM Studios expanded its content portfolio for Prime Video. Amazon combines bold organic innovation (e.g. AWS, Alexa) with strategic inorganic moves to build flywheels in multiple domains.

Use organic growth when you have clear internal strengths, cultural alignment, and time to build.
Use inorganic growth when time-to-market is critical, capabilities are missing, or the opportunity cost of waiting is high.

Of course most companies use both.

Building strategies with focus and agility

In a rapidly changing world, strategic planning must shift from rigid roadmaps to adaptive frameworks. Growth strategies must be:

Clear in intent (what are we solving for?)
Focused in direction (where can we win?)
Flexible in execution (how do we adapt as we go?)

This means using scenario thinking, modular planning, and feedback loops to remain responsive while staying grounded in a clear vision.

Key principles:

Anchor in purpose and value creation
A meaningful purpose acts as a compass during turbulent times. Companies like Unilever and Patagonia have embedded their purpose into product, culture, and growth strategies, helping them maintain focus amid shifting market dynamics.
Pursue adjacent and breakthrough growth
Core growth may plateau. Leaders must balance:
- Core optimization: making the existing business better
- Adjacent expansion: entering closely related markets
- Breakthrough bets: exploring transformative opportunities

Example:
Adobe shifted from selling boxed software to a cloud-based subscription model (Creative Cloud), enabling it to unlock recurring revenue and launch new digital tools—an organic transformation that fueled years of sustained growth.

Embrace test-and-learn
Growth now depends on experimentation, not just execution. Agile, iterative approaches allow companies to test new ideas, learn fast, and pivot. This is especially useful in customer acquisition, product development, and geographic expansion.

Example:
Booking.com is known for running thousands of A/B tests daily—refining everything from UX to pricing to messaging. This culture of experimentation enables precision growth optimization.

Keep capital and talent flexible
Growth strategies need dynamic allocation of capital and talent. Leaders should regularly reassess where to double down, where to pivot, and where to cut.

Growth accelerators: Data, Platforms, and Flywheels

1. Data as a Growth Driver

Data is no longer a byproduct—it’s a growth engine. When leveraged correctly, data enables:

Hyper-personalized customer experiences
Predictive analytics for demand and supply
Real-time decision-making and optimization

Example:
Netflix uses viewing data to recommend content, guide original programming investments, and improve user retention. Its entire growth model is built on data-led personalization.

2. The Power of Flywheels

A flywheel is a self-reinforcing system where each action strengthens the next. Great companies engineer growth flywheels that compound over time.

Amazon’s flywheel famously begins with customer experience → more traffic → more sellers → better selection → lower costs → better customer experience. Each component reinforces the next, creating exponential momentum.

Other examples:

Spotify: more users → better data → better recommendations → more engagement → more artists attracted
Airbnb: more hosts → more listings → more users → more bookings → better data and reviews → more trust and growth

Flywheels require a systems-thinking mindset. Leaders must design and align each component for mutual reinforcement.

Examples of Growth Strategies

MercadoLibre built a homegrown e-commerce ecosystem in Latin America, offering marketplace, fintech (MercadoPago), logistics (MercadoEnvios), and more. By solving structural pain points in emerging markets, it created a multi-sided flywheel for growth. Reliance disrupted India’s telecom market by launching Jio with free internet and cheap data. It then built digital platforms (e.g., JioMart, JioSaavn) to monetize its massive user base. It combined infrastructure investment with data-driven digital expansion. Tesla’s growth isn’t just about cars—it’s about ecosystems. With electric vehicles, charging networks, software updates, and energy products, it created a vertically integrated growth engine. Its innovation-driven strategy balances product expansion with brand loyalty.

AWS … the power of cloud

Growth strategy:

Transformed Amazon’s internal infrastructure into a cloud services platform for the world.
Scaled a highly profitable, usage-based SaaS business while others still sold physical servers.
Offered APIs and tools that enabled startups and enterprises to build rapidly.

Growth impact:

Became the profit engine for Amazon: ~$90B revenue (2023), ~30% operating margin.
Powers a massive portion of the global internet economy.
Enabled Amazon to subsidize retail operations and expand into healthcare, devices, and AI.

Apple … ecosystem growth engines

Growth strategy:

Shifted from being a hardware innovator to building a services ecosystem (App Store, iCloud, Music, Pay).
Designed a closed ecosystem with high customer lock-in and premium branding.
Invested heavily in proprietary chips and vertical integration.

Growth impact:

Gross margins regularly exceed 42%.
Apple Services segment alone generates $80B+ annually, with higher margins than devices.
Became the world’s first $3 trillion company (2022).

BYD … from batteries to automobiles

Growth strategy:

Transitioned from battery maker to EV and hybrid vehicle giant.
Developed a closed-loop model with internal batteries, chips, and semiconductors.
Benefited from Chinese government incentives and global demand for affordable EVs.

Growth impact:

Surpassed Tesla in EV sales (2023) in certain quarters.
Revenue grew to $75B+, with strong profitability.
Expanded to global markets (Europe, Asia, LATAM), becoming a key global EV player.

Shopify … enabling every store to be global

Growth strategy:

Democratized e-commerce with an intuitive platform for SMBs and creators.
Avoided competing with Amazon directly; instead built tools and an app marketplace.
Integrated payments, logistics, and marketing into its platform.

Growth impact:

Revenue grew from $205M (2015) to over $7B (2023).
Reached profitability in key quarters while maintaining strong reinvestment.
Became one of Canada’s most valuable companies, with a global merchant base.

Netflix … making and streaming movies

Growth strategy:

Moved from DVD rentals to a streaming-first, content-producing tech platform.
Leveraged data analytics and AI to drive content investments and personalization.
Scaled globally fast with local content in multiple markets.

Growth impact:

From 22M subscribers (2011) to 260M+ globally (2024).
High user retention and average revenue per user (ARPU).
Operating margins grew from single digits to over 20% in recent years.

Nvidia … chips to power the future

Growth strategy:

Pivoted from graphics chips to powering AI, data centers, and deep learning.
Developed CUDA, a platform that made GPUs essential for modern AI work.
Benefited massively from the generative AI and LLM boom.

Growth impact:

Stock price rose over 20x between 2016 and 2024.
Became a $2 trillion company and one of the most profitable chipmakers globally.
Gross margins regularly exceed 65%, with exponential revenue growth.

Reliance Jio … from petrochemicals to super apps

Growth strategy:

Launched ultra-low-cost mobile data and telecom services to underserved masses.
Bundled services like streaming, messaging, and payments.
Funded through Reliance Industries’ oil & gas business, and then spun into a digital platform.

Growth impact:

Gained 400M+ subscribers in under 5 years.
Drove India’s digital transformation and increased data consumption 10x.
Raised billions from global investors (Facebook, Google), valuing Jio at over $65B.

LVMH … unlocking the brand portfolio

Growth strategy:

Consolidated luxury brands across fashion, jewelry, wines, and cosmetics.
Preserved brand exclusivity while digitally modernizing marketing and direct-to-consumer.
Expanded aggressively into Asia, especially China.

Growth impact:

Became the world’s most valuable luxury company ($500B+ market cap).
Operating margin over 25%, with strong pricing power and global brand dominance.
Acquisitions like Tiffany & Co. strengthened portfolio and cross-brand synergy.

MercadoLibre … the digital backbone of Latin America

Growth strategy:

Built the “Amazon + PayPal of Latin America” with e-commerce, logistics, and fintech.
Created MercadoPago to solve payments for the unbanked.
Scaled across 18+ countries, solving local infrastructure challenges.

Growth impact:

Market cap surged from ~$5B (2015) to $80B+ (2024).
Maintained profitability with strong user growth and low CAC.
MercadoPago is now a major fintech player across LATAM.

Tesla … not just cars, but an energy business

Growth strategy:

Redefined the electric vehicle market with a vertically integrated, software-first business model.
Built its own battery tech, charging infrastructure, and AI-based self-driving system.
Positioned itself not just as a carmaker but as an energy + tech company.

Growth impact:

Market cap surged from ~$50B in 2017 to over $750B by 2024.
Delivered profitability across multiple years, despite high capital investment.
Created one of the most profitable vehicle businesses globally (per unit gross margin).

What Sets Growth Leaders Apart?

Growth leaders share common traits:

Clarity of vision and adaptability of plans
Relentless customer focus
Digital and data fluency
Operational agility and organizational alignment
Long-term thinking balanced with fast execution

They foster cultures that reward curiosity, speed, and continuous improvement. And they design their businesses to not just respond to change—but thrive on it.

Art and Science

Developing a growth strategy in a fast-changing world requires both discipline and dynamism. Business leaders must:

Understand when to build and when to buy
Balance focus with experimentation
Use data and platforms as accelerators
Design reinforcing systems like flywheels
Lead with purpose and agility

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. But the companies that grow best are those that learn fastest, adapt intelligently, and never lose sight of what makes them valuable to the world. Growth, in this sense, is not just about scale—it’s about creating enduring, compounding value in an ever-evolving world.

For every business leader, the challenge is about making sense of today’s rapidly changing world, and understanding how to prepare for, and succeed, in tomorrow’s world.

Are you ready to seize the opportunities of a changing world?

For more info, contact me directly: peterfisk@peterfisk.com

Module 11: Building Brands

In today’s dynamic, hyperconnected world, building a brand is not just about designing a great logo or running catchy ads. It’s about creating a compelling identity that resonates with people, stands out in saturated markets, builds deep trust, and fuels your company’s ongoing innovation and growth. The brand has become a business’s most powerful intangible asset—a strategic tool that shapes perceptions, drives loyalty, attracts talent, and helps companies adapt to change. In a landscape defined by constant disruption, relevance, and differentiation are no longer optional—they are existential.

The pace of change in the business environment has accelerated. Consumer expectations are rising, markets are fragmenting, competitors are multiplying, and technology is reshaping how people interact with products and companies. In this environment, brands must do more than communicate—they must connect. Successful brands today are dynamic, participatory, and purpose-driven. They reflect cultural relevance and societal values, they evolve with their customers, and they embody trust at a time when skepticism toward institutions and corporations is widespread.

Moreover, branding is no longer just a marketing function. It is a whole-business strategy. Every product choice, policy, partnership, and employee interaction communicates something about your brand. It is how the world sees you—and how you see yourself.

Creating a powerful brand identity

At the heart of every great brand is a powerful identity. This goes beyond visual aesthetics—it’s about defining who you are, what you stand for, and what makes you different. A strong brand identity starts with clarity:

Purpose: Why does your brand exist beyond making money? Brands with a clear, authentic purpose—like Patagonia’s environmental activism or Airbnb’s sense of belonging—win hearts and build meaning.
Positioning: What space does your brand occupy in the minds of customers? Effective positioning highlights your unique value and frames your relevance in a way that’s compelling and memorable.
Personality: Brands, like people, have personalities. Whether you’re bold, quirky, authoritative, or compassionate, consistency in tone, voice, and behavior makes your brand more relatable and human.
Promise: What do customers count on you to deliver? Your brand promise sets expectations—and your ability to keep it builds trust.

Crafting these foundational elements requires deep insight into your customers, competitors, and culture. It’s not about inventing something out of thin air—it’s about discovering and amplifying the truth of who you are and what matters most.

The best brands do more

New brand-building strategies are not about louder messages—they’re about deeper meaning, mutual value, and authentic relationships. The most powerful modern brands plug into culture and purpose, empower people and communities, are co-created and emotionally intelligent, evolve like living organisms, and build long-term ecosystems and trust

In the era of infinite choice and fleeting attention, the brands that win are those that matter—because they stand for something real, and invite people to be part of it. Here are 10 ways in which they do more

Brands as Cultural Connectors: In today’s fragmented, globalized world, brands that resonate culturally are the ones that endure. Cultural connection goes beyond superficial trends—it means aligning with deeper societal values, subcultures, and moments of collective meaning. Nike connects with issues of racial justice and athlete activism. Rihanna’s Fenty brand taps into identity, representation, and body positivity. These brands act as mirrors to culture—and sometimes even shape it. They understand the power of symbolism, language, and representation to create relevance. Brands are becoming cultural vehicles—platforms through which people express their beliefs and participate in social movements.
Brands as Enablers of Human Potential: More than ever, consumers expect brands to empower them—not just sell to them. This means helping people learn, grow, express themselves, or make an impact. Apple frames itself not just as a tech company but a tool for creativity. Nike encourages people to “just do it” and pursue personal greatness. Notion and Figma empower users to design and build with autonomy. This shift reflects a more human-centric view of branding. People don’t want brands to dominate—they want them to serve. Brands as enablers of self-actualization—tools that help people unlock their best selves.
Tribal Branding: Becoming a Symbol of Belonging: Some of today’s most successful brands function like tribes—they foster identity, belonging, and shared rituals. These are brands people don’t just buy, but join. Harley-Davidson, Supreme, Liquid Death, and Peloton have become cultural tribes. Communities around brands like Patagonia or Glossier are self-reinforcing, with strong peer-to-peer advocacy. Tribal brands provide people with a sense of belonging in a world where traditional communities are breaking down. They often thrive on exclusivity, symbolism, and strong emotional ties. Brands as identity platforms—ways for people to say, “This is who I am.”
Participatory Brands: Co-Created with the Community: The top-down era of brand control is fading. The most innovative brands today are participatory and co-created. Customers aren’t just consumers—they’re contributors, collaborators, even co-owners. LEGO Ideas lets fans submit and vote on new set designs. Red Bull supports creator-athletes who shape the brand narrative. DAO-based brands (e.g. in Web3) enable decentralized ownership and governance. These brands create space for people to shape their evolution, fostering deep loyalty. Brands are becoming community-driven ecosystems—living, evolving entities shaped by their users.
Brands with Regenerative Purpose: Sustainability is no longer a differentiator—it’s a baseline expectation. But the most forward-looking brands go beyond “do less harm” toward regeneration—actively restoring the environment, society, and economy. Patagonia reinvests profits in environmental causes. Interface aims to become a “climate positive” carpet company. Allbirds, On Running, and others are innovating around circular materials. Regenerative brands integrate purpose not as a side project, but as a core innovation driver. This deep commitment strengthens credibility and long-term loyalty. Brands as becoming healing forces—agents of restoration, not just responsibility.
Emotionally Intelligent Branding: As technology grows more automated, emotionally resonant brands are standing out. Emotionally intelligent brands understand human needs, moods, and psychology—and communicate with nuance, empathy, and warmth. Duolingo’s playful tone makes learning fun. Oatly’s irreverence creates emotional dissonance and memorability. Spotify Wrapped taps into personal nostalgia and celebration. These brands master tone, timing, and context in ways that feel human, not corporate. Brands are becoming emotionally intelligent companions—understanding and engaging people like a trusted friend.
Modular and Fluid Brand Identities: Static logos and rigid visual systems are being replaced by fluid, adaptive brand identities. These identities shift across platforms, products, and contexts—while remaining instantly recognizable. Spotify, Google, and Netflix all use dynamic branding systems. Modular design allows brands to localize, personalize, and evolve without losing coherence. In a world of real-time interaction and user-generated content, flexible brand systems allow for creative freedom without fragmentation. Brands are becoming living systems—designed for movement, iteration, and responsiveness.
Brands with Narrative Depth: Storytelling has long been central to branding, but today’s leading brands are building narrative worlds—deep mythologies and multi-layered stories that people can explore and extend. Disney has built an entire multiverse of characters and experiences. Nike builds narratives around athletes and challenges, creating arcs of personal triumph. Liquid Death turns water into a rock-and-roll mythology. Great brand storytelling today is immersive, serialized, and layered. It invites participation, spurs emotion, and earns attention in an overstimulated world. Brands are becoming narrative universes—places to lose and find yourself.
Brands as Interfaces to Ecosystems: Many of today’s top companies are platforms or ecosystems—not just products. Their brands are interfaces to larger value networks. Amazon is the gateway to retail, logistics, cloud, and media ecosystems. Apple is the interface to a universe of apps, services, devices, and creators. Airbnb connects hosts, travelers, experiences, and local economies. This model means branding must unify disparate experiences into a coherent whole. The brand becomes the trust layer between complexity and usability. Brands are becoming ecosystem gateways—seamless entry points into a network of value.
AI-Enhanced Personal Brands: Finally, AI is enabling ultra-personalized brand experiences—from marketing to customer service to product design. Spotify, Netflix, and TikTok tailor content with algorithmic precision. AI-driven chatbots and assistants are becoming the voice of the brand. Brands like Replika and Character.AI are exploring virtual brand personalities as companions or co-creators. The future of branding may be one-to-one rather than one-to-many, where each person experiences the brand in a uniquely tailored way. Brands are becoming intelligent companions—responsive, adaptive, and personalized in real time.

Branding as a business driver

In today’s world, branding is not a surface exercise—it is a business imperative. It is the connective tissue between strategy and execution, between vision and value, between innovation and emotion. A strong brand amplifies your voice, fuels your growth, and anchors you in a sea of change.

To build a great brand today:

Start with purpose and truth.
Be bold, relevant, and distinctive.
Prioritize trust and long-term reputation.
Align culture and operations with your brand.
Use your brand as a springboard for innovation and expansion.

In a world where products can be copied and technologies become obsolete, your brand is what endures. It is your story, your promise, and your relationship with the world. Invest in it wisely—it will be your greatest asset in a fast-changing future.

In today’s volatile and hyperconnected world, business leaders face a daunting challenge: to navigate constant disruption while building future-ready organizations. The familiar rhythms of strategy, planning, and execution have been upended by forces far larger than any single industry or region. These forces—megatrends—are reshaping the world at a structural level, creating both massive risks and unprecedented opportunities.

Megatrends are long-term, transformative forces that are global in scope, cross-industry in impact, and inevitable in their trajectory. From climate change and technological convergence to demographic shifts and urbanization, megatrends are not just fleeting headlines—they are the undercurrents shaping the future of markets, societies, and business itself.

Why Megatrends Matter

Ignoring megatrends is no longer an option. They influence how people live, what they value, how they consume, how they work, and how economies evolve. For businesses, this means rethinking what they offer, how they operate, and why they exist. Companies that spot these shifts early and act boldly are the ones that leapfrog competitors, shape new markets, and earn the right to lead.

Some of the most significant megatrends include:

Accelerating AI: AI, quantum computing, robotics, and biotech are converging to radically reshape industries. Generative AI could add $2.6 to $4.4 trillion in global economic value annually (McKinsey, 2023). The synthetic biology market alone is projected to grow to $100+ billion by 2030. Automation, smart systems, and deep tech are transforming how value is created—making innovation faster, cheaper, and more scalable. The fusion of AI, biotech, robotics, and quantum computing will create entirely new industries, products, and capabilities.
Climate crisis: Environmental risk is now economic risk. Climate change, resource depletion, and consumer expectations are forcing companies to adopt sustainable models. $4.3 trillion in annual climate damages projected by 2050 if global temperatures rise by 2.5°C (Swiss Re, 2021). The global market for clean energy technologies will surpass $1.2 trillion by 2030 (IEA, 2023). The era of extractive capitalism is being challenged. Companies face growing regulatory and market pressure to decarbonise, shift to circular models, and build climate-resilient operations.
Demographic shifts: An aging population in the Global North, youth bulges in the Global South, and growing urbanisation will reshape labor markets, consumption, and health systems. By 2035, people aged 65+ will outnumber those under 18 in most OECD countries. 68% of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050 (UN). Over 90% of global population growth from now to 2050 will occur in Africa and Asia (UN). Businesses must adapt to new generational needs, health demands, urban infrastructure pressures, and talent migration.
Economic volatility: The global order is shifting from unipolar to multipolar, with rising powers reshaping trade, alliances, and global governance. By 2030, Asia will account for over 60% of global GDP growth (World Economic Forum). The Global South will comprise more than half of the global middle class by 2035. Over 75% of global manufacturing capacity now lies outside the G7 (World Bank). Economic gravity is shifting, and businesses must rethink supply chains, alliances, and growth strategies around new regional centres of influence.
Reinventing work: Technology, automation, and cultural shifts are reshaping the nature of work, skills, and organizational design. 40% of current job skills are expected to change in the next 5 years (WEF Future of Jobs Report, 2023). 85 million jobs may go unfilled by 2030 due to a lack of skilled talent, potentially costing the global economy $8.5 trillion (Korn Ferry). 77% of Gen Z workers say company values are more important than salary (Deloitte, 2023). Organizations must compete for purpose-driven, digitally fluent talent while reimagining leadership, learning, and hybrid work.

What all these megatrends share is a combination of inevitability and complexity. They unfold over years, even decades, but their effects are accelerating. They create new winners and losers, and they require a mindset that is radically different from the one that dominated business in the past.

Predicting Certainty to Shaping Uncertainty

Traditional business thinking is rooted in linear assumptions, efficiency optimization, and incremental growth. But megatrends don’t follow linear rules. They interact with one another in unpredictable ways. They often create inflection points—sudden, nonlinear changes—that disrupt even the most well-defended industries. Just consider how the fusion of mobile technology, social platforms, and AI enabled the rise of entirely new business models like Uber, TikTok, or ChatGPT in less than a decade.

In this environment, the most dangerous mindset is one of stability and control. The world no longer rewards those who cling to certainty or simply extrapolate the past forward. Instead, it favours those who embrace perpetual reinvention—those who can sense, adapt, and act at the speed of change.

To do that, leaders need to cultivate what we might call a “megatrend mindset”—a deep awareness of the forces reshaping the world, combined with the humility to question assumptions, the curiosity to explore what’s emerging, and the courage to make bold moves before the path is clear.

What is a Megatrend Mindset?

A megatrend mindset is not just a set of insights or predictions—it’s a new operating philosophy for how leaders think, decide, and lead in uncertainty. It is defined by several key shifts:

From short-term to long-view thinking
Leaders must look beyond quarterly targets and focus on building future-fit businesses. This means identifying long-term opportunities and investing in capabilities that align with where the world is going—not just where it is now.
From control to complexity mastery
Instead of trying to manage complexity away, leaders must learn to navigate it. This includes using systems thinking, scenario planning, and embracing ambiguity as a constant rather than a constraint.
From reactive to proactive transformation
Waiting for change to hit before acting is a losing strategy. The megatrend mindset pushes organizations to lead change—to shape emerging markets, experiment with new models, and continually challenge their own relevance.
From optimization to reinvention
Efficiency alone won’t drive tomorrow’s growth. Reinvention does. Leaders must be willing to rethink their business model, reshape their value proposition, and reimagine how they deliver impact—over and over again.
From fixed expertise to dynamic learning
Expertise is becoming perishable. What matters more is learning agility—the ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn faster than the pace of change. A megatrend mindset fosters a culture of exploration, experimentation, and continuous growth.

Why the Mindset Matters Now

The world is entering a new era where change is not just fast—it’s relentless. As technologies compound, environmental pressures intensify, and social expectations shift, the gap between what businesses are and what they need to become is growing wider. Those that fail to evolve will fall behind. Those that embrace change will define the next generation of value creation.

We’re seeing this play out already. Companies like Tesla, which placed bold bets on electrification and autonomy long before it was mainstream, now shape the future of mobility. Shopify, born from the e-commerce megatrend, redefined retail infrastructure by empowering millions of merchants globally. Even legacy giants like Microsoft and Schneider Electric have transformed themselves by aligning deeply with sustainability, cloud, and AI megatrends.

The lesson is clear: Reinvention is not a one-off event. It is a mindset, a discipline, and a continuous act of strategic courage.

How to Lead with a Megatrend Mindset

For leaders looking to build this mindset into their organisation, here are some actions to consider:

Scan broadly, think deeply: Build a habit of horizon scanning—actively tracking megatrends across sectors, geographies, and disciplines. Then connect the dots to your business.
Reimagine your core assumptions: Regularly challenge the core beliefs that underpin your strategy. Ask: What if they’re no longer true?
Build strategic foresight capacity: Equip teams with tools like scenarios, futures thinking, and trend mapping to make uncertainty a source of advantage.
Invest in transformative innovation: Go beyond incremental improvement. Explore bold ideas, fund experiments, and build partnerships at the edges of your ecosystem.
Develop future-fit talent: Prioritize skills like creativity, critical thinking, and digital fluency—traits essential for navigating complexity.
Lead with purpose and resilience: Anchor your organization in a clear purpose that aligns with societal needs, while building the agility to adapt as the context changes.

Next is Now: What will you do?

In a world where megatrends are reshaping everything, the biggest risk is not disruption—it’s irrelevance. The future will not be inherited by the largest or the strongest, but by those who are the most adaptable, visionary, and bold. Developing a megatrend mindset isn’t optional—it’s essential.

For business leaders, this is a moment of truth. Will you merely react to change—or lead it? Will you wait for the future to arrive—or help shape it?

The answer will define not just your next quarter, but your next decade.

The Reinvention Playbook: Lamborghini was a tractor company, Samsung was a grocery store
Future Junkies: Why the best leaders are obsessed about what’s next
What will they do next?: Anticipating the progress (and performance) of some of leading companies 2025 to 2030
Music Reinvented: How an industry was reinvented through ecosystem thinking
Reinventing Business with AI: the best of tech to radically reinvent organisations, and accelerategrowth
The Net Positive Playbook. Allbirds to Climeworks, reinventing organisations for sustainable growth
Pioneers and Transformers. Leading Airbus towards a better future, today and tomorrow
The “Performer Transformer” Leader. Thriving in a world of relentless change

Module 6: Sustainable Business

Building a regenerative business for a better world

Download Sustainable Business workshop presentation by Peter Fisk
Download Better World: Building Sustainable Business Futures executive program by Peter Fisk
Explore more at Sustainable Futures Projects and at the ESP25 Knowledge Hub

In today’s world, sustainability and innovation are no longer separate agendas but deeply intertwined priorities for businesses, governments, and society.

Sustainable innovation refers to the development and implementation of new products, services, processes, or business models that simultaneously create economic value and address environmental and social challenges.

It is about innovating with a long-term view that balances profit with planet and people.

The Net Positive Playbook by Peter Fisk
World’s Most Sustainable Innovators by Peter Fisk
Regenerative Leadership, a more enlightened approach by Peter Fisk

Why it matters (one more time)

The urgency of sustainable innovation is driven by mounting global challenges such as climate change, resource depletion, social inequality, and regulatory pressures. The traditional linear “take-make-dispose” economic model is proving unsustainable, prompting a shift toward circular, regenerative, and inclusive business practices.

Environmental Imperative: Climate change demands urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, minimize waste, and protect biodiversity. Innovations in renewable energy, energy efficiency, waste reduction, and sustainable materials are critical to meet global climate goals like the Paris Agreement.
Social Responsibility: Growing awareness of social issues such as labor rights, community impact, and equity is compelling companies to innovate in ways that promote social inclusion, fair supply chains, and stakeholder engagement.
Economic Opportunity: Sustainable innovation opens new markets and revenue streams. Consumers increasingly prefer sustainable brands, and investors are prioritizing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria. Businesses that innovate sustainably often gain competitive advantage, resilience, and access to capital.
Regulatory Compliance: Governments worldwide are tightening environmental regulations and sustainability standards, forcing companies to innovate to comply or face penalties.

In essence, sustainable innovation is not just a moral imperative but a business imperative.

Key concepts in sustainable innovation

Circular Economy: A system that designs out waste and pollution, keeps products and materials in use, and regenerates natural systems. Circular innovation involves developing products and processes that enable reuse, repair, remanufacture, and recycling.
Environmental Innovation: Innovations specifically aimed at reducing environmental impacts, such as cleaner production technologies, renewable energy solutions, and low-impact materials.
Social Innovation: New strategies, concepts, or models that meet social needs and create social relationships or collaborations, addressing issues like poverty, health, and education.
Cradle to Cradle Design: A design philosophy where products are created with materials that can be fully recycled or safely returned to the environment, mimicking natural cycles.
Shared Value: Business strategies that enhance the competitiveness of a company while simultaneously advancing social and economic conditions in the communities where it operates.
Sustainability-Driven Business Models: Models that integrate sustainability into core value creation, such as product-as-a-service, leasing, or collaborative consumption.

Practical approaches and techniques

Design Thinking for Sustainability: A human-centered approach that encourages empathy for users and stakeholders, problem reframing, and iterative prototyping with sustainability as a core lens.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): A technique to assess the environmental impacts associated with all stages of a product’s life, from raw material extraction through production, use, and disposal. LCA helps identify hotspots and opportunities for improvement.
Open Innovation and Collaboration: Engaging external partners—customers, suppliers, academia, NGOs, and competitors—to co-create sustainable solutions, leveraging diverse expertise and sharing risks.
Sustainable Supply Chain Innovation: Integrating sustainability criteria in supplier selection, raw material sourcing, logistics, and reverse logistics, often supported by digital tools for traceability and transparency.
Circular Design and Material Innovation: Using bio-based, biodegradable, or recycled materials; designing modular products; and developing closed-loop systems to minimize waste.
Digital Technologies: AI, IoT, blockchain, and big data can optimize resource use, improve transparency, and enable smarter products and services, such as predictive maintenance and circular platforms.
Sustainability-Oriented R&D: Investing in research focused on breakthrough sustainable materials, energy-efficient technologies, carbon capture, or alternative proteins.

Great examples of sustainable innovators

Patagonia (USA)
Patagonia is a leading example of sustainable innovation in the apparel industry. The company integrates environmental and social responsibility into its business model, pioneering the use of recycled materials, fair labor practices, and product repair programs (Worn Wear). Patagonia’s innovative approach to transparency and activism has reshaped consumer expectations around sustainable clothing.

Interface (USA)
Interface, a global carpet tile manufacturer, embarked on a “Mission Zero” journey aiming to eliminate any negative environmental impact by 2020. Interface innovated by developing carpet tiles made from recycled fishing nets and industrial waste, using renewable energy, and designing modular flooring that reduces waste.

Tesla (USA)
Tesla revolutionized the automotive industry by making electric vehicles (EVs) mainstream. Tesla’s innovation extends beyond EVs to battery technology, solar energy solutions, and energy storage, driving the transition to a low-carbon future.

Unilever (UK/Netherlands)
Unilever integrates sustainability across its 400+ brands, committing to net-zero emissions by 2039. The company innovates in sustainable sourcing of ingredients (e.g., palm oil, tea), reducing plastic packaging, and promoting circular economy initiatives such as reusable packaging models.

Ørsted (Denmark)
Ørsted transformed itself from a fossil fuel-based energy company to a global leader in offshore wind energy. Its sustainable innovation focus on renewable energy development and smart grid technology supports decarbonization of energy systems worldwide.

Tata Group (India)
Tata Group, a major Indian conglomerate, promotes sustainability through innovation in water conservation, renewable energy, and social enterprises. Tata Motors developed the affordable, fuel-efficient Tata Nano and focuses on electric vehicle development.

Fairphone (Netherlands)
Fairphone is a pioneer in ethical smartphone design, creating modular, repairable phones with responsibly sourced materials to reduce electronic waste and improve labor conditions in the supply chain.

Danone (France)
Danone focuses on regenerative agriculture, sustainable packaging innovation, and healthy nutrition. The company invests in sustainable sourcing of ingredients, reducing carbon footprint, and circular packaging solutions.

Beyond Meat (USA)
Beyond Meat innovates in plant-based protein products that aim to reduce environmental impacts of meat production. Their products offer consumers sustainable alternatives, lowering land, water, and greenhouse gas footprints.

IKEA (Sweden)
IKEA integrates sustainability into its product design, supply chain, and operations. It invests in renewable energy, circular product lines, and aims to become a “climate positive” business by 2030 through resource-efficient materials and recycling initiatives.

Sustainable business models

Here are 8 of the best examples of innovative B2B business models with a sustainability angle, covering different sectors and types of innovation—from circular economy platforms to sustainable energy-as-a-service:

1. Schneider Electric – Energy-as-a-Service

Model: Performance-based services for energy efficiency and decarbonization
Sustainability Angle: Helps clients reduce emissions and energy use
Innovation: Provides end-to-end energy management and automation systems, funded by future energy savings
Impact: Enables clients to achieve net-zero goals without upfront capital investment

2. Interface – Closed-Loop Supply Chain

Model: Circular product-as-a-service model for modular flooring
Sustainability Angle: Uses 100% recycled or bio-based materials, take-back program
Innovation: Mission Zero strategy integrates sustainability into every step of design and supply
Impact: Cut GHG emissions per product unit by over 96%, paving the way for a regenerative model

3. Too Good To Go for Business – Surplus Food Redistribution

Model: B2B platform for managing and redistributing surplus food
Sustainability Angle: Tackles food waste across grocery, hospitality, and food production sectors
Innovation: Connects businesses with local partners to redistribute or sell surplus stock
Impact: Millions of meals saved, reducing methane emissions from landfill

4. Ecovative – Mycelium Packaging for Supply Chains

Model: Sustainable packaging and materials for manufacturers
Sustainability Angle: Replaces plastic foam with biodegradable alternatives
Innovation: Scales custom-grown mushroom-based packaging to industrial B2B clients
Impact: Offers major CPG and electronics companies a low-carbon packaging alternative

5. ClimeCo – Carbon Markets Platform

Model: Carbon project development and offset trading for industrial emitters
Sustainability Angle: Accelerates industrial decarbonization through verified offsets
Innovation: Provides turnkey solutions for emissions tracking, offsets, and sustainability reporting
Impact: Helps companies meet regulatory and voluntary climate targets

6. LeasePlan – EV Fleet-as-a-Service

Model: Subscription-based electric vehicle fleet solutions for corporates
Sustainability Angle: Promotes fleet electrification and reduced transport emissions
Innovation: Bundles vehicles, charging, insurance, and maintenance into a predictable OPEX model
Impact: Supports clients’ scope 1 & 3 emissions reductions while simplifying fleet transition

7. Alibaba Cloud – Green AI & Cloud Infrastructure

Model: Energy-efficient cloud computing and green data centers for businesses
Sustainability Angle: Minimizes IT carbon footprint for clients
Innovation: Develops ultra-efficient cooling systems and green algorithms
Impact: Reduces emissions across the digital ecosystem

8. Climeworks – Direct Air Capture-as-a-Service

Model: Subscription-based carbon removal service for businesses (clients include Microsoft, Shopify)
Sustainability Angle: Permanently removes CO₂ from the atmosphere via direct air capture (DAC)
Innovation: Offers verified, third-party certified carbon removals that businesses can purchase to neutralize residual emissions
Impact: Enables companies to meet net-zero commitments with durable carbon removals

New ideas, as sustainability evolves

Sustainability has evolved from simply minimizing harm to actively regenerating ecosystems, communities, and economies. Businesses today are moving beyond “do less damage” toward restorative, circular, and regenerative models that create positive impacts—environmentally, socially, and economically. This next frontier of sustainable innovation involves new ways of thinking, designing, and operating business that embed regeneration into the core of value creation.

Regenerative Business Models: A regenerative business goes beyond sustainability by actively improving the health of the natural environment and social systems it interacts with. It is based on the principles of circularity, systems thinking, and stakeholder value. Patagonia implements regenerative organic agriculture in its cotton supply chain to restore soil health and sequester carbon, actively repairing ecosystems rather than depleting them.
Circular Economy with Regeneration: Traditional circular economy focuses on closing resource loops (reuse, recycle). The next level integrates regenerative design—materials and processes that improve the environment with each cycle rather than degrade it. Loop, the zero-waste shopping platform, uses durable, reusable packaging that reduces plastic waste and pollution, encouraging manufacturers and consumers to rethink linear “take-make-dispose” models.
Nature-Based Solutions:Businesses are investing in nature-based solutions like reforestation, wetland restoration, and regenerative agriculture to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequities. General Mills has committed to advancing regenerative agriculture on 1 million acres of farmland, working with farmers to improve soil health and biodiversity.
Impact Investing: Traditional finance focuses on short-term returns. Regenerative finance seeks long-term resilience and positive social-environmental returns, investing in businesses and projects that restore natural and human capital. KlimaDAO uses blockchain to finance carbon removal projects in a decentralized way, ensuring transparency and long-term commitment to climate regeneration.
Biomimicry Design: Biomimicry means designing products and systems inspired by natural processes that regenerate rather than extract. Companies use biological principles like closed loops, resilience, and adaptability to innovate sustainably. Nike’s Flyknit uses biomimicry in product design, reducing waste by knitting shoes in one piece, mimicking natural structures to optimize material use and durability
Community-Driven Regeneration: Sustainability is increasingly recognized as a social and cultural challenge, not just environmental. Regenerative business integrates community empowerment, local knowledge, and equitable value distribution. Businesses co-create solutions with indigenous and local communities, respecting traditional knowledge and ensuring benefits are shared. Patagonia’s Action Works platform connects consumers with grassroots environmental organizations, amplifying community-led regeneration efforts.
Regenerative Supply Chains: Moving beyond “greener” sourcing to actively regenerating ecosystems and social systems throughout the supply chain. Embedding circularity, social equity, and ecosystem restoration in every link. IKEA is investing in regenerative cotton and forestry practices to rebuild natural systems while sourcing sustainably.
Digital Tools for Regenerative Innovation: Emerging technologies like AI, IoT, and blockchain are used to monitor ecosystems, optimize resource use, and verify regenerative impact. Digital twins of ecosystems help companies understand environmental impact and design regenerative interventions. Blockchain provides transparency and traceability in regenerative supply chains. IBM’s Food Trust blockchain improves transparency and sustainability in food supply chains, supporting regenerative agriculture and reducing waste.

Sustainable innovation is critical for addressing the environmental and social challenges of the 21st century while unlocking economic opportunities. It requires a systemic shift in how products and services are designed, produced, consumed, and disposed of. Businesses that embrace sustainability as a core innovation driver can build resilience, attract talent and customers, and future-proof their operations.

By leveraging concepts such as the circular economy, cradle-to-cradle design, and shared value, and applying techniques including life cycle assessment, design thinking, and digital technology, companies can create meaningful impact. The examples from Patagonia to Tesla to IKEA demonstrate that sustainable innovation is not just possible but profitable and transformative.

Ultimately, sustainable innovation is about reimagining business success as value creation that respects planetary boundaries and uplifts society — a vision that is essential for a thriving, equitable future.

Sustainable innovations, more profitable t00

Here are great examples of sustainable innovations—products and services born from environmental or social challenges, but which also deliver significant commercial success and scalable impact. These innovations demonstrate that sustainability can be a catalyst for growth, differentiation, and market leadership, not a constraint.

1. Tesla – Electric Vehicles and Energy Ecosystem

Challenge addressed: Climate change, air pollution, fossil fuel dependency.
Innovation: Tesla didn’t just build electric cars—it created a sustainable mobility and energy ecosystem, combining EVs, solar energy (Solar Roof), and home battery storage (Powerwall).
Impact: Over 4 million EVs sold, billions of tons of CO₂ avoided, and a global shift in automotive industry standards.
Profitability: Tesla became the most valuable car company in the world, with margins higher than most legacy automakers.

2. Patagonia – Regenerative Organic Products & Worn Wear

Challenge addressed: Fast fashion waste, ecosystem degradation, overconsumption.
Innovation: Launch of regenerative organic cotton supply chains, Worn Wear resale platform, and a business model designed around repair, reuse, and activism.
Impact: Regenerative practices rebuild soil health and biodiversity. Worn Wear has extended the life of millions of garments.
Profitability: Patagonia is a $1B+ company with strong brand loyalty and premium pricing—while donating its ownership to fight the climate crisis.

3. d.light – Affordable Solar for Off-Grid Communities

Challenge addressed: 600+ million people without electricity in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Innovation: Affordable, pay-as-you-go solar-powered lanterns, home systems, and appliances.
Impact: Over 150 million people impacted, reducing kerosene use and improving education, safety, and income.
Profitability: d.light became commercially sustainable with blended finance, and has expanded into new categories (e.g., solar TVs, smartphones).

4. Interface – Carbon-Negative Carpet Tiles

Challenge addressed: High emissions from construction and materials industries.
Innovation: World’s first carbon-negative carpet tile, using recycled materials, bio-based yarns, and renewable energy in manufacturing.
Impact: Pioneered the concept of “climate take back,” aiming to reverse global warming through business innovation.
Profitability: Premium product positioning and long-term cost savings have enhanced Interface’s profitability and brand value.

5. Too Good To Go – Food Waste App

Challenge addressed: 1/3 of all food is wasted globally, while millions go hungry.
Innovation: Mobile platform where users buy unsold food from restaurants, cafes, and bakeries at a discount.
Impact: 300+ million meals saved across Europe and North America.
Profitability: Scalable, commission-based business model with strong network effects and rapid expansion.

6. Oatly – Sustainable Dairy Alternatives

Challenge addressed: Carbon-heavy dairy industry and lactose intolerance.
Innovation: Oat-based milk with lower environmental impact, strong brand storytelling, and barista-quality performance.
Impact: Oatly’s carbon footprint is less than half of cow’s milk; the brand raised awareness of plant-based diets.
Profitability: $400M+ in annual sales, global expansion, and IPO on the NASDAQ in 2021.

7. Vestas – Wind Turbines and Energy Services

Challenge addressed: Fossil-fuel-based electricity generation.
Innovation: Large-scale wind turbines, hybrid energy solutions, and long-term energy-as-a-service contracts.
Impact: More than 160 GW of wind capacity installed worldwide—enough to power 100M+ homes.
Profitability: Vestas is a global market leader in wind energy, with recurring service revenues and long-term growth prospects.

8. Water.org – Financial Access for Clean Water

Challenge addressed: Over 2 billion people lack access to clean, safe water.
Innovation: Microfinance model that enables people in low-income communities to fund their own water connections and toilets.
Impact: 63 million+ people served, unlocking health, dignity, and time for productivity.
Profitability: Though a non-profit, its market-based model is self-scaling and sustainable, attracting blended capital and corporate partnerships.

9. Ecovative – Mushroom-Based Packaging and Materials

Challenge addressed: Single-use plastic and foam waste.
Innovation: Packaging and materials made from mycelium (mushroom roots), which are biodegradable, low-energy, and compostable.
Impact: Used by IKEA, Dell, and others to replace styrofoam and plastic.
Profitability: B2B licensing and manufacturing model allows scalable, high-margin applications across industries.

10. Schneider Electric – Digital Energy Efficiency

Challenge addressed: Energy waste, carbon emissions, inefficient infrastructure.
Innovation: Smart energy management and IoT-based automation platforms for buildings, factories, and cities.
Impact: Helps clients reduce energy consumption by up to 30% and cut emissions significantly.
Profitability: Core to Schneider’s growth strategy, generating billions in revenue while ranking top in global sustainability indexes.

Sustainable innovations like these share five success characteristics:

Problem-first thinking: They start with an urgent social or environmental issue and build a solution with users in mind.
Integrated impact and profit: Sustainability is embedded in the product/service, not added later—making it central to the value proposition.
Scalability: Designed to grow fast via tech, platforms, or distributed networks.
Business model innovation: They often rely on new models—e.g. circular, “as-a-service,” microfinance, or ecosystem platforms.
Emotional relevance: Many connect deeply with values—e.g., health, justice, climate—creating loyal users and powerful brands.

New metrics of sustainability

As the world transitions into an era defined by planetary boundaries, social inequality, and digital acceleration, the question is no longer whether companies should be sustainable—but how to measure what truly matters. Traditional corporate responsibility metrics, framed by CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance), have helped integrate sustainability into business. Yet, they often remain compliance-driven and incremental.

Today, a growing number of companies are aiming not just to reduce harm, but to create net positive impact—to put more into the world than they take out. These are businesses that deliver superior financial performance and systemic societal and environmental progress. To do this credibly, they need new metrics: ones that are strategic, integrated, forward-looking, and regenerative by design.

1. True Value Creation: Profit with Purpose

At the heart of any business performance system lies profit. But in a sustainable and net positive business, profitability is contextualised by how it is earned—with what impact on people and the planet. Contemporary metrics look not only at shareholder returns but multi-capital value creation.

Integrated Value Metrics: These combine financial, manufactured, natural, human, social, and intellectual capital to assess how businesses create or erode value across systems.
Value-to-Society Accounting: Pioneered by companies like Novo Nordisk and SAP, this approach monetises positive and negative externalities to reflect the company’s real contribution (or cost) to society.
Profit per Impact Unit: Forward-thinking firms begin to express profit not just in dollars but relative to the positive impact delivered—e.g., profit per tonne of carbon avoided or per low-income customer served.

2. Net Environmental Contribution: Beyond Carbon

Most companies now measure their carbon footprint, but a net positive organisation seeks to go further: to become nature-positive and climate-regenerative. This requires a broader and more ambitious set of metrics.

Carbon Handprint vs Footprint: The handprint measures the positive carbon impact of products or services (e.g. emissions avoided by using a clean-tech product) and is increasingly used alongside footprint.
Science-Based Targets (SBTi) + Beyond Value Chain Mitigation: Companies like Microsoft and Ørsted now set SBTs that include Scope 3 emissions and commit to removing more carbon than they emit—factoring in nature-based solutions, removals, and restoration.
Biodiversity Net Gain: Leading firms like Holcim and Nestlé have adopted biodiversity metrics, such as hectares of habitat restored, or improvements in species richness on company-managed land.

3. Circularity and Regenerative Flows

Circular economy metrics go beyond recycling rates. They assess how effectively companies decouple growth from resource extraction, redesign systems for reuse, and regenerate ecosystems.

Material Circularity Indicator (MCI): Developed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, it quantifies how restorative the material flows of a product or company are.
Circular Revenue Ratio: Measures the share of revenue derived from circular business models—products-as-a-service, resale, remanufacturing, etc.
Water Positivity: Companies like PepsiCo and Google aim to return more water to the environment than they withdraw, with metrics on replenishment volumes and watershed restoration impact.

4. Social Impact and Equity Outcomes

Contemporary social metrics go far beyond headcount and charitable donations. Net positive companies measure the depth, scale, and sustainability of their impact on human lives, especially among underserved communities.

Decent Work Index: Tracks not just jobs created but their quality—wages, rights, progression, and security. Used by groups like Unilever and Accenture.
Social Return on Investment (SROI): Converts social outcomes into financial value to assess how effectively a company creates impact for each dollar spent.
Access and Inclusion Metrics: How many people get access to essential products and services—clean energy, education, healthcare—especially in low-income or marginalised areas? d.light and Safaricom use these metrics to track impact at scale.

5. Wellbeing and Human Flourishing

Employee experience is no longer measured only by engagement scores. A regenerative business recognises people as whole humans, and tracks wellbeing, growth, and purpose as part of organisational health.

Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS): Captures how likely employees are to recommend the company—used as a proxy for loyalty and morale.
Psychological Safety Index: Gauges whether people feel safe to speak up, take risks, and innovate—key to adaptive, inclusive cultures.
Purpose Activation Score: Measures how well individual employees connect their work to the broader purpose of the company—a concept applied by companies like Danone and Lush.

6. Governance for Regeneration

Strong ESG governance is critical—but in net positive companies, governance is more than compliance. It actively steers the business toward long-term value creation and stakeholder balance.

Stakeholder Engagement Index: Tracks how systematically and transparently the company involves stakeholders—customers, suppliers, communities—in shaping decisions.
ESG-Linked Compensation: The proportion of executive and board pay linked to ESG and net positive outcomes. Schneider Electric, DSM, and Intel integrate such metrics.
Purpose Compliance: In countries like France, companies with “Entreprise à Mission” status must report how effectively they deliver on their legally embedded purpose.

7. Transformation and Innovation Capacity

A sustainable organisation isn’t one that simply avoids harm—it’s one that adapts and leads change. That requires investment in innovation, agility, and the ability to scale transformative ideas.

Impact Innovation Ratio: Percentage of R&D or capital invested in sustainable, regenerative, or inclusive innovation—e.g., low-carbon tech, inclusive fintech.
Transition Readiness Score: Measures how aligned a company’s assets, culture, and capabilities are to a sustainable future—pioneered in ESG risk frameworks like Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI).
Speed of Scaling Positive Impact: How fast can the company scale solutions that address climate, health, or social equity challenges?

8. Reputation and Trust as Strategic Assets

Trust and reputation are among the most valuable yet intangible assets of any company. Net positive organisations earn trust through action and accountability.

Trust Index: Often measured via global reputation surveys (like Edelman Trust Barometer), or customer trust scores.
Transparency Scores: From public disclosures, third-party ESG ratings, and real-time dashboards—used by companies like Patagonia and Tesla to signal openness.
Net Trust Gap: The difference between what stakeholders expect and what the company delivers across key environmental and social dimensions.

Examples of metrics in companies

Interface, the carpet manufacturer, measures its “Climate Take Back” progress via carbon-negative product sales, gigaton-scale carbon reduction targets, and employee sustainability engagement metrics.
IKEA tracks the circularity of its entire product portfolio, sets science-based climate and forest-positive goals, and uses wellbeing indicators across its global workforce.
Climeworks, a Swiss carbon capture firm, quantifies its positive climate impact by the tonnes of CO₂ permanently removed—not offset—and has third-party verification in place.

The shift to a net positive business is also a shift in mindset. It redefines success—not as being less bad, but as being actively good. It values long-term over short-term, systems thinking over silos, and deep purpose over shallow PR. And crucially, it builds new metrics to make these ambitions real.

The new performance frontier asks bold questions:

Are we helping the world thrive, or just survive?
Are we solving problems we helped create—or preventing them in the first place?
Are we creating value for all stakeholders—not just shareholders?

In answering these, the best companies are not only building better futures—they are measuring them, managing them, and proving that profit and purpose are not trade-offs, but a route to more holistic success.

Explore more

Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take

Net Positive is a powerful manifesto co-authored by former Unilever CEO Paul Polman and sustainability expert Andrew Winston, urging business leaders to rethink their role in society. The central premise is bold: companies should aim to be “net positive”—giving more to the world than they take. This means restoring nature, strengthening communities, empowering people, and ultimately building trust and long-term profitability. The book moves beyond incremental change and compliance, arguing that sustainability must become a core growth driver.

Polman draws on his own experience at Unilever, where he transformed the company’s strategy to integrate sustainability into every facet of the business while outperforming the market. He argues that today’s social and environmental crises are business risks—and opportunities. To thrive, companies must act with courage, work across value chains, and embrace transparency. The book outlines how to navigate complexity, engage stakeholders, and build alliances across sectors.

Net Positive is both a practical roadmap and a moral call to action. It reframes business leadership not as a privilege but a responsibility to deliver measurable, positive impact—for people, planet, and shareholders alike.

Try the Net Positive Readiness Test

Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist

Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics presents a radical rethinking of economic theory for the 21st century. At its core is the “doughnut” model—a visual framework showing a safe and just space for humanity. The inner ring represents the social foundation (health, education, income), while the outer ring marks the ecological ceiling (climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution). A healthy economy operates in the space between—meeting everyone’s needs without breaching planetary limits.

Raworth critiques traditional economic assumptions—such as endless growth, rational self-interest, and equilibrium—and calls for a shift toward regenerative and distributive systems. She argues that 20th-century economics is outdated, having failed to address inequality and environmental collapse. Instead, economies must be designed to be regenerative by design and distributive by default.

The book offers seven principles to rethink economics, including seeing the economy as embedded in society and nature, and focusing on systems dynamics rather than mechanical models. It has inspired cities (like Amsterdam) and businesses to apply the Doughnut as a strategic tool for sustainable decision-making.

Doughnut Economics is a vital resource for business leaders seeking a holistic and future-fit way to balance purpose, prosperity, and planetary health.

Green Swans: The Coming Boom in Regenerative Capitalism

In Green Swans, John Elkington—who coined the term “Triple Bottom Line”—introduces a new metaphor to frame sustainable transformation. Unlike Black Swans (unpredictable and often catastrophic events), Green Swans are positive, exponential shifts—transformational changes that create systemic progress in economic, social, and environmental spheres.

Elkington argues that current sustainability efforts are not enough; the world is facing a “responsibility revolution” where regenerative capitalism must replace degenerative systems. Green Swans are driven by innovation, new business models, and visionary leadership. They flourish at the intersection of social movements, technological change, and financial realignment.

The book offers both critique and hope: it’s critical of “greenwashing” and incrementalism, but optimistic about the potential of bold action. Elkington highlights pioneers like Tesla, Impossible Foods, and Interface as early Green Swans—companies that have reimagined industries.

Green Swans provides a framework for leaders to understand the trajectory of change and to actively shape transformations that go beyond sustainability into systemic regeneration. It’s a wake-up call to business to embrace complexity, anticipate exponential change, and lead with courage and clarity.

The Regenerative Business: Redesign Work, Cultivate Human Potential, Achieve Extraordinary Outcomes

Carol Sanford’s The Regenerative Business redefines what it means to build a business that not only performs well but actively enhances life—for people, communities, and ecosystems. Unlike traditional sustainability approaches focused on minimizing harm, Sanford argues that businesses should be regenerative by design, creating conditions for growth, evolution, and value across all systems they touch.

Her approach rejects conventional management practices like KPIs, performance reviews, and standardized metrics, which she sees as dehumanizing and mechanistic. Instead, Sanford advocates for living systems thinking, where organizations behave more like forests than factories—self-renewing, adaptive, and context-sensitive. She outlines how leaders can redesign work environments to unleash human creativity, cultivate personal agency, and engage people in meaningful contribution rather than compliance.

At the heart of this interpretation of the regenerative business is a belief in human potential as the greatest asset.

Future-Fit Benchmark

The Future-Fit Benchmark, developed by the Future-Fit Foundation, offers a set of Break-Even Goals (to avoid causing harm) and Positive Pursuits (to actively create good). It draws from systems science, planetary boundaries, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The benchmark provides actionable guidance for companies to assess their fitness for the future—defined not by market share but by their alignment with a sustainable, regenerative society. It emphasizes full-system outcomes, not incremental improvements.

B Lab’s Impact Assessment

The B Impact Assessment (BIA), created by B Lab, is the gateway to becoming a Certified B Corporation. It evaluates companies across five key areas: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. It promotes stakeholder capitalism, accountability, and continuous improvement. Companies scoring over 80 points (out of 200) can be certified, but the tool is useful even without certification.

Together, these tools support a transition from compliance-driven ESG to performance-driven impact management, helping companies align purpose with profitability and build trust in the eyes of investors, customers, and society.

And more:

SDG Compass by UN Global Compact
Circular Design Guide and Worksheets from Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Doughnut Tools from Doughnut Economics Action Lab
Net Positive Readiness Test from Net Positive World
Regenerative Business Compass from WBCSD
C-Suite Toolkit from WBCSD
Design Lens from Biomimicry

For every business leader, the challenge is about making sense of today’s rapidly changing world, and understanding how to prepare for, and succeed, in tomorrow’s world.

Are you ready to seize the opportunities of a changing world?

Module 5: Leading People

Thriving in a world of relentless change

In an age defined by disruption, volatility, and accelerated transformation, the nature of leadership is evolving rapidly. Gone are the days of the all-knowing, top-down executive. In today’s world—shaped by exponential technologies, geopolitical instability, societal shifts, and mounting climate challenges—leading people is not just about managing performance. It’s about inspiring trust, navigating ambiguity, designing adaptable systems, and mobilizing human potential at speed and scale.

Successful leadership in this context requires new mindsets, deeper emotional intelligence, and a reimagined approach to organizations, teams, and change. It is about creating cultures where people can thrive amid uncertainty and complexity—and delivering results while doing so.

The changing role of leaders

Traditional leadership was often rooted in control, command, and hierarchy. Leaders made decisions, others executed. But today’s environments demand collaborative, adaptive, and purpose-driven leadership. The modern leader is less a commander and more a coach, convener, and catalyst.

Instead of having all the answers, today’s leaders must:

Ask better questions
Facilitate learning across teams
Encourage experimentation
Lead with empathy and transparency

In this world, leadership is less about position and more about behavior. It requires emotional resilience, the ability to hold paradoxes (e.g., growth vs. sustainability, speed vs. stability), and an openness to continuous learning.

Designing human-centered organizations

Organizations built for scale and predictability are struggling in a world that rewards speed, innovation, and customer intimacy. As such, leaders must redesign their organizations to be networked, fluid, and people-first.

This involves shifting from:

Silicon-based systems to carbon-based capabilities: From focusing on processes and structures to unlocking human talent and creativity.
Functional silos to cross-functional squads: Teams organized around customer journeys, outcomes, or products.
Rigid hierarchies to flexible, decentralized models: Empowering decision-making at the edge, closer to the customer.

Companies like Spotify, Haier, and Unilever have experimented with new ways of organizing—ranging from autonomous micro-enterprises to cross-functional tribes and agile sprints. These approaches increase adaptability, engagement, and innovation.

Designing such organizations also requires rethinking performance systems, incentives, and roles—not just where people work, but how they work together.

Influencing stakeholders in complex ecosystems

Leadership no longer stops at the organizational boundary. Today’s leaders must influence a broader ecosystem: customers, regulators, suppliers, investors, communities, and even competitors. Influence is achieved not through power or control, but through trust, transparency, and shared value.

Stakeholder capitalism, ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) principles, and growing public scrutiny have redefined what it means to lead responsibly. Leaders must be:

Authentic communicators: Sharing not just what decisions are made, but why.
Systems thinkers: Understanding how different players and forces interact.
Bridge builders: Creating alliances and partnerships across boundaries.

Consider how companies like Patagonia or Microsoft engage with governments, NGOs, and communities to drive change that aligns business with broader social or environmental outcomes. Leading people now involves mobilizing others around a common purpose, not just executing an internal plan.

Managing teams for high performance

The team is the atomic unit of the modern organization. High-performing teams are diverse, self-directed, psychologically safe, and aligned to a clear mission. But building and managing such teams in a hybrid, global, and fast-changing environment is challenging.

Effective team leaders must master:

Psychological safety: Creating an environment where team members feel safe to speak up, fail, and challenge ideas.
Clarity and alignment: Ensuring that goals, roles, and responsibilities are well understood, even in fluid conditions.
Inclusion and diversity: Harnessing the full spectrum of talent by enabling everyone to contribute fully and authentically.
Coaching and development: Investing in each team member’s growth, not just their output.

Trust, accountability, and a shared sense of purpose are the glue that binds great teams. And they are cultivated through intentional leadership behaviors, not policies or tools.

Growth mindset

Coined by psychologist Carol Dweck, growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, learning, and feedback. This mindset is foundational to leading in uncertainty.

Leaders with a growth mindset:

See challenges as opportunities
Encourage experimentation and learning
Celebrate effort and progress, not just outcomes
Model humility and curiosity

Organizations like Microsoft, under Satya Nadella’s leadership, embedded growth mindset into their culture to drive transformation—from internal silos to a learning-oriented, collaborative enterprise. The shift from “know-it-all” to “learn-it-all” leaders is key to thriving in today’s world.

A growth mindset is also essential to talent development. Leaders must help their people see failure as feedback, and help build adaptive capabilities—so individuals and teams can continuously evolve.

Speed and agility

Perhaps the greatest challenge of leadership today is leading in real time. Markets shift in weeks, not years. Customers expect immediate responses. Competitors arise overnight. Crises emerge with little warning.

In such conditions, leaders must cultivate:

Strategic agility: The ability to pivot quickly while staying aligned to long-term goals.
Operational speed: Making faster decisions, eliminating bureaucracy, and empowering frontlines.
Situational awareness: Scanning for early signals, and being ready to act on imperfect information.

Speed without direction is chaos. Agility without discipline is waste. Great leaders combine fast action with strategic focus, and ensure that teams are clear about priorities even as conditions change.

Tools like agile management, OKRs (Objectives & Key Results), and digital dashboards can help. But true agility is cultural: it’s about how decisions are made, how failure is handled, and how rapidly learning is shared across the system.

Organisations as amazing as the people inside

Ultimately, the future of leadership is deeply human.

In a world where AI is automating tasks, and change is a constant, what matters most is what machines can’t do: empathy, ethics, vision, creativity, and human connection. Leaders must be emotionally intelligent, inclusive, and deeply grounded in values.

This includes:

Wellbeing and resilience: Supporting mental and emotional health in an always-on world.
Purpose and meaning: Helping people connect their work to something bigger.
Trust and transparency: Being honest, vulnerable, and credible—especially in difficult times.

The COVID-19 pandemic reinforced that leadership is not about heroic acts, but about presence, care, and adaptability. The best leaders don’t have all the answers—but they help people ask better questions, stay grounded in purpose, and move forward together.

Leading in a changing world

Leading people in today’s business world is not about maintaining control—it’s about unlocking potential. It’s about redesigning organizations for speed and collaboration, influencing across systems, managing diverse and distributed teams, and nurturing a culture of growth, trust, and resilience.

The leaders who thrive in the future will be those who embrace change not as a threat but as an opportunity to learn, evolve, and reimagine what’s possible—together.

Module 3: Customer Psychology

The new science of understanding customers and how to influence them

In today’s hyper-connected, fast-changing business environment, understanding customer psychology is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s essential. Businesses that grasp not only what customers do but why they do it are better positioned to deliver value, build loyalty, and drive growth. Modern customer psychology integrates insights from behavioral economics, neuroscience, data analytics, and emotional design. Here’s a guide to the most important concepts and tools shaping this field—and how businesses can use them to understand which customers to target, what they really want, and how to engage them effectively.

Customer insights, beyond demographics

Customer insights are deep understandings of customer behaviors, motivations, and needs that go beyond surface-level data. Traditional demographic segmentation (age, gender, income) is increasingly being replaced or supplemented by psychographic, behavioral, and needs-based segmentation. These approaches focus on:

Values and attitudes: What customers care about (e.g., sustainability, status, convenience).
Behaviors: How customers interact with brands across touchpoints.
Jobs to Be Done (JTBD): What the customer is trying to accomplish in their life or work.

Advanced analytics, ethnographic research, and customer interviews help surface these insights. Tools like personas and customer journey maps translate insights into actionable strategies that guide product design, communication, and service delivery.

Behavioral science and cognitive biases

Behavioral science reveals that customers are not rational decision-makers. They are influenced by cognitive biases, social context, and mental shortcuts. Understanding these patterns helps businesses shape decisions more effectively. Some key concepts include:

Loss Aversion: People fear losses more than they value gains. Framing a product as avoiding loss (“Don’t miss out!”) is often more persuasive than promising benefits.
Social Proof: People are influenced by others. Testimonials, reviews, and user-generated content boost credibility and conversion.
Choice Architecture: How options are presented affects decisions. Too many choices can overwhelm; limited, curated options increase satisfaction.
Anchoring: People rely on the first piece of information they receive. Initial pricing or features set expectations.

Companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Booking.com use behavioural nudges and frictionless design to influence customer behaviour at scale.

Neuroscience and emotion in decision-making

Neuroscience has shown that emotions play a far greater role in decision-making than previously believed. The limbic system—responsible for emotion—is heavily involved in processing value and intent. This has profound implications:

Emotions drive memory and preference. People remember how an experience made them feel, not just what it involved.
Stories activate empathy. Narrative marketing taps into mirror neurons and creates emotional resonance.
Visual and sensory cues matter. Colors, sounds, and design elements can influence perception and mood at a subconscious level.

Neuromarketing techniques—like eye tracking, facial expression analysis, and fMRI scans—are increasingly used to test ad effectiveness, product packaging, and store layout.

Segmentating markets, from mass to micro

Modern segmentation goes far beyond demographic categories. The goal is to tailor offerings to the unique preferences, motivations, and behaviors of different customer types. Key segmentation strategies include:

Behavioral Segmentation: Based on past actions like purchase history, browsing behavior, or loyalty.
Needs-Based Segmentation: Focuses on specific jobs or problems the customer is trying to solve.
Psychographic Segmentation: Looks at personality, values, interests, and lifestyle.
Predictive Segmentation: Uses AI and machine learning to anticipate what a customer might do next.

Businesses increasingly use dynamic segmentation—updating customer segments in real-time based on behavior—to deliver personalized experiences across channels.

Personalisation and relevance

Personalization is the application of customer psychology at scale. By using data to tailor messages, products, and experiences, companies increase relevance, reduce friction, and boost satisfaction. Effective personalization includes:

Behavioral triggers: Emails or app messages based on user activity (e.g., cart abandonment).
Content recommendation engines: Like those used by Spotify and YouTube.
Context-aware messaging: Based on time, location, or device.
Personalized pricing or bundles: Based on purchase patterns or customer value.

However, personalization must be balanced with privacy and transparency. Misusing data or over-targeting can backfire and erode trust.

Targeting, don’t be average, don’t be for everyone

Not all customers are created equal. The best businesses focus on identifying and prioritizing the most valuable and responsive segments. Techniques include:

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): Estimating how much a customer is worth over time helps prioritize marketing and service investments.
Lookalike modeling: Using data on top customers to find similar prospects.
Net Promoter Score (NPS) segmentation**: Identifying promoters vs. detractors and tailoring strategies accordingly.
Behavioral clustering: Using machine learning to group users with similar habits, preferences, or churn risk.

By focusing on fit and potential value, businesses reduce acquisition costs and increase ROI.

Customer motivations, the “why” behind the buy

Understanding what truly drives customer behavior is essential. Beyond functional needs, there are emotional and social motivators:

Identity: People buy to reinforce who they are or aspire to be (e.g., Patagonia customers identify as environmentalists).
Belonging: Community, tribe, and shared experience drive loyalty (e.g., Peloton users).
Security: The desire for control, stability, and reassurance influences decisions, especially in uncertain times.
Achievement: Many customers are motivated by goals, progress, or mastery (e.g., Duolingo’s gamified learning).

Techniques like laddering interviews—which explore deeper “why” questions—help reveal these motivations.

Customer Experience as the new differentiator

Customer experience (CX) is now a key battleground. Positive emotional experiences build trust, retention, and advocacy. Elements that matter include:

Ease and clarity: Frictionless interfaces and simple messaging win.
Responsiveness: Fast, helpful support builds trust and reduces anxiety.
Consistency: Cohesive brand experiences across channels create reliability.
Delight: Small moments of surprise or emotional resonance can create lasting impact.

Customer journey mapping and service design help identify and optimize key moments that matter.

The rise of empathy and co-creation

Today’s most successful businesses don’t just study customers—they collaborate with them. Empathy is now seen as a strategic capability. Techniques include:

Ethnographic research: Observing people in their natural environments.
Customer co-creation: Involving customers in designing products or campaigns.
Feedback loops: Actively learning from usage data and customer input.

This shift from top-down to co-created value makes offerings more relevant and builds stronger emotional bonds.

Predictive and adaptive engagement

AI is rapidly reshaping how businesses understand and engage customers. Predictive models anticipate needs, while adaptive interfaces tailor experiences in real time. Future-facing concepts include:

Emotion AI: Tools that detect mood and sentiment in real time (via text, voice, or facial recognition).
Digital twins of customers: Real-time data profiles that simulate individual behavior.
Hyper-personalization: One-to-one marketing powered by continuous learning and contextual data.

The future of customer psychology in business lies in combining deep human insight with powerful digital intelligence—serving customers not just more efficiently, but more meaningfully.

From sales to innovation and growth

Understanding customer psychology is no longer just the domain of marketing—it’s central to strategy, innovation, and growth. From segmenting customers by motivation rather than demographics, to designing emotionally engaging experiences, to using behavioral science and neuroscience to decode decision-making, businesses have more tools than ever to understand, predict, and shape customer behavior. The key is to move from data to empathy, from analysis to action, and from transactions to lasting emotional connections.