Spectrum’s 7th eCommerce Leadership Dinner took place on 25th April in London in association with Ardent Advisors, the corporate finance firm. The roundtable dinner discussion began by examining the impending EU Referendum. The most notable points raised were:
The success of CEOs is deeply linked to the success of the companies they lead, but the vast body of popular literature on the topic explores this relationship largely in qualitative terms. The dangers of these approaches are well known: it’s easy to be misled by outliers or to conclude, mistakenly, that prominent actions which seem correlated with success were responsible for it.
Public and private capital markets seem to value technology companies differently.
Andy Fastow is the disgraced ex-chief financial officer of Enron, the company that led to a corporate scandal so monstrous that the company’s name now evokes all that is wrong with American business. After 5 years in prison, he now teaches ethics and offers advice that every board should adhere to to avoid becoming the next corporate casualty.
Through energy, leaders can infuse others with purpose, impart meaning, encourage the pursuit of goals, and receive feedback. CEOs who harness energy accelerate value creation, while those who deplete energy or allow it to dissipate struggle to achieve their goals.
The world of retail is undergoing an unprecedented wave of innovation. Technology is not the only force at work; new business models are appearing that will have a profound influence across the eCommerce and wider retail value chain. At the same time, consumer behaviours and expectations are evolving.