2025 has so far been a year of high profile M&A deals, But Trump’s trade war, armed conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and, on a more local scale, the UK’s various trade agreements with the US, EU, and India, have all contributed to business leaders delaying investments, according to the latest EY-Parthenon CEO Outlook survey.

Chief executives are always looking for ways to increase financial value for their customers, clients, and shareholders, says Gonzalo Brujo, chief executive of consultancy Interbrand. Their focus is always on “expanding, gaining different capabilities, bringing in different partners, gaining customers from around the world, and bringing new ideas to the table”.

In his view, leaders must always have a pipeline of acquisitions or new mergers to ensure their company survives and thrives. In this week's episode, He provides CEOs with a checklist to help them elevate their brands throughout the M&A process.

Credits:

Producer: Inga Marsden

Presenter: Éilis Cronin

Artwork: David Robinson

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode, MT’s editorial team discusses the pros and cons of AI avatars and whether our consumption habits are hurting British business.

Swiss-based bank UBS is using AI to create avatars of its experts that will appear in video content for clients, in a move it claims will be a win for productivity. The technology, while not a new phenomenon, raises significant questions about AI’s potential impact on human connection and relationships in business. We discuss the pros and cons of using digital clones.

If the other outcomes of Trump’s manoeuvrings on US-China trade are still unclear, one thing he has achieved has been to thrust the issue of “de minimus” exemptions firmly into the spotlight. In April, the UK government announced it would be reviewing its own rule, which permits packages worth less than £135 to enter the country duty-free – a loophole that many credit with fuelling the rise of Chinese retailers such as Shein and Temu. As one Telegraph commentator wrote that UK homes have become “temporary staging posts for goods on their way to the landfill”, MT asked its readers: is the UK bingeing on cheap imports at the expense of British business? We bring you a flavour of the responses.

Links:

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/ai-avatars-future-business-communication/long-reads/article/1920337

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/bingeing-cheap-imports-expense-british-business/opinion-and-analysis/article/1918842

Credits:

Presenters: Antonia Garrett Peel and Éilis Cronin

Producer: Inga Marsden

Artwork: David Robinson

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Any idea you can think of for a new product, I guarantee you that somewhere in the world there’s six other people thinking of the same thing.”

If those words from L.E.K. Consulting vice chair Stuart Jackson come as something of a reality check, consider also the challenges involved in achieving superior functionality to existing offerings, defining a market, and gaining those consumers’ trust. And that’s not to mention the incumbent channels, suppliers and even parts of your own organisation that will be “trying to find ways to preserve the current order of things”.

It’s little wonder then that the failure rate for new products is so high. Fortunately, however, there are steps you can take, as Jackson and co-author Ilya Trakhtenberg write in their new book Predictable Winners, to “systematically identify and retire risk at each step of the innovation journey”.

This week's guest on Leadership Lessons, Jackson offers listeners advice on doing just that. He also talks about the pitfalls of sticking to incremental innovation, the role of leadership mindset, and where to find the 'low-cost signals' that can offer clues as to what would-be customers really want.

*This episode was recorded on 22nd April.

Credits:

Producer: Inga Marsden

Presenter: Antonia Garrett Peel

Artwork: David Robinson

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.