Digital Innovation Magazine - February 2024 by iThink Media

february 2024

BUMPER ISSUE

TRANSFORMING CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES AT BOOHOO GROUP

Madalina On the fundamental role of data strategy at Daiichi Sankyo Europe

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FROM THE EDITOR Welcome to the February bumper edition of Digital Innovation Magazine!

e have a cracking line-up for you this month and are thrilled to share five exclusive interviews in this year's first edition, starting 2024 with a bang.

In our cover interview, I speak with Madalina Burghelea, Head of Advanced Analytics at Daiichi Sankyo Europe about the essential role of data strategy at the company. We dive into how the Advanced Analytics Team uses technology to answer business questions and deepen its understanding of customers (p6). Stephen English, Managing Director for UK Manufacturing of CooperVision joins me to offer insights into the science and technology behind the company’s commitment to improving the way people see every day (p30). I chat with Anna Björk Bjarnadóttir, Chief Service & Operations Officer at Isavia about balancing security and safety priorities while deploying new digital technology and innovative strategies at the heart of aviation in the North Atlantic (p50). Paulo Líbano Monteiro, Director of Innovation and Technology at E-REDES describes the company’s approach to providing excellent and reliable energy distribution whilst also enabling the energy transition and striving for a more sustainable future (p92). Laricea Ioana Roman-Halliday, former Head of Marketing - Dorothy Perkins, Burton and Wallis at Boohoo Group walks us through redefining customer engagement strategies as the brands transitioned from bricks and mortar shops to e-commerce platforms (p110). We share three tech features this month on the latest innovations in the UK construction industry (p20), driving sustainability in rooftop photovoltaic solutions (p68) and how wearable tech could redefine the research into Parkinson’s disease (p80). Our Startup of the Month is Robin AI – the company looking to level the playing field in the legal sector by streamlining the contract drafting process (p128). Before you dive into this month’s magazine, we are launching an exciting project to celebrate startups and SMEs in 2024. If you work at or with a company that’s going to disrupt its industry with new technology or innovation – we want to hear from you! Contact us at enquiries@ithink.media. Please enjoy our latest edition. If you would like to be considered as an interviewee or you have a story for us, please get in touch.

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All rights reserved. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of material published in Digital Innovation Magazine. However, the company cannot accept responsibility for the claims made by advertisers or contributors, or inaccurate material supplied by advertisers.

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Digital Innovation is a product of iThink Media Ltd. Company Registration Number: 10933897. Company Registered in England and Wales

A look at K2 Systems company driving a r energy transition

We speak to Madalina Burghelea of Daiichi Sankyo Europe about the use of Artificial Intelligence in meeting patient needs

We sit down with Pa Líbano Monteiro to d how E-REDES is using decarbonise the elec

How the constructio embracing automat

february 2024

s, the rapid

How new developments in wearable medtech could help researchers find a cure to Parkinson’s

Stephen English on the people, innovation and technologies behind CooperVision’s success

110 92

aulo discuss g data to ctrical grid

on industry is tion and AI

Anna Björk Bjarnadóttir discusses how Isavia has elevated its operations with new technologies

128

Meet Robin AI, our startup of the month

Laricea Ioana RomanHalliday explains how Boohoo Group’s transition towards e-commerce has improved customer engagement 5

C OV E R STO RY

WHEN COMPASSION FO MEETS PASSION FOR I Madalina Burghelea, Head of Advanced Analytics at Daiichi Sankyo Europe on the fundamental role of data strategy at the company.

OR PATIENTS INNOVATION 7

DAIICHI SANKYO IS A GLOBAL PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY PROVIDING INNOVATIVE SERVICES AND PRODUCTS ACROSS THE WORLD, WITH SUBSIDIARIES IN MORE THAN 25 COUNTRIES. ith corporate origins in Japan and a heritage of more than 120 years of scientific expertise, Daiichi Sankyo draws on its rich legacy of innovation to help improve patients’ lives.

Joining us from Daiichi Sankyo Europe is Madalina Burghelea, Head of Advanced Analytics, Specialty Medicines, who shines a light on the role of leading-edge data strategy in the company’s innovative approach to discovering, developing and delivering medicines for those who need it most.

“At Daiichi Sankyo in Europe we care for every heartbeat,” begins Madalina. “Our goal in the Specialty Medicines division is to protect people from cardiovascular disease through our expertise in providing innovative medicines and to help those who suffer from it. As well as our commitment to providing medicines for a diverse range of patients, we support the clinical community and healthcare ecosystems across Europe to ensure that, jointly with medical professionals, we are able to help those who are affected by cardiovascular disease today.

“I lead the Advanced Analytics team at Daiichi Sankyo Europe, which is responsible for the implementation of state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence solutions at our division. Our goal is to use technology to solve business questions and deepen our understanding of the customers we serve, so they can best serve their patients. Our holistic team starts with a simple business question and ends with operative outcomes, using Machine Learning, GenAI or any other technologies. “I initially joined Daiichi Sankyo Europe as a Business Analytics Translator

“HERE AT DAIICHI SANKYO EUROPE, WE VALUE COLLABORATION AND WE HAVE EXCELLENT RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT TEAMS IN THE COMPANY, DEFINED BY A FEELING OF TRUST” and I have built the entire Advanced Analytics team and framework from scratch. Much of the time I have felt like a startup founder. One of my greatest motivations has been the fact that our work will actually make a difference in the lives of many people who suffer from cardiovascular disease. This is a great privilege and I remind myself of it every morning when going to work.” Daiichi Sankyo Europe is the European subsidiary of Daiichi Sankyo, the second-largest pharmaceutical company in Japan with a global presence. Madalina describes the company culture as one in which all employees can maximise their potential, with ample opportunities to learn, grow, develop and effectively contribute to the company’s success. In her niche of the business, Madalina is sometimes even reminded of a startup mentality, where innovation, agility and ambition are actively encouraged. 10

“My team and I are allowed to develop exciting new projects, with the freedom to pinpoint what is working and what might not be working so well, suggesting solutions openly,” says Madalina. “So for instance when we think about Data Governance, in the beginning, it was not a topic that fell under my responsibilities. But I was able to contribute to our Data Governance strategy and it has since become one of the most beneficial projects for the business. This was possible because the company allowed me to start new projects and allowed me to take projects outside of my initial responsibility. “Here at Daiichi Sankyo Europe, we value collaboration and we

have excellent relationships between the different teams in the company, defined by a feeling of trust. We share and reuse as much wisdom and insights as we can. This is very important for us, not only from the cost perspective but from the collaboration perspective as well.” So how have Madalina and her Advanced Analytics team deployed innovation in the data strategy at Daiichi Sankyo Europe?

“In Data Offence, we work with our stakeholders on innovative ways to engage with their customers and meet their needs. We are personalising customer engagements with the data we have available and we strive to understand and serve their preferences. This goes from channel engagement to content personalisation and beyond, supporting production of the right amount of medicines or summarising market insights with Generative AI.

“I am a firm believer that in order to have a successful data strategy we need to balance Data Offence (business value) with Data Defence (stability and scalability),” explains Madalina. “Innovation must happen in both, simultaneously, otherwise we will lose our balance.

“On the other side, in Data Defence, we have introduced state-of-theart Data Governance and Data Architecture frameworks in the organisation like Data Mesh, to make sure that Data Defence is equally innovative and supports business needs. We have also 11

introduced state-of-the-art platforms to support our work and deliver optimal results. We are using Generative AI to continuously improve our speed and documentation quality. We continuously automate our models, and this is how we can keep working on more and more business questions. “It is all about balance: if you only have innovation in Data Offence (the business use cases) but you still rely on traditional methods and frameworks, soon you will have a mismatch of speed. “The risk here is if there is too much focus on the business case or value, but the technology or data elements lag behind, the imbalance between the two priorities only worsens over time – eventually becoming a blocker for innovation, scaling and growth.” Elaborating on Daiichi Sankyo’s holistic approach to data governance and data mesh, Madalina reiterates the inherent interconnectedness between new technologies and data strategy. “When I joined Daiichi Sankyo, I was responsible for the AI strategy,” says Madalina. “Since then, the first task I have 13

taken on was to introduce Data Governance to the organisation. Without Data Governance there can be no scalable innovation and AI. “I realised that standard or traditional approaches of introducing Data Governance have failed so far and therefore I had to find a new way: gamification. “Gamification has worked very well as an engagement strategy and convinced me that building more educational games is a promising way to go. It connects education with a reward for the parts of the

organisation that have implemented data governance or have implemented AI products. “I thought ‘Why not? Why can't we use gamification to improve our Data Governance?’ The first instance involved three Lego boxes, a (data) catalogue of pieces in those boxes and an analytics task: build a given figurine. This simple exercise illustrated how in under one minute you could build a figurine, if you used the Data Catalogue. During this game, players also understood who the Data Owners and Data Stewards are and their roles. This

was an incredible way to learn and understand why Data Governance is important. This has been followed by the real-life appointment of Data Owners and Stewards across the organisation and building the very first version of our own Data Catalogue. “I am very proud that, later on, my team continued this process and introduced Data Mesh at Daiichi Sankyo Europe. We have built some of the very first data products and soon our AI models will benefit tremendously from this work: we will be able to automate our models and have them re-run in three hours instead of three weeks. “One of the data products I’m particularly proud of is our Customer Engagement platform. Here, the main use case we were working on was trying to optimise how we engage with the customers in each of the European countries we operate in. What is special about this solution is that we moved from a very decentralised approach to a more central approach. “Now, let's say we have a new country that comes on board, we can fully reuse the entire experience of what has been built already at the other offices or regions because we have developed a central repository of information and insights. This has helped to promote collaboration and the sharing of best practices between the countries tremendously,

“GAMIFICATION HAS WORKED VERY WELL AS AN ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY AND CONVINCED ME THAT BUILDING MORE EDUCATIONAL GAMES IS A PROMISING WAY TO GO” while also increasing how quickly we can onboard new countries at Daiichi Sankyo. According to Madalina, forging a strong data culture was an imperative foundation for the emerging deployment of AI and other technology projects at Daiichi Sankyo Europe. But it would not have been possible without the emergence of Advanced Analytics Translators at the company, pivotal colleagues who act as intermediaries between the Data Science Team and broader business units or stakeholders. “A strong holistic Data Culture is crucial for any AI application,” explains Madalina. “Sometimes there seems to be a gap between the AI teams and the rest of the organisation. In my experience, it is critical to bridge this gap if you want successful AI products. “Often the challenge is the Data Scientist does not know what is needed and the Business Stakeholders 15

don’t know what is possible. That is the gap we must cover! “The solution we found to be most effective was to build so-called Advanced Analytics Translators – links between the business need and the technical possibilities. I was a Translator myself, and I can tell you it is a very challenging role. You are actively translating between two parties and you need knowledge from both worlds. “When I worked as a Translator, what I found works best is giving many examples of other solutions in comparative situations. For instance, we would discuss several case studies where AI is being used, in situations relevant to different departments. Eventually, this leads to greater awareness and lateral thinking where they start asking their own organic questions about AI, relevant to their roles. It fosters a creative process, encourages fresh ideas opens up new possibilities. “At Daiichi Sankyo Europe we have built a dedicated Translator organisation, with Translators in each of the countries we operate in. This ensures that the local organisations develop AI knowledge organically. The Translators act as a gate to and from the local organisations to the central Data Science team. Additionally, the Translators educate on what AI can do for the organisation and advocate for Data 16

Literacy and even Data Governance. “Furthermore Data Culture starts with Data Literacy. Here, we used gamification again to help our endeavours. We have built quizzes addressing the most uncomfortable questions we received so far, including: Will AI take my job? When will AI replace Business Intelligence? How do you manage your data? Etc. “This helped address the most common misunderstandings or fears and created a high level of psychological safety. This new level of understanding of technology is what allowed us to continue to think about data holistically.” Looking ahead to the future, Madalina describes how AI will be crucial to the company’s operations, growth and plans in the years to come. “Currently, AI is at the base of our customer engagement across the different affiliates at Daiichi Sankyo Europe – and that is here to stay!” says Madalina. “Personalisation and content are also areas where AI already brings a lot of value. “We are constantly finding new ways to use Generative AI, from optimising our technical work and documentation to generating market insights for optimisation or content

creation for events. That will indeed transform our work. We have a very competent team with great expertise to develop on these new technologies. “We will continue to use innovative ways and gamifications to introduce AI technologies in many areas of our organisation. In the past, we have created games to illustrate the countries where AI products exist and where Data Governance is in place. This created a high engagement and allowed us to recognise the efforts of the local organisations. “We will continue to balance Data Offence and Defence: we will work on new business questions, but we will also automate and improve our processes. Only then we can develop a scalable and stable foundation.” Wrapping up our conversation, Madalina reflects on what she’s

learned while building the Advanced Analytics team at Daiichi Sankyo Europe and highlights the importance of championing diversity at the company. “I am very proud to say that I currently lead one of the most diverse teams in the company: almost everyone comes from a different culture,” beams Madalina. “This is one of our core values in the team. And it does not stop with cultures: a lot of us come from backgrounds that have nothing to do with AI or even computer science. But we are all linked by the passion we have for data and AI. “I am very supportive of women in tech leadership positions and this is why we try to find and develop more and more females into these roles. After having dealt with the process myself and knowing firsthand how 17

difficult it can be sometimes, I try my best to support other women.

“Also, such a diverse team needs a different leadership style, where every opinion counts. Our Agile ways of working are at the core of the team: we believe that self-organising and self-managed teams are the present and future and deliver the best results. We encourage initiative and give space for people to develop and grow. Our Agile processes actively support this approach. “Having been an entrepreneur myself, I can safely say that Daiichi Sankyo Europe is a company in which someone with a start-up mentality can achieve a lot: with courage and determination, every single person can step up and take responsibility for the success of the team. This is how we have built one of the most successful teams I have ever had the opportunity and privilege to lead.” Learn more about Daiichi Sankyo Europe at www.daiichi-sankyo.eu. 18

ONE FOR THE READING LIST “I was recently recommended a very good book that changed my perspective: What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith,” says Madalina. “I believe as leaders we must constantly change and adapt, now more than ever. To adapt to the changes in the Generative AI world we must challenge the way we think and embrace diversity. My team is a model for me: a very diverse way of working, where everyone feels accepted, bringing out the best of us.

REFLECT REGULARLY Madalina believes in proactive reflection among leaders as a means of professional- and self-development. “I highly recommend doing regular internal and external retrospectives of ourselves as leaders and asking ourselves

what is behind a different point of view: it could be one of our biggest development opportunities.”

EVENT SCHEDULE Madalina is thrilled to be attending several industry events in 2024. In particular, she is excited about the NEXT Pharma Summit in Dubrovnik on May 14-15, 2024.

CONNECTION ENCOURAGED Feel free to reach out to Madalina on LinkedIn to discuss: • AI trends and frameworks • New approaches to Data Governance and Data Strategy • Data Mesh and Data Products experiences • Leading diverse teams • Agile Ways of working

Connect with Madalina

CONSTRUCTION TRENDS

HO IS 21 OF

OW UK CONSTRUCTION S EMBRACING THE ST 1 CENTURY WORLD F DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY The latest and greatest trends in the UK construction industry for 2024.

IF THE TERM ‘CONSTRUCTION’ CONJURES UP AN IMAGE OF HARD HATS AND MUDDY BOOTS, THEN IT IS TIME FOR A RETHINK BECAUSE TECHNOLOGY IS PLAYING AN INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE INDUSTRY. hile workplace practices stretching back decades might appear entrenched, innovations such as digital twins, AI learning and increasing automation are helping the construction industry embrace the 21st century. Here are some of the latest and greatest trends in the sector for 2024.

THE USE OF SMART TECHNOLOGY Put simply, information and technology are being leveraged to enhance decision-making, improve efficiency and optimise various aspects of the construction process. Or in layman’s terms, there’s a whole heap of data out there that can be used to build 22

better. A key example of this is digital twins. The concept stretches as far back as the 1960s when computer-aided design (CAD) systems created digital representations of physical objects for design and engineering purposes. In the 2000s, with the use of sensors and IoT technology, the concept of digital twins grew beyond static CAD models and the integration of real-time data from physical objects or systems allowed for dynamic, virtual representations. Cloud computing moved the idea on again and today, with the advent of artificial

intelligence, machine learning and advanced analytics, it is coming into its element – particularly with infrastructure projects and the growth of smart cities. This leads us to the construction innovation behind those smart cities.

5G NETWORKS, SMART BUILDING AND GRIDS While the construction of smart cities might seem a futuristic concept, more and more metropolitan areas are developing into the urban areas of tomorrow – today. Amsterdam’s smart city initiative began in 2009 and currently includes 170plus projects run on an interconnected platform through wireless devices to enhance the city's real-time decision-making abilities. The implementation of 5G networks is fundamental to supporting the massive data transfer and communication requirements of smart city applications. It enables faster and more reliable connectivity for various devices and services. Construction in smart cities often involves the development 24

“THE IMPLEMENTATION OF 5G NETWORKS IS FUNDAMENTAL TO SUPPORTING THE MASSIVE DATA TRANSFER AND COMMUNICATION REQUIREMENTS OF SMART CITY APPLICATIONS”

of intelligent and sustainable buildings. These buildings use sensors and automation systems to optimise energy usage, lighting and overall resource management.

involve putting one brick on top of another or plastering a ceiling – it’s just that now, technology is inextricably linked to the overall process.

Smart grids enhance energy distribution by incorporating digital communication and control technologies. This allows for real-time monitoring of energy consumption, the integration of renewable energy sources and improved overall energy efficiency.

3D PRINTING, ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION

Cities, smart or not, still need to be built and construction will always 26

3D printing involves depositing materials layer by layer to create a three-dimensional structure. The most used material is a specialised type of concrete, designed to be flowable and set quickly. This technology has the potential to reduce labour costs

“PREPARING CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULES OFTEN TAKES SEVERAL MONTHS AND REQUIRES A LOT OF MANUAL EFFORT WHICH IS SLOW AND SUBJECT TO MANY ERRORS. ALICE CAN PERFORM CALCULATIONS IN 10 MINUTES THAT WOULD TAKE A HUMAN APPROXIMATELY 13 YEARS”

René Morkos, ALICE CEO

and waste and has already been employed to construct houses and other residential buildings. Robotics is used in operations such as pouring concrete, cleaning up on a building site and even bricklaying. Automation is being increasingly used with vehicles on site: excavators and bulldozers that operate autonomously, guided by GPS and sensors, or dumper trucks that transport materials without needing a driver.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULING A major leap forward in project management of larger infrastructure projects emerged when AI-powered simulation platforms arrived. One such example is ALICE Technologies, which leverages artificial intelligence to analyse a project’s complex building requirements, generate highly efficient building schedules and adjust those schedules as needed during construction. 27

The technology enables contractors and owners to plan, bid and build more effectively – reducing build times by an average of 17% and construction costs by 11%. “Preparing construction schedules often takes several months and requires a lot of manual effort which is slow and subject to many errors,” says René Morkos, CEO of the firm. “ALICE can perform calculations in 10 minutes that would take a human approximately 13 years.”

SMALLER FIRMS EMBRACE SOFTWARE TOO For SMEs, the challenges are different because they won’t have the budget to spend millions on new tech. But even small firms are embracing change. Building information modelling (BIM) enhances collaboration among different stakeholders, leading to better decision-making and reducing errors during construction. Drones and aerial imaging can be used for site surveying, mapping, and progress tracking while mobile apps and devices help time management and ensure that everyone has access to up-to-date information. Software such as that offered by Bluebeam gives workers access to project documents on any device, 28

“DRONES AND AERIAL IMAG SURVEYING, MAPPING, AN WHILE MOBILE APPS AN MANAGEMENT AND ENSU ACCESS TO UP-TO-D

GING CAN BE USED FOR SITE ND PROGRESS TRACKING ND DEVICES HELP TIME URE THAT EVERYONE HAS DATE INFORMATION”

on or offsite, to allow people to work collaboratively on the latest files in real-time. Tony Robinson, of Corbybased contractor Kori Construction, which relies on Bluebeam’s software, says, “The industry is moving forward into a digital age and digital innovations and tools can save huge amounts of time. With the right training, they also help reduce errors and deliver better projects.”

MILLIONS OF CALLS TO PROVIDE ONLINE INFO Whether it’s artificial intelligence working out the best component supply lines and dealing with staffing shortages, or calculating the warranty and risk analysis of a development in the pipeline – it’s all about the data. The high premium placed on data is illustrated by a governmenttrusted organisation, Barbour ABI, that does work for the Office for National Statistics in the UK. “We have the largest team of UK-based expert researchers in our industry, and they make over one million calls a year and real-time updates to our database,” says chief analyst Steve Shelley. These latest trends in the UK construction industry for 2024 show that the sector is taking technology to its heart and embracing a future that is increasingly reliant on digital innovation and IT. 29

B U S I N E S S I N T E RV I E W

Empowered by people: A refreshing perspective on vision care Stephen English, Managing Director for UK Manufacturing within CooperVision offers insights into how the company thrives by embracing science, technology, data and a customer-centric approach to business.

Photo credit: Jim Curtis 31

Driven by a commitment to developing a wide range of highquality products for contact lens wearers and a pledge to provide focused practitioner support, CooperVision’s mission is to “help improve the way people see each day.”

Here to tell us more about the innovation, strategies and people behind CooperVision’s success is Stephen English, Managing Director for UK Manufacturing.

automation for manufacturing contact lenses. Over the last 25 years he’s had the opportunity to work in the UK and abroad, as well as within multidisciplinary teams, all working together to not only create great outcomes for customers but supporting a wider positive culture. “We really pride ourselves on our values, which are being dedicated, friendly, innovative and partners in all we do,” says Stephen. “For us, they aren’t just words we have on our walls – they are our North Star and underpin everything we do as a business.”

Stephen has been with CooperVision since 1998, driving and leading innovation in process

These values are an integral part of CooperVision’s ability to innovate and grow. He remembers a decade ago,

ooperVision makes billions of contact lenses annually which are available in more than 130 countries. In 2023, the company’s global revenue was almost $2.4bn and CooperVision takes tremendous pride in providing the widest range of soft contact lens prescription options, covering even the most extreme cases of eye corrections.

after an acquisition expansion, he led the integration of three different engineering functions to form the European Technical Innovation Group. This new group brought together a range of expertise including engineers, project managers, material scientists, lens designers and metrologists from the UK Manufacturing project group, the global innovation group and a newly acquired company, Sauflon. Tasked with supporting manufacturing on delivering growth with automation, as well as the next generation of technologies, Stephen recounts the team as being “very unique because it included all of the skill sets to develop great solutions, excelled at project management

and knew how to deliver high-quality lenses.” He remembers that the group needed external support to turn their ideas into real-life industrial processes for high-volume manufacturing. This led to building even stronger alliances with strategic partners and eventually formed the foundation of many of CooperVision’s manufacturing platforms that are currently used. “While that cross-functional group delivered world-class manufacturing platforms, looking back, my key achievement in leading that group was really in developing people – providing them with

direction and coaching them to be the best they can be,” Stephen says. “Building this team and seeing what they had achieved was a great experience for me and I’m incredibly proud of what they achieved, both collectively and individually across the UK, Hungary and US. It’s incredibly rewarding to be surrounded by such talented and dedicated people.” In 2021, Stephen relocated to Scottsville, one of CooperVision’s

says Stephen. “We forged two key strategic partnerships to support our process, which provided us with a robust and capable set of machines that delivered exactly what our requirements set out.” One of these strategic partners was one that CooperVision had worked with for nearly two decades. Stephen describes them as agile, flexible and innovative – supporting CooperVision’s success in providing

“We forged two key strategic partnerships to support our process, which provided us with a robust and capable set of machines that delivered exactly what our requirements set out” manufacturing sites just outside of Rochester, New York. While running the operation of this site, he also oversaw the deployment of a new automation cell and software solution that was developed by the European Technical Innovation Group, which he had spearheaded. “In my previous role, I’d led the technology shift for our Made to Order (MTO) lenses from a very manual process to a fully automated one,” 34

technical solutions, such as putting first-off automation into a site that had previously been 100 percent manual, and then scaling up that solution globally. “Together, not only have our two organisations grown individually, but our partnership and level of trust have grown to the point that our global innovation team is confident in giving them challenges and knowing that the recommendations are operationally sound and innovative,” says Stephen. “Another strategic partner that we’ve worked with for over 15 years has the ability to provide timely and scalable

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solutions,” continues Stephen. “This partnership has enabled us to move to higher volume manufacturing lines without creating greater risks to our process. They’ve been a dedicated and true partner to us – always considering the best ways to address our challenges and work with us to find the right solution.” Stephen believes that great partnerships and their collaborative nature, paired with CooperVision’s guiding values, have led to robust

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a voice was essential to building trust with the leadership team.

processes that have improved the customer and wearer experience. “Our MTO platform provides customers with complex eye corrections with personalised lenses in a matter of days. This is a very unique customer experience,” summarises Stephen. Stephen says his time in the US not only helped strengthen strategic partnerships and automation processes, but also provided him with an opportunity to develop a sense of community at the Scottsville facility. “We were creating change by implementing the automation platform, and there were high expectations for a new technology of this magnitude to be successful,” recounts Stephen. “Creating the environment for change, but more importantly, improving engagement and building trust with employees, was paramount for success.” Stephen adds that ensuring employees had

“One of the first things I did was introduce a forum for employees where they had a voice and I formed an engagement team to ensure listening and two-way feedback was part of our DNA,” says Stephen. “The forum also provided a place to provide timely feedback to employees. This approach really worked well and gave leadership a better understanding of any concerns and helped us to understand what needed to be addressed.” Stephen stresses that it was essential to “be visible across all shifts” so all employees felt included. “There were some long days, trying to speak to both the day and night shifts – but it was invaluable since it provided me with insight into how people were managing their roles. It also gave me an opportunity to get to know each employee personally.” In addition to increasing employee engagement in Scottsville, Stephen also introduced development and recognition programmes. “By expanding quarterly checkins to all employees, regardless of position, managers were able to have meaningful one-to-one conversations with team members,” 37

“Great leadership is a great enabler. It’s the people who drive innovation, make it work and ultimately drive the success of the business” recalls Stephen. “This enabled them to learn more about their team’s career aspirations and development needs. It also identified areas where employees might need further support in their role or with their general well-being.” In addition, he expanded the recognition programmes across the site to encourage engagement and peer acknowledgement. He found that employees enjoyed being recognised by not only leadership, but also by their peers. “At Scottsville, we came a long way in a short amount of time in terms of increasing engagement,” says Stephen. “Ultimately, this came from collaborating with employees, giving them a platform to be heard and a voice, and building two-way trust. I’m a big believer in ‘walking the walk’ and using strategies that ‘stay the course,’ which

is what I believe led to the site being successful overall.”

A people, process, profile approach to leadership Stephen returned to the UK after two years in Scottsville, taking on the role of Managing Director (MD) for UK Manufacturing. Reflecting on his 25 years at CooperVision, Stephen emphasises the importance of investing in people. “Great leadership is a great enabler,” says Stephen. “It’s the people who drive innovation, make it work and ultimately drive the success of the business.” “As a leader, I believe you need to allow people to grow in a way that’s right for them,” explains Stephen. “In all my leadership roles, I’ve had to find a balance across my teams. Diversity of thought is crucial for me. You need to

have as many viewpoints in the room as possible when decision making. You need to avoid ‘groupthink,’ which can stifle creativity and innovation, and ultimately slow a business down.” Stephen believes that, as a leader, it’s essential to be open to new ideas and thoughts. “I don’t show up at meetings with a preconceived outcome in mind. Instead, I listen to see how things can evolve,” explains Stephen. “Sometimes, I’ve been in a meeting where the majority of the group is aligned with my ideas and direction, and there is a diverse thinker at the table who offers a leftfield suggestion. While some might see this as disruptive, I value stopping and exploring their suggestion further.” His diverse experiences at CooperVision have led to the development of his “three P’s” approach – people, process and profile – which underpin his leadership style. Stephen says that regardless of whether he’s developing teams, individuals or projects, he always starts with his three P’s – people, process and profile. He believes that with people, it’s essential to understand their development goals and aspirations. Along with this, the need is to always consider and leverage emotional intelligence (EQ). In addition, Stephen says it’s important to provide feedback and support them in their journey.

In terms of process, he continuously looks for potential development gaps and opportunities. He explains that if an individual or team doesn’t have the right toolkit, they can often struggle to find a solution or path forward, and the team and business can sometimes miss an opportunity to progress. By empowering people with the right skills, they can be better equipped to deliver what is asked of them. “I try to always enable opportunity and provide support through valuable two-way feedback where I can,” says Stephen. He explains that profile focuses on recognition and increased visibility of individuals, teams, departments, or even the company – and acknowledging their contributions. “Too often, I’ve seen individuals and teams delivering great results and it’s unacknowledged by leadership. I’m a leader that always wants to recognise and celebrate our people. All three 39

P’s work together and can be used in everything we do within the work setting,” says Stephen, “and this is how I approach leadership and building my people and teams.”

Innovation and the future What does innovation and the future look like at CooperVision? Stephen believes the use of data in manufacturing will be key, as will innovations in raw materials that will impact the engineering process. Already, CooperVision is well advanced in its usage of data. Stephen explains that they currently capture every piece of data that comes from machines used in manufacturing. This data is being used in several ways, including using Digital Twin technology to test the manufacturing platform in a virtual environment to identify any potential challenges to production start dates. Big data has also been used to track products throughout the end-to-end process of lens manufacturing, especially for bespoke products. He adds that one of the more important data developments in UK Manufacturing is within the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) software, which has been built directly into machines. “The OEE displays crucial realtime information to the technical operators and maintenance team members that operate any given 40

machine across every single business unit,” explains Stephen. “Our colleagues gain immediate insights into station performance, tracking performance, or alarms when something unexpected happens. We can use the data in real time to be able to intervene and get the line performing back to its capacity.” He adds that CooperVision has started to use smart sensors and smart devices which can predict machine or device failures before they happen. According to Stephen, data has played a fundamental part in CooperVision’s ability to manage uptime and planned downtime. Stephen says the future of data deployment at CooperVision includes the interactions of raw materials and how they perform on a line, as well as trying to get more prescriptive and predictive about manufacturing performance. “It’s a journey that we’re on and in the next three to five years, we’ll be even more predictive with the products that we’re making,” says Stephen. “Datadriven decisions are becoming the norm, and in the future, not only will we be able to use data in our automation processes, but also in predicting our yields within all of the variability in the process, as well as how to consider how materials perform with the machines we use.” In addition to advancing the use of data in innovative ways, CooperVision is embracing the

latest science and technology related to the materials it uses to manufacture its products. As Stephen explains, soft contact lenses are made up of several materials to form the best quality lens for CooperVision’s customers. Part of the company’s success stems from its dedication to developing materials in R&D and then managing the scale-up to ensure they can meet high-volume manufacturing needs. This is done in partnership with the Global Technical Innovation Group to ensure that as operations scale up, the incoming materials meet company and product specifications. “As part of any new lens development project you have to ensure the industrial process is also developed in tandem, so we work from bench top to pilot process and right through to testing and developing on production lines,” explains Stephen. “Development begins with scientists and engineers working together so they can provide many paths of opportunity. I believe we have a strong combination of R&D, technical innovation and manufacturing engineers and scientists who collectively develop innovations that will help us grow over the coming years. We try to make sure that the three teams work collaboratively for the lifecycle of development into production. This is a fairly unique approach in the industry because it relies on knowledge management

across those three functional groups throughout the process.” Stephen emphasises the need for material innovation to unfold in the context of strong strategic partnerships as part of a successful product development and deployment process. “Partners are incredibly important to us at CooperVision because with the right people you cultivate not only an understanding of the process and how to solve problems together, but you also build trust,” says Stephen. “Some of the challenges when we work on new materials are all about the industrialisation of going from an R&D pilot process to a high volume 24/7 process where downtime is our enemy. The creative ideas of our automation partners provide opportunities to de-risk key areas of the process. Their diverse experience outside of the contact lens field allows them to bring a solution to the team that perhaps we were blind to before.” He adds that time to market and the capacity of strategic partners is critical when considering growth. “We look to provide visibility of 41

what our long range strategic plan looks like and translate that capacity and timing of when we are likely to receive an order,” says Stephen. He notes that this approach enables the ability to block capacity or provide a realistic timeline for internal review, as well as make strategic decisions for the business. In addition, support from strategic partners in the period following production start-up is key – from observing how things are ramping to stepping in and providing training to set-up challenges.

“One of our partners, established for over 25 years, is at the forefront of technology in the mould tool design and manufacturing industry. This collaboration has provided us opportunities to progress not only our capacity but also resolution on challenges we may face with continuous improvement. Furthermore, the collaboration coupled with joint innovation has allowed us to create IP, develop new processes and speed up cycle times. A big success factor of our

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partnership is their flexibility and willingness to support us, which is further underpinned by the working relationships formed between our engineers.” Engaging with strategic partners who work with diverse industries and sectors can be beneficial as well. “As we have continued to be creative in

our innovations, we have benefitted from working with a Germany-based partner who has been able to provide a different perspective from their work in the consumer goods industry,” explains Stephen. “In addition, they bring new and different ideas to the table and have a lot of experience in pilot processes. For example, we have been able to go and work in their

“As we have continued to be creative in our innovations, we have benefitted from working with a Germany-based partner who has been able to provide a different perspective from their work in the consumer goods industry”

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shop floor area in their development centre and streamline the design process.” Stephen adds that developing deep relationships with strategic partners has resulted in long-term collaborations that extend well beyond the design conception to well after implementation. Good strategic partners will make well-intentioned observations and recommendations, such as offering more training. “These partners are very engaged, offer tremendous support and always maintain high levels of communication,” notes Stephen. These innovative approaches to data, manufacturing and strategic partnerships ultimately help

CooperVision achieve its mission of serving patients and practitioners and bringing better vision to the world. “Our customer service levels – with an internal focus on service level attainment – is a top priority for us, so we are investing into our capacity to meet the demands of our customers,” says Stephen. “We offer a wider range of prescriptions than our competitors, which is in the millions of SKU’s (Stock Keeping Units). Plus, our MTO lenses are produced in both our UK and US facilities and can be with our 45

customer in a matter of days. No other competitor can offer this service with this range of prescriptions.” Wrapping up our conversation, Stephen celebrates the people at CooperVision who make its innovation and success possible. “Any product or process we design, develop, install, validate and subsequently produce needs our people,” says Stephen. “Our people are paramount to CooperVision's success and I’m committed in my role as MD for UK Manufacturing to identify talent and develop our employees to their potential. This is the journey ahead of me. I’ve been given so much opportunity to show my potential throughout my career and I want to do the same for all our people.” To learn more about CooperVision, visit coopervision.co.uk. 46

Added Value Find your downtime Stephen believes in the importance of switching off to maintain a balance between the professional and personal realms of life. “For me, I have a 30-minute drive home that allows me to deactivate from work mode,” shares Stephen. “I like to go to the gym on a regular basis, which helps me to destress, as does cycling – whether out on my road bike or at home on a stationary bike.” Connect with Stephen

Recommended Resources Stephen is always looking to learn and challenge himself in the process, but he highlights three particularly impactful resources that have opened his eyes. “I’d rather read a book that will educate me rather than relax me,” says Stephen. “There's a technical element to everything we do. But I think one of the key things that I recognised in recent years is the importance of behaviours and how to deal with people. I'm very much into neurolinguistic programming (NLP). If you’re interested in the topic, I highly recommend Sue Knight’s books and writings. It's a very powerful tool and it can be used at any level, because the core premise of NLP is around connecting with people. “Another resource I’d recommend is Good to Great by Jim Collins. It's very insightful as you go through your career and it gets you to reflect on the importance of getting the right people in the right roles, all of which is underpinned by empowering them to be the best they can be. “Finally, I highly recommend checking out Simon Sinek’s Start with WHY, either the book or TED Talk. His insights are simple, practical and incredibly powerful.” 47

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B U S I N E S S I N T E RV I E W

Saf

fety and cooperation: A digital aviation journey at the heart of the North Atlantic Anna Björk Bjarnadóttir, Chief Service & Operations Officer at Isavia shares insights into how the corporation is harnessing technology and innovation to enhance its operations.

Overseeing all airports and air navigation in Iceland, Isavia is a stateowned corporation that operates as a private entity on the market. savia also coordinates the air traffic in Greenland and takes great pride in its important role in managing the air traffic in one of the world’s largest control areas, the North Atlantic. Anna Björk Bjarnadóttir, Chief Service & Operations Officer at Isavia tells us how the corporation has balanced protecting safety and security priorities with introducing digital technology and innovation. In her role, Anna primarily focuses on Keflavík International Airport (KEF) and is accountable for its licence of operation. She explains how KEF is a diverse operation, so a range of responsibilities falls within her remit – from the control tower and airport security to passenger services and airfield operations. Anna and her team are the nexus for KEF, focusing on harnessing digital technology at the airport to enhance 52

operations while also collaborating with other subsidiaries of Isavia as a corporation that are responsible for different areas of the business. “Aviation and airport operations have always relied heavily on technology,” says Anna. “But due to the high emphasis on safety and security, it has also been quite a conservative industry in many ways. For me, coming from the telco and IT industry where I've been for the past 20 years before I came to Isavia four years ago, it fascinated me how much potential there is to utilise digital technology alongside traditional airport technology. “Safety and security are the foundation of everything we do at our airports. With airport technology on one hand and digital innovation on the other, as in other industries, those two have to merge at some point – and to greater extents.

“At Isavia, we have found that we need to address technology more holistically than before. We embarked on a journey to advance our IT technology and digitalisation as a corporation to advance our operations as a whole. “The first important step for us happened four years ago, which was to elevate the IT and digitalisation agendas by putting a CIO on the executive table. Creating the CIO role ensured that our decision-making would always include those aspects. From there, we have been slowly involving IT and digitalisation more and more in our strategies. Today, four years later, we are in the midst of finalising our digitalisation strategy, after having finished the revamp of our entire business strategy review.” 54

Anna emphasises that digital innovation and technological transformation have been great enablers at Isavia in the past four years, in particular as catalysts for creating a seamless, collaborative working environment. Anna focuses on changes at Keflavík International Airport (KEF) to demonstrate the broader company strategy. “Two of the main pillars in our new strategy for KEF have been included for the first time,” says Anna. “The first focuses on the airport community as a whole and the second involves smart solutions, including digitalisation. “We had never really embraced the airport ecosystem or the

“Two of the main pillars in our new strategy for KEF have been included for the first time. The first focuses on the airport community as a whole and the second involves smart solutions, including digitalisation” Anna Björk Bjarnadóttir, Chief Service & Operations Officer at Isavia airport community as part of our strategy in the past, because Isavia only constitutes 15% of all employees at the airport. We are only a small part of all the staff running the airport. But as we redefined our business strategy, we soon realised how intrinsic we are in all the processes at KEF so it made abundant sense to embrace our role as an enabler, rather than just a landlord. “This shift demanded a lot of change within our organisation and how we approached our complex chain of operations, but it has been worth it. We had to change the mindset and behaviour of the company totally – top down and bottom up. “Our first steps within the airport community pillar of our new strategy

involved changing our company culture. This might appear unrelated to the other major pillar of smart solutions, but it was the company culture shift which enabled us to embrace digitalisation and new IT technology. They are interconnected. “We have been on a two-year journey for this cultural transformation, investing time, money and our souls into it. It has been the foundation for the radical change needed to pull the airport ecosystem together and achieve our vision for KEF. “So far we have already seen huge changes and, most promisingly and pleasantly, positive feedback from our main partners in the airport community. Enabling the entire KEF ecosystem is fertile ground for 55

further innovation, progress and achievement. “Now we have built that airport community as the foundation (and we are still in the middle of that journey) we are turning towards and finalising our digitalisation strategy within the broader business strategy as the second new pillar. “We are incredibly fortunate to have a lot of innovative and forwardthinking people in our team at Isavia. Together we have already implemented a lot of solutions that have moved us forward with our digitalisation and IT transformation.” Anna highlights several digitalisation and tech projects at KEF which have revolutionised the services and operations of the airport and Isavia as a corporation. “Veovo’s Live Passenger Forecasting is a prime example,” says Anna. “We were the first airport to adopt this technology which enables live passenger forecasting when COVID-19 hit in 2020. Veovo’s solution prevents airport crowding and improves capacity planning – it was invaluable for us during the COVID-19 period when there were new air traffic patterns and changing passenger behaviours. We could no longer depend on plans that were based only on historical patterns. We needed more real-time 56

information to be able to change and execute capacity planning in near-real time. “By partnering with Veovo and deploying their solution, it's helped us accelerate the return to preCOVID-19 passenger levels much faster than we anticipated.” On the topic of COVID-19, Anna describes how Isavia spent the months of lockdowns and travel restrictions to regather, plan ahead and work on projects that would be more complex to deploy with airports operating at full capacity. “In the years leading up to 2020, the number of passengers going through KEF grew 20% to 40% year on year,” says Anna. “By 2018 we had 10 million passengers cross our doors, which actually exceeded the capacity of the terminal. “We were operating in what I call ‘space debt’. We had a master plan to develop and increase the capacity of the airport, but of course that halted in the first month of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, despite a massive drop in income during COVID-19, we were very fortunate to secure funding for the airport expansion project. “After setting in motion heavy construction at the terminal on one hand, we also needed to focus our attention on being

“Veovo’s solution prevents airport crowding and improves capacity planning – it was invaluable for us during the COVID-19 period when there were new air traffic patterns and changing passenger behaviours” able to receive all these additional passengers and aircraft movements. So closely connected to the physical infrastructure expansion at KEF was the concurrent digital development of a total airport management system. “A total airport management concept has several components. There is the Airport Operation Control Centre (APOC), the airport operation plan,

and other dynamics including airportwide collaborative decision-making to improve the efficiency and the resilience of airport operations. “The total airport management concept helps us optimise the use of resources and improve the predictability of air traffic and airport operations. To sculpt the new concept, the first thing we did during

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“Based on the airport intelligence we learned at Brussels Airport, they were able to assist and advise us in the analysis, planning and scoping of our APOC project with its multiple components” COVID-19 was to merge our existing control centres – one being the security control centre and the other being the terminal operation control centre.

airports that have been at the forefront in this field such as Oslo Airport, Schiphol Airport and Brussels Airport.

“Based on the operational expertise and knowledge we experienced at Brussels Airport, we got their Airport “We installed and implemented the new Airport Operation Control (APOC) Intelligence consultants to assist and advise us in the analysis, planning and centre to streamline how KEF works scoping of our project with its multiple as a whole. But before deploying the components. change, we visited a lot of European

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“The implementation of the APOC project was the first step and the foundation in our introduction of a total airport management concept and it turned out to be more important than we could have imagined during COVID-19. With all the coordination of passenger testing and new elements that had to be added to the airport during the pandemic, but also on top of the challenges arising from Iceland’s notorious adverse weather conditions, we really relied on the APOC to help us forecast proactively and rise to challenging circumstances before us.” Within the second pillar of transformation at Isavia to deploy

smart solutions, Anna adds that artificial intelligence has grown in importance to the company’s service and operations department. “AI is still in its early days when it comes to general operations, but at the same time it’s- moving at supersonic speed, and good AI professionals are few and far between,” says Anna. “I came from an IT company before I joined Isavia and even there we found it hard to source the right talent. But we have started our AI journey with all the help we can get. Our partnership with Veovo implementing their intelligent Queue Balancer solution to optimise passenger flow and improve the transfer passenger experience 59

through border control is a prime example. “Veovo’s software is AIdriven and highly intelligent in the way that it calculates the most suitable line for passengers based on factors such as wait times, occupancy and processing speed to maximise throughput while also prioritising the specific passenger categories if the queue time exceeds a given service level target, for example. For us, this is a solution at the forefront in AI and it's really exciting to see it improving operations, especially with everything back in motion after the COVID-19 period.” Here Anna reiterates that much of the digital innovation and technological transformation at Isavia would not be possible without strategic partnerships and the close collaboration arising from them. “Collaboration is the foundation of transformation, it’s been at the core of redefining our strategy in the past few years,” says Anna. “Ultimately, we are only a small part of the whole ecosystem of Iceland’s airports and air traffic control, so partnerships are fundamental to us. This 61

“by working with partners like Frequentis, we are automating the surface movement surveillance process so we can operate much more safely and efficiently in low-visibility situations than we have done before” stretches beyond our direct strategic partners in the airport ecosystem, we need to rely on professionals from outside our network. “As we continue our work enhancing the capacity of Keflavík International Airport, one of the biggest related projects is to upgrade our surveillance systems in conjunction with the expansion. For a large proportion of the year, we have low visibility and adverse weather conditions

at the airport, which restrict the movement of aircraft. But by working with partners like Frequentis, we are automating the surface movement surveillance process so we can operate much more safely and efficiently in low-visibility situations than we have done before. “Frequentis already help us by integrating our space-based surveillance data sources with the ground-based infrastructure

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62 www. frequentis.com

Partnering with ISAVIA Ohf, Keflavík International Airport for more than two decades

Insero Air Traffic Solutions - designs, implements and delivers intelligent and cost-effective software solutions for airports and Air Navigation Service Providers.

Our solutions are built on more than 40 years of experience in digital transformation in air traffic management, developing innovative, sustainable and reliable software solutions. Insero AviSky - One data platform, supporting remote tower, SWIM and smarter airport operations With a single-consolidated data view across systems, Insero AviSky enables you to unlock the business potential of your data for remote tower integration, smarter airport operations and SWIM, supporting a data-driven and fully digitised future. Insero AviCast - The new standard in ATIS/VOLMET solutions Whether for (D-)ATIS and/or (D-)VOLMET and whether for one or multiple aerodromes, Insero AviCast is the state-of-the art solution supporting your needs into the future. Insero SERIS - Terminal/Route Charges and Air Traffic Analysis solution Offers advanced consolidation and analysis of flight data, air traffic density, while optimising revenue streams, digitalisation of charging processes, cost recovery including interfacing the EUROCONTROL CRCO system. Read more about these and our other solutions at www.inseroats.com.

“Our partners Insero specialise in air traffic solutions and have really helped us in collecting, handling, editing and presenting meteorological information at Keflavík airport” consisting of radars, ADS-B ground stations and mulitlateration, as well as providing IP-based voice communications for uninterrupted air traffic operation. “Adjusting to adverse visibility and weather conditions is a big part of our operation and the APOC control centre helps us coordinate when they are at play. Our partners Insero specialise in air traffic solutions and

have really helped us in collecting, handling, editing and presenting meteorological information at Keflavík airport. Insero provides us with a variety of weather sensor systems that deliver incredibly reliable, real-time information, which is essential for coordinating the incoming and departing aeroplanes alongside our snow removal team. Insero has played an instrumental role in implementing an integrated 65

tower solution for collecting and handling all the relevant weather and visibility data for us.” Weather and visibility data are crucial for operations at Keflavík, but beyond these meteorological insights, Anna explains that real-time data distribution across all partners in the airport community is another top priority for Isavia. “Keflavík airport is such a diverse workplace, with so many parts of the value chain having to work together,” says Anna. “We're all working with our specific data and we haven't done enough to merge those insights to date. If there are different datasets telling different stories, not only can this be complicated, but in an airport setting it can become dangerous. “As such we have worked to adapt our central data warehouse to form the core of the airport operations, so we can expand it to be the transparent data source for the whole airport, promoting end-to-end, seamless visibility.” To learn more about Isavia, visit isavia.is. 66

Connect with Anna

ADDED VALUE Organic career development In the early days of her career, Anna was enrolled in a fine art academy and wanted to be a painter. But she changed direction to study sports science since she had been a sports fan and competed in them for her whole life. “I happened to find myself in business accidentally,” shares Anna. “I’ve been there for the past 30 years, and I’ve always embraced organic career progression rather than a planned approach.”

Human interaction as underlying motivation “My philosophy is based on human interaction,” says Anna. “That's why I'm so absorbed by the cultural transformation journey that we’re exploring at Isavia. I'm fascinated by exploring what makes people tick and helps them achieve their goals. And It’s the common denominator and passion which I’ve always nurtured in my career – it keeps me going. How do teams work? Why don't they work? How do we meet obstacles along the way? “I was a leadership and management consultant for many years, working with several different companies spanning multiple sectors and industries. All these businesses had different problems they wanted to solve, but when I look back, the main challenge underneath them all was human interaction – whether this was related to communication, collaboration or management. “I firmly believe that human interaction is the key to success and must be the foundation before we can begin to work on other priorities like digitalisation or innovation.”

Events Anna is thrilled to be attending the Passenger Terminal Expo 2024 in Frankfurt, Germany. “I really look forward to meeting my colleagues in the industry at PTE 2024,” says Anna. “The aviation industry is incredibly generous with sharing experience and insights in the spirit of cooperation, and I can’t wait to attend.” 67

S U S TA I N A B L E S O L U T I O N S

CONNECTING INNOVATIVE MOUNTING SYSTEMS, DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND PEOPLE WITH KNOW-HOW Meet K2 Systems: the rooftop photovoltaic specialists driving sustainable solutions

ROOFTOP INSTALLATION OF PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) SYSTEMS CAN BE COMPLEX, AS IT REQUIRES ROBUST KNOWLEDGE OF ELECTRICAL AND STRUCTURAL WORK, AND IT’S EASY TO MAKE CRITICAL ERRORS. Systems wants to streamline this process to create a rapid and sustainable energy transition. To help achieve a decentralised energy supply, K2 Systems has developed intuitive mounting systems for PV systems, generating approximately 110 gigawatt hours of energy every day. The company has worked on designing solutions for roofs, façades, ground mounts, carports and tailor-made applications.

Intelligently designed with universal components, these systems are built to last and easy to install. They use modular principles which allow maximum flexibility for assembly, simplified warehousing and shorter delivery routes. This also helps the 72

company respond quickly to market changes. Moreover, K2 Systems relies largely on manufacturing in Europe to minimise carbon emissions. The digital ecosystem has been a real game changer for the brand.

“WE HAVE ESTABLISHED A DIGITAL WORKFLOW COVERING PLANNING, INSTALLATION, DOCUMENTATION AND TRAINING” Katharina David, CEO

As a world first, the company launched K2 Buddy, a new live mechanical monitoring system to protect modules from heavy snow loads. Substantial snowfall can damage PV systems and reduce their service life, but K2 Buddy allows users to

monitor the safety of the system remotely and avoid unnecessary maintenance costs. The company also offers the K2 Resource Centre, a learning tool which provides free valuable knowledge with webinars, 73

“IN VIEW OF THE GREAT DEMAND FOR SPECIALISTS, WE SEE IT AS AN ENORMOUS SUCCESS THAT MORE AND MORE CAREER CHANGERS AS WELL AS PV PROFESSIONALS ARE USING OUR SERVICES TO ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE”

training, tutorials and other expertise wherever it’s needed. This tool offers tutorials for a range of experiences, from beginner to experienced professional, and works for a variety of rooftops. K2 Systems also relies on digital interfaces with other manufacturers to provide seamless planning. “We have established a digital workflow covering planning, installation, documentation 75

and training,” says Katharina David, CEO of K2 Systems. “Instead of time-consuming individual planning, all participants can realise PV projects in a faster and more reliable way. This is how we 76

combine physical solutions with state-of-the-art technology. “In view of the great demand for specialists, we see it as an enormous success that more and more career changers as well as

PV professionals are using our services to acquire knowledge. We registered 1.1 million sessions in our Resource Centre in 2023 alone. As a market leader in Europe, one key to success is that we rely on strong

cooperation with customers, suppliers and key players in the industry. Together, we can achieve a higher level of expertise and more effectively drive the energy transition. This is what we call connecting strength.” Source: K2 Systems 77

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How wearable tech could revolutionise Parkinson’s treatment Researchers at the University of Bristol, UK exploring new ways to measure and treat Parkinson’s disease have received £6m funding to boost the TORUS project.

Parkinson’s is the fastest-growing neurological condition, with estim suggesting the disease affects one 37 people. There is currently no cu symptoms worsen over time, seve reducing quality of life.

g mates e in every ure and erely

However, the Transforming

the Objective Real-world measUrement of Symptoms (TORUS) project at the University of Bristol is seeking to revolutionise Parkinson’s disease research by deploying wearable technology and AI-controlled video to gather patient insights. TORUS has received £6m funding from the Engineering & Physical

Sciences Research Council to create the capability to monitor patients many times every day autonomously, continuously, objectively in their own homes and for months at a time. Pharmaceutical companies and health organisations struggle to assess the effectiveness of potential drugs for improving symptoms such as freezing when walking, tremors and impaired mobility within the limits of hospital settings. Clinical trials for Parkinson’s can be logistically difficult for patients – as they have to travel to and from the hospital – and are a poor representation of the patient’s overall symptoms, since trials are likely to take place once a month at most. These challenges have led to many large companies withdrawing from Parkinson’s research, despite its prevalence. This is where TORUS comes in. Led by Professor Ian Craddock at Bristol’s School of Engineering, Mathematics and Technology, TORUS has created wearable tech that will be able to measure 84

“Pharmaceutical compa health organisations str assess the effectiveness drugs for improving sym

anies and ruggle to s of potential mptoms” 85

“Researchers will be able to use this technology to measure how effective a trial drug could be more consistently, potentially ending the decades-long search for a cure for Parkinson’s” 86

symptoms of Parkinson’s disease continuously, within the patient’s own home. Researchers will be able to use this technology to measure how effective a trial drug could be more consistently, potentially ending the decadeslong search for a cure for Parkinson’s. “TORUS aims to overcome this problem by using a wrist-worn wearable integrated synergistically with AI-enabled cameras to

A woman with wearable technology on her arm. Image credit SPHERE-IRC. 87

capture their patient’s physical actions over extended periods,” says Professor Ian Craddock. “The data from the wearable and cameras will be fused to give metrics of the quality of mobility-related activities. We’re committed to conclude the TORUS programme with a world-first clinical proof of concept.” The research is the first of its kind and brings together the Digital Health team from Bristol with Newcastle’s Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Open Lab, and National Innovation Centre for Data (NICD). It leverages both the experience of Bristol’s EPSRCfunded SPHERE IRC (total grant £16m, 2013-2022), which has unmatched expertise researching, designing and deploying multi-sensor systems in family homes, and Newcastle’s £50m Mobilise-D IMI project, a multinational collaboration between big pharma and academia. Read more at www.torus.ac.uk or email TORUS-project@bristol.ac.uk. Source: University of Bristol

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B U S I N E S S I N T E RV I E W

FORGING A MORE SUST FUTURE BY WORKING W THE ENERGY OF TOMOR TODAY Paulo Líbano Monteiro, Director of Innovation and Technology at E-REDES on enabling the energy transition while guaranteeing excellent and reliable energy distribution.

TAINABLE WITH RROW,

E-REDES - DISTRIBUIÇÃO DE ELETRICIDADE, S.A., PART OF THE ENERGIAS DE PORTUGAL GROUP (EDP GROUP), IS THE MAIN ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM OPERATOR (DSO) IN PORTUGAL.

istributing 45TWh of energy to more than six million customers yearly via a 230,000km network (high, medium and low voltage), E-REDES is the sixth largest DSO in Europe. The company is at the centre of the energy sector transformation striving for decarbonisation of the global economy while simultaneously maintaining a customer-centric approach characterised by brand trust, outstanding service and reliable distribution. Here to tell us more about the company’s strategy for achieving a more sustainable future is Paulo Líbano Monteiro, Director of Innovation and Technology at E-REDES. Paulo begins by situating E-REDES within the context of the EDP Group, a global organisation operating in several areas of energy, with a core focus on renewables and grids. “EDP is a global leading company in the energy sector, with a very strong focus on sustainability, ranking #1 among electrical companies in the Dow Jones Sustainability World index. As part of the EDP Group, E-REDES is very much committed to the energy transition and also the decarbonisation of the global economy,” says Paulo. “Today, we have around 13,000 employees

worldwide at EDP and more than three-quarters of our energy generation comes from renewable resources. “We have ambitious goals and in terms of our main targets for the future, we intend to be coal-free by 2025. We want our energy to be totally green by 2030 and reach net zero by 2040.” In his role at E-REDES, Paulo focuses on developing fresh solutions for the electricity grid by specifying, validating and qualifying new technology solutions at the company. A crucial priority for Paulo and his team is working towards the decarbonisation of the grid. “Each year, E-REDES invests around €400m into our grid,” says Paulo. “A significant part of this investment is related to innovative solutions that will help us enable the energy transition.” But in order to understand the efforts at E-REDES to enable the energy transition, Paulo first describes the balance needed between the production and consumption of energy. “For context, DSOs like E-REDES play a fundamental role in the energy transition because these grids connect all the increasing energy resources that are feeding into it. This means all the generation 95

resources, mainly renewable at the distribution level, and all the sources of consumption that are connected to the grid. Therefore there must always be a balance between energy produced and energy consumed, and the grid must remain stable to strike this equilibrium to guarantee the security and quality of supply. “There has been a change in the behaviour of power generation, which has become more and more intermittent based on the increasing prevalence of renewable sources and their nature – since they are less controllable than fossil fuels. Consequently, having a balance between production and consumption is more and more difficult to achieve. As it is harder to control the generation, we need to look at controlling the demand side 96

of the equation to secure balance in the electric system. The grid is the enabler by connecting all those resources.” Paulo explains that finding a balance between supply and demand in the grid at E-REDES hinges on having a better real-time knowledge of the grid as a system in its entirety – including energy flows through older parts of the network, across low, medium and high voltage supplies. Beyond this sensing dynamic, the company’s associated priorities are having remote control of the grid and automating the processes that warrant it in order to improve efficiency. According to Paulo, as sensing, remote control and automation become more prevalent for

E-REDES, data and flexibility also become increasingly fundamental for better management of the grid. Once all these elements are aligned, the grid can begin to serve a purpose beyond the provision of energy and contribute to a better world, argues Paulo.

“AT E-REDES WE HAVE A LOT OF ADVANCED ANALYTICS ON TOP OF THE COLLECTED DATA FROM THE GRID”

“We need data and then of course we need to process that data,” explains Paulo. “At E-REDES we have a lot of advanced analytics on top of the collected data from the grid. Eventually, we will incorporate data from outside the grid for instance regarding weather conditions and predictions related to consumption or generation. All this data must then be analysed deeply for us to be able to manage the grid more efficiently.

cope with this increase in uncertainty regarding mainly the production of energy by renewable sources, but also in consumption to an extent. At E-REDES we are tackling this by having a more configurable network and by taking a more active role on the consumption side of this balance.

“We also need improved flexibility in the world’s electric system to

“Beyond this, the goal at E-REDES is for the grid to also contribute to 97

a better environment. This involves having more remote operations that do not require trips to the sites, changing our fleet to an electric vehicle fleet, using much less polluting drones instead of helicopters for grid inspection, generating green electricity for self-consumption and deploying more environmentally friendly solutions regarding the components or solutions that we use in the grid.” Within the broader effort to promote the development of the grid at E-REDES, Paulo elaborates on the Four Innovation Dimensions at the company enabling their endeavours.

THE FOUR INNOVATION DIMENSIONS AT E-REDES 1. Enabling Technologies 2. Grid Solutions 3. System Operation 4. New Business Models “The first of the Four Innovation Dimensions at E-REDES is Enabling Technologies,” explains Paulo. “These technologies help us produce more environment-friendly solutions. This includes the use of drones, robots or satellite imagery to monitor the grid network. We also deploy advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and, more recently, generative AI. Lastly, we are working 98

with technologies to seek evermore sustainable materials in our solutions. “The second dimension is Grid Solutions. These are the equipment or devices that are installed in the physical grid. Here, we are increasingly using sensing devices for grid monitoring, remote control technology, automation, voltage regulation, smart metering, safety solutions and edge computing where we decentralise processing power. We need to know, more and more in real time, what is happening in the grid. We also need to be able to remotely act in the grid, to automate operational decisions as much as possible and to collect all the relevant data to feed our analytics capabilities. “The third Innovation Dimension at E-REDES is System Operation, where we focus on the applications we build to operate and manage the grid itself, for instance by building a new Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS). “We are also using advanced analytics and AI to better understand the condition of our assets such as transformers, cables, switches and all those electric devices we are using in the grid. This allows us to gauge the probability of failure and health index of our assets by analysing their previous usage, location, power levels and other crucial data. With these insights on

hand, we are exploring probabilistic planning, rather than a deterministic approach, to determine how we should invest in the grid and what are the main investment priorities. “Vegetation management is also very important for us since we have a lot of overhead lines in Portugal – they constitute 80% of our grid. We are using advanced analytics, drones and satellite imagery to understand the situation and identify problems with the line or where we need to control growth. “For our customers, we are increasingly using and expanding digital channels to encourage seamless online interactions. We are also improving the level of information and level of service provided to our customers, which

are becoming active players in the whole electric systems, either as consumers, producers or flexibility providers. “DSOs are becoming the largest users of communication points. In our case, by the end of 2024 we’ll have 6.4 million customers with smart meters working as communication devices, which is somehow comparable in size to a telecommunications operator. We’ve established as a private virtual network operator, having our own SIM cards for cellular communications and using the physical infrastructure of the telecommunication providers, with whom we have commercial agreements. “The final Innovation Dimension 99

is New Business Models. Even though E-REDES operates in a highly regulated sector, so our avenues for growth or expansion are limited, there is still the need to look for different approaches to the business. One area where we’ve been very active is in providing new, valuable data to society, the open data concept. We are making available, free of charge and in line with GDPR, huge amounts of data regarding the electric grid, useful for actors in the electric system, academia, research institutes, municipalities, media and society in general. We are also piloting new market and non-market-based solutions for flexibility services provided by the users of the grid. Flexibility services, which basically consist of increasing/ decreasing consumption or generation as requested for specific time periods and grid locations, will play an essential role in the future as an efficient tool to keep the grid and electric system balanced in a much more volatile context of distributed mobile consumption and intermittent generation.” Within the broader sweep of the Four Innovation Dimensions at E-REDES, Paulo highlights several key projects he and his team have been involved with, helping the company transform its operations – benefitting customers and the environment simultaneously. The E-REDES Smart Metering Program captures more than 500m 100

data records every day, including detailed consumption data, network and meter events, electrical measurements and equipment status. “We are rolling out smart meters to our 6.4 million low voltage customers, having already deployed them with our medium and high voltage customers,” says Paulo. “Our objective is to finish the low voltage smart meter rollout by the end of 2024. Currently, we have 5.6 million customers with smart meters. The large majority of those are already integrated into our Intelligent Grid, meaning that we are already remotely controlling and collecting the information from those meters, as well as providing all the required services to clients and retailers. “The main technology we deploy for communicating with the smart meters is power line communications (PLC), in our case PLC Prime. PLC is used by most of the DSOs in southern Europe because it’s a very cost-effective solution, it suits the smart metering requirements well and there is abundant knowledge and experience related to this technology. “Our smart meter program lets our customers better understand their consumption, with information registered at 15-minute intervals, offering incredibly detailed insights and highlighting ways for those who are willing to become more efficient

with their energy behaviours. “We benefit from the smart meter insights because we can detect network events like instances of overvoltage or undervoltage, cases of fraud or neutral cable breaks and interruptions in the grid.” Beyond the Smart Metering Program, Paulo elaborates on the importance of AI and digitalisation within the Four Innovation Dimensions at E-REDES. He describes how the broader goal here is for E-REDES to become a fully digitalised and AI-enabled business. “Before explaining the importance of AI, the main concern before this is the full digitalisation of the business,” says Paulo. “This means that we need to have the physical grid digitalised, which involves being able to communicate with all the relevant devices in the grid – hence why the Smart Metering Program is so important, for instance. Full digitalisation allows us to know what's happening at every relevant point in the grid but also supports our internal processes by bolstering our analytics. We have made tremendous progress towards full digitalisation of the business in recent years, so now we can turn our attention to deploying AI effectively. “With our progress towards becoming a fully digitalised business, we needed all the relevant

tools to work with the increasing volumes of data generated by that transition which entailed developing our advanced analytics capabilities and therefore artificial intelligence. “The EDP Group is investing significantly in AI and the importance of this technology for the Group but also E-REDES as a company will only continue to increase. First and foremost, AI

“OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO FINISH THE LOW VOLTAGE SMART METER ROLLOUT BY THE END OF 2024” will help us better understand the data from the grid. We are also working on a pilot project to better understand how generative AI might help the business, for instance in customer service support.” The last key project Paulo highlights within the Four Innovation Dimensions at E-REDES is the company’s use of the latest drone technologies to inspect its assets and the grid more broadly. “We use drones in two main ways,” explains Paulo. “The first is for planned overhead lines inspections, a service provided to us by third 101

parties since it is more efficient in terms of risk and cost than helicopters, the solution of days gone by. We have a lot of overhead lines, more than 100,000 km, that we need to inspect regularly. Traditionally, we used helicopters equipped with cameras, thermal imaging and LIDAR technology for measuring distances to perform that task. “Helicopters still work as a solution, but we realised that the same task could be performed by drones with significant safety, environmental and cost benefits. So we worked with some partner companies to adapt drones with those types of cameras that we need to

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inspect the lines and then also to fine-tune the process for efficient flights addressing the inspection requirements while respecting security and licencing conditions. Nowadays, we are conducting more or less half of our yearly inspections by using drones. This will most probably increase in the future. “The second way we use drones is as a tool to increase our capacity for occasional inspections in the field, as an extension of our eyes. When we have a failure in our overhead lines, we need to go to the field and look at assets like insulation devices or connections. Field operatives would often need binoculars or stairway access to assess the

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“WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH SEVERAL COMPANIES TO HELP US INSTALL AND DEVELOP THE RELEVANT SOLUTIONS” situation, but now with drones that is a much simpler, safer and more efficient operation.” Wrapping up our conversation, Paulo describes how partnerships and collaboration are imperative to the innovation efforts at E-REDES. In particular, Paulo highlights the installation of sensing devices at E-REDES’s secondary substations. “The secondary substations constitute the point of the grid where medium voltage is transformed to low voltage and is then distributed from there to our low voltage customers,”

explains Paulo. “We have around 70,000 secondary substations in our grid. We have been exploring how to improve our monitoring capability in the feeders, which are the lines going out to the secondary substations. For that, we are using sensing solutions and devices to measure the electrical characteristics of every lowvoltage feeder that goes out to our customers. To accomplish this task, we have been working with several companies to help us install and develop the relevant solutions. “Through these partnerships, we have been able to develop solutions 105

with multiple business use cases to better manage the grid, measure the energy quality, detect failures or losses of power in the grid and better identify the grid topology regarding all the smart meters in our network. We intend to expand these solutions in the future to thousands of our secondary substations. “Another collaborative project I’d like to highlight in terms of the importance of partnerships is our drive to use more environmentally friendly materials and components in our operations. For instance with our cables, we have been working closely with one large supplier to pilot a new medium voltage cable using insulation materials made from vegetable-based materials 106

using reused domestic vegetable oils, instead of carbon-based materials. This project contributes to promoting a circular economy and helping us become a more environmentally friendly company, thus we look for this type of partnership with a lot of interest. The use of more environmentally friendly materials and products, as well as the search for circular economy solutions constitute a very important general trend in the business, highly promoted by our own green goals but also by European regulations.” For further information about E-REDES, visit e-redes.pt. Turn over for 'ADDED VALUE' with Paulo.

OUR COMMITMENT TO A LOW-CARBON FUTURE I N N O VAT I O N

C L I M AT E C H A N G E A M B I T I O N

Prysmian Group conﬁrms its ambition to be one of the main technological players in the transition towards the use of renewable energy sources and a carbon-free economy.

Climate strategy aligned with the Paris Agreement climate objectives

Net-Zero _ by 2035, to fully decarbonize our internal activities (Scope 1 &2) _ by 2050 for our supply chain (Scope 3) emissions

D E S I G N F O R S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y One of our main areas of activity is the development of new, more sustainable products:

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Reduced impact on CO2 emissions in its manufacture

-24%

Use of recycled raw materials and BIO materials

2022

-7,5%

Improving product recyclability rates

Sc op e

-46%

EMISSION REDUCTION SINCE 2019

1 pe Sco

Elimination of hazardous substances in their composition

Improved transmission eﬃciency Phasing out plastic in packaging

-31,5%

-28%

0 2019

2022

2030

2035

2050

SOCIAL AMBITION T H E C A B L E I N D U S T RY ’ S FIRST GREEN L ABEL

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Programmes

Women's Leadership Development Programme in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) To have a positive impact on the communities in which we operate Health and safety as a top priority

THE FIRST

100% RECYCLABLE

CABLE TECNOLOGY

2022

15,7%

EXECUTIVE WOMEN

44,9%

WOMEN WITH OPEN-ENDED CONTRACTS

BECAUSE MORE TH AN WOR DS, WE LIKE FAC TS.

pt.prysmiangroup.com/sustentabilidade

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Connect with Paulo

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RECOMMENDED VIEWING “The fascinating, never outdated, TED talk ‘What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness’ addresses a fundamental aspect of our lives, which is always worth remembering,” says Paulo.

RECOMMENDED READING “The Culture Map: Decoding How People Think, Lead, and Get Things Done Across Cultures by Erin Meyer is a very interesting and pedagogical book about the differences across several cultures regarding the way people interact, lead and take decisions,” says Paulo.

LOOKING AHEAD Paulo embraces the opportunity to network at conferences and expos and finds the following events particularly interesting and valuable: • Enlit Europe

Connect with E-REDES

• CIRED

• CIGRE

Connect with EDP GROUP

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B U S I N E S S I N T E RV I E W

EMPOWERMENT THROUGH EMBRACING NEW IDEAS

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H PARTNERSHIP: S TO DRIVE BRAND TRANSFORMATION Laricea Ioana Roman-Halliday, former Head of Marketing - Dorothy Perkins, Burton and Wallis at Boohoo Group, on catalysing the company’s innovative customer engagement strategies in partnership with Branch. ounded in 2006, Boohoo Group PLC is a leading British online fashion group home to a portfolio of 13 brands. Stemming from the vision of Mahmud Kamani and Carol Kane, Boohoo Group is one of the fastest-growing fashion businesses in the world. The group is passionate about producing fabulous clothes for everyone, everywhere. Its broader mission? To become a global leader in fashion e-commerce in a way that respects its people, customers, suppliers, stakeholders and the world around us.

Laricea Ioana Roman-Halliday, former Head of Marketing Dorothy Perkins, Burton and Wallis at Boohoo Group joins us to discuss how the companies she was looking after transformed its engagement strategies when it transitioned some of its major brands from brick-and-mortar outlets to e-commerce platforms. In particular, we focus on Laricea’s experience when she oversaw the new app development for Dorothy Perkins, one of the biggest household names in British fashion, working closely with 111

Branch as an intrinsic strategic partner on the project. In her role, Laricea headed up the marketing for Wallis, Burton and Dorothy Perkins – three major UK household brands which Boohoo Group bought from the Arcadia Group in 2021 for £25m. “Shortly before I started at Boohoo, all the physical locations for the three brands I oversaw had been closed down and the focus switched to their online presence while becoming strictly e-commerce players,” begins Laricea. “So the biggest task I had as Head of Marketing was not about awareness because they were already household names. Instead, the top priority was to remind people that we still exist. Many shoppers assumed these brands disappeared and that was the most challenging thing from a marketing perspective. “Usually when you join a brand, the focus is driving awareness and sales. But here, we needed to get customers back into consideration mode, re-establish a relationship with existing loyal customers in a new context without physical locations and also attract new customers in a fast-paced, competitive fashion industry. “I joined Boohoo in January 2021 when the group was very much transitioning towards an appfocused approach and diversified channels, while also trying to consolidate the whole measurement 112

“IT BECAME CLEAR TH AND WOULD SHOP MO BUSINESS CASE TO DR and attribution aspects of the company. Meanwhile, we were trying to consolidate the brands in terms of partners and knowledge sharing. “Before, there wasn’t much cooperation between brands because they used to function on their own, which is fair enough since they have completely different target audiences. But the beauty of Boohoo Group is the fact that we have a brand for everyone. “So we started on a great journey of

HAT APP USERS WERE A LOT MORE ENGAGED ORE OFTEN, PRESENTING A COMPELLING RIVE MORE DOWNLOADS OF OUR APPS” bringing them all together, sharing more knowledge and making apps the absolute focus for all of them.” Laricea explains how this transformational journey hinged on moving away from established ways of operating at Boohoo Group, in particular by placing less emphasis on high-profile partnerships with big names in the industry and leaning into discovering fresh, cost-effective ways to drive new audiences. Embracing digital innovation and technological transformation

were crucial components of this endeavour and Laricea highlights creating the new Dorothy Perkins app as demonstrative of this major strategy shift for the company. “We started talking more and more about products and app growth as the central point of our brands,” recalls Laricea. “We looked at the data and customers who had the app spent on average seven times more than customers who didn't. It became clear that app users were a lot more engaged and would shop 113

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more often, presenting a compelling business case to drive more downloads of our apps. “When I first joined, there was a lot of focus on traditional approaches like partnerships and offline events for the brands I was looking after. There wasn't a lot of innovation in digital strategy, but there were promising deployments of paid search, paid social and affiliates even if there wasn't a lot of focus on them. “The first thing I did was look at the data in terms of what was performing well in relation to the clear business KPIs of driving sales, increasing customer consideration and becoming top of mind for our target audiences. “So in terms of driving sales, we were spending a lot of the budget on paid social channels. However, the channels that were actually driving sales were affiliates and paid search. We turned the budget upside down, significantly cut paid social and invested it into affiliates. As we looked more and more towards affiliates, we also started utilising proper tracking attribution, taking into consideration one of the biggest issues in fashion: returns. “Product returns is the hottest topic since the COVID-19 pandemic because people were unable to physically go to shops and try clothes on. Customers started ordering two or three items online 115

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in multiple sizes, sending back the ones that didn’t fit or they no longer wanted.

returns and the other costs involved, social media was a money-losing exercise.

“This trend poses a huge problem when it comes to marketing efficiencies, because if you look at the channel to gauge how it is performing and you only take into account media costs, you only know how much it costs you to run the campaigns. You would get a very skewed picture of what's working and what's not working.

“But with the other channels like affiliates and paid search, this was not the case. So I moved the budget around and I looked at social media from a different perspective. We shifted the focus of social media from driving sales to increasing awareness and consideration at the top of the funnel, reminding people that we’re still here.

“So in this instance, social media looked like it was performing well since it was driving sales at volume because the pool of people we targeted was so large. However, when we started taking into account

“Once we started doing that, we realised that we had a lot more space to grow because our cost per acquisition had gone down massively by taking social media out of the equation.”

Laricea emphasises how the crucial lesson from a digital perspective was Boohoo needed to look at other business metrics apart from media costs which factored in aspects like physical product returns. This catalysed and empowered further transition from traditional channels to new digital channels, particularly with paid search and affiliates. “For instance, with affiliates, it was the only channel where we would pay them after the 30-day limit for returns,” says Laricea. “Affiliates rose to prominence as a channel where we could safely invest money knowing that we were actually seeing true conversion costs, because if someone returned a product within 30 days, we knew we

weren’t paying the affiliates for that conversion. As a group, we started consolidating and improving our deals while simultaneously improving our measurement and tracking of affiliates and paid search, which yielded fabulous results and massive growth.” Laricea explains that marketing departments operate in a context of budget cuts and rising expectations, so while the progress with affiliates and paid search was promising there was more work to do innovating Dorothy Perkin’s digital strategy – which led Laricea and her team to focus on the company brand’s apps and work closely with Branch. “In the past five years, people have

“BRANCH HAS BEEN FUNDAMENTAL IN OUR INITIATIVE TO INCREASE NEW APP DOWNLOADS AND INCREASE APP USAGE FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO ALREADY HAVE IT DOWNLOADED”

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drifted away from established digital channels like social media where the conversion rates are tumbling but costs are spiralling higher,” says Laricea. “So we started looking for fresh ideas and new strategies and this is where

our strategic partnership with Branch began. “My appreciation for the importance of apps emerged from my previous role at a gambling company where everything took place in the app. But at Boohoo, Branch stepped in with some enlightening educational pieces on the advantages of growing your app organically to drive sales and revenue. This entails having the right infrastructure, tracking data deeply and connecting the app to related endeavours like social media strategy – among many other complex factors. “We started working with Branch initially on optimising our social

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media strategy where they helped us develop it as a consideration channel. But our partnership has blossomed from there and Branch has helped us refine our approach to tracking events, driving people towards downloading the app and running campaigns using web-to-app smart banner adverts on our websites. We have seen some tremendous responses in the process. “Branch has been fundamental in our initiative to increase new app downloads and increase app usage for those people who already have it downloaded. They helped us refine the UX, for instance, by changing the user journey so that when they receive an email from us, rather than go into a browser, they are taken straight into the app because we knew they would spend more and be a lot more engaged. Branch enabled us to track all of these journeys through deep linking – from clicking on an email to getting to the app, or from clicking on social media to go into the app store. This helped us track and truly understand the impact of our campaigns. “The partnership with Branch evolved into something bigger when we faced budget cuts in the marketing department and needed to explore innovative, organic approaches. “The conversations started turning towards new ways to develop and grow the Dorothy Perkins app, 120

seeking ways to drive sales within it and on mobile phones. We knew our audience for Dorothy Perkins spent a lot of time on mobile devices, so it became the clear target device for us. “This started the discussion in Branch around organic growth and working smarter with our channels. We rolled this sentiment into all the channels we have. Beyond the app, mobile website and social channels the next natural step was email.

“We've got a huge database of very loyal users, who we wanted to keep onboard, and we wanted to engage more with them. But a lot of them did not have the app. Creating banners within emails was a no-brainer. It’s an easy step to take but if you don't have deep linking and you're not able to track its usefulness dwindles. So we started working with Branch on the email side of our engagement, to create a deep link from our emails to the app.

“For the loyal users who already had the app, we focused on the customer journey. So if they clicked on an email banner that said dresses under £30, they would be taken straight in the app to the section of dresses under £30. By working with Branch we created a seamless user experience, rather than a broken one I myself often see as a customer where I'm clicking on an email banner that is taking me to the app – but it's taking me to the homepage rather than a relevant page. 121

“A seamless user experience with email was again, another tactic that we deployed with Branch that worked fantastically well to get people to download the app but also to nurture our relationships with loyal customers.” Another piece of the puzzle for Boohoo’s transformation of its marketing and digital engagement strategies was to focus on SEO, according to Laricea. “We tapped into the power of SEO, a new frontier for Boohoo Group,” says Laricea. “We worked with Branch to track SEO as a fixed cost investment, with the goals of having better visibility and measuring down funnel events. A refreshed approach to SEO drove more app downloads and brand visibility, but we also realised in the journey that SEO opens up new audiences in a very cost-effective manner. Obviously, it doesn't happen overnight. But we hired a dedicated team for the brands that started working on an SEO strategy, which has already shown some excellent results in a short time.” After transforming several in-house marketing strategies and channels with Branch, Laricea relays how the focus then turned outwards to influencer marketing. “We had never been able to track influencer marketing before,” admits Laricea. “There was very little control over how it performed or 122

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how it worked, and we relied on the influencers to provide us with data – but these were not always the most useful insights. “By working with Branch and again creating deep links, we started amplifying the brand with influencer partnerships. However, the difference was we now had an accurate measurement and attribution system in place while also driving a high ROI.

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download the app through bio links which was very helpful.” But the strategic partnership with Branch was not limited to digital strategy, it expanded into Dorothy Perkin’s offline channels as well, reiterates Laricea.

“For instance, we shifted the approach to influencer posts with links to a certain outfit. We designed the process to take people either straight to the mobile web showing the actual outfit, the relevant part of the app or the app store if they did not have it downloaded.

“We wanted to bridge the gap between offline and online channels,” explains Laricea. “Historically, we used a lot of traditional channels, for example, out of home, magazines and the press. Before working with Branch, we would never have been able to measure the impact of offline channels or go beyond them as a pure awareness or consideration endeavour.

“We also ran several campaigns with influencers encouraging people to

“However, they encouraged us to start including QR codes to bridge

“THEY (BRANCH) ENCOURAGED US TO START INCLUDING QR CODES TO BRIDGE THE ONLINE/OFFLINE GAP WHICH, WHILE A SEEMINGLY SIMPLE IDEA, WAS AN INCREDIBLY RELEVANT AND EASY WAY FOR US TO GET PEOPLE TO DOWNLOAD THE APP”

the online/offline gap which, while a seemingly simple idea, was an incredibly relevant and easy way for us to get people to download the app. But with the deep linking innovation Branch helped us deploy, we knew exactly how many people encountered specific offline campaigns and converted into new app users. “It was a very clean but also costeffective way of driving our digital channels and assets.” Reflecting on her experience working with Branch and the partnership more broadly, Laricea lauds the positive collaborative relationship forged between the two companies. “It is an absolute pleasure to work with Branch,” beams Laricea. “We would put innovation calls in place

which were separate from our weekly performance calls. They would come up with the most amazing ideas in terms of what we could do next. They are super innovative and our partnership with Branch had a huge business impact. As a client, we were always incredibly open-minded to new ideas because that’s part of who we are at Boohoo Group. We could depend on Branch to provide innovative suggestions for where to go next.” So what does the future hold for Boohoo Group in the years to come? Laricea stresses the importance of artificial intelligence within the fashion industry. “Using AI to create an even better user experience for shoppers will be key,” predicts Laricea. “AI will be invaluable for enhancing customer relations, 125

whether that’s by answering their questions in detail, improving product descriptions or refining the returns process. “I’m particularly excited by the prospect of AI helping to tell the rich stories of the products we offer to our customers. Many of our clothes have beautiful processes behind them, such as hand-drawn designs and ethical production methods, which we’re incredibly proud to share. But we have millions of products and AI could help us tell the history of the products, more efficiently and effectively. “I also think AI will help enhance the shopping user experience by providing videos showcasing products as they’d fit on various body shapes, to see how that item of clothing looks on different people. There's a burgeoning trend for diversity in the fashion industry and AI could be a powerful tool in perpetuating this worthwhile progress. “Lastly, I think for the fashion industry in the next couple of years there is exciting, innovative potential in harnessing the power of AI for on-site and in-app improvements. We should aim to improve the user journey, but also enhance our marketing campaigns – to make them better, more interesting, with more variety and personalisation at their very core.” For further information about Boohoo Group, visit boohooplc.com. 126

Connect with Laricea

KEEPING A FINGER ON THE PULSE Fashion is a fast-moving industry and Laricea loves staying on top of the latest and greatest trends. “Podcasts are an excellent way to keep up with industry developments and I highly recommend the Business of Apps, Marketing in the Madness and The eCommerce Customer Experience which are all fascinating, insightful listens,” says Laricea. “Business of Apps is a fantastic podcast, anyone interested in apps like me should give them a listen. Marketing in the Madness helps listeners keep abreast of the latest developments and discussions, helping them constantly improve and innovate as marketeers. The eCommerce Customer Experience covers all sorts of interesting topics relevant for people working in the e-commerce industry. “I also follow Adweek and their webinars are all available on demand, which are exceptionally useful and you can watch them at your own pace and convenience. “Beyond these more professional resources, I also love reading The Week because it gives you a very objective point of view on current affairs.”

HEALTHY BODY AND MIND

“I use the Calm app to meditate three times a day, even if they’re only short spells of five minutes,” says Laricea. “Meditation is very useful as a way of resetting, especially when we all lead such busy lives. A brief meditation or breathing session can be enough to see the world with a completely different view. “I exercise at home using the Joe Wicks Body Coach and Les Mills apps. These are both super convenient and affordable, so if you don’t have a lot of time or budget you can still exercise and keep fit.”

SHARING KNOWLEDGE Laricea wrote A Brand’s Purpose… Less Unicorn, more Zebra? during the COVID-19 pandemic. The book looks at businesses that have failed but then turned things around and thrived by starting with a purpose: redefining their brands. “With A Brand’s Purpose, I was making the point that you can be very successful as a company without it costing the earth,” says Laricea. “And for every book sold, there’s a tree planted!” 127

IN THE SP OTLIGHT

How AI is levelling the playing field in the legal sector egal negotiations are often time sensitive, but the process of drafting contracts can be incredibly time consuming – slowing down deals. Our Startup of the Month is streamlining these processes through generative AI, allowing legal teams to work more efficiently, as well as saving them money. Founded in 2019 by lawyer Clifford Chance and machine learning research scientist James Clough, Robin AI is a UK-based company using AI to automate the drafting and negotiating of contracts, cutting down the time it takes to review contracts by 85%. Robin AI is a partner of artificial intelligence startup Anthropic and it is the only partner applying Claude, Anthropic’s Large Language Model (LLM), to legal work. Their model combines the Claude LLM with over two million contracts and machine learning techniques to read and understand contracts. To refine the model and ensure quality and accuracy in any contract drafted, Robin AI has an in128

house team of legal professionals who work alongside the AI. What makes Robin AI so notable is its advancement. The majority of AI products for the legal sector are very early in their development, currently in beta or on waiting lists, but Robin AI is available now. The company is also seeing significant traction and has increased its customers fourfold in the last year alone. The strongest demand has been seen in the private equity sector where speed is critical to deal closures and the tracking of obligations to investors can be complex. While Robin AI’s current model is already leading to huge changes in the legal industry, their latest funding (€24m in Series B funding, led by Temasek) will allow them to take their AI a step further, capitalising on the strong momentum it is seeing in a very fast-moving market. “We’ve seen incredible customer traction with what we believe is the

“We are building the AI platform for the legal sector – a service that deeply understands every aspect of the legal function, from drafting contracts, researching case law to explaining legal concepts – our AI will help people tackle every legal task” Richard Robinson, CEO and co-founder

smartest AI contract co-pilot on the market,” says Richard Robinson, CEO and co-founder. “But this is just the beginning. We are building the AI platform for the legal sector – a service that deeply understands every aspect of the legal function, from drafting contracts, researching case law to explaining legal

concepts – our AI will help people tackle every legal task. This will help level the playing field between big and small law firms and help more people access legal services.” To learn more about Robin AI, visit robinai.com. 129

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