The Most Promising TPx Solutions Providers, 2022 September2022

Bhushan Bhad Managing Editor

Skyrocketing Organization’s Growth!

nsideanybusinesscommunity,therearemany

Ichallengesfaced,andintosucharollercoasterridethat hastotakecareofthecutthroatcompletionandalong thetrail,itistheinnovativezealthatgetstheballrollingto theadvantageoftheentrepreneur.Knowingthesefactors,it isimportantforbusinessleaderstolookattheforefrontof thebusinessfutureanddevelopstrategiesthatarefavorable tobusinessandhopefulforindustrygrowth.

Withsuchabusinessmantra,thedigitalageentrepreneurs havefoundtechnologyleadershiptobeaharbortoallthe issues.Today,theindustryhasnotjustbeenlimitedto production,services,anditssupply.Furtheringintothe businessniche,corporategurushavefoundthatgood marketingguidedbyresearchdataandfuture-proofhacks helpsanorganizationboostitsbrandidentityandalsohelps toproliferateitsmessageacrossthemarket.

Onesuchmarvelthatsproutedfromthecontributionoftech gurusandmoderninnovationhasbeenaBusiness-tobusinesspromotionoforganizations’products.Asfaras organizationisconcerned,successisratedintermsof increasingthesupplyinthemarket.But,forthis phenomenon,itisalsorequiredtoincorporateproper utilizationofmarketinghacks.

Tofacilitatesuchanimpeccableimpact,TPxsolution providerscametotheforefrontofthemarketand spearheadedtherevolutionofTradepromotionthat ultimatelyresultedinahighgrowthcurveandsatisfying revenuereport.

Knowingtheseadvancements,weatInsightsSuccesscame upwithourlatestedition,“TheMostPromisingTPx SolutionsProviders2022.”Dwellintotheinspiringstory ofCPGvisionandknowtheinspiringstorythathasturned thetradepromotionindustryforthebetter

Whileyouflipthroughthepages,ensuretoreadthe insightfularticlesopinedbyourIn-houseeditorialteam.I hopeyouhaveaninsightfulread. Happyreading!

The Value of an Idea Lies in implementing it, Thus giving rise to innovative Solutions and Inspirational Stories.

- Bhushan Bhad

Jordan Meinster

Julian Durand Raj Kapoor

Zuleka Kaysan & Ivan Palomino

Everyotherindustryisgoingthroughatechnological transformation,anddigitizationhasopeneddoors ofopportunityforcompaniestoenhancetheir operations,maximizetheirrevenues,andreducethe unnecessarylossofresources.Oneindustrythatcan stronglyutilizethedatainsightsgainedfromdigitizationis theconsumer-packagedgoods(CPG)industry CPGcompaniesneedtostayactiveroundtheclockand365 daystoprovidefortheconsumers'needs.Duetothevibrant natureoftheindustry,theystandtogainthemaximum benefitsfromthedigitizationofitsoperations.

Investingintraderemainsatoppriorityforconsumergoods manufacturers.Well-organizedTPxdigitaltransformation programscanequipCPGcompanieswiththeright foundationalpillars,capabilities,andplasticitytoadapt, growrevenues,andprotecttrademarginsevenintimesof uncertainty.COVID-19hasbroughtpermanentchangesto themarketplace,owingtowhichithasbecomeimperative forCPGcompaniestopushforlong-delayeddigitaltrade initiatives.

WiththevisionofprovidingCPGcompanieswithanallroundersolutionfortheirtradespendmanagement, optimization,andrevenuegrowthmanagementsolutions, CPGvisioncameintoexistence.

Thecompanyoffersdecadesofindustryknowledgeand hands-onTPMexperiencecombinedwithitsquick-to-learn, user-friendlysolutions.CPGvisionisbuiltontheworld's#1 CRMplatform,Salesforce.

Thecompanyproudlyprovidesadedicatedcustomer resourcetoeveryclienttoensurepost-implementation success.ItssolutionsincludeCPGvisionForesight,and OptimizerCG,allofwhichcanbefullyintegratedtocreate aseamlessandtransparentsolutionforitsclients'business.

AtthedrivingseatofCPGvision'ssuccessindelivering top-notchTPxsolutionstoitsclientsisitsCEO,Mike Mellin.Withhis16+yearsofSalesforceexperience,he ensuresthateveryclientofthecompanygetsasatisfactory solutiontotheirbusinessneeds.

The

Let's explore the success story of CPGvsion in delivering the game-changing TPx solution to CPG companies.

APremiereTPxSolution

CPGvision(nowadivisionofPSignite)wasfoundedin 2012asCPGToolBox.ItprovidesapremiereTrade PromotionManagementsolutionontheSalesforce Platform.CPGvisionisthenext-generationplatform, incorporatingTradePromotionManagement,Trade PromotionOptimization,Forecasting,andRevenueGrowth Managementsolutions.

Speakingabouttheuser-friendlinessaswellasthehigh serviceabilityofthecompany'splatform,CEOMikeMellin says,“The CPGvision platform is awesome. The UI is at the same time amazingly user-friendly and powerful.”

BuiltontheWorld's#1CRM-Salesforce

CPGvisionisbuiltontheworld's#1CRMplatform, Salesforce.Thecompanymakessuretobringthebest featuresofSalesforceintoitssolutionssothatitsclientsare providedwiththemaximumbenefitsofitssolutions.

“We leverage everything Salesforce has to offer. Our application is highly configurable, extremely user-friendly, reliable, and secure, all thanks to Salesforce,”saysMike.

Laser-focusedontheCPGIndustry

CPGvisiondeliversasimple,easy-to-useTPxsolutionthat helpsconsumergoodscompaniesdrivetheirrevenue growthbyincreasingtheefficiencyoftheirtradespend budgets.

ThemissionofthecompanyisinlinewithenablingCPG companiestorealizemaximumgrowththroughits solutions.“Our mission is simple. We are laser-focused on the Consumer-Packaged Goods industry - on helping our clients achieve profitable revenue growth,”Mike emphasizes.

ATimelySolutionfortheCPGIndustry

TheCOVID-19pandemichassetsomanyshiftsacrossthe marketplace.Asthemostimportantsegmentofthe consumermarket,CPGcompaniesmustadapttochanging conditions.

TheCEO,discussingtheimportanceofCPGvision solutions,expresses,“While we are addressing issues that have plagued the CPG industry for decades, the COVID era - with all the cost and supply chain pressures-has magnified these issues, and manufacturers have a need to be more agile in their response. Now, add in inflation and a potentially serious economic downturn, and our solutions are more in demand than ever.”

CPGvisionsolutionsaredesignedtooptimizeclients'trade spendinginanefficientway “Trade is the second largest spend line on a CPG company's P&L (after COGs), optimizing that spend and managing price are the two key solutions clients ask for, and of course, they need a TPM (trade promotion management) solution that is lightning fast and user-friendly for the sales team,”saysMike.

SpeakingabouttheefficiencyofCPGvision'ssolutions, Mikesays,“The data science behind our solutions is what makes everything more accurate, powerful, and actionable.”

PrioritizingtheClients'Success

Clientsatisfactionisregardedasoneofthecrucialaspects ofabusiness.Manycompaniesareincorporatingthecore valuesintotheirworkings,whicharedirectlyrelatedto prioritizingthefulfillmentoftheirclients'needs.

WhenMikewasaskedaboutthepracticesfollowedby CPGvisioninitsdailyoperations,hereplied,“We really believe that we succeed when our clients succeed. We don't consider ourselves just a vendor, we are a trusted business advisor.”

“We have invested in the talent to implement and support our clients on an ongoing basis. Our people have combined decades of CPG and TPM experience that we leverage with all of our clients,”headded.

OvercomingtheChallenges

Challengesarepartofthegrowthprocess.Thatiswhy, whenlookingforgrowthinacertainindustry,lookingat challengesisthesameaslookingatopportunitieswithin thatspace.

TalkingabouttheexistingchallengesintheTPxsolutions space,Mikesays,"One of the biggest challenges is the sheer amount of data. TPx solutions are data-hungry, and the data needs to be clean, harmonized, integrated, and modeled in a way that enables the user to interact with it in a pragmatic and ongoing manner as they run their business."

Further,expandingonthesolutionsthatCPGvisionis workingontosolvetheabovechallenges,Mikesays,“We are working on establishing a center of data excellence to give our clients the tools they need to capitalize on all of the data at their disposal.”

AdvicetoBuddingEntrepreneurs

Toknowwhattheindustryisallaboutthen,now,andinthe future,seekingadvicefromthatindustry'sleaderisthebest go-tooption.WhenweaskedMikewhatadvicehewould liketoprovidetothebuddingaspirantsinhisindustry,he offeredthemtocomeandworkwithhim.

“I would invite them to work for or partner with us. We are always hiring the best and enabling them to run their own business. Our echo system is also booming,”hesaid.

EnvisioningBrightFuture

Makingplanstoenhancethecompany's solutionsandexpanditsreachisalwayson topofthemindforanyleader.Talkingabout theplansthatCPGvisioniscurrently implementingwithinitsoperations,Mike says,“We have invested in a completely reimagined UI, a partnership with Salesforce on TPO, and we have scaled up our data science, development, delivery, and customer success teams to keep ahead of our growth. Our product roadmap is robust.”

ProofofExcellence

Thebestwaytoknowthattheclientissatisfiedwiththe solutionsprovidedbythecompanyiswhentheyseekits servicesagainandagainandalsorecommendthemto others.ThisisthekindoffeedbackCPGvisiongetsona regularbasis.

ThecompanyrecentlypresentedatPOI(Promotion OptimizationInstitute)andprovidedalivingtestimonial fromPANOSbrands,whichareusingitsfullsuiteofRGM solutions.

Whenaskedaboutthekindoftestimonialsthatclientshave providedtotheCPGvision,Mikesays,“I think the biggest testimonial though is the number of clients we have gained from people taking a position at a new company and pulling us in there - if they want you twice, you know you are good.”

Jordan Meinster CEO and Founder PickUp

The Role of inTPx Boosting Organizations’ Growth

Presumably, the modern retail industry could be in crisis.

There’sno‘disaster’or‘famine’takingplace.But theword“crisis”certainlyreflectsbusinesses inabilitytobreakevenontheirtradeexpenditures.

Whenitcomestosalesofaproduct,customerpreferences arechanging.Newchannelshavecomeup.Competition hasrisen,andchoiceshavemultiplied.Forthisreason, manufacturershaveshiftedfromadvertisingto trade promotions inanattempttoimprovesales.

Fromabusinessperspective–itcouldbeaconflict–as retailersandmanufacturersarespendingmillionsofdollars promotingtheirproductsyetgettinglittletonothingin return.

Here’s what the evidence has to say ACaseonTradePromotion

“Overthelasttenyears,companieshavedoubledtheir expenditureontradepromotions,i.e.,around$1trillion annually,withnoplanstopullback,”suggestsareporton TradePromotions.Tacticslikeproductdisplay, demonstrations,pricediscounts,andvalue-addedbonus programsareallbeingincorporatedintoit.

Despitetheirefforts,morethantwo-thirdsofthesetrade promotionsthattakeplace,intheU.S.donotbreakeven.

It’struethatalargenumberofretailersstrugglewithtrade promotionsastheyrelyheavilyonthefrequencyof promotions,offeringdiscountsandcuttingcosts.However, withoutaspecifictacticinplace,companiescontinueto remainstuckinthepromotionloop.

Advertisementsareyetanothersideofthecoin,which companieshaveflippedasidefortradepromotions.They relyon19%oftheirrevenueontradepromotions,withonly 7.5%onadvertising.Interestingly,thereisstilluncertainty thatexistswhenevaluatinganactualreturnontrade spendingincomparisontomeasuringtheeffectivenessof advertisementsthatinvolvenounexpectedsurprises.

SeekingAreasofOpportunity

A2015analysisbyNielsenconductedatradepromotion surveyonretailbusinesseswhopromotedregularlywiththe objectiveofidentifyingwhatdrivestheirperformance.It addressedaround211categories,13departments,and$213 billioninretailsales.

Thereportfoundthattheretailbusiness,asitsfirststepto executingtradepromotions,reliedoncategoryefficiency ratesandareasofopportunity.Forinstance,although73% ofitspromotionweeksforthegrocerydepartmentdidnot breakeven,thecoffeedepartmentsoughtthestrongest revenuewithinthestore.Forevery$1thatwasspenton promotingcoffee,retailersgotmorethan$1inreturn70% ofthetime,whichhighlightsthenecessityofestablishinga categoricalsystemratherthanageneralrangefortrade promotions.

ComprehendingWhereEfficiencyLies

“There is no relationship between the size of a category and the effectiveness of a promotion,”suggeststhefindings fromNielsen’sstudy.Forinstance,saltysnacks,a$10.5 billoncategory,doesn’tbreakevenintradepromotions, despitecustomers’loveforpretzelsandchips.Incontrast, dipsforsaltysnacks,whichisacomparativelysmaller category,i.e.,$331million,managedtobreakeveninits tradepromotions,asreflectedinthestudy.Clearly,there’s nowaythatcategorysizewoulddictatethepromotion performance.

WhenandHowtoPromote?

Often,conductingmoreeventsdoesnotalwaysequateto morereturns.Itisessentialtoknowhowmuchandwhento promote.Forexample,itmakessensetoconduct promotionalactivityduringBlackFridayandThanksgiving. Buttheretailerswouldbeatanadvantagebyknowinghow effectiveitwouldbetotakeuptheholidayapproach.

Inaddition,businessesmakemistakesbyusingthedeep discountapproach(wherethepriceis25%lowerthan usual)inanattempttolurecustomerstowardstheir

products.Althoughitisstillbeneficialtoconsiderthe strategyduringholidayseasons,severalretailersprevent themselvesfrombeingavictimofsuchpromotional pitfalls.

TakingtheNextSteps Nielsen,inits2015reportoftradepromotions,pointsout that–whilethefrequencyofproductpromotionis increasing,itseffectiveness–isdeclining.Hence,thekey takeawayreliesonthefactthatitisnotsustainableforthe retailerstoaligntheiroperationsinsuchaspace. However,suchascenariocanberesolvedbytakingthefirst step,i.e.,bycomprehendingthatamajorityofpromotional effortsdonotbreakeven.Efficiency,hence,couldbe improvedbyeliminating22%ofthepromotionalefforts overall.

Thenextstepistoknowwheretobeginandwherethe business’currenteffortsarenettingout.Forinstance,if yourproductsaredeliveringlessthan$1inreturnof spendingevery$1,thenidentifyinggapstowardswherethe effortsarelackingbehind.

Moreover,ifyourpromotionalactivitiesreturnyoumore than$1forevery$1thatyouspend,therecouldbesome roomtoimprove.Thismayinvolvelearningdifferent customersegmentsthatcoulddrivedifferentialperformance andimproveefficiencyratesbyshiftingstrategies.

- Saloni Agrawal

Government

Why a U.S. Standard

Can Help Protect IoT

henumberofIoTdevicesinthefieldcontinuesto

Tincrease,andmanyofthemarebecoming importantpartsofourcriticalinfrastructure,such aselectricalgrids.However,aswe’veseentimeandtime again,botnetsandothercyberattacksarealsoontherise andareaveryrealthreattoIoTdevicesandtheservices thatdependonthem.ThegoodnewsisthattheU.S. Government’sNationalInstituteofStandardsand Technology(NIST)hasdevelopedanIoTcybersecurity standardcalled NISTIR 8259A IoT Device Cybersecurity Capability Core Baseline, andit’splayinganimportantrole inhelpingtokeepIoTdevicesandservicessafe.As companieslooktomeetthisNISTR8259A,Implementing deviceauthenticationanddataintegrityarecriticalstepsfor complianceand,ofcourse,securingIoT.

TherearemanythreatsandhackstoIoTdevices,butthe oneIfocusoniswhatarecalledbotnets.Botnetsare networksofdevicesthathavebeenhackedbyabadactor whothencanusethemfornefariouspurposessuchas cyber-attackssuchasdenialofserviceattacks.When botnetsfirstrearedtheiruglyheads,theyusedtoconsist mainlyofdesktopPCsastheywereacommondeviceto target.Now,cybercriminalstypicallytargetvideocameras, set-topboxes,andanythingwithinsufficientsecuritythat

canbequicklytakenover Thoseworrisomebotnetsare alsoontherise.AFortinetreportshowedthatbotnets detectedwithinorganizationshadrisenfrom35.1%in January2021to51.4%inJune2021.

Whilemanytypesofbotnetmalwareareactivelyoperating inthefield,aninterestingoneistheMiraimalware.Oneof thefirstseriousbotnetstargetingIoTdevices,Miraiisnot sophisticated,butithasbeenaroundforalongtime. EssentiallyMiraiworkslikethis.First,anattackerusesa servertoscanfordeviceswithknownvulnerabilitiesthathe canexploit.Theattackerthenabusesthosevulnerabilitiesto placetheMiraimalwareonthedeviceshefindsand controlsthemfromacommandandcontrolserver.From thisserver,hecanlaunchhisattacksfromtheseinfected devicesatwill.Exploitablevulnerabilitiesrangefrom softwarewithknownvulnerabilitiesthathaven’tbeen updatedtodeviceswhoseoperatorsarestillusingthe defaultsecuritycredentialstheywereshippedwith. Unfortunately,thesedefaultcredentialsarenosecret.They arewellknownamongstbadactorsandsoldcheaplyonthe DarkWeb.

Botnetsandotherhackshaverisentothepointwherethey arenolongerbothersomenuisancebutaremajorthreatsto

Julian Durand CISO, Vice-President Product Management Intertrust

Author – Bio

Julian Durand is an accomplished product owner, team leader, and creative inventor with more than 25 years of success in bringing breakthrough products to market at a massive scale. He is a named inventor in Digital Rights Management (DRM), Internet of Things (IoT), and virtual SIM technologies. He was the technical lead for the rst music phone and pioneered vSIM and IoT businesses at Qualcomm. Julian has also productized SaaS and PaaS offerings in construction telematics, real-time child tracking, and cyber risk data analytics and is currently a CISSP (Certied Information System Security Professional). He can cover topics ranging from IoT security for clean energy, IoT tracking with sensors, and how to ensure data can be trusted in OT IoT applications, to name a few. He also has worked with the UN Refugee Agency, giving him a unique understanding of the human need and costs associated with cybersecurity.

oureconomyandlivelihood.Thiswasunfortunately directlydemonstratedbytwoattacksinthe2010s,the “BlackEnergy“attackontheUkrainianelectricalgridin 2015andthe“NotPetya“attacksof2017.While cyberattacksonIoTdevicespromisetocontinueand becomeevenmoresophisticated,thereissomegoodnews. Manyoftheseattackscanbeavoidedsimplybyfollowing somebasicandwell-establishedsecuritypractices.Some importantonesincludemakingsurethateachIoTdeviceis properlyidentifiedusingsecureidentificationtechniques commonintheindustryandthesoftwareonthedevicecan onlybeupdatedbyentitieswithproperauthorization.

TheU.S.GovernmentactstosecureIoT

WiththenumberofthreatstoIoTdevicesontherisealong withthepotentialsevereconsequencesoftheseattacks,the U.S.Governmentrecognizedthenecessityofestablishing policyresponsestothesethreats.Oneofthefirstconcrete stepswasthepublishingofanPresidentialexecutiveorder inMay2017.ItwasthenfollowedbytheU.S.Congress passingtheInternetofThingsCybersecurityImprovement Actof2020.OneofthetheresultsofthisactivityisNIST publishingandpromotingtheNISTIR8259Astandard notedabove.

Whydoesthisstandardfromanadmittedlyobscure governmentagencymatter?Well,theU.S.Governmentis requiredtoonlybuydevicesthatcomplywithNISTIR 8259AandtheU.S.Governmentisaverylargecustomer formanycompanies.GiventhesizeoftheU.S. Governmentanditspowerinthemarket,previousNIST securitystandardshavebeenbroadlyadoptedbythe industryandthereisnoreasontothinkthatNISTIR8259A willbeanydifferent.Accordingly,ithasthepotentialtobe arealgamechangerandonetheindustryshouldpayclose attentionto.

Asshowninthegraphicbelow,NISTIR8259Arequiresthe implementationofanumberofsecuritymeasurestoprotect IoTdevices.Someofthesolutionsforthesearealready wellknownandadoptedbythetechnologyindustryand othersarestartingtoclimbtheadoptioncurve.

alsoabedrocksecuritytechnologythatothermeasuressuch assecurebootandsecuresoftwareupdatesarebuiltupon. Weshouldthinkbeyondthesimplestscenarios.Tofurther increasesecurity,companiesshouldexploreusingexpanded orrichidentitiesthatcanauthenticateanynumberofthe capabilitiesofadevice.

Anotheroneissecuredataintegrity.Awidevarietyof criticalactionscouldbetakenbasedondatacomingfrom IoTdevices.Accordingly,thedatastoredbythedevice,as wellasthedatatransmittedbythedeviceneedstobe securedandtrusted.Deviceauthenticationisneededfor dataauthenticationmeasuressuchasdataencryption. Deviceauthenticationisalsonecessaryforadding additionalcapabilitiestomaintaindataintegritysincedata cantraveloveruntrustednetworksanddevicesonitspath toitsfinalconsumer.

TwokeytechnicalmeasurescalledoutbytheNIST Baselineshouldbenoted.Oneistheneedforsecuredevice authentication.Devicescanbe“spoofed.“Authenticating devicesisoneeffectivewaytostopspoofing.Device identificationusingPKI-basedcertificates,suchastheones offeredbyIntertrustPKI,isanindustry-standardand market-provenmethodofdeviceauthentication.Theyare

IoTdevicemanufacturers,theircustomers,andother ecosystempartnersarewell-advisedtoaddNISTR8259A compliancetotheirproductroadmaps.IntertrustPKIand IntertrustPlatformareusefultoolstodoso.

Blockchainisarevolutionarydisruptivetechnology andrepresentsachangeofculturalparadigmforthe wayinwhichinformationisshared.Companiesare rushingtounderstandhowtheycanuseblockchain distributedledgertechnologytoinnovateprocesses, products,andtransactions.Inaglobalizedworldwhere environmentalsustainabilityisacriticalsuccessfactor, whatistheroleoftheblockchain?

I’mtrulypassionateaboutblockchain’spotentialtocreate positivesystemchange.Addtotheabovethepowerto incentiviseacirculareconomyandrevolutionisethe distributionofcharitabledonations–andwe’restillseeing onlythetipoftheproverbialicebergofworld-changing applicationsthatwillbeenabledbyblockchains.

Havingsaidthat,weallareawarethatmostconcerning implicationofblockchaintechnologyfortheenvironment relatestoitsenergyconsumptionand,therefore,itspossible negativeimpactonclimate.

However,bitcoinandothersimilarpublicblockchainshave onehugeflaw–theyuseanextremelylargeandgrowing amountofenergy Thewayinwhichtransactionsare securedontheblockchainishighlyenergyintensive.In fact,blockchainscurrentlyaccountfor0.58%ofglobal

electricityconsumption,whilstBitcoinminingalone consumesalmostasmuchenergyastheentireU.S.federal government!

Thismeansthattoday,whenitcomestodiscussing sustainabilityandblockchaintech,wehavetobalancethe longer-termsystemicbenefitsagainsttoday’surgentneedto reducefossilfuelconsumption.Blockchainhasreacheda criticalmassofcomplaintsaboutitssustainabilityissue.

Althoughsurroundedbyvirtuousintentionstoupendthe statusquoandofferanalternativetoanunjustglobal financialsystemcontrolledbycentralbanksandpoliticians, blockchainisfacingseverecriticismfromenvironmental proponentsforitshighenergyuse.

LikeotheremergingICT-basedtechnologies,blockchain alsoraisesconcernsaboutelectronicwaste(e-waste). Competingminersrequiremoreandmoreefficientmining hardware,leadingtoquickobsolescence,roughlyevery1.5 years

Thekeyistomakeatransitiontowardsgreenrecoveryand co-existwithnature.Anythingshortwillnotsuffice.Infact, thisshouldbeaprerequisiteforaglobalsustainable developmentpathway

TheShiftingParadigm

Thecurrentstandardprocessoftransactionverification, basedontheproof-of-workalgorithm,is‘extremelyenergy hungry’.Andthisisdefinitelyharmfulfortheenvironment. Astheadoptionofblockchaintechnologygains momentum,itcouldcounteractclimatechangemitigation efforts,aselectricityremainslargelygeneratedfromfossil fuelsworldwide.

Bitcoinwasclaimedtobe20000timesmoreenergy intensivethanVisa.Nevertheless,Bitcoinisonlyone cryptocurrency,whichisonlyoneapplicationof blockchain.Wecanonlyimaginetheimpactgoingforward.

The“greening”oftheblockchainskickedoffwithoneof themostpromisingsolutions–‘ProofofStake’,a

consensusmechanismwhichdoesawaywiththe energy-intensiveminingprocessrequiredby‘Proofof Work’,relyinginsteadonnetworkactorsstakingfinancial assetsontheirownfuturetrustworthiness.TheEthereum community,usersoftheworld’ssecond-largest cryptocurrency,havealreadyinvestedcloseto$9bnin transferringtoProofofStakereducingcostsbyover90%.

There’salsoaconsciousdriveamongstthecrypto communitytoaddressthetypeofenergybeingconsumed (orbetter,tousethetechnologytoaccelerateadoptionof greenerenergies).Lastmonth,thenewlylaunchedCrypto ClimateAccord—includingRipple,WorldEconomic Forum,Consensys,CoinSharesandEnergyWeb Foundation—announceditsgoalforalloftheworld’s blockchainstobepoweredby100%renewablesby2025.

About the Author

Raj is the Founder of India Blockchain Alliance and an Advisory Board Member at several blockchain companies like 5ire, Floyx and Chainsense UK and the Founder and Chairman of the India Blockchain Alliance, the largest Indian emerging technology tech think tank.

He is a global, Blockchain & Cryptocurrency & FinTech Educator, Certied Bitcoin Professional (CBP), Blockchain Solution Architect, and friend of disruptive ideas, protem Chairman for Organization of Blockchain Technology Users (OBTU). He is also the Asia Lead, Technology & Innovation at Blockspace Technologies Ltd.

Raj has helped organize India's biggest Blockchain and Cryptocurrency events across major cities. Raj has also spoken at several international seminars and conferences in Boston, LA, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Singapore, Durban, Nicosia and Vienna, Dubai, and Singapore

Raj regularly speaks in Tech events in India, UK, USA, Africa, Malaysia, and Canada and is also a TedX speaker. Besides blockchain, Raj is skilled in AI, Robotics, Cyber Security. IoT, and Cloud Computing. He has spoken in over90 international and national events. Raj has also authored over 15 courses in Blockchain and crypto and is soon publishing a series of books in the blockchain domain.

Raj is also a regular contributor to several technology publications including Times Tech India, NDTV Prot, Daily Tribune, Business Standard and more. Raj was also selected this year as a top cryptocurrency and blockchain inuencer by Asian Market Cap. Raj is also mentoring 20+ blockchain start-ups across the globe.

Raj has designed and worked on 4 Blockchains, 5 Centralised Exchanges, 3Swaps and 3 DEX's.

He is now working with his team on India's own indigenous blockchain with Chainsense Ltd. Raj is also working on the world’s rst sustainable blockchain 5ire, which is aligned with the UNS sustainable Development Goals.

TheSolutionsforToday

Infact,therearesomeblockchainsthathavebeenaheadof thiscurveandareactuallymakingthatimpact.Onethat catchestheeyeis5irechain.Notonlydoes5irechainrunon aSustainableProofofStakealgorithmthatdoesnotrequire mining,butalsoitsconsensusalgorithmquantifiesand assignsitsnodesbasedonanode’sEnvironmental,Social andGovernance(ESG)score.Thisslingsseamlesslywith theUNSustainableDevelopmentGoals2030.

Itisimportanttonotethatthereareotherversionsofthe ProofofStake(PoS)consensusalgorithmthatdonot requireminingfortransactionvalidationsuchasthepure PoS,theDelegatedPoS,andtheNominatedPoS,however, theflawinthosealgorithmsistheyhavenoconsideration foratransactionvalidators’sustainabilityreputation,and theyinadvertentlysupportcartelisationofconsensusby awardingtransactionvalidationtothosethatstakethemost.

Thisway,thelargestholdersofthatparticular cryptocurrencywillendupalwayswinningthecontest, scoringevenmoreoftherewardsandkeepgettingricher The5ire’sSustainabilityProofofStake(SPoS)considers thevalidatorsESGscoreas20%oftheweightinselection ofnodeandincludeotherfactorstomakethenodeselection fairer.Andit’shearteningtoknowthattheFoundersare IndianandarealignedtotheIndianGovernment’s sustainabilityandclimateimpactinitiatives.

Iamparticularlyimpressedwiththe5irechainwhichcalls itsconsensusprotocolthesustainableproofofstake (SPoS).SPoShasbeenmademoredemocraticby consideringmultiplefactorsbeyondthestakedamount whenanodeisassignedbasedonStake,Reliability, randomizedvoting,sustainabilityscore(ESG),and previousnomination.

Thisway,theSPoSprovidesmajoradvantagesoverother consensusalgorithms.Theseadvantagesgobeyondwhat proofofstake(PoS)consensusmechanismprovidesover proofofwork(PoW)consensusmechanism.

Thischainisthe5thgenerationofdistributedcomputing web3.0solution,adecentralizedecosystemthatembeds ESGmetricsintheconsensuslevelandaimstobringa paradigmshiftfromafor-profittoafor-benefiteconomy. Theirgoalistocreateuser-centricsustainability-driven& interoperablepublic,private,andhybridsolutions.By embeddingsustainabilitybothinthenetwork’sbaselayers andintheupperdecision-makingthatdemocratically commandsthenetworkforklessupgrades.

Theirecosystemalsodemocraticallyempowers self-governedDAOsthatareactivelyworkingtowardsthe

2030UNSDGsAgendaimplementationandprovidesthem theinfrastructuretoacceleratethisvision.Nowthisshould bethefundamentalpremiseoftheblockchaintechnologyif itistobesustainableandscalable.

5irechainisalsoalignedwiththeUnitedNations’17global goals.5iredirectlyaddressessocialissueslikeeducation, financialinclusion,poverty,education,climate,renewables, solaramongstothersandpossiblytheworld'sfirst sustainableblockchainecosystem.Notonlyisitaligned, 5irehastokenized17SDGGoalsandscrapeddatafrom 600ESGpoints.Nowthatisinnovation!

GoingForward

Today,wecannotaffordtoignoreblockchain’sgrowing carbonfootprint.However,withambitiouschangesand blockchainslike5ireboththevolumeandthetypeof energythetechnologyuses,wecouldsoonunleashtools withthepowertoincentivisesocialandenvironmental progressatscale.Aswithanynewtechnology,blockchain’s pathfromconcepttopracticalenterprisesolutionsisnot alwaysstraightline.

Blockchainapplicationsbeneficialtorenewableenergy diffusion,energyefficiencyandthereductionofenergy consumptionarealsobeingexplored.Infact,IBMand Energy-BlockchainLabsareexperimentingwitha blockchain-basedgreenassetmanagementplatformfor tradingcarbonassetsinChinainamoreefficientway.

EnergiMinehasdevelopedablockchain-basedrewards systemthatusesdigitaltokenstoincentiviseconsumersto saveenergy Theissueremainswhethertheseniche initiativeswillscaleupandwhethertheirbenefitsareoffset byblockchain’sownenergyconsumption.

Butwithincrediblyexcitingapplicationsemergingevery day,andseriousthoughtandinvestmentgoingtowards reducingblockchain’senergyconsumption,wecannever ignorethevalueitcouldbring.Blockchainshavean emergingroleinsustainabilitybyhelpingfoster collaborationsbetweenconsumersandproducers,by assistingpeopleinadoptingmoresustainablelifestyles,and byhelpingcompaniesimprovetheirsourcingandrecycling practices.

Withgrowinginnovationintheblockchainspace,Indiais primedtomakeamajorimpact.ESGwillbeanessential partofnext-generationfinanceoperations.ESGwilldrives long-termreturns.COP26andthedecisionsaroundESG willbringagreeninnovationinblockchainandwouldplace India,attheforefrontinaligningwiththeUNSDG’s.That isamatterofpride,andwearehappytobeapartofthis greentechrevolution.

ExecutingTradePromotions Efficiently

“How do you structure your trade promotion strategy?”

Manual“excelsheets”--manufacturersstilluse them,todate,forpromotionplanning. Clearly, they have no customer-specific plans.

Butthere’sstillalittleroomforimprovement.

Atanoperationallevel,severalcompaniesarelagging behindinscenarioplanningandtheiruseofanalytictools.

Itiseitherthattheyhavelimitedaccesstoanalytictoolsor thattheysimplydonotusethematall.

Consequently,noneofthemcouldforecastcustomerdata, despiteitbeinganessentialfactorinoptimizingtrade.

Fortheirbestperformance, below is how companies are able to fix trade promotions.

SeekingTransparencytoInformaPlan Companiesareoftenunawareofwhethertheirpromotions haveactuallybeensuccessful.Inaddition,evenifthey increasetheirinvestmentsintradepromotions,transparency regardingspecificpromotionsremainslimited.Withsucha lackoftransparency,companiesareunabletobudgetfor profitablepromotions.

Reflectingontheneedfortransparency,“Itisessentialfor companiestoconductanoverviewoftheirexisting promotions,”suggestsa2020Deloittereporton Trade Promotions Optimization.Hence,thefirststepinpromotion planninginvolvescreatingalistofallpromotions.

30%oftherespondentcompaniesintheDeloittesurveydo nothaveanymeanstocompareforecastswithactual results.Eveniftheydid,companieslackthetoolsrequired

toanalyzewhycertainpromotionssucceedorfail.Forthis, “Companiesmustlinkdataonforecastsvsactualsand furtherintegratedatawithcategoryteamsandcustomers,” suggeststheDeloittereport.

Withrespecttothebudget,itmustbealignedinawaythat bestsupportsthegrowthofcategoriesandinalignment withthecompany’sstrategy.Forthis,differentobjectives, i.e.,volume,ROI,orprofitcanbepicked,toalign optimizationeffortsforeachpromotion.

ShiftingParadigmsThroughtheEyesofaRetailer

Fortradepromotionstorunefficiently,goodsmanufacturers mustreachouttotheretailersfortrackingsuccessand aligningactionswithtradepromotions.Secondly, “manufacturersmustattempttounderstandtheretailers’ painpoints,furtherusingthesuitablepromotionmechanics fortheretailers,”astheDeloittestudysuggests.

Thefollowingfactorsmustbeconsideredwhensettingup promotions:

• Understandinghowsuccessfulpromotionshave workedwithconsumers.

• Whetherretailersareusingthisinformationfortheir owninterests.

• Thewayretailersareabletoviewthesepromotions.

• Gatheringevidencefortheabovefactorscouldcreatea win-winsituationforboththeretailersandcompanies.

IntroducingScenarioSimulationsandAnalytics

Optimizingthewaypromotionalprogramsaredesignedand usingpost-eventanalysistodeveloppromotionalguidelines isessential.Itwillallowcompaniestothriveiftheyengage inscenarioplanningandidentifythebestparameters.

The2021Deloittereportsuggestsafewkeystepsto engaginginscenariosimulations,asfollows:

• Companiesmustbeginbycomprehendingconsumer demandbasedonhistoricaldata.Theycouldthenapply analyticstoevaluatetotalsalesintobasevolumes.

• Predictiveforecastsofbaselinesalescanbe implementedtoautomateplanningprocesses.In addition,promotionalupliftcouldbederivedfrom applyingdiscountdepth.

• Decision-makingwithinthecompaniesmustbe facilitatedbyengaginginpromotionscenarios,further findingthe“best”promotions.

• The“whatif”analysescouldalsobeenabledby stimulatingdifferentscenarios.

• Thedesignofpromotionalprogramscouldbe optimizedusingdata-driveninsights.

GettingtheRightTechnology

“Companiescould,ofcourse,keepusingexcelsheets.But thiswillonlypreventthemfromevaluatingandforecasting promotionsintheirdailybusiness,”asthe2020Deloitte reportsuggests.

Forthisreason,itisessentialthattheyhavetherighttools andsystems.Thiswouldallowthecompaniestobuilda flexibleplug-and-playnetworkofapplicationsandfurther optimizeindividualpromotions.

WrappingUp

Respondingtochangesinconsumerbehaviorisessential forcompaniesinthemodernera.Forthisreason,theymust aimtomaketheirpromotionsuccessmoretransparentand digitalizetheirmarketenvironment.

Toattaintheobjective,companiescould,forstarters,assess theirstatusquoandthenprogressintodevelopingavision, buildingaroadmap,andassigningresponsibilities accordingly.

- Saloni Agrawal

Anorganisationalculturebasedonethicalpractices, meritocracy,andasharedsenseofpurposeis difficulttoachieve,butwhenorganisationsundergo abusinesstransformation,ahealthycultureisoftendeprioritisedoverprocessesandsystems.

Andwhilemanyspecialiststalkabouttheimportanceof havingemployeesonboardwithtransformationprojects, whyisn’titalsoexploitedasanopportunitytoimprove companyculture?

Generallyspeaking,transformationprojectsbecomeafocal pointwhenbusinessesre-evaluatetheirgoals.They’re usuallyeithertriggeredbyexternalfactors,substantialor abruptshiftstothebusinessmodelandhowvalueis created,orarecognitionthatthebusinessneedsto graduallyevolveoverasignificantperiod.

Whencompaniesundergochange,itistheperfect opportunitytoimproveorredefinetheorganisational cultureormindset.However,organisationalcultureisoften notcentraltothechangeagenda.

TransformationAsaResponsetoBusinessCrises

Asaresultofthepandemic,78%ofexecutivesarelooking totransformtheircompanieswithinthenextthreeyears.In anidealscenario,companieswouldadjusttheirstrategyto adapttotheirbusinessneedsaspartofbusinessasusual.

However,therealityisthatmanytransformationprojects arearesponsetothecompanyhittingacrisispoint–the culminationofthesumofitspartsnotworking.

Atthispoint,organisationsfacingpressurefromtheirboard orinvestors,hireprominentconsultantsto‘fixthings’.This isusuallydonethrough‘re-strategizing,’unilateral communicationwithseniorleadershipteams,orbuying expensivetechnologysolutions(beforeunderstanding whetherthesolutionfitsthecompany’sneeds).

Whataretherisksofafaultystartinatransformation project?

TheImpactofTheWrongStartinTransformation

Executionandorganisationalculturearepivotalinmoving fromtheneedtotransformtobecomingapartoftheoverall strategyandmodusoperandi.

Zuleka,FounderofTheCornerstoneAdvisory,highlights anexampleofacompanysheworkedwith.Herclient shiftedtheirstrategythreetimesinjusttwoyearsto mitigatethecrisistheyfaced.Thestrategicdirectionwasn’t theproblem;itwastheexecution:

Ÿ

ObjectivesandKPIswerecontradictorybetween departments.Theyservedaterritorialandself-serving culture.

About the Authors

ZulekaKaysanisaFounderandManagingDirectorofTheCornerstoneAdvisory.Sheworksdirectlywithbusiness leadersandfounderstopositiontheirbusinessesforsuccessbyconnectingpeople,processes,andsystemstoresults.

IvanPalominoisaLearningStrategistandBehaviouralDesignerwhohelpspeoplechangethewaytheythink,feel,and behaveatwork.HeisthefounderofBessern.

Ivan Palomino Learning Strategist and Behavioural Designer Bessern

Zuleka Kaysan Founder and Managing Director The Cornerstone Advisory

Ÿ Burgeoningprocessesandsystemswereimplemented, whichmeantthatemployeesfacedfrequenthurdlesin gettingtheircoreworkdone.

Ÿ Employeesweredisengaged,overworked,andmet withinconsistencies,resultinginduplicatedefforts andaconstantchangeofdirection.

Whentheprimaryreasonforthechangeisinresponsetoa crisis,alreadydemoralisedanddemotivatedemployeeswill onlyviewthatchangewithscepticism.Introducingchange topeopleinthisenvironmentsimplydoesn’twork.

HowToTransformWhileBuildinganImprovedBusiness Culture

Theexampleaboveisquitecommonandusuallyrequires anexperiencedoutsider’sperspectivetomakeitright.In thisexample,Zulekaworkedwiththeleadershipteamto switchfromshort-termpatchfixestolong-termsolutions.

Firstly,bybuildingclarityandstructureintothebusiness. SheembeddedstrategicdirectionthroughOKRs(objectives andkeyresults),enabledchangethroughimprovedand purpose-builtprocessesandsystems,andgaveleadership controlthroughdataandanalytics.

Whiletheseenablersarenecessarytothesuccessof transformationprojects,thedefiningelementofsuccesswas involvingemployeesthroughoutthejourney;engagingwith themtoco-createsolutions.Becausewhobetterknows what’shappeningonthefrontlinethanemployees?Andin doingso,shecreatedadvocates,builtsupportforthe change,anddevelopedaculturefocusedoncollaborative problem-solving.

Thevalueofthisapproachistwo-fold: 1. Creatingstructuresandacompanyculturethatenables thenow, 2. Fosteringaninnovationmindsetandculturethathelps thebusinessevolveovertime.

Howdoesthishelpleaders?Thistranslatesintoapositive employeeexperiencethatincreaseseffectiveness, productivity,andwillingnesstoembracechangeandleadit. Butmostimportantly,thiscreatesanin-builtmechanismof self-sufficiencythataddsimmeasurablevaluetoa business’sfuture.

TheFirstCollaborativeBusinessTransformationHubin TheMiddleEast

Thevarietyandsizeofthechallengesbusinessesfaceinthe MiddleEastareunique.Companiesareconfrontedbyfastpaced,transient,andmulticulturalenvironmentsthat typicallyprioritiseshort-termgains.Thesechallenging environmentsrequireacohesivebusinessculturethat propelsbusinesstransformationandpreparesthecompany forthelonghaul.

In2022,IvanPalomino,Co-FounderofBessern,and Zulekaco-createdthefirstBusinessTransformationHub, combiningtheirexperienceinorganisationalbehavioural changeandoperationalbusinesstransformation.Thegoalis toleadbusinesschangefrombothastructuralandahuman perspective.

Whyisthissoimportanttoday?Buildingrobustbusiness foundationsminimisestheneedforcrisis-ledbusiness transformations.Makingtheefforttodaymeansthat companiesareinapositiontoinnovatebetterandfasterin thefuture.Butmorethanthat,transformationand innovationbecomeanongoingpartofthebusinessand companycultureandnotasalast-resortresponsetocrises.