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Kareem Ameen is on a mission to transform independent shops into digitally connected powerhouses. Frustrated by the blind spots in global retail data, he founded K-Card—a platform that bridges the gap between small high-street shops and major brands. By combining technology, trust, and deep industry insight, Kareem is giving local shopkeepers the tools to compete, thrive, and capture the value they’ve long been missing. In this interview, he shares his journey from global boardrooms to the heart of the high street, and his vision for a smarter, more connected retail future.

“K-Card puts independent shops on the digital map.”

What first inspired you to focus on helping independent shops go digital?

Honestly? It was the frustration of seeing a massive blind spot in the industry.

I was sitting in boardrooms in NYC and London managing global media budgets, obsessing over data and tracking every digital click. Yet, whenever we looked at the independent sector, it was a black hole. It felt absurd that in this era of AI and big data, we could track a user halfway across the world, but we had absolutely no way to digitally connect with the shop downstairs. I just couldn’t see that inefficiency. I realized if we didn’t build the infrastructure to fix it, no one else would.

For someone who’s never heard of it, how would you explain what K-Card does?

Think of K-Card as the digital ‘pipes’ for the independent high street.

Right now, independent shops operate like islands—disconnected and offline. K-Card connects them. We aggregate thousands of independent retailers into a single network that global brands can see and work with. We allow a brand like Coca-Cola or Unilever to run a digital campaign across 50,000 corner shops as easily as they would on Amazon. We give the ‘little guy’ the data power of a giant.”

What made you realise that small convenience stores were being left behind in the digital world?

There was a glaring data gap. I was the digital lead for global FMCG brands like Nestle and Reckitt, and we realized that 1 out of 3 of their products were being sold in the independent sector. Yet, we had zero visibility into those sales.

It didn’t make sense. These brands were spending hundreds of millions to target shoppers on Amazon, but were completely blind to 30% of their actual volume happening on the high street. I realized this wasn’t just a ‘technology’ problem; it was a massive economic inefficiency. The independent sector is worth £50bn, yet it was operating like a ‘digital ghost town.’ I knew if we could light up that data, we could unlock massive value for everyone.

How did your experience working with big global brands influence the way you built K-Card?

It taught me to speak their language. Working with the ‘Big 4’ agencies (Publicis, Omnicom, IPG) showed me that big brands crave two things: Scale and Simplicity.

They will never sign individual deals with 50,000 separate shop owners. It’s too messy. So, I built a K-Card to solve that. We handle the complexity in the background so that for a brand like Nestle, accessing the independent high street feels just like buying an ad on Instagram. I built the tool I wish I had when I was a buyer.

What has been the biggest challenge in modernising the high street?

Trust. You have to remember, independent shop owners are survivalists. They are used to being ignored or sold bad deals.

When we walk in and say, ‘We pay your customers 1-2% cashback on all items in your shop, all funded by the brands,’ their first reaction is often skepticism. We had to prove that our technology requires zero operational lift from them. We aren’t trying to change how they run their shop; we are just turning the lights on digitally so the rest of the world can see them.

When you speak to local shop owners, what problems do they tell you they struggle with the most?

The number one complaint is always: ‘I can’t compete on price.’

An independent shop owner doesn’t have the buying power of a Tesco or Sainsbury’s, so they can’t afford to run deep discounts. This drives shoppers away. K-Card solves this specific pain point. By connecting them to global ad budgets, we bring brand-funded offers directly to their till. This means the brand pays for the discount, not the shop owner. Suddenly, a local corner shop can offer the same pricing as a giant supermarket without taking a hit to their margins. We aren’t just giving them an app; we are giving them the financial muscle to compete.

You’ve lived and worked in cities like LA, San Francisco, and New York, how have those experiences shaped your approach as a founder?

Each city gave me a different piece of my DNA as a CEO.

New York gave me the hustle and the speed, you learn to move fast or get eaten. San Francisco taught me that with a great team, the sky’s the limit and that software can solve physical problems; it’s where I learned to think in ‘systems.’ And LA taught me the power of storytelling and branding. Moving to London was about bringing those three elements together to solve a gritty, real-world problem.

What excites you most about the future of independent retail?

What excites me most is that we are using technology to effectively subsidize the cost of convenience. We are democratizing the value chain to create a ‘win-win-win’ scenario that hasn’t existed before.

First, the Shopper wins because they no longer have to pay a ‘convenience premium’ – we use media revenue to fund offers that drive prices down. Second, the Shopkeeper wins because they get an enterprise-grade loyalty program for free. This drives foot traffic without taking a hit to their margins. And third, the Big Brands win because they finally gain visibility into the 1 out of 3 sales that happen in this sector—volume they have been completely blind to until now.

We aren’t just providing software; we are fixing the economics of the high street so that everyone captures value.

You’ve travelled to over 55 countries. Has any place inspired the way you think about business or innovation?

Cairo. Growing up there, you see a level of resourcefulness that is unmatched. People achieve incredible things with very little infrastructure purely through grit and community networks.

It taught me that you don’t always need the fanciest resources to succeed; you need the strongest will. I try to bring that ‘hustle’ into K-Card every day. We do more with less.

Outside of work, what draws you to Japan, and why is it at the top of your travel list?

Japan represents the ultimate harmony between deep tradition and futuristic innovation. I am fascinated by how they can have a centuries-old tea ceremony in the shadow of a high-speed bullet train.

That duality is exactly what I am trying to build with K-Card. I want to preserve the traditional ‘human’ element of the local shop, but power it with the most advanced technology available. Plus, as a global foodie, I think I’m overdue for a proper sushi pilgrimage!

Meet Jeremy Laight: The Accidental Fractional CMO

Jeremy Laight didn’t set out to become a fractional CMO—he stumbled into it. After leaving what seemed like a dream role in London’s fintech scene, he faced a slow job market and a career crossroads. What began as a detour quickly became a new way of working: providing senior marketing leadership to ambitious companies without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire.

Through his work with a diverse portfolio of businesses and his community, The Slice, Jeremy has helped redefine what it means to lead in marketing—proving that impact doesn’t require a 9-to-5. His journey is a story of curiosity, creativity, and the freedom to shape a career on your own terms. And as fractional working becomes mainstream around the world, he is committed to helping others make the most of this new pathway.

“I became a fractional CMO by listening to what founders truly needed.”

What led you to choose the fractional CMO path instead of a traditional full-time role?

My fractional journey didn’t start with strategy; it started with redundancy or should I say redirection. I’d just left what felt like a dream role at a London fintech, and when I re-entered the job market the permanent side was unusually sluggish. My coach encouraged me to stop relying on job boards and instead tap into what they called the “hidden market”, which meant raising my profile, sharing my thinking publicly and having far more intentional conversations.

What happened next genuinely surprised me. Founder-led businesses began approaching me repeatedly, not for a full-time CMO role, but for access to senior marketing leadership without the cost, the risk or the permanence. They were wrestling with the same questions: was it the right time, did they truly need someone five days a week, and how could they de-risk such a significant hire?

What I realised was that the fractional model solved a problem on both sides. They gained strategic leadership without the overhead, and I gained the freedom to work where I add the most value. Inside a small portfolio of ambitious brands, while still having space for personal projects and charitable work. It didn’t start as a grand career plan; it evolved naturally because I simply listened to what the market, and founders, were actually asking for.

How would you explain what a fractional CMO does to someone who’s never heard the term before?

I explain it through a simple lemon analogy. Imagine your time as a lemon. In a traditional career you hand the whole lemon to one employer, and it belongs entirely to them. Fractional work involves slicing that lemon and sharing it across several businesses and projects, sometimes including passion work or charitable initiatives or experiments you want to explore. Sometimes you even keep a slice for yourself or your family.

That thinking is what inspired the name of my community for fractional marketers, The Slice.

So in essence, a fractional CMO gives a company senior leadership, clarity and momentum, just not full-time. It’s meaningful impact without the full-time overhead.

What kinds of businesses benefit most from working with you and RocketJam?

I’ve worked across financial services, healthcare, logistics, professional services, multinational corporations and early-stage scale-ups. But sector isn’t the defining factor; intent is.

The organisations that benefit most are the ones hungry for change and who view marketing as an investment that will help them transcend their current stage of growth. Sometimes that looks like launching a new product or refreshing a brand. Sometimes it’s about building a modern marketing capability or team. Often it’s a company that has simply outgrown its old way of doing things and needs senior clarity, structure and pace to get to the next level. In many cases, I am their first-ever CMO, helping design both the strategy and the capability that will propel them forward.

What inspired you to start The Slice, and what makes that community special?

When I first became a fractional CMO, I made every mistake imaginable – pricing, positioning, pipeline, all of it. I kept thinking how strange it was that there wasn’t a place for people navigating this path. At events I’d meet other fractionals who felt similarly: talented and ambitious, yet oddly disconnected. Their “team” existed across clients, Slack channels and Zoom calls. There was no real home base, no sounding board, no shared learning environment.

The Slice was created to fill that gap. A dedicated home for fractional marketers to connect, collaborate and build sustainable portfolio careers. What makes it special is the philosophy behind it. We’re not built on gatekeeping or exclusivity or high-priced memberships. We’re built on community. I genuinely believe a rising tide lifts all boats, and that mindset is at the heart of everything we do. When you’re building a portfolio career, your network truly becomes your net worth. But I’m also lucky to have an amazing co-founder by my side, Catherine Nichols. We challenge and encourage each other daily – I don’t believe you can achieve success on your own.

You’ve worked in big companies and in startups — what’s the biggest difference in how they approach marketing?

The principles of marketing don’t change, but the conditions absolutely do. Big companies offer scale, structure and process, but they also come with layers, complexity and inertia. Startups are the opposite. They move quickly, think creatively and act decisively, but they often lack time, budget and foundational systems.

Ironically, smaller budgets often force sharper thinking and higher creativity. There’s nowhere to hide, so the impact of smart decisions is felt immediately. What’s fascinating now is how AI and accessible tech have levelled the playing field. A fractional CMO with the right stack and a small freelance bench can build a modern, high-performing marketing engine quickly and affordably. Scale is no longer the advantage it once was.

What’s one common mistake you see businesses make when trying to grow quickly?

The biggest mistake is forgetting the fundamentals. Many companies sprint towards lead generation before properly understanding their customer. They jump into tactics before establishing clear positioning. They chase momentum without building the systems and infrastructure that allow growth to repeat and compound.

I often compare brand building to getting in shape. You don’t go to the gym once and expect results. You commit, you repeat, you refine. Marketing works the same way. And because it’s both a science and an art, I often say: if you’re not measuring, you’re not marketing. If you don’t know why something worked, you won’t be able to scale it.

You talk a lot about AI in marketing — what’s one simple way a company can use AI today without overthinking it?

Start with an AI-first mindset. There’s an analogy I love: imagine digging a hole with your bare hands while a shovel sits beside you. You can absolutely use your hands, but you’ll be exhausted long before you make progress. Or you can pick up the shovel and move exponentially faster. AI is that shovel. In fact AI is an excavator that can move mountains.

So before you begin any task – whether research, writing, analysis or planning — ask yourself how AI can help you do it faster, better or with more precision. That single habit is transformative.

What keeps you excited about marketing after 20 years?

Marketing is an endless pursuit. You never truly “arrive”. Across my career alone we’ve lived through the birth of smartphones, the rise of social media, the explosion of SaaS, automation and now AI. Each wave forces you to rethink what’s possible.

But what keeps me energised is the combination of intellectual challenge and human connection. I love working with new teams, new founders, new ideas. I love the thrill of seeing something you’ve built turn into tangible impact – the phone ringing, the pipeline growing, the business shifting gears. That feeling never gets old.

How do you stay creative and keep your ideas fresh?

Creativity matters more than ever because as content production accelerates, originality becomes the differentiator. AI can remix the past, but only humans can generate the truly new.

For me, creativity comes from curiosity. I keep learning. I meet people outside my usual bubble. I deliberately change routines. I consume content that isn’t related to marketing at all. Most of my best ideas come from unexpected conversations, not frameworks or textbooks.

What advice would you give someone thinking about becoming a fractional marketer?

Do your homework and then commit. Speak with people already working this way and understand the realities behind the glossy success stories. Fractional work doesn’t thrive when someone is half in and half out, secretly waiting for a full-time job to appear.

To succeed, you need clarity on who you serve, the problem you solve and how you position the value you bring. You also need to understand that you’re not just becoming a consultant – you’re becoming a business. That means owning your pricing, your pipeline, your positioning and your reputation.

But if you lean in with intent, fractional work can be one of the most rewarding, flexible and creatively fulfilling ways to build a career. It offers autonomy, impact and variety in a way few traditional paths can match. Of course join a community like The Slice too !!

Raj Soren’s incredible journey is defined by resilience, transformation, and a lifelong commitment to learning. Over 40 years ago, Raj began practicing martial arts as a way to protect himself and his family, immersing himself in disciplines like traditional Japanese jiu jitsu, aikido, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Along the way, he uncovered enduring life lessons—discipline, patience, focus, and humility—that shaped his character both inside and outside the dojo. After a distinguished 35-year career in the corporate world, Raj decided to follow his true calling: full-time coaching and consulting. Today, he empowers solo entrepreneurs, individuals, and leaders to cultivate clarity, confidence, and a “Black Belt Mindset.” Through his workshops, books, and online initiatives such as Men, Let’s Talk, Raj inspires others to tackle obstacles with courage, turn adversity into opportunity, and become champions of their own lives. 

In addition, Raj partners with AI and UX/UI digital specialists to support CEOs and managing directors in leveraging artificial intelligence solutions that drive business transformation, enhance value, and optimize both time and cost efficiency. 

“Embrace imperfections, show yourself compassion, and take small steps daily—true growth comes from balance.”

How did your journey in martial arts begin, and what has it taught you about life?

I started at university 40 plus years ago to combat racism and protect myself and my family.
Martial arts has taught me invaluable skills and attitudes that extend far beyond the dojo, including discipline and consistency through the commitment to train regularly even when motivation fades, patience and humility by embracing the gradual nature of growth and remaining a lifelong student, resilience and perseverance in learning to push past comfort zones and rise after setbacks, and focus and presence through mindful attention to breath, movement, and awareness. It has instilled respect and empathy by valuing opponents and teachers, reinforced a growth mindset by showing that each belt represents progress rather than perfection, and emphasized balance and control by teaching me to manage both body and emotions, translating into calmness when facing stress, anger, or fear in everyday life.

You spent over 35 years in the corporate world- what made you decide to switch to full-time coaching?

After 35 years in the corporate world, I realized that the moments I valued most weren’t about hitting targets or closing deals, but about mentoring colleagues, guiding teams through challenges, and watching people grow into their potential. That insight made me decide to transition into full-time coaching and consulting, where I could dedicate myself to helping others achieve clarity, confidence, and growth. My sales management and national corporate training experience in Biotech, Med Tech and Pharmaceuticals gave me a deep understanding of leadership, resilience, and change, and coaching. This allows me to use those lessons to help CEOs, MDs and teams as well as individuals in a way that feels more aligned with my values and the impact I want to make at this stage of my life.

Can you explain the “Black Belt Mindset” in simple terms and how it helps people in life and business?

The Black Belt Mindset emphasizes discipline, resilience, humility, and growth, applying martial arts principles to business, work, and daily life.  It empowers individuals to stay grounded, recover from setbacks, lead with respect, and pursue excellence whether at home, in their careers, or in the boardroom.

How do you use martial arts principles like discipline and resilience to help your clients?

I use martial arts principles such as discipline and resilience to help my clients by guiding them to develop consistency in their actions and the ability to overcome challenges. Discipline is fostered through encouraging regular habits, whether it’s setting aside time for reflection, practice, or personal development—even when motivation wanes. Resilience is built by teaching clients to embrace setbacks as opportunities for learning and growth, just as martial artists learn to rise after a loss or mistake. These principles help clients stay focused, manage stress, and maintain balance, leading to greater clarity, confidence, and success both personally and professionally. By adopting a “Black Belt Mindset,” clients learn to pursue excellence, stay grounded, and lead with respect and humility in every area of life.

What’s your favorite story of someone overcoming a challenge through your coaching?

One of my favourite stories involves a client who felt entirely stuck in her career, battling self-doubt and struggling to recover after a significant setback. Through coaching, we used martial arts mindset principles, encouraging her to see challenges as avenues for growth and to pursue her goals with consistent, disciplined effort. Gradually, she regained confidence, gained direction, and ultimately secured a leadership role where she now mentors others. She now runs a successful business. Witnessing her transformation reinforced the incredible impact resilience and a growth mindset can have when facing life’s difficulties.

You run workshops and speak to many organisations—what do you hope people take away from them?

When I run workshops or speak to organizations, my hope is that people leave with practical tools and renewed perspective—not just inspiration, but actionable strategies they can apply right away. I want participants to see how martial arts principles like discipline, resilience, and humility can translate into stronger leadership, better teamwork, and a more balanced approach to stress and change. Ultimately, I aim for everyone to walk away having fun, feeling empowered, equipped to pursue growth both personally and professionally, and motivated to cultivate a “Black Belt Mindset” in every aspect of their lives.

Some client feedback 

Just attended Raj’s Blackbelt Mindset Workshop. When I say it ‘packed a punch’ it really did…literally. Never really thought about the massive crossover between the disciplines involved in martial arts and running a business. The comparisons were startlingly obvious when pointed out. The clear ideas of discipline, consistency, training, having a mentor/coach, being teachable, being able to listen and translate instruction into action, taking that action, being in the room… is that martial arts or business? See what I mean? The idea of giving ‘Stress the Karate Chop’ is also intrinsic in Raj’s coaching and boy is it IMPORTANT. How to deal with stress in life and business is something we all must learn. Looking forward to ordering and reading Raj’s new book ‘The Black Belt Mindset’ I know it’s a potential life-saver. Get booked into one of Raj’s workshops and benefit immediately.

Mental health is clearly important to you. Why did you start “Men, Let’s Talk,” and what has it achieved?

Founding “Men, Let’s Talk”—A Journey Through Adversity

The “Men, Let’s Talk—Don’t Suffer in Silence” group was born out of my own battles with burnout, stress, depression, and despair. Several major turning points in my life deeply shaped this initiative. At one point, I thought I was having a heart attack and was taken to the hospital by ambulance.  Thankfully, it wasn’t a heart attack, but rather the result of extreme stress and burnout.

My struggles did not end there. During the pandemic, I had a severe case of COVID-19, enduring six weeks of uncertainty about whether I would survive and later suffering from long COVID. The challenges continued when, during lockdown, one of my teenage daughters was diagnosed with psychosis and autism. She was sectioned for three months, which was devastating news for both her and our family. However, she has since made significant progress, graduating from university and thriving.

These experiences made me reflect on how many other families might be facing similar struggles. Motivated by this realization, I began researching and writing books focused on stress, well-being, mindset, and confidence. I invited men to come together and share their difficult experiences, aiming to reduce loneliness, depression, and suicidal thoughts. My goal was to create a safe and supportive space for men to talk openly and find connection.

Testimonial 

Black Belt Mindset and the Men’s Let’s Talk group have honestly been a game changer. It’s a safe, supportive space where men can speak openly, share their stories, and realise they’re not alone. The conversations are real, and the guests are always inspiring. Every session leaves you with something to reflect on.

You’ve written several books—what message do you most want readers to get from them?

The core message I most want readers to get from all my books is that strength, confidence, and compassion are choices we can make every day to unlock our innate resilience. This is especially crucial for business owners and entrepreneurs, where adversity is part of the journey. I aim to show that by cultivating a disciplined “black belt mindset,” challenges can be transformed into strategic growth and setbacks into fuel for innovation. For leaders, it’s about building a deep well of internal confidence—not about being fearless but about making bold decisions and moving forward despite uncertainty. This same principle of courage applies to everyone, from children learning that their differences are superpowers, to professionals building ventures with compassion and integrity. Ultimately, my hope is to leave every reader—and every visionary builder—with a practical toolkit and a spark of belief, guiding them to shift from vulnerability to mastery, and to become the confident, proactive champions of their own lives and legacies.

How do you help leaders and teams manage stress and perform better in today’s world?

I help leaders and teams manage stress and elevate performance by teaching a disciplined, “black belt” mindset, rooted in martial arts principles like discipline, consistency, and openness to learning. This mindset is powered by the foundational pillars of M.E.D.S: Mindfulness, Exercise, Diet, and Sleep. Through engaging workshops like “Giving Stress the Karate Chop” and supportive forums such as “Men, Let’s Talk,” as well as running retreats I provide practical tools to integrate these pillars into daily life. We move beyond theory to practice, blending strategic stress management with activities you enjoy through dynamic movement sessions, mindful practices, or creative problem-solving. The result is a resilient, confident, and high-performing culture, where open conversations about mental health are encouraged, and teams are equipped to flourish, even in uncertainty. 

Looking back, what advice would you give to someone trying to grow personally and professionally while staying balanced?

If I were to offer advice to someone striving for both personal and professional growth while maintaining balance, I’d say: Start by anchoring yourself in the principle of:

Hara Hachibu—practicing self-discipline and moderation to create sustainable energy and avoid burnout. Prioritize your foundational well-being through:

M.E.D.S (Mindfulness, Exercise, Diet, and Sleep) and make self-care and open conversations about challenges a regular practice, as I champion in forums like “Men, Let’s Talk.” Remember, resilience is modeled by:

Kintsugi: learning to embrace imperfections and setbacks, transforming them into sources of strength and beauty. Choose strength, confidence, and kindness daily, and view each obstacle through the lens of 

Kaizen—embracing continuous improvement through small, impactful changes in both your business and personal life. 

Cultivate a disciplined “black belt mindset” by embodying:

Shoshin, a beginner’s mindset that stays curious and open to learning at every stage. This allows you to act with clarity and courage, even uncertainty. Support this journey by engaging in activities you genuinely enjoy, which fuel creativity and restoration. Surround yourself with a supportive community, and don’t hesitate to seek connection; sharing your story can turn isolation into empowerment. 

Finally, approach each day with:

Wabi-sabi—finding beauty in life’s imperfect, fleeting moments and honoring your own unique path. Ultimately, true balance comes from leading with compassion for yourself and others, integrating these principles not as rules, but as a graceful way of being. By doing so, you’ll achieve meaningful growth and become a confident, resilient champion of your own journey.

“Care for your mind, body, and spirit—when you stay grounded, both life and purpose thrive.”

Nico Sarti has never been content to simply follow the media landscape—he’s been quietly rewriting its architecture. After years shaping strategy inside global powerhouses like The Economist and POLITICO, Sarti recognised a deeper need in the industry: translation, intuition, and cultural fluency that could turn storytelling into sustainable commercial design. That realisation became NextWave / Media, the consultancy built on the belief that creativity and commerce don’t compete—they compound. Today, Sarti stands at the intersection of media, culture, and strategy, helping publishers and brands understand attention not as a metric, but as an ecosystem.

“Media isn’t noise or inventory—it’s culture. The brands that win aren’t the ones shouting, but the ones fluent enough to become part of the conversation.”

Can you share the journey that led you from working at global publishers like The Economist and POLITICO to founding your own consultancy, NextWave / Media? 

I was a natural progression. I loved The Economist’s rigour, and POLITICO’s energy, and the amazing brands at Condé Nast, but I kept hitting the same wall: publishers had amazing journalists and great storytellers, but no one was helping them build sustainable business models from it. Most consultancies come in and tell them to launch newsletters or pivot to video. That’s not the problem. The problem is they don’t know how to scale their editorial credibility into multiple revenue streams, or how to structure their studio so that growth doesn’t mean burning out their team.

On the brand side, I’d see marketers trying to force their way into culture conversation instead of actually understanding it first. They’d hire an agency that sold them the idea of “authentic storytelling” but had no clue what their audience actually cared about.

I have been doing that type of work for decades, anyway, in strategy meetings, late at night rebuilding decks, so I decided to build the firm around that. I love content and I love media, and I like to be in front of a challenge and work with clients directly. Advisory-first means we start by understanding what’s actually broken, not what vendors want to sell. And, ‘culture-first’ means we’re thinking about what your audience genuinely wants before we talk about revenue. That’s where NextWave / Media came from: the realisation that both publishers and brands need someone who speaks both languages fluently. Someone who knows how to turn creative vision into scalable business design.

What inspired you to focus on the intersection of media, creativity, and culture in your career? 

Honestly, it wasn’t a single moment. It was a mix of realising that media on its own can feel mechanical, creativity on its own can drift, and culture without structure doesn’t always translate into something useful for brands or publishers.

Working across different publishers showed me that the best work always sat in that space. not the loudest campaign or the flashiest format, but the pieces that understood people’s behaviour, tapped into a cultural shift, and then delivered it in a smart, creative way.

So it became less of a choice and more of a natural focus. that’s the space where things actually land, where strategy isn’t abstract, and where results come from understanding how people live, not just how media works.

When leading Global Creative Strategy at Condé Nast, what was one of the most transformative projects you worked on, and why?

This is difficult to choose. It is such an amazing company, with so many talented people working in it. There was this project with W Hotels called “Through a New Lens.” … An amazing campaign. We brought together a photography community, the craft of storytelling, and actual business results. It won awards, sure, but what mattered more was proving something simple: audiences don’t grow because you’re shouting louder. They grow because you give people permission to speak. We turned the magazine’s credibility and reach into something people actually wanted to participate in, and it worked commercially. That stuck with me—the idea that the best partnerships are built on letting other voices lead.

How do you approach helping publishers future-proof their studios in an ever-changing media landscape? 

First, forget about “future-proof.” That’s not real. Here’s what I think truly works: good studios should test in the ‘messy places’ first. Social-first, Reddit, Substack, niche Discord communities, that’s where you see what’s actually resonating before it hits the mainstream. That’s where the nuggets are.

But testing blindly is useless. You need real insights and analytics watching for cultural signals constantly. Not vanity metrics. Real signals about what your audience cares about, where attention is actually flowing, what conversations are happening that you’re not part of yet.

Then you build feedback loops where your editorial team stays in control but is genuinely listening to what’s working. Not A/B testing headlines to death, but actually understanding why certain ideas land and others don’t.

The real shift is thinking like a product company and a media company at the same time. Most publishers choose one or the other. Good ones do both. You design your pricing and your structure to protect margins by default, not by accident. When your economics are solid from day one, you can actually afford to take “smart risks”. You can experiment a lot more and you can fail, a little. That’s the studio model that scales without destroying itself.

Can you walk us through a time when you helped a brand or publisher successfully navigate a cultural or technological shift?

I worked with a heritage fashion brand, really beautiful house, decades of craft, but they felt like they were losing relevance. Their instinct was to pump out more videos, more content, more noise. But that wasn’t actually the problem. The problem was people had stopped trusting them. They’d stopped seeing themselves in the brand.

We started by asking: what mindset are we actually affecting? What do people feel when they think about this house? And it turned out the emotional connection was still there, it was just dormant. So instead of making more content, we made fewer, smarter things, work that felt like a conversation between the brand and the people who actually cared about it.

We shifted the whole measurement system. The editorial team stopped being measured on views or impressions and started being measured on dialogue. Real conversations. Questions people were asking. Comments that showed they were genuinely engaged. It sounds simple, but it’s radical, suddenly the incentive structure rewards depth over volume.

The results were interesting. Engagement went up, sure, but more importantly, renewal rates improved. People were subscribing to access more, not scrolling past. And the model scaled because it was built on something real, community, not vanity metrics. That became the blueprint for everything they did after.

What trends in media and technology do you think will have the biggest impact on content creation and monetization in the next five years? 

Attention is scarcer than it’s ever been. That will not change in my opinion, but here’s what’s interesting: that same scarcity is actually supporting smaller, more focused content studios. Niche specialisation can become a trustworthy allie for talented studios.

It is also happening that AI will handle the briefs and the drafts. What AI won’t do is decide what matters. That’s still human. A studio perspective will be the key to success. The ones where someone is actually thinking about culture and taste, not just automating output. The ones that can look at what’s happening in the world and say “this story matters” before the algorithm catches up.

And lastly, I think retail media is having a moment right now and it’s not because of ads, it’s because retailers have direct access to consumer intent. They know what people want to buy. Smart retailers are becoming publishers. They’re building content around that intent, creating communities around products, not just selling. The ones doing it well are the ones treating it like editorial, not like inventory.

And for smaller studios, build something genuinely interesting, understand your economics inside out, and monetize through community, subscriptions, partnerships, whatever makes sense for that particular audience. The advantage small studios have is speed and taste. Use it.

How do you balance creative vision with commercial strategy when guiding content ecosystems?

You protect the creativity first, the margins second. Strategy’s job is to make the idea clear and make it work financially. Creativity’s job is to make it feel right. The mistake is letting either side think they’re the whole job. You need both, and they need to respect what the other is doing.

What was a key lesson you learned while growing POLITICO Studio’s revenue in Europe that you still apply today? 

Simplicity wins. The best clients were the ones where we got clarity before we sold them anything. We didn’t pitch media—we pitched a roadmap, a clear sequence of what would happen. That feeling of certainty mattered more than any single idea. I still do this: the next meeting should prove the first one was worth having.

For brands and publishers looking to stay relevant, what’s the one mistake you see them making most often?

This is hard! The old mistake was thinking monetisation came first and editorial followed. Now it’s flipped, for the right reasons. Build something with real editorial integrity, something people actually trust, and the money follows. That’s what retail media is proving. That’s what small studios need to understand.

Looking back at your career so far, what advice would you give your younger self starting out in media and creative strategy? 

I will sound incredibly earnest here. Read obsessively, and follow any culture rabbit hole you encounter. I think long-form writing teaches you how to think in ways that articles and tweets never will. All of it feeds into how you see culture and tell stories. Your taste is built on what you consume, so be intentional about it.

Same with music. Pay attention to how artists are communicating ideas, how they’re building moods, how they’re saying something that feels true without being obvious about it. That’s the craft you’re learning.

And here’s the thing nobody told me, but I learned along the way: the people around you matter infinitely more than you think. Not for networking. Just because good thinking happens in conversation. Share the book that blew your mind. Argue about the article that annoyed you. Send someone the essay you didn’t understand and ask them to explain it. Keep a running thread of taste and curiosity with your colleagues. That’s where real collaboration starts.

Those conversations, in a caffe, pub, or while walking the corridors with a colleague, become the connective tissue of everything. You’ll forget most of the meetings. The decks will fade. But you’ll remember the person who got what you were trying to say. You’ll remember the moment someone pushed back on your thinking in a way that made it better. Build those moments generously. They’re not a side project, they’re the actual work. It’s the longest-running thing you’ll ever build. I told you, I would be a little earnest about this.

How one man’s frustration with the system sparked a global movement to make marketing a force for good.

When the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Summit collapsed, the world sighed in disappointment — and one man’s life changed forever. Thomas Kolster, then a creative in advertising, watched as political promises dissolved into inaction. The city buzzed with hope one day and fell silent the next. For Thomas, that silence wasn’t just political — it was personal.

“If governments couldn’t move fast enough, maybe brands could. Creativity moves culture — and culture moves the world.”

That realization became the seed of what he would later call Goodvertising — a movement that reimagines marketing as a tool for progress, not persuasion. “I wanted to explore how we could use the same creativity that sells a soda to instead inspire people to recycle it,” he says with a smile. “It wasn’t about making nice ads — it was about rethinking the role of marketing altogether: from manipulation to meaningful contribution.”

You’re known as the man who started the Goodvertising movement. What first inspired you to connect advertising with doing good? 

When the climate summit in Copenhagen collapsed back in 2009, it really hit me. I remember the city being full of energy and hope people genuinely believed something big was about to change. And then… nothing. Just political stalemate and disappointment. At the time, I was working in advertising, and it forced me to ask some uncomfortable questions about the role of our industry. If governments couldn’t move fast enough, maybe brands with their creativity, reach, and cultural influence could actually help drive the change we need. That frustration, that sense of wasted opportunity, became the spark for Goodvertising. I wanted to explore how we could use the power of marketing not to sell more products, but to sell progress. I was struck by how much creativity was being wasted on selling more stuff we didn’t need. The same energy that convinced people to buy a soda could be used to inspire them to recycle it.. It wasn’t about making “nice ads,” it was about rethinking the role of marketing altogether: from manipulation to meaningful contribution. 

You’ve said that people don’t buy a brand’s purpose — they buy who that brand can help them become. Can you explain what that means in simple terms? 

Purpose has become a vanity project for brands. Everyone wants to be the hero saving the planet. But people don’t wake up wanting to join your purpose parade they wake up wanting to live their own values. 

So the real question is: How does your brand make me better? Not “How do I make your brand look good?” 

If you’re Nike, don’t talk about your commitment to empowerment; show me how you empower me when I lace up your shoes. The shift is subtle but powerful: it’s about turning your marketing mirror outward from “Look how good we are” to “Look who you can become with us.” 

Think about how you can make people live healthier lives? More fulfilling lives? Maybe more climate conscious lives? The oatmilk brand Oatly encourage people to live a plant-based lifestyle. Like a coach they nudge you – they don’t preach. 

Many brands talk about purpose, but few make a real impact. What do you think separates the ones that truly walk the talk?

What separates the brands that truly walk the talk from those that don’t is authenticity and consistency and you can see that difference in how people actually feel the brand in their own lives. 

Authenticity is about helping people make a real, positive change for themselves not about big words or saving the world. As I write in The Hero Trap, people don’t buy into your purpose, they buy into who you can help them become. When a brand like IKEA helps you create a better everyday life at home, or L’Oréal empowers you to feel worth it, that’s purpose grounded in real human experience. It’s authentic because it starts with people, not the brand’s ego. 

Then there’s consistency and this is where most brands fall down. In research I did with WARC, we found that the majority of so-called “purpose-driven” campaigns actually fail to deliver measurable business or behavioral impact. Why? Because they treat purpose like a short-term campaign, not a long-term commitment. It’s not consistent across the company’s actions, products, or internal culture. 

The brands that do walk the talk are the ones that live it every day. They don’t shout about purpose they show it through what they make, how they act, and how they help people grow. 

At the end of the day, walking the talk means this: people should be able to feel the difference your brand makes in their own lives. If they can’t, it’s just marketing. 

You’ve worked with big names like Meta, adidas, and IKEA. What’s one lesson you’ve learned from helping these global brands become more responsible? 

That scale is both a privilege and a responsibility. 

Big brands can change industries overnight, but only if they align profit with progress. 

The best ones treat responsibility not as a “nice to have,” but as a business advantage. For example, when IKEA started designing for circularity, it wasn’t charity; it was foresight. They saw a world running out of resources and asked, “How do we stay relevant?” That’s the mindset shift: sustainability not as sacrifice, but as strategy. 

Your method, The Arrow, has been adopted all over the world. How does it help companies stay true to their values? 

The Arrow is really about clarity and focus helping companies move from lofty words about purpose to something that’s actionable, human, and real.

In The Hero Trap, I argue that too many brands get stuck asking “Why are we here?” and end up with a grand mission statement that often sounds like everyone else’s. The Arrow flips that question on its head and asks instead: “Who can you help people become?” That simple shift grounds everything a company does in people’s transformation, not the brand’s ego. 

When you define your brand through that lens, your values stop being abstract. They start to live in the way you design products, how you communicate, how you treat employees it all lines up. I’ve seen companies from Latin America to Scandinavia use The Arrow to align leadership, culture, and marketing around one clear promise of who they help their customers become. 

And that’s what keeps them true to their values. Because when you build from the “who,” your decisions become a lot more consistent. You can ask at every turn: Does this action actually help people become who we said we’d help them be? That question becomes your compass. 

So The Arrow isn’t just a branding tool it’s a way to build authenticity through accountability. It forces brands to live their values through behavior, not just messaging. 

You’ve spoken in over 80 countries. What’s one story or experience that really stayed with you on this journey? 

In Mozambique, I met a group of young entrepreneurs who were using solar lamps to replace kerosene. They told me, “We don’t sell lamps, we sell light for studying, safety, and hope.” That stuck with me. 

Because it reminded me that marketing at its best isn’t about selling products, it’s about transforming lives, however small the impact. That’s the energy we need back in the boardroom: seeing people not as consumers, but as changemakers in their own right. 

Greenwashing is still a big problem. What advice would you give to companies who want to make real change, not just good headlines? 

If your sustainability story starts with your PR team, it’s already too late. The best communication is demonstration. My advice is simple: do the hard work first. Pick one area your supply chain, your packaging, your energy use and commit to measurable, transparent progress. Don’t talk in future tense; talk in numbers and results. 

But I’d also say this: real change isn’t just about how your company behaves it’s about how you help people change too. That’s where The Arrow comes in. It’s not about shouting your “why,” it’s about defining who you help people become. 

If you’re a food brand, maybe you help people live healthier. If you’re in mobility, maybe you help people move more freely or sustainably. When you focus on your customers’ transformation, not your own hero story, everything becomes more genuine and much harder to greenwash. 

In the end, people don’t want you to save the world for them; they want you to help them make a difference in their own lives. That’s what builds real impact and lasting trust.

You often talk about “post-purpose.” What does that mean for how we think about marketing today? 

Post-purpose is about moving beyond brand heroism. 

We’ve reached a point where every brand claims to have a “purpose” to save the planet, empower communities, end world hunger. But when everyone is trying to be a hero, no one really is. We’ve romanticized purpose to the point of paralysis. 

Post-purpose is the evolution it’s about moving from what you stand for to who you help people become. Instead of trying to lead grand movements, brands should focus on enabling movement in people’s lives. 

It’s not about preaching your beliefs; it’s about giving people the tools, choices, and confidence to act on theirs. Think less “join our cause,” more “here’s how you can make a difference.” 

The brands of the future won’t be the ones shouting the loudest about purpose they’ll be the ones that help people live it, every day. 

What gives you hope about the future of business and sustainability? 

When things get black and white like a U.S. president openly defending fossil fuels we finally know what we’re up against. You can’t fight fog, but you can fight something clear. And that’s when change happens. 

We can’t go back in a time machine to when oil was cheaper than renewables or when white men ruled the world. The future is already moving toward diversity, clean energy, and progress. 

We’re past the age of “saving the world.” The future belongs to those who help people build a better one.

If you could leave one message to young marketers and entrepreneurs, what would it be? 

Don’t chase meaning. Create it. If I could tell young marketers one thing, it’s this: stop trying to sell change start enabling it. Everyone wants to “make a difference,” but the real power lies in helping people make a difference in their own lives. 

It’s like quitting cigarettes everyone can tell you to stop, your doctor, your friends, your family but until you decide, nothing happens. The same goes for marketing. You can’t force change on people; you can only give them the motivation and tools to choose it themselves. 

So be the change, yes but more importantly, help others become it. 

Marketing has incredible power to shape behavior. Use that power to make people’s lives tangibly better not just to make your brand sound clever. 

Be bold. Be useful. And remember: the best story you can tell is the one you help others live.