The What's Next Podcast

Active International

Are you constantly thinking and preparing for What's Next? Our podcast seeks to gain a diverse perspective on What's Next for the working world, the real world, the virtual world, our careers, our planet, our businesses, our happiness, and much more! But don't worry, our big ideas are in 20-minute bite-sized chunks! I'm your host Karim Kanji, and I am excited to share talks with business leaders, professors, specialists, authors, thinkers, basically the people who know their stuff on What's Next in their space. If you're as curious as I am about what's next, join me and invest 20 minutes of your day exploring big ideas and innovative thoughts. The podcast is brought to you by Active International, a global leader in Corporate Trade within the Media & Advertising industry. read less
BusinessBusiness

Episodes

What's Next with Donna Speciale
12-04-2023
What's Next with Donna Speciale
ABOUT EPISODEOn this episode of The What's Next Podcast, Karim speaks with Donna Speciale about her background and passion for the media landscape. Donna is the President of U.S. Advertising Sales and Marketing, TelevisaUnivision.ABOUT DONNA SPECIALEAs President of U.S. Advertising Sales and Marketing at TelevisaUnivision, the world’s leading Spanish-language media and content company, Donna Speciale leads advertising sales and marketing across the company's portfolio of broadcast, cable, digital, audio and live event platforms in the U.S. – including its renowned entertainment, news and sports properties as well as its ad-supported streaming service, ViX. Since joining the company in January 2021, Speciale has transformed and modernized TelevisaUnivision’s U.S. ad sales business to deliver record ad revenue growth.An industry trailblazer, Speciale has extensive knowledge of sales optimization spanning over two decades. Prior to this role, she served as President of Advertising Sales at WarnerMedia where she oversaw advertising revenue for the company’s domestic entertainment, news and kids multimedia brands. During her tenure, Speciale played a critical role in the groundbreaking launch of OpenAP, the first open platform for TV advertisers to reach audiences across publishers. Before WarnerMedia, she was President of Investment, Activation and Agency operations at MediaVest Worldwide, overseeing the agency’s integrated digital, broadcast, print, and out-of-home practice. Speciale also held senior roles at WPP's Mediacom earlier in her career.Speciale has been recognized with numerous accolades throughout her career, including Multichannel News’ “Wonder Women,” Adweek50, Variety’s “New York Impact Report” and Broadcasting & Cable’s Hall of Fame as well as the “Advertising Woman of the Year,” “Impact Award” and “Working Woman Award” from SheRunsIt. She received the “Reisenbach Award for Distinguished Citizenship” by the John A. Reisenbach Foundation in 2014.
What's Next with Adam Handling
09-11-2022
What's Next with Adam Handling
We speak to Michelin Star Chef Adam Handling about food waste, sustainability in restaurants and cooking for the G7! ABOUT ADAM HANDLINGMichelin-starred Chef Adam Handling started out at Gleneagles 16 years ago where he was the first ever apprentice chef, before he went on to become Fairmont’s youngest ever Head Chef. Adam has a number of impressive awards under his belt, including Scottish Chef of the Year, British Culinary Federation’s Chef of the Year, Chef of the Year in the Food & Travel Awards. Adam was (and still is) the youngest person to be one of the Caterer’s ‘30 under 30 to watch’ in the 2013 Acorn Awards. Voted for by both the public and a selection of esteemed industry judges, Adam was named Restaurateur of the Year in the British GQ Food and Drink Awards 2020, before earning his first Michelin star at his flagship restaurant, Frog by Adam Handling, in 2022.Passionate about the best quality British ingredients and sustainability, Adam’s beautifully presented dishes start with careful sourcing of top quality, seasonal ingredients, prepared in a number of different, creative ways to bring their true flavour to life.In 2016, Adam was keen to shake up the restaurant scene and he did just that with The Frog E1. Adam’s first restaurant, located in the Old Truman Brewery, was one of the first of its kind in London that offered high quality small plates and tasting menus in a cool and casual environment. The focus was on the 4 pillars that Adam deems make a successful restaurant – food, drink, art and music.In September 2017, Adam opened his flagship restaurant and bar, Frog by Adam Handling and Eve Bar in Covent Garden. The restaurant has been heralded as a “smash hit” by the London Evening Standard and one of the “best restaurants in London right now” by Condé Nast Traveller. Frog by Adam Handling has won ‘Best Newcomer Restaurant’ in the 2018 Food & Travel Reader Awards, was voted ‘Best Overall Wine List’ at the 2019 Wine List Confidential awards and ‘Cocktail List of the Year’ at the National Restaurant Awards 2019. Frog by Adam Handling was awarded its first Michelin Star in February 2022. Eve Bar was awarded ‘Cocktail List of the Year’ at the 2019 National Restaurant Awards.In May 2021 Adam opened his first ever venue outside of London and his first-ever pub - The Loch & The Tyne, a restaurant, pub, and rooms in the countryside of Old Windsor. Adam intends to make this one of the most sustainable pubs in the UK, complete with luxury bedrooms for overnight guests. Everything about The Loch & The Tyne is rooted in ‘Sustainable British luxury’, with exceptional attention to detail in every corner and truly personal touches throughout. The venue is the perfect countryside location for weddings, private events, and country getaways. In another first for Adam, he has named two of his chefs as Co-Chef Proprietors. Steven Kerr, his Group Executive Chef, and Jonny McNeil, Head Chef at Adam Handling Chelsea, have taken up the reins as an opportunity to showcase the skills they have learnt during their time with Adam. In fact, the name of the pub is representative of where Adam first met both Steven and Jonny - 2008 in Newcastle and 2010 in St Andrews. The Loch & The Tyne was included in The Sunday Times ‘Best Places to Stay’ list 2021, awarded Highest New Entry (no. 27) in the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropub Awards 2022, and has recently been awarded 5-stars from the AA.The latest opening for the Adam Handling Restaurant Group is Ugly Butterfly, which is chef Adam’s most sustainable brand of restaurants, which launched at the luxurious Carbis Bay Estate on August 2nd 2021, offering British food, inspired by Cornwall. In keeping with both Adam’s and the Estate’s ethos, there’s a strong focus on sustainability. Adam has appointed Jamie Park – who has been one of the key chefs in the group for seven years – as Head Chef. The menus in...
What's Next with Chris Stephenson
15-06-2022
What's Next with Chris Stephenson
ABOUT CHRIS STEPHENSONChris is Chief Marketing Officer for PHD Worldwide His role is to globally amplify PHD’s vision of enabling marketers to ‘Make the Leap’ – a call to action and reference to how the agency prioritises creativity to drive disproportionate growth for marketers, backed by its proprietary planning platform Omni Studio.Chris is a passionate believer in the mutual benefits of brands engaging people in positive and constructive ways; he believes that considered, creative, integrated, innovative communications create value for audiences, brands and businesses; that reach is not an objective; and that hope is not a strategy.His background is in strategic media and communications planning, and has delivered thought leadership for a range of clients across both Europe and APAC, working on global and regional projects for brands including Singapore Airlines, Unilever, ANZ Bank, Google, Coca-Cola, Adidas, Ferrero, HSBC, Ebay, LG and The Guardian.An industry thought-leader, Chris has co-written three books on the future of the media industry and the impact of machine learning on marketing. A regular and respected commentator on the communications industry, he has presented on stages including Cannes, Spikes Asia and Mumbrella360.Follow UsINSTAGRAM - www.instagram.com/activeintworldTWITTER - twitter.com/ActiveIntlUKKARIM - twitter.com/karimkanjiPODCAST WEBSITE - www.thewhatsnextpodcast.comThe podcast is brought to you by Active International, a global leader in Corporate Trade within the Media & Advertising industry.
What's Next with Erin Ewing
21-04-2022
What's Next with Erin Ewing
About Erin EwingErin Ewing is the CEO and co-founder of Greener Matters, a group of sustainability consultants firmly committed to helping businesses prepare themselves for the new economy of the triple bottom line: people, planet, and profit. Before becoming a sustainability professional, he had a 20-year career in media, starting out in classified sales for Dennis publishing then swiftly shifting into digital at CNET Networks, where he began his journey in digital and business transformation. Erin transferred all of his skills to sustainability after having the opportunity to help build Channel 4’s sustainability strategy in 2019. Once Covid hit he seized the opportunity to hit the reset button and launch Greener Matters with his business partner. Erin is on a mission to help businesses understand that they can be profitable and equitable to society whilst also sustaining our planet for future generations. He believes that the urgent challenges that are now facing the world need a radically different way of doing business, which is why Greener Matters now exists, to help realise a vision of fair and just prosperity. He firmly believes that business can help solve the social and environmental challenges facing us today by working together in collaboration, by reprioritising our values and making planet and people as important as profit.  The old way of doing things is slowly dying and a new collective, caring and compassionate way of being is now within reach. Originally from Buffalo, NY, Erin has lived and worked in the UK since 1998,with a 4-year stint in the Middle East between 2009-2013.
What's Next with Ivan Pehar
06-04-2022
What's Next with Ivan Pehar
About Ivan PeharIvan Pehar is the Head of Canada Ad Sales at Spotify. He is an accomplished strategic digital marketing professional with over 20 years’ experience in brand building, media innovation and technology for some of the world’s most respected brands.Ivan is responsible for developing the Spotify Canada go-to-market strategy that assists brands to harness the power of audio. Audio is in the midst of a generational shift and its important that brands establish and showcase their voice in this storytelling medium with authenticity and purpose.Prior to joining Spotify, Ivan spent seven years at Twitter with the launch of their new Canadian office in 2013. As Twitter’s Head of Revenue and Agency Partnerships, his focus was on educating the marketing and advertising world on the importance of being part of the conversation.No stranger to global platforms in local markets, Ivan has held positions at Yahoo!, Microsoft and AOL, where he provided strategic solutions that helped brands blend their marketing initiatives from broadcast to web to social. Ivan started his career working at traditional media agencies crafting his skills. He had the opportunity to work on award-winning campaigns across North America that helped brands connect with their customers in unique ways at a time when the digital landscape was eager for change.Ivan is a professor at Humber and Centennial College, where he helps prepare future advertising professionals.
What's Next with Andrea Sampson
23-03-2022
What's Next with Andrea Sampson
We speak to Andrea Sampson, CEO and Founder of Talk Boutique on the importance of communication and she shares useful tips on how to be a compelling storyteller.About Andrea SampsonInvoking well defined listening skills and combining these with her skills in insight identification and human behaviour, Andrea helps her clients craft stories from facts and deliver talks that are compelling and engaging.As the CEO and Founder of Talk Boutique, Andrea provides her expertise as an Executive Coach to senior leaders and professional speakers worldwide.Having spent the first 20+ years of her career as a senior leader in marketing and advertising, Andrea regularly gave talks and presentations that deeply connected and impacted her audiences.About Talk BoutiqueWe are experts in navigating and developing content, performance, subject matter, and technology, Talk Boutique has it all.We transform experts and changemakers into thought leaders by helping them become storytellers that convey their ideas powerfully that create conversations that help to transform the world.Talk Boutique is the catalyst for change-makers. We help individuals, teams and organizations communicate with clarity and authority.We work with leaders, academics, scientists, technologists and artists helping to translate their knowledge into powerful ideas, transforming them into thought leaders.talkboutique.comFollow UsINSTAGRAM - www.instagram.com/activeintworldTWITTER - twitter.com/ActiveIntlUKKARIM - twitter.com/karimkanjiPODCAST WEBSITE - www.thewhatsnextpodcast.comThe podcast is brought to you by Active International, a global leader in Corporate Trade within the Media & Advertising industry.
What's Next with Manal Siddiqui
09-03-2022
What's Next with Manal Siddiqui
What's Next for the internet? We talk metaverse, the decay of web 2.0, artificial intelligence, data ownership and more with Manal Siddiqui, CEO & Co-Founder of Transitional Forms.About Manal SiddiquiManal Siddiqui is Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Transitional Forms, an interactive entertainment studio-lab in Toronto pioneering the future of intelligent content for the metaverse. She is committed to growing Canada’s position as a globally significant voice in the responsible stewardship of AI and digital technologies, and in progressing society’s understanding of how technological advancements can positively impact fairer, safer, and more inclusive global communities.Prior to Transitional Forms, Manal built foundational operations and strategic partnerships in health for the Vector Institute, one of the premier machine learning and AI research institutes in the world and home to over 500 of Canada’s AI researchers. As a systems change strategist, she has successfully established and scaled innovation-based businesses across public and private sectors. Manal hails from Pakistan, lives in Toronto and holds graduate degrees with distinction from the Bayes Business School, City of London and from the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, in addition to an undergraduate degree in biotechnology from the University of Toronto.Follow UsINSTAGRAM - www.instagram.com/activeintworldTWITTER - twitter.com/ActiveIntlUKKARIM - twitter.com/karimkanjiPODCAST WEBSITE - www.thewhatsnextpodcast.comThe podcast is brought to you by Active International, a global leader in Corporate Trade within the Media & Advertising industry.
What's Next with Barry Alexander
23-02-2022
What's Next with Barry Alexander
We speak to Barry Alexander, VP of Brand Marketing at Knixwear, a Canadian underwear brand that is proudly "Redefining Intimates".Knix is a brand known for its award-winning dedication to inclusion. We asked Barry what steps a brand has to take to embrace community, diversity, and inclusion into their culture:" It can't just be a tagline. It can't just be a message out there at an opportune time in the calendar and dependent on the conversation. It has to be every day, you really do have to reflect and make sure that it becomes part of your DNA."About Barry AlexanderBarry is the VP Brand Marketing at Knix with nearly two decades of brand and marketing experience with a variety consumer and entertainment brands. Barry joined the leakproof underwear and wireless bras leader in 2021 where his talented team oversees brand, visual identity, content, and partnerships for Knix's growing portfolio of products. Prior to Knix, Barry held roles at consumer goods companies such as Iovate Health Sciences, Maple Leaf Foods, Molson Coors, and Kraft Heinz as well as with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League.About KnixJoanna Griffiths launched Knix with the goal of transforming an underwear market that had too much frill and not enough function. A trailblazer with the creation of Leakproof Underwear, she continues to focus on listening to what people want and bringing revolutionary solutions to life.https://knix.comFollow UsINSTAGRAM - www.instagram.com/activeintworldTWITTER - twitter.com/ActiveIntlUKKARIM - twitter.com/karimkanjiPODCAST WEBSITE - www.thewhatsnextpodcast.comThe podcast is brought to you by Active International, a global leader in Corporate Trade within the Media & Advertising industry.
What's Next with Duncan Stewart 2022
08-02-2022
What's Next with Duncan Stewart 2022
We speak with returning guest Duncan Stewart from Deloitte Canada on What's Next!In this episode Duncan gives us insight into the Deloitte predictions on Games and Gaming Consoles, the churn of SVOD, sports NFTs and good old fashioned reading! Read more on Deloitte's TMT predictions - https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/technology/technology-media-and-telecom-predictions.htmlAbout Duncan StewartDuncan is the Director of TMT Research for Deloitte Canada, a member of Deloitte's US Center for Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT Center) and is a globally recognized expert on predicting the future of consumer and enterprise technology, media and entertainment & telecommunications. He has been co-author of Deloitte Global’s annual Predictions report on trends in TMT since 2008. He meets with hundreds of the top tech, media, and telecom companies globally each year, and incorporates their insights into his work.He presents regularly to companies and at conferences, has a high-profile media presence, and is frequently interviewed on the future of everything.Duncan has 32 years of experience in the TMT industry. As a portfolio manager, he made investments in the tech and telecom sector, and won the Canadian Technology Fund Manager of the Year award in its inaugural year. In his time as an investor he deployed a cumulative $2 billion of capital into global TMT markets, in public and private companies.He is a CFA® charterholder and holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.Follow UsINSTAGRAM - www.instagram.com/activeintworldTWITTER - twitter.com/ActiveIntlUKKARIM - twitter.com/karimkanjiPODCAST WEBSITE - www.thewhatsnextpodcast.comThe podcast is brought to you by Active International, a global leader in Corporate Trade within the Media & Advertising industry.