Lux and Friends

I am Carlo Pignataro and this is a new episode of Lux & Friends. Today we delve into the fascinating and rapidly evolving world of Artificial Intelligence with a true thought leader in the field, Calum Chace. Calum is a renowned author, speaker, and commentator who has dedicated his ninth career to exploring the profound implications of AI on our lives, society, and future. He's penned se...

Our guest today is Lory Kehoe, a trailblazer in the world of blockchain, crypto, and web3. Lory is the founder and chair of Blockchain Ireland, an organization dedicated to fostering blockchain technologies and innovation in Ireland. With over a decade of hands-on experience, Lory has played a key role in building a thriving ecosystem, showcasing Irish companies, attracting investment, and helping...

Welcome to a special live episode of Lux & Friends recorded at the latest edition of Vicenza Oro, one of the world’s most prestigious jewelry fairs. Today, I have the distinct pleasure of speaking with Paola De Luca, a visionary and multifaceted figure in the world of luxury and jewelry design. Paola’s career is nothing short of extraordinary, spanning over three decades and marked by her abil...

This episode 56 Lux & Friends.  Speaking of Lux, today's episode delves into the ultimate luxury—one that transcends wealth, age, culture, personality, and dreams: the luxury of lasting health, specifically coronary health.  We are honored to have Dr. Shady Habboush with us today.  Dr. Habboush is a German-certified interventional cardiology consultant and heart rhythm specialist.  Born a...

Today, we have an extraordinary guest whose journey through the luxury and retail industry is nothing short of inspirational. Shireen El Khatib, a name synonymous with pioneering luxury retail in the Middle East, joins us. From managing the first Bulgari store in Dubai in 1993 to leading the charge at Al Tayer Insignia and Majid Al Futtaim Shopping Malls, Shireen has been a key architect in transf...

In the new episode of Lux & Friends (#54), I had the pleasure of interviewing Andrea Fornari, General Manager GCC and Export of Essilor Luxottica, the undisputed leader of the global optical sector. I have always been fascinated by this industry, which encompasses lifestyle, health, and technology.  For someone like me, equally passionate about luxury and innovation, this was a great opportuni...

I am Carlo Pignataro, and this is a new episode of Lux and Friends. Luxury, as an industry, has many faces. When thinking of luxury, some people portray in their mind fashion, others jewelry. For some, it's all about exclusive experiences; others are into art, or the finest wines and spirits. Many products, services, and categories belong to luxury, and yet only a few professionals have manag...

I couldn't be happier to kick off a new season, this time live from Dubai, of Lux & Friends podcast, with an exceptional guest whose story is nothing short of a fairytale in the Luxury Industry. Like all fairytales, Amedeo Scognamiglio's life and journey are filled with surprises, miracles, unexpected twists, extreme joy, and profound sadness. Amedeo and his childhood friend, partner...

The focus of this episode of Lux and Friends is Permanent Reinvention, the one thing we (individuals and organizations)all need. That we all somehow do, and that we all fear. In nature, change is inevitable. Organisms either change or die. And yet, the human brain is resistant to change despite all evidence would suggest it is vital to one’s survival. My guest of today is Aidan McCullen, author of...

The title of this episode is Art and Business, Music and Luxury and to discuss such a variety of topics, I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing a true artist and a businessman, Vincent Corver. Vincent is an acclaimed concert pianist and music composer, as well as an ambassador for Steinway & Sons, the most prestigious manufacturer of the finest musical instrument, the piano. With Vincent, I hav...

This episode of the podcast is about Emotional Intelligence, a term popularized in the 90’s by the psychologist Daniel Goleman and, ever since, the corporate world has embraced it. Or so they say. In fact, that type of intelligence that makes individuals and groups of people aware of their emotions, and the emotions of others, is as rare as desirable. In a time when efficiency, productivity and ma...

Today’s podcast is all about bringing humanity back to business! It is about putting customers back into the center of your business model  Data alone can’t help you understand and empathize with your customers.” says my guest Janelle Estes, co-author of the newly released book User Tested. “No amount of data will take you inside your customers’’ heads, help you see the world through their eyes, o...

In today’s episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Andrew Hallam, a financial expert and author of many books of which “The Millionnaire expat”is at the center of our conversation. Yet, you don’t have to be an expat, nor a millionaire to benefit from listening to this podcast, from which you’ll learn, as a starter, that some of the most reputable insurance companies in the world sell retirem...

Our journey in the world of NFTs continues and in today’s podcast, I have the pleasure of interviewing Seoyoung Kim the Author of NFT for Dummies. Seoyoung Kim is an Associate Professor of Finance and Business Analytics at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business, where she teaches Financial Management, Financial Engineering, and FinTech. As the financial markets are plummeting all over...

The title of this podcast is Neuroscience at Work, and I had the immense pleasure of interviewing, for the second time, Dr. Helena Boschi, an organisational psychologist, a neuroscience expert and the author of the unmissable book Why we do what we do. This conversation with Dr. Boschi is a fascinating journey into our brain.  Listening to it, you will understand what attracts people to luxury and...

Today’s podcast is about innovation, the innovation that can and should come from within a corporation. Yes, Contrary to popular beliefs, large corporations are better off than startups at winning the innovation game, or so says my guest, Andrew Binns. Andrew is the co-author of the best-selling book, The corporate explorer, and a strategic advisor to Fortune 500 companies. Listening to this inter...

The topic of today’s podcast is NFTs, non fungible tokens. Whether you think they are just a jpeg file people exchange for millions of dollars, or the next generation of contracts, whether you think they are the ultimate cultural phenomenon, a great investment or just a scam, you can’t ignore NFTs anymore, for they are changing the very idea of digital property. To set the record straight and help...

The title of today’s podcast is Rethinking Luxury Fashion. I had the pleasure of sitting with Thomaï Serdari , the director of the Fashion & Luxury Mba at the Leonard Stern School Of Business, at the New York university and the conversation that follows will open your eyes. You’ll learn that luxury is a universal certainty, that fashion is a cultural phenomenon before it is an industrial, or s...

Our guest, Kelly Khan, is a professional soprano singer. She takes us through her daily singing exercises. Breathing & diction are core and benefit non singers. Why is improving one's voice valuable to all of us? Why are singing techniques useful for non singers? How to exercise and train our voice every day? Why can't we hear our own real voice? Why can't we trust our own ears?...

WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE TO WIN THE BATTLE OF CONTENT? You want to know the answers to key questions: Who will win the fierce battle of content?  Which brands will be the kinds of content?  What is too much content kills content?  What can be defined as innovative content? Our guest, Julien Lévy, was head of global brand & digital communication at Firmenich. Now a brand strategic advisor, he g...

Stop worrying about money. Financial Literacy with Michael Gilmore In this episode of Lux  and Friends, Michael Gilmore tells us why he has embarked on such an ambitious mission, teaching the world the power of money.  He wants to improve life for humanity at large by removing poverty and giving financial freedom to people.  To achieve his goal, he writes books and gives lectures. His financial li...

The subject of today’s podcast is the importance of building strong and meaningful relationships at work and in life. Easier said than done, you may say, for human beings are complex machines and all wired differently. There is always a Problem A and a Problem B in every relationship, says my guest of today Paul Cowan, the author of the book “ “Connecting with Clients: For stronger, more rewarding...

The title of today’s podcast is GO LIVE AND SELL. The sales education arena is a crowded one, and inevitably so because…..think about it although many companies and individuals don’t really like to use the word sales to describe what they do, most of the time nothing really happens in business until a sale is made. And so, the world is getting increasingly populated by people who write, talk, teac...

The subject of today’s podcast is Digital Transformation, one of the hottest, if not the hottest topics in today’s corporate world and to address it,and understand the various conceptual and practical implications of Digital Transformation,  I’ve chosen to speak with the co-author of a very detailed and well structured book titled “ The Digital Transformer’s Dilemma. How to energize your core busi...

The topic of today’s podcast is Business Transformation, a trip into the future with one of the world’s leading futurists, Peter Fisk. Corporate leaders, says Peter, spend way too much time thinking about the past, looking at past performance, trying to replicate what made their company successful forgetting that the future is complex, unpredictable, fast coming, and there to be created. What if t...