Spikes Excitement Talks

In this episode, Gordon welcomes Krinio Christaras, Head of Consumer Experience for the MENA region at Mondelēz International, for an inspiring and thought-provoking conversation on marketing, transformation, and the human side of innovation. From her early career in Australian media agencies to leading consumer experience across a complex and diverse region, Krinio shares the pivotal moments that...

In this episode, Gordon sits down with David Beer, Director of EMEA Sales at MasterCard, to explore the future of subscription management, financial transparency, and the power of purpose-led innovation in fintech. From his roots in New Zealand and a career that spans engineering, startups, The Guardian, NatWest, and now MasterCard, David shares a refreshingly human perspective on how technology c...

In this episode, Gordon sits down with Alexandra (Allie) Sparr, Global Head of Branded Marketing at Envoyage,  joining from the other side of the world, Allie shares her global marketing journey, from early days in New Orleans tourism to spearheading a brand that's redefining the B2B travel space. The conversation explores the entrepreneurial roots of Flight Centre—and how that spirit still dr...

In this episode of Excitement Talks, Sandra Peat is joined by Matt Darbon, Head of Digital Marketing at Waitrose & Partners, to unpack a remarkable career journey—from stacking shelves at 16 to leading digital transformation at one of the UK’s most beloved supermarkets. Matt shares candid insights of how he "fell into" digital marketing during a dog walk, what he learned from working...

In this episode of Excitement Talk, Gordon sits down with Dorotheé Gardon, Global Marketing Strategy & Integrated Media Director at IKEA, to explore what it really means to lead one of the world's most loved brands in today’s evolving media landscape. From her early days at Google, Microsoft, and Meta, to shaping brand experiences at Precis Digital and now IKEA, Dorothée brings a deep pers...

In this episode, Gordon is joined by Amélie Manac’h, a seasoned marketing leader who's worked with some of the most iconic French and global brands and recently new Head of Brand Content and Strategy at Nestlé.  The talk explores the art of combining research, creativity, and cultural relevance, why boldness matters — and how a fake baby in a bubble led to one of the most talked-about infant n...

In this episode, Sandra Peat sits down with Anna Hale, Chief Marketing Officer at Karo Healthcare, to explore her "excitement journey" through the world of brand building, transformation and purposeful marketing. From early beginnings at Reckitt to a 15-year career with GSK (now Haleon), Anna shares the pivotal moments that shaped her marketing philosophy—balancing emotional resonance wi...

In this post-holiday return episode of Excitement Talk, Gordon is joined by Adam Ross, Senior Director of Creative Strategy at Coca-Cola.  Adam’s journey from agency life in London to leading creative strategy for one of the most iconic global brands is filled with insightful stories, bold career moves (including a spontaneous relocation to Australia) and a deeply human take on creativity and lead...

In this episode, Gordon sits down with Richard Le Moult, CMO of Latin America at Pernod Ricard, for a conversation about the realities of modern marketing leadership. From his early days at Danone, Kraft and Philip Morris to now leading marketing across one of the most dynamic regions in the world, Richard shares what it really means to be a marketer today—and why he finds the complexity exhilarat...

In this milestone 100th episode of Spikes Excitement Talks, Gordon Euchler sits down with Aseem Puri, Digital CEO of Unilever International, for a truly global conversation on modern marketing, bold leadership and building brands that resonate across 200 markets. After five scheduling attempts it finally happened—and it was worth the wait: The conversation explores why Unilever International is &q...

In this episode, Gordon sits down with Gianluca Toccafondi, a self-proclaimed IKEA “lifer” and current Head of Global Marketing at Inter IKEA Systems, to explore how purpose, passion and people come together to create not just a career—but a calling. The question is what keeps someone excited about work after 20+ years at the same company? From his early days in Tuscany to leading marketing on a g...

In this episode, Gordon is joined by Frida  Elisson to talk about her journey across sectors and continents—from Lidl to Unilever, Google to eBay, and now as CMO of Kleinanzeigen. From the ballet studio to the boardroom, Frida’s career is anything but linear—and all the more inspiring because of it. They explore what it means to shape iconic brands through times of transformation, the power of cur...

In this episode of Excitement Talk, Dave Cobban sits down with Ajinkya  Joglekar, a seasoned marketing and product leader with over two decades of experience scaling iconic brands like Comcast, JP Morgan, Dish, and Sling TV. But his journey didn’t start in a boardroom — it began in the world of jazz and physics. Ajinkya shares how his unique blend of creativity and analytical thinking led him from...

In this episode, Gordon welcomes  Sharalyn Orr, Executive Director of Global Marketing Innovation at The Estée Lauder Companies, for a powerful conversation about beauty, purpose and transformation. Sharalyn shares her unique, non-linear journey from media and research to luxury beauty and how her six-year pursuit of the right role ultimately led her to Estée Lauder. Now leading a Center of Excell...

In this episode, Gordon sits down with Matthias Hanschke, the Global Head of Marketing Transformation at Henkel and Advisory CMO at Spotify. Together, they dive deep into the rapid evolution of the FMCG sector and explore the challenges and opportunities in marketing, particularly as AI and new technologies reshape the landscape. Matthias shares his unique insights on balancing visionary strategie...

In this episode, Sandra Peat sits down with Rachel Exton, VP of Global Brand at Pearson, to explore a career that spans everything from high-end beauty and disinfectant to cutting-edge education and AI. Rachel shares her remarkable journey through brands like Unilever, John Frieda and Dyson and how each role taught her something new about people, purpose and pivoting. She opens up about navigating...

In this episode of Excitement Talks, Gordon sits down with Chiara Grillo, Head of Digital Marketing & Media for Unilever’s ice cream division in Italy. From Magnum tastings on Monday mornings to unlocking confidence through deodorant campaigns, Chiara’s journey across categories and continents shows how marketing can be both deeply human and endlessly creative. She reflects on starting out as...

In this episode, Gordon sits down with Antoine Genot , whose career spans Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, BCG and now Pernod Ricard , where he leads global marketing performance. Antoine shares how marketing has evolved from the classic 4Ps to a fast-paced, data-driven, AI-empowered discipline. The conversation explores how to do more with less, why collaboration across creatives, data scientists an...

In this episode of Excitement Talks , Spikes UK Partner Sandra Peat sits down with Ilaria Pasquinelli, CMO of Cannes Lions, to explore her fascinating and non-linear career journey—from fashion and sustainability to global marketing leadership. Ilaria shares how her early passion for languages and cultures led her into marketing “by accident” and how her work with the United Nations and major fash...

In this episode, Gordon sits down with Martin Doens , Global Director of Digital Experiences (Europe) at Mondelēz International, to explore the sweet spot where heritage brands meet cutting-edge technology. The conversation explores Martin’s global career journey—from Accenture in Amsterdam, Melbourne, and Silicon Valley to leadership roles at Heineken, ECCO Shoes, JDE Peet’s, and now Mondelēz. He...

In this episode, Gordon sits down with Victoria Lozano, Chief Marketing Officer at Crayola and Forbes 50 Entrepreneurial CMO, to explore how one of the world’s most beloved brands keeps creativity at the heart of everything it does. From Crayola’s 122-year-old origins rooted in education to its modern-day expansion into entertainment, interactive experiences and global initiatives, Victoria shares...

In this episode, Gordon sits down with Lucas Elliott, Customer Experience Research Lead at Google, who takes us through his unexpected journey from a PhD in kinesiology at Penn State to startup life at Rebel, and now to one of the biggest tech companies on the planet. They dive into how understanding human behavior—whether in public health or product marketing—can unlock better product-market fit,...

In this episode, Gordon sits down with Wolfgang Ufer, CEO of smart Deutschland, for a candid and inspiring conversation about transforming a legacy brand into a future-forward mobility company. From his early days at Mercedes-Benz to leading smart through its bold evolution into an electric-only, direct-to-consumer startup, Wolfgang shares how he built a car company from scratch and why getting cl...

In this episode, Gordon sits down with Katarzyna Zawodszińska ,  Former Marketing Director at Lipton Teas and Infusions, Warsaw — and uniquely, a practicing psychotherapist . With nearly two decades at Unilever, Katarzyna shares her deep experience across product categories, countries and roles from sales and business development to leading brand transformations. She reflects on how Unilever acted...

In this episode of Spikes Excitement Talks , Gordon sits down with Asif Memon , Head of Strategic Revenue Management at Unilever , for an insightful conversation on connecting marketing, sales and consumer value in the FMCG space. Asif shares his global journey from Procter & Gamble to Unilever , with stops at L’Oréal , and life across continents—from Dubai to Casablanca to the UK. He reflects...