"Trust and confidence in a supplier might be way more important than price".
For more than a decade, Ev Garde has been helping bring software, services and digital technology into one of the world's most traditional industries. As Head of Marketing, Tool Services at Hilti GB, he works at the intersection of construction, technology and customer experience, helping organisations move beyond products and towards outcomes.
His career has taken an unconventional path. From automotive engineering and international sales at Michelin, to launching startups in drone technology and mobile coffee, Ev developed a mindset centred on experimentation, resilience and getting things done. Those entrepreneurial lessons still shape how he approaches innovation today.
At Hilti, his focus is on helping customers solve operational challenges through a combination of tools, software and services. Rather than simply supplying equipment, the business works closely with customers to understand how they operate, using direct feedback to shape new products, services and digital solutions. This customer-led approach has become a key competitive advantage and a practical example of customer experience transformation in action.
The conversation explores what happens when businesses stop focusing on what they sell and start focusing on the outcomes customers need. It covers trust in B2B relationships, the growing role of subscription and service models, and how customer insight can drive innovation at scale. Ev also shares his perspective on AI in B2B customer experience, the opportunities it creates for operational efficiency, and why the greatest value often comes from giving people more time to spend with customers.
Synopsis
This episode explores what it takes to create value beyond the product and deliver solutions that fit real customer needs. Through practical examples from Hilti GB, it examines customer-led innovation, service-driven business models and the role of technology in supporting stronger B2B customer experiences.
It also looks at how organisations can use customer insight to guide decision-making, apply AI for operational efficiency and stay responsive as customer expectations change. For leaders navigating B2B digital transformation strategies, the conversation offers a grounded perspective on creating competitive advantage through trust, relationships and a relentless focus on customer outcomes.
Topics covered
Turning customer insight into innovation
Why trust matters more than price in B2B
From tools to services and subscriptions
Using AI to increase customer-facing time
Bringing a startup mindset into a large business
Key moments
How Hilti stays close to customer needs through direct relationships
Why customer insight is a competitive advantage
The shift from selling products to delivering outcomes
Using AI to remove admin, not human interaction
Lessons from startup life that still shape decision-making today
Jorge Vacca has spent more than two decades leading digital commerce, transformation and growth across global markets. Drawing on experience spanning DHL, Philips and Kimberly-Clark, he shares practical lessons from real-world digital transformation stories, from launching ecommerce platforms to driving large-scale organisational change.
In this episode, Jorge explores what makes B2B digital transformation strategies succeed, why execution matters more than endless planning, and how leaders can overcome resistance to digital transformation. He discusses the role of trust in B2B customer journeys, the importance of sales alignment, and why pilots are often the fastest route to proving value and gaining buy-in.
The conversation also covers digital transformation ROI challenges, sales resistance to ecommerce, AI readiness in organisations, and the realities of scaling digital transformation in B2B. Packed with practical examples, this episode offers valuable B2B customer experience insights for leaders looking to turn strategy into measurable commercial results.
Laura Sabatini has built her career at the intersection of data, customer behaviour and commercial performance. Now leading a £500m+ ecommerce and marketing function at LKQ Euro Car Parts, she’s applying retail discipline to B2B digital transformation strategies inside a complex environment where speed, trust and scale all matter.
In this episode, Laura explores how B2C expectations are reshaping B2B and what B2B customers expect today, from simpler journeys to more seamless digital experiences. She shares practical B2B customer experience insights and explains how analytical thinking and customer understanding can unlock growth, even in the face of customer journey complexity and legacy systems.
The conversation goes beyond theory, tackling the realities behind digital transformation ROI challenges and exploring why transformation programmes fail in practice.
Tune in for a grounded look at transformation in action, with real examples and clear thinking on how to simplify, scale and bring the organisation with you.
John Kelly has spent over 25 years navigating the realities of FMCG and Food and Beverage, an environment defined by operational discipline, complex routes to market and a low tolerance for risk.
In this episode, John reflects on his 15‑year journey at Heineken, where he helped scale a B2B digital ecosystem from three pilot markets to more than 30 countries, generating over €2.5 billion in digital revenue and fundamentally reshaping how the business goes to market.
John shares honest stories from the frontline of transformation, from failed big‑bet initiatives to the power of incremental innovation, agile ways of working and building belief market by market. He explains why early pilots should focus on adoption, not ROI, how to balance annual planning with sprint‑based delivery, and why customer centricity must come before technology.
The conversation also explores practical AI use cases, including dynamic sales routing and next‑best‑action models, alongside John’s framework for scaling digital capability through distinct growth phases without moving too fast.
Grounded, pragmatic and deeply experienced, John’s perspective is a reminder that successful transformation in FMCG is rarely about disruption for its own sake, it’s about patience, proof and bringing people with you.
