Innovation Across Industries

Complexity beats simplification in beauty; that's L'Oreal's masterclass. And they make it look so easy. While we're crunching the numbers and gathering more input for 2025, here's a holiday treat from our team: some headlines from our growth playbook. 💡L'Oréal has achieved what most CPG brands aspire to: 7X growth over 30 years, $47B in revenue in beauty (76% larger than Unilever), and category dominance representing 33% of the Top 8 global cosmetics market ($141.2B). The playbook summary below synthesizes L'Oréal's proven strategy with emerging competitive dynamics. 𝗣𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗥 𝟭: Portfolio Architecture & M&A Mastery Your Strategic Principle: Complexity as a competitive advantage through strategic optionality at scale You need to build a portfolio across all price tiers, no exception. 1. Mass Market (Volume drivers): Maybelline, L'Oréal Paris, Garnier 2. Professional (B2B + loyalty): Matrix, Kérastase, Redken, ColorWow 3. Active Cosmetics/Dermocosmetics (Medical credibility): La Roche-Posay, CeraVe, SkinCeuticals, Vichy 4. Luxury (Margin maximizers): YSL, Lancôme, Kiehl's, Urban Decay, now Creed + Gucci/Balenciaga licenses Each tier serves different channels, price sensitivities, and consumer occasions—creating portfolio resilience against market volatility. 𝗣𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗥 𝟮: Channel-Specific Optimization - Cerave dominates Amazon 1P - Lancôme owns Sephora counters - Kérastase Paris leads salon professional - La Roche-Posay USA controls pharmacy 𝗣𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗥 𝟯: Retail media leadership will give you wings, so you should implement category-leading retail media investment. 2025 Benchmarks (Beauty & Personal Care) from ecommert Navigator Global Retail Media Benchmark Allocations Report (you can find it in the comments) 👇 - 22.7% of total ad spend (US: 23-27%, EU: 18%) - 2.35% of net revenue on average - $6.60+ ROAS when executed well 💡Beauty leads ALL #FMCG categories in retail media maturity—treating it as core infrastructure, not experimental spend. 𝗣𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗥 𝟰: You must master consumer behavior and data-driven personalization. Step 1: Build the first-party data ecosystem to capture first-party data from minimum 30%+ of your consumers within 18 months. Step 2: Leverage AI for hyper-personalization, use LLM beauty assistants, predictive replenishment and launch conversational product discovery. Step 3: You'd better master the "Niche-to-Mainstream" funnel 🚨Old Model: Mass production → broad distribution → heavy discounting 💡New Model: Limited drops → atelier collabs → data-driven micro-batches → TikTok → Duty Free (in weeks, not quarters) 𝗣𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗥 𝟱: Digital excellence requires robust organizational design, so revamp your org. Investment benchmark: Winners invest >10% of revenues in digital technologies and #eCommerce. Size doesn't guarantee growth; omnichannel execution + retail media optimization does. More to come, stay tuned. #FMCG #Beauty #Growth #Strategy

Sustainability = Innovation 🌎 Integrating sustainability into business strategy requires continuous advancements in technology, processes, and resource management. At the same time, sustainability challenges drive research, development, and operational efficiencies that lead to new market opportunities and competitive advantages. Resource constraints drive material and process innovation. The need for alternatives to finite or harmful materials has accelerated the development of advanced composites, circular economy models, and energy-efficient production systems, improving cost efficiency and resilience. Addressing sustainability challenges requires systems-level innovation. Reducing emissions, optimizing resource use, and minimizing waste require advancements in supply chain management, product lifecycle design, and industrial processes, reshaping entire sectors. Cross-functional collaboration is critical. Sustainability initiatives require input from engineering, data science, regulatory compliance, and finance to develop integrated solutions that meet environmental targets while maintaining operational and commercial viability. Data-driven approaches enhance sustainability performance. Measuring environmental impact enables companies to identify inefficiencies, optimize resource allocation, and refine business strategies based on quantifiable sustainability metrics. Long-term sustainability targets drive investment in research and technology. Businesses are accelerating development in areas such as AI-driven resource optimization, carbon capture, and next-generation materials to align with regulatory requirements and market expectations. Nature-based solutions provide scalable innovation opportunities. Biomimicry has led to advancements in self-healing materials, passive cooling systems, and regenerative agricultural techniques, improving efficiency and resilience across industries. Sustainability is reshaping business models. The transition to circular economy principles, service-based models, and regenerative supply chains is driving competitive differentiation and long-term value creation. Innovation is fundamental to achieving sustainability objectives. The convergence of regulatory frameworks, technological advancements, and market shifts is reinforcing the role of sustainability as a driver of industrial transformation and business resilience. #sustainability #sustainable #business #esg #climatechange

After spending three decades in the aerospace industry, I’ve seen firsthand how crucial it is for different sectors to learn from each other. We no longer can afford to stay stuck in our own bubbles. Take the aerospace industry, for example. They’ve been looking at how car manufacturers automate their factories to improve their own processes. And those racing teams? Their ability to prototype quickly and develop at a breakneck pace is something we can all learn from to speed up our product development. It’s all about breaking down those silos and embracing new ideas from wherever we can find them. When I was leading the Scorpion Jet program, our rapid development – less than two years to develop a new aircraft – caught the attention of a company known for razors and electric shavers. They reached out to us, intrigued by our ability to iterate so quickly, telling me "you developed a new jet faster than we can develop new razors..." They wanted to learn how we managed to streamline our processes. It was quite an unexpected and fascinating experience that underscored the value of looking beyond one’s own industry can lead to significant improvements and efficiencies, even in fields as seemingly unrelated as aerospace and consumer electronics. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s more important than ever for industries to break out of their silos and look to other sectors for fresh ideas and processes. This kind of cross-industry learning not only fosters innovation but also helps stay competitive in a rapidly changing market. For instance, the aerospace industry has been taking cues from car manufacturers to improve factory automation. And the automotive companies are adopting aerospace processes for systems engineering. Meanwhile, both sectors are picking up tips from tech giants like Apple and Google to boost their electronics and software development. And at Siemens, we partner with racing teams. Why? Because their knack for rapid prototyping and fast-paced development is something we can all learn from to speed up our product development cycles. This cross-pollination of ideas is crucial as industries evolve and integrate more advanced technologies. By exploring best practices from other industries, companies can find innovative new ways to improve their processes and products. After all, how can someone think outside the box, if they are only looking in the box? If you are interested in learning more, I suggest checking out this article by my colleagues Todd Tuthill and Nand Kochhar where they take a closer look at how cross-industry learning are key to developing advanced air mobility solutions. https://lnkd.in/dK3U6pJf

Patents are not just legal shields, they’re powerful business assets. The way you license them can define whether your invention remains locked in a drawer or becomes a global phenomenon. Effective Patent Licensing Strategies include: 📌Exclusive Licensing – Giving one licensee full rights, often in exchange for higher royalties. 📌Non-Exclusive Licensing – Allowing multiple licensees, maximizing reach and volume. 📌Cross-Licensing – Two or more companies exchange patent rights, reducing litigation risk and fostering innovation. 📌Field-of-Use Licensing – Granting rights limited to specific industries or applications. 📌Sublicensing – Allowing the licensee to grant rights further, useful for scaling. 📌Case in Point: IBM’s Patent Licensing Strategy IBM is a textbook example. In the 1990s, IBM shifted focus from just making hardware to actively monetizing its vast patent portfolio. By licensing patents across industries, semiconductors, software, and IT, IBM generated over $1 billion annually in licensing revenue. 📌This strategy not only diversified revenue streams but also positioned IBM as a powerhouse of innovation while avoiding unnecessary litigation. A well-structured licensing strategy can transform patents into sustainable revenue, open new markets, and build strategic partnerships. #PatentStrategy #Innovation #Licensing #IPR #TechnologyBusiness #Patents

Thrilled to share our new research, co-authored with Annabeth Aagaard and Oliver Gassmann, on how industrial digital platforms are transforming value creation in B2B ecosystems. In many manufacturing settings, platform governance has long been framed as a one-way street: the platform orchestrates, complementors adapt. Our study shows a very different reality. Across five platform providers and five leading manufacturers, we uncover dual orchestration — a dynamic, iterative form of co-governance where both sides continuously adapt roles as digital business models evolve. The paper offers: • A Platform DBM Process Model explaining how value is co-created and co-captured across initiation, proposition design, digital transformation, and revenue sharing. • A Dual Orchestration Governance Framework detailing how transparency, reciprocity, commitment, proximity, and coopetition enable stable collaboration in highly interdependent industrial settings. • Rich case evidence from global platform providers and industrial firms navigating interoperability, data rights, servitization, and emerging AI-driven business models. If you are working on digital transformation, industrial platforms, ecosystem strategy, or B2B business model innovation, I hope you will find the insights useful. Read the open-access article here: Dancing titans: Dual orchestration and governance in industrial digital platforms for B2B value co-creation (Technovation, 2026): https://lnkd.in/dK4_UZpz Happy to discuss the findings or explore collaboration around this line of research. #DigitalPlatforms #IndustrialPlatforms #DualOrchestration #PlatformGovernance #B2BInnovation #EcosystemStrategy #DigitalBusinessModels #Servitization #ValueCoCreation #ValueCoCapture #ManufacturingInnovation #DigitalTransformation #IIoT #PlatformEconomy #EcosystemGovernance #CollaborationDynamics #OpenInnovation #DataDrivenInnovation #Technovation #ResearchPublication

Today’s cyber threats don’t respect vendor boundaries—or national borders. As Michael Sikorski of Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 reminds us, we must mirror that coordination through “competitive allies”—competitors collaborating to defend shared infrastructure. In a compelling Threat Vector podcast, he and J. Michael Daniel, former White House Cybersecurity Coordinator and CEO of the Cyber Threat Alliance, unpack why the real barrier to collaboration isn’t misaligned systems—it’s misaligned cultures and boardroom incentives. This isn’t about goodwill—it’s about national resilience. As adversaries operate in lockstep, defenders must replicate that cohesion—across vendors, sectors, and government—to protect citizens and critical infrastructure. For executives, that means shifting from competitive silos to purposeful partnerships. Embedding threat-sharing into corporate strategy strengthens not just your enterprise—but national defense. https://lnkd.in/gDtyp-kV

Fantastic white paper on decarbonisation in fashion! H&M Group, EY, HSBC and the Apparel Impact Institute have published a white paper on financing supply chain decarbonisation in fashion. It is worth reading carefully. The core problem it addresses is structural. Over 95% of a fashion brand's emissions sit in the supply chain, shared across thousands of manufacturers serving multiple brands simultaneously. Under current GHG accounting rules, when one brand finances a supplier's decarbonisation, the carbon credit is split proportionally across all buyers. A brand with a 20% share of a supplier's output can claim only 20% of the impact, making unilateral investment five times less efficient than a collaborative approach. The paper works through three compounding problems: how to build an investment case for scope 3 initiatives that holds up under CFO scrutiny; how to co-ordinate across a supply chain that no single brand controls; and how to structure financing vehicles that actually work at the size and risk profile of individual supplier projects. On each, it moves beyond diagnosis. H&M Group's Green Fashion Initiative has financed 21 supplier projects to date. The Future Supplier Initiative brings competing brands into a shared lending structure, with collateral pooled across participants, reducing the cost per tonne of CO2 reduced compared to individual financing. A second cohort is now under development, expanding from Bangladesh into India. The regulatory context sharpens the urgency. The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism entered its definitive phase in January 2026. Supply chain emissions are becoming a balance sheet issue, not a reporting one. If as a fashion business you are looking to decarbonise, get in touch: www.plana.earth Full paper here: https://lnkd.in/eb3J5V3T #decarbonisation #supplychain #scope3 #sustainablefinance #carbonaccounting #fashionindustry #netzero

As leaders, we face a perpetual challenge: how do we take complex, abstract ideas and make them resonate with our teams? I've learned that one of our most powerful tools is our ability to draw meaningful connections to experiences we all understand. When confronted with uncertainty, our minds naturally search for familiar patterns, seeking wisdom from past experiences - analogies. This isn't just instinct, it's a sophisticated cognitive tool. Analogical thinking is the art of drawing meaningful parallels between past experiences and new challenges to gain clarity and make better decisions. A very interesting case study comes to mind. When Reed Hastings (co-founder of Netflix) stood at Netflix's crossroads in 2007, he used analogous thinking to navigate the situation. He saw a parallel in the textile industry. In the early days of industrialization, textile manufacturers powered their factories with in-house energy plants. They saw these power plants as critical to their operations. But when centralized electricity grids became available, the manufacturers who clung to their private power sources struggled, while those who adopted the new grid, thrived. The lesson? Generating electricity wasn’t their true strength; producing textiles was. Reed Hastings applied this same thinking to Netflix in 2007. At the time, Netflix was primarily a DVD rental business, but streaming technology was emerging. Hastings realized that, like the textile companies, Netflix’s real strength wasn’t in distributing physical DVDs but it was in delivering entertainment. Just as the most successful textile companies let go of in-house power generation to focus on production, Netflix needed to let go of DVDs and embrace streaming as the future. This analogy helped Hastings and his team make a difficult but transformative decision: prioritizing streaming, even when it meant disrupting their own successful DVD business. This kind of analogolical thinking shows how the richest insights often come from unexpected connections across different industries. The most powerful analogies don't provide ready-made answers. They offer new ways of seeing and understanding our current challenges. When wielded with caution and awareness, analogical thinking becomes a bridge between past wisdom and future innovation, helping us guide our teams through uncertainty with both confidence and humility. What analogies are shaping your leadership decisions today?

The agricultural chemical industry, much like the broader chemical sector, is at the forefront of a seismic shift. We are no longer talking about incremental change, this is a wholesale transformation driven by technology and evolving market needs. In my journey within this sector, I’ve witnessed how digital tools are reshaping what’s possible, not just in terms of efficiency but in how we create value for our stakeholders and contribute to sustainability. The trends emerging today are redefining our future. Take precision agriculture, for example. The integration of IoT, AI, and GPS is empowering farmers with unprecedented precision. Real-time data from fields now guides decisions, ensuring that fertilizers and pesticides are applied exactly where and when they’re needed. The result? Less waste, better yields, and a step forward in sustainable farming. Generative AI and data analytics are accelerating innovation in ways we couldn’t have imagined a decade ago. Designing agrochemical formulations is no longer a slow, linear process, AI can now generate chemical structures with desired properties in record time. Meanwhile, predictive analytics are helping us stay ahead of pest outbreaks and optimize supply chains. Then there’s the rise of digital marketplaces, which are transforming how we connect with our customers. Farmers now have direct access to products, services, and expertise at their fingertips. It’s about more than convenience, it’s about building relationships and empowering communities. One of the most exciting developments is blockchain technology. Transparency and traceability are no longer aspirations; they are realities. By tracking products from farm to fork, we are enhancing food safety, building consumer trust, and strengthening the integrity of our supply chains. Automation and robotics are not just about efficiency, they’re about resilience. From material handling to predictive maintenance, these technologies are reducing downtime and ensuring we meet demand, even in the face of challenges. And we can’t overlook the power of digital twins. These virtual replicas of physical systems are giving us real-time insights into our operations, enabling better decision-making and fostering deeper collaboration with our partners and customers. The common thread in all these advancements is customer-centricity. The best technology is meaningless unless it solves real problems. By developing platforms that allow real-time feedback and communication, we’re not just selling products, we’re co-creating solutions with our customers. As I reflect on these shifts, one thing is clear: digital transformation is no longer optional. It’s an imperative for survival and growth in a competitive, resource-constrained world. The question I often ask myself is: How can we ensure that these advancements don’t just serve us today but leave a legacy for the generations to come? I’d love to hear your thoughts. #AgricultureInnovation

One of the most fascinating aspects of working as a senior marketer across five industries (mobile phones, e-commerce, FMCG, beauty, and telecommunications) is seeing how i𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝘆. Having worked with brands like The Coca-Cola Company, Flipkart, L'Oréal, airtel and Nokia, I've learned that 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲-𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲-𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀-𝗮𝗹𝗹. It's shaped by the needs of the industry, the expectations of its consumers, and the cultural context. Here are some examples. 𝟭. 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵-𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 For technology companies, innovation is about reimagining the future with groundbreaking products, services, or solutions. 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 revolutionized wearables by merging health and tech. 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗮 brought voice-activated convenience into our homes. 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘆 and other UPI payment solutions redefined how we transact with effortless digital payments. At 𝗟'𝗢𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹, launching a virtual try-on tool powered by AI to personalize beauty at scale was a game-changer. 𝟮. 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲-𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 In industries where experience is key, service-led innovation takes centre stage: 𝟭𝟬-𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 by Quick Commerce companies (think Blinkit) is an innovation driven by speed and convenience. 𝗔𝗜 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘀 deployed widely by many brands solve maximum customer queries with human-like efficiency. Even something we now take for granted, like 𝗜𝗩𝗥 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 we encounter when we call an airline, bank or telco, was once a radical innovation that streamlined customer service. 𝟯. 𝗖𝗣𝗚 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) brands often innovate in products, flavours, and packaging to capture consumer attention. 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗧𝗶𝗸𝗸𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗮 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿 – making chips resonate with the Indian and South Asian palettes. 𝗟'𝗢𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹'𝘀 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 repairs five years of damage in a single use – a breakthrough in product efficacy. 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝗱𝗱𝘆'𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 adapt based on water temperature – a perfect blend of fun and utility. 𝟰. 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗮'𝘀 𝗶𝗻-𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿𝘀, which allow customers to try before they buy, add a layer of delight to shopping. In the fitness world, 𝗣𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗻 innovated by combining digital technology and fitness equipment to transform home workouts with community-led, interactive experiences. 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗜 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆? Enlighten me in the comments below. #innovation #business #marketing