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In this ‘The State of Commerce Experience’ episode, Brian is joined by Charlie Cole, CEO at the premier floral and gifting company FTD. Together they discuss the challenges Charlie faced after becoming CEO just as the pandemic hit, and the changes to the business model FTD has had to make over the last year, all while being completely remote.
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When you take up a new role as CEO, your first year is usually very hands-on as you scope out the challenges that lay before you.
But what happens when that new role coincides with the worst global pandemic in the last 100 years?
To find out how one global industry leader has navigated this huge challenge, Brian Walker speaks to Charlie Cole, CEO at FTD, the 110-year-old flower and gift delivery business with operations in over 125 countries.
Episode Highlights
- Together, they discuss how to get consumers and employees to embrace change in a post-Covid world, the importance of market differentiation and how to overcome the challenges the global pandemic has brought on. They go into detail on a range of fascinating topics, including:
- The changes FTD had to make to their supply chain in response to Covid and how they were able to do this without impacting customer experience.
- Charlie’s lessons from leading a business through the crisis and how he was able to do so, even without having ever met most of his team in person.
- And why Charlie is looking forward to the death of the Cookie, and what it means for customer experience in eCommerce.
This episode offers many fascinating insights into the role of the modern CEO, what it takes to lead a global business through a major crisis and what you should be thinking about for your eCommerce strategy for the coming year.
Whether you’re looking to make the step up to your first CEO role, or you already head up an eCommerce business, Charlie shares some great insights that you won’t want to miss.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, as well as any recommendations for future guests, so please get in touch with us.
Get to know Charlie a little better by checking out his LinkedIn profile.
Find out more about FDT here.
I think if you were to ask a florist about the impact of the internet, the honest answer you would get is most florists prefer the old pre-internet world.
Meet the speakers
Charlie Cole
Chief Executive Office, FTD
Charlie has eclectic mix of start up, private equity backed, venture based and corporate experience. He has managed P+L's in his last 8 years and oversee 19 countries currently as well as wholesale presences across the globe.
Visit LinkedIn profile
