Alys Marshall

Recent writes

One Retail •

Rethinking Retail Solutions for the NHS | One Retail

Spend time on the ground at any large, multi-site NHS trust, and you’ll see first-hand how varied their needs can be. But often, a major acute hospital running around the clock sits under the same trust as a small community unit further into the suburbs. These sites have vastly varied facilities, experience different footfall and peak hours. So why would you expect the same retail formats to work across both?
Celonis •

How retailers can earn customer trust in the age of AI

From hyper-personalized customer journeys to optimized supply chains – retailers are implementing AI to support, streamline, and scale operations across the business. But as AI’s role in retail grows, so does consumer scepticism. The pace of transformation is outstripping the public’s understanding. Some consumers may take what they see at face value, but it’s clear that, for others, trust in AI is dwindling, and concerns around the ethics of AI use in retail are increasing.
Celonis •

Supply chain monitoring: A playbook for visibility | Celonis

Even for the most digitally mature organizations, supply chain visibility can be an elusive goal.
Despite years of investment in supply chain transformation initiatives, upgraded systems, and data infrastructure, many businesses still operate in silos that obscure visibility and prevent an overview of their entire supply chain, along with all its unique twists and turns.
The right supply chain metrics and monitoring techniques can pull back the curtain on supply chain...
Leapsome •

Skip-Level Meetings: Implementation, Structure & Tips

Even in organizations with strong internal communication, gaps between senior leadership and individual contributors are common. Executives naturally focus on strategic priorities and often lack visibility into day-to-day employee experiences. HR professionals can play a critical role in bridging these gaps.One initiative worth considering is the skip-level meeting. These sessions facilitate candid conversations across different organizational levels and allow leaders to collect feedback to help...
Leapsome •

The 9-Box Grid: A Practical Guide for Talent Management

When it comes to succession planning, gut instinct isn’t a viable strategy. HR teams are balancing fairness, consistency and future planning — often while grappling with incomplete data sets and conflicting feedback. A massive 50% of today’s HR leaders are facing budget cuts*, and with shrinking budgets comes an increased pressure to make smarter talent decisions quickly. That’s why structured, evidence-based tools like the 9-box grid have endured for decades, and remain a simple, powerful optio...
Leapsome •

Upward Feedback: 22 Employee Examples to Aid Development

The best leaders today actively seek input. Today, this is known as upward feedback: constructive input from reports to managers, which helps build trust, drive engagement, and signal that employees’ voices matter.With fewer than half of managers receiving formal management training,* upward feedback becomes a vital tool for real-time, on-the-ground development — and a way for leaders to grow based on how their teams perceive them.In this piece, we’ll explain why upward feedback matters in 2025 and exp...
Trinity McQueen •

Branding that turns back time: striking a chord with nostalgia marketing - Trinity McQueen

Nostalgia is in the air. We know that brands go through specific marketing trends in cyclical peaks and troughs — and the last few years have seen pioneering technologies like AI and augmented reality show up more in advertising (think about that memorable Rita Ora skyline advert for EE). But recently, and maybe even in response to this, the pendulum has swung back round towards a more tried and tested approach: nostalgic marketing that aims to capture the magic of the past.
Trinity McQueen •

Is ageism in beauty hindering brand growth? | How We Think

Think of a stereotypical beauty advert. What kind of images spring to mind? Chances are you pictured someone young and impossibly slim with impeccable, golden skin, promoting some new formula for looking 21 forever. It’s less likely that you thought of grey hair, “spider veins”, or wrinkles — if you did, the advert was probably about trying to prevent them more than embracing them.
It seems ageism in the beauty industry is still in style.
Trinity McQueen •

What if… beauty brands could boost age representation, and unlock a forgotten audience? - Trinity McQueen

What if… beauty brands could boost age representation, and unlock a forgotten audience? The beauty industry has come a long way since its inception, but the idea of beauty is still all but synonymous with youth. Today, we’re just beginning to see the conventional goalposts shift, with the gradual inclusion of more skin tones, body shapes and genders. However, the representation of age in beauty still lags behind.