Talking Shop: A consumer sector podcast series

Join our hosts Aoife Xuereb and Andrew Rich as they ‘talk shop’ with special guests unpacking the risks and opportunities for companies as they navigate new markets, technologies and customers, whilst managing operational, workplace and regulatory change in the sector.

LATEST EPISODE: Getting started with generative AI?

Susannah Wilkinson and Julian Lincoln join Aoife Xuereb to discuss generative AI and how it works - including some use cases, limitations, risks and mitigation strategies to be across when exploring how generative AI could deliver efficiencies in your organisation.

They suggest some helpful guardrails to support getting started particularly when the possibilities seem endless, emphasising the importance of good governance and matching the right tech and task to realise true value for the consumer sector, from product innovation to the supply chain, operations, marketing and sales.

For more on AI, check out our TechQuake series and its overview of generative AI. 

Episode 1: M&A outlook for the consumer sector in Asia and Australia

Aoife Xuereb, Nanda Lau and Andrew Rich discuss the outlook for M&A activity in Asia and Australia in the consumer sector, in light of the significant global macro-economic headwinds.  They note that, despite those headwinds, M&A markets remain very much ‘open for business’.

They also discuss how many consumer companies are looking to use M&A to reposition themselves through carving out companies, divisions and brands that are either no longer core or underperforming. They note that private capital firms with cash to deploy and trade buyers with strong balance sheets remain as keen as ever to acquire strong brands with stable cash flows.

For more on what to expect in 2023 and beyond on the M&A front, read our Global M&A Outlook.