It’s the end of another year and a fine time to begin a new tradition: Let’s look back at some of our favorite interviews that we have done in 2022, and maybe something will catch your eye that you did not see the first time around!

A couple of things to say at the top? First, the episodes we want to feature in this article are chosen based on things about them I remember fondly and want to highlight when I think of the year gone by, not any particular hard and fast metrics. Second, because of some ambitious plans for our podcast in 2023, we have recorded a lot of stuff in 2022 that has not actually been published yet. We are limiting ourselves this week to content that has already been shared once, and we are excited to put back on your radar to enjoy this holiday season.

Ready? Here they are in no particular order:

Three Top-of-Mind Issues Facing Pharma Manufacturing – A Conversation with Jack Garvey of Compliance Architects

We have had the pleasure of speaking with Jack several times on our podcast, and this might be the best interview he has given us. The depth and breadth of Jack’s knowledge of what is going on in the industry really is amazing. I know in theory I run an interview-based podcast, but Jack needs very little from me in the way of asking the questions or leading him through the discussion in a logical and hopefully entertaining way. Each answer he gives could be written down as a well-researched and written short essay covering all facets of the topic at hand, and he does it all extemporaneously without notes in one take. If you have any interest in the world of pharmaceutical manufacturing or event just enjoy listening to an expert speak at length about an abiding passion where something new and interesting is always happening, this is worth your time.

How the Global Pandemic Changed Information Technology Forever — A Conversation with Gregory S. Smith

This interview has an interesting story attached to it. One of our sponsors at NAMES22 mentioned he was reading a fantastic book about how COVID-19 really changed the way businesses rely on technology, how the New Normal of Work now depends on IT in a way it never did before, and how that puts CTOs and CIOs in a position that in theory they have held for a long time, but in practice they have all been asked to deliver things in the last two years that would have been ambitious stretch goals for the best of the best a decade ago. Executive Platforms is launching a new summit for CIOs and CTOs next June, and so I was very much brainstorming ways to build content relevant to that audience. I reached out to Greg, and we had a fantastic conversation. Greg has since signed on to speak at our upcoming event on the strength of him doing the podcast, which I believe may be a first for us! I am really happy with this episode, and I think its content speaks to every event we do, because every business had to adapt its technology to better serve its workforce during the pandemic. Enjoy!

Building Resiliency and Sustainability with Supply Chain Centers of Excellence — A Conversation with Madhav Durbha of Coupa

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post on how supply chain resiliency represents a major long-term shift in how businesses optimize their planning and processes. Now that was based on a number of conversations I had in 2022, but perhaps none so neatly encapsulated everything I wanted to say while also offering suggestions about how leaders are addressing the issues at large as this interview with Madhav Durbha of Coupa. He speaks with a lot of passion but also optimism and confidence that we are going to come through this time of frequent disruption stronger and the better for having rethought old approaches and experimented with new ideas. For content that could easily focus on doom and gloom or get into the weeds of technical information and specific strategies, one of my biggest takeaways from the conversation was the general air of positivity. It is an exciting time to work in supply chain planning! For an upbeat and interesting discussion on supply chain matters, this is well worth a listen!

Upskilling in the Manufacturing Workforce — A Conversation with John Coppola of Braincube

Most of the interviews I did in 2022 were with service and solution providers relevant to the different industries Executive Platforms builds events for, and as much as they are all different, most of them hit a lot of the same beats while remaining very focused and specific on the particular challenges and opportunities the executives attending each of our summits are dealing with right now. This is a great example both of the sort of interview we did many times throughout the year, but also how an interview for a manufacturing audience can also speak to a wider topic —in this case upskilling an existing workforce— that we have talked about at every event we have organized this year. I really feel I could have spoken to John Coppola of Braincube for an hour on this topic. For people who have wondered what a great example of this podcast’s bread and butter content looks like, this is a terrific place to start.

The Story Behind Business Books and Business Memoirs — A Conversation with Kwame Scott Fraser of Dundurn Press

One of the things I want to do with the bluEprint Podcast series in 2023 is go beyond what happens and is talked about at Executive Platforms’ events and build content that is relevant to our audiences but that we cannot deliver from a stage or in an exhibition hall. The podcast can be such a powerful tool for telling long-form stories and sharing in-depth information in ways that just do not make sense in front of a live audience during the competing hustle and bustle of a live event. Here is one of my first offerings on that front: How many of the people who listen to our podcast read business books and memoirs? I would wager almost all of them. How many of the people who listen to our podcast have considered writing a book of their own one day? Probably a good number, if only in passing. What does that look like? Here we have the president and publisher of a mid-sized publishing house walk us through all the ins and outs in detail, and he has fun doing it. I did too. After this first aired, a coworker sent me a lovely note saying he could hear how much I was clearly enjoying myself. If you want to see the direction editorially I hope to take the podcast in the future, give this one some of your time.

I could do a lot more of these, but I think five is probably a healthy place to stop when asking people to give some of our favorites a first or second listen. From all of us here at Executive Platforms to you and yours reading and listening, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and we look forward to reconnecting in 2023!

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Geoff Micks
Head of Content & Research
Executive Platforms

Geoff joined the industry events business as a conference producer in 2010 after four years working in print media. He has researched, planned, organized, run, and contributed to more than a hundred events across North America and Europe for senior leaders, with special emphasis on the energy, mining, manufacturing, maintenance, supply chain, human resources, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, finance, and sustainability sectors. As part of his role as Head of Content & Research, Geoff hosts Executive Platforms’ bluEPrint Podcast series as well as a blog focusing on issues relevant to Executive Platforms’ network of business leaders.

Geoff is the author of five works of historical fiction: Inca, Zulu, Beginning, Middle, and End. The New York Times and National Public Radio have interviewed him about his writing, and he wrote and narrated an animated short for Vice Media that appeared on HBO. He has a BA Honours with High Distinction from the University of Toronto specializing in Journalism with a Double Minor in History and Classical Studies, as well as Diploma in Journalism from Centennial College.