Salesforce - Resilience at Work

This five-part Reuters Plus series, in partnership with Salesforce, explores how business leaders are forging the future against a backdrop of unprecedented transformation. Hosted by award-winning journalist and news presenter Nisha Pillai, our programme asks a series of prominent guest speakers to reflect on the challenges they’ve faced and the solutions they’ve identified to remain resilient, with a view toward rethinking the future of work.

The resilient future – how to become and remain resilient

Scenario planning has been vital to corporations, governments and institutions over the past 12 months in navigating the wide-ranging challenges of Covid-19. And it will remain a critical behaviour as they consider different robust strategies for the future and look to remain agile for a changing and uncertain world. What are the essential scenario-planning steps organisations now need to take?

• Prof. Ian Goldin, Professor Globalisation and Development, University of Oxford
• Peter Schwartz, Futurist & Senior Vice President – Strategic Planning, Salesforce

Resilience at work - the private sector’s key vaccination role

How exactly can companies help vaccinate the planet against Covid-19? How can business collaborate with governments and institutions to formulate equitable and effective plans for vaccination and a return-to-work, whilst supporting the public sector in the creation and deployment of technologies to aid distribution and combat misinformation?

• Dr Ashwini Zenooz, GM & Chief Medical Officer
• David Rodriguez, Executive Vice President & Global Chief HR Officer, Marriott International

Training the resilient workforce with the skills of tomorrow

The pandemic has accelerated our transition to a digital world and changed the way we work. Retraining workforces is typically regarded as a lengthy process but, today, the need to urgently develop teams and avoid anyone getting left behind is massive. Meet the leaders who have helped others rapidly reinvent themselves through new skillsets and, in doing so, create new, impactful opportunities.

• Prof. Johanna Adami, President, Sophiahemmet University, Sweden
• Natasha Adams, Chief People Officer, Tesco

The rise of women- empowering women to remain resilient in their careers

According to McKinsey, one in four women have considered downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce during the Covid-19 crisis. Facing the increased demands of childcare and other responsibilities at home, many have seen no alternative. With pandemic recovery on the horizon, how far has this societal shift set women back in terms of gender equality? And how do we ensure that women around the world are empowered to continue their careers?

• Pip Marlow, CEO ANZ & ASEAN, Salesforce
• Prof. Barbara Petrongolo, Professor of Economics, University of Oxford

Keeping the customer engaged – building resilient customer experiences

Consumer habits have undergone a sea-change during the pandemic. Maintaining loyalty through extraordinary customer experience is more important, therefore, than ever. In this episode we talk to leaders on the frontline of customer experience about how they are building resilience into the way they maintain a seamless relationship with their customers.

• Helen Bierton, Chief of Banking, Starling Bank
• Stefano Perego, Vice President of EU Operations, Amazon

Resilient businesses of the future will be driven by digital, diversity and a commitment to influencing change

There is no playbook for responding and recovering from a global pandemic, but many companies are coming back stronger than before. Gavin Patterson of Salesforce explores some of the remarkable transformation stories and how business leaders are redefining resilience.

• Gavin Patterson, President and Chief Revenue Officer, Salesforce