Episodes
Friday Oct 29, 2021
A look back at Neocon 2021
Friday Oct 29, 2021
Friday Oct 29, 2021
Commercial furniture mega show NeoCon was back as a live event at Chicago’s theMART at the beginning of October.
One person who was there was George Ansier, Director of Sales for the US division of floor and desk protection specialist Floortex.
In this episode of OPI Talk, George discusses some of the key trends he spotted at this year’s NeoCon. He also gives his thoughts on the state of the US business supplies channel.
Episode produced by Andy Braithwaite
Music by:
Extreme Energy by MusicToday80: https://soundcloud.com/musictoday80/r...
Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg
Friday Oct 22, 2021
Combating global counterfeiters with HP’s Glenn Jones
Friday Oct 22, 2021
Friday Oct 22, 2021
Counterfeiting is big business and fake inkjet and toner cartridges – especially the latter – have long been lucrative products for criminals. At HP Inc, Glenn Jones heads the investigations team at the OEM’s Anti-counterfeit and Fraud (ACF) unit – which is responsible for millions of product seizures each year.
In this episode of OPI Talk, Jones explains the workings of the ACF programme, provides an update on the global counterfeiting issue and explains how HP is taking steps to make counterfeiters’ lives more difficult.
Friday Oct 15, 2021
Generation change at COS
Friday Oct 15, 2021
Friday Oct 15, 2021
OPI Talk heads to Sydney, Australia, to speak with Amie and Belinda Lyone, the new co-CEOs of leading independent dealer COS.
Since 1 September 2021, Australia’s number one independent workplace supplies reseller COS has had a new CEO. Or more precisely, two.
On this date, Amie and Belinda Lyone officially took over from their father Dominique, who founded the company in 1976, following a well-planned succession process.
While Dominque – as Chairman – focuses on strategic acquisitions and mentoring – the Lyone sisters are now running COS’s daily operations, their experience and skillsets complementing each other nicely.
In this episode of OPI Talk, Amie and Belinda discuss the CEO handover, recent acquisitions, how they have evolved COS’s product mix in the past couple of years and what the hybrid workplace will mean for the company.
Episode produced by Andy Braithwaite
Music by:
Extreme Energy by MusicToday80: https://soundcloud.com/musictoday80/r...
Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg
Friday Oct 08, 2021
30 years of change with Cezary Monko
Friday Oct 08, 2021
Friday Oct 08, 2021
Cezary Monko, President of ACCO Brands EMEA, looks back at some of the key moments in his almost 30-year career and gives his take on the state of the industry today.
One of Cezary Monko’s first jobs was when he was hired as Sales Manager for Esselte’s fledgling Polish operations at the start of 1992.
Back then, he was pretty much a one-man band, criss-crossing the country in his car to grow the company’s customer network. Today, he is responsible for around 2,500 staff as President of ACCO Brands EMEA – which now includes Esselte following its acquisition in 2017.
In this episode of OPI Talk, Monko reflects on the key developments in the European business supplies channel over the years, including the arrival and departure of the US-owned big boxes, the rise of e-commerce and the recent impact of COVID.
You can read more about Monko’s views of the industry – past, present and future – in the bumper 30th anniversary issue of OPI magazine, which can be viewed online here.
Before you listen to the podcast, are you sure you know how to pronounce Monko’s first name, Cezary? The correct pronunciation might surprise you!
Episode produced by Andy Braithwaite
Music by:
Extreme Energy by MusicToday80: https://soundcloud.com/musictoday80/r...
Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg
Friday Oct 01, 2021
Navigating South Africa’s choppy waters
Friday Oct 01, 2021
Friday Oct 01, 2021
Economic problems, social unrest, spiralling unemployment, corruption scandals, and then COVID. You might be forgiven for thinking that running a business supplies dealer group in South Africa was a thankless task.
But where there’s a will, there’s a way. Dealer marketing organisation Inovocom has come through the pandemic with the vast majority of its larger members still up and running and adapting to the ‘new normal’.
In this episode of OPI Talk, Inovocom’s co-founder and Director Craig Noyle provides a great overview of the trading context in South Africa, and how his group and its members are rising to the challenge.
Episode produced by Andy Braithwaite
Music by:
Extreme Energy by MusicToday80: https://soundcloud.com/musictoday80/r...
Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg