Now, Then, Ten

In this special episode, Nicola speaks to Ben Francis MBE, founder and CEO of the fitness brand Gymshark, from the Gymshark flagship store in London, England. Ben talks about what motivated him to found Gymshark, why he decided to take the leap and open a store, and how he continues to be inspired by the Gymshark community. He looks back on his childhood influences and forward to the future of ecommerce and the metaverse, considering how gymshark will continue to grow alongside new technologies. He also shares how the arrival of his twin boys has changed his personal and professional outlook, and how they’ve helped him to become more present.

Benoit Pagotto is co-founder of the hugely successful RTFKT Studios, a company focused on merging realities within the fashion and gaming space by creating next-gen sneakers and collectibles for the metaverse. Benoit has been involved in some amazing collaborations, with the likes of Japanese pop icon Takashi Murakami and blockchain artist FEWOCiOUS. In this episode, Benoit talks about his latest projects and what he looks for in a collaborator. He reflects on his early career and the impact of the Nike acquisition of RTFKT. And he looks to the future, talking about AI, innovation and his goals for the next 10 years.

In this episode, Nicola speaks to Allyson Witherspoon. Having worked as a marketer in the mobility sector for over twenty years, Allyson reveals in this episode that she has recently been promoted to global CMO of Nissan. As she looks towards this exciting new chapter, Allyson reflects on her career so far, offers advice to other women working in male-dominated industries, and shares the importance of not compromising on your priorities as a leader. She explains how emerging metaverse technologies will invigorate marketing in the mobility sector through the use of virtual and augmented reality, as well as touching on the electrification of cars and how evolving technologies will make driving even safer in the future.

In this episode, Nicola speaks with Lindsey MicInerney. Named one of ‘The 30 Most Influential People in the Metaverse’, Lindsey is the founder of Black Sun Labs, a company helping other businesses to understand the emerging metaverse. Lindsey is also CEO of Sixth Wall, the digital arm of Mila Kunis’ production company, which explores the intersection of entertainment and web3 technology. A self-confessed nerd and tech futurist, Lindsey has launched multiple projects in the metaverse including Stella Artois, in an explosive partnership with ZED RUN, a crypto horse racing game during her time as Global Head of Technology and Innovation at AB Inbev. In this episode, she tells Nicola all about her incredible career spanning web3, crypto, and NFT’s and how she believes entertainment will be the force that drives the masses to enter the metaverse.

Gabe Gault is without a doubt one of the most exciting artists working today. His pieces defy definition, blending classical techniques with modern mediums and reimagining what it means to ‘create.’ Gabe has become a bona fide social media sensation thanks to videos that show him painting and designing in the metaverse as well as shots from behind the scenes at the Glass City River Wall, the largest mural in the United States. In this episode, Gabe discusses his artistic inspirations, his love for subverting the norm, and his creative ambitions for the future.

Alice Delahunt is a force to be reckoned with. Having discovered a love for all things digital at a young age, her career path has been defined by forward-thinking and barrier-breaking decisions. In April 2022, Alice launched SYKY, a blockchain-enabled platform that will allow users to curate, trade and own digital garments. For Alice, clothes can tell a story — and she hopes SYKY will be the bank canvas upon which emerging designers can weave tales and find the freedom to express themselves. In this episode, we hear all about Alice’s impressive career so far, her exciting plans for SYKY and her predictions for the future of fashion.

In this episode, we hear from Robert Triefus, CEO of Gucci Vault and Metaverse Ventures and Senior Executive Vice President, Corporate and Brand Strategy at Gucci, about how he is spearheading a quiet revolution in luxury fashion by combining the classic staples of Gucci with the futuristic technology emerging in the metaverse. Robert tells listeners about the evolution of the Gucci Vault, an experimental concept store, as well as Gucci Town, Gucci’s “Garden of Curiosities” and other groundbreaking projects. Plus, Robert and Nicola bond over their love for ’80s Manchester nightclubs and discuss how he holds on to a sense of “home” when his job takes him all over the world.

We're kicking off Now, Then, Ten season 3 with an incredibly exciting guest. Any basketball fans out there will know Spencer Dinwiddie, point guard for the Brooklyn Nets, but they may not know about his thriving side hustle as a crypto currency pioneer. In 2019, Spencer made history (and ruffled a few feathers over at the NBA) when he became the first ever sports star to tokenize his contract. In this episode, Nicola hears from Spencer about what drove this decision and digs deeper into his fascination with the metaverse and the potential it holds.

We have some exciting news for all Now, Then, Ten listeners: We're back! And for season 3, we'll be exploring the furthest reaches of the metaverse. Tune in to hear your host Nicola Mendelsohn, VP, Global Business Group, Meta, speak with thought leaders in this space, including a basketball star, a digital investment pioneer, the CEO of Gucci Vault and Metaverse Ventures and a groundbreaking VR artist. Each guest has made their mark in the metaverse. We hear how they did it and where they want to go next. Welcome back to Now, Then, Ten.

Gamers will know – and love – Nicola’s Now, Then, Ten guest this week. Sarah Bond is Corporate Vice President at Xbox, and gamers have her to thank for the spearheading the groundbreaking Xbox Game Pass subscription service. In this episode, she offers listeners insights into Microsoft’s plans for the future, including cloud gaming and the innovative new programmes and game developers the company is investing in. For more information regarding Meta's Culture Rising Report, please follow this link: https://bit.ly/3tmlV9b

The Godmother of the Metaverse, aka Cathy Hackl joins Nicola to share her advice for business leaders on how to future proof their businesses in anticipation of Web 3.0. Cathy warns against the dangers of creating NFTs without purpose,  the influence the metaverse will have on creator culture, but most importantly, why doing your research is so fundamental to your success in this space. For more information regarding Meta's Culture Rising Report, please follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/business/news/insights/culture-rising-2022-trends-report?content_id=E3rQpZhfZ2sKYtO This podcast was brought to you by Facebook IQ. If you’d like to hear more from Facebook IQ, please sign up for our newsletter at fb.me/FBIQNewsletter

In today’s episode, Nicola speaks to Saasha Celestial-One - co founder of food sharing community app Olio. With a mission to curb food waste with her community sharing app, Saasha is the perfect guest to discuss where she sees the future of communities heading. Together Nicola and Saasha discuss how Olio has grown to 5 Million users, why purpose and community need to go hand in hand, and where she sees the future of other apps like Olio empowering community behaviour. This podcast was brought to you by Facebook IQ. If you’d like to hear more from Facebook IQ, please sign up for our newsletter at fb.me/FBIQNewsletter

From international DJ at Groove Armada to first generation regenerative farmer with Wildfarmed - Andy Cato’s career has taken many different paths. In this episode, Nicola and Andy discuss the future of food, specifically looking at farming where Andy’s expertise lie. Andy tells Nicola how he’s created thriving ecosystems whilst farming tastier and more nutritious wheat with Wildfarmed, and why we should be looking at working with nature to solve the ecological food crisis that’s currently on our horizon. Learn more about Andy’s mission and Wildfarmed via www.wildfarmed.co.uk & @wildfarmed This podcast was brought to you by Facebook IQ. If you’d like to hear more from Facebook IQ, please sign up for our newsletter at fb.me/FBIQNewsletter

With a background in product design and engineering, Anand Agarawala has been at the forefront of 3D technology for a decade, most recently developing Spatial, the VR/AR collaboration app that turns any room into a 3D workspace. What will the next computer look like? And what impact will Virtual Reality have on our lives, communities and the environment over the next 10 years? Find out in this episode. This podcast was brought to you by Facebook IQ. If you’d like to hear more from Facebook IQ, please sign up for our newsletter at fb.me/FBIQNewsletter

Vanessa Kingori might be responsible for directing Condé Nast to new horizons, but that’s not her only mission. She’s also ensuring that the publishing giant’s brands - including Vogue, GQ and Vanity Fair - truly reflect their diverse readers, inside and out. She tells Nicola how she’s doing it, where Condé Nast’s audiences will be in 10 years, and why she considers her imposter syndrome a superpower. This podcast was brought to you by Facebook IQ. If you’d like to hear more from Facebook IQ, please sign up for our newsletter at fb.me/FBIQNewsletter

Who better to discuss the future of our planet than an ethology and conservation icon with 60 years’ experience? In the first episode of season 2, Nicola Mendelsohn meets Dr. Jane Goodall, who has been studying the social interactions and ecosystems of wild chimpanzees since 1960. She tells Nicola about the impact her youth program is having on the natural world, and what we can all do to help with the climate emergency. This podcast was brought to you by Facebook IQ. If you’d like to hear more from Facebook IQ, please sign up for our newsletter at fb.me/FBIQNewsletter

In the final episode of this series, Brent speaks to Boz - Head of VR/AR at Facebook. Boz shares the incredible work he’s implemented at Facebook, including enabling immense user growth (which was 5 million when he first started, and managed to double), as well as the creation of Facebook Reality Labs, where he drives all of Facebook’s efforts in augmented reality, and virtual reality. Having joined Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook in 2006, Boz created the News Feed and many anti-abuse systems, and led the integration of the Facebook Messages and Chat products. Building community at the heart of what he does, makes an interesting discussion for how he perceives the role AR and VR will make in the future Sign up to Facebook Curated, the monthly leadership newsletter for stories on the people, brands and ideas shaping business and culture: https://bit.ly/37tFNMt Now, Then, Ten is brought to you in collaboration with Facebook & Founders Forum. Want to hear more from our hosts? Find Nicola & Brent on LinkedIn & follow @FoundersForum for more on podcast content.

Brent’s guest on Now, Then, Ten this week is veteran presenter June Sarpong OBE, who is also the BBC’s first Director of Creative Diversity. June discusses the work she's doing to make the public broadcaster a community that represents everyone, the role diverse thinking plays in pushing creative boundaries, and why – after experiencing discrimination herself as a young presenter – she’s proud to be spearheading real change. Plus, she shares some highlights from her illustrious career in front of the camera, which has seen her interview everyone from Nelson Mandela to the Spice Girls. Sign up to Facebook Curated, the monthly leadership newsletter for stories on the people, brands and ideas shaping business and culture: https://bit.ly/37tFNMt Now, Then, Ten is brought to you in collaboration with Facebook & Founders Forum. Want to hear more from our hosts? Find Nicola & Brent on LinkedIn & follow @FoundersForum for more on podcast content.

This week, Nicola meets Netflix’s Vernã Myers, who has over 20 years’ experience helping organisations remove barriers for underrepresented communities. Vernã tells Nicola how Martin Luther King’s assassination set her on the path to redressing inequalities in society when she was just seven years old, why she’s helping Netflix create more complex stories, and how we can all become active participants in countering bias. Sign up to Facebook Curated, the monthly leadership newsletter for stories on the people, brands and ideas shaping business and culture: https://bit.ly/37tFNMt Now, Then, Ten is brought to you in collaboration with Facebook & Founders Forum. Want to hear more from our hosts? Find Nicola & Brent on LinkedIn & follow @FoundersForum for more on podcast content.

In today’s episode Brent welcomes founding partner of Tristan Capital Partners and avid philanthropist Ric Lewis to Now, Then, Ten. Named “most influential Black Briton” by the Powerlist, Ric tells Brent about using his influence for good in providing invaluable opportunities for underrepresented communities through initiatives such as The Black Heart Foundation. Ric also shares his insights on how organisations can tackle racial inequality head on and the steps business leaders should take to ‘equal the playing field’. Sign up to Facebook Curated, the monthly leadership newsletter for stories on the people, brands and ideas shaping business and culture: https://bit.ly/37tFNMt Now, Then, Ten is brought to you in collaboration with Facebook & Founders Forum. Want to hear more from our hosts? Find Nicola & Brent on LinkedIn & follow @FoundersForum for more on podcast content.

In today's episode of Now, Then, Ten, Brent welcomes Luciana Lixandru to the podcast, who was newly appointed to be the first European partner at the world-class venture capital firm Sequoia Capital in 2020. Sequoia Capital has backed some of the top community-driven companies such as Airbnb, Uber, YouTube, Reddit, and Instagram. Described by the firm as ""one of the brightest rising stars in the European VC ecosystem"", Luciana shares what's important when it comes to the founder/investor relationship, what she’s most excited about in the European ecosystem and why she's passionate about building partnerships with brands that have longevity.
 Sign up to Facebook Curated, the monthly leadership newsletter for stories on the people, brands and ideas shaping business and culture: https://bit.ly/37tFNMt Now, Then, Ten is brought to you in collaboration with Facebook & Founders Forum. Want to hear more from our hosts? Find Nicola & Brent on LinkedIn & follow @FoundersForum for more on podcast content.

In this week’s episode of Now, Then, Ten, Nicola talks to the Norwegian founder about his passion for “values-based entrepreneurship” – including his biggest success story, Kahoot!. Johan reveals how Kahoot! cracked America from its Oslo HQ and discusses his obsession with the Blue economy, his floating classroom and the movie that inspired it. Sign up to Facebook Curated, the monthly leadership newsletter for stories on the people, brands and ideas shaping business and culture: https://bit.ly/37tFNMt Now, Then, Ten is brought to you in collaboration with Facebook & Founders Forum. Want to hear more from our hosts? Find Nicola & Brent on LinkedIn & follow @FoundersForum for more on podcast content.

To mark International Women's Day this week, Nicola speaks to a female entrepreneur who Oprah has called one of the most inspiring people she’s met. In an episode jam-packed with business advice, Marcia Kilgore tells Nicola Mendelsohn about launching her first company in her studio apartment, its multi-million-dollar acquisition five years later, and disrupting the beauty industry yet again with her most recent start-up, Beauty Pie. She also explains why community has been instrumental to every brand she’s built, reveals her most important business relationship – and shares some of the mistakes she’s made during her career. Sign up to Facebook Curated, the monthly leadership newsletter for stories on the people, brands and ideas shaping business and culture: https://bit.ly/37tFNMt Now, Then, Ten is brought to you in collaboration with Facebook & Founders Forum. Want to hear more from our hosts? Find Nicola & Brent on LinkedIn & follow @FoundersForum for more on podcast content.

In this week’s episode of Now, Then, Ten, Nicola speaks to Richard Curtis CBE, the visionary behind some of the biggest films of the last decades, including Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually, and Yesterday. But as a founding member at organisations like Comic Relief, Make Poverty History and Make My Money Matter, Nicola is most fascinated with Richard's experience of rallying communities to help make the world a better and fairer place. How does Richard use the art of storytelling to help educate and move people enough to take action? What can we all be doing to champion social responsibility in business? And why is Richard hopeful for the ‘activist generation'? For more information about how to get involved with Red Nose Day 2021, please follow this link. Sign up to Facebook Curated, the monthly leadership newsletter for stories on the people, brands and ideas shaping business and culture: https://bit.ly/37tFNMt Now, Then, Ten is brought to you in collaboration with Facebook & Founders Forum. Want to hear more from our hosts? Find Nicola & Brent on LinkedIn & follow @FoundersForum for more on podcast content.

In episode two of Now, Then, Ten, Brent Hoberman discovers how a nightclub promoter and self-confessed “bozo” became a man on a mission to bring clean water to the world – and disrupted the charity sector in the process. Scott Harrison reveals why radical transparency, rewarding employees and being first with technology has helped Charity: Water transform the lives of 12 million people, and he shares where the organisation is headed next. Sign up to Facebook Curated, the monthly leadership newsletter for stories on the people, brands and ideas shaping business and culture: https://bit.ly/37tFNMt Now, Then, Ten is brought to you in collaboration with Facebook & Founders Forum. Want to hear more from our hosts? Find Nicola & Brent on LinkedIn & follow @FoundersForum for more on podcast content.

How did a shopping app evolve into a creative community? And what impact are its 26 million-and-counting users – 90% of whom are under 26 years old – having on the fashion industry as a whole? In the first episode of Now, Then, Ten, Maria Raga shares the secrets of Gen Z’s go-to resale brand with Nicola Mendelsohn, reveals the pivotal moments that led her to the role, and talks candidly about the lessons she’s learned along the way.  Sign up to Facebook Curated’s monthly newsletter for stories on the people, brands and ideas shaping business and culture: https://www.facebook.com/business/m/facebookcurated-newsletter Now, Then, Ten - in collaboration with Facebook & Founders Forum. Want to hear more from our hosts? Follow @Nicola Mendelsohn and Brent Hoberman.

Now, Then, Ten explores how the world’s most influential communities – from global movements to Gen Z brands – come to life. Hosts Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebook’s Vice President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Brent Hoberman, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Founders Forum, ask the driving forces behind these communities – luminaries in business, technology and culture – to share the secrets of their success. They’ll reveal how they were created, the moments in history that inspired them, and what they’ll look like 10 years from now.