Show notes
Everyone is talking about AI in retail. Very few people can separate buzzwords from real value. In this episode I sat down with Alice Antoniazzi, EMEA Head of Retail, Restaurants & Consumer Goods Business Development at AWS, to talk about what actually moves the needle in retail and CPG, and how AI, cloud and supply chain are reshaping the industry in Europe, the Middle East and beyond Alice did not start in tech. She comes from business and P&G, shifted into enterprise transformation at AWS, and even joined the company remotely during Covid, building a pan EMEA role without meeting her team in person for nearly two years. That experience shaped her view on culture, remote work and what technology really did for small and large companies in the crisis. We talk about: Customer obsession vs revenue obsession and how AWS really lives "start from the customer problem" instead of "sell the next tool." Why the backbone of great customer experience is still end to end supply chain visibility, not just front end UX. Where AI actually creates value in retail and consumer goods content generation, smarter search (like Rufus), "buy for me," store operations and post purchase personalization and where a simple solution might work better than an AI project. How AI can radically improve forecasting, inventory, out of stock reduction and waste, impacting both cost and sustainability. The pace of change she left on maternity leave and came back six months later to a world already talking about "agentic AI," and what that means for leaders who need to keep learning. 05:00 Joining AWS fully remote during Covid learning culture without ever entering an office 07:30 Inside AWS culture customer obsession, flat hierarchy and why escalation is encouraged 10:30 Operating across EMEA local teams, different cultures, same retail and CPG challenges 13:00 AI in retail without the buzzwords start with the business problem, not the tool 16:30 Customer experience front to back content, campaigns, Rufus, "buy for me" and in store AI use cases. 20:30 Supply chain as the foundation forecasting, availability, cost efficiency and sustainability 24:00 Career and maternity getting promoted while on leave and returning to a bigger role 28:00 Partner support, organization at home and redefining what "balance" really means 31:10 Final advice curiosity, flexibility and speaking openly about fears and doubts If you work in retail, CPG, ecommerce or tech, or you are building a global career while also wanting a family, this conversation will give you both a clearer view of AI in retail and a very human perspective on leadership, flexibility and balance. 🎥 Watch the full episode and tell me in the comments what resonated more with you Alice's view on AI and supply chain, or her honesty about career and motherhood in tech. #AliceAntoniazzi #AWS #Retail #ConsumerGoods #Restaurants #DigitalTransformation #WomenInTech #Leadership #EMEA #SantiagoNaranjo #VTEX