#730: Chasing perfection when agility is what's needed with Tom Schmitt, CEO of Radial

The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®: Expert Mode Marketing Technology, AI, & CX

The Agile Brand

Business, Marketing

5 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 8 September 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Is the pursuit of the "perfect" customer experience actually holding brands back from achieving true agility? Agility requires a willingness to embrace calculated risks and adapt quickly to changing market dynamics. It also demands a shift in mindset, from a focus on rigid planning to iterative experimentation and continuous learning. Today, we're going to talk about how brands can navigate the ever-evolving retail landscape by prioritizing agility and leveraging technology to enhance the customer experience. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Tom Schmitt, CEO at Radial. About Tom Schmitt As Chief Executive Officer, Tom oversees the leadership of Radial North America’s Managing Committee, bringing his strategic vision and operational expertise to our team. Tom joins Radial with over 20 years of executive leadership experience in supply chain logistics. Most recently, Tom led commercial growth and rigor for Nikola Corporation serving as Chief Commercial Officer. Prior to Nikola, Tom spent 12 years at FedEx and serving as CEO of FedEx Supply Chain; leading Forward Air Corporation as President, Chairman and CEO; leading Canadian parcel and freight corporation Purolator as CEO; and also heading up the global Contract Logistics business as a management board member for DBSchenker. In addition, Tom has served on several Boards of organizations focused on various aspects of the supply chain. Tom holds an MBA as a Baker Scholar from Harvard Business School as well as a Bachelor of Arts in European Business Administration, First Class Honors, from Middlesex University. Tom Schmitt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tschmitt1965/ Resources Radial: https://www.radial.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Boston, August 11-14, 2025. Register now: https://bit.ly/etailboston and use code PARTNER20 for 20% off for retailers and brandsDon't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150" Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

Transcript

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0:27.6	The Agile Brand.
0:39.7	Welcome to Season 7 of the Agile Brand, where we discuss the trends and topics marketing leaders need to know. Stay curious, stay agile, and join the top enterprise brands and
0:44.9	Martec platforms as we explore marketing technology, AI, e-commerce, and whatever's next for the
0:51.0	Omnichannel customer experience. Together we'll discover what it takes to create an Agile brand, built for today and tomorrow,
0:57.7	and built for customers, employees, and continued business growth.
1:02.3	I'm your host, Greg Kilstrom, advising Fortune 1000 brands on Martec, AI, and marketing operations.
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1:29.0	And now on to the show.
1:30.3	Is the pursuit of the perfect customer experience actually holding brands back from achieving true agility?
1:39.3	Agility requires a willingness to embrace calculated risks and adapt quickly to changing market dynamics.
	...

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