286. Benjamin Lickfett, Global VP Breakthrough Innovation, Digital & Ventures at Diageo, Live from Retail Media Summit UK: Customer Journey, Personalization, Startups, External Innovation, Trends

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/j7L91zT_YzE

Benni Lickfett is the Global VP Breakthrough Innovation, Digital & Ventures at spirits and beer leader Diageo (Guiness, Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker…). In this conversation, recorded live at SMG and ADWEEK’s Retail Media Summit UK, you’ll hear about how rethinking consumer journeys, deploying AI-driven personalization, innovating beyond the bottle, bringing tech into heritage brands, and staying ahead in fast-changing spaces like travel retail, martech, and sustainability.

 Tune in to hear about:

•  What “Breakthrough Innovation” means at Diageo and how Benni’s team operates beyond the bottle.
• Benni’s unconventional background and how his startup and consulting experience shaped his role today.
• How consumer behaviour and the traditional marketing funnel have evolved in recent years.
• Leveraging technology — martech, AI, data and personalization — to enhance the end-to-end consumer journey.
• How Diageo prioritizes innovation, balances build vs partner models, and stays ahead of emerging trends.