Millennium Live | A Leadership & Discovery Podcast

Hosted by The Millennium Alliance

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374

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Aug 2026

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About the show

🎙️ Millennium Live: Where the Leaders of Today are Transforming the Digital Enterprise The Millennium Alliance Podcast offers Fortune 1000 C-Level executives, leading public sector/government officials, and thought leaders across a variety of disciplines a unique and exclusive platform to present opportunities to their peers, share industry developments, and tell the story of their career and overall company value. Headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, The Millennium Alliance is a leading technology, business, and educational advisory firm. Focusing primarily in areas such as business transformation, executive education, growth, policy, and need analysis. Millennium is quickly becoming one of the most dynamic locations for collaboration across the world. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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August 31, 202637 min

Episode 375 | The Cost of Standing Still: Is Your MHE Fleet Losing You Money?

Most people hear “electrification” and think of electric cars. But some of the biggest opportunities are happening in a much less visible place: the forklifts moving goods through warehouses and distribution centers. In this episode, we explore the hidden technology and cost gaps surrounding industrial material-handling equipment (MHE). JF Marchand, Marketing Director at UgoWork, examines why many fleets are still relying on outdated lead-acid technology, how the OEM and dealer ecosystem influences fleet-energy decisions, what differentiates UgoWork’s lithium solutions, and how its fleet intelligence platform turns battery data into actionable insights. The episode also covers the accelerating adoption of lithium, the tension between site-level uptime priorities and enterprise-wide asset efficiency, and how better data can help organizations close that gap. For supply chain and operations leaders, the takeaway is clear: the battery powering a forklift may be much more than an equipment decision. It can be a lever for productivity, visibility, and significant cost savings. About UgoWork: UgoWork is on a mission to eliminate energy waste in the material handling industry. We develop smart lithium-ion forklift batteries and charging infrastructure engineered for the real world: non-stop pressure, tough warehouse conditions, and constant changes on the floor. Beyond products, we address every energy challenge—from understanding power consumption and grid constraints to optimizing asset life and managing large-scale fleet transitions. Based in Québec, Canada, they power some of the largest S&P 500 and Fortune 500 operations across North America—making lift truck energy one less thing to worry about. Learn more at ugowork.com About the guest: JF Marchand is the Marketing Director at UgoWork, a fast-growing technology company driving operational transformation in the industrial sector. A trained mechanical engineer with a career rooted in innovation, JF brings over 15+ years of experience helping international tech companies scale by aligning commercial strategy with purpose-driven product development. At UgoWork, he leads a multidisciplinary team across strategy, brand, demand generation, sales enablement, and outbound growth. With a sharp focus on delivering business impact, JF builds marketing and business development engines that prioritize operational efficiency, reduce waste, and accelerate enterprise adoption. JF is known for his strategic mindset, collaborative leadership style, and bias for action. He thrives in fast-paced environments where cross-functional alignment, creativity, and shared values fuel growth. For him, building successful teams is as much about having fun and developing people as it is about delivering results. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

August 10, 202629 min

Episode 374 | Skills Are Worthless Without Architecture

Skills-based hiring, skills taxonomies, and AI-powered talent strategies are transforming HR—but there’s a foundational problem many organizations are overlooking: skills are only useful when they’re connected to a clear, governed job architecture. In this episode of Millennium Live , we welcome back AJ Naddell, SVP Product at JDXpert, to explore why organizations are struggling to turn their growing skills data into meaningful outcomes. AJ explains how inconsistent job families, levels, titles, and career tracks can undermine everything from skills mapping and internal mobility to compensation and workforce planning. AJ discusses why skills initiatives often fail without a job architecture foundation, and how AI can accelerate architecture building while keeping HR teams in control. The conversation also explores the real cost of fragmented job data, why traditional job architecture projects quickly become outdated, and how AI-assisted approaches like JDXpert’s Architecture Builder can help organizations create and maintain a connected job architecture at scale. If your organization is investing in skills, AI, or internal mobility, the first question may not be which skills platform should we buy? It may be: Do we have the architecture to make those skills useful? Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

August 3, 202627 min

Episode 373 | Angela McNeal: AI Can Be the Most Auditable Actor in Your Enterprise

Over the past two years, enterprises have invested heavily in AI pilots, copilots, and large language models. Yet for many organizations, the journey stalls before delivering meaningful business impact. So what separates the companies successfully deploying AI at scale from those still stuck in proof-of-concept mode? We’re joined by Angela McNeal, Co-Founder and CEO of Thread AI. And In this episode, Angela shares why the industry's conversation around autonomous AI agents may be getting ahead of enterprise reality, why governance and control aren't barriers to innovation but the foundation for it, and how Thread AI is helping organizations orchestrate AI systems that are reliable, secure, and ready for production. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

July 30, 202618 min

Episode 372 | The AI Era Creator Commerce Playbook

Consumers increasingly discover products through creators—and AI-powered search engines have surfaced as trusted voices - and could be leading the way brands earn attention and drive purchases. With change always coming so fastJoining us is Nicki Seaborn, Head of Creator Product at Later, where she helps some of the world's leading brands build creator strategies that don't just generate engagement—they drive measurable business outcomes. From influencer partnerships and affiliate programs to creator commerce and AI's growing role in discovery, Nicki is at the forefront of helping marketers adapt to how people actually shop today. In this conversation, we'll explore why AI search is making creator marketing more important than ever, how leading brands are evolving their creator programs, the biggest mistakes even experienced marketers still make, and what CMOs need to understand as creator content becomes a key part of the customer journey. We'll also look ahead at the future of creator commerce and the mindset shift Nicki hopes every marketer takes away from her upcoming talk in Nashville. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

July 20, 202621 min

Episode 371 | People Models & Populations 2.0: How Human AI Is Transforming Product Innovation

As organizations increasingly rely on AI to inform product development, marketing, and customer experience, we bring you the organizations that are truly delivering an impact. Today, we're joined by Chad Reynolds, CEO and founder of Vurvey Labs, a company removing the barriers for human collaboration and helping artificial intelligence better understand how people think, feel, and make decisions. Vurvey is certainly taking a different approach by simulating human behaviors, combining AI with human insight to help businesses test ideas and make more informed decisions before going to market. We'll explore Chad's entrepreneurial journey, why he believes today's AI is missing a critical understanding of people, and how Vurvey's latest innovation, Populations 2.0, is enabling organizations to simulate consumer responses at scale. We'll also discuss how companies are putting this technology to work today, and where Chad sees Human AI and People Models evolving over the next several years. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

July 13, 202640 min

Episode 370 | Scaling Enterprise Video: Enabling Content Creation with Shootsta

Video has become a critical business tool for marketing, internal communications, sales enablement, and customer engagement - but many organizations still struggle to produce enough high-quality content to meet growing demand. In this episode of the Millennium Live Podcast, we sit down with Chad Lakin, Senior Vice President of Growth at Shootsta, to explore how organizations can build a scalable video strategy efficiently. Drawing on Shootsta's experience delivering more than 70,000 video projects for leading global brands, Chad shares the lessons learned from helping enterprises transform the way they create and distribute video. Chad also discusses the biggest mistakes companies make when scaling video production, how AI is changing the future of enterprise content creation, and what separates the organizations succeeding with video from those falling behind. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

June 15, 202641 min

Episode 369 | Stop Renting Your Customer Relationship: The Case for Owning Last-Mile Delivery

In this episode of Millennium Live, Jake Stein, VP of Retail Growth at Burq, joins the podcast to discuss why last-mile delivery has become one of retail's most important competitive advantages. Jake has spent more than two decades helping some of the world's most influential technology companies scale growth, operations, and customer experience. From past experiences at Expedia's travel marketplace to Uber's global logistics network, Jake has built a career at the intersection of technology, commerce, and operational excellence. He shares lessons from building delivery infrastructure at Uber Direct, explains why retailers are increasingly reclaiming ownership of the customer experience, and explores how modern delivery orchestration is transforming everything from beauty and home improvement to time-sensitive B2B parts fulfillment. Jake also dives into Burq's AI-powered orchestration platform, Pulse AI, and how intelligent dispatching, real-time exception management, and proactive customer communication are helping retailers improve reliability without simply adding more delivery capacity. Jake offers his perspective on the future of retail logistics, why reliability is emerging as a stronger loyalty driver than speed, and what retail leaders need to understand as the industry shifts from carrier expansion to AI, data, and orchestration. More about Jake and Burq: Jake Stein is VP of Retail Growth at Burq, where he leads enterprise expansion across retail and distribution. He joined Burq from Uber Direct, where he ran Retail across the U.S. and Canada, partnering with national retailers to embed delivery directly into their native ecommerce experiences. Before last-mile, Jake spent two decades in online travel, leading global partnerships and distribution strategy working with top lodging brands. Across 25+ years of leadership, his work has lived at the intersection of technology, commercial strategy, and operations. Burq is a last-mile delivery infrastructure platform that gives businesses access to a broad carrier network all in one place. Powered by Pulse AI, Burq delivers the intelligence and flexibility to optimize every delivery, from execution to customer experience. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

June 10, 202652 min

Episode 368 | Purpose Through Perspective: A Journey From Patient to Healthcare Builder

n this episode of Millennium Live, resilience, perspective, leadership, and the human side of healthcare remind us that the best care goes far beyond treatment alone. Beau Barron, SVP of Growth at STAT Wellness, joined the podcast to share a deeply personal journey through healthcare - navigating cancer treatment as an osteosarcoma survivor, and now helping scale a patient centered wellness company nationwide. Beau walks us through how his early experiences, serving as a firefighter and EMT shaped his understanding of compassion in care, and why his time scaling access at ViewFi Health reinforced the importance of reducing friction for patients. Beau opens up about his diagnosis, undergoing surgery and chemotherapy, the role STAT Wellness played in supporting him during recovery, and why relationship driven, personalized healthcare has become central to his mission today. Beau's story on Millennium Live is a great example of leadership & discovery, and a testament to how his own experiences fundamentally changed his perspective on what people truly need from the healthcare system today. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

June 3, 202638 min

Episode 367 | The Limitless CMO: Rebuilding Marketing to Scale Impact in the Age of AI

In this #MillenniumLive conversation, Lisa Cole of 2X joins The Millennium Alliance to discuss the operating-model shift modern CMOs need to make as expectations accelerate and traditional resource models break down. Drawing from The Limitless CMO, Lisa will unpack why marketing leaders are being asked to deliver more pipeline, more personalization, more speed, and more AI-enabled efficiency - often without the budget or headcount to match. The episode will focus on how CMOs can move from order-taking to market-making by running marketing like a business, redesigning work around outcomes instead of org charts, using strategic outsourcing to expand capability, and applying AI as a force multiplier rather than a collection of disconnected tools. Key Themes: The marketing resource paradox: rising expectations with constrained budgets and headcount Moving from order-taking to market-making MAPS: running marketing like a professional services business Strategic outsourcing as capability expansion, not cost reduction AI as a force multiplier - and why random acts of AI are not enough Building a Limitless Operating Model with people, partners, platforms, and AI Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

May 18, 202635 min

Episode 366 | Why 80% of Enterprise AI Projects Fail: The Enterprise AI Disruption Rewriting Legacy Software & Transformation

In a world where organizations are drowning in fragmented AI tools, expensive pilots, legacy software, retrofitted language models, and unclear ROI, TheNoah.ai says there’s a radically different way forward — one that is full-stack, zero-code, pre-trained, vertically ready from day one, powered by thousands of AI agents, and designed to dramatically reduce costs, deployment time, manpower dependency, compute requirements, and even energy consumption. Akash Sureka, Founder of TheNoah.ai shares what’s really happening in the enterprise B2B AI world — what’s working, what’s failing, and why the true business and opportunity cost behind failed AI transformation projects. Akash dives into the current enterprise AI landscape, the massive disruption it’s facing, and how AI-native companies are beginning to challenge and potentially replace traditional legacy software, SaaS platforms, and fragmented AI vendors. He also points out what makes TheNoah.ai ’s approach different — and why skilling is the most important tool your teams will need going forward. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.