Business First AI. Win with Bots. Be Loved by Humans.
AI is rapidly reshaping how customers discover, decide, and buy — yet most organisations are still experimenting at the edges.
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The real challenge is no longer access to AI.
It is knowing where it actually creates business advantage — and how to scale it without losing control.
In this one-day CXO Academy Intelligence, Linda Cereda cuts through the noise to focus on what matters: how to build an AI-native organisation from a business-first perspective.
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This is a strategic, executive-level session — grounded in real enterprise experience — designed to help CMOs, marketing and commerce leaders move beyond pilots and into meaningful transformation.
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WHAT WILL BE COVERED:
95%
OF AI INITIATIVES FAIL TO DELIVER EXPECTED ROI.
This masterclass exists to change that, equipping leaders with proven frameworks for AI strategy AND execution: tools, people, and process.
→ Business-first and strategic, not technical, but very pragmatic
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→ Grounded in enterprise AI research and failure patterns
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→ Built on 20+ years in business and 15+ years at Nike
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→ A structured thinking model for leading AI transformation ​
WHO IS THIS FOR:
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CMOs and Marketing Directors
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DTC & Commerce leaders
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Executives who want strategic clarity on how to get started on AI transformation, or how to scale their existing initiatives in a sustainable way ​
Led by world-class coach
Linda Cereda
Former Global VP Marketing Data at Nike | Nike Advisor & Fractional Exec
Linda Cereda brings over 20 years of international experience driving business growth and consumer-centric innovation through AI and data-driven strategies. She spent over 15 years at Nike, most recently as Global VP of Marketing Data, leading breakthrough initiatives that embedded AI, experimentation, and data-driven decision-making deep into the brand's marketing engine. From building global audience strategies and test frameworks to launching Nike's internal marketing academy, her work delivered millions in incremental demand and scaled modern marketing capabilities across teams worldwide.
She now advises organisations on AI transformation, data monetisation, and modern marketing; and educates and speaks globally.
Linda is known for connecting strategy to execution — fast — and for her ability to navigate complex global organizations and drive business impact. She has led enterprise-scale AI deployments, built AI-powered marketing capabilities, and designed operating models that embed AI into teams, tools, and processes, turning complexity and ambiguity into simple frameworks, relatable narratives, and actionable plans.
AGENDA SEP 16th, 2026
LINDA CEREDA
8.30
9.00
9.15
9.35
10.20
10.45
11.30
11.45
12.30
12.40
13.40
13.55
14.55
Welcome – Registration & Breakfast
Opening words by Linda Cereda
THEME 1: AI Literacy Foundations
• High-level summary of AI applications and history: ML, LLMs, Agents
• What AI is, and what it is not
• Deterministic vs. probabilistic systems, and why it matters
• Bias, hallucinations, and governance
• Why most AI initiatives fail to create structural impact
• Case study: Nike: leveraging AI/ML to drive consumer fairness, engagement, and optimised demand
THEME 2: Business First AI: Future Forward Approach to AI Strategy
• The 3 waves of AI adoption
• AI Automation vs. AI Transformation
• What changes and what doesn't (agentic search and commerce, the perpetual funnel loop, algorithmic loyalty, importance of owned marketing) and implications for brands
• The value gap: why most AI investments fail to scale
Coffee break 25 min
THEME 3: Winning Discovery in the Age of Thinking Machines
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From clicks to answers: the structural shift in search
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The Great Decoupling: visibility, traffic and value diverge
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Humans and bots as decision-makers: how each evaluates brands differently
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The 4 pillars to win in AI Visibility
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The Business First approach for sustainable AI Visibility and growth : Knowledge Forest, methodology and KPI (from knowledge retrieval to recommendation), the repeatable learning loop
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Best Practices for AI Visibility deployment: build vs buy and tool overview, workflows and cross functional team
Practical: AI Visibility on Your Brand
• Hands-on exercise
• Participants test AI visibility for their own company and focus areas
• Debrief: what the results reveal and what to do about them
Lunch 45 min
Mid-Day Check-In: Quiz + Pair Share
• 90-second quiz on sessions 1–3; track your own progress
• Pair Share (2 min): one insight from this morning that applies directly to your business
THEME 4: AI-Native Marketing: The New Operating Model
• The broken funnel: marketing when AI mediates the buying journey
• From deterministic to probabilistic: AI decisioning and adaptive journeys
• Synthetic Personas: understanding customers when traditional segments break down
• Loyalty in the agentic world: retention when AI does the reordering
• Why owned marketing matters more than ever: first-party data and defensible moats
Coffee break 15 min
THEME 5: Pragmatic AI Deployment: From Strategy to Action
• Choosing where AI creates structural advantage
• Build vs. buy: a practical decision framework
• The Playbook for AI Implementation: a proven deployment model
• What separates organisations that scale from those that stall
• Selected real case studies
Closing: Reflection
• Key Takeaways & how to get started
• Closing reflections & quiz
• Q&A
15.30
Thank you – End of the day
Investment options
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Location:
Unioninkatu 17
00130, Helsinki, Finland
Hotel Haven is located in a central yet peaceful setting in the historic Kaartinkaupunki district, by the sea, just a few minutes’ walk from a variety of shops, restaurants, and attractions. The hotel is easily accessible by public transport and is only about one kilometer from Helsinki Central Railway Station.