Let's Talk Loyalty

Paula Thomas
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Jun 5, 2025 • 41min

Inside Decathlon Membership: Loyalty Insights with Pablo Sardina (#675)

This episode is available in audio format on our Let's Talk Loyalty podcast and in video format on www.Loyalty.TV.In this episode Charlie Hills interviews Pablo Sardina, the Global Loyalty Senior Product Manager for Decathlon Membership. Pablo is a Growth and CX Expert in Sports Retail, focused on loyalty and relational models.He has spent the last 7 years dedicated to drive digital products business value by delivering the optimal marketing strategy, including customer insights gathering, go to market strategies and campaigns and activations planning.Today we will be learning about his favourite books, highlights and key learnings from the programmes he has worked on and all about Decathlon membership.Hosted by Charlie Hills  Show Notes :1) Pablo Sardiña 2) Decathlon Membership3) European Loyalty Whitepaper4) Mando - Connect5) The Lean Start Up (Book)
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Jun 3, 2025 • 34min

Paula Thomas, Oprah of Loyalty wins The 2025 International Loyalty Personality of the Year (#674)

This episode is available in audio format on our Let's Talk Loyalty podcast and in video format on www.Loyalty.TV.Today’s episode is hosted by Amanda Cromhout, featuring a special guest – our very own Paula Thomas.In this conversation, Paula shares the inspiring origin story of Let’s Talk Loyalty – from spotting a gap in the market to launching the industry’s first podcast dedicated to loyalty, and eventually expanding into Loyalty TV.Now over five years old, Let’s Talk Loyalty has evolved into a powerful voice in the B2B space. Paula reflects on the journey so far and how, with its impressive reach and engagement, the show continues to outperform typical industry benchmarks.Naturally, the conversation also touches on a proud recent milestone: Paula’s recognition as the International Loyalty Personality of the Year 2025 – a moment of celebration for both her and the entire team behind the scenes.Show Notes :1) Amanda Cromhout2) Paula Thomas3) Let’s Talk Loyalty 4) Loyalty TV5) Wishes Fulfilled by Dr. Wayne Dyer
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May 29, 2025 • 41min

ENOC (UAE Fuel Programme) Grows With Travel, Subscriptions and Co-Brand Propositions (#673)

This episode is available in audio format on our Let's Talk Loyalty podcast and in video format on www.Loyalty.TV.Today we welcome a new guest host – Joanna Witsch - who has been on the show a few times as one of our expert guests.Joanna Witsch is hosting today's episode which features one of Comarch’s most loyal clients - Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC).Her guest is Suryaveer Singh who is the Head of Loyalty CRM and Data at ENOC (more often simply known as Suri).Suri was previously on the show in 2021 and since then the YES Rewards programme has grown dramatically.This UAE-based fuel-led loyalty programme now has over a million members and includes a co-branded credit card, a subscription tier and also a consumer travel proposition, effectively evolving in to a comprehensive lifestyle programme.Please enjoy this conversation between Joanna Witsch from Comarch and Suri Singh from ENOC.This episode is sponsored by Comarch.Show Notes:1) Suryaveer Singh 2) Joanna Witsch 3) YES Rewards4) Emirates National Oil Company5) Comarch6) The Psychology of Money (Book)7) Yes Rewards from ENOC - Fuel, Food & Convenience Loyalty in UAE - 2021 Episode
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May 27, 2025 • 37min

Hadie Perkas: Connecting the Loyalty Industry Through Vision and Community – see what ’ s next!!! (#672)

Hadie Perkas is an inspiring entrepreneur with a career starting in recruitment, before founding The Gift Club & The European Loyalty Association. Hadie is known for her business drive, while identifying gaps in the market. The communities she builds empowers businesses to build connections lasting relationships. The latest exciting news from the ELA is the launch of the Jobs Board, matching experienced loyalty professionals with job opportunities in the industry. Hosted by Carly Neubauer Show Notes:- 1) Hadie Perkas2) The Gift Club3) The European Loyalty Association.4) Jobs Board5) Atomic Habits (Book) 6) Cold: ExtremeAdventures at the Lowest Temperature on Earth (Book)
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May 22, 2025 • 42min

Launching Shoppers Drug Mart's Optimum: Learnings from a Loyalty Operations Lens (#671)

In the latest Wiser Loyalty podcast, Aaron Dauphinee of the Wise Marketer Group, speaks with industry loyalty operations expert, Nadine Rubin.  Nadine shares her thoughts on the characteristics and skills needed to be successful in loyalty operations after a 25+ year career in the industry.  She also shares her vast experience, in particular while launching the Shoppers Drug Mart Optimum program in Canada as an alternative to coalition loyalty models that were dominating the market.  Nadine does a compare and contrast of then versus now in loyalty and outlines some successes and wins: ensuring the immediacy of rewarding members, establishing program ambassadorship, testing with employees, etc.  Nadine closes by providing some thoughts and advice to a younger version of herself working in the 'loyalty industry'. This conversation is chalked full of insights and learning from someone that specializes in the unique area of Loyalty Operations.  Show Notes:1) Nadine Rubin2) Aaron Dauphinee3) Wise Marketer Group4) Drug Mart Optimum5) The Invitation by Oriah (Book)
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May 20, 2025 • 52min

Pasaporte, el programa de lealtad de Despegar (#670)

Today's episode of Let's Talk Loyalty & Loyalty TV is in Spanish. Descubre las estrategias de lealtad que están marcando la pauta en el sector viajes online en nuestro nuevo episodio de Let's Talk Loyalty/Recibimos a Alex Sánchez, líder del programa Pasaporte de Despegar y con una valiosa trayectoria en Club Premier. Alex nos comparte cómo Despegar fideliza a sus usuarios a través de beneficiostangibles como la acumulación de puntos y su innovadora tarjeta Invex.En esta conversación, exploraremos cómo se pueden crear tiers de forma estructurada y alineada a los objetivos, además de la clave para combinar transacciones y experiencias en un programa de lealtad exitoso. ¡No te pierdas los insights de un experto! Escúchalo ahora.Hosted by Alex Saul.Show Notes:- 1)Alex Sánchez2) Despegar3)From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time  (Book)
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May 15, 2025 • 36min

Bank of America's Preferred Rewards Program (#669)

This episode is available in audio format on our Let's Talk Loyalty podcast and in video format on www.Loyalty.TV.I’m delighted to be today meeting with another Fortune 500 brand as we meet with Bank of America, one the world's largest banks.According to its latest annual report, Bank of America now serves approximately 69 million consumer and small business clients, and surpassed $100 billion in revenue in 2024, with net income in excess of $27 BILLION.As part of the bank’s celebrations for the ten year anniversary of its Preferred Rewards program, I am joined today by Shikha Narula, the Managing Director, Head of Consumer & Small Business Product Strategy, Transformation and Rewards at Bank of America.Shikha shares some of their key achievements including a membership base of over 11 million members, a 99% retention rate, and some of their flagship partnerships such as their coffee / cash-back program with Starbucks in the US market.Shikha also shares how their award-winning Preferred Rewards program really differs from other programs in the financial services industry.Please enjoy our conversation.Show Notes:1) Shikha Narula2) Bank of America3) Bank of America Preferred Rewards® program4) Coffee, meet Cash Back - Bank of America Promotion | Starbucks Rewards5) Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less (Book)
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May 13, 2025 • 47min

Loyalty KPI's with Brierley PLUS Capillary's Latest Acquisition Announced (#668)

Today I'm chatting with Don Smith - well known to many of you for his role as the Chief Consulting Officer of Brierley which is now a Capillary Services Company.Don shares his expertise around optimising some of the common KPI’s for loyalty professionals, the importance of the “mental mantle” of loyalty, as well as some of the big nuggets he learned from the recent Capillary Captivate Conference in Mumbai.As one of the loyalty industry’s most respected brands, I’m thrilled to bring you some of Brierley’s unique frameworks and perspectives that can help us all build better programs. We also discuss Capillary's most recent news as they acquire Kognitiv Corporation, to enhance both their client portfolio and their position in the US market. Please enjoy our conversation.This episode is sponsored by Capillary Technologies. Show notes:1) Don Smith2) Brierley3) Capillary Captivate Conference4) An Economic Theory of Democracy (Book)
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May 8, 2025 • 45min

How to Build Loyalty That Works? Global Lessons in Personalization, Culture, and Trust with Comarch (#667)

This episode is available in audio format on our Let's Talk Loyalty podcast and in video format on www.Loyalty.TV.This episode celebrates Comarch which has become our new title sponsor for Loyalty TV, and we are thrilled to announce this as our biggest partnership so far of 2025.Sponsoring Loyalty TV is how Comarch is showcasing its ambition to be recognised worldwide as the go-to partner for loyalty professionals.In today’s episode, Paula Thomas is joined in studio by Marlena Polrola and Joanna Witsch, both based here in Dubai with Comarch’s Middle East team.Marlena and Joanna will share why you should be following, learning from and talking to Comarch throughout your loyalty journey, including some real examples of the scale and success of their loyalty projects worldwide over more than 30 years so far.Episode sponsored by Comarch. Show Notes :1) Marlena Polrola2) Joanna Witsch3) Comarch4) The Five Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom (Book)5) Loyalty Program and the Currency Effect : A Comprehensive Guide to Realizing the Power of Points (Book)
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May 6, 2025 • 37min

Host Announcement - Former President of AAdvantage - Bridget Blaise-Shamai (#666)

This episode is available in audio format on our Let's Talk Loyalty podcast and in video format on www.Loyalty.TV.I’m thrilled to be announcing a new member of the Let's Talk Loyalty family as we continue to grow our network of guest hosts around the world.Today’s announcement is incredibly exciting as we’re being joined by someone who has led one of the biggest airline loyalty programs in the United States.Bridget Blaise-Shamai is most notably a former President of the American Airlines Advantage Program, the award winning travel rewards program of American Airlines, which of course includes leadership responsibility for the entire proposition and partnerships portfolio, where she led a team of over 700 professionals to deliver that world-class program.Bridget has also worked at V. Group, a leading global shipping services firm, as well as serving as an advisory board member to several loyalty and payments start-ups.She is also a guest speaker at Universities on how to affect consumer preference, loyalty/digital marketing and data analytics.Today Bridget is bringing more than 25 years expertise in loyalty and leadership roles to Let’s Talk Loyalty and Loyalty TV, where she will be hosting monthly episodes featuring guests from various lifestyle programs and industries across the United States.Please enjoy our conversation.Show Notes:1) Bridget Blaise-Shamai 2) The Pillars of The Earth -Ken Follett (Book)3) Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drive Our Success (Book)

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