This case traces the evolution of Grupo Boticário from a single-brand perfumery in Brazil to a multi-brand, multi-channel beauty powerhouse. As the company builds one of the world’s largest proprietary distribution networks and deepens its ecosystem model, CEO Fernando Modé faces a series of complex strategic choices.

Holcim, a global leader in sustainable building solutions, has embarked on a bold decarbonization strategy to revolutionize the construction industry. This case examines its innovative practices, including partnerships with startups, digital transformation and product innovation, to tackle climate change and achieve net-zero targets by 2050.

In May 2023, the product leadership team of the LEGO Group convenes at its headquarters in Billund, Denmark, for the annual portfolio meeting. Led by Julia Goldin, Chief Product and Marketing Officer, who aims to outline the strategic agenda for the next four years.

Based in Brazil, Suzano is a global leader in pulp and paper that is looking to diversify beyond its core activities and become part of the green economy. A merger with Fibria in 2019 leads to a major restructuring. As the company celebrates its 100-year anniversary in 2023, attention turns to framing a vision for the century to come.

Infosys, the global consulting and IT services company based in India, began creating digital solutions in partnership with the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in 2015.

The case focuses on Haier Europe, a branch of Haier Smart Home and part of the Chinese Haier Group, and how it applies RenDanHeYi, a unique management model that explains the group’s extraordinary rate of growth amidst fierce competition, with an intense focus on the local customer and keeping costs low.

In September 2020, Pradeep Kakkattil was facing difficult questions about his team’s
strategic direction. In the two years since he had founded the Office of Innovation at
UNAIDS – the United Nations agency for coordinating global action on AIDS – the
team had grown from two people to six and had established over 100 partnerships

In 2019, David Behrends, head of Trading and Managing Partner at Sucafina, founded and launched Farmer Connect, a blockchain-based end-to-end transparent solution for the coffee trading industry.

The case describes the creation and evolution of Brazil’s first low-cost airline – GOL. From the outset GOL was driven by innovation and within a few years of operating had become the country’s leading airline. Although initially a low-cost carrier, over the years it became increasingly customer-centric, striving to improve the customer experience by removing the pain points of air travel.

The case study traces the development of FC Barcelona’s Innovation Hub (BIH) and its plans to go global. It describes how factors on and off the pitch led to the launch and how the BIH is preparing the club for the future at the centre of an ecosystem that includes prestigious brands, universities, start-ups, and athletes worldwide, all linked by a culture of excellence.

With the globalization of wine, the wine industry in Portugal has experienced a major shift from a local to a global focus over the last 30 years. Quinta do Vallado, one of the major players in that process, has seen exports double (to account for 40% of revenues) and a 10-fold increase in foreign markets (from 5 in 2000 to 48 in 2020).

The case describes how the Italian multinational Enel Group, one of the largest power utilities companies in the world, embraced the transformation of the energy sector, combining open innovation with sustainability – or what the company calls “Innovability”).

The case discusses the globalization of fashion and the trajectory of Fashion Forward Dubai. Since its inception in 2013, FFWD had striven to offer an alternative to traditional fashion weeks by showcasing collections of local designers to fashion buyers, journalists and customers on the catwalk and on internet. Over 15,000 attendees came to the show and more than 100,000 followed it online.

The case describes Operation “Lava Jato” (Car Wash) in Brazil, one of largest anti-corruption investigations in the world.

Jean-Marc Frangos, Managing Director of Products & Services Research and Open Innovation at BT Group is looking to optimize the London-based telcom company’s external innovation process – scouting for new technologies from Silicon Valley, Israel and Asia.

Thirty years after being founded by CEO Marco Stefanini, Stefanini is one of the largest providers of ICT services in Latin America. Unlike most Brazilian (and Latin American) companies, Stefanini has focused on international markets for many years.

The Swiss company TAG Heuer, maker of luxury watches, is part of the LVMH group (Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton). In 2015, CEO Jean-Claude Biver is deciding whether to launch its first-ever fully connected Swiss watch, manufactured in partnership with Google and Intel.

Case A explores the career trajectory of Eike Batista, CEO and founder of EBX, a Brazilian conglomerate focused on mining, oil & gas, shipping and other industries, who is already looking to expand into new markets while his existing businesses are only just moving into an operational phase.