The Emotional Economics of Loyalty: Why Points Matter Less Than Trust in 2026

The Intelligence Gap Corporates Can't Afford to Ignore - In conversation with Charlie Ross

For years, private equity has quietly held a competitive advantage that most corporate leaders don't even know exists: direct access to world-class experts who can answer the questions no report, consultant or AI tool can.In this episode of The Backlog Podcast, ADAPTOVATE Managing Director David Gumley sits down with Charlie Ross, Founder of Triangulate Knowledge, Australia's first expert network, to explore how organisations are closing that gap and making smarter, faster decisions through primary research and real-world expertise.Charlie shares why corporate Australia is only just waking up to this opportunity, how AI is augmenting rather than replacing human knowledge, and what today's most pressing challenges from Middle East energy uncertainty to the rise of defence investment are driving organisations to ask right now. https://www.triangulateknowledge.comhttps://www.adaptovate.com

What Would Your Business Look Like If AI Was Native From Day One?

That's the question every leadership team should be asking — but most aren't. MD, Dave Gumley of ADAPTOVATE joins the Backlog podcast to challenge the "bolt-on" approach to AI and make the case for building organisations where AI isn't a tool, it's a way of working. Host this episode is Kath Haigh, from ADAPTOVATE.

Change Isn’t the Add-On—It Is the Transformation

In this episode of The Backlog Podcast, David Gumley sits down with Poppy Lucas to unpack why change management continues to fail despite heavy investment in transformation. They explore the real blockers—change fatigue, lack of behavioral adoption, and misaligned leadership—and outline what it takes to build lasting change capability in a world of constant disruption and AI acceleration.

The Emotional Economics of Loyalty: Why Points Matter Less Than Trust in 2026

Is loyalty dead, or simply misunderstood? In this episode of The Backlog, Laura Scott speaks with Ohad Sternberg, Founder of UpNonStop, about how loyalty has evolved across airlines, retail, and enterprise technology. They examine why points and rewards increasingly function as abstract currency, how gamification shapes customer behavior, and why emotional connection drives decisions more powerfully than discounts. From airline status chasing to supermarket subscriptions and B2B customer success, this conversation explores the structural elements that make loyalty programs effective and the trust dynamics that sustain long-term relationships. For executives, marketers, and consultants focused on retention and customer value, this episode provides a grounded perspective on the emotional economics of loyalty in 2026. Visit: www.adaptovate.com www.upnonstop.com

Why Most OKRs Fail — and How to Use Them to Actually Execute Strategy in 2026

Laura Scott - Managing Director and Partner at ADAPTOVATE Australia is joined in the season four premiere of The Backlog, by Connor Hershkowitz to discuss the importance of OKR's.Visit www.adaptovate.com for more information