We interview Caroline Das-Monfrais, the Chief Strategy Officer EMEA and Executive Leadership Sponsor for inclusiveness and corporate citizenship at FTI Consulting. She is an active #Women4tech #TechForGood ambassador and passionate about the role of business in driving positive change. We talk with her about her experience at South Summit.

What does South Summit mean for you? How was the experience?

South Summit was a high energy event and I was genuinely impressed by the calibre of people participating across a broad range of start-ups, large corporates and investors. It was extremely stimulating and thought-provoking to present alongside companies such as Google and Amazon. I really enjoyed being part of the panel discussions with DHL and Kaleido on the future of logistics innovation, IoT and advanced manufacturing. Together, we explored questions such as: how automation will impact supply chain optimisation and resilience in the future; how we can address cyber and geopolitical risks; which technologies will most likely disrupt these ecosystems in the next 2-5 years; and how predictive analytics can create new opportunities for businesses looking to reduce costs or manage risks.

What is your company about and should companies get in touch?

It’s fair to say that FTI Consulting is not your typical consulting firm. We have been advisors during some of the most memorable events in recent history, including landmark celebrity legal cases, international crises and disputed presidential elections.

Today our teams of world-leading experts provide businesses advice on a wide-range of business and economic issues. For example we help clients with challenges relating to cybersecurity, financial crime, complex cross-border investigations, Brexit, PR, strategic and crisis communications, as well as corporate finance and business transformation. Digital is at the heart of everything we do, and it underpins most of our expert-led work across all industry sectors not just TMT. With offices in every major business centre in the world, FTI advises (usually behind the scenes) firms large and small, including over half of the Fortune Global 100 companies, 96 of the world’s top 100 law firms and 8 of the world’s top 10 banks. You can get in touch by connecting with myself or any member of our expert network.

What does the future look like for startups?

There is no doubt that start-ups will continue to flourish and bring innovation to cross-industry ecosystems. We are living in transformative times, and start-ups bring exciting new possibilities and fresh thinking to businesses across all sectors.

I expect to see increased collaboration between established companies and start-ups in the future, as well as the adoption of new investment models.

What advice would you give to those startups that want to participate in South Summit, and what are corporations looking for when they meet startups?

The startups I met at South Summit this year were bold and unconstrained by the limitations of today’s marketplace. That’s really important and, to me, inspiring because the startups that stand out at such busy events are not just those who showcase great technology, but who have also thought hard about the practical, commercial applications for their products and services.

For example, it’s great to offer an IoT product, but can it be used to help lower supply chain costs, or reduce reputational risk in the event of a product recall? By being one step ahead, startups have a greater chance of unlocking funding and creating successful partnerships with corporates.

What´s your dream in life?

That’s a tough one, since I have many! One thing I’d like to do is play a small part in making sure that business innovation creates a positive societal impact over the next decade and beyond. As the fourth revolution unfolds, it is creating many ethical questions, and I strongly believe that businesses like FTI Consulting, alongside everyone who attended South Summit, has a role to play in joining the dialogue and shaping the thinking.