Digital platforms have become one of most powerful forces in global business. They support entire ecosystems, enabling rapid growth and huge profits for multiple participants.

You have a problem. Someone else has been talking to your customer. The likes of Amazon, Apple, Nordstorm – and the other gods of customer service have been educating your customer in what excellent looks and feels like.

The pensions industry is in the race to get data right, to make sure everyone is where they need to be on the non-negotiables of data quality and data security.

Customer loyalty is the holy grail of brand. Less than a decade ago, consumers told marketing research company IPSOS MORI that they trusted certain household brands (Heinz, John Lewis, Walmart) more than the Government.

Businesses today are more inventive, creative and bold than they have ever been before. They’ve had to be. We are living in a moment where there is no ‘playing it safe’ – and where doing nothing is often the worst possible option.

With so much of our lives spent engaging through digital channels and consuming digital media, it should be no surprise to know that I see this as a critical element in delivering the next generation of Capita’s pensions and benefits services.

‘Innovation’ has become a loaded word, one that can send a shiver down the spine of even the most forward-thinking CEO.

A few years ago, a breach that impacted several million people would have been big news. In 2019 roughly 3.5 billion people saw their personal data stolen in the top two security breaches of that year alone.

Cyber security has an air of mystery to it. Something hidden in the shadows and only able to be understood by technologists and spies.

The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the need for cyber security but also changed the very nature of the beast.