I connect Brands, Software Houses & Ecommerce Vendors | Community Builder & International Expansion Specialist within E-commerce| Content Specialist| Podcast Host | LinkedIn Creator| Go To Market| Check My Bio 4+

I work at the intersection of international commerce, governance, and ecosystem strategy.

For more than 15 years, I have operated across Europe, Latin America, The Middle East working with companies expanding across markets, building go-to-market strategies, structuring partnerships, and navigating growth in complex, multi-country environments. 

My work has consistently focused on one question: how organisations scale internationally without losing clarity, credibility, or trust.

I am based in Denmark and work globally with founders, executives, board members, and investors involved in growth, transformation, and market entry.

I am the Founder of EVOLVE, a private platform connecting board members, senior advisors, and fractional leaders to growth companies in commerce. EVOLVE operates across 48+ markets and is designed for senior professionals who increasingly work through advisory roles, board positions, fractional leadership, and selective operating mandates.

EVOLVE is built for depth.It prioritises trust, continuity, and long-term relationships at the governance and decision-making level.

I work best with senior leaders, PE-backed and growth-stage companies, family offices, and investors focused on international expansion, partnerships, ecosystem strategy, and long-term positioning.

If that is your context, we should talk.


Keywords

Board members

Senior advisors

Fractional leadership

Growth companies

Private platform

International expansion

Governance

PE-backed

Family offices

Ecosystem strategy

Carlos Monteiro

Media, Trust & Monetization with Alessandro De Zanche and David Alves 

What a great session

Founder, EVOLVE | Connecting boards, senior advisors, and fractional leaders to growth companies in commerce

This week at EVOLVE we had a sharp conversation with Alessandro De Zanche and Davi Alves about media, commerce, and why so many transformation efforts fail.


Content is not the problem.
Technology is not the problem.

Incentives are.

media businesses, creators, platforms, even retailers acting like media companies are structurally misaligned. Leadership often understands what needs to change, but organisations still reward short-term optimisation over long-term coherence.

AI only accelerates that reality. It doesn’t fix it.

If you’re a CEO navigating transformation, or a senior leader stepping into board or advisory work, this is the kind of discussion we have in our club.

check our newsletter this week.

the link is in my linkedin bio

EVOLVE is a trusted circle built on connection.

Here’s what Bradley Lane shared about his experience.

Our partners and members don’t come for visibility.
They come for the people behind the work.

Yes, they represent strong brands.
What matters more is who they are in the room.

When you partner with EVOLVE or join the private club,
this is the circle you associate with.

#evolve

"For me EVOLVE is all about connection"
Bradley Lane 

Bradley is one of our founding members

We have over 500 senior members 
Spanning 48 markets

Check what Bradley Lane has to say about it

#evolve

I believe the companies of the future are building their media capabilities today.

To build a media capability, you don’t need much.

One phone.
A point of view.
And the courage to share it without hiding behind vanilla content.

Honestly, there’s nothing particularly special about what I post here.

What is special about EVOLVE are the people who say yYES to joining our weekly conversations.

That comes with responsibility.

If someone agrees to join an expert session, it’s on me to do my best to  amplify their thinking properly. That part is hard.

I have to think carefully about the topics we explore and the questions I ask.
Most of the time, I don’t even feel capable enough to have a deep dialogue alone.That’s also in part why I invite other experts to the room.

People with complementary perspectives who can elevate the conversation beyond what I could do on my own. That’s how EVOLVE is built.

And this connects directly to what we discussed in today’s expert session.
The conversation wasn’t really about media.
It was about responsibility.

If you accept that media, commerce, and marketplaces now overlap, then building a media capability is no longer optional. 

It’s how ideas travel. 
It’s how trust is built. 
It’s how context is created before a transaction exists.

That’s why non-media companies are being forced to think like media companies.
Not to chase attention, but to earn it.

The same applies to EVOLVE.

If I’m asking senior leaders to show up, share their thinking, and expose 

their experience, then I owe them a space that’s thoughtful, prepared, and worth their time.

Media, in this sense, is not content.
It’s intent, curation, and respect for the people involved.

Romania is no longer an underdog.

Great conversation at the Netopia Summit on how competition, talent, and global attention are reshaping the market.

Many thanks to NETOPIA Payments, Marius Costin, Horia Grozea, Mihaela Constantinescu and team for creating the space, and to Ionut Grossuț for the sharp, grounded perspective.

This is what market maturity looks like.

These are the kinds of conversations we host at EVOLVE.
Daily.
Straight from operators.

Across 48 markets.
#evolve

Romania is no longer an underdog market.

Eight years ago, it had strong technical talent but limited external pressure. 

Today, that has shifted. Chinese players are active and highly competitive. Regional players, particularly from Poland, are paying attention. 

The entry of platforms like Trendyol didn’t just add scale, it altered market dynamics.

This is what happens when a market crosses a threshold.

Digital is becoming harder and more expensive. 
Choice has expanded. 
Brands now have alternatives. 

Consultants are no longer scarce. 
Senior and fractional expertise is available, visible, and comparable. 

As a result, everyone is forced to improve.

That was the underlying message we took from a conversation with Ionut Grossuț EVOLVE Chapter Leader in Romania, during the Netopia Summit.

Competition is no longer a future risk. It is the present condition. 
And that is healthy. It signals relevance. It also removes excuses.

In this context, communities matter differently. 
Not as networking clubs, but as places where experienced operators compare notes, shorten learning curves, and build context across markets.

That is the role EVOLVE plays. 
Connecting senior talent, companies, and markets at the moment when execution matters more than potential.

Many thanks to the NETOPIA Payments team for creating the space for these conversations, and to Marius Costin, Horia Grozea, Mihaela Constantinescu, and the wider team for the partnership and trust.

Attention has arrived. 
What happens next depends on how seriously we learn from each other.

If you are a senior operator, advisor, or company navigating this phase, EVOLVE is always open for the conversation

What is the most common illusion founders maintain about their readiness for scale or exit?

In today's expert session we bring someone very experienced with a sucessful exit, Andre Abi Awad, my co-host, Jean Mies, Board Member, senior advisor, EVOLVE club member and former president of Adyen in LATAM will be joining me to discuss:

what actually determines optionality for founders once ambition meets reality. 

We will explore how businesses quietly lose leverage long before exits are discussed, why preparation for growth often creates fragility instead of resilience, and how identity, decision-making, and governance shape outcomes far more than headline metrics. The focus is not on success stories, but on the structural and human dynamics that tend to surface only when pressure arrives.

Interested in joining us?

Sign up on Luma

https://luma.com/e694008w

You can join the EVOLVE crew, and understand more about the calibre of our club by joining us on Airmeet, our incredible partner in this journey and the best platform out there enabling global, vitual and hybrid events 

#evolve

Open article: EVOLVE Expert Session #94 - Andre Abi Awad · Luma by luma.com

EVOLVE Expert Session #94 - Andre Abi Awad · Luma

What is the most common illusion founders maintain about their readiness for scale or exit?

In today's expert session we bring someone very experienced with a sucessful exit, Andre Abi Awad, my co-host, Jean Christian Mies, Board Member, and  senior advisor, EVOLVE club member and former president of Adyen in LATAM will be joining and Hendrik Laubscher me to discuss:

what actually determines optionality for founders once ambition meets reality.

We will explore how businesses quietly lose leverage long before exits are discussed, why preparation for growth often creates fragility instead of resilience, and how identity, decision-making, and governance shape outcomes far more than headline metrics. The focus is not on success stories, but on the structural and human dynamics that tend to surface only when pressure arrives.

CCW Learning Consultants

Director

Pyramid Analytics

CCW Learning Consultants have joined Pyramid Analytics growing number of partners. With an extensive background in Retail & Training, and a comprehensive understanding of how IT systems and processes work in this sector, CCW project manages implementations of new or upgraded technology to Retail Trading teams, collaborating with stakeholders to ensure the design and content of training is relevant to ensure effective & successful adoption.

Partner

escalla

Information Technology Training Consultant

Metropolitan Police

Trainer

First Friday

Training Consultant

John Lewis & Partners

Provide facilitated and remote support for Trading teams, Buying And Merchandising systems and processes.
I create training material and resources both for eLearning and class room, working with stakeholders to establish the key messages and processes that need to be communicated. The role involves supporting and coaching new starters into the business as well as providing on going support for established partners. Act as Subject Matter Expert on Oracle and Pricing developments and initiatives.
Certified City & Guilds qualification

Process& Systems Developer & Technical trainer

This role was to support Buying & Merchandising partners in their role, resolving issues and providing support and training. I supported new initiatives and systems role out to key stakeholders, ensuring they were embedded as well as providing BAU support.
Problem solving and resolution  around issues was also a key aspect of the job, working with other areas of the business to idenity the issues and fix them.

Buying System Advisor

Responsible for selecting assortment with Buyer and managing replenishment in to the Business and out to store. Aim to achieve key KPI's  such as max margin,  stockturn and budget, whiile meeting customer needs in line with commercial awareness. Managedd and developed team members, helping them to progress and develop.

Assistant Buyer. Fashion Accessories

John Lewis

Fashion Accessories DM in Southampton, then Children's  shoes and Children's schoolwear and Fashion in Kingston.

Department Manager

A Level Trainee

All projects need effective and engaging training to succeed!

I bet you've heard of many projects which have not landed as planned and to a degree, how it was conveyed to staff was the issue. The trick is in not "telling" people about the changes but taking them on the journey from inception to where it becomes the norm. 

Who am I❓

🔷As a certified Trainer I have had the pleasure to spend over 15 years using my experience to design and deliver training courses & resources to support Buying & Merchandising teams, providing them with context and covering a wide range of systems and processes.

🔷I love creating and delivering induction training to embed the foundation knowledge and skills required to effectively take on new roles. 

🔷My retail experience comes from 30 years of working in various roles from the shop floor to buying, retail support to training, giving me an in-depth knowledge of how retail works.

🔷I act as a Subject Matter Expert to support & develop new initiatives and processes to enable Buying and Merchandising teams to be more productive and efficient.


But it's not all about retail!  Although my background started with the John Lewis Partnership, I run CCW Learning Consultants, with my long-time friend and colleague Georgina Webster, where we support various sectors with technological, process or induction training.  Together we want to provide support to enable teams to reach their full potential. 
            

How can we help you❓
Using our years of experience and our training skills we can work with you to;   

👍 Create bespoke induction packages.
👍 Establish libraries of learning resources to support your teams.
👍 Collaborate on projects to provide learning solutions for system & process updates & upgrades.
👍 Provide refresher training to strengthen existing knowledge.

We would love to hear from you if you would like more information. Please visit us at https://ccwlearningconsultants.com/ or email us at hello@ccwlearningconsultants.com


https://about.me/castello-cortes

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Carlos Monteiro

Alex Castello-Cortes IT Specialist and Retail Learning Consultant

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The Battle

Carlos Monteiro

Alex Castello-Cortes IT Specialist and Retail Learning Consultant

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Posts

Engagements

Likes

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