Elopak

Julia Viter

Commercial Leadership Visionary

After more than 25 years in international business, I've learned that leadership rarely comes down to one big lesson. Most of what I know today was learned through experience, working with customers, building teams, negotiating complex agreements and occasionally making mistakes I'd rather not repeat. One thing, however, has remained constant: business is about people.

I've spent most of my career in commercial leadership roles, working closely with customers and teams across different countries and cultures. Markets change, strategies evolve and technologies come and go, but trust remains the foundation of every successful team and every long-term partnership.

At the same time, I don't think I've ever witnessed a technological shift as significant as the rise of artificial intelligence. When AI first started appearing in business discussions, many people viewed it as another productivity tool. Today, it's becoming something much more powerful. It's changing the way we analyze data, make decisions, communicate and even think about solving problems.

I use AI regularly in my day-to-day work. Not because it replaces expertise or experience, but because it helps me make better use of both.

  Embrace technology. Learn continuously. Experiment with AI. Challenge yourself to think differently. But never forget that leadership remains a human endeavor.   

Throughout my career, I saw many sales professionals making decisions based on a combination of market knowledge, customer feedback, intuition and experience. Those skills still matter enormously. What has changed is the speed at which we can access and analyze information.

Tasks that once required days of research can now be completed in minutes. Large volumes of market, customer and operational data can be organized and analyzed almost instantly. Rather than spending time collecting information, we can spend more time interpreting it and deciding what actions to take. For sales organizations, that shift is particularly exciting.

Customers today expect more than products and pricing. They expect insights. They want partners who understand their business, anticipate challenges and help identify opportunities.

AI allows us to bring a different level of value to those conversations. Instead of presenting spreadsheets filled with historical data, we can create interactive dashboards, model different scenarios and focus discussions on future opportunities. The conversation becomes less about reporting and more about strategy. That said, technology alone isn't a competitive advantage.

I've seen organizations invest heavily in systems and tools without changing the way people work. The companies that will benefit most from AI are not necessarily those with the most advanced technology; they are the ones that successfully combine technology with human judgment, curiosity and collaboration.

I encourage my team to embrace AI while continuing to strengthen the skills that technology cannot replace, that includes relationship building, critical thinking, creativity, empathy and communication. Customers still buy from people they trust.

Technology can help us work faster and smarter. It can provide insights we might otherwise miss. But it cannot build credibility, create meaningful relationships or earn trust during difficult conversations. For leaders, that's perhaps the most important lesson.

Embrace technology. Learn continuously. Experiment with AI. Challenge yourself to think differently. But never forget that leadership remains a human endeavor.