Brand Global, Adapt Local with Katherine Melchior Ray - VistaTalks Ep 181

Katherine Melchior Ray, Faculty Member and Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, President of Global Ally, keynote speaker, and author, joins Host Simon Hodgkins for a conversation on how brands expand globally without losing authenticity. From San Francisco's multicultural roots to luxury, hospitality, beauty, and tech, Katherine's career is a masterclass in bridging cultures, building trust, and staying just a half step ahead of the market, not a leap too far.From San Francisco's "Little Worlds" to a Global CareerKatherine grew up in cosmopolitan San Francisco, with its espresso-fueled Little Italy, vibrant Chinatown, and the Mission's Latino heart, while attending French schools and living in a cross-cultural home. That lived diversity became the foundation for a career spent connecting people, markets, and meaning. She later worked and lived in France and Japan, speaks both languages, and has led teams across industries at iconic brands including Nike, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Hyatt, and Shiseido, before moving into tech and teaching at Berkeley Haas.00:00 - Katherine Melchior Ray - VistaTalks Ep 18101:02 - San Francisco roots & a cross-cultural upbringing04:43 - Cultural intelligence: definition and why it matters08:52 - Japan vs. France: when “basics” aren’t basic12:55 - Kit Kat’s “freedom within a framework” playbook18:55 - Building trust across global teams27:34 - Lessons from Nike, Hyatt, Shiseido & tech34:03 - AI’s promise, context gap, and brand valuesAbout VistaTalks: VistaTalks has an incredible lineup of guests from around the globe. We love to feature interesting discussions with interesting people from all around the world. Follow VistaTalks on Spotify for all the latest episodes, or subscribe to the show on Apple and Google podcasts. VistaTalks is available on many other podcast platforms. To learn more about VistaTalks, please visit https://www.vistatalks.com Social Media: X - https://x.com/vistatalks Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/VistaTalks Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vistatalks LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/vistatalks