Trust gets you further than any pitch.

Two years ago I was on the panel. Last year I ran the room. I will be leading the conversation at the CMO Leaders Summit again this year. That is reputation in action.

How it started.

I was in touch with the President of Swiss MBAs for an event that involved an executive I was working with. By the end of the conversation I was invited onto the panel of the next CMO Summit to talk about AI.

Afterwards I stayed in touch with the organisers, a coffee here, a conversation there, no agenda. I had left my corporate role in the meantime. No company behind me, no title to lean on, Olympia Advisory was not in the making yet.

Yet here I was on stage again six months later, this time leading the conversation.

What that tells you.

The second invitation did not come because of a company name or a job title. It came because of the trust built through showing up, contributing, staying in touch without asking for anything in return.

They already knew how I think, what I stand for, and whether I could carry a room. The trust you build is the only currency that travels with you.

And then there was a third.

Third time's a charm as they say. This time I just got the invitation to discuss the next event with the organiser and sponsor. I had become part of the event.

That is how it works. A panellist slot, handled well, becomes a hosting role. A hosting role becomes part of the furniture. You just have to start and keep showing up.