WGSN’s CEO Carla Buzasi on trend forecasting for success, her career highlights and future goals

Normally Carla Buzasi, the CEO of WGSN, asks the questions in the Lives of Tomorrow podcasts, but in this special end-of-the-year episode, we put Carla in the hot seat.

As the year draws to a close, she reflects on her personal career highlights, the recent sale of the company to Apax Partners, her measure of success and why WGSN continues to be the world’s leading trend forecaster. Tune in to find out what makes her tick and what the future of trend forecasting looks like.

Architecting your own career

“Sometimes people are slightly scared to be open about what they want because it might not happen. I’ve gone for loads of jobs in my life which I haven't got. I’ve articulated the fact that I want things and they have certainly have not happened immediately but I've never been worried about that side of things. I've never really been worried about people judging me or thinking that I‘m not ready for a particular role.”

Staying relevant

“You can never just sit on your laurels. It’s a bit of a cliché, but don’t just presume that because you’re number one in your market you’re going to stay there. I’m always asking our clients, what can we do better? I’m always asking our team, what do you think we should be doing that’s new, that’s different? And sometimes you have to disrupt yourself before someone else comes along and disrupts you.” 

The meaning of success

“The kind of brands that you and I are wearing at the moment, that we‘ve got in our kitchen cupboards, in our bathroom cupboards, you know, all those, all those brands that people know and love – we're very much that kind of secret source behind them. I'm talking to execs and creative directors and designers and marketeers and buyers, you know, within brands all the time. And if they're telling me that they can't do their job without WGSN, then I know that we're being successful. That's what it's all about for me.”

- Carla Buzasi, CEO, WGSN

Head to Apple or Spotify to hear the full discussion on our Lives of Tomorrow podcast episode, This is Not Just Trend Forecasting... It's 25 Years of WGSN x Marks & Spencer.