Connections Live EMEA Virtual Event: Here’s What You Missed

A warm introduction from Linnea Geiss, Chief Operating Officer at PDI Technologies

Were you able to participate in the inaugural Connections Live Virtual EMEA event? If so, I hope you found it valuable for optimizing your daily operations and planning your business strategy for 2025 and beyond. 

If you weren’t able to attend, I wanted to share some key takeaways from this event that brought together industry leaders and innovators from the fuel and convenience industry across the EMEA region. 

Here’s a snapshot of four key items we covered in the virtual event. 

1. PDI’s global expansion and initiatives: why that matters to you 

Linnea Geiss, COO at PDI, kicked off the event by highlighting PDI’s global expansion, including operations spanning 60 countries. Linnea shared three major industry trends from her discussions with customers: optimizing enterprise productivity, meeting consumers where they are, and operating securely. 

As part of this global expansion, Dawn Desai, SVP & GM International Solutions, covered the company’s initiatives across six key pillars: brand, people, customers, innovation, operations, and continued stability to better serve the industry. Pointing toward the future, Dawn highlighted the focus areas of PDI’s next chapter of growth and investment in the industry. 

2. Loyalty marketing, supply chain integration, and data-driven decision making 

Can you guess what some of the biggest industry game-changers in the past few years have been? Kathryn Duque, VP of Product Management, discussed the importance of investing in data-driven loyalty marketing. Next up, Mark Evans, VP of Product Management, emphasized the productivity benefits gained from a fully integrated fuel supply chain. And David Anderson, VP of Commercial Operations, explained the growing role data plays in helping both retailers and wholesalers make more-informed decisions. 

3. Regional insights from industry legends 

One of the best moments of the event was the industry panel discussion moderated by Oscar Smith Diamante, Editor-in-Chief at MobilityPlaza, and featuring prominent industry figures. Frank Brennan, Chairman, National Oil Reserve, covered the impact of the 2035 EU directive for zero tailpipe emissions and the importance of investing in food and convenience services. Then we heard from Brian Donaldson, Maxol CEO, who shared strategies for exceptional customer service, digitalization, and sustainability—highlighting the company’s collaboration with PDI. 

You can view the replay of the panel discussion here. 

4. The next wave: PDI solution updates 

To close out the event, the PDI EMEA team updated everyone about the PDI portfolio of industry-specific solutions. Attendees learned about recent product enhancements as well as the future direction for key PDI solutions in the region.