Cate Trotter is a revered innovation strategist and expert on retail trends and consumer behaviour, having forged her success as the Founder of Insider Trends. Highly acclaimed for aiding esteemed businesses turn challenging situations into profitable growth, Cate has formerly worked with world-leading brands such as Johnson & Johnson, Facebook, Hugo Boss, Chanel, TikTok and Google.
In 2005, Cate began her career as a Marketing Consultant for Better Thinking, where she created sustainable marketing strategies for brands such as Nokia, The Co-Operative Group and Lloyds. Two years later, Cate Founded Insider London and Insider Trends. As the Head of Tours for Insider London, she spearheaded London’s first alternative walking tours company, achieving a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for three consecutive years. As General Manager and Head of Trends for Insider Trends, Cate enjoyed almost 15 years of helping large retailers develop their business and customer processes. Following this, Cate progressed to being Senior Manager of Innovation Consulting for GHD Digital, before serving as Senior Strategic Innovation Advisor and TA Strategy Lead at Level Crossing Removal Project.
Cate soon became synonymous with trend foresight, named a Ven Top 50 Global Retail Influencer in 2017, 2018 and 2019. She was also honoured as a Rethink Retail Top 100 Global Retail Influencer in 2021 and 2022. Cate has also earned recognition as a LinkedIn Top Voice, a TechNation 200 Thought Leader, a Future 100 Entrepreneur by Striding Out, a StartUp 100 Entrepreneur by Startups, a Top 20 Global Retail Influencer by iQmetrix and for writing the Top Retail Management Blog of 2017. Cate has also achieved certification as an Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner from IBM and is a Certified Chief Innovation Officer.
A seasoned speaker with a roster including Fujitsu, IKEA, Duracell and Swarovski, Cate is a go-to choice when looking for an expert on retail trends - and Champions Speakers is honoured to be an official booking agent for Cate. Helping clients to stay ahead of the curve, she maps out what the future holds for the retail industry, focusing on aspects such as digital transformation and sustainability. Cate has already delivered keynote speeches across four continents and to audiences of over 1500 professionals globally. With her rare ability to cut through the noise and chaos of business, Cate carves a path to change and inspires retailers to leave dated practices in the past and embrace innovation, AI, and transformation.
Reviews
Cate Trotter received a 4.5 star rating across 5 events in 2023
Agent Recommendation
"Cate Trotter is a standout keynote speaker on retail trends, blending vast experience with deep insights into consumer behaviour and digital innovation. Her work with global brands like Google and Chanel, combined with her accolades as a top retail influencer, ensures audiences receive unparalleled expertise. Cate's engaging presentations on sustainability, innovation and future retail strategies make her an invaluable asset for any event seeking to inspire and inform."
Cate Trotter's official speaking topics are listed below:
Signals Over Headlines - The Non-Obvious PESTLE For Your Industry
Cut through media noise to identify the shifts that actually matter. Using structured PESTLE analysis, discover under-reported regulatory changes, demographic surprises and tech developments that will affect your decisions over the next 6-24 months.
Outcome: Walk away knowing which weak signals are about to become major forces, with clear next actions.
Beyond the Noise - The Forces Shaping Your Industry's Next Chapter
While everyone chases headlines, the real transformation happens slowly, then suddenly. Discover the structural shifts and emerging possibilities that could reshape how your industry works over the next 3-5 years – including the scenarios worth planning for today.
Outcome: Gain clarity about which long-term trends deserve attention now, while they're still emerging and actionable.
Copy, Adapt, Benchmark - What the World's Best Operators Do
The best ideas are already in operation somewhere. Discover how leading operators worldwide tackle your exact challenges – stolen brilliantly from unexpected sectors and surprising geographies.
Outcome: Take home transferable practices from world-class operators, with confidence to adapt what works elsewhere.
AI That Pays Its Own Way - Uses Saving Money Right Now
Forget ChatGPT party tricks. See how smart organisations use AI for both radical efficiency and breakthrough innovation – from eliminating grunt work to discovering impossible solutions.
Outcomes: Identify AI opportunities that deliver value in weeks, not years, whether that's cutting costs or creating entirely new capabilities.
No-Theatre Innovation - Turning Experiments into Earnings
Most innovation is expensive theatre. Learn the specific techniques that separate costly innovation labs from profit-generating experimentation – with real examples of experiments with impressive results.
Outcome: Master a disciplined approach to innovation that actually delivers, with tactics for selling it internally.
Culture in the Wild - A Live Safari Through the Digital Signals Shaping Your Industry
Take a fascinating, unexpected tour through what real people are actually doing online. From TikTok subcultures to YouTube microcommunities to Reddit rebellions, see how digital tribes are creating tomorrow's expectations today – before they hit your boardroom. Join a live safari into the niches shaping tomorrow’s customers and markets
Outcome: Decode the online behaviours and conversations that predict what your customers will demand next
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"At Fujitsu, we have worked with Cate on several occasions, and she has always been a great speaker, providing valuable insights to our customers on the future trends in retail. Recently, we worked with Cate on a Retail Safari, which is something we have never run before, and the day was a great success. Cate was very accommodating to work with, and it was visible that Cate put a lot of time and effort into selecting the best retailers for us to visit in New York. Our Customers were very impressed. Thanks, Cate!" - Jessica, Marketing Manager Healthcare & Innovation, Fujitsu UK
"We loved Cate’s energy and confidence! The session had a good balance between being informative and fun. I’d recommend Insider Trends to businesses embarking on a digital journey, which often calls for business transformation and change from tradition." - Imran, Retail Commerce Lead, IBM
"We enjoyed Cate’s dynamism and, of course, professionalism. My team was very happy with the session. I heard that it has been a very long time since they had such a level of performance." - Chanel, France
"Very good presentation – one of the best in years. Thank you." - Jamie, Managing Director, RunBreeze
"Very interesting and presented very clearly - thanks for a great presentation." - Carrie, Creative Director, Paperspace Design
"It was so great to hear you speak. Your presentation was very thought-provoking and inspiring. My colleague and I had a good follow-up conversation about it afterwards. I like the way you present; it’s very clear, there’s solid information, and you bring your personality in. We could have listened to you for much longer. Thank you!!" - Michael, Senior Design Manager, Bultmann Design Works, Bremen
"Being able to stay ahead of the game and identify future innovations has been incredibly valuable. With a relaxed style and presentations jam-packed with relevant and new facts, stats and ideas, we would highly recommend Insider Trends to any forward-thinking organisation." - Clare, Business Engagement Manager, The British Library
"Cate gave us a great speech about blended brand ecosystems, and what really fascinated me was her ability to adapt to our specific audience. Displaying great innovations is one thing but making it relevant for our customers made it all so much better." - Anders, Marketing Manager, Avensia
"The final presentation left the movers and shakers of the retail industry with something very interesting to mull over for the weeks and months to come. I’m very fond of Cate’s way of working, which is to gently reinforce her hypotheses through an accumulation of case studies and examples. Her slides were something to behold; they made you want to visit every store or try every app she mentioned. She refers to herself as ‘the 26th most influential person in retail’ but you’d to be hard put to imagine that there are 25 more engaging and delightful thinkers or presenters out there." - Mike, Director, McDonald Butler Associates
Feedback from Virtual Events:
"Happy? Only happy? She rocked!!! Sent out our Survey Monkey today, but only judging by the feedback I got from people so far, she will get really high scores. In a nutshell, she was excellent, her pres spot on, even our president was fully inspired and looking for new creative retail/consumer solutions. Perfect match." - Frank, PR Director, Duracell
- 2023 - Achieved an Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner credential from IBM
- 2022 - Senior Innovation Specialist for the Level Crossing Removal Project
- 2022 - Senior Manager of Innovation Consulting for GHD Digital
- 2022 - Named a Rethink Retail Top 100 Global Retail Influencer
- 2021 - Named a Rethink Retails Top 100 Global Retail Influencer
- 2019 - Named a Vend Top 50 Global Retail Influencer
- 2018 - Named a Vend Top 50 Global Retail Influencer
- 2017 - Named a LinkedIn Top Voice
- 2017 - Winner of the Top Retail Management Blog of 2017
- 2017 - Named a Top 20 Global Retail Influencer by iQmetrix
- 2017 - Named a Vend Top 50 Global Retail Influencer
- 2012 - Named a TechNation 200 Thought Leader by TechCity Insider
- 2011 - Named a Future 100 Entrepreneur by Striding Out
- 2010 - Named a StartUp 100 Entrepreneur by Startups
- 2008 - Founder, General Manager & Head of Trends of Insider Trends
- 2008 - Founder & Head of Tours of Insider London
- 2005 - Marketing Consultant for Better Thinking
How to hire Cate Trotter
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Cate Trotter for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do NOT accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
