“Power moves don’t just happen – we make them.”
That was the message from internationally acclaimed consumer behaviour expert Eva Steensig, who brought the audience at the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Power Summit 2025 to its feet with a keynote that blended cutting-edge business insight with deeply personal storytelling.
Addressing a packed hall at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre recently, the Danish thought leader challenged Barbadian business professionals to banish fear, embrace change and make bold, distinct choices that position them – and their companies – for the future.
Steensig, who is globally recognised for pioneering a behavioural forecasting methodology used in more than 80 countries, said success in today’s volatile business climate demands more than just strategy and metrics – it requires fearlessness, authenticity and a deep understanding of how people live and behave.
“I hope my journey shows that bold decisions don’t fall from the sky,” she told the gathering of corporate leaders, executives and entrepreneurs. “It takes hard work, persistence and removing fear from the equation.”
Sharing her own unlikely path from sociology graduate in a field with a 75 per cent unemployment rate to international strategist and thought leader, Steensig described how her fascination with consumption patterns led her to bridge the worlds of human science and commercial strategy. Her work ultimately led to the development of pattern-based forecasting, a methodology that identifies subtle behavioural shifts in society and turns them into actionable business foresight. That system now boasts a 93 per cent accuracy rate and is used by major corporations around the world.
Her journey, however, was not without personal hardship. She spoke candidly about raising twin sons, one of whom suffered from uncontrollable and life-threatening epilepsy. It was during this deeply challenging period that she was unexpectedly booked to deliver a major keynote speech on future consumer behaviour – despite having little time and no existing model to rely on. The pressure of that assignment, combined with her academic training and lived experience, gave birth to the forecasting framework that would define her career.
To demonstrate the power of behavioural foresight, Steensig recounted real-world case studies from her global consulting work. In one instance, she helped a major diaper brand identify a cultural shift among parents who were potty-training children earlier than before – a trend driven by new competitive parenting behaviours. That insight helped the company avoid a potential 30 per cent drop in sales by pivoting to a new product line.
In another example, a health-conscious yoghurt product failed in the Scandinavian market because it emphasised naturalness over protein content, missing the preferences of fitness-minded consumers. A simple rebranding based on deeper insight led to a 23 per cent increase in sales and long-term success in the health and wellness space.
Steensig also shared reflections on her work in the Middle East, where she moderated a session with 150 C-level executives on the rising empowerment of women in business and society. She said watching those leaders confront the implications of such social change underscored the importance of understanding human dynamics – not just reacting to them.
In a moment of humour and honesty, she encouraged the audience to embrace the parts of themselves that others might find annoying or eccentric, as those qualities might be their greatest strengths.
“I’m curious to the point of being annoying,” she said with a laugh. “but that curiosity became my superpower.”
She urged the audience to merge their skills with their unique personality traits to build something truly original. “No one became a winner by being a copy. The secret sauce is you.”
