A unique new BBC World News series (DSTV Channel 400) profiles six companies from around the globe, in a bid to learn how leading brands are adapting to globalization and tougher market conditions.

Produced in partnership with The Open University, the documentary style series, Escape from the Boardroom puts the spotlight on the only African company selected for the programme, South Africa’s Woolworths and its CEO, Ian Moir, this Saturday and Sunday.Viewers will explore the organization through Mr Moir’s eyes. And see him put through his paces in a series of frontline challenges.

In addition to Woolworths’ CEO, the programme features CEOs from Spyker Cars, Oxfam, Lebanon’s Semsom Restaurants, and The Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG).

Says Moir: “It was great to be part of the BBC’s “Escape From The Boardroom. As a retailer, spending time in stores with staff and customers is undoubtedly the best way to understand how the business is doing, and what needs to be done to take the business forward. It’s only by talking to the customer that we get to really understand what they want and whether what we’re offering satisfies them. Or, as we like to put it, whether we are delighting them. Retail is changing rapidly, both globally and here in South Africa, not just in the way online is changing the way customers shop, but in that the customer is more knowledgeable than ever before and has more choice. Only by differentiating ourselves from the competition and constantly innovating will we stay relevant and thrive in this ever-changing environment.”