Leadership isn't about consensus. It's about creating impact.

Many businesses speak about agility. Far fewer actually practise it.

For Alfredo, leadership has never been about waiting until every stakeholder agrees. It is about creating momentum, taking ownership and giving people confidence to move forward.

It is a refreshingly honest view at a time when many organisations risk becoming paralysed by governance, process and endless layers of approval.

In Alfredo's experience, businesses rarely fail because every decision was wrong. More often, they fail because no one was willing to make one.

Having led large operational and commercial teams throughout his career, Alfredo has developed a reputation for driving transformation. Not simply restructuring businesses. Transforming them.

That means building cultures where accountability is encouraged, customers remain at the centre of every decision and teams feel empowered to improve rather than protect the status quo.

Whether leading established organisations or navigating periods of significant change, his focus has remained remarkably consistent.

As technology continues to reshape industrial markets, Alfredo believes one leadership principle has become even more important. Customer proximity.

It is an interesting observation at a time when many senior executives spend increasing amounts of time managing internally rather than engaging externally.

The businesses that outperform their competitors are often those whose leadership teams still spend time listening to customers first hand.

One of the most thought-provoking parts of the discussion centred around organisational structure.

Across his career, Alfredo has experienced very different leadership models. Some highly agile. Others significantly more layered. His conclusion was simple.

The further decision makers become from the customer, the slower organisations become.

As industrial markets evolve faster than ever, businesses need leaders who can simplify complexity rather than add to it.

Artificial intelligence inevitably entered the conversation. Like many experienced executives, Alfredo sees enormous potential. He also believes much of industry is still at the beginning of that journey.

Technology will undoubtedly improve productivity. But technology alone won't transform organisations. Leadership will.

Businesses still need people capable of making decisions, building trust and bringing others with them through change.

Having held senior leadership positions across Europe and Australia, including at global intralogistics and automated storage group Kardex, Alfredo brings an international perspective that combines operational discipline with commercial thinking.

His experience spans business transformation, operational excellence, customer experience, international leadership and full P&L responsibility, all underpinned by a belief that sustainable growth starts with empowered people and decisive leadership.

It is a perspective that feels increasingly relevant as industrial businesses navigate automation, AI, evolving customer expectations and changing workforce dynamics.

The future may be driven by technology. But as Alfredo's career demonstrates, successful transformation will always be driven by people.

Alfredo Sabatino is an international business leader with extensive experience across industrial distribution, lifecycle services, commercial operations and organisational transformation. His career includes senior leadership roles at Kardex, the global intralogistics and automated storage solutions group. Having led businesses across Europe and Australia, he has built a reputation for driving operational excellence, developing high-performing teams and delivering sustainable commercial growth through customer-focused leadership.

At Evara Consultancy, we regularly sit down with senior leaders across Europe's industrial and intralogistics sectors to discuss leadership, transformation and the trends shaping the future of the industry. Conversations like these help us better understand the people driving change, and the businesses they'll help build next.

This article is part of the Evara Executive Intralogistics Conversations series, where industry leaders share ideas shaping the future of intralogistics, automation and commercial leadership.