CEO: Behind the Scenes

Potential is easy to talk about but much harder to build a business around. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Karen Meredith, Global CEO of Drake International, discusses how a 75-year staffing legacy continues to shape the company’s view of purpose, profit and human potential. She traces that perspective back to Founder Bill Pollock, whose belief in opportunity and meaningful work...

The way we age is shaped less by one big decision and more by the patterns we repeat every day. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Dawn Mussallem, Chief Medical Officer at Fountain Life, discusses why prevention, early detection and daily lifestyle choices are changing the way we think about aging, vitality and long-term health. Mussallem also shares how her own experience with stage four...

What if the strongest business strategy isn’t strategy at all – but how you treat people? In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Jeff Jackson, CEO of Cabinetworks Group, shares the leadership philosophy that has shaped his career: people first, strategy second. From growing up in rural Georgia to leading large-scale business transformations, Jackson reflects on the hard decisions...

In healthcare technology, trust is built through discipline. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Fon Hah, CEO and Managing Director of Clinic to Cloud, discusses what it takes to lead a healthcare technology business where customer expectations, regulatory obligations and cybersecurity risks are part of the daily operating environment. Hah shares why composure under pressure depends on pre...

Growth in construction is often judged by output, but reputation is what determines whether it lasts. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Hibbard Homes CEO Jon Hibbard and General Manager Michael Hibbard share how they’ve scaled a third-generation building company without compromising the standards it was built on. The twin brothers unpack why many builders lose trust as they grow, h...

The construction industry tests your integrity long before a project reaches its most difficult moment. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Abdullah Haddara, Co-Director and Head of Operations at Haddarco, shares how his approach to leadership is shaped by honesty, clear communication and the discipline to make decisions that protect the quality of the work. Haddara discusses why complex b...

AI has moved from a technology question to a leadership one. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Tiago Paiva, Founder and CEO of Talkdesk, discusses what it takes to reshape a company around customer experience automation while still running it at scale. Paiva explains why AI has shifted from curiosity to urgency and how Talkdesk rebuilt around speed and simplicity. A grounded conversation...

Private equity can accelerate growth, but the real work begins once the model changes. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Michelle Thompson, CEO of Cherry Bekaert Advisory, shares how the firm approached private equity as a way to speed up modernization and rethink a traditional accounting firm model built over nearly 80 years. Thompson explains why capital alone does not create value, an...

Strategy is easy to present. Execution is where most wealth plans fall apart. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Kunal Varma, Chairman and CEO of InvestGate Private Wealth, explains why rising global wealth has widened the gap between advice on paper and outcomes in reality. Drawing on 25 years of experience across multiple markets, Varma shares how listening, disciplined risk manage...

In a world built for speed, real connection is becoming the differentiator. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Eugenia Lista-Zaharchuk, President of E.L. Productions, reflects on building a culture people want to stay in and why connection still sits at the center of great communication. Lista-Zaharchuk shares how the COVID-19 pandemic affected her events production company, forcing her a...

Disruption tests every part of leadership. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Patrick Leonard, CEO of CorroHealth, reveals how he has led the business through rapid expansion, multiple acquisitions and the pressure of navigating change in one of the most complex sectors in the market. Leonard reflects on growth, integration and why strong leadership means paying attention to both strategy...

Building a company around breakthrough science requires far more than a promising discovery. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Kjirstin Breure, President and CEO of HydroGraph, explains what it takes to move advanced materials from early research into real commercial adoption. Breure shares the leadership decisions behind scaling a deep tech company and how teams must evolve as technolog...

Fear shapes more workplaces than leaders care to admit, and that has consequences for how teams build, collaborate and grow. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Rich Sheridan, CEO, Co-Founder and Chief Storyteller at Menlo Innovations, talks about building an environment where people can collaborate closely, learn quickly and take pride in their work. Sheridan explores paired work and the...

Leadership under pressure often comes down to how well the whole team can think and act together. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , John O’Donnell, President and CEO of Pinnacol Assurance, reflects on how his military experience continues to shape the way he leads and makes decisions in business. Drawing on his time flying attack helicopters in the United States Marine Corps,...

An unsolicited offer can look like a win – until the terms start shifting. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Scott Bushkie, Managing Partner and Founder of Cornerstone Business Services, explains what buyers really evaluate when they acquire a business. You’ll learn the signals that drive value – a strong management team, diversified customers, durable margins and clean...

Janice Price, President and CEO of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) Governors, has spent decades leading major arts and cultural institutions through moments of disruption and growth.  In this episode, she explains why the word ‘risk’ gets a bad reputation in leadership – and why embracing calculated risk can unlock opportunity, innovation and career growth. Price shares lesso...

Creativity is becoming the ultimate competitive edge in an AI-driven world. As technology transforms every industry, human judgment, empathy and imagination are what set leaders apart. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes, Jason Fox, Chief Academic Officer at Savannah College of Art and Design, explains why the future of work belongs to creative thinkers. Fox shares how applied AI, deep indus...

Karla Congson, CEO and CTO of Agentiiv, believes most professionals spend nearly 30 percent of their time on work they never wanted to do. The real opportunity of AI, she argues, lies in eliminating cognitively numbing tasks so people can focus on what they do best. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Congson shares how she built AI digital twins of the top experts inside her organization,...

AI is transforming every industry – but healthcare may be where its impact is most profound. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Naveen Jain, Founder and CEO of Viome Life Sciences, explains why advances in data collection, molecular biology and AI have finally converged to make personalized health possible at scale. He unpacks how AI can move healthcare from reactive treatment to pr...

A business collapse. A last-minute wire transfer. A billion-dollar ambition. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Mark Moses, Founding Partner and Executive Chairman of CEO Coaching International and bestselling author of Make BIG Happen and Making BIG Happen , explains why thinking bigger is no longer optional – especially in the age of AI.Moses reflects on rebuilding after coming wi...

What does it take to turn a single project into a multibillion-dollar business that’s built to last? In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Ron Bakir, Founder and CEO of Homecorp, shares the mindset and principles that shaped his journey to lead one of the most impactful property groups in the industry.  Bakir discusses the power of doing the right thing, building with legacy in mi...

Many leaders still approach efficiency through cost reduction, but that mindset may be quietly undermining performance, trust and long-term growth. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Toru Takahashi, Global Chief Strategy Officer at GLOBIS Corporation, explains why treating people as expenses rather than assets creates hidden leadership costs that traditional ROI metrics fail to capture. D...

Conversations about work are often dominated by talk of burnout, but what would happen if leaders took a different approach? In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Imamu ‘Mu’ Tomlinson, CEO of Vituity, explains why fulfillment, not burnout, is the metric leaders should actually be paying attention to. Drawing on decades on the clinical front line, Tomlinson shares how purpose...

Most leaders see sustainability as a necessary expense, but Alexander Hauser, CEO of TTSP HWP, believes that mindset is holding businesses back. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Hauser draws on decades of experience designing and developing data centers across Europe to explain how energy grid constraints, often framed as roadblocks, can actually unlock innovation, efficiency and long-t...

AI is everywhere, but most companies are building on shaky ground. In this episode of CEO: Behind the Scenes , Marc Potter, CEO of Actian, reveals why chasing AI cost savings is a trap and why the real competitive edge starts with a rock solid data foundation. He digs into the hidden consequences of poor data quality, the illusions that fuel bad AI decisions and the simple principles leaders overl...