Leaders Unplugged

Leaders are drowning in crises, yet Florence Gaub argues their real competitive edge lies in how they imagine the future. In this episode of Leaders Unplugged with David Bach, the NATO Defense College research director, futurist and military strategist explains why “strategic foresight is the gym for the mind,” how weak signals from distant places, online communities and emerging technologies can...

What does it mean to lead in a world where the United States — the anchor of the post-war order — has become "the biggest disruptor in the world"?  In this episode of Leaders Unplugged, IMD's David Bach sits down with Jake Sullivan, former National Security Advisor to President Biden, for a frank, wide-ranging conversation on the forces reshaping global business, geopolitics, and the social compac...

Kati ter Horst leads Outokumpu, the world's leader in sustainable stainless steel, at a moment when the old assumptions of globalization are breaking down. In this episode of Leaders Unplugged, she joins IMD President David Bach to discuss her transition from board member to first-time CEO, and how she is building a new strategy for her colleagues in nearly 30 countries, while navigating tariffs,...

Oona Hathaway on war, global rules, and why business leaders may regret staying silent as international law is violated. Why does international law matter? How illegal is the Iran war? And what does business have to do with it?  In this episode of Leaders Unplugged, IMD President David Bach hosts Yale professor Oona Hathaway for a candid conversation about war, international law, and the growing s...

In this episode of Leaders Unplugged, David Bach sits down with IOC President Kirsty Coventry to explore how she is navigating one of the most complex leadership roles in global sport today. From the IOC’s new transgender policy on women’s sports – “it's very clear on the medical and scientific proof that transgender athletes have an advantage” – to the success of Milano Cortina and the future rel...

A decade ago, NIO was an idea. Today, the Chinese startup is one of the most innovative electric mobility brands in the world. On this episode of Leaders Unplugged,  Mark Zhou, Executive VP and Chairman of NIO’s Product Committee, shares how they did it – and what’s next. Mark recalls that NIO’s founder William Li “only gave us like 36 months… to set up a company, grow the organization, deliver th...

Live from Davos: IMD’s Julia Binder and David Bach cut through the headlines on geopolitics, AI, energy – and competing visions for the international order. Recorded live on the final day of WEF 2026 in Davos, David Bach sits down with colleague and fellow IMD professor Julia Binder to unpack what shaped the week beyond the headlines – and why there is room for optimism. Bach reflects on two compe...

In this episode of Leaders Unplugged, IMD President David Bach speaks with Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd, about leading a global shipping giant through geopolitical tension, climate pressure, and permanent uncertainty, into the future of global trade. Our guest Rolf Habben Jansen – Chief Executive Officer, Hapag-Lloyd AG Rolf Habben Jansen has led Hapag-Lloyd since 2014, transforming it i...

Walmex CEO Guilherme “Gui” Loureiro on reinventing Walmart Mexico into a purpose-driven digital powerhouse – by overcoming his own ego. Recorded live at the IMD International Alumni Symposium in Lausanne, this Leaders Unplugged episode features Walmex CEO Guilherme “Gui” Loureiro in conversation with IMD's Alyson Meister.   Loureiro recounts how he led Walmex (Walmart Mexico & Central America)...

In this episode of Leaders Unplugged, IMD President David Bach sits down with Financial Times Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator Gideon Rachman for an unflinching look at the shifting balance of global power – and what it means for leaders today. As Rachman puts it, “It’s hard to get past Donald Trump as the sort of biggest current disruptive force in international politics… because essentially he...

In this episode of Leaders Unplugged, IMD President David Bach sits down with Henrik Andersen, CEO of Vestas, for a raw conversation on Europe’s energy transition and the courage leaders need to navigate it.  Andersen delivers a stark warning on Europe’s complacency: “Europe is 50% dependent on import of energy day in and day out. The truth is we import more LNG gas from Russia than we did in 2022...

How Maersk is rewriting the rules of shipping decarbonization – through collaboration, purpose, and placing big bets on the fuels of the future. What happens when one of the world’s largest shipping companies decides not to wait for regulation – but to lead by collaboration? In this episode of Leaders Unplugged, IMD President David Bach sits down with Morten Bo Christiansen, Senior Vice President...

Global rules are being rewritten. Pictet’s Maria Vassalou joins David Bach to discuss BRICS, AI, aging societies – and why leaders must rethink everything they thought they knew. As global trade rules unravel, AI accelerates, and demographics shift dramatically, what should business leaders do? What do they need to rethink, and where should they invest?  Listen to this thought-provoking episode of...

Harvard’s Daniel Ziblatt explores how democracies fail and why business leaders must act now before it’s too late. “Democracy is a system of competition: not harmony, but contest... When that competition is fair, something extraordinary happens.”  In this gripping keynote and fireside conversation with IMD President David Bach, Harvard professor and political scientist Daniel Ziblatt reframes demo...

Marc Maurer didn’t build ON by playing it safe. In this live conversation with IMD’s Alyson Meister, the outgoing Co-CEO explains why betting on purpose, rejecting hype, and ignoring the industry playbook paid off: 1. Culture over hype.  “We’re actually the anti-metaverse.” ON doubled down on real-life movement instead of pixels, and built a brand with soul. 2. Purpose-driven growth.  “Why do we n...

Three alumni. Three decades. One question: What makes IMD’s leadership journey so lasting?  What do a former Olympic basketball player, a Japanese strategist in London, and a Swiss energy executive have in common? IMD.  In this special MBA reunion episode of Leaders Unplugged, IMD President David Bach welcomes  - John Hatch (MBA 1990) - Kazumi Nakayama (MBA 2015) - Aurore Amaudruz (MBA 2020)  for...

Global deans on leading through turbulence — and why optimism, not certainty, is the real power in today’s business education. In today’s episode, IMD President David Bach discusses how the rapid global shifts of the moment impact leadership education, with two of his peers: – Catherine Duggan, Dean of the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business – Darren Dahl, Dean at the Sauder School...

In the latest episode, IMD President David Bach explains the vital importance of the partnership between the US government and the elite research universities, what we can learn from the vibrancy of the Middle East, and why Ted Lasso is a better leadership role model than Elon Musk.  “The US built its global edge by attracting the world’s best. Now, it risks driving them away,” says Bach, who disc...

Welcome to the third episode of Leaders Unplugged, presented by IMD, and hosted by IMD's president David Bach, together with Remote Daily's founder Felix Zeltner.  Leaders Unplugged is real talk with the impactful – candid, honest, and fresh from behind the scenes.  Today, we take you behind the scenes of a recent gathering led by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development together wit...

Welcome to the second episode of Leaders Unplugged, a bi-weekly podcast by IMD, hosted by IMD President David Bach with Felix Zeltner. In this wide-ranging chat, David goes from the global to the personal with one of the world’s most prominent bankers: UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti.   At a recent event in Lausanne, Sergio Ermotti joined Bach on stage and put a host of burning questions and discussion poi...

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Leaders Unplugged, presented by IMD and hosted by IMD President David Bach and Felix Zeltner. To kick things off, David and Felix discuss the key learnings from David's recent travels that took him from the World Economic Forum to the World Government Summit, to business school conferences in Las Vegas and Lisbon, and back to IMD's home in Lausanne. Also a Nestl...