Meet The Leader

With a career that spans nearly 5 decades in science and technology -- one that includes time at AstraZeneca during its history-making effort to deliver billions of vaccines to countries around the world -- Leif Johansson shares his unique lessons learned. Before he stepped down from his role as non-executive chairman 27 April, he shared with Meet The Leader how his interest in physics has made hi...

A blood cancer diagnosis turned this Meta exec's day-to-day upside down in 2016. But it also reinforced a key personal philosophy: control what you can control. It's an approach that she stresses to her teams at Meta, reminding her staff to stop worrying about what they can't change and to focus instead on areas where they can make the biggest, most unique impact. And it's an approach that has emp...

Augmented reality (AR) is transforming retail, surgery and even how we read a book. Peggy Johnson, CEO of Magic Leap -- a company pioneering in this technology -- shares how AR might evolve – and what could hold that progress back. She also shares key milestones from her decades in tech -- including the surprising lesson mobile ringtones taught her about making way for big breakthroughs and how as...

What is your purpose? What societal impact are you driving? Patrick Decker, CEO of Xylem, shares how this water technology company is helping to tackle these questions while tackling big issues impacting society and the planet (such as water scarcity, water infrastructure and emissions), leveraging everything from technology (AI and digital twins) to innovative demand deposit accounts. On this epi...

Too many groups, including women and gender diverse people, do not see themselves as policymakers or politicians. Raise Our Voice Australia works to change that by providing special training on how the political system works, as well as tactical skills in areas like community building and having conversations with people you disagree with. Founder Ashleigh Streeter-Jones shares the important role...

The second woman in history to run the New York Stock Exchange shares her 'non-linear' path to the role of President and the integral role her background in programming, technology and statistics plays in running a modern stock exchange. In a conversation recorded at the 2023 Annual Meeting in Davos, she talks about her first year on the job, the simple habit that helped her navigate 2022's roller...

COVID-19 set women at work back 'a generation.' Learn why — and what can be done to bridge gender gaps, burnout and tackle labor scarcity from ManpowerGroup's Becky Frankiewicz. In this episode, recorded at the Annual Meeting in Davos, Frankiewicz delves into the value of thinking 'skills-first,' how leaders can ensure flexible work works for everyone, what it means to be 'visible' in the workplac...

A more sustainable future means transforming how business is done. In a special conversation recorded at the 2023 Annual Meeting in Davos, PepsiCo's CEO Ramon Laguarta shared how the food and beverage giant is rethinking things like packaging and consumption models - and how de-risking investments, scaling new habits and the right mix of internal collaboration and competition can spur innovation. ...

Caroline Casey is the founder of The Valuable 500, an organization that represents 22 million workers across 64 sectors worldwide working to end disability exclusion. Key to this effort is bridging a data gap to make it easier to track progress for inclusion and make apples-to-apples comparisons between companies. But critical, too, is ensuring leaders have the skills and the mettle to transform t...

In a tight labor market, how can you ensure you're filling much-needed roles with the right people? And once they're hired, how can you ensure those new staffers stay for the long haul? Valerie Beaulieu, Adecco Group's Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, shares why labor scarcity is here to stay, how companies can navigate hiring, and how workers can make the most of this moment. She also shares a...

More people have a bank or mobile account than ever before, giving more people in the developing world and beyond a chance build savings, grow businesses and protect their families from the next global shock. But despite big gains in financial inclusion, there's much more work to do. This work is especially urgent as a new swirl of economic, humanitarian and climate shocks could make getting payme...

At the Annual Meeting in Davos this year, we asked CEOs, activists and civil society leaders how leaders can prioritize what really matters despite a swirl of challenges: an energy crisis, a food crisis, geopolitical conflict, a potential economic downturn, and more. They shared their strategies and secrets -- from how they make time in their calendars and unlock 'people power', to how they tap 'u...

What if the next time your smartphone broke, you could fix it yourself? The repairable, sustainable smartphone maker Fairphone does just that all while helping to wean consumers off the quest for the thinnest, latest gadget -- a cycle that simply adds tons of valuable materials to landfill annually. Founder Bas van Abel joins Meet the Leader for a frank talk about what's really involved in making...

Alex Karp shares with Carlyle Group founder David Rubenstein how he founded and leads software company Palantir Technologies. This thoughtful, wide-ranging conversation covers serious topics such as how its work with governments powers anti-terror efforts and counters human rights abuses. It also includes its share of light and even funny moments, including Karp's non-traditional background, his h...

More than 100 million displaced people struggle to find new work after fleeing war and chaos. To help refugees and asylum seekers find a true fresh start, Ingka Group (the chief owner and operator of IKEA retail) designed the Skills for Employment Initiative. With its 3-6 months of training in language and other critical job skills, displaced people can find meaningtul work at IKEA or other compan...

Ahead of the 2023 Annual Meeting, Makhtar Diop, the Managing Director and Executive Vice President of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), shares a special funding initiative designed to confront the food crisis, one that can also help address other issues including financial resilience for farmers and more sustainable practices for the climate. Success requires new forms of collaboration...

Hiring has never been easy, but economic shifts, global crises and explosive demand for new tech skills has made finding talent harder. Mourshed discusses the models and mindsets her global non-profit uses to train and place adult learners and candidates that might be overlooked around the globe ensuring businesses can tap into and develop new pipelines of talent. She also shares how remote work c...

What's inspired, informed, delighted and impressed the top leaders in business and civil society? In this second annual book recommendation episode, learn the top books recommended by CEOs, economists, government leaders and more in 2022. You'll be reminded of the staying power of definitive business books ('Made to Stick', 'Grit'), discover what new books tech leaders can't put down ( 'A Thousand...

Technologies are reshaping everything from how we work and relate to one another, to how we deliver healthcare, pursue an education, and manufacture goods. In interviews recorded at the Annual Meeting in Davos, the Global Technology Governance Retreat in June in San Francisco, and even the Urban Transformation Summit in Detroit his fall, leaders share how quantum sensing, the metaverse or data and...

In this special compilation episode timed to the COP 27 Climate Summit in Egypt, CEOs and government leaders share surprising and innovative approaches to scaling climate action. Featured in this episode: Rania Al-Mashat, the Egyptian minister for international cooperation; Patrick Decker, CEO, Xylem; George Oliver, CEO and chairman of Johnson Controls; Barbara Humpton, CEO, Siemens Corporation; T...

As the UN Climate Summit COP27 begins this month, here are 6 books - from 'Braiding Sweetgrass' to 'Speed and Scale' that have shaped, inspired and informed top climate leaders. In this episode: Al Gore, former US Vice President and founder of the Climate Reality Project; Activist Jane Goodall, Ezgi Barcenas, AB InBev's Chief Sustainability Officer; Kristian Teleki, executive director, Friends of...

Ahead of the COP27 global climate summit, this special compilation episode collects interview excerpts from a range of leaders in government, business, and civil society about what leaders must put first for climate action. Leaders share a range of commitments they'd like to see move forward as well as insights on priorities that are often overlooked, including the role women play in climate chang...

Joy is key to tackling big challenges - especially during a time of uncertainty. Leaders share strategies to rethink everything from meetings, individual success, to-do lists and more. This episode features insights from: Nela Richardson, Chief Economist, ADP; Alex Liu, Managing Partner and Chairman, Kearney; Chano Fernandez, Co-CEO, Workday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informa...

Ezgi Barcenas, the CSO of beverage giant Anheuser-Busch InBev, explains how holacratic methods that swap rigid protocol for empowered, cross-functional teams can give organizations the flexibility they'll need to adapt to new sustainability challenges and spur the swift action needed to tackle climate change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Francis Kéré made history earlier this year as the first African person to win Architecture's top honor: the Pritzker Prize. He discussed the ways his architecture can reshape communities and opportunity - all while driving sustainability and building national pride. He also shared the surprising challenges he faced building one of his most famous projects - and the lessons those experiences taugh...