Walmart President & CEO Doug McMillon joins John Chambers for episode 35 of Chambers Talks to share how embracing servant leadership and being #DrivenByCulture have contributed to Walmart’s success. Doug reflects on the values passed down from Sam Walton and how they continue to guide Walmart’s journey today – and how embracing innovation, taking risks, and deploying AI tools are helping to transform the customer experience and empower employees.
Sep 12, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Optimum Chairman and CEO Dennis Mathew joins John Chambers for a discussion on driving growth, fostering innovation, and making a #PositiveImpact. Since taking the helm of one of the largest broadband communications and video providers in the U.S., Dennis has successfully transformed the company from the inside out. In episode 34 of Chambers Talks, Dennis shares the groundwork that went into executing this transformation, why he’s a champion of prioritizing the employee experience, and the impor...
Jun 20, 2025•33 min
In episode 33 of Chambers Talks, John Chambers sits down with Roxanne Austin, President and CEO of Austin Investment Advisors, to unpack invaluable #BoardroomInsights. As someone who sits on several boards and has held multiple C-suite positions, Roxanne is uniquely positioned to share how the two teams can best work together, especially as the business world navigates AI’s disruptive nature and unprecedented geopolitical uncertainty. John and Roxanne discuss the need for contingency plans, the ...
May 14, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 33
The country of Guyana’s newfound natural resources have made it the fastest growing economy in the world. In this latest Chambers Talks episode, John talks with Guyana President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali about his vision for the country’s future through investments in education, healthcare, agriculture, and infrastructure. The two discuss the strategic initiatives President Ali is championing with the goal of transforming the lives of the Guyanese people, with a particular focus on the integration ...
Apr 04, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 32
AI is transforming the world of business, creating new opportunities for growth, innovation, and social good. But organizations are still finding it challenging to strategically harness the power of AI and apply it to their specific goals. On episode 31 of Chambers Talks, former EY Global Chairman and CEO Carmine Di Sibio talks with John about how the firm is leveraging AI to create long-term value for its people, clients, and the world. Listen for more on #AIatWork, the evolving role of the CEO...
Jul 08, 2024•38 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Ajay Banga was chosen as The World Bank’s 14th President in 2023 by President Joe Biden. On the first Chambers Talks episode of 2024, Ajay joins John to talk about where the world is heading and how The World Bank’s new mission under Ajay’s leadership will help us get there. The two discuss the impact of digitization on the world, specifically in developing nations, visions for the future, how innovation can shape the future of our global economy, and more.
Mar 26, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Confronted with a dramatic decrease in traditional mail due to the advent of digital communications, French postal service company, La Poste Groupe, was faced with the reality of disrupting or getting disrupted. By embracing the new digital frontier via startup partnerships, portfolio diversification, and digital education for employees, France’s oldest company has managed to not just survive but thrive in this new era. On episode 29 of Chambers Talks, La Poste Groupe CEO Philippe Wahl talks wit...
Aug 21, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Tech has the power to solve market problems – but CEOs need to ensure they identify the appropriate and realistic product market fits and not get distracted by hype cycles. For episode 28 of Chambers Talks, John speaks with someone who has done this incredibly well in the world of augmented reality: Peggy Johnson, CEO of Magic Leap. Through her unique expertise in engineering and passion for explaining technical topics to non-technical business leaders, Peggy and her team successfully shifted bu...
May 31, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 28
If you’re looking for a prime example of the American Dream, look no further than President & CEO of Broadcom, Hock Tan. 50 years ago, Hock arrived in America with a plan to get a great education and never stopped pursuing his own American Dream. From working at General Motors and PepsiCo, to leading several semiconductor companies, Hock knows the value of staying open to new, exciting opportunities. Today, he is taking that mentality and applying it to Broadcom, where, as Hock shares on epi...
Apr 19, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Over the past five years, big changes have taken place at IBM. Under the leadership of Chairman & CEO, Arvind Krishna, IBM has renewed its approach to innovation with acquisitions, investments in emerging tech, and ultimately ignited an exciting new energy throughout the organization. IBM is no stranger to reinvention and in the next episode of Chambers Talks, Arvind talks with John about his advice for navigating current disruptions, the remarkable potential of new technologies, and more....
Apr 11, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 26
John is joined by friend and fellow tech disruptor Raj Subramaniam to discuss stepping into the role of President and CEO of the iconic FedEx. The greatest companies can often be the most difficult to change, yet over the past 50 years FedEx has continuously evolved to meet the needs of the world around us. From the company’s legacy of innovation and its commitment to finding significant points of differentiation for its customers, Raj shares how FedEx will leverage its vast physical network and...
Mar 06, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Dr. Lisa Su, Chair and CEO of AMD, joins John on the podcast to discuss what “tech for good” truly means in practice. With a solid internal innovation engine, a knack for executing strategic acquisitions, and a plan for engaging in more public-private partnerships, Dr. Su and her team are hyper-focused on finding opportunities to use emerging technologies, like AI, to tackle the world’s toughest challenges. Dr. Su highlights the importance of communication, describes how she really feels about f...
Feb 21, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 24
John is joined by three of his JC2 Ventures mentees – Vijay Balasubramaniyan of Pindrop, Mike Fong of Privoro, and Bipul Sinha of Rubrik – to talk about one of today’s hottest topics in tech and business: Cybersecurity. As technology becomes more advanced, organizations and their leaders find themselves under increased pressure to fortify their cyber infrastructure. On episode 23 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers”, John, Vijay, Mike, and Bipul discuss the importance of addr...
Dec 14, 2022•44 min•Season 1Ep. 23
John invites Börje Ekholm, CEO of Ericsson, on the podcast for a discussion about the future of connectivity and how 5G will change the world. By staying close to customers, employees, and stakeholders, Börje and his team are executing a long-term vision to develop digital infrastructure that will “make the unimaginable possible”. Börje emphasizes the importance of remaining flexible and pivoting in the short-term, along with other valuable leadership lessons, like reinventing a company again an...
Oct 19, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 22
In episode 21 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers”, Chairman and CEO of Revolution, Steve Case, joins John to talk about their shared passion of building startup communities across the entire country, beyond traditional hubs like Silicon Valley, New York, and Boston. As an entrepreneur himself – Steve co-founded AOL – Steve understands the importance of venture capital in propelling ideas forward and causing disruption. That’s why he’s now on a mission to level the playing fi...
Sep 27, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 21
In episode 20 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers”, CEO of Deutsche Telekom, Tim Höttges, joins John to chat about the always leading mentality that helped position Deutsche Telekom as the leading telecommunications company in Europe. Tim and John share the belief that agility in today’s business environment is key to survival. That willingness to adapt and undergo significant transformation has allowed Deutsche Telekom to become one of the top German brands worldwide and ach...
Aug 02, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 20
In episode 19 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers”, John is joined by Idalene “Idie” Kesner – Dean of Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business – to discuss the importance of cultivating an entrepreneur mindset, especially in universities, amidst the current business environment. As someone who has spent her career researching and analyzing business strategy, Idie and other educators at the Kelley School of Business are hyper-focused on teaching the next generation of le...
Jun 16, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 19
John and Hans Vestberg talk about the unique challenge Hans faced when he first took the helm as Chairman and CEO of Verizon in 2018 on the 18th episode of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers”. Hans describes lessons learned from taking over an already successful company – he did not have to fix the ship, but he also recognized the importance of disruption. He developed a three-pronged plan to focus resource and investment allocations on the current business, future business, an...
Feb 25, 2022•36 min
John and Brian Moynihan – Chairman and CEO of Bank of America – reflect on what the year ahead will bring for businesses on episode 17 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers”. Brian has helped Bank of America evolve since becoming CEO in 2010 – and, as a result, the company’s stock has more than tripled and analysts are now referring to them as a technology company, rather than a financial services company. With lessons about how to align innovation and technology investments to...
Feb 11, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 17
John hosts a discussion with another West Virginian native on Episode 16 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers.” Senator Joe Manchin has long been known for his bipartisanship approach to politics. The American people and government have never been more divided and having the courage to lead “down the middle” is what will lead to stability and long-term success. Senator Manchin shares his advice with listeners on leadership, how to anticipate change, and why West Virginia is a ...
Nov 17, 2021•35 min•Season 1Ep. 16
John and Arianna Huffington have a candid discussion about the importance of health and wellness, gender diversity, and more on episode 15 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers”. Arianna has disrupted the wellness industry as the founder and CEO of Thrive Global. Her takeaways in this episode of the podcast about how to take the end customer from awareness to action will leave listeners with ideas for how to grow and scale companies and ideas .
Nov 03, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 15
For the first time since the launch of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers,” John talks with a handful of CEOs he is mentoring through JC2 Ventures. Gustavo Sapoznik (founder and CEO of ASAPP), Zac Bookman (co-founder and CEO of OpenGov), and Ragy Thomas (founder and CEO of Sprinklr) are three entrepreneurs who are no strangers to risk-taking, both in business and professionally. However, they have all learned that risk-taking is only possible when the entire team is aligned to ...
Oct 15, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Episode 13 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers” features John’s lifelong friend and fellow West Virginian, Senator Shelley Moore Capito. Economic development, encouraging entrepreneurship, and driving innovation in the Mountain State are top of mind for both leaders, who agree the State is “Almost Heaven.” Senator Capito candidly offers listeners a glimpse into the life of a senator, including lessons learned about achieving balance personally, professionally, and across the ...
Sep 22, 2021•34 min•Season 1Ep. 13
On Episode 12 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers,” John welcomes Padmasree Warrior, Founder and CEO of Fable, for a discussion about how to identify consumer trends and shifts in the way people live and work to find business success. Innovation happens at the speed of the Internet and Padma offers actionable insights for how to stay at the forefront, highlighting experiences from her time working side-by-side with John, to her time taking a Chinese electric car startup publi...
Aug 25, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Video communication is here to stay. John has been saying this for a long time, but the COVID-19 pandemic thrust video as the main form of business continuity into the forefront of every CEO’s mind. In episode 11 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers,” listeners will hear from Eric Yuan, the Founder & CEO of Zoom Video Communications. With a culture focused entirely on customer and employee happiness, Eric and his team are at the forefront of innovation as many companies pl...
Jul 27, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Digitization has the power to change companies – even 174-year-old companies. John talks with long-time friend and colleague Cedrik Neike, CEO of Digital Industries at Siemens, for the tenth episode of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers.” By combining the power of data, cloud to edge, AI, and 5G, Siemens is helping its customers across industries create digital twins, so they can pivot overnight and stay ahead of the next market transition. Tune in for more.
Jun 30, 2021•36 min•Season 1Ep. 10
The ninth episode of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers” features an engaging conversation about the similarities between business and collegiate athletics. As the Head Coach of West Virginia University’s successful D1 Football Program, Coach Neal Brown is an expert at developing talent on and off the field with a track record for winning. Listen to the full episode for more leadership lessons.
Jun 22, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 9
India is the most strategic partner in the world to the U.S. – and our friends in India urgently need our help fighting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As experts have said, this pandemic is not over for anyone until it is over for everyone. In this episode of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers,” Mukesh Aghi, CEO and President of USISPF, shares what large companies are doing around the world to ensure supplies are delivered to India on a daily basis, as well as what you can do t...
May 23, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 8
How do companies adapt when change is thrust upon them? On the next episode of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers,” John turns to John Chen, Executive Chairman & CEO of BlackBerry, to answer that very question. Listen for lessons learned about pivoting, changing direction, and how you get employees, stakeholders, and the market to buy-in to a complete business model shift.
May 05, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 7
John catches up with Bill McDermott, CEO of Service Now, for the sixth episode of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers.” Check it out for insights about the future of work – which is a moving target for all CEOs leading through the COVID-19 pandemic – as well as for tips for how to lead with empathy and rich stories about how to find strength during setbacks and challenging times.
Mar 29, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 6
