Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 50:13) > Companies looking to bring breakthrough innovations to life need the right organizational structures and incentives in place. In his book Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries (St. Martin’s Press, March 2019), Safi Bahcall, a former biotech CEO who now helps organizations innovate, explains what that requires. In this episode, he talks with Erik Roth, leade...
Oct 14, 2021•50 min
What responsibilities does business have to society and what benefits do companies deliver to stakeholders and society at large? In this episode of the Inside the Strategy Room podcast, two authors of a new McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) report share recent research on how the value companies bring to economies, societies, and households has changed over the past quarter century. Michael Birshan is the global co-leader of the Strategy and Corporate Finance practice while Clarisse Magnin-Mallez ...
Oct 07, 2021•34 min
In business, breaking up is hard to do. While divesting businesses in a timely manner is an essential aspect of effective portfolio management, companies tend to struggle with separation decisions. In this episode, three experts discuss how to determine which businesses to strengthen and which to divest and explain how to make your M&A strategy nimble enough to keep up with increasingly dynamic markets. Obi Ezekoye, a leader in the Strategy and Corporate Finance practice, and Anthony Luu, an...
Sep 09, 2021•38 min
As companies prepare for the recovery from the pandemic, many leaders hope innovation will set them up for the next phase of growth. In this episode, Laura Furstenthal, whose client work focuses on healthcare organizations and innovation transformations, and Erik Roth, leader of McKinsey’s global innovation practice, explain how to establish a sustainable innovation process . Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/ See www.mckinsey.com/pri...
Aug 24, 2021•27 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 30:14) > The combination of Dow Chemical and DuPont in 2017, followed by a split into three separate companies, was a huge and highly complex transaction that transformed the chemical industry landscape. In this episode, Howard Ungerleider, president and CFO of Dow, explains how the management teams of the two global giants approached the merger that produced three market-leading players. He spoke with John Warner, who co-l...
Aug 20, 2021•30 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 36:36) > Board members are increasingly challenging management to ensure the organization’s talent pipeline can meet the needs of the strategy. In this episode, we continue our series on board perspectives by looking at the board’s role in helping organizations develop the right talent and culture. To explore this topic, Frithjof Lund, the global leader of McKinsey’s board services work, speaks with two experts on governanc...
Jul 29, 2021•37 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 32:01) > The COVID-19 pandemic forced the National Basketball Association (NBA) to develop new ways to engage with fans. Amy Brooks is the NBA’s first chief innovation officer. She oversees innovation initiatives across four leagues—the NBA, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the NBA G League (minor league), and the esports NBA 2K League—and has used the difficulties of the pandemic as an opportunity to exp...
Jul 19, 2021•32 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 29:48) > As chairman and CEO of State Street Corporation, Ron O’Hanley oversees one of the largest and oldest American financial institutions, with $38 trillion in assets under custody and administration, and $3.5 trillion in assets under management. In this episode he tells Celia Huber, who leads McKinsey’s board services work in North America, why State Street’s focus on environmental, social, and corporate governance (ES...
Jun 24, 2021•30 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 33:26) > For Michelle Gass, the CEO of US retail chain Kohl’s, the pandemic delivered an education in the importance of decisive and inclusive leadership. But preparing the company for growth in the recovery, starting with a major partnership with cosmetics brand Sephora, is where her true passion lies. In this episode, she speaks with Sajal Kohli, leader of McKinsey’s global retail and consumer packaged goods work, about u...
Jun 21, 2021•33 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 34:47) > As the global leader of GS Accelerate, Goldman Sachs’ internal incubator that identifies, invests in, and develops new businesses, Tanya Baker has been instrumental in helping the financial services giant establish sustainable innovation capabilities. In this episode of the Committed Innovator series, Baker shares her experience evolving the program and fostering entrepreneurial ventures within the firm. Tanya spok...
Jun 15, 2021•35 min
Airbnb navigated a major crisis in 2020–the online marketplace went from having its long-term survival questioned to staging a successful IPO several months later. In this episode, James Manyika, a senior partner based in San Francisco who co chairs the McKinsey Global Institute, talks with Brian Chesky about his experience leading Airnbnb through the crisis. Their discussion is based upon an article James recently co-authored titled, ‘It's time to build 21st century companies: Learning to thriv...
Jun 08, 2021•42 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 28:59) > The process of joining a public company’s board tends to be complex and confusing, especially for first-time directors. In this episode of the Inside the Strategy Room podcast, Celia Huber, who leads McKinsey’s board services work in North America, speaks with experts on board membership and governance from the executive search and leadership consulting firm Spencer Stuart, based in Chicago, and the independent inv...
Jun 03, 2021•29 min
Crises tend to give rise to remarkable innovations and insights. Today is just such a moment, raising challenges to many long-held beliefs about how companies should operate. In this episode, McKinsey’s global leader Kevin Sneader talks with senior partner Celia Huber about the eight trends that will shape the post-COVID-19 economy, which he writes about in his recent article, ‘The next normal arrives: Trends that will define 2021—and beyond’ . Their conversation took place dur...
May 20, 2021•24 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 32:40) > As the former CEO of BBA Aviation and a senior executive at GKN, Simon Pryce has led organizations that grew rapidly through acquisitions. Now, as the CEO of Ultra Electronics, a British company that develops technology for defense and security industries, he is overseeing a corporate transformation that aims to position Ultra for future growth. In this episode of the Inside the Strategy Room podcast, he talks with...
May 17, 2021•33 min
The gaps in performance between different sectors, and the companies within those sectors, increased last year. A major reason is a small group of outperformers that already had massive stock valuations before the COVID-19 crisis and have pulled further ahead since. In this episode of the Inside the Strategy Room podcast, co-authors of a recent article discuss what the performance of capital markets during the pandemic indicates about future economic and investment trends. Tim Koller is a leader...
May 12, 2021•35 min
An innovation strategy has to be backed with resources and patient follow-through, says Peter Kjellberg, the guest on this episode of the Committed Innovator series , part of our Inside the Strategy Room podcast. In a conversation with Erik Roth, who leads McKinsey & Company’s innovation work globally, the chief marketing officer for the Swedish maker of products for mobile and outdoor living and the home, describes how Dometic Group seized the recent rapid growth in food and beverage delivery t...
May 05, 2021•29 min
In a time of crisis, especially one as deep and unique as the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainty is extreme and information changes daily. Most organizations realized that they lack the tools to manage effectively in such conditions. In this episode, three McKinsey experts who are helping guide clients through the current crisis share the insights from their recent article, When nothing is normal: Managing in extreme uncertainty. Patrick Finn is a leader in McKinsey & Company’s Healthcare Systems an...
Apr 30, 2021•42 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 36:43) > Boards of directors play a critical role in ensuring that management is well prepared for a wide range of potential shocks. In the fourth episode of our series on board perspectives around the most important issues facing organizations, this podcast looks at the role that boards play in building resilient companies. Frithjof Lund, who heads our board services work, leads a discussion with Gordon Orr, a non executiv...
Apr 22, 2021•37 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 40:13) > A new report from the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) indicates that up to 25 percent more workers than previously estimated may need to switch occupations. This episode of the Inside the Strategy Room podcast looks at how the pandemic crisis has permanently changed workplace conditions and skillsets needs, and how corporate leaders can prepare for this future. Susan Lund, an MGI leader and expert in global labor m...
Apr 15, 2021•40 min
Misconceptions abound about what corporations and start-ups should expect from their partnerships on innovation projects. Yet these collaborations are growing in importance as companies of all sizes try to rapidly respond to shifts in the marketplace, as our recent article highlights. In this episode of the Inside the Strategy Room podcast, Miao Wang, a leader in McKinsey’s innovation practice, is joined by Tawanda Sibanda, a partner with Leap by McKinsey, which helps established organizat...
Apr 06, 2021•41 min
In the past, top business leaders tended to delegate technology and IT priorities to specialists, but that is rapidly changing. In this episode of the Inside the Strategy Room podcast, two McKinsey experts, who recently published an article on the topic, explain why technological investments must now be part of strategic planning at the highest corporate levels. Krish Krishnakanthan is a leader in McKinsey’s application maintenance and development work across North America, focusing on the...
Mar 30, 2021•42 min
John Waldron, President and Chief Operating Officer of Goldman Sachs, joins McKinsey Global Managing Partner, Kevin Sneader, and Senior Partner, Carolyn Dewar to discuss the state of business globally, the growing optimism about the economic recovery, and the numerous other forces driving the recent rapid uptick in M&A activity. A transcript of this podcast will soon be available on the Inside the Strategy Room podcast collection page on McKinsey.com , where you can also easily explor...
Mar 22, 2021•31 min
In the early days of the pandemic, preserving cash was a matter of survival for many companies. The sudden need for liquidity highlighted the critical importance of prudent cash management and inspired business leaders to raise the bar on their cash practices. Cash liquidity is now at the top of the vast majority of CFO and c-suite agendas. Three finance experts joined us to discuss best practices in cash management. Christian Grube leads our CFO finance practice in Germany and serves cli...
Mar 19, 2021•29 min
Today we tackle the topic of decision making in the boardroom. What has the pandemic taught board directors about making high-consequence, low-probability decisions? You’ll hear Frithjof Lund, the leader of our board services work, leading a discussion with three experts. Aaron De Smet, who helps organizations improve their performance and agility, and senior expert Leigh Weiss are co-authors of a recent article about decision making in uncertain times . Suzanne Nimocks is a director on the boar...
Mar 12, 2021•37 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 30:49) > This is the second part of Erik Roth’s interview with Ireena Vittal. In the first part of their conversation, they discussed the importance of taking a very granular approach to markets in developing countries, the constraints emerging economies place on business models, and the unique role ecosystems play. In this episode, Erik and Ireena dive into the importance of pegging capital investments to the realities of ...
Mar 04, 2021•31 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 18:13) > In today’s episode, Erik Roth, who leads our innovation work globally, discusses innovation in the context of developing markets with Ireena Vittal. Ireena has spent 30 years helping both multinationals and start-ups grow their businesses, especially in emerging economies. Today, she is one of India’s top advisers on innovation and growth, serving on the boards of some of the country’s largest institutions and assi...
Feb 26, 2021•18 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 24:57) > This episode examines how business leaders should plan the transition from managing operations through the crisis to establishing a foundation for growth in the post-COVID-19 era. It features two partners who are spearheading our research on these topics. Martin Hirt, the global co-leader of the Strategy and Corporate Finance Practice, is a co-author of the recent article on the COVID-19 exit and of the book Strate...
Feb 11, 2021•25 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 34:42) > This episode explores innovation in the agriculture sector. Erik Roth, leader of McKinsey’s innovation work globally, talks with Neal Gutterson, who recently retired as CTO of agricultural chemical and seed company Corteva. Gutterson explains the transformation he led following a spinoff from DowDuPont to bring together disparate R&D organizations into one cohesive engine of innovation. This is the sixth episode in...
Feb 02, 2021•35 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 29:18) > In this episode, co-authors of two recent articles—on growth strategies during downturns and the acceleration of trends since the pandemic’s start—help shed light on the reasons behind the widening gap in corporate performance and how companies can position themselves to be among those gaining ground. Rebecca Doherty is a global leader in our growth and innovation practice and serves healthcare, industrial, and tec...
Jan 26, 2021•29 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 34:27) > The board agenda has been crowded since the start of the pandemic, and many issues have acquired new urgency. This episode of the Inside the Strategy Room podcast focuses on board priorities in the new era. Frithjof Lund, a senior partner and the leader of our board services work, speaks with two cybersecurity experts about how boards of directors should help their organizations ensure they are prepared for potenti...
Jan 20, 2021•34 min
