In this episode, we hear from Richard Rumelt. Richard has been called, “A giant in the field of strategy.” He is the Harry and Elsa Kunin Chair Emeritus at the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a founding member and former president of the Strategic Management Society. He is also the author of Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why it Matters, and in this episode he’ll explain how to circumvent what he calls, “the contagion of bad strategy.” His reflections are based on his late...
Sep 22, 2022•44 min
Resource allocation decisions are one of the clearest manifestations of a company’s strategic choices. By embedding ESG (or environmental, social, and governance) metrics and targets into those decisions, business leaders can progress from talking about ESG targets to intentionally creating the conditions by which those targets can be achieved. To discuss how to effectively allocate resources towards ESG priorities, Sean Brown is joined by Matt Stone and Fabian Apel. Matt is a partner in our Lon...
Sep 15, 2022•25 min
In this episode, we hear from McKinsey senior partner Miklós Dietz on the subject of the forthcoming book he has coauthored with Venkat Atluri titled, ‘The Ecosystem Economy: How to Lead in the New Age of Sectors Without Borders.’ The book offers an incisive and eye-opening look at the emerging ecosystem economy and what it means for companies used to familiar sector silos. We recorded Miklós speaking at an event for aspiring CEOs that McKinsey held in San Diego earlier this year. He explored ho...
Sep 08, 2022•33 min
In this episode, Tim Koller joins us again for the second of our two-part series celebrating two decades of McKinsey on Finance. Tim is the co-author of the best-selling book, Valuation, and helped to launch and steer our publication, McKinsey on Finance, through 80 issues over the past 20 years. Tim reflects on changes in the corporate finance and valuation landscape that have taken place over the last two decades in a wide-ranging conversation with the editor of McKinsey on Finance, David Schw...
Sep 01, 2022•33 min
In this episode we celebrate the 20th anniversary of our quarterly journal, McKinsey on Finance. We discuss the timeless truths of corporate finance, highlight three urgent challenges facing companies today, and look at how the fundamentals of finance can help business leaders address them. Sean Brown is joined by Tim Koller, a partner in our Denver office who oversees McKinsey on Finance and helps lead our global team of corporate finance consultants. Tim is also co-author of the best-selling b...
Aug 25, 2022•38 min
In this episode, we lay out the challenges that soaring inflation presents for business leaders and chart a path forward. We are joined by two authors of a recent McKinsey Quarterly article, ‘Navigating inflation: A new playbook for CEOs’. Ezra Greenberg is a partner in our Stamford, Connecticut office and co-leads our strategic transformation services work in North America. He also leads our work on macro scenarios and trends globally, helping clients understand how these forces impact strategy...
Aug 18, 2022•40 min
Singapore-based DBS Bank is known for having transformed itself from a local bank to a global leader. The bank has continued its evolution by focusing on digital transformation and building new digital products. DBS’s group head of strategy and planning is Han Kwee Juan. In this episode, Kwee Juan talks with McKinsey’s Erik Roth, a leader in McKinsey’s innovation work globally, about building a company culture that enables and promotes innovation. Subscribe to The Committed Innovator podcast ser...
Aug 11, 2022•27 min
Companies have a critical role to play in achieving the global aspiration of net-zero emissions—one that comes with vast business opportunities. In this episode, Michael Birshan, global co-leader of McKinsey’s Strategy and Corporate Finance practice, and Anna Moore, who co-leads the Sustainability Strategy practice in Europe, discuss their recent research on ways organizations can seize the initiative to foster, and benefit from, a net-zero future. Read Anna and Michael’s article: https://www.mc...
Aug 04, 2022•42 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 36:58) > In this episode, we are joined by Juergen Esser, the chief financial, technology and data officer of multinational food company Danone–the company behind global brands like Evian water and Danone Yogurt. Juergen assumed his current role in February, 2021 after a 20-year career with the French company. He recently spoke with Clarisse Magnin, the managing partner of McKinsey’s Paris office, during a session that was ...
Jul 27, 2022•37 min
Over the past three years, Charles Lowrey, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, has led a transformation of the 150-year-old insurance and investment management company, a journey that has also spanned the entire pandemic. He joins Dame Vivian Hunt, a senior partner in our London office, to talk about how he grounded Prudential’s transformation in the firm’s purpose. Follow McKinsey's Strategy and Corporate and Finance practice on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strateg...
Jul 20, 2022•32 min
Our friends at the Future of America podcast recently published a conversation between IBM CFO and senior vice president Jim Kavanaugh, and McKinsey senior partner and CFO Eric Kutcher. Jim and Eric’s discussion focused on how CFOs and other business leaders can continue to deliver sustainable, inclusive growth in the current challenging environment. They discussed the importance of resilience, and imperatives for today’s business leaders around talent, recruitment, and retention. It's our pleas...
Jul 14, 2022•31 min
American economist and author John A. List joins us to discuss his new book, ‘The Voltage Effect: How to make good ideas great and great ideas scale’. John is the Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago. His research includes over 200 peer-reviewed journal articles and several published textbooks. He has also worked both in government and the private sector as chief economist for Uber, Lyft, and now Walmart. His book argues that scaling is sub...
Jun 30, 2022•43 min
We discuss what’s commonly referred to as The Great Resignation–a phenomenon sweeping through many industries and countries. As the pandemic has made many of us rethink what matters most in our lives and careers, workers have been leaving their roles in record numbers. What strategies can employers implement to retain their talent? Can they actually turn this challenge into a talent recruitment opportunity? To answer these questions, we’re joined by Bonnie Dowling and Bryan Hancock. Bonnie is an...
Jun 23, 2022•41 min
In this episode of Inside the Strategy Room, Roger Crandall, chairman, president, and CEO of MassMutual, speaks with Pradip Patiath, a leader in McKinsey’s digital financial services practice, about embracing the disruption that’s transforming the insurance industry. Roger reflects on the changes in the industry, the risk environment, and the CEO role. Follow McKinsey's Strategy and Corporate and Finance practice on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-financ...
Jun 16, 2022•34 min
In the second part of our conversation with James Gorman, Morgan Stanley’s chairman and CEO, is joined again by Vik Malhotra, a McKinsey senior partner. James reflects on his management style, his relationship with the board, as well as how he nurtures the talent pipeline­–including the “two Cs” that guide his decisions about people. You can find more interviews with the world's top-performing leaders in the acclaimed bestseller, CEO Excellence: The six mindsets that ...
Jun 02, 2022•30 min
Vik Malhotra and Asheet Mehta, McKinsey senior partners, talk with James Gorman, chairman and CEO of Morgan Stanley about how he reshaped the global financial firm's strategy following the global financial crisis. James also discusses how being an expert poker player helps him think through resource allocation. You can find more interviews with the world's top-performing leaders in the acclaimed bestseller, CEO Excellence: The six mindsets that distinguish the best leaders fro...
Jun 02, 2022•23 min
Pradyumna Agrawal is managing director for blockchain and venture building at Temasek , and as such is very active in searching out new use cases for blockchain and forming partnerships that can help bring products for this to market. Prady talks with McKinsey’s innovation leader Erik Roth about how he approaches his work bringing blockchain-based companies to market. Subscribe to The Committed Innovator podcast series: https://link.chtbl.com/Temasek ...
May 31, 2022•27 min
Spin-offs can give both companies more freedom and improve their performance if executives systematically consider the growth strategies, operations, talent, and cultural changes that each entity will require for a win–win scenario. Four experts join Sean Brown to explain how to best ensure spin-offs create value. Andy West is a senior partner in our Boston office and co-leads our M&A work globally. He is joined by Jan Krause , a partner based in Cologne who leads our M&...
May 19, 2022•44 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 32:40) > Bill Osborne, the president of New Zealand Rugby and celebrated All Black player, is one of the few sports stars who later succeeded at translating their skills to the field of business. He went on to serve in senior roles at New Zealand Post and Quotable Value New Zealand. He also served on corporate and not-for-profit boards, including the 2 Degrees telecommunications company, CoreLogic New Zealand, and the Maori...
May 03, 2022•33 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 42:53) > The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has a proposed a new rule that, if adopted, would require public companies to provide detailed reporting of their climate-related risks, emissions, and net-zero transition plans. In this episode of the Inside the Strategy Room podcast, four McKinsey experts explain the ramifications of the proposal for CFOs and other senior leaders. Laura Corb leads the Sustainabili...
Apr 29, 2022•45 min
Sean Brown is joined by the three co-authors of a recent article that articulates the scope and potential solutions for one of the biggest challenges of our times: fostering economic growth for the good of all. Tracy Francis, a member of McKinsey’s global leadership team, leads the firm’s consumer packaged goods and retail work across Latin America. Anu Madgavkar is a member of the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) and leads work on labor markets and human capital, technology&rsq...
Mar 24, 2022•42 min
Disruptive food start-ups have increasingly grabbed headlines and the attention of large consumer packaged goods companies. The plant-based keto snack company Keho is continuing this trend by offering its savory “real food” bites to a health-conscious market that includes athletes at one end of a spectrum, and people looking to resolve health problems with diet change on the other. Keho founder and McKinsey adviser Tekla Back has long been a food and keto enthusiast, and started the ...
Mar 03, 2022•31 min
The pandemic has been a stark reminder for many organizations that they are insufficiently prepared for crises that could not merely destabilize them but put them out of business. In this episode of our board perspective series , we look at the board’s role in ensuring readiness for such existential risks. Nora Aufreiter is an experienced director, and a McKinsey senior adviser. Celia Huber leads McKinsey’s board services work in North America, and Ophelia Usher works in McKinsey&rsq...
Feb 24, 2022•42 min
In the upcoming book, CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best CEOs from the Rest, three McKinsey senior partners offer leadership lessons from 67 CEOs of some of the world’s most successful companies. In this second episode, we discuss culture, managing stakeholders, and how the pandemic has impacted the CEO role. Carolyn Dewar and Scott Keller, who co-lead McKinsey’s global CEO Excellence practice, are joined by Vik Malhotra, former chair of our firm’s Ameri...
Feb 15, 2022•24 min
In the upcoming book, CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best CEOs from the Rest, three McKinsey senior partners offer leadership lessons from 67 CEOs of some of the world’s most successful companies. In this episode, the first of two, we will discuss some of the insights from their book, including some great stories from their interviews. We also discuss how exceptional chief executives rally their teams around the vision and how they engage the board of directors...
Feb 11, 2022•24 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 28:15) > We hear from Brendan Whitworth, Chief Executive Officer of Anheuser-Busch and Zone President North America of global brewing giant AB InBev. He was appointed to his role in July 2021 after leading sales in the US. Brendan shares his vision for the brewer’s next phase of growth. He spoke with Ed Little, a senior partner in our Dallas office, who serves clients in the consumer goods industry. Support the show: https:...
Feb 01, 2022•28 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 25:01) > Two experts discuss programmatic M&A, an approach to mergers and acquisitions that over many years has proven to be the most successful at delivering results—provided you execute it right. Robert Uhlaner, who co-led McKinsey’s Strategy and Corporate Finance practice until his retirement this summer, and Liz Wol, the global leader of McKinsey’s work on M&A capability building and programmatic M&A strategy, explain w...
Jan 13, 2022•25 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 31:31) > While environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues increasingly dominate the executive agenda, not all three elements get equal attention. This episode of the Inside the Strategy Room podcast—one of three exploring the various challenges around ESG—delves into the element that is most often overlooked, but has been put into a sharp focus by the pandemic: the “S.” Senior partner Dame Vivian Hunt and Bruce Simp...
Dec 16, 2021•32 min
“Stakeholder capitalism” is the buzzword du jour for business practices that strive to achieve more than profits and a high stock price. But what does benefitting all stakeholders really entail? What trade-offs do companies have to make? And how do business leaders put the aspiration into practice? In this episode of the Inside the Strategy Room podcast—the second in a series on meeting the challenges of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) demands—two ex...
Dec 09, 2021•36 min
Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 33:46) > Purpose and environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) issues represent critical challenges for both boards and executive teams. They have become particularly salient since the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced corporations to scrutinize their responsibilities and role in society. In this episode—one of three exploring the various challenges around ESG—two experts who have long studied the connection betwe...
Dec 02, 2021•34 min
