For any company, having a CEO who makes effective, strategic decisions can help teams go far. CEOs who excel at this have what McKinsey senior partner Sacha Ghai calls “CEO alpha.” In today’s episode, Sacha speaks with Brian Vickery , a partner in our Boston office who hosts our Deal Volume podcast which is focused on private capital. During today’s discussion, they’ll cover a range of topics, including the implications of CEO Alpha for chief executives who are leading private equity portfolio c...
Nov 03, 2023•34 min
Dr Richard Haass shares his perspectives on how business leaders can navigate today’s complex geopolitical landscape. Richard is a veteran diplomat and respected scholar of international relations. He has deep experience in geopolitics. His diplomatic service includes counseling Colin Powell in talks in Afghanistan and three years as the US envoy on peace negotiations in Northern Ireland. Richard led the United States Council on Foreign Relations for twenty years and is now president emeritus. H...
Oct 27, 2023•32 min
Many organizations embark on large-scale transformations, only to end with frustrated leaders and worse-than-expected long-term results. That doesn't have to be the case. Success is attainable and organizations that excel at implementation tend to outperform their peers financially. What sets these top performers apart? Olalla Montes , Nick Robson , and Nick Waugh join us to answer that question. Related Insights How to implement transformations for long-term impact Join our LinkedIn community o...
Oct 18, 2023•44 min
Hopper has acquired 100 million mobile users by offering consumer-friendly financial products and a gamified app experience, according to cofounder Frederic Lalonde. In this episode, Frederic takes us on a journey and explains how Hopper transformed from a company with the bulk of its initial revenue coming from airline ticket sales into a travel fintech business—selling algorithmically enabled financial products such as price-freezing capabilities and cancellation insurance. We’ll also discuss ...
Oct 11, 2023•23 min
Major League Baseball’s Chief Operating and Strategy Officer Chris Marinak speaks with McKinsey innovation leader Erik Roth about how the league is using fan feedback, experimentation, and data to change a game steeped in tradition and culture to reach the next generation of fans. This season, MLB implemented rules changes that fundamentally altered the pace and action of the game and continues to embrace innovation and technology to improve the game and the overall fan experience. Related Insig...
Oct 06, 2023•36 min
Many executives believe making growth sustainable and inclusive requires inscrutable trade-offs, forgoing revenue and profit for the sake of society and the planet. That is not always the case. Our new analysis indicates financially successful companies that integrate environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) priorities into their growth strategies outperform their peers—provided they also outperform on the fundamentals. The message is clear: not only can you do well while doing good...
Oct 03, 2023•37 min
The role of chief transformation officer (CTO) is often linked with cost-cutting. In this episode, we discuss how this is a misleadingly narrow view and explain why and how CTOs should correct that misconception and redefine the role. Our guests are Kevin Carmody , a senior partner in our Chicago office, AD Bhatia , a partner in our New Jersey office, and Emily Rizzi, an associate partner based in our Pittsburgh office. Related insights Meet the newest member of the consumer C-suite: The chief t...
Sep 18, 2023•40 min
We speak Brian Vickery and John Spivey , two authors of the 2023 McKinsey Global Private Markets Review . Brian and John join us to explore recent trends in private markets. They analyze why the markets have enjoyed strong tailwinds since the depths of the Global Financial Crisis and look at the origins of the recent slowdown. Will private markets continue to face headwinds? How did private market performance compare to public markets? That’s what we’re here to find out. Related insights McKinse...
Sep 13, 2023•46 min
In this episode, we explore the core principles of a successful investor relations strategy. We're joined by Werner Rehm , a partner in our New Jersey office, Jay Gelb , a partner in our New York office, David Honigmann, a senior expert in our London office, and Karl Mahler , a senior adviser to McKinsey based in Zurich who brings over 30 years of experience as a healthcare executive, including as head of investor relations at Hoffmann-La Roche. We discuss why you should focus communication on t...
Sep 06, 2023•40 min
Our guest is Eric Lamarre , a senior partner in our Boston office and coauthor of the new book, Rewired: The McKinsey Guide to Outcompeting in the Age of Digital and AI . Eric and his coauthors, fellow senior partners Kate Smaje and Rodney Zemmel, based their book on the results of more than 200 large-scale digital transformations, creating a detailed guide for companies seeking to outcompete in the age of digital and AI. They’ve found that to increase the odds of long-term success in a digital ...
Aug 29, 2023•30 min
In this episode, we explore why and how business leaders, and CFOs in particular, should try to see their businesses as investors see them. We're joined by Chantal Lorbeer , a partner in our Munich office who advises global chemicals companies on their strategy, growth transformations, as well as their operating models and portfolio moves. Chantal co-leads our Strategy & Corporate Finance Practice in Germany was well as chemicals capital-markets perspective globally. Also joining us is Justi...
Aug 19, 2023•28 min
In this latest episode in our Committed Innovator series Erik Roth speaks with Harley Finkelstein , an entrepreneur and innovator who is president of the multichannel commerce platform, Shopify . Their conversation is essential listening for anyone interested in learning how to create and build a business that scales. Harley and Erik speak about what it means to be an entrepreneur, why starting a side business makes sense, Shopify's company culture, and how the t-shirt business Harley started in...
Aug 18, 2023•33 min
The finance function and CFO's rope are evolving rapidly as digitization accelerates the pace of change amidst continuing economic and geopolitical volatility. Two expert colleagues join us to discuss how CFOs can help build world-class finance functions capable of withstanding external shocks and staying ahead of the competition. Bjørnar Jensen is a senior partner in our Zurich office, and Liz Fasciana, is a senior partner in our London office. Both work extensively with CFOs around the world. ...
Aug 13, 2023•30 min
In this episode we talk about corporate venture capital: Why should you do it? How should you do it? And what should you expect from it? Traditionally, established corporations have tended to view start-ups as undisciplined and naive, while start-ups might dismiss incumbents as stodgy and behind the times. It’s (mostly) not like that anymore, as both sides increasingly recognize each other’s strengths and the value of collaborating. In fact, large companies are now involved in about a third of a...
Aug 09, 2023•50 min
Today's episode focuses on how companies can manage risks and seize opportunities emerging from shifting geopolitical trends. We’ll talk about why organizations need to strategically invest in capabilities, people, processes, structures, and technology to navigate the risks arising from an evolving and fraught geopolitical landscape. Joining us is Ziad Haider , McKinsey's global director of geopolitical risk, Leo Geddes , a partner based in London who co-leads our geopolitics client service glob...
Aug 03, 2023•32 min
Joining us for this episode is John Horn, author of the new book Inside the Competitor's Mindset . John’s book analyzes how businesses can better understand their competitors and maximize the value of their competitive insights. He is a Professor of Practice in Economics at the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. We also have Emma Gibbs with us. Emma is a partner in our London office, and head of our Strategy and Corporate Finance Practice in the U.K., Ireland, and Israel...
Jul 21, 2023•38 min
Juvencio Maeztu is Deputy CEO and CFO of Ingka Group. Ingka Group is IKEA’s primary retail organization and represents roughly 90% of its global sales. Juvencio joined IKEA in 2001 and prior to starting his current role, he led IKEA India as CEO for over 6 years. Juvencio sat down with Sean Brown in London to discuss the company's triple bottom line: successfully meeting customer needs, achieving financial outperformance, and ensuring a sustainable environmental footprint. Join our LinkedIn comm...
Jul 13, 2023•24 min
The road to becoming CEO is a difficult ascent for even the most seasoned leaders. We discuss the four keys to making that journey a success with Carolyn Dewar and Vik Malhotra, two of the authors of the New York Times bestseller, CEO Excellence . Carolyn is a senior partner in our San Francisco office who founded and co-leads our CEO Excellence Practice. She works directly with Fortunate 100 client CEOs to help them maximize their effectiveness in the role. Vik is a senior partner in our New Yo...
Jul 07, 2023•41 min
PepsiCo's design chief Mauro Porcini talks about the role of humanity and authenticity in driving innovation. In today’s episode, Mauro Porcini speaks with senior partner Erik Roth as part of our Committed Innovator series of discussions. Mauro is an enthusiastic innovator and design evangelist. He recently published The Human Side of Innovation: The Power of People in Love with People where he describes the power of design to drive sustainable and inclusive growth. He is passionate about unleas...
Jun 28, 2023•49 min
The chief strategy officer’s role has expanded significantly over the past decade. We look at what it takes to be a successful strategist today. In this episode we discuss the ways in which strategy leaders’ responsibilities have expanded significantly over the past decade, with many adding other functions to their roles. Sean is joined by Emma Gibbs, a partner in our London office who leads our Strategy and Corporate Finance Practice in the U.K., Ireland, and Israel. Emma serves institutions in...
Jun 23, 2023•41 min
In today's episode, Teradata ’s chief financial officer, Claire Bramley , discusses the evolving role of finance leaders with McKinsey CFO, Eric Kutcher . Today, being a CFO requires harnessing the power of the “and” across many mandates: Playing offense and defense, leading the finance function, partnering with the broader C-suite, navigating short-term budget reallocation, and investing in strategic bets for the future, like investments in sustainability. Claire Bramley, CFO of Teradata, discu...
Jun 16, 2023•35 min
New research shows that programmatic M&A helps companies outperform peers more than ever, creating value and resilience, even during a pandemic. In this episode the authors of our recent research on M&A discuss their latest findings that programmatic M&A—doing many small and midsize deals—helps build resilience in addition to outperformance over peers. Jeff Rudnicki and Tobias Lundberg lead our M&A strategy work globally, and Patrick McCurdy is global co-lead of our M&A capab...
Jun 09, 2023•44 min
In this second episode of our Voices of CEO Excellence interview with Ken Frazier, the former executive chairman and CEO of Merck candidly reflects on how he managed past crises. Frazier discusses his decision-making process around the litigation trial concerning Merck’s pain-relief drug Vioxx, and how his employees ensured that a potentially crippling cyber attack did not stop production of critical medicines. He also speaks about how his most important advisor, his wife Andrea, has kept him gr...
Jun 02, 2023•41 min
As CEO of Merck, Ken Frazier gained the respect of his employees, shareholders, and the broader community - both through the company’s performance during his 11-year tenure and also through his handling of several tests of his leadership. Now Merck’s former executive chairman, he recently shared how his experience growing up during the Civil Rights Movement shaped his career, how he ensured that science stayed at the core of Merck’s mission, and how he sees business’s role in society. In this, t...
May 23, 2023•42 min
Congratulations, you’re a new CFO—now hit the ground running with these seven key mindsets and practices that effective CFOs adopt from day one. Joining Sean for this episode is Andy West , the global co-leader of McKinsey's Strategy and Corporate Finance Practice, Ankur Agrawal , a partner based in our New York office who leads our CFO and Capital Markets Practice in the Americas, Christian Grube , a partner in our Munich office, and he leads our CFO and Capital Markets practice across Europe, ...
May 12, 2023•50 min
What does purposeful growth look like in the retail sector? In this episode, McKinsey’s Brian Gregg speaks with two former senior executives at Nike, Christiana Shi and Stuart Hogue, about the strategies that enabled them to lead productive teams in the retail sector. The conversation touches on the importance of nurturing talent, building diverse teams, and identifying opportunities for individual and organizational growth. We are sharing today’s episode as part of an ongoing collaboration with...
May 05, 2023•23 min
Today's episode comes directly from our recent European M&A Conference in London, which we co-hosted with Goldman Sachs. Sean spoke with the global leaders of our M&A practice after the conference to get their read on the climate for mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. Mieke Van Oostende is a senior partner based in Brussels whose client work is focused on financial institutions, and Jake Henry is a senior partner in Chicago who previously co-led our work in life sciences. Join our ...
Apr 23, 2023•27 min
As volatility persists, companies need to be ready for a range of macroeconomic scenarios. Three authors of a recent article on the economic outlook for 2023 and beyond discuss how businesses can prepare for what may be a challenging couple of years. Michael Birshan is the global co-leader of McKinsey’s Strategy and Corporate Finance Practice and serves on the McKinsey Global Institute Council. Ezra Greenberg leads our work on macroeconomic scenarios and trends globally and is co-leader of strat...
Apr 18, 2023•48 min
Corporate innovators often turn to Israel and its vibrant start-up ecosystem to meet their goals. In this episode, we continue our Committed Innovator series on Israel, talking with innovators from three large organizations about how they approach their relations with start-ups. Roi Bar-Kat is head of Intel Capital in Israel, Neta-Li Meiri is chief of global tech innovation for the Israeli food company Strauss Group, and David Schwartz is vice president of tech innovation for PepsiCo Labs. They ...
Apr 06, 2023•48 min
This shift from industry sectors to customer-focused ecosystems may be the largest economic reorganization in history. What role will your company play? Global ecosystems are breaking down barriers separating traditional industries and organizing the economy around key customer needs. In this episode of Inside the Strategy Room, the co-authors of the new book The Ecosystem Economy: How to Lead in the New Age of Sectors Without Borders , explain how companies can secure their place in the ecosyst...
Mar 24, 2023•46 min
