The Leadership Lounge is a new Redefiners spin-off podcast providing real-world learnings on enduring leadership issues. Host Emma Combe, Board and CEO Advisor in the Russell Reynolds Associates London office, brings her expertise and insight to a range of topics including, how to secure your first board role, how to recover from failure, lessons on avoiding the pitfalls of new leadership, and how to really prepare for an executive interview. Emma puts listeners’ most pressing questions to RRA’s...
Apr 12, 2023•4 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Ram Charan is a world-renowned business advisor who has been called the most influential consultant alive by Fortune magazine. He started his business education as a child in his family’s shoe shop, where holidays and weekends did not mean a day off. He’s taken that knowledge and work ethic far beyond the borders of his small village in India. Ram’s intellect caught the eye of Harvard Business School and eventually led to a career in academia. But his thirst for knowledge and action couldn’t be ...
Apr 05, 2023•31 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Emily Chang is a master bridge builder – and it’s made her a wildly successful leader in the US and in Asia. As the former CEO of McCann Worldgroup China, she bridged US and Chinese cultures to establish brands that are thriving, global, and remarkably agile. We’ll talk about the differences between the two markets, and how brands can succeed in the notoriously challenging Chinese market. We’ll also talk about another kind of bridge—between people—and how Emily literally opens her home to those ...
Mar 22, 2023•36 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Kat Cole went from restaurant server to VP within seven years. Forging her own path is something that’s built into Kat’s DNA. The first person in her family to be admitted to college, she had the vision and courage to drop out in order to follow bigger opportunities. The risk paid off. Kat Cole saved Cinnabon from the ashes of a post-recession economy and went on to a leading role at the parent company overseeing 7000 operations and over $1billion in annual sales. Always choosing opportunities b...
Mar 08, 2023•38 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Chris Voorhees built his career on solving massive challenges on Earth and in space. He’s Co-founder and Chief Product and Technology Officer of First Mode, a creative engineering company developing carbon reduction and clean energy solutions for heavy industry. Before that, he was an award-winning NASA engineer with integral roles on three Mars rover projects – Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity. We talk with Chris about his fearless approach to problems, how he builds teams and culture, and ho...
Feb 22, 2023•35 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala thrives on challenge. As the first woman and first African to serve as Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi is responsible for negotiating seemingly impossible deals on global finance, trade, sustainability, and social welfare. We talk with her about her sense of purpose, values, and her firm belief in the power of trade to lift developing countries out of poverty and help them to achieve economic growth and sustainable development. We’ll also...
Feb 08, 2023•37 min•Season 3Ep. 3
When you run one of the top 50 restaurants in the world, your business is operating at near perfection. But in order to become the best, Will Guidara knew he’d have to redefine hospitality. Will is the former owner of Make it Nice, the hospitality group with restaurants covering the spectrum from fine dining to fast casual, including the acclaimed Eleven Madison Park, NoMad in New York, London, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and Davies and Brook at Claridge's hotel in London. Knowing his true passio...
Jan 25, 2023•39 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Like many of us, Svein Tore Holsether is a leader under pressure. Svein is CEO of Yara International, the world’s leading crop nutrition company with operations in more than 60 countries. Yara’s mission is to responsibly feed the world and protect the planet at the same time – no simple task given the current food and energy crises impacting Europe and other parts of the world. In this episode, Svein shares how and why he radically reoriented Yara’s mission to make purpose and sustainability par...
Jan 11, 2023•33 min•Season 3Ep. 1
As 2022 comes to a close, we’re taking a look back on our conversations with some of the world’s most accomplished leaders – in business and beyond. Clarke Murphy and Nanaz Mohtashami revisit some of this season’s top insights on issues like sustainability, talent and the Great Resignation, leadership, DE&I, purpose, and technology and transformation. And to help you plan your next career move, you’ll get this season’s best career advice from leaders we all look up to. If the upside of a cha...
Dec 21, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 21
According to our guest, The Carlyle Group co-founder and co-chairman, four-time author, and passionate philanthropist David Rubenstein, there are 13 common traits among the most iconic leaders. In this episode, David delves into these leadership traits, as well as his winding path from blue collar kid to lawyer to political insider to investment icon and bar-setting patriotic philanthropist. He shares his insights about all things investing – risk, reward, crypto, managing through a recession – ...
Dec 07, 2022•41 min•Season 2Ep. 20
We’re stepping out of the boardroom and into the newsroom with our guest, broadcast journalist legend Lesley Stahl. Now in her 30th year on 60 Minutes , Lesley is renowned for her courage, intelligence, and interviewing prowess. She’ll share her two Redefiner moments—covering Watergate and surviving Covid—that significantly shaped her career, her life, and her priorities. In this episode, we’ll also talk with Lesley on broadcast news topics that have surprising parallels to business topics: how ...
Nov 16, 2022•37 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala thrives on challenge. As the first woman and first African to serve as Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi is responsible for negotiating seemingly impossible deals on global finance, trade, sustainability, and social welfare. We talk with her about her sense of purpose, values, and her firm belief in the power of trade to lift developing countries out of poverty and help them to achieve economic growth and sustainable development. We’ll also...
Oct 26, 2022•37 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Description: You wouldn’t think falling down a flight of stairs would be a moment that would redefine a career trajectory, but it did for our guest Annastiina Hintsa. The event forced her to realize that she was officially in a state of burnout and it opened her eyes to the link between wellbeing and sustainable performance. Now, as CEO of Hintsa Performance, Annastiina helps the likes of Formula 1 drivers and Fortune 500 C-Suiters find that holistic sweet spot in order to operate at peak levels...
Oct 12, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Whether he’s leading from the C Suite, chairing a board, or authoring books on leadership, our guest Jim Hagemann Snabe is revered across industries as a master of transformation. In this insights-filled episode, Jim shares his refreshing and trailblazing leadership model that has enabled him to deftly lead transformation and change at SAP and at 100+ year old companies, Siemens and Maersk. We’ll discuss Jim’s views on reinventing from a position of strength, culture change and navigating an unp...
Sep 28, 2022•37 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Sustainability has quickly risen to the top of corporate agendas, as shareholders, investors, employees, policy makers, and other stakeholders demand action. We talk with two passionate leaders – Kate Brandt, Chief Sustainability Officer at Google and Sophia Mendelsohn, Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of ESG at Cognizant – about how they embed sustainability into their organizations’ core business strategy. They’ll share how they’ve mastered the role of “CEO whisperer” to drive top-down ch...
Sep 07, 2022•41 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Nowadays, every business has either become or is becoming a digital business. And it’s not all about technology. Creating the right culture and environment are critical keys to success. Our guest Jacky Wright is a digital transformation mastermind who led the tech evolution in both the private and public sectors, including leadership roles at BP, GE, Microsoft and the British government’s tax department. One of her superpowers—one we should all adopt in this fast-changing world filled with uncer...
Aug 31, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Emily Chang is a master bridge builder – and it’s made her a wildly successful leader in the US and in Asia. As the CEO of McCann Worldgroup China, she bridges US and Chinese cultures to establish brands that are thriving, global, and remarkably agile. We’ll talk about the differences between the two markets, and how brands can succeed in the notoriously challenging Chinese market. We’ll also talk about another kind of bridge—between people—and how Emily literally opens her home to those in need...
Aug 10, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 13
As we arrive at the halfway point in Redefiners Season 2, it’s a good time to take a look back at the key takeaways and insights from our conversations so far. We’ve learned a lot from the guests who have joined the podcast this season – dynamic, change-making leaders from a wide array of industries. In this episode, host Clarke Murphy takes us through some memorable highlights on critical topics facing leaders across economies around the world. Culture, sustainability, DE&I, the evolution o...
Jul 27, 2022•22 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Take risks, keep learning, and stay calm. It’s how our guest, Stryker Chair and CEO Kevin Lobo, became arguably one of the most successful CEOs ever. We’ll talk with the Indian-born, Canadian-raised, internationally acclaimed businessperson about how he became known as the “Godfather of MedTech” and as an acquisitions deal maker. We’ll hear how Kevin’s high threshold for risk helped Stryker drastically outpace the competition and how he built his Board’s trust to make more than 55 acquisitions. ...
Jul 13, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Gender bias is everywhere, impacting how we view authority and power around the world. In fact, it’s so pervasive—and potentially damaging to organizations—that our guest Mary Ann Sieghart wrote a book about it titled Authority Gap , which explores the critical issue of why women are often taken less seriously than men. This unconscious, double standard behavior affects the C Suite, boardrooms, and conference rooms alike—even the US Supreme Court and UK Parliament. We talk with Mary Ann – journa...
Jun 22, 2022•38 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Henry Timms has discovered a new form of power based on mobilizing participation in our hyperconnected world. He joins us to talk about how leaders can harness this power to effect far greater success, which is the subject of his book New Power , co-authored by Jeremy Heimans. We’ll also talk with Henry about an entirely different kind of power—that of the arts and its critical role in society today—through his role as President and CEO of New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. ...
Jun 08, 2022•32 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Thomas Buberl faced what a lot of leaders fear: becoming CEO of a company that’s already successful with a culture that’s already flourishing. So what did he do? He reinvented and transformed the company to make it all even better. In our conversation with Thomas, CEO of global insurance giant AXA, we learn some of the secrets of his successes and how he makes gutsy decisions. One of Thomas’ big pivots? A bold realignment towards sustainability and rallying other big corporations to take action ...
May 25, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Adopt Kewsong Lee’s motto – think bigger, move faster, perform better – and you’ll be primed for success in whatever leadership position you’re in. But how this CEO of private equity firm Carlyle Group puts that motto into motion is what’s made Kew one of the world’s savviest business leaders. In this episode, we’ll talk with him about embracing change, essential traits of successful leaders, and why having an authentic ESG mindset is not just good for the world but also good for business. Kew’s...
May 11, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 7
There are a lot of parallels between running a country and running a company. Julia Gillard, 27th Prime Minister of Australia, joins us to discuss topics critical to leaders at any level. Such as, how to manage crises and war-game potential ones to be prepared to act quickly when it matters. The power of defeat and how it can help us clarify what we really want. And the urgent need to get more women in leadership positions in both politics and business, which is the topic of Julia’s recent book ...
Apr 27, 2022•39 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Love Jamba Juice? You can thank our guest James D. White who, as the brand’s former chair, president and CEO, helped transform a small smoothie shop into a global lifestyle brand in just three years. With an impressive resume working at some of the world’s most well-known brands—Gillette, Safeway, Coca-Cola, Nestle, and 17 boards including The Honest Company—we talk about how to lead iconic, global brands with a values-based, people-first strategy. James’ recent book, Anti-Racist Leadership: How...
Apr 13, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Entrepreneur and mentor Aldi Haryopratomo opts for the road less travelled—figuratively but, early in his career, also literally on a motorbike. It’s Aldi’s ability to see opportunity from unique perspectives that allowed him to, among other successes, effect financial inclusion across Southeast Asia. Aldi joins us to talk about how tuning into the cultural cues of your audience and adapting accordingly is essential. We’ll also discuss the power of mentorship—both the invaluable learnings and th...
Mar 30, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Debra Martin Chase knows how to make big things happen. A Harvard Law School graduate and lawyer turned famed Hollywood producer, she is a dynamic example of how to adeptly craft a career and lead for change. As one of the industry’s first African-American female producers to have a deal with a major studio, Debra shares in this episode anecdotes and insights on how she became the name behind some of TV and film’s most popular titles, and how she then uses her influence as a board member and men...
Mar 16, 2022•31 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Sallie Krawcheck has boldly redefined companies, entire categories and, several times, her career. Former CEO or CFO of a long list of investment banking heavyweights, Sallie is now the CEO and co-founder of Ellevest, a digital investment platform uniquely created by women for women. In this episode, we’ll talk about Sallie’s determination and work to help close both the gender pay gap and, perhaps more importantly, the gender wealth gap by encouraging women to invest. Because, as Sallie tells u...
Mar 02, 2022•39 min•Season 2Ep. 2
The business world is rife with sports analogies. After all, there are remarkable similarities between what happens in athletics and in the boardroom. Troy Vincent is the embodiment of this parallel. As a 15-year veteran of the National Football League, he took the leadership skills he learned as a player—communication, presence, resiliency, game planning—and applies them in his current position, Executive Vice President of Football Operations of the NFL. Different sides of the sidelines, same d...
Feb 09, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 2
We’re stepping out of the boardroom and into the newsroom with our guest, broadcast journalist legend Lesley Stahl. Now in her 30th year on 60 Minutes, Lesley is renowned for her courage, intelligence, and interviewing prowess. She’ll share her two Redefiner moments—covering Watergate and surviving Covid—that significantly shaped her career, her life, and her priorities. In this episode, we’ll also talk with Lesley on broadcast news topics that have surprising parallels to business topics: how t...
Jan 26, 2022•39 min•Season 2Ep. 1
