Corporate boards face increasing complexity as factors such as technological and geopolitical change challenge the organizations they serve. At the same time, boards are expected to do more, including to serve as catalysts of value creation. In this episode we talk with three experts on board effectiveness about their research: Senior partners Frithjof Lund and Celia Huber lead McKinsey’s Board Services Practice, together with senior expert Nina Spielmann. Their recently published analysis...
Jan 31, 2025•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss the role of technology in improving board communications, the challenges boards face in managing information, and how AI and cloud-based platforms can help streamline board meetings and improve decision-making. Our guests are Niamh Corbett , the Head of Americas for Board Intelligence , McKinsey senior partner Celia Huber , who leads our North American Board Services Practice , and actor, filmmaker, and entrepreneur Edward Norton, who is also the co-founder and head of strategy at Zec...
Jan 24, 2025•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this bonus episode of Inside the Strategy Room, we feature an interview with OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar from the At the Edge podcast. Sarah joined our senior partner, Lareina Yee , to discuss how to lead through this era of intense technological change and what it means for the future of the finance function and business leadership. Our At the Edge podcast features conversations with creative leaders and pioneers who demystify cutting-edge technologies and share strategies for c...
Jan 16, 2025•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast The way leaders talk about the goals and process of transformation has a profound influence on outcomes. The process of transformation can challenge any organization that undertakes it. In this episode, McKinsey transformation experts John Parsons, Dominic Skerritt, and Mary Lass Stewart talk about the role of communication to engaging and keeping team members on board and energized throughout the process. The trio recently co-authored an article on the subject, Going all in: Why employee &lsquo...
Jan 09, 2025•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Senior partners Alex D’Amico , Michael Birshan , and Andy West join us for a conversation about the latest developments in the field of strategy. They discuss how generative AI will change strategy creation, the importance of developing distinctive insights as part of the strategy process, and how to avoid social dynamics from derailing your organization’s best-laid plans. Related insights: Strategic courage in an age of volatility Tying short-term decisions to long-term strategy Strategy Beyond...
Jan 02, 2025•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're joined by Charles Conn and Rob McLean, AM, the co-authors of The Imperfectionists: Strategic Mindsets for Uncertain Times . Charles is an investor, environmentalist, and entrepreneur. He co-founded Monograph, a venture firm, and was previously CEO of the Rhodes Trust in Oxford. He is the Board Chair of Patagonia and sits on The Nature Conservancy European Council. He was the founding CEO of Ticketmaster-Citysearch and a partner at McKinsey & Company. Rob is a Director Emeritus of...
Dec 26, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Corporate boards face increased complexity today, with heightened geopolitical risk key among the concerns they must consider as they guide the companies they serve. In this episode, three experts on boards and geopolitics discuss how boards can best adapt to this new normal. Dominic Barton is board chair for the metals and mining company Rio Tinto, and also for the impact investment firm Leapfrog investments. He's also a senior advisor and partner at the AI investment firm Radical Ve...
Dec 19, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Too often, business transformation is treated as a short-term exercise or financial goal. In this episode, three of our transformation experts share the core elements of a sustained transformation, in which mindsets shift, expectations change, and new heights are reached. Stephan Görner is a senior partner and the global co-leader of our Transformation Practice . He was joined by senior partner Michael Bucy and associate partner Rachel McKlindon . Related insights Sustaining the momen...
Dec 12, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sourcing and retaining talent is an evergreen challenge for companies, and it is even more important to realizing value creation goals in private capital backed companies. In this episode we hear from two of our experts on the subject. Marla Capozzi is a partner in our Boston office and a leader and founder of CEO Alpha, our initiative to deliver outperformance for private company CEOs and future leaders. At the time of recording, Dr. Claudy Jules was a partner in our Washington, DC, office and ...
Dec 05, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Organizations often struggle to adapt to change, whether technological, economic, or geopolitical. Yet change is inevitable, especially as technology evolves. This week, we are joined by retired Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan, who, from 2013 to 2017, transformed the agency’s organizational structure to better meet its full potential. John spoke with Megan McConnell, a partner based in our Washington D.C office who assists large, complex institutions in transforming how they ru...
Nov 28, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast McKinsey innovation leader Erik Roth speaks with Shiprocket cofounder and CEO Saahil Goel about how he built his e-commerce logistics company into a highly successful platform that is helping launch new entrepreneurs all over India. Related Insights Follow The Committed Innovator podcast: https://omny.fm/shows/the-committed-innovator Read the transcript: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/helping-indias-e-commerce-leapfrog-into-the-future Discover o...
Nov 21, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we feature a conversation between Alex Gorsky, former chair and CEO of Johnson & Johnson, and Andy West , senior partner and global coleader of our Strategy and Corporate Finance Practice. Alex discusses his approach to developing strategy, the challenges and rewards of developing a successful innovation and M&A pipeline, and his approach to decision-making and building a star team. Related Insights The Strategic CEO newsletter CEO Excellence Gen AI: Opportunities in M&A T...
Nov 15, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we discuss strategies for navigating geopolitical uncertainty with the authors of a recent article on the subject. Michael Birshan is a senior partner and co-leads our Strategy & Corporate Finance practice globally and also serves on the McKinsey Global Institute Council, Ziad Haider is a partner and our global director of geopolitical risk, and Olivia White is a senior partner and director of our business and economics research arm, the McKinsey Global Institute . Related insight...
Nov 07, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Senior partners Alex D’Amico , Michael Birshan , and Andy West join us for a conversation about the latest developments in the field of strategy. They discuss how generative AI will change strategy creation, the importance of developing distinctive insights as part of the strategy process, and how to avoid social dynamics from derailing your organization’s best-laid plans. Related insights: Strategic courage in an age of volatility Tying short-term decisions to long-term strategy Strategy Beyond...
Oct 30, 2024•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Sandy Boss, Senior Managing Director at global investment firm BlackRock and Chair of BlackRock UK, joins us on the podcast. In a conversation with Michael Birshan , a senior partner and the global coleader of our Strategy & Corporate Finance Practice, Sandy shares her insights on geopolitics and the energy transition as well as her ‘five Cs’ for CFOs looking to take an investor’s perspective. We recorded their conversation at a recent gathering for CFOs in London. Related Insight...
Oct 24, 2024•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Companies have endless initiatives and plans, all with the promise to transform the organization and deliver attractive financial returns. However experience indicates companies should focus on building an institutional capability that has the power to separate them from the rest. To discuss how to build this superpower we’re joined by Brad Mendelson , a senior partner based in our Cleveland Ohio office, and Tova Katzir , a partner in our New York office. Related insights Building a superpower: ...
Oct 11, 2024•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re joined by three McKinsey M&A experts to discuss the ways that generative AI is being used to streamline and improve the M&A process, from target identification to deal execution. Ben Ellencweig leads our work in M&A, alliances, and partnerships globally for QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey . Rui Silva helps lead our work across a range of M&A topics, including how to execute large and complex integrations. Kyle Lefler helps clients with M&A strategy and execution across sec...
Oct 04, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we’re joined by senior partners Kurt Strovink and Ramesh Srinivasan , coauthors, along with Hans-Werner Kaas and Dana Maor, of a new McKinsey book, The Journey of Leadership: How CEOs Learn to Lead from the Inside Out . It is the first-ever look behind the curtain at McKinsey’s step-by-step approach to helping leaders transform both professionally and personally. It introduces a new, more human-centric approach that is helping some of the best leaders achieve results by cultivating hu...
Sep 27, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we’re joined by Scott Herren , Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Cisco Systems, and Eric Kutcher , Senior Partner and Chair of McKinsey & Company, North America. They discuss the rationale for Cisco's recent acquisition, the role of CFOs in driving change within a company, the impact of AI on finance, and the current geopolitical and economic climate. Related insights: The Seasons of the CFO Palo Alto Networks CFO on AI, cybersecurity, and the finance leader’...
Sep 20, 2024•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we return to the CFO journey and discuss how CFOs can drive outperformance in the middle years of their tenure. We’re joined by Ankur Agrawal , a partner in our New York office, a leader in our Strategy and Corporate Finance and Healthcare practices, and the leader of our CFO and finance service line in the Americas. Christian Grube is a partner in our Munich office, leader in our Strategy and Corporate Finance practice, and the leader of our CFO and finance service line in Europe. Ar...
Sep 06, 2024•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we discuss how companies can create value in today’s complex business environment and communicate that value effectively to investors by demonstrating strategic clarity and consistency amid uncertainty. Our guests are Justin Sanders , a partner in New York and a leader in our Corporate Finance Practice, and Cassandre Danoux, a partner in London who leads our Joint Ventures and Alliances Practice . Related insights What your most important investors need to know Maximizing the impact o...
Aug 29, 2024•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we are joined by John Di Bert , CFO of Air Canada, and John Kelleher , a senior partner based in Toronto and the global co-leader of our Finance and Capital Markets service line. Recorded at our recent CFO forum in London, this discussion delves into how Air Canada is positioning itself for sustainable growth and stability, the key financial strategies that other CFOs can apply in similarly complex industries, the financial leadership required to navigate the inherent uncertainties of...
Aug 22, 2024•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we delve into a McKinsey.com report on family-owned businesses (FOBs) that demonstrates how, by combining four critical mindsets with five strategic actions, FOBs have a chance to quadruple their value in the next decade while maintaining resilience. Our guests are Eduardo Asaf who is a partner in McKinsey’s Mexico City office, Acha Leke , who is a senior partner in our Johannesburg office, and Francesco Malatesta , who is a partner in our Dubai office. Related insights: The secrets o...
Aug 16, 2024•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Yuval Atsmon , the newly appointed head of McKinsey's finance function, joins us to share his perspectives on the chief finance role. Yuval is also a client-serving senior partner in our firm's Technology, Media & Telecommunications, and Consumer Packaged Goods practices, where he’s focused on helping companies with growth-led transformations. Yuval is based in London, where we recorded our conversation during our 22nd annual global CFO forum. Our conversation delves into the evol...
Aug 08, 2024•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Leading the finance function of a large company comes with a broad mandate requiring wide-ranging capabilities and experience. This week, three experts join us to explain how CFO hopefuls can acquire the credentials that matter most today. Ankur Agrawal is a partner in our New York office and a leader in our Strategy and Corporate Finance and Healthcare Practices. He also heads our CFO and Finance Practice in the Americas Dr Karolina Sauer-Sidor is a partner in our Madrid office and a leader in ...
Jul 29, 2024•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast In today's episode, we discuss the top 10 questions boards should ask to ensure comprehensive cybersecurity oversight. We’re joined by Justin Greis , a partner in our Chicago office who leads McKinsey’s cybersecurity work in North America; Daniel Wallance, a senior expert in our New York office who focuses on cybersecurity and technology resilience in financial institutions, critical infrastructure companies, and public sector organizations; and Vinnie Liu, who is the CEO and co-founder of the c...
Jul 12, 2024•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss the challenges and opportunities of building new businesses within an organization during a transformation. How should business leaders balance the need for transformation with pursuing new business ventures? What is the role of strategy in business reinvention? What evidence is there that optimizing the core business and building new businesses translates into higher performance? Our guests are senior partner Chris Hagedorn and partners Matt Banholzer, and Ryan Nguyen. Related insigh...
Jun 28, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Innovation in online gaming requires keeping up with a broad mix of changes, including digital advances, audience desires, and artistic trends. In this episode, McKinsey innovation expert Erik Roth talks with Mihir Vaidya , the chief strategy officer of Electronic Arts , about these unique aspects of innovating in the gaming industry. We hope Erik and Mihir’s conversation will be valuable for all executives grappling with the challenges of dynamic and strategic resource allocation and the need t...
Jun 21, 2024•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast In today's episode, we delve into practical strategies that organizations can implement to effectively manage and adapt during times of uncertainty. We explore a range of approaches, including scenario planning, risk management, cultivating leadership skills, and leveraging technology. Our guests also underscore the critical need for agility and swift decision-making when facing unpredictable conditions. We are joined by McKinsey senior advisor Rear Admiral Wyman Howard III (ret.), Mihir Mysore ...
Jun 13, 2024•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast We are excited to present a special bonus episode of the Deal Volume podcast, which is produced by our Private Capital Practice . Our guest host for this episode is Brian Vickery , a partner in the practice who is joined by the practice's leaders, senior partners Fredrik Dahlqvist and David Quigley, to discuss key insights from the 2024 edition of our Global Private Markets Review. We hope you enjoy this discussion on the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in the private capital landsc...
Jun 06, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
