How to Lead Independent Operators Without Micromanaging
The article argues that leading independent franchise operators requires a shift from traditional micromanagement to clear expectations and supportive accountability. Centralized control hampers speed and initiative, especially as a brand scales across markets. By defining outcomes, offering transparent performance metrics, and building trust‑based relationships, leaders can preserve brand consistency while granting operators the autonomy they need. This balance enables faster execution, stronger partnerships, and a more adaptable brand experience.
How To Scale: 5 Lessons From Vertex Pharma CFO-COO Charlie Wagner
When Charlie Wagner became CFO‑COO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in 2019, the company was on the cusp of launching Trikafta, a breakthrough cystic fibrosis therapy. Over seven years, Vertex grew revenue from $3 billion to $13 billion, market cap from $40 billion to $110 billion,...
Drucker + Falk Promotes Key Leaders to Chief People Officer and Chief of Staff Roles
Drucker + Falk, which oversees more than 43,000 apartment homes across nine states, announced two new executive positions. Amber Kirby was promoted to the firm’s first Chief People Officer, expanding her focus from HR to talent management, culture and employee...
Why Richard Harpin Sold Half of homeServe for Half a Million Pounds — and What He’d Do Differently
Sir Richard Harpin, founder of HomeServe, turned a £500,000 (£635,000) half‑sale into a £4.1 billion ($5.2 billion) exit to Brookfield in 2023. Over three decades he navigated trade, public and private‑equity backers, expanded into seven countries, and eventually chaired the business post‑sale....
Hilton Report Finds Human Connection Prioritized over Tech Innovation
Hilton released "The Hospitality Mindset," a report built on new Ipsos and Morning Consult research that shows workers prioritize human connection over technology. The study identifies five workplace trends—mutual mentorship, return‑to‑opportunity, AI anxiety to agency, chief host officer, and the...
"We Are Training NHS Leaders to Be Disappointed"
The BMJ letter argues that NHS leadership programmes invest heavily in training doctors but fail to deliver real authority or protected time, leaving participants ill‑equipped to enact change. While participants gain self‑awareness, the structural constraints of budget cycles, risk appetite,...
Unilever CEO Defends $40bn McCormick Megamerger Amid Growing Backlash
Unilever CEO Fernando Fernández defended a proposed $40 billion merger with McCormick at a Paris conference, despite mounting investor, employee and analyst backlash. The announcement sent Unilever’s share price tumbling and prompted a major shareholder to exit. Employees have publicly criticized...
Bigbasket Elevates Seshu Kumar Tirumala to Chief Operating Officer
bigbasket has promoted long‑time executive Seshu Kumar Tirumala to chief operating officer. Tirumala, who joined in 2014 and rose from national head of buying to chief buying and merchandising officer, oversaw a private‑label portfolio that now accounts for roughly 40% of...
AI Saves Workers a Day a Week, but They Don’t Know What to Do with It
Boston Consulting Group’s Global AI at Work Survey finds 42% of frontline employees save a full day each week thanks to AI, yet 66% lack guidance on how to redeploy that time. AI usage has surged, with 74% of workers...
The Hidden Barrier to Performance Most Companies Miss: Why Skills Alone Aren’t Enough
Companies pour billions into leadership training, coaching and engagement programs, yet many teams still fall short of their potential. Susan Hall of Decide Happy argues the missing piece is not skill deficits but the conditions under which employees operate—stress, distraction...
Uncomfortable Growth® Uncut. Season 5, Episode 3: Ian Perrin
In the latest Uncomfortable Growth® Uncut episode, host Rowena Millward sits down with Ian Perrin, managing partner at Speed, to explore how his upbringing under apartheid South Africa shaped his leadership style. Perrin describes how the era’s forced questioning of...
Five Top CEOs Will Take the Stage at BoF VOICES 2026
BoF VOICES 2026 will feature five top CEOs—Luca de Meo (Kering), Sidney Toledano (former LVMH Fashion Group), Michelle Gass (Levi Strauss & Co.), Joanne Crevoiserat (Tapestry) and Geoffroy van Raemdonck (Saks Global)—who will discuss leadership amid macro‑economic turbulence, generational shifts, and technological change. The...
How to Cultivate Your “Personal Power” As a Leader
Chris Lipp, a Tulane professor and executive coach, defines “personal power” as the internal belief in one’s ability to create impact, built on three pillars—control, agency, and action. He argues that this form of power, unlike formal hierarchy, can be...
Employee Engagement Was Built for a More Stable Era
The article argues that traditional employee‑engagement programs were designed for a stable work era, but today’s environment is defined by rapid AI‑driven change and pervasive economic uncertainty. Workers face skill‑disruption, heightened stress, and personal pressures such as caregiving and financial...
29 Restaurant Executives on the Move in May, Including CEO Changes at Wendy’s, Jack in the Box, and Miller’s Ale...
May saw a flurry of C‑suite activity in the restaurant sector, with 29 executives changing roles. Five chains—Wendy’s, Jack in the Box, Miller’s Ale House, Rosa Mexicano and F1 Arcade—installed new CEOs, while Caribou Coffee, Playa Bowls, Smashburger and Church’s Texas Chicken...
We Want Leaders Who Doubt – MVP
Manuel V. Pangilinan, chairman of the MVP Group, told First Pacific’s 45th‑anniversary gathering that effective leaders must actively welcome doubt. He linked uncertainty to the need for forecasting, risk‑taking, and continuous innovation, citing his own experience growing First Pacific from...
Uber Slashes People Division by Nearly a Quarter. CEO Says 'Changes Are Necessary'
Uber announced it will cut 23% of its people division, affecting recruitment and HR staff. The layoffs represent less than 1% of Uber’s 34,000‑person workforce. The move follows the promotion of Jill Hazelbaker to president and reflects a push to...
Why Strategic CHROs Don’t Wait for an Invitation
2026 is a pivotal year for CHROs as Gartner and BCG highlight AI‑driven transformation, workforce redesign, and leadership readiness. The article contrasts two CHRO operating modes—operational excellence versus strategic ownership—and argues that strategic involvement is essential for talent‑driven business success....
Bot Auto Names Brett Suma as President and COO to Scale Autonomous Trucking
Bot Auto, fresh from completing its first fully human‑less commercial haul, appointed trucking veteran Brett Suma as president and COO. Suma, who co‑founded TrailerHawk.ai and sold it to Wabash in 2025, joins with former colleagues David Stemm and Jessica Kane...
Caryn Seidman Becker Bought Clear Out Of Bankruptcy. Now She’s A Billionaire.
Caryn Seidman Becker purchased Clear’s assets for $6 million after its 2008 bankruptcy and has transformed the biometric‑screening firm into a $7.6 billion public company. In 2025 Clear generated $900 million in revenue, $168 million in net income and serves 8.2 million airport members plus 41 million...
7 Ways for CIOs to Deliver Bad News without Losing Trust
CIOs who master the art of delivering bad news keep executive trust by being transparent early, stating the core issue upfront, and framing technical setbacks in business terms. They pair problem statements with concrete solutions and own the outcome, while...
Inside Alexandr Wang’s Bid to Revive Meta’s AI Edge
Meta has recruited Scale AI co‑founder Alexandr Wang to head its artificial‑intelligence division, tasking him with restoring the company’s lagging AI edge. Wang will oversee the scaling of large language models, improve data‑labeling pipelines, and drive cost‑efficiency after Meta’s $10 billion...
“Responding without Hierarchy, Ego, or Assumptions”: Daisy Tulley’s Personal Brand of Leadership
After a decade with Mucho Group, Daisy Tulley has been elevated from general manager to group CEO, formalizing her leadership role without a major shift in responsibilities. The promotion positions her as the public face of a hospitality portfolio that...
Emotive Promotes Sebastian Revell to Chief Strategy Officer
Emotive announced the promotion of Sebastian Revell to Chief Strategy Officer, a year after he joined as executive strategy partner. In his expanded role, Revell will direct brand, creative, content and connection strategy while driving overall growth, capability and culture....
You Can’t DIY Your Way Through a Leadership Inflection Point
Chris Power warns that today’s leaders confront overlapping inflection points—AI adoption, geopolitical volatility, cost pressures, supply‑chain strain, and a disengaged workforce. While the instinct is to tackle these challenges alone, a DIY approach overloads executives, eroding strategic thinking and people...
New Internal Microsoft Memo Shows Shifting Employee Sentiment
Microsoft’s internal “Employee Signals” memo reveals a mixed picture: employees feel energized by meaningful work and inclusive teams, pushing the Thriving score to 79, but they rate managers poorly on coaching, feedback and motivation. The survey, with 71% participation and...
How Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Treats Employees of the World’s Most Valuable Company
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told reporters at Computex that he aims to pay employees as much as possible, highlighting a new $400,000 bonus program for eligible staff. An SEC filing shows the median Nvidia employee earned $301,233 last year, creating...
How Nespresso Builds Sustainability Into Its Business Model
Nespresso North America CEO Jean-Christophe Jaunin explained how sustainability is woven into the brand’s core. The company restores soil health through intercropping, which improves bean flavor and biodiversity. Its Sustainable Quality Program supports more than 150,000 farmer families with agronomy...
Restaurant Technologies Names Alissa Partee President & CEO
Restaurant Technologies (RTI) announced that Alissa Partee will assume the roles of President and Chief Executive Officer on July 1, 2026, succeeding founder Jeff Kiesel, who will become non‑executive chairman. Partee, who joined RTI in 2020 as Chief People Officer...
Mariana Mazzucato: CEOs Should Be Contracted to Hit Goals
Mariana Mazzucato argues that embedding public‑good targets directly into CEOs’ contracts would transform a fragmented economy into a goal‑oriented system. She cites the failure of recent UK missions and the Sustainable Development Goals as evidence that policy without contractual teeth...
MTN Appoints New Group People Chief, Names New CEOs for Côte D’Ivoire and Zambia
MTN Group announced a reshuffle of senior leadership, promoting Mitwa Ng’ambi to Group Chief People and Culture Officer and appointing new CEOs for its Côte d’Ivoire and Zambia operations. Ng’ambi, formerly CEO of MTN Côte d’Ivoire, will join the Group...
The Best Times to Invest in Executive Coaching
Executive coaching delivers its strongest impact when timed at critical inflection points such as promotions, succession, and major transformations. McKinsey research indicates that 92% of external hires and 72% of internal hires take longer than 90 days to become fully...
Why Cooperative Workplaces Boost Your Sense of Freedom
Stanford researchers Valentino Chai and Nir Halevy found that cooperative work environments consistently increase employees' sense of autonomy and intrinsic motivation, outperforming competitive settings. Their surveys spanned Division 1 athletes, corporate staff, and federal workers, while controlled experiments confirmed that even...
Target Names Jeff England, Chief Supply Chain Leader
Target announced that Jeff England will serve as executive vice president and chief global supply chain and logistics officer, effective May 31. England reports to COO Lisa Roath and will drive initiatives to improve inventory availability, delivery speed and overall guest...
Frank Vogel Takes Charge of RTL Deutschland and Sky Advertising Sales
German broadcaster RTL Deutschland has appointed Frank Vogel to head the combined advertising sales of RTL and Sky Deutschland, effective 1 June 2026. Vogel, already CEO of Ad Alliance, will also oversee RTL AdAlliance’s international sales and the group’s ad‑tech assets such...
Cardoso Redeploys Deputy Governors in Minor Shake-Upp
On June 1, Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Olayemi Cardoso redeployed all four deputy governors, assigning each to a new directorate. Philip Ikeazor now heads the Economic Policy Directorate, while Muhammad Abdullahi takes charge of Corporate Services. Lamido Yuguda moves to lead Financial System...
From Family Business to Diversified Powerhouse: A Conversation with Daniel Tsai, Chairman, Fubon Group
Daniel Tsai, chairman of Taiwan’s Fubon Group, discussed how the firm evolved from a modest family‑owned insurer into a diversified financial powerhouse spanning banking, asset management, fintech and real‑estate. Over the past decade, Fubon’s assets under management have surged past...
Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins: ‘A Bad Decision that Is Reversed Is Better than a Delayed Decision’
Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins, after more than 11 years at the helm, says a reversed bad decision beats a delayed one. He admitted the company missed the first cloud adoption wave and saw no return from a $320 million silicon acquisition...
Okta’s President and COO Says Companies Are in Denial About the Hardest Part of the AI Revolution: Redesigning Work Itself
Okta’s President and COO Eric Kelleher warned that the toughest hurdle in the AI wave is not the technology but redesigning work to include digital agents as genuine colleagues. He urged managers to budget for both human and AI labor,...
Telus’s Darren Entwistle Named 2026 Inductee Into BC Innovators Hall of Fame
Telus President and CEO Darren Entwistle has been named the 2026 inductee into the BC Innovators Hall of Fame, recognizing his 26‑year tenure of transformative leadership. Under his guidance, Telus has invested roughly $70 billion CAD (≈ $51 billion USD) in British Columbia,...
CNN Just Sued Perplexity. Every Business Leader Should Be Paying Attention
CNN filed a lawsuit against Perplexity AI, alleging the startup scraped more than 17,000 of its stories, videos and images to train its generative products without compensation. The case joins a growing wave of legal actions by major publishers such...
Exec with Windermere ‘DNA’ Promoted; a New Leader at United Chicago
Windermere Real Estate promoted third‑generation family member Lucy Wood to regional director for Western Washington and Oregon, overseeing more than 170 offices. United Real Estate appointed 37‑year veteran Debbye Tyler as its designated managing broker in Chicago, focusing on agent...
Tech CEOs Apparently Suffering From AI Psychosis
Tech CEOs are exhibiting what analysts dub “AI psychosis,” an overzealous focus on artificial‑intelligence initiatives. The frenzy has generated record AI‑related revenues for many firms while simultaneously prompting massive workforce reductions. Observers compare the current climate to the early cloud‑computing...
'Am I Going to Be Laid Off?' Here's How Great Leaders Respond
Layoffs and rapid AI‑driven change are prompting employees to ask, “Am I next?” Leadership expert David Grossman warns that generic reassurances erode trust, especially when future cuts are imminent. He outlines a four‑question conversation that uncovers deeper employee concerns about...
The Basics Of A Short-Term Incentive Plan
A short‑term incentive plan (STIP) is a cash‑based compensation vehicle that rewards employees for achieving predefined performance goals within a fiscal year. The article outlines the core components of a STIP, including target payout percentages, performance metrics, eligibility rules, and...
BDC Extends Isabelle Hudon’s Mandate as CEO Through 2030
The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) has extended CEO Isabelle Hudon's mandate through 2030, citing the need for steady leadership amid geopolitical uncertainty. Under Hudon since August 2021, BDC has grown its client base by nearly 50%, remained consistently...
XCharge Appoints Albina Iljasov as Co-CEO
XCharge has appointed Albina Iljasov as Co‑CEO alongside Yifei Hou, expanding its top‑level leadership team. Iljasov will take charge of European operations and oversee the firm’s information security and cybersecurity programs starting 1 June. The dual‑CEO structure is intended to sharpen...
Thomson Medical Group Names Cassandra Loh as Acting CEO for Its Singapore Operations
Thomson Medical Group announced that Cassandra Loh, currently chief commercial officer, will assume the role of acting CEO of its Singapore operations on 1 July 2026, succeeding Lee Suen Ming, who will step down on 31 August. Loh will retain her CCO responsibilities, creating tighter alignment...
Podcast: NTTC's New Chairman, Jeremy Mairs
Jeremy Mairs, president and CEO of Cox Petroleum, has been appointed chairman of the National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC). In a recent podcast, Mairs discussed his upbringing in the trucking sector, his experience navigating California’s stringent regulations, and his vision...
Ask These Three Questions Before Choosing a Co-Founder or Regret It Later
Choosing the right co‑founder is the single biggest predictor of startup survival, outweighing idea or funding. Research by Noam Wasserman shows roughly 65% of high‑potential failures stem from people problems at the top. Founders typically apply two filters—complementary skills and...