Alibaba's Chief AI Developer Quits, Taking Key Team Members with Him
Alibaba’s lead AI researcher Junyang Lin, the architect of the Qwen model series, announced his unexpected resignation. Several core engineers—including Qwen coder Binyuan Hui and post‑training specialist Bowen Yu—left the company on the same day. In response, CEO Eddie Wu created a Foundation Model Task Force, co‑led with CTO Zeming Wu and Jingren Zhou, and reaffirmed Alibaba’s commitment to open‑source AI. The firm also signaled a boost in AI investment to sustain its competitive edge.
MFE Sets New International Top Management Structure
MFE‑MediaForEurope has restructured its top management, appointing Pier Silvio Berlusconi as Chairman and Group CEO while retaining Fedele Confalonieri as Statutory Chairperson. The new model replaces a vertical holding‑company layout with a horizontal structure that centralises staff functions at the...
New Leadership Structure Set for Ferrero Group
Ferrero Group unveiled a revamped leadership structure aimed at accelerating global growth and innovation. Giovanni Ferrero will remain Executive Chairman while a newly created Chief Operating Officer role will be filled by longtime executive Pietro Ferrero. The reorganization consolidates the...
MNAA Boosts Leadership Team
The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority announced two senior leadership appointments. Caleb Douglas was promoted to director of operations planning and project coordination, where he will oversee the $3 bn New Horizon expansion at Nashville International Airport. Samantha Hamilton was named director...
The Executive Challenge Nobody Prepared You For: Leading People Who Don’t Work for You
The article outlines how modern organisations are moving to a blended workforce that combines core employees, fractional C‑suite executives, technical freelancers, and temporary contract workers. It argues that leaders must treat all contributors as part of a single team, building...
Why Employee Engagement Should Feel ‘Calm and Boring’ and Other Takeaways With McKesson’s Sr. Director of Talent Succession
Jenessa Disler, McKesson’s Senior Director of Talent Succession, argues that effective employee engagement should feel calm and boring, driven by role clarity, two‑way feedback, and cohesive systems. She highlights three themes for HR leaders: AI as an amplifier that frees...
Top Books for Startup Founders This World Book Day
Startups Magazine’s World Book Day roundup highlights essential titles for founders, ranging from networking guides to lean methodology. The list features "Find Your 9others" on building supportive ecosystems, Katie Tucker’s market‑research primer, James Church’s pitch framework, and the VC‑inspired "Venture...
Paschi Ushers in Exit of CEO Lovaglio After Mediobanca Deal
Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS) announced that CEO Luigi Lovaglio will not be considered for the top job, just months after he sealed a transformative deal with Mediobanca. The board presented three alternatives: Fabrizio Palermo of Acea, former...
Publicis Groupe APAC Creates New Chief Communications Officer Role
Publicis Groupe APAC has created a new chief communications officer role and appointed Naomi Michael, effective 9 March 2026, to lead regional communications from Singapore. Michael arrives after senior stints at Omnicom Media and IPG Mediabrands, bringing more than two decades of...
Cyient Picks Prabhakar Atla for COO, Shrinivas Kulkarni for CFO
Cyient announced that long‑time CFO Prabhakar Atla will become chief operating officer on 1 April 2026, while Shrinivas Kulkarni, previously CFO of Cyient DLM, steps into the group CFO role. Atla, a 12‑year Cyient veteran, will drive next‑generation delivery models, talent development and...
Case-in-Point: Confidentiality vs Duty of Care
Apex Financial Services is evaluating VP Vikram Mehta for a Managing Director role while a psychologist’s confidential assessment report disclosed his managed depression to HR. The firm now faces a dilemma: whether to factor this health information into the promotion...
Dario's Big Leak
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s internal memo, leaked this week, details a failed attempt to secure a Pentagon AI contract and lambasts OpenAI’s Sam Altman. The essay, previously rare for Amodei, also references earlier leaked communications about Middle‑East investor outreach. The...
Sling & Stone Taps We Communications’ Nichole Provatas To Lead Australian Business
Sling & Stone has named Nichole Provatas, formerly of We Communications, as the inaugural Managing Director of its Australian operation. Provatas will steer the agency’s expansion across AI‑driven visibility, strategic insight, social, creative and content services. Her portfolio includes high‑profile...
Women Who Lead: Microsoft Advertising's Renee Stopps on Carving a Path in Tech
Microsoft Advertising’s Regional Sales Director for APAC, Renee Stopps, discussed her unconventional rise from account director to a newly created regional leadership role. She credited mentorship, continuous learning, and a willingness to take stretch assignments for building confidence and authenticity...
Crompton Joins Fremantle as Global Head of Entertainment
Fremantle announced Ben Crompton as its new Global Head of Entertainment, effective March 2026. Crompton arrives from NBCUniversal, where he oversaw International Unscripted, developing formats and IP worldwide. He previously launched Lime Pictures US, delivering hit shows for Netflix, MTV,...
The New Leaders of Law
The UK legal market is undergoing a structural transformation driven by digital‑savvy leadership and new ownership models. Millennial and Gen Z lawyers now expect digital fluency as a baseline, prompting firms to appoint CEOs, COOs and CIOs who prioritize scalability, compliance...
The Komo Club Opens Applications for Cohort 3
The Komo Club opened applications for Cohort 3 of its structured performance program, which runs from April 20 to June 12. Founder Rohit Bhargava frames the initiative as a “human accelerator,” applying the same systematic frameworks used to scale companies to founders’ health, clarity,...
Charapata Advances to EVP Position Across KSE Media Ventures
Kroenke Sports & Entertainment promoted Kathleen Charapata to Executive Vice President, Distribution and Deputy General Counsel for KSE Media Ventures. Charapata, who joined KSE in 2024 after serving as Deputy General Counsel and previously as Chief Administrative Officer and General...
Deadline March 31 to Apply for AHA Next Gen Fellowship
The American Hospital Association (AHA) announced that the application deadline for its Next Gen fellowship is March 31. The program targets emerging healthcare leaders, offering mentorship, networking, and strategic projects across member hospitals. Applicants must submit a brief proposal outlining a health‑system...
Emily Williams-Knight, Texas Restaurant Association
Dr. Emily Williams Knight has been president and CEO of the Texas Restaurant Association and its foundation since August 2019. She leveraged her 20‑plus years of global experience to obtain critical government waivers and federal aid that helped thousands of...
WPP Media Appoints Nancy Lan to Lead Mindshare Sydney Client Portfolio
WPP Media announced that Nancy Lan will lead Mindshare’s Sydney client portfolio, overseeing brands such as Unilever, IKEA, uBank and Blackmores. Lan arrives with more than two decades of leadership across Australia, Asia and Europe, including senior roles at Virgin...
Marc Feigelson Elected as Next Kaufman Rossin CEO
Kaufman Rossin announced that CFO Marc Feigelson will assume the chief executive role on June 1, succeeding retiring CEO Blain Heckaman. The Miami‑based firm, with more than 700 employees and $164 million in revenue, highlighted the transition as a reaffirmation of its...
New C-Suite Hospice, Palliative Care Executives Step Forward
Hospice and palliative‑care providers announced several C‑suite moves, including Mettle Health’s new Chief Growth Officer, Camille Borgo, to broaden service reach. Legacy Hospice named Elaine Ziegler as CEO after Clark Blair’s departure, while Island Hospice appointed Patricia Pancner as its new chief executive....
How to Lead When You Can’t See the Way
Harvard Business School professor Linda A. Hill hosted an Executive Masterclass on March 4, 2026, addressing how senior leaders can navigate persistent uncertainty. The session framed today’s “fog” of geopolitics, rapid technology change, and evolving stakeholder expectations as a structural condition rather...
Singer to Step Down as Senior Vice Provost for Faculty
Judith D. Singer, Harvard's senior vice provost for faculty since 2008, will step down on June 30. She pioneered a centralized hiring portal, standardized promotion processes, and comprehensive work‑life policies that have become models for elite universities. Singer also expanded...
This Former CHRO Helps Benefit Leaders Work Successfully with the C-Suite
Cynthia Burks, former Genentech CHRO turned executive coach and board chair, champions data‑driven benefits that move beyond one‑size‑fits‑all programs. She argues HR must sit at the C‑suite table, translating employee value into business language to boost engagement and talent retention....
Your Customer Service Is Suffering—And Frontline Employees Say Understaffing Is to Blame
A Gallup Q3 2025 poll reveals that while 77% of U.S. frontline workers feel a strong duty to deliver excellent customer experiences, only 23% believe their companies can keep service promises. Insufficient staffing, cited by 37% of respondents, is identified as...
Why Pay-for-Performance Programs Don’t Always Work
A new McLean & Co. study finds that while 69% of HR leaders view total compensation as critical, only a quarter feel truly effective at designing pay‑for‑performance programs. Employees who are satisfied with their overall pay are 1.8 times more...
AI Was Supposed to Help Her Launch. Instead, It Nearly Destroyed Her Business
Restaurant owner Rachael Smith used generative AI to draft The Salty Otter’s logo, an otter on a surfboard, then refined it herself. The AI‑origin sparked a wave of one‑star reviews from locals who felt the design was cheap and unauthentic....
Michael Riggs Promoted to SVP, Licensing & Income Tracking at Sony Music Publishing
Sony Music Publishing has elevated Michael Riggs to Senior Vice President of Licensing & Income Tracking, expanding his oversight to licensing, sync administration, global income tracking, and client audit teams. Based in Nashville, Riggs will focus on strengthening tracking operations...
When AI Challenges Strategy
Artificial intelligence is reshaping corporate strategy, turning static roadmaps into dynamic, real‑time plans. Executives face heightened volatility as AI accelerates decision cycles and market signals shift faster than traditional forecasts. In a candid HBR interview, chief strategy officers from Penske...
Macquarie Uni's AI Chief Heads to La Trobe
La Trobe University has appointed Phil Laufenberg, formerly Macquarie University’s head of AI, as its inaugural Pro Vice‑Chancellor (Artificial Intelligence) and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer. The dual role, the first of its kind in Australia’s higher‑education sector, is central to La Trobe’s...
Sentry: Are Business Leaders Worried About the Right Risks?
More than half of U.S. executives expect growth in 2026, yet 60% feel more stressed than last year, according to Sentry’s 2026 C‑Suite Stress Index. The survey of 1,250 leaders reveals a gap between perceived top risks—supply chain, economic pressure,...
Leaders, How You Handle Employee Exits Matters. Here’s How Communication Directly Impacts Trust
Leaders often let employee exits happen in silence, letting internal narratives fill the void. When accounts are disabled without explanation, teams interpret the silence as disrespect, quickly eroding trust. Gallup data shows that employees who trust leadership during change are...
The Secret Behind the Success of Dave's Hot Chicken
Dave’s Hot Chicken CEO Jim Bitticks discussed the brand’s explosive growth on the Restaurant Business podcast, highlighting its recent acquisition by private‑equity firm Roark Capital. He explained how the company’s operator‑executive model drives consistency while enabling rapid expansion across the...
Scaling Organizational Structure with Meshery’s Expanding Ecosystem
Meshery, one of the fastest‑growing CNCF projects, announced the split of its GitHub repositories into two organizations: github.com/meshery for the core platform and github.com/meshery-extensions for extensions and integrations. The partition aims to improve modularity, scalability, and community ownership by allowing the core...
Havas Bets on AI Veteran Sharona Sankar-King to Lead Proprietary Tech Push
Havas Media Network North America has hired Sharona Sankar‑King as chief data and product officer to steer its proprietary AI platform, Converged.AI, and the broader analytics practice. Sankar‑King arrives from Harte Hanks after more than 25 years in agencies, consultancies...
Why Storytelling Matters When Changing Company Culture
Harvard Business Review’s IdeaCast with professor Jay Barney reveals that successful culture change hinges on leaders creating authentic, action‑driven stories rather than issuing top‑down mandates. By deliberately breaking old norms—such as a CEO using the same helpline as front‑line staff—leaders generate...
Are You Using ‘Authenticity’ as an Excuse Not to Grow? Here Are some Signs that You Are
Authenticity is praised as a leadership cornerstone, yet senior executives often weaponize it to sidestep growth. The article shows how leaders like Meg label development requests as inauthentic, using extreme descriptors to reject feedback. By reframing authenticity, leaders can adopt...
Why Paramount’s Bonus Reset Highlights a Leadership Challenge During Major Deals
Paramount Global has overhauled its 2025 Short‑Term Incentive Plan, lowering the company‑wide performance multiplier to 94% and assigning a flat 100% individual multiplier to all eligible staff. The change follows the completion of the Paramount‑Skydance merger and removes performance‑based differentiation...
Maven Unveils Succession as MacKinnon Becomes Managing Partner, Founder Nixon Steps Back
Maven Capital Partners, a UK alternative investment firm, announced a leadership transition. Long‑time executive Ewan MacKinnon has been named managing partner, succeeding founder Bill Nixon. Nixon will step back from day‑to‑day operations and assume an advisory capacity as part of...
5 Ways Leaders Lose the Room without Realizing It
Leaders often mistake a polished slide deck for effective communication, leaving the room disengaged and ideas unabsorbed. The article highlights how the illusion of alignment can cause meetings to feel empty, even when time and resources are invested. It outlines...
Do America’s Top Health Research Officials Stick Around Too Long?
Top officials at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) often serve open‑ended five‑year terms, with many directors remaining in post for a decade or more. Critics argue that such long tenures can stifle innovation, entrench soft power, and limit fresh...
People Moves: Ryan Specialty Underwriting Managers Promotes in RFL Exec Team
Ryan Specialty Underwriting Managers announced three senior promotions within its Ryan Financial Lines (RFL) division. Deborah Egel‑Fergus was named president of lawyers errors‑and‑omissions, succeeding retiring veteran Kevin Sullivan. Brooke Tanner was elevated to chief claims officer for North America, overseeing...
Jake Young: Strong Workplace Connections Are the Foundation of Good Leadership
The CIPD’s latest research links strong workplace connections to better leadership outcomes, showing that leaders who prioritize trust, open communication, and emotional intelligence drive higher employee engagement, productivity, and retention. Different styles—servant, transformational, and reflective—produce distinct benefits such as increased...
How to Know You’re a Real-Deal CSO — and Whether that Job Opening Truly Seeks One
Recruiters struggle to find genuine Chief Security Officers (CSOs) because the role now demands deep technical expertise, business acumen, and executive communication. Title inflation leads firms to hire or promote candidates who excel in architecture but lack governance, risk‑prioritization, and...
‘Mr. Lufthansa’ Taps Crisis Playbook to Tackle Costs and Union Battles
Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr is leveraging his crisis‑management experience to improve margins, centralise the group and expand long‑haul capacity. After a 60% share‑price rise since early 2025, the airline posted its best punctuality in a decade with over 80% on‑time...
Havas Malaysia Strengthens Leadership with Promotions and New Appointments
Havas Malaysia announced a wave of senior promotions and new hires to reinforce its next‑phase growth strategy. Bowie Tiong was elevated to General Manager, expanding oversight of business performance and client leadership. New appointments include Ie‑Tsen Cheng as Business Director,...
The Creativity Suite. Episode 163: Active Legacy
In a recent interview, Christos Karagiannakis, CEO of Greek retailer Kotsovolos, introduced the concept of “active legacy,” urging long‑standing firms to treat legacy as a forward‑looking mission. He argues that legacy companies must continuously re‑evaluate existing capabilities, adopt ambidextrous operating...
Austmine Appoints Tony Davis as New CEO
Austmine has appointed Tony Davis as its new chief executive officer, effective 1 April 2026. Davis brings over 30 years of senior leadership across government, mining‑related industries, energy and advanced manufacturing. His most recent role was executive general manager – The Americas at...