1181: What AI Means for the Future of Finance Leadership | Yuval Atsmon, CFO & Sr Partner, McKinsey & Company
In this episode, senior partner and new CFO Yuval Atsmon discusses how AI and shifting client expectations are reshaping finance leadership at McKinsey, a firm that advises the rest of the business world. He explains the need for real‑time visibility, automation, and agile capital allocation, especially as talent becomes the primary product and traditional pricing models are challenged. Atsmon also shares insights from his global career—spanning Israel, Europe, Asia, and the U.S.—highlighting cultural nuances in leadership and the firm’s unique partnership model that grants partners autonomy while emphasizing client impact. Finally, he outlines why the CFO role now demands a blend of strategist, operator, and change translator to drive resilience and growth.
Why External Noise Is Slowing Banking Decisions
The episode explores how a flood of external noise—geopolitical risks, tariff changes, cyber threats, and market volatility—is slowing decision‑making in retail banks and credit unions. While many institutions are stuck on a treadmill of meetings and caution, a subset is...
Lead Better - Good Leaders Refuse to Take ‘Yes’ for an Answer
In this episode of Lead Better, Scott Baker and Mikey discuss the pitfalls of false agreement, using the Abilene paradox to illustrate how leaders and teams often accept a "yes" that masks hidden dissent. They explore why people say yes—to...
Closing the CPG Gender Gap with The Female Quotient's Shelley Zalis
In this episode, Shelley Zalis, CEO of the Female Quotient, discusses the stark gender gap in CPG leadership and its impact on business performance. She highlights that women make up 85% of purchase decisions yet are vastly underrepresented in senior...
Surviving D2C's Boom and Bust
In this episode of E‑Commerce Conversations, Chris Richard, co‑founder of the DTC luxury footwear brand Koyo, walks host Eric Bandles through a decade of building, scaling, and exiting a direct‑to‑consumer shoe company. He explains how early capital raises (totaling about...
Lead Better - How Much Time Does It Take to Make a Great Decision?
In this episode of Lead Better, hosts Scott Baker and Mikey explore how much time is appropriate for making great decisions, drawing on their Admired Leadership field note and a personal shoe‑repair anecdote. They break decisions into low, moderate, and...
The Operating System Behind Sustainable Growth with Sarah Jeanneault #238
In this episode, host Akhil Jabar talks with Sarah Jeannot, head of marketing and strategy at ProcedureFlow, about building a sustainable growth operating system using visual knowledge management and AI. Sarah explains how ProcedureFlow turns complex SOPs into visual, actionable...
Building a Profitable Neobank by Doing Everything the Hard Way With Ali Niknam, CEO of Bunq
In this episode, Ali Niknam, founder and CEO of the Dutch neobank bunq, explains how he built a profitable, user‑centric bank by self‑funding it with nearly €100 million (≈ $108 million) and launching with a paid subscription model instead of free plans. He...
Elon Musk Lands Another ‘Moonshot’ Pay Deal
The episode covers three major business headlines: massive tech layoffs at Meta and Microsoft as AI spending pressures costs, Elon Musk’s upcoming SpaceX IPO and a new "moonshot" compensation package that could give him outsized control through dual‑class voting shares,...
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader CEO Miguel Zaldivar on Orchestrating a $4 Billion Big Law Merger
In this episode, Hogan Lovells CEO Miguel Zaldivar walks host Patrick Smith through the unprecedented $4 billion merger with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, detailing the transparent, partner‑centric process that secured a 99% approval vote. Zaldivar emphasizes his consensus‑building leadership style, extensive...
REIT Leadership Expectations Shifting Amid More Complex Environment: Ferguson Partners
In this episode of the REIT Report, Ferguson Partners' Courtney Kalanog and Mike Cordingly discuss the evolving leadership demands for the next generation of REIT CEOs amid a more complex, less forgiving market environment. Their research, based on interviews with...
The 8-Figure Open Source SaaS Playbook
In this episode, Omer Khan talks with Yves Concevoy, the founder of Mailgun and Teleport, about how Teleport evolved from a free open‑source tool into an eight‑figure ARR business by focusing on infrastructure identity and AI agent containment. Yves explains...
Why Your Job Title Is Not Your Identity with Jennifer Outlaw
In this episode of the HR Chat Show, leadership strategist and licensed clinical social worker Jennifer Outlaw discusses why a job title should not define one's identity. She shares how her motivations have shifted from seeking formal leadership to becoming...
#365 Making a Success in British Construction
In this episode of Engineering Matters, hosts Alex Conacher and Tim Sheehan talk with Greg Wilkes, a former carpenter turned construction entrepreneur, about navigating the volatile UK building market. Greg shares how he grew a business from £1 million to £5 million,...
300. The CEO’s Agenda for Thriving in the Agentic Age
In this 300th episode of Inside the Strategy Room, McKinsey partners Tangi, Sandra, Laurie, and Antoine discuss how CEOs must navigate the "agentic age" of generative AI, which they view as a true general‑purpose technology reshaping industries and company performance....
REFLECTIONS ON LEADERSHIP FROM TWO MIRROR IMAGES (RE-RELEASE)
In this 36‑minute episode, identical twins Colonel Derek Baird and Command Sergeant Major T.J. Baird—one an officer, the other a senior enlisted leader—discuss what leadership means in today’s U.S. Army. Drawing on their parallel yet distinct careers, they share stories...
1180: Where Finance Meets the Real World | Scott Thorell, CFO Benetrends
In this episode, CFO Scott Thorell shares his journey from public accounting at Ernst & Young and global audits at Campbell Soup to leading finance in mid‑market, founder‑led companies, most recently Benetrends Financial. He discusses the unique challenges of scaling...
Tim Cook Steps Aside – What's Next for Apple
The Motley Fool Money team dissected Apple’s leadership change, noting Tim Cook’s 16‑year tenure delivered massive profit growth, a dominant services business, and strong wearables, but left the company lagging in AI. They evaluated John Ternus, the hardware‑focused president, as...
Ep 760: AI Change Management That Works: 5 Moves The Top 5% Make (Start Here Series Vol 21)
In this episode of the Everyday AI Show, host Jordan Wilson explains that AI adoption is fundamentally a change‑management challenge, not a technical one, and outlines the five‑step playbook used by the top 5% of companies: fund the people and...
Steven Lipin: Activism, M&A, and the Rising Stakes of Board Communication
In this episode, Evan Epstein talks with Steve Lippin, founder and CEO of Gladstone Place Partners and former Wall Street Journal reporter, about the evolution of corporate governance over the past three decades. Lippin explains how the rise of institutional...
The Tim Cook Era Is Ending & Pancreatic Cancer Breakthrough?
The episode covers three major stories: Tim Cook’s announced departure from Apple and the promotion of hardware chief John Ternus as his successor, a promising early-stage mRNA vaccine trial for pancreatic cancer showing extended survival in half of its 16...
Why Apple Bet on an Engineer to Lead the AI Era
Apple is set to appoint hardware veteran John Ternus as its next CEO in September, marking the company’s first leadership change in 15 years. Ternus, known for his product‑design pedigree and overseeing Apple’s shift to custom silicon, inherits the challenge...
The AI “Sandwich”: Why HR Teams Are Caught in the Middle
In this episode Tim Fisher talks with Josh Rod of HiBob about how AI is reshaping HR. They explain HiBob’s all‑in‑one HCM platform and why AI is a strategic priority for delivering real value rather than hype. The conversation highlights...
The Bagel That Broke the Internet: Tory Bartlett and the Rise of PopUp Bagels
In this episode of the Hospitality Hangout, CEO Tory Bartlett (often called Jimmy) shares his journey from washing dishes at Hooters to leading the fast‑growing pop‑up bagel brand that went viral online. He discusses how his military reserve service, years...
Winning The Attention War That's Reshaping Banking
In this episode, hosts Alex Johnson and Mary Wisniewski discuss the evolving dynamics of FinTech events, emphasizing the irreplaceable value of in‑person networking for business deals and relationship building. They highlight two major industry trends: the surge of new banking...
Lead Better - What Leaders Could Learn From the NFL Draft
In this milestone 300th episode of Lead Better, hosts Scott Baker and Mikey explore what leaders can learn from the NFL Draft about assessing talent and potential. They discuss how teams use unconventional tests—like the honesty "$100 bill" playbook check...
Apple Names New CEO, Succeeding Tim Cook
The episode covers three main stories: Apple’s appointment of senior hardware engineer John Ternus as its next CEO, signaling a hardware‑focused leadership transition; a surge in entry‑level hiring for the class of 2026 driven by AI‑related roles and a rebound...
Fill The Vacuum! - Communicate Your Vision - Chapter 1
In this episode, Mark and Sarah discuss how managers must "fill the vacuum" when higher‑level communication about strategy and vision is missing. They argue that it’s the manager’s responsibility to create and relentlessly communicate their own mission, values, and direction...
100: Human Plus AI Strategy: Redefining Team Structure in the Age of Automation with Evan J Schwartz
In this episode, Evan J. Schwartz outlines a "person + AI" strategy, arguing that AI should augment—not replace—human workers, reshaping corporate hierarchies into three layers: stewards, orchestrators, and sub‑agents. He predicts service‑oriented sectors will feel the AI impact first, while hands‑on trades...
Transforming the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: A Conversation with Deputy Secretary Dr. Paul Lawrence
In this hour-long interview, Deputy Secretary Dr. Paul Lawrence outlines his role as the VA’s chief operating officer and shares the department’s strategic vision to deliver world‑class health care, benefits, and memorial services to veterans. He highlights three urgent priorities:...
684: Marcus Buckingham - Design Love In, The 5 Feelings Leaders Must Create, The ABCs of Authentic Leadership, and How...
In this episode, Marcus Buckingham shares insights from his new book, *Design Love In*, arguing that love—understood as a measurable, structural element of experience—is the most powerful driver of business performance. He recounts how selling his company in 2017, driven...
Why Your AI Committee Might Be Your Biggest AI Problem
In this episode, evangelist Samudis examines why many large enterprises are creating AI committees or governance bodies and how these structures can unintentionally slow AI adoption. He contrasts the traditional Center of Excellence model with newer, often politicized committees that...
Lead Better - What Leaders Can Learn From the Disney Hugs Rule
In this episode of Lead Better, Scott Baker and Mikey discuss Disney's "Hugs Rule," a practice where characters let a child end a hug on their own to preserve the magic of the moment. They explore how this principle translates...
Scaling Global Organizations in the Age of AI with ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott
In this episode, ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott discusses how AI and SaaS are reshaping enterprise platforms, emphasizing the massive hidden costs of replacing legacy systems with AI models. He shares personal leadership lessons—from buying a deli as a teen to...
Lead Better - Company Policies and Rules That Are Too Specific Can Replace Sound Judgment
In this episode of Lead Better, hosts Scott Baker and Mikey explore how overly specific company policies can stifle sound judgment, using Mary Barra’s decision to replace GM’s 10‑page dress code with the simple directive “dress appropriately” as a flagship...
#321 Anthony Collins Founder at Work Better Studio - Lean Thinking in Hospitality: Fix the System, Not the People
In this episode, Michael Tinser talks with Anthony Collins, founder of Work Better Studio and former CEO of Top Flight Travel Group, about applying lean thinking to hospitality. Collins explains how focusing on fixing systemic processes—not blaming people—can boost profitability,...
Lead Better - Great Advocates Don’t Present Options
In this episode of Lead Better, hosts Scott Baker and Mikey explore Field Note #1771, "Great Advocates Don't Present Options," highlighting the distinction between presenting multiple choices and making a decisive, conviction‑driven recommendation. They discuss how leaders often blur the...
$4.5m ARR, $0 Raised: Tom Hunt on Building Fame (Getting to Aha!)
In this episode, Tom Hunt, founder and CEO of the B2B podcast agency Fame, shares his entrepreneurial journey from studying chemistry and working in management consulting to launching 25 ventures, with Fame emerging as the sole success—now generating over $4 million...
299. The New CEO’s Guide to Stakeholder Impact
In this episode, McKinsey partners Carolyn Dewar, Blair Epstein, and Eric Sherman explain why stakeholder engagement is a critical, yet under‑mastered, responsibility for new CEOs—impacting roughly 30% of corporate earnings. They outline three key tensions CEOs must balance: the share‑vs‑stage...
Leading without a Script
The episode explores the hidden costs of ambiguous leadership through the fictional story of Rahul, a junior employee forced to "lean in" without clear direction, resulting in burnout and a missed opportunity for feedback. The host and guest, an HR...
Nike’s Reality Check
The episode examines Nike’s ongoing turnaround under CEO Elliot Hill, focusing on flat Q3 sales, investor impatience, and the brand’s struggle to craft a compelling narrative despite strong product innovation and scale. BOF analyst Mike Sykes highlights modest wins in...
1179: Why Trust Can Outperform Price | Thomas Baumgartner, CFO, Voestalpine Metsec
In this episode, CFO Thomas Baumgartner of voestalpine Metsec (UK) discusses how trust and certification outweigh price competition in the steel‑section market, and how he leverages data, AI, and a controller‑mindset to drive strategic transformation. He shares insights from his 20‑year journey—from...
How to Double EBITDA in 3 Years The Multi-Unit Retail Playbook
In this episode of the Raw Selection Private Equity Podcast, Jeff Helfgott, CEO of Boardroom Salon, shares his playbook for doubling EBITDA in three years within a multi‑unit retail business. He emphasizes that talent assessment and development are as critical...
Back to Basics in a Deepfake World with Jean Chung
In this episode of Risky Women Radio, Jean Chung, Managing Director and Chief Compliance Officer for Hong Kong, Greater China and North Asia at Standard Chartered, discusses how global commonalities outweigh regulatory differences, the emerging role of AI in AML...
LIV Golf’s Gambit to Rewrite Global Sports, with Scott O’Neil
In this episode, Bob Safian talks with Scott O’Neill, CEO of LIV Golf, about the league’s disruptive model that blends team‑based competition with traditional individual play, rapid global expansion, and a high‑stakes financial structure backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment...
How to Become a CFO: The Real Career Path, Skills & Decisions That Matter
In this episode of CFO Weekly, Megan Weiss talks with David Liu, CFO of Success KPI, about the unconventional yet strategic path to becoming a chief financial officer. Liu highlights the pivotal role of GE Capital’s two‑year rotational program, diverse...
Ep297 Scott Egan CEO SiriusPoint: If You Fall Asleep, You Go Backwards
In this episode, SiriusPoint CEO Scott Egan reflects on a year of solid, consistent results that have moved the company well beyond the turnaround phase, highlighting strong top‑line growth, improved quality of earnings, and a recent Fitch upgrade. He explains...
Who Needs VCs when You Have Friends Like These?
In this episode, Zen Liu, co‑founder and CEO of RunPod, explains how his team bypassed traditional venture‑capital funding and built a GPU‑focused cloud platform directly from community feedback. Starting with basement‑hosted servers, they launched a free, Reddit‑promoted dev‑environment product that...
Excellence at Work Podcast Episode 324: How Paylocity's Leading Advantage Program Is Redefining Leadership Pipeline Development
In this episode, Rachel Cook interviews Angela Osterman, Senior Manager of Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness at Paylocity, about the company’s Leading Advantage program—a four‑month, hands‑on leadership pipeline designed for high‑performing individual contributors in the operations group. The program blends classroom...
The Man Who Built NVIDIA (with Stephen Witt)
In this EconTalk episode, host Russ Roberts talks with author Stephen Witt about his book on Jensen Wang and NVIDIA, tracing the company’s rise from a modest 1993 startup focused on 3‑D graphics chips for video games to the world’s most...