Unless you’ve somehow avoided all technology for the past three decades, you’ve likely used Microsoft products. The company has been a global technology leader since the start of the Digital Revolution and has positioned itself to grow even further as a leader in the future of computing and artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT.    In this special two-part episode of Redefiners, we’re joined by Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith, who in his 30 years with the company has...

We’re in the midst of a new technology revolution—one that is completely rewriting the rules of the game. Gen-AI isn’t hype. It’s here to stay. And the leaders who are quickest to learn how to ride this innovation wave will be the ones that stay ahead.  It’s a high-stakes moment. And yet, there are still questions to be answered: In this time of seismic transformation, how do you keep up? How will Gen-AI challenge our definitions of what it takes to lead? And which traits do you need to hone...

If your organization is like many around the world, you’re trying to figure out how to better lead through uncertainty and change, attract and retain talent, increase employee engagement, and adapt to rapid technological change. In fact, according to our latest Global Leadership Monitor report, only 55% of leaders feel prepared to face these top external threats in the year ahead.   Well, today’s episode should help give you some guidance as we sit down with Jacob Morgan, speaker and...

What do you get when you combine values-centered leadership with a long-term view of investing? In Tom Gayner’s case, you get an incredible recipe for success! As CEO of Markel Group, Tom helped grow the company over three decades from a relatively small insurance company into the diversified global conglomerate it is today. No wonder Markel Group is often called a "Baby Berkshire." In this conversation, Tom shares his career journey from teenage investor to CEO and how he dealt with various...

Becoming a leader is an exciting (and daunting) milestone. Here we share the common pitfalls—and how to avoid them.  Whether you’re joining the C-suite for the first time or are about to take on the coveted CEO role—the stakes are high.  For CEOs in particular, you have the unique challenge of transitioning into a role that only a small number of people have ever held.  Any mistakes or missteps made will impact the entire organization, as well as investors, and stakeholders. Couple that...

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, former 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...

What’s life really like at the top of a $30 billion healthcare company? While many might find the prospect of serving 300 million patients around the world daunting, Ashley McEvoy, Worldwide Chairman of Johnson & Johnson MedTech, sees it as a privilege. While at the helm of J&J MedTech, her impact has been significant: she has tripled its revenue growth since 2017 and spearheaded its entrance into telehealth, robotics, and digital surgery. At a time when senior executive tenure is...

There are many reasons why people choose to take a career break. We share how leaders can re-enter the executive world with confidence.  Did you know that 62% of all employees worldwide have taken a career break at some point?  Career breaks have become far more commonplace, likely caused by the period of deep reflection that the pandemic sparked.   Often we associate career breaks with being on maternity leave or taking time out to look after children. But in reality, there are lots of...

Lorenzo Simonelli knows how to lead and transform businesses in times of uncertainty and change. He did it for more than two decades at GE, leading the company’s Energy, Transportation, and Consumer & Industrial businesses. As Chairman and CEO of energy technology company Baker Hughes, he’s doing it again, helping to redefine the energy sector by accelerating sustainability to decarbonize the energy system. We talk with Lorenzo about how he’s using technology to accelerate the transition...

Failure can be difficult to come to terms with. Even more so if you’re a CEO at a top organization. But we’ve come to learn that failure isn’t all bad.Leaders who have experienced the biggest failures are often the ones who make the biggest strides in their careers.What’s important is how leaders choose to recover from failure. It’s about engaging constructively with failure to understand what went wrong, knowing how to correct course, and applying those learnings to future...

As we arrive at the midway point of Redefiners Season 3, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the key takeaways and insights our guests have shared with us so far. This season’s episodes have covered several critical topics leaders are facing today – leadership and culture, sustainability, technology and transformation, innovation, and managing uncertainty and change.   In this episode, Clarke and Nanaz take us through some highlights from this season’s conversations with guests...

Behind the glamour of the beauty industry is the fast-paced corporate pulse keeping it afloat. Marketing veteran and former Wall Street investor Amanda Baldwin knows the intricacies and nuances of both. After years of working with some of the most established beauty brands in the world, Amanda made the bold decision to start fresh when she met the founder of Supergoop!. The skincare brand, with a specialization in sunscreen, offered something special through its product, mission, and story....

In the past, whenever top companies wanted to hire their next leader, they knew what to look for: somebody with technical expertise and a proven track record of delivering financial returns.But the world has changed. And so has what top companies expect from a leader.While the ‘command and control’ hierarchical leader still exists and can deliver for a business, today’s future-proof organizations are increasingly looking for leaders who promote inclusion, diversity of thought, and individual...

What does youthful rebellion look like when you grow up in an artistic family? For Max Hollein it was going to business school. But he didn’t turn his back completely on his roots. Max quickly added a Masters Degree in art history to his Masters in business administration. A perfect combo for the now director and soon-to-be CEO, come July 2023, of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Max made a risky move earlier in his career by leaving the Guggenheim and New York to lead a prestigious but...

Promptly at 11:00 pm every weekday, Stephanie Ruhle sets out to make the world better and smarter. The host of MSNBC’s The Eleventh Hour sheds light on the day's events for her millions of watchers. Stephanie believes building trust is a process, so she takes the slow and steady approach while forming relationships with her audience and her newsmaking guests.    In this episode of Redefiners, we'll hear how Stephanie spent years climbing the ladder to the top of Wall Street, only to bet it...

As a youngster struggling through grade school, it was hard to imagine Feike Sijbesma would go on to be the formidable leader he is today. But, after a slow start, Feike found success in school and life through hard work, determination, and a desire to make the world better. Feike left his mark in business by transforming Royal DSM (a multinational corporation with tens of thousands of employees) from a bulk chemicals company to a leader in nutrition, health and biosciences. Now, he’s leaving...

The board director role is one of the most coveted roles in business. But how do you land your first board seat? And what is life really like when you get there? We invited RRA leadership advisors Alvin Chiang and Anupama Puranik into the Leadership Lounge to share why a board role isn’t just something you should think about once you’ve already made it. Gone are the days when boards are only populated with ex-CEOs, CFOs or other senior leaders. As new issues emerge at breakneck...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...