Cold Call

5,0 (5)
MANAGEMENT
HALBWÖCHENTLICH

Cold Call distills Harvard Business School's legendary case studies into podcast form. Hosted by Brian Kenny, the podcast airs every two weeks and features Harvard Business School faculty discussing cases they've written and the lessons they impart.

VOR 2 TAGEN

How Italian Luxury Brand Golden Goose Determined Its Next Phase of Growth

In 2025, Golden Goose, the Italian brand known for its handcrafted, distressed sneakers, was at a crossroads. CEO Silvio Campara had grown the label from a cult favorite into a $650 million global force, but sustaining that growth raised tough questions: Should the company double down on sneakers, expand into ready-to-wear and accessories, or push into emerging international markets? Harvard Business School Professor Juan Alcacer and entrepreneur Alexandre Daillance co-wrote the case “Golden Goose: Reshaping Luxury.” They join host Brian Kenny to explore how the brand has upended traditional fashion norms by embracing imperfection, inviting co-creation, and redefining what it means to scale in the luxury world.

26 Min.
6. JAN.

How Equitable Confronted Its Inertia After 160 Years in Business

In 2019, Equitable’s CEO, Mark Pearson, set out to change how the 163-year-old financial services firm gets work done. He wanted the firm to speed up decision-making and empower employees through a flatter hierarchy, agile teams, and more opportunities to lead. Most divisions thrived under the new model. Others clung to old habits. Several years in, the effort sheds light on core questions: What does true cultural change look like? What makes it last? And how do leaders bring skeptics along? Harvard Business School Professor Das Narayandas joins Pearson and COO Jeff Hurd to discuss the case “New WOW at Equitable: A New Way of Working.”

35 Min.
23.12.2025

Climate Rising: Extending Apparel Lifespan with ThredUp

In this special holiday crossover episode from Harvard Business School’s Climate Rising podcast, Professor Mike Toffel talks with ThredUp CEO James Reinhart about the company’s mission to extend the life of apparel and reduce waste through resale. As thrifting becomes more popular and circular business models gain traction, Reinhart explains why ThredUp built a national logistics and tech platform, how it collaborates with big brands, and the growing role of AI and automation in the industry.

37 Min.
09.12.2025

Inside Coinbase’s Mission-First, Remote-First Bet

In 2020, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase made two bold organizational moves: going fully remote and banning political discussion at work. These decisions, aimed at reinforcing a mission-first culture, were supported by a written, codified approach to company values and a hiring philosophy designed to attract talent aligned with that mission. In this episode, Chief People Officer L.J. Brock joins case author and HBS professor Charles Wang and host Brian Kenny to discuss how Coinbase’s strategy, explored in the case “Mission First at Coinbase,” raises critical questions about focus, inclusion, and attracting top talent in a volatile industry.

28 Min.
25.11.2025

BrandBastion Mixes AI and Human Judgment to Build Trust at Scale

Jenny Wolfram founded BrandBastion to help companies manage the risks of social media by combining AI with human moderation. She joins HBS professor Julian De Freitas and BrandBastion’s Head of Operations and Finance, Vesa Rikkinen, to discuss how this hybrid model builds trust without ballooning costs.

27 Min.
11.11.2025

Apollo Global Management’s Business Model Transformation

Apollo Global Management has transformed itself from a traditional private equity giant into an insurance-fueled credit powerhouse—thanks to its acquisition of life annuity issuer Athene. CEO Marc Rowan makes a bold bet that an asset-heavy model, which is backed by hundreds of billions in long-term insurance liabilities, can drive repeatable, superior returns and propel Apollo’s assets under management to $1.5 trillion. However, public markets award Apollo a multitude on its earnings that is far lower than asset-light peers like Blackstone, which highlights important trade-offs. Harvard Business School professor George Serafeim joins host Brian Kenny to discuss the questions raised by the case, Apollo Global Management, and explore what Apollo’s transformation reveals about business-model innovation and risk management in today’s rapidly evolving private markets ecosystem, and what it means to be a modern investment firm.

29 Min.
28.10.2025

Inside India’s Energy Transition: Tata Power’s Net Zero Strategy

Tata Power stood at the forefront of India’s energy transition. The firm’s long history was deeply intertwined with the country's development. As Mumbai’s power needs increased, Tata Power built out thermal assets across India, and while thermal power generation remained Tata Power’s mainstay, the firm slowly started diversifying. In 2020, Tata Power boldly announced a commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050, concurrent with a complete phase-down of thermal capacity. It later brought this commitment forward to 2045. To prepare for declining revenues from thermal power generation, Tata Power was actively expanding its renewable business, but stakeholders had concerns about the company’s ambitions. Was the firm’s decision to sacrifice potentially high returns in thermal power generation financially imprudent, or did it position the firm well as India inevitably accelerated its energy transition? In this episode, host Brian Kenny welcomes Harvard Business School Professor Vikram Gandhi and Tata Power CEO Praveer Sinha to discuss the case Tata Power and India’s Energy Transition, and how India’s largest private power producer is reimagining its future.

36 Min.
14.10.2025

Tim Ferriss at a Career Crossroads: How Should He Shape His Next Chapter?

In April 2024, writer, podcaster, and entrepreneur Tim Ferriss—known for his hugely popular podcast “The Tim Ferriss Show” and NYT-bestselling books like The 4-Hour Workweek—found himself at a crossroads. Although his podcast was generating millions annually, he questioned the sustainability of podcasting and his own competitive advantage given the increasingly saturated market and the advent of AI tools and video-centric formats. He faced a difficult choice: innovate from within his proven format, pivot to entirely new ventures—possibly in film, premium consumer products, or venture capital—or risk a slow decline by maintaining the status quo. Complicating matters further was Ferriss’s desire to start a family, a goal he prioritized above all business ventures. Every month of indecision narrowed his window for successfully transitioning. Senior Lecturer Reza Satchu and Tim Ferriss joined Cold Call host Brian Kenny to discuss the case, “Tim Ferriss: What Might This Look Like If It Were Easy?”

50 Min.

Alle anzeigen (278)

TRAILER

Cold Call Introduction

Host Brian Kenny introduces Cold Call, the official podcast of the Harvard Business School. Cold Call distills the Business School’s legendary case studies into podcast form. The podcast airs every two weeks and features HBS faculty discussing cases they’ve written and the lessons they impart.

16.09.2016

•

24 Sek.

Brian Kenny

Moderation

5

von 5

5 Bewertungen

Cold Call distills Harvard Business School's legendary case studies into podcast form. Hosted by Brian Kenny, the podcast airs every two weeks and features Harvard Business School faculty discussing cases they've written and the lessons they impart.