Meet The Leader

World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
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In these one-on-one conversations, host Linda Lacina interviews the world's top leaders, change-makers and experts on the solutions they're building to tackle the world's biggest challenges, the habits they can't work without, and their lessons learned, all from the World Economic Forum

  1. Nov 5

    What Successful CEOs Do Differently During Transformation: Real World Case Studies

    More than 70% of leaders believe their organizations could become extinct within 10 years without the right transformation. Yet fewer than 30% surveyed believe they are good at making those changes happen. So what separates the successes from the stalled initiatives? Constantine Alexandrakis is the CEO of leadership consultancy Russell Reynolds Associates. In his book The Catalyst CEO, he compiles stories and practical lessons from real CEOs, breaking down what's needed to make change possible, especially as leadership evolves in an AI era. He shares practical strategies from companies such as Eli Lilly, Merck and Yum Brands and organizational blindspots you can't ignore. He also shares his own hard-won transformation lessons as well as the importance of 'philotimo', a traditional Greek concept that can build a sense of stewardship in leaders.  In this episode, you'll learn: Why driving change is especially challenging now - and what leaders overlook What is psychological inertia and how it can slow transformation How to spot and tap 'influencers' in your team to build momentum The shocking announcement that kicked off one company's leadership restructure The unsung form of feedback that leaders often dimiss but shouldn't  Alexandrakis also discusses AI, distributed leadership, psychological inertia, the meetings he never skips, and gives his take on big trends shaping the future of work.  Subscribe to Meet The Leader on Apple, Spotify or YouTube.   About this episode Russell Reynolds Associates: https://www.russellreynolds.com/ The Catalyst CEO: https://www.russellreynolds.com/en/insights/books/the-catalyst-ceo Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4tmd9rvk Related Episodes A CEO coach shares new leaders' biggest blindspots (and how to overcome them) Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcdNFn0BNXM Listen here - Spotify:  https://tinyurl.com/4zwbyk8j  Read here - Transcript:  https://tinyurl.com/4zwbyk8j  AI and Jobs series: AI and Jobs Series: Upskilling's 'Messy Middle' and Fixing the Skills Mismatch Listen here - Spotify:  https://tinyurl.com/2vddb3k3 Read here - Transcript:  https://tinyurl.com/2fnuacsz  AI and Jobs Series: What one company stopped doing - an HR exec shares lessons shaping the future of work Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/49xjtnyj  Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/27fjhud8 AI 'workslop' is a leadership problem. Here's how to fix it  Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2mxkzwc3  Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/4evh8yk6  Watch here - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTAbIqqAf4Y How to Lead People Through AI Change: Questions to Ask from a Transformation Expert Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/ykk9r7hb Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/yc2azrwv Watch here - Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/yyv24pvd

  2. Oct 27

    Microsoft's Lisa Monaco: What Leaders Need to Know About Digital Sovereignty

    How can organizations protect their data while staying nimble and competitive in an AI era? Lisa Monaco, Microsoft's President of Global Affairs, explains what digital sovereignty means for businesses, governments and other organizations navigating geopolitical uncertainty, growing cyber risks and rapid technological change. She breaks down what leaders need to understand about digital sovereignty and what's easy to overlook. She also discusses the importance of having control over data, privacy, intellectual property and critical services — all while maintaining the connections and collaboration needed to respond to changing needs and evolving threats. In this episode: What is digital sovereignty - and what leaders must prioritize Why isolation can leave organizations with less cybersecurity intelligence, not more Why AI security and cybersecurity need to be treated as one connected challenge What role digital embassies can play in an AI era Drawing on her experience as a former US Deputy Attorney General and Homeland Security advisor, Monaco also discusses the global AI divide, digital embassies and why AI should be treated as a societal and board-level risk. About this Episode: Microsoft: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us Related World Economic Report: AI Infrastructure in the Age of Sovereignty: https://www.weforum.org/publications/ai-infrastructure-in-the-age-of-sovereignty-requirements-strategies-and-a-trusted-framework-for-digital-embassies Related Episodes:  How to upskill for an AI Age: Workera CEO Kian Katanforoosh Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/7rbsu62e Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/2p9zfazz Watch here - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOxIFpQcBCs How to Lead People Through AI Change: Questions to Ask from a Transformation Expert Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/ykk9r7hb Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/yc2azrwv Watch here - Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/yyv24pvd

  3. Oct 15

    Inclusive tech and AI: What Every Tech Founder Should Prioritize

    How can technology solutions expand access, equity and opportunity? Barbadian tech entrepreneur and technology expert Donnya Piggot speaks to moderator Doone Roisin of podcast 'Imagine If' about AI and the future of equitable innovation. It's a conversation that explores implicit bias, diverse product teams, reverse mentorship, and the leadership challenge of asking who is missing from the room. Young Global Leaders: https://www.younggloballeaders.org/home  Key takeaways: Build around real user behavior, not a founder's ego or a product that only impresses investors. Design for inclusion intentionally by bringing people from the margins into the room. Stay focused in the early market, while making accessibility and belonging part of how the technology works. This session is part of the Annual Meeting of Global Future Leaders theme: AI, technology and human agency and was recorded live in Dubai, 13 October, 2026. To learn more: https://events.weforum.org/en/events/annual-meeting-of-global-future-leaders-2026/home Related Episodes:  Be less reactive. A buddhist monk shares practical strategies for mindful leadership Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4t6a5pz6  Listen here- Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/bdfkc76p This company launched with $600. How it's using data and AI today to boost yields for millions of small-scale farmers Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkOu9As6J60  Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/bcmj6572  Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/bdz69j65

  4. Oct 15

    Sana Mir, trailblazing Pakistani cricketer: How sport made me a leader

    A conversation on the relationship between sport and leadership, from teamwork and resilience to ambition and responsibility. The session explores how sporting environments shape leaders and what wider society can learn from them — and how sport, at its best, becomes a vehicle for human flourishing, unlocking potential and wellbeing far beyond the field of play.  Moderator: Mayowa Kuyoro, Partner, McKinsey Nigeria Guest: Sana Mir, former professional cricket player (and first woman cricketer from Pakistan to be named to the sports hall of fame) and current sports analyst Recorded at the Annual Meeting of Global Future Leaders in Dubai, 12 October, 2026. To learn more, read here: https://events.weforum.org/en/events/annual-meeting-of-global-future-leaders-2026/home Related Episodes:  Be less reactive. A buddhist monk shares practical strategies for mindful leadership Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4t6a5pz6 Listen here- Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/bdfkc76p This company launched with $600. How it's using data and AI today to boost yields for millions of small-scale farmers Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkOu9As6J60 Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/bcmj6572 Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/bdz69j65

  5. Aug 31

    Hiring Is Changing: Why Human Judgment Still Matters in the AI Era: ManpowerGroup

    Hiring managers are struggling to find the talent they need, while job seekers face one of the toughest markets in recent memory. Jonas Prising, Chair and CEO of ManpowerGroup, explains what is driving these pressures—from the economic cycle and geopolitical shifts to major demographic changes. He also examines AI's growing role in hiring and recruiting. While technology can make the process faster, it does not necessarily make it more accurate. For Prising, human judgment remains essential to recognizing potential, assessing fit and making better hiring decisions. How cyclical economic shifts, not structural AI-driven changes, are shaping employer confidence How big demographic shifts could push employers to tap underutilized parts of the global workforce How AI can increase speed of hiring but not always its accuracy How Manpower uses AI in hiring and recruiting and what leaders can learn Prising also discusses ManpowerGroup's recent research on employment trends, the early boss that changed how he leads and his take on whether big predictions for the future will become a reality.   Subscribe to Meet The Leader for more conversations on AI, hiring, leadership and the future of work. About this episode: ManpowerGroup Manpower: https://www.manpowergroup.com/en  Report: Great Talent Shortage: https://www.manpowergroup.com/de/news-releases/news/global-talent-shortage-reaches-turning-point-as-ai-skills-claim-top-spot Report: Q3 2026 ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey: https://www.manpowergroup.com/en/insights/report/q3-2026-manpowergroup-employment-outlook-survey  Book recommendation - True North by Bill George: https://billgeorge.org/book/true-north/  World Economic Forum: Report: Chief People Officer Outlook report: https://www.weforum.org/publications/chief-people-officers-outlook-may-2026/    Related episodes: AI and Jobs series: AI and Jobs Series: Upskilling's 'Messy Middle' and Fixing the Skills Mismatch Listen here - Spotify:  https://tinyurl.com/2vddb3k3 Read here - Transcript:  https://tinyurl.com/2fnuacsz    AI and Jobs Series: What one company stopped doing - an HR exec shares lessons shaping the future of work Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/49xjtnyj  Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/27fjhud8 AI 'workslop' is a leadership problem. Here's how to fix it Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2mxkzwc3  Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/4evh8yk6  Watch here - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTAbIqqAf4Y  How to Lead People Through AI Change: Questions to Ask from a Transformation Expert Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/ykk9r7hb Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/yc2azrwv Watch here - Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/yyv24pvd

  6. Aug 24

    Be less reactive: A Buddhist monk on how mindful leaders make better decisions

    In a fast-moving world, the ability to pause and reflect gives leaders a valuable edge: the clarity to make better decisions, sidestep conflict and know when to pivot or keep going.  Shogun Mahadumrongkul is the founder of incubator Avant Labs and a three-time ordained Buddhist monk. He believes in leadership informed by mindfulness and compassion. In this conversation, he shares practical lessons from Zen Buddhism and meditation that apply directly to modern leadership, from adopting a "beginner's mind" and managing ego to separating signal from noise. You'll learn: How pausing before reacting can improve emotional regulation and conflict management Why a beginner's mindset can make leaders more adaptable How mindfulness can help you focus, make clearer decisions and recognize when it's time to change course Shogun also explores moral leadership, why values matter in the age of AI, and his belief in playing the long-term game rather than chasing short-term gains. Subscribe to Meet The Leader for more conversations on leadership, decision-making, AI and the ideas changing how we work. About this episode: Avant Labs: https://www.avantlabs.tech/ Zenful Institute: https://zenfulinstitute.com/ About Global Shapers: Global Shapers 2024 -2025 Annual Report: https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-shapers-community-annual-report-2024-2025/ Read - Blog: What young leaders are telling us about the future: 5 signals from the World Economic Forum's youth summit https://www.weforum.org/stories/youth/young-leaders-youth-5-signals/ Watch - Entrepreneurship for a New Era | Next Generation Now 2026: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcj5FsdSbU4&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.weforum.org%2F Related Episodes: Focus on What Matters Most: 5 Leaders' Effective Strategies Read - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/36b6s6b7 Listen - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/49h7kx6x  Nick Thompson, The Atlantic: Why one CEO sets 'non-goals' - and what ultramarathons taught him about focus and mental toughness Watch here - YouTube: https://youtu.be/Xh9PLsyptgA Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/bdbrspj7 Read here - Listen: https://tinyurl.com/mtdhe37w  Suleika Jaouad: Harnessing Creativity and Curiosity to Lead Through Uncertainty Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/5dck884j Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/bdh8ax4y Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex-SlEoDaIw&vl=en

  7. Aug 17

    The books that shaped and inspired 5 tech founders

    In this episode of Meet the Leader, five founders share books that have helped them drive sector-leading innovation and navigate uncertainty — from classics like Isaac Asimov's Foundation series to modern favorites like The Purpose Driven Life and Brotopia. Their recommendations reveal the unique challenges founders face as well as key lessons on resilience, purpose, AI, fundraising and leading through change. What you'll learn: The key role books still play for top innovators, even in our AI era Why a learning mindset matters to shape a tech-driven future. How digging into purpose helps founders navigate uncertainty Books referenced in this episode: Kian Katanforoosh, Founder and CEO Workera Recommendation: Asimov's Foundation series  Sam Yang, Founder, Xandar Kardian:  Recommendation: A Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren Sarah Fleischer, co-founder, tozero Recommendation: Hard Things About Hard Things, Marc Andreessen Emilie Bodoin, CEO and Chairman, Pure Lithium Corporation Recommendation: Brotopia by Emily Chang Jeremy Allaire, CEO and Founder, Circle Recommendation: Typhoon by Joseph Conrad Related Episodes How to upskill for an AI Age: Workera CEO Kian Katanforoosh Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/7rbsu62e Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/2p9zfazz Watch here - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOxIFpQcBCs  He's building 'gas stations' in space. How it can drive the space economy - Orbit Fab Read here - Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/daniel-faber-orbit-fab-space-economy Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/2s3tscms Meet the startup building the first commercial space station - Axiom Read here - Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/tejpaul-bhatia-space-economy-axiom/ Listen here - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3FjNtzxmBucpgnZ4xhagxe

  8. Aug 10

    Find your purpose after major setbacks: Katie Piper on how to adapt, reinvent and lead

    What do you do when life changes in an instant—and the future you expected disappears? Advocate, activist and author Katie Piper explains how she rebuilt her life after surviving an acid attack on a London street at 24 driven by a man she'd briefly dated. The ordeal lead her to rethink her purpose, eventually founding a burn-rehabilitation charity and helping survivors like herself reframe "Why me?" as "What now?" It's a special conversation about resilience, personal reinvention and leading through adversity. You'll learn: -Why real confidence comes from knowing you can adapt and recover -The importance of accepting situations as they are, and releasing expectations -How to see challenge as a way to recommit to your purpose -How acceptance, discomfort and a self-authored identity can help you start again -Why vulnerability and empathy are strengths in leadership Katie Piper is a bestselling author, television presenter and founder of the Katie Piper Foundation, which supports burn survivors through rehabilitation. She is also a survivor of male violence and an advocate for people with burns and visible differences. This conversation explores resilience, purpose, trauma recovery, inclusive leadership and turning pain into purpose. Follow Meet the Leader on YouTube, Spotify or podcast apps, and subscribe for more conversations with people shaping the world This interview was recorded in January 2026 at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos Switzerland. About this episode Read - Book: Beautiful, Katie Piper: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0091940761?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback Watch - Davos 2026 session: Scars of Survival: How I Rebuilt My Life: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2026/sessions/scars-of-survival-how-i-rebuilt-my-life/ Connect - Foundation: https://www.katiepiperfoundation.org.uk/ Related episodes: How to Face Uncertainty and Take Action: Lessons from a Blind Sailor's Pacific Crossing Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/ypxt89hm Read here - Transcript:  https://tinyurl.com/2jrpf9km Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwKVbh71_QY    How to Focus on What Matters Most: 5 Leaders' Effective Strategies Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/49h7kx6x Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/36b6s6b7  Nick Thompson, The Atlantic: Why one CEO sets 'non-goals' - and what ultramarathons taught him about focus and mental toughness Watch here - YouTube: https://youtu.be/Xh9PLsyptgA Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/bdbrspj7  Read here - Listen: https://tinyurl.com/mtdhe37w  Suleika Jaouad: Harnessing Creativity and Curiosity to Lead Through Uncertainty Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/5dck884j  Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/bdh8ax4y Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex-SlEoDaIw&vl=en

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3.5
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23 Ratings

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In these one-on-one conversations, host Linda Lacina interviews the world's top leaders, change-makers and experts on the solutions they're building to tackle the world's biggest challenges, the habits they can't work without, and their lessons learned, all from the World Economic Forum

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