Inside the Strategy Room

McKinsey & Company
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Inside the Strategy Room

We talk with McKinsey partners and corporate executives on the challenges they face creating lasting strategies in a fast-changing world. We also examine the different ways these executives approach these challenges and the new and innovative ways they think of creating a vision for their enterprises.

  1. 1D AGO

    248. Taking a proactive approach to geopolitics

    As geopolitical trends bring increased uncertainty and risk, CEOs and other business leaders can take action to get and stay ahead of it all. This week Sean speaks with three McKinsey experts on geopolitical risk about how organizations can build resilience to address continued global uncertainty. Cindy Levy is a senior partner in our London office and the global co-leader of our Geopolitics Practice. She previously led our Global Risk and Resilience and our United Kingdom Financial Services Practices, and she works with financial institutions on strategy, corporate finance, enterprise risk management, and culture. Shubham Singhal is a senior partner in our Detroit office and co-leads our Geopolitics Practice with Cindy. He previously led our healthcare, public sector, and social sector practices, as well as our efforts to help clients respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Olivia White is a senior partner in our Bay Area office and a director of the McKinsey Global Institute. She advises leading financial institutions and other global firms on a wide range of issues across strategy, growth, risk and resilience. Related insights How American business can prosper in the new geopolitical era Navigating the new geopolitical uncertainty Geopolitics and the geometry of global trade: 2025 update Tariffs on the move? A guide for CEOs for 2025 and beyond A proactive approach to navigating geopolitics is essential to thrive Dependency and depopulation? Confronting the consequences of a new demographic reality Can your company remain global and if so, how?   Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/ See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

    46 min

  2. APR 17

    247. Transforming for growth

    Companies often aim for growth or transformation, but it's less common for them to pursue transformation as a means of achieving growth. This week, three McKinsey experts share their research into how the one in four companies that outperform use transformation to achieve growth beyond that of their peers. Sandra Sancier-Sultan is a senior partner based in Paris and a leader in McKinsey’s Transformation, Sustainability, and Financial Services practices. Rebecca Doherty is a partner in our San Francisco Bay Area office and co-leader of our global Strategic Growth and Innovation Practice, and Louisa Greco is a partner in our Toronto office and a leader in our Transformation Practice. Related insights Breaking the mold: Five behaviors of leading growth transformers Choosing to grow: The leader’s blueprint Courageous growth: Six strategies for continuous growth outperformance Eight lessons on how to get the growth you planned McKinsey Insights on Transformation McKinsey Transformation on LinkedIn Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/ See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

    45 min

  3. APR 10

    246. Alok Sama on corporate finance in the fast lane

    Alok Sama spent years in corporate finance and as a managing director at Morgan Stanley before joining Softbank as CFO and plunging into founder-CEO Masayoshi Son’s world of high-speed, high-risk decision making. For Sama, the shift involved many eye-opening experiences, which he later shared in a memoir, titled The Money Trap: Lost Illusions Inside the Tech Bubble (St. Martin’s Press, 2024). In this episode, Sama speaks with McKinsey senior partner Vik Malhotra, who is based in our New York office, where he counsels CEOs and corporate boards and serves as our firm’s Chairman of the Americas. Vik is also a co-author of the New York Times bestseller, CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest. The two talked about what it was like to work with SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son, negotiating deals such as Softbank’s $32 billion acquisition of the British chip design company Arm Holdings, and why Alok decided to return to school in his 50s to earn a master’s degree in fine arts. Related Insights CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest. The CEO as elite athlete: What business leaders can learn from modern sports How AI is transforming strategy development Palo Alto Networks CFO on AI, cybersecurity, and the finance leader’s mandate The Seasons of the CFO Achieving growth: Putting leadership mindsets and behaviors into action McKinsey Strategy & Corporate Finance on LinkedIn Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/ See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

    47 min

  4. APR 4

    245. The six habits  of successful risk leaders

    To succeed today, chief risk officers (CRO) and other risk leaders must exert more influence and build organizational resilience in an increasingly complex risk environment. Today’s guests share the key practices that set top risk leaders apart, as CROs shift from traditional risk managers to influential figures driving resilience and organizational success. Ida Kristensen is the global co-leader of our Risk and Resilience Practice and senior partner in our New York office. She advises clients across sectors on a variety of topics spanning enterprise risk management, resilience, organization and talent, cybersecurity, regulatory compliance, and operational improvement. Ritesh Jain is a partner based in our New York office and a leader in our Risk and Resilience Practice. He advises financial institutions on their risk and resilience priorities with a focus on enterprise risk management, operational risk, and transforming the frontline risk and control environment. We are also joined by Naba Banerjee, currently Chief Product and Experience Officer at CLEAR and formerly a senior advisor to McKinsey and the Global Head of Trust and Safety at Airbnb, where she led a team responsible for industry-defining solutions that reduced fraud and safety incidents by over 50%.  Related Insights The six habits of highly successful chief risk officers Risk and resilience priorities, as told by chief risk officers Helping boards manage geopolitical risk with Jon Huntsman Jr. How ambidextrous leaders manage through volatile times Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/ See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

    45 min

  5. MAR 28

    244. Filling the gap between innovation and go-to-market, with AWS’s Jelena Joffe

    McKinsey innovation leader Erik Roth speaks with Jelena Joffe Weil, the founder and worldwide leader of the Venture Innovation program at Amazon Web Services, Amazon’s cloud computing arm, about how AWS works to close the gap between innovation and go-to-market for start-ups and large enterprises. The global hyperscaler is known for helping businesses grow and scale rapidly, but it also helps start-ups and established enterprises find each other to engage in open, or collaborative, innovation. Related Insights The Committed Innovator podcast Filling the gap between innovation and go to market Driving innovation with generative AI Taking fear out of innovation How to take the measure of innovation Fielding high-performing innovation teams   Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/ See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

    35 min

  6. MAR 20

    243. A road map to successful transformation

    Business transformation has evolved markedly in recent years as technology and the pace of change reshape the landscape organizations face. Once a byword for cost-cutting, transformation now more readily incorporates bold, strategic goals. Today, we discuss the core elements of a successful transformation and how to confront some of the common challenges. We are joined by three deeply experienced leaders from our Transformation Practice to discuss how transformation has evolved over the years. Kevin Carmody is a senior partner based in our Chicago office and works with management teams, boards of directors, and other stakeholders on complex performance transformations, strategy, change management programs, and corporate finance. Louisa Greco is a partner in our Toronto office and focuses on driving broad-scale transformations, commercial improvement, growth and innovation, and organizational effectiveness. Rob Montgomery is a partner in our San Francisco office and has designed and led comprehensive transformations across industries. All our guests have served in senior executive and chief transformation officer roles. Related Insights Defining your ‘true north’: A road map to successful transformation Ready, set, go, and keep going: Why speed is key to a successful transformation Breaking the mold: Five behaviors of leading growth transformers Meet the newest member of the consumer C-suite: The chief transformation officer Driving long-term business transformation   McKinsey Insights on Transformation McKinsey Transformation on LinkedIn Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/ See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

    45 min

  7. MAR 13

    242. Planning for the next wave of M&A

    This week we speak with the authors of our latest Annual M&A Report about trends in the deal landscape and what we might expect from 2025. Will the much-anticipated increase in transactions finally materialize? Or will players continue to hold onto their dry powder, waiting for the ongoing uncertainty that we’ve seen since the pandemic to settle down? McKinsey senior partners Mieke Van Oostende and Jake Henry co-lead our M&A practice, and in this episode, they share findings and observations from their latest report.  Related insights: M&A Annual Report: Is the wave finally arriving? Gen AI: Opportunities in M&A How one approach to M&A is more likely to create value than all others How lots of small M&A deals add up to big value The seven habits of programmatic acquirers How AI is transforming strategy development McKinsey Insights on M&A McKinsey Strategy & Corporate Finance on LinkedIn Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/ See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

    46 min

  8. MAR 6

    241. The path forward for private equity

    Despite persistent uncertainty in global markets, 2024 was the year that private equity began to emerge from a multi-year fog, with a rebound in dealmaking and distributions. Our Global Private Markets Report for 2025 revealed an industry that is more resilient, more innovative, and perhaps stronger than before. To discuss the nuances of that report we are joined by two of the report’s authors, Alex Edlich and Christopher Croke. Alex is a senior partner in our New York office where he helps private equity and financial services clients achieve superior performance, by driving innovation with new technology. He is a senior leader in our Financial Services, Private Capital, and Digital Practices. Christopher Croke is a partner in our London office, where he is a leader in our Private Capital Practice. He advises private equity firms on their investments and strategy and helps the companies they own with their strategy and value creation. Related insights Global Private Markets Report 2025: Private equity emerging from the fog Insights on Private Capital Deal Volume Podcast CEO alpha: A new approach to generating private equity outperformance   Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/ See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

    46 min
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We talk with McKinsey partners and corporate executives on the challenges they face creating lasting strategies in a fast-changing world. We also examine the different ways these executives approach these challenges and the new and innovative ways they think of creating a vision for their enterprises.

Information

  • Creator
    McKinsey & Company
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    394
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 McKinsey & Company
  • Show Website
    Inside the Strategy Room

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