The So What from BCG

Brian Collie, BCG’s global leader for the automotive and mobility sector, explains that price and range anxiety remain as barriers to adoption of electric vehicles. Even so, recent BCG research in the US found that nearly 40% of surveyed consumers are considering a switch to electric for their next vehicle. To tap into that demand, manufacturers need to lower their cost structure—they currently lose $6,000-$30,000 per car—and work with partners.     Learn More: Brian Collie: on.bcg.com/3XnvKTX Automotive Industry: on.bcg.com/4ejyMid Can OEMs Catch the Next Wave of EV Adopters?: on.bcg.com/3KJ9UCS This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Banks and other financial systems are the lifeblood of the economy. But most of them trade at less than book value, constrained by regulation, the growth of private credit, and tech startups. Kilian Berz, global vice chair of BCG’s financial institutions practice, explains how traditional banks can regain their footing through leadership and transformation.Learn More:Kilian Berz:https://on.bcg.com/4bDKQcj Financial Institutions: https://on.bcg.com/3wLmFK5 To Seize a $7 Trillion Opportunity, Banks Need Bolder Strategies for Serving Customers and Society: https://on.bcg.com/4byWlSm   This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Current economic models are not up to the challenge of capturing the real-world complexities of climate change. But better models are on the horizon. Sophia Davies, BCG’s lead for climate tech partnerships, explains how AI can supercharge these models to predict how public policies will motivate the private sector. Early returns suggest we may be vastly underestimating the effect of policy on climate change.      Learn More: Climate and Sustainability: on.bcg.com/3QOGjeX AI: on.bcg.com/3K69aHS “Deep Design” Could Take On the World’s Big Systemic Challenges: https://on.bcg.com/3K6oFPV This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

If cybercrime were a country, it would be the third largest economy in the world. Paul O’Rourke, BCG’s global cybersecurity leader, explains how organizations can protect themselves and their supply chains: Start by recognizing that the elimination of all risks is impossible. Instead focus security efforts on an organization’s “crown jewels”—its most critical digital assets. Leaders don’t need to be cyber experts. But regulators may hold them responsible for some breaches, so they better understand and address the risks. Learn More: Paul O’Rourke: https://on.bcg.com/3QAoPCN Cybersecurity and Digital Risk: https://on.bcg.com/3UwRTwg Every C-Suite Member Is Now a Chief AI Officer: https://on.bcg.com/3UJ7ry9 This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Joe Davis, BCG’s former regional chair for North America, says you can make tough decisions without being a “tough guy.” In the executive suite, empathy and authenticity are in, according to Davis, the author of the new business book, The Generous Leader.  Even as tech skills dominate the headlines, Davis celebrates the enduring value of mastering people skills. Learn More:  The Generous Leader: A Leadership Book by Joe Davis | The Generous Leader Joe Davis: https://on.bcg.com/3Q9pMlw Do Not Stop Asking Questions and Listening Carefully to the Answers: https://on.bcg.com/3Jx5LBy  Turning Superheroes into a Super Leadership Team: https://on.bcg.com/4d2fnlk This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

The original BRIC acronym came to life in 2001 to describe the untapped economic potential of Brazil, Russia, India, and China. This informal grouping of nations has since coalesced into a rising economic force, especially since the entry of South Africa in 2010 and Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates at the start of this year. Daniel Azevedo—leader of BCG’s global advantage practice in Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Africa —explains how global companies can navigate a world in which economic power is heading south.   Learn More: Daniel Azevedo: https://on.bcg.com/3vli2Wc Jobs, National Security, and the Future of Trade: https://on.bcg.com/3TLkE9o These 9 Forces Are Reshaping the Global Business Landscape: https://on.bcg.com/3VrSwJr This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Listen as BCG AI conversational agent GENE and editor in chief Paul Michelman highlight the opportunities and obstacles ahead for CEOs, as outlined in BCG’s most recent thought leadership. The duo share which steps to take now before an expected M&A resurgence, the lessons to be learned from fintech, and how to advance carbon dioxide reduction. LEARN MORE After you listen, dive deep into the details in these bcg.com publications: AI at Work 2024: Friend and Foe (https://www.bcg.com/publications/2024/ai-at-work-friend-foe) M&A Insights H1 2024: The Recovery Continues (https://www.bcg.com/publications/2024/m-and-a-market-insights-series-h1-2024) Prudence, Profits, and Growth (https://www.bcg.com/publications/2024/global-fintech-prudence-profits-and-growth) Boosting Demand for Carbon Dioxide Removal (https://www.bcg.com/publications/2024/boosting-demand-for-carbon-dioxide-removal) Subscribe to CEO Digest: https://link.chtbl.com/ceo-digest-bcg-showFor more insight from BCG on the CEO Agenda, visit https://on.bcg.com/4cSLtiu. Hear more of GENE on Imagine This… at https://link.chtbl.com/imagine-this-show-link, BCG’s future-focused podcast series. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Responsible investing goes back decades or even longer if pronouncements in the Old Testament and Qur’an are considered. Environment, social, and governance goals have become embedded in corporate strategy, even if the acronym ESG has become polarizing. Tim Mohin, director of climate and sustainability at BCG, discusses this evolution and what the next iteration might look like. One thing is clear: these goals aren’t going away even if companies stop talking about them.      Learn More: Tim Mohin: https://on.bcg.com/3TK47kE Climate Change and Sustainability: https://on.bcg.com/3xl1QoG This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

What would you have done differently if you had anticipated the likelihood of a global pandemic or the explosion of generative AI? In BCG’s newest podcast Imagine This..., BCG’s editor in chief Paul Michelman, and his AI co-host GENE delve into disruptive scenarios that could define the coming decades. BCG experts join the conversation, probing the possibilities and implications for leaders. Human and machine work together to explore the very real actions CEOs could take today to prepare.   By 2030, the best CIO might be a CIB: a chief intelligence bot. And the human CEO might be bolstered by a swarm of CEO bots, able to harness a vast diversity of perspectives. Can you imagine? In this episode, BCG’s Mickey McManus envisions a future where top leaders share the corner office with AI—blending the logical with human intuition. Mickey, a BCG senior advisor and a pioneer in human-centered design, considers how a company like this would function. Hint: he recommends an approach much like jazz improvisation.   Learn More You’ll find more of what BCG has to say about generative AI here:  https://on.bcg.com/3UuWtNd  GenAI on GenAI: https://link.chtbl.com/bcg-genai-on-genai?sid=IT  Also, in this episode, Mickey recommends an entirely new reading list for the C-suite, including:  Iain M. Banks’s Culture series: https://www.amazon.com/The-Culture-9-book-series/dp/B07WLZZ9WV Joy Buolamwini’s Unmasking AI [https://www.amazon.com/Unmasking-AI-Mission-Protect-Machines/dp/0593241835] Safiya Umoja Noble’s Algorithms of Oppression [https://www.amazon.com/Algorithms-Oppression-Search-Engines-Reinforce/dp/1479837245] This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

From 2010 to 2016, Africa was closing the gender gap faster than any region in the world. Challenges such as plunging commodity prices and the pandemic have set that progress back a generation. BCG’s Zineb Sqalli and Phillipa Osakwe-Okoye explain that domestic violence as well as unsafe public places are barriers in southern Africa. Traditional roles of women in families stand in the way of progress everywhere. Both public and private sectors must change the narrative to create inclusive work environments. Besides being the right thing to do, gender equity could boost Africa’s GDP by $300 billion a year. Learn More: Reframing the Narrative on Women’s Roles in African Societies: on.bcg.com/3UQd3Hx Zineb Sqalli: on.bcg.com/3wqCoO7 Phillipa Osakwe-Okoye: on.bcg.com/3UOVhnO This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

For many business leaders, cost efficiency took a backseat to the polycrisis caused by the pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and employee attrition. But today, earnings pressures and economic uncertainty place cost solidly front and center at most companies. Paul Goydan, global leader of BCG’s Accelerated Cost Advantage program, arms these leaders with insights and approaches, exploring everything from how AI can uncover waste to finding promising places to reinvest the savings.  Learn More: Cost Management: On.bcg.com/49xIABZ  What Leaders Are Saying About Costs and Growth in 2024: On.bcg.com/3OCEDDV Imagine This...:https://link.chtbl.com/imagine-this-show-link This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Most companies have no idea how many of their employees live with a disability. Most organizations report 4-7%, but BCG research says it’s much higher—25%. And that percentage is only going to climb as the workforce ages. Brad Loftus and Hillary Wool are both high-performing consultants who live with disabilities. They discuss why companies are so misinformed and explore how leaders can provide reasonable and cost-effective accommodations—and increase inclusion and retention.     Learn More: Your Workforce Includes People with Disabilities. Does Your People Strategy?:https://on.bcg.com/3vQm7Sb This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

In implementing generative AI, companies are paying too much attention to the algorithms and not enough to the human element. How well are workers equipped to use it—and use it responsibly? Allison Bailey, global leader for BCG’s people and organization practice, discusses the need for upskilling and reskilling in not just technology, but also being adaptive, creative, and collaborative. Businesses must also train their employees to incorporate AI into their daily routine—and learn when the risks are not worth it.  Learn More: From Potential to Profit with GenAI: https://on.bcg.com/4b1Bp6A This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

In this special episode of The So What from BCG, human and AI intelligence come together. Join BCG’s Global Chair Rich Lesser, and GENE, BCG’s new GenAI conversational agent, for a wide-ranging exploration of the CEO agenda as world leaders gather at Davos. Rich and GENE discuss the transformative power of generative AI technology, the urgency of climate action, and the critical need for trust in an era of innovation.If you’re invested in the future of business and society, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. To learn more about BCG at Davos, visit https://www.bcg.com/about/partner-ecosystem/world-economic-forum/davos. To hear more of GENE, listen at https://link.chtbl.com/bcg-genai-on-genai?sid=tsw.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Time is a finite resource. What is the best way to spend it? Bob Sulentic, CEO of the multibillion-dollar company CBRE explains why he deliberately leaves hours of his workday open for thinking, reading, and being available to his direct reports. That approach may not work for all CEOs. What’s important, explains BCG’s Jeff Hill, is that CEOs spend time thinking about time. An unexamined calendar is a missed opportunity to become a more effective leader.   Learn More: For CEOs, It’s About Time: https://on.bcg.com/41ICUTf Jeff Hill: https://on.bcg.com/4anotrx Bob Sulentic: https://www.cbre.com/people/bob-sulentic This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy