Redefiners

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 had a front row seat to not only how much the tech industry has changed, but also in how much it’s changed business and society in a relatively short timeframe. In fact, The New York Times has called this redefining leader “a de facto ambassador for the technology industry at large.”  We’ll talk with Brad about the big shifts in technology and the tech industry he’s seen over the past three decades, the critical role of government and regulation when it comes to digital technology, how to find common ground in the cybersecurity threat landscape, and how he develops systems thinking with his team to “inspect the trees” while “analyzing the forest” to identify patterns and better navigate complexity. Brad also talks about Microsoft’s commitment to sustainability, which he calls “…the issue of the decade, if not the century.” He likens where we are with sustainability now to where the United States was in 1961 after committing to go to the moon – we may not fully understand the problems we need to solve and we clearly don’t have all the answers, but it’s critical that we figure it out.   We’ll also hear from Maneesh Dube, an Executive Director in our New York office, who explains why finding leaders who are tech-savvy is crucial to the success of your organization.  Be sure to check back for part two of our conversation with Brad in two weeks, where we’ll dig into artificial intelligence (AI), productivity, and his thoughts on the need for the tech sector to assume more responsibility and governments to move faster to address the challenges that new technologies are creating.   To learn more about Brad’s book, Tools and Weapons: The Promise and the Peril of the Digital Age, visit  https://news.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/tools-and-weapons/.  If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes:  Daring to Build a More Sustainable World with Kate Brandt and Sophia Mendelsohn  Doing Well by Doing Good: Feike Sijbesma, CEO Emeritus of Royal DSM, on the Power of Bold Change  How the Barely Possible Can Overcome the Barely Solvable with First Mode’s Chris Voorhees 

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 to thrive in a Gen-AI-driven world?  To help leaders navigate this complex moment in history, we invited Fawad Bajwa and Joe Ghory, our AI practice co-leads, and Harpreet Khurana, our Chief Digital and Data Analytics Officer, into the Leadership Lounge.  They talk through the biggest opportunities (and risks) of Gen-AI for leaders, and share their extensive experience on what it takes to succeed during periods of large-scale transformation. Tune in to discover how to get your hands dirty with Gen-AI, why a learning mindset is key, and why it’s so important to see Gen-AI as a sparring partner, rather than a threat. 

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 bestselling author of five books. We’ll talk with Jacob about his passion and mission to create great leaders, engaged employees, and future-ready organizations. He’ll share his insights gleaned from interviewing hundreds of CEOs and thousands of employees to help you improve your leadership and transform your organization. Jacob discusses what it means to lead with vulnerability and how can leaders tap into it more authentically and effectively; how to increase employee engagement (hint: it’s not more free lunches and happy hours!); his views on return-to-office (RTO) and hybrid work to find a balance between productivity, collaboration, and innovation; and how technology like AI will impact the future of work.  We’ll also hear from Laura Mantoura, a Managing Director in our Stamford office, who dives into our latest research on why employee experience matters—and how boards can take meaningful action.  If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes:  Transforming the Energy Sector with Baker Hughes CEO Lorenzo Simonelli  Opening Hearts and Minds on Late Night News with MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle  Planting Long-Term Investment Seeds with Markel Group CEO Tom Gayner 

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 challenges along that path. He’ll talk about how the Markel Style crafted in 1986 has been so critical to their success and continues to serve as the organization’s north star today. Key to that success, Tom shares Markel’s four criteria they use to make investment decisions, including how to define a fair price on a deal. He also talks about his view on the pendulum of investment optimization versus satisfaction. And if you ever wondered how the low interest rates of the past decade encouraged risky decisions, you won’t want to miss Tom’s insightful analogy of interest rates as a form of curfew. So enjoy this episode and get to bed at a reasonable hour!  We’ll also hear from Kurt Harrison, a Managing Director in Russell Reynolds Associates New York office. Kurt digs into our latest Divides & Dividends report to explain why even though sustainability progress is being made, there are four sustainability gaps CEOs must bridge.  If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes:  From Server to COO: Kat Cole’s Journey to the Top  Sunscreen and Success: Supergoop!'s Winning Formula with CEO Amanda Baldwin  Common Sense is Very Uncommon: A Conversation with Corporate Sage Ram Charan 

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 with the fact that the current business climate is turbulent at best, and it makes for an incredibly complex role.  How do new leaders put their best foot forward? What sets successful leaders apart?  In this episode of Leadership Lounge, we put these questions and more to four of our leadership advisors; Shannon Knott, Joey Berk, Ty Wiggins, and David Lange. Here they use their extensive experience speaking with new leaders to share their tips and tricks. Tune in to discover why as a new leader you no longer need to be the smartest person in the room, the importance of humility, and why you need to become comfortable with constructive conflict.

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 top-down change and connect sustainability initiatives to their company’s business, products and supply chain. We’ll talk about why it’s critical to shift our thinking from how to reduce our business impact on climate change to how to reduce climate change's impact on our business. And for those interested in becoming a CSO, Kate and Sophia share their career advice on how to navigate the often-undefined path to the role.  If you’d like to learn more about Sustainable Leadership, check out Redefiners host Clarke Murphy’s new book, Sustainable Leadership: Lessons of Vision, Courage, and Grit from the CEOs Who Dared to Build a Better World. The book is a complete blueprint for infusing sustainability across business strategy, all while growing your bottom line. Drawing on the stories of 35+ CEOs at world-leading companies, including Adidas, Heineken, Duke Energy, Natura &Co, Maersk, Mahindra Steel, and Salesforce, veteran leadership expert Clarke shows how sustainability action is within reach of every business executive. Perfect for CEOs and boards across industries, Sustainable Leadership is also a can’t miss book for sustainability experts, entrepreneurs, and next-generation leaders looking to make sense of the latest—and most profitable—sustainability strategies. Order your copy here.  To hear more from other global leaders on sustainability, you might also enjoy these Redefiners episodes:  Feeding the World and Protecting the Planet with Yara International CEO Svein Tore Holsether  Thriving Through Adversity: How WTO’s Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is Solving Global Problems  How the Barely Possible Can Overcome the Barely Solvable with First Mode’s Chris Voorhees 

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 often short, Ashley has carved out a career at J&J MedTech spanning almost three decades—all while maintaining an unwavering passion for providing the very best care to patients when they need it most. In this fascinating episode of Redefiners, Ashley lifts the lid on how J&J MedTech is transforming how it delivers care to patients with the help of AI, why being an exceptional listener should be in every leader's toolbox, and why your inner voice is the most powerful voice of anyone in the world. It’s a conversation you don’t want to miss. We’ll also hear from Fawad Bajwa, a Managing Director in our Toronto office. He’ll outline how generative AI tools like ChatGPT are changing the game for leaders, and how great leadership is critical to its successful implementation. Click HERE to access our report How will ChatGPT and other generative AI impact leadership? If you enjoyed this interview, you might also like these Redefiners episodes:• Risk-taking and Dealmaking with Global MedTech Leader, Kevin Lobo• Confessions of a Serial Entrepreneur with Mario Schlosser, CEO and co-founder of Oscar• Break the Bias: Closing the Gender Wealth Gap with Sallie Krawcheck, CEO and c-founder of Ellevest 

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 reasons why men and women choose to take a break from the typical 9-5—whether that be for mental health reasons, to care for elderly or sick relatives, or to go on a sabbatical.   Even though career breaks have become more common, a stigma remains associated with taking time away. And that means many people still brush their career breaks under the carpet during executive interviews.   In our Leadership Lounge podcast, we invited four of our leadership advisors; Sarah Galloway, Shoon Lim, David Lange, and Stephanie Tomasso, into the conversation, who share their advice for those looking to re-enter the executive world with confidence.   Tune in to discover why taking time away can help you hone different, desirable leadership skills, the importance of leveraging your network when you choose to re-enter the job market, and why honesty is the best policy when it comes to talking about your career break. 

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 to more sustainable energy in the 120+ countries in which Baker Hughes operates. We’ll also learn the key attributes of what he thinks makes a successful CEO, especially when leading in times of crisis, and how to prepare for unexpected change.    If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes:  Feeding the World and Protecting the Planet with Yara International CEO Svein Tore Holsether   Trust Your Gut: AXA’s Thomas Buberl Talks Transformation and Reinvention  Doing Well by Doing Good: Feike Sijbesma, CEO Emeritus of Royal DSM, on the Power of Bold Change 

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 decision-making.Leaders are also role models for others. Accepting failure and learning from it encourages others to do the same. It moves away from the sense that everyone needs to be perfect—something that’s highly unsustainable.To unpack this fascinating topic in more depth, we invited four of our esteemed leadership advisors Anupama Puranik, Gurprriet Siingh, Shoon Lim, and Nick Henderson into the Leadership Lounge to answer questions about their experience in coaching leaders who’ve experienced failure—and know a thing or two about coming out the other side of it.Tune in to discover why it’s important not to personalize the failure, and crucially, what sets leaders apart when it comes to recovering from failure.

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 including:  Svein Tore Holsether – President and CEO of Yara International   Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala – Director-General of the World Trade Organization  Feike Sijbesma – Honorary Chairman and former CEO of Royal DSM  Will Guidara – Renowned restaurateur and author  Kat Cole – COO and President of Athletic Greens  Max Hollein – CEO and Director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art   Emily Chang – CEO of Wunderman Thompson’s West Coast Region  Chris Voorhees – Co-founder and Chief Product and Technology Officer of First Mode   Ram Charan – Renowned author, advisor, and corporate sage   If you want to hear more from one of our Redefiners guests, you can listen to any episode from Season 1, 2 or 3 at https://www.russellreynolds.com/en/insights/podcasts/redefiners-overview.  

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. With Amanda as CEO, Supergoop! has skyrocketed from a startup to a massive global beauty brand, growing over twenty times its size in just five years.   In this episode of Redefiners, Clarke and Hoda sit down with Amanda to discuss how her unique perspective on branding (with a capital B!) can be applied across industries. Listen in to why Amanda believes that chasing trends is a brand killer, how she learned to embrace her strengths, and how the satisfaction of building a business from scratch is worth the blurring of work-life balance.  We’ll also hear from Margot McShane, a Managing director in our San Francisco office. She’ll explain how top executives can engage and retain women leaders in their organizations. Click HERE to access our report, What's Motivating Your Women Leaders?  If you enjoyed this interview, you might also like these Redefiners episodes:  From Gillette to Jamba Juice: How to Lead Iconic Brands with Empathy, Purpose & Integrity  Bridging Cultures & Building Brands: Marketing CEO Emily Chang Masters Both  From Server to COO: Kat Cole’s Journey to the Top 

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 empowerment through their leadership.When done right, leaders are able to demonstrate emotional intelligence and open communication—Ingredients for visionary leaders.But how do you get these skills across in an interview? You can’t just tell the interviewer that you have them. You have to be able to show them.We invited four of our esteemed leadership advisors, Edward Mason, Mina Paul, Evan Sharp, and Nick Henderson into the Leadership Lounge to share how leaders can demonstrate that they have what it takes to be an effective, visionary leader.Tune in to discover what the core leadership traits of a successful leader are, and why it’s important that as a leader, you’re able to flex your leadership style to suit the situation you’re in.

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 stumbling museum in Frankfurt. It paid off. Now, Max is entrusted with safeguarding and curating the Met’s 1.5 million cultural items while overseeing the museum's 80,000 square foot, $500 million expansion, all while first and foremost remaining a true lover of art.   In this episode of Redefiners, hear Max’s approach to ensuring one of the world’s most significant artistic institutions is truly sustainable in both the ecological and cultural sense. From brutal honesty at a job interview to hiding his playful side behind tailored suits, you’re not going to want to miss this conversation with Max Hollein.  To read our report, The New Philanthropists: The World is Changing, So Must Philanthropy as discussed by Katie Nivard, click here.  If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes:   The Power of Art and The Art of Power with Henry Timms  Daring to Build a More Sustainable World with Kate Brandt and Sophia Mendelsohn  Unreasonable Hospitality: Will Guidara’s Recipe for Greatness 

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 all on a move to broadcasting. With careful calculations, the risk paid off. She leads from the news desk as she does everything else, with grit, determination, and honesty. From living in the moment and believing in the power of love to wanting (but not quite getting) enough sleep, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.    Our report, In Leaders We Trust: How to Build and Inspire Trust, is introduced in this episode by Nicole Mai. For insights into building a thriving team through building trust, find the report here.      If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes:   Lesley Stahl: 30 Minutes with a 60 Minutes TV Legend  Unreasonable Hospitality: Will Guidara’s Recipe for Greatness  Doubling Down on Double Standards: British Journalist Mary Ann Sieghart on closing The Authority Gap 

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 his mark on the world by bringing equity and food security to some of the poorest people on the planet.  In this episode of Redefiners, Feike shares how his admiration of Charles Darwin inspired his belief in the power of adaptability. From funerals for failed ideas to a belief in doing good in the world, don’t miss this conversation with Feike Sijbesma.   To read our report, How CEO Commitment Affects Sustainability Integration, as discussed by RRA Managing Director Sarah Galloway, click here.   If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes:   Feeding the World and Protecting the Planet with Yara International CEO Svein Tore Holsether  Daring to Build a More Sustainable World with Kate Brandt and Sophia Mendelsohn  Leadership Reimagined: Transformation Tips from Jim Hagemann Snabe 

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 speed—sustainability, DE&I, digital transformation, economic volatility, and geopolitical tensions—boards need diversity of thought more than ever before. Leaders who can help boards steer confidently into the unknown are now in high demand. As Alvin Chiang makes clear: Being a board director is no longer just about stopping the ship from sinking. It’s about making sure there’s a strategy for sailing your boat and crew from point A to point B. Tune in to discover more about what sets great board directors apart—and how to land your first board role (and stay there). 

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 RRA’s global team of leaders who are on the ground, every day, working with clients and gaining insights that you will not find on any other podcast. 

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 be confined to the classroom. Ram set out on his own, where his business acumen and ability to whittle any problem down to an actionable task list earned him a seat at the table of some of the biggest corporations in the world. He has advised global companies such as Toyota, Bank of America, and Novartis, helping them cut through complexities in order to focus on core business problems. Ram has also authored and co-authored over 30 books- including four Wall Street Journal bestsellers.  In this episode we manage to get Ram, the constant world traveler, to stop for 30 minutes and share his insights. Hosts Clarke Murphy and Nanaz Mohtashami chat with Ram about his coaching style and why EQ and LQ are often more important than IQ. From sports analogies to business anecdotes, listen in as Ram shares his expertise on how to turn advice into action. If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes:   How the Barely Possible Can Overcome the Barely Solvable with First Mode’s Chris Voorhees  Leadership Reimagined: Transformation Tips from Jim Hagemann Snabe  Private Investme

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 those in need and how that led her to the concept of social legacy, the topic of her bestselling book Spare Room. We’ll also talk about capacity and how to take control of your time – perhaps the most valuable commodity of all. There’s a lot to learn from this leader who, prior to McCann, was a top exec at Starbucks China, InterContinental Hotels Group China, Procter & Gamble, and Apple.  If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes:  From Burnout to Performance: Creating a Culture of Resiliency  Unreasonable Hospitality: Will Guidara’s Recipe for Greatness  Thriving Through Adversity: How WTO’s Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is Solving Global Problems  From Server to COO: Kat Cole’s Journey to the Top