As a busy mom working in tech, Ritu Narayan understood the chaos school logistics can bring to kids and parents. Her personal experience inspired her to found Zum, a startup providing an end-to-end solution for districts with optimized bus routes, one including bus fleets to match different-sized schools, and an approach that makes school transit transparent and efficient for the first time in a century. The startup was launched originally as an on-demand service and she shares the key questions that helped her pivot the company for scale -- questions that can help any founder make a big shift happen. She also discusses the unexpected impact wrangling family logistics can have on parents' work lives (even nudging some moms out of the workforce altogether) and how tackling that can boost opportunity for parents and kids alike. This episode was recorded at the World Economic Forum's Urban Transformation Summit in Detroit in October 2023. 

The first black female CEO of one of the largest privately-funded global non-profits discusses the experiences that helped her learn how to be a better advocate for others. These experiences range from a father who served in the NAACP tackling civil rights in 1960s South Carolina, to her own life journey serving as a trial lawyer, a Baptist minister and in the military during Operation Desert Storm. Angela Williams will explain what she’s learned about partnering and rallying others for a cause - and what every leader must know about engaging others and getting your point across. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The digital transformation is shifting more than technology - it’s changing the skills workers will need, the mindsets required to tackle big challenges, and the nature of business itself. Roland Busch, Siemens CEO, shares how tech is reshaping Siemens and how reskilling will evolve, and how managers especially will need to empower teams for the changes ahead. He shares why more decisions should happen near the bottoms of organizations (to compete in a fast-changing world), the corners leaders will be tempted to cut for short-term gains in tough quarters (but shouldn't) and the ingredient that's critical for building agile and accountable teams. He also shares the skills he depends on most after 30 years at the company, including how his PhD in physics shaped his approach to problem-solving, and a key turning point that changed how he delegates. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Speaking to the media during COVID drove home to epidemiologist Prativa Baral the need for clear science communication training so experts can build trust with the public and be understood. Her experience led her to found Let Science Connect, a social enterprise that trains scientists and technical experts how to speak without jargon and connect more effectively with audiences. She shares the frameworks and tips that can help anyone get their message heard.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ezgi Barcenas, the CSO of beverage giant Anheuser-Busch InBev, explains how holacratic methods that swap rigid protocol for empowered, cross-functional teams can give organizations the flexibility they'll need to adapt to new sustainability challenges and spur the swift action needed to tackle climate change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.