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 

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] 

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 

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 

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 

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 

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.

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 

As 2023 ends, people look to the new year to become the best version of themselves. Sreyssha George, an expert in technology and people for BCG, explains how to build your personal brand by choosing a role model, asking for feedback, and being open to change. Learn More: Sreyssha George: https://on.bcg.com/472Hqgn This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

The human brain is constantly making associations between events, objects, and memories. David Ratajczak, global leader of BCG’s marketing practice, says companies can rely on this deep psychology to create positive associations with their brand. Campaigns no longer exist solely in big media where only large, established companies could afford them. Startups and small businesses can win mindshare against industry giants by investing in precision digital technology that takes advantage of these associations.      Learn More:Digital Marketing: https://on.bcg.com/3GzAe04Capturing Mind Share with Precision Branding: https://on.bcg.com/3T6jMw0This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

A promising $19 trillion has been put toward the energy transition. The bad news? We need $18 trillion more—and that’s just to reach 2030 goals. As the world gears up for COP28, the UN’s climate conference, Maurice Berns, chair of BCG’s Center for Energy Impact, explores how to close this gap.     Learn More: Climate Vision 2050: Climate Vision 2050 (chtbl.com)Energy Transition: https://on.bcg.com/3RkyP40 Bridging the $18 Trillion Gap in Net Zero Capital: https://on.bcg.com/3R0Ki7b A Blueprint for the Energy Transition: https://on.bcg.com/46uEvg4 This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Ahead of COP28, the UN’s climate conference, we explore the unique ways public-private partnerships help achieve sustainability goals. Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, CEO of Novo Nordisk; Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca; and Christine O’Brien, lead for BCG’s climate and sustainability practice in health care, discuss the projects and success of the Sustainable Markets Initiative Health Systems Task Force. The Task Force brings together global health leaders to enhance individual, societal, and planetary health. Together, they have launched sector-first commitments, actions, and recommendations to accelerate the delivery of net zero, patient-centric health systems. Learn More: https://www.sustainable-markets.org/taskforces/health-systems-taskforce/  For more about Pascal: https://www.astrazeneca.com/our-company/leadership.html#For more about Lars: https://www.novonordisk.com/about/executive-management/lars-fruergaard-jorgensen.htmlFor more about Christine: https://on.bcg.com/3R9xbSJ)https://on.bcg.com/47KDWQpThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

It’s 2050 and we’re exploring how the world radically reduced carbon emissions and saved itself from climate catastrophe. What have our cities done to accommodate massive population growth? And how do businesses, governments, researchers and everyday people work together to build sustainable supply chains, agricultural practices and transportation infrastructure?This is Climate Vision 2050, a podcast series from BCG.In this episode, Nairobi’s green tech and innovation boom make it a 2050 powerhouse. That success comes with climate challenges that the city is addressing. Urban planner Bailey Muthoni lives in housing built from plastic waste and gets around on an electric motorbike. She stages a tactical urbanism intervention advocating for improved walkability around the city's parliament.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

We are closing in on the first anniversary of the public release of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and GPT-4. And yet the ever-changing field of human-machine collaboration remains poorly understood. François Candelon, global director of the BCG Henderson Institute, explains the findings of recent research that explores where AI work is more effective than people and where it isn’t.  Learn More:  https://on.bcg.com/3Sszzos https://on.bcg.com/3u3jUBV This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Downtowns were built for a 9-5 world that no longer exists. Santiago Ferrer, BCG’s North American lead for cities, real estate, and infrastructure development, says civic leaders have an opportunity and responsibility to rethink the best use of buildings, transportation systems, and other infrastructure.    Learn More:  https://on.bcg.com/46FFo6s https://on.bcg.com/471A6lj This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

A price is an expression of value and part of a conversation with customers. Jean-Manuel Izaret, BCG’s global leader of pricing, discusses the importance of designing a pricing strategy that creates value for customers and companies alike. Businesses must know when to leave money on the table and be careful to avoid prices so high they actually hamper sales. Jean-Manuel highlights seven pricing games companies should consider playing and other lessons to build pricing strategy from his new book, Game Changer.Learn More:https://on.bcg.com/3RT5A8ZThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Should the workplace of the future consist of a mostly in-office, remote, or hybrid model? Deborah Lovich, leader of BCG’s work on people strategy, argues we’re asking the wrong question entirely. Organizations should focus on creating productivity for themselves and joy for their employees. It will take more than a memo from the top to create this new working model. Time, resources, and strong managers are all necessary.   This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

In 2015, the UN established Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved by 2030. In 2023, we are halfway there and have achieved only about 12% of those goals. Rich Hutchinson, global leader of BCG’s Social Impact practice, suggests that companies both can help achieve those goals and boost their bottom line. Organizations need to set ambitious goals. Leaders need to do more than treat ESG as a checklist. And governments can also provide incentives that encourage private sector innovation.  This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Cost-cutting gets a bad rap, but the exercise is actually an opportunity to find money that can be reinvested in the business. Mark Austin, BCG’s global topic leader of cost and zero-based transformation, challenges executives to create more efficient and effective operating models by empowering employees to find areas of unnecessary spending in places that may not be obvious. They can then look to their people and their industry to find the most effective ways to funnel that money back into the organization.  This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

As the school year approaches, we are reaching into The So What from BCG archives. Join us as we revisit our examination of why education remains rooted in a bygone era of neat orderly rows of desks and lesson plans, even as the world races ahead into the metaverse and beyond. In this wide-ranging conversation first published in June 2022, Leila Hoteit, managing director and senior partner who leads BCG’s education, employment, and welfare work, argues for a lifelong approach to learning inside and outside the classroom—one that teaches people to solve hard problems and develop soft skills.She talks about why students should think about the fairytale “Little Red Riding Hood” from the perspective of the wolf, how the technology that treats autism can help others learn better, and why people from different cultures may come up with different answers to the famous trolley problem.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

How do the top 5% of companies ascend to their spots—and stay there? Extensive BCG research shows that they excel in six areas, among them: focusing on a clear vision, remaining agile, and creating a solid, yet flexible tech base. A leader of that research, Romain de Laubier, shares insights from working alongside executives and helping them take an honest look at what their companies do well—and what could be improved. Also the global leader of digital strategy and AI work at BCG, he highlights some of the key findings from the Build for the Future research.  This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Jessica Apotheker, chief marketing officer of BCG and BCGX, and Akbar Hamid, co-founder of People of Crypto Lab, explain how the metaverse can combine the best of the physical and virtual worlds to create a seamless immersive experience—or amplify what’s wrong in the physical world.  This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

AI is evolving daily, challenging businesses to adjust and adapt. Vladimir Lukic, global leader of BCG’s Tech & Digital Advantage practice, demystifies what companies need to get right when implementing AI. A shift in mindset can go a long way toward unlocking AI’s potential.  This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Leaders frequently talk about purpose and vision. Too often, these concepts get stuck at the top and do not cascade down throughout the organization. BCG’s David Ritter explains how organizations can unlock latent productivity and creativity by connecting purpose and vision to the day-to-day work of teams.   This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Customers are demanding speed and convenience in their interactions with companies. Technology, especially artificial intelligence, is often better at meeting customer needs than humans. Karen Lellouche Tordjman, leader of BCG’s customer experience work, explains how companies can combine technology and humans to create the most compelling customer journeys and touchpoints.   This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

The post–World War II order of free markets, democratic government, and global institutions is breaking apart, argues Nikolaus Lang, who leads BCG’s Global Advantage practice. With the future uncertain, companies should prepare for a range of scenarios that likely involve greater uncertainty and less global trade.  This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Sylvain Duranton helps companies build AI-enabled businesses. As the the global leader of BCG X, he has a front row seat to the generative AI revolution. He discusses the industries likely to face the most disruption, the future of work, and how generative AI can help solve challenges in climate and health. His advice to companies unsure how to get started? Pick a difference-making opportunity; invest adequately; upskill your people; and rethink processes to accommodate generative AI.  (Read more about the risk and reward of generative AI https://www.bcg.com/x/artificial-intelligence/generative-ai.) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

CEOs generally face either economic uncertainty (the Great Recession) or great change (the digital-driven era preceding the pandemic). Today’s leaders are facing both at the same time, explains Rich Lesser, BCG’s chair. While uncertainty requires resilience, change requires evolution. It’s hard to do both. Nonetheless, Lesser sees great potential with the advances in AI but also physical technologies such as synthetic biology.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Companies and banks have often pursued social goals such as financial inclusion as an obligation rather than a business opportunity. Douglas Beal, who leads BCG’s client work with financial institutions on sustainable finance and investing, argues that doing good is also good business. Companies and banks can build profitable, sustainable social business and improve their bottom lines.  This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Financial crime has become big business. The United Nations estimates that 2%–5% of global GDP is laundering every year. If businesses—all businesses, not just banks—are not part of the solution, they are part of the problem, argues BCG’s Hanjo Seibert. Over the past ten years, half of all fines levied in financial crime cases have been regular businesses. Beyond satisfying their legal obligations, businesses can reap other benefits, such as more intimate knowledge of their customers and suppliers. In other words, compliance is good for business.  This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

In Indonesia, consumers began mixing together several orders of McDonald’s soft serve ice cream into a dessert mashup. Videos of this quirky development quickly went viral, and the trend spread to Thailand. Rather than worry about losing control over its carefully crafted image, McDonald’s encouraged the activity by creating an online video ad campaign around their customers’ videos. Welcome to the crazy world of shoppertainment, which BCG projects will grow into a $1 trillion market in Asia by 2025.  This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Nadjia Yousif, BCG’s chief diversity officer, explains how an inclusive workforce creates happier employees who are more likely to stay—and she has the numbers to back her up.Executives and leadership extol the virtues of teamwork. Inclusion is just that—the feeling of being part of something larger than yourself. Nadjia Yousif says that if people feel included, they will be happy, feel a greater sense of well-being, and stick around. This is not fluffy conjecture but a core finding of a BCG survey of 27,000 employees in 16 countries.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

James Lowry has devoted most of his professional life trying to bring corporations and minority communities closer together. While Lowry views many of the corporate diversity efforts in the 1960s and 1970s as charity, he says companies are finally starting to create business-driven initiatives supported with resources and leadership commitment. Lowry talks about how corporations and communities alike benefit from supplier diversity, leadership diversity, financial inclusion, racial equity, and minority business enterprises. He also looks back at that a career that spans volunteering in the Peace Corps, working with Bobby Kennedy in Bedford-Stuyvesant, a troubled Brooklyn neighborhood back in the 1960s, and roaming the corridors of corporate power.  This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Artificial intelligence has generated both business rewards and reputational risk for companies. Consumers and customers have legitimate concerns over the use of AI in business. The best way to address those concerns, says Steven Mills, the chief AI ethics officer for BCG X, is to develop responsible AI principles that set forth how organizations will and will not deploy AI—and what they will do when they fall short of these principles. By working closely with employees, consumers, and customers on these principles, organizations can generate confidence with these key stakeholders. This approach is valuable whether or not governments adopt regulations governing the use of AI.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

In 2011, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen famously declared that “software is eating the world,” meaning it would disrupt traditional industries. Alex Koster, who leads BCG’s automotive technology and software business, explains just how fundamentally software is altering an industry, whose main product, the car, has changed relatively little in 100 years. In self-driving vehicles, for example, the cabin will offer an immersive experience for riders. Besides the consumer experience, the rise of electric and self-driving cars will likely encourage cooperation between the auto and tech industries and force cities to reimagine the role of streets and public space. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Three decades after the development of the commercial Internet, nearly half the world’s 8 billion people do not have access to high-speed Internet. For Vaishali Rastogi, BCG’s global leader of its technology, media, and telecommunications practice, closing this gap is an economic, social, and moral imperative. It’s also personal, a reflection of her broader interest in inclusion. For the past 30 years Vaishali has trailblazed a professional career in Asia as a woman, and she now works in industries where women remain minorities. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Over the past 20 years, assets under management of financial firms have nearly quadrupled to more than $110 trillion, powered by the growth in equity values. Dean Frankle—who leads BCG’s asset and wealth management in Western Europe, South America, and Africa—foresees a more textured and nuanced future for the industry. Alternative asset classes, such as toll roads and other infrastructure, could account for up to half of the industry’s revenue. Passive investing will continue its growth as the emergence of personalized indexes takes hold. And climate and sustainability will increasingly shape investment decision-making.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Linear thinking is valuable when the environment is relatively stable and familiar. But in uncertain economic times, executives also need to think expansively about the future, analyzing a range of potential scenarios. Alan Iny discusses how executives can prepare for uncertainty rather than be overwhelmed by it. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

COP27, the global climate conference in Egypt, represented a mix of accomplishments and frustrations. Wealthy nations agreed to establish a fund to help pay for the loss and damage that their emissions have imposed on poor countries in Africa and elsewhere.And yet the current levels of emissions from the North remain stubbornly high, and will continue to affect nations in the South. Several members of BCG’s COP27 delegation discuss what the conference means for Africa—the need for resilient infrastructure and communities, the need for the private sector to do more, and the dangers that both climate change and climate action impose on women.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

We often hear that the climate transition must also be a just transition. But how can we make that happen when, for example, coal remains both the largest source of energy in the world and a source of steady income for miners in many countries? Keshlan Mudaly, a BCG principal in Johannesburg, South Africa, unpacks the many tradeoffs and dilemmas that confront public and private leaders in their quest to lower carbon emissions. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

It’s 2050 and we’re exploring how the world radically reduced carbon emissions and saved itself from climate catastrophe. What have our cities done to accommodate massive population growth? And how do businesses, governments, researchers and everyday people work together to build sustainable supply chains, agricultural practices and transportation infrastructure?This is Climate Vision 2050, a new podcast series from BCG.In an exclusive peek at episode 1, energy islands around the world power our societies in 2050, each with hundreds of offshore wind turbines. In this episode, we travel alongside offshore technician Sofia Rojas to the North Sea energy island; one of the oldest. Sofia must investigate and fix an anomaly detected through the island's AI interface known as SAILOR.Full series launching 2023. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

How well will the world adapt to ever more extreme climate events? To date most government and business leaders are focusing on climate mitigation at the expense of climate adaptation. Charmian Caines, a senior partner at BCG, argues that they must do both. They should build scenarios assessing the economic, social, and natural damage of rising temperatures and develop financial and operational plans to combat rising sea levels, raging fires, and other extreme weather events. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Corporate values are more important than ever. Should companies boycott countries with values they do not share? Kushal Khandhar, global Pride@BCG manager, argues it often makes sense for companies with LGBTQ+–friendly policies to continue to work in queer-unfriendly countries. Companies can be “embassies of values,” says Khandar who has worked in conservative countries whose governments outlaw his sexuality.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Inflation is higher than it’s been in a generation, but policy makers still have room to maneuver. Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak, BCG’s global chief economist, is concerned about inflation but not yet willing to say the world is in a new era of constantly spiraling prices and collapsing asset prices. Central banks and policy makers still have the tools to control potential contagion. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Are companies looking for talent in all the wrong places? Only 10% of jobs are filled by internal lateral candidates. Companies need better ways to find internal candidates especially those who work in a different part of the organization or have latent skills, explain BCG's Nithya Vaduganathan and Gloat's Brian Hershey. Internal talent marketplaces, which are sort of dating apps matching employees to jobs, are one promising option for companies to pursue. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Are traditional companies, long derided for being sluggish and stuck in the past, about to undergo a renaissance? Patrick Forth, of BCG’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications practice, talks about the exciting future for incumbents that succeed at digital transformation. Unfortunately, only one-third of digital transformations are successful. What separates the winners from the losers? After years of studying digital transformations, Forth has identified the six factors that can elevate the chance of success to more than 80%—and only one is a technology issue. Forth talks about the importance of strategy, leadership, talent, governance, and measurement—and why middle managers are the unsung heroes of digital transformation.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

The future of the tech industry depends on women. So how do you grow that tech career, and why is imposter syndrome sometimes a good thing? In this episode, hear from our new podcast series In Her Ellement, where AI expert Andrea Gallego and product designer Corin Lines from Boston Consulting Group have honest conversations with women at the vanguard of technology in business, art, education, and more.They're speaking with Alaina Percival, CEO of Women Who Code—the largest and most active community for technical women in the world. Her advice is to continually challenge yourself and elevate your voice and goals—remember that you’re in high demand!Alaina shares her career path; she’s run niche products for Puma in Germany, led developer outreach for a technical recruiting company in San Francisco, and taught herself to code. As the CEO of Women Who Code, she works to inspire women to thrive in the tech industry. Alaina shares how she navigates the always near and dear imposter syndrome; that if you aren’t feeling it—you may have been in your role too long. There should always be 40% that you don’t know. She also emphasizes the importance of community and support; don’t be shy to reach out and share your goals—there is a very accessible and supportive community willing to help.Follow In Her Ellement for more meaningful conversations with women in digital, technology, and business.Visit Women Who Code to access free resources and workshops, browse job & scholarship opportunities, and engage with an amazing network of technical women across the globe.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Johann Harnoss doesn’t just advise companies on innovation and global talent mobility. He also has cofounded a nonprofit organization to help students from nations such as Syria and Afghanistan secure jobs in Europe. In other words, Harnoss has seen global talent from both sides. He debunks notions that immigration is harmful to host nations or that it leads to a brain drain from countries of origin. He’s not optimistic, however, about the state of immigration in the US.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

In an interconnected world, global health is not just a scientific aspiration but an economic one. As supply shortages brought on by factory shutdowns in China demonstrate, a disease outbreak in one part of the world has ramifications on the other side of the globe. Johanna Benesty, who leads BCG’s global health work, talks about the opportunities for pharmaceutical and other health care companies in serving underserved populations in lower- and middle-income countries and elsewhere. Price is not the only barrier. Treatments may need to be redesigned to meet the realities of these countries rather than the wealthy countries where they were developed.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Companies will never achieve net zero unless they can measure their emissions, and few of them do it successfully. Only about one in ten companies accurately tracks its emissions. Artificial intelligence is starting to help fill in the data gaps. Charlotte Degot, BCG partner, and founder of CO2 AI by BCG, an an AI-based solution for emissions measurement and reduction, explains how better data about emissions accelerates action. She's joined by Dexter Galvin, global director of corporations and supply chains for CDP, a global nonprofit organization that runs the world’s environmental disclosure system for companies, cities, states, and regions.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

While the world races ahead into the metaverse, education remains rooted in the era of neat orderly rows of desks and lesson plans. In this wide-ranging conversation, Leila Hoteit, the managing director and senior partner who leads BCG’s education, employment, and welfare work, argues for a lifelong approach to learning inside and outside the classroom—one that teaches people to solve hard problems and develop soft skills. She talks about why students should think about the fairytale “Little Red Riding Hood” from the perspective of the wolf, how the technology that treats autism can help others learn better, and why people from different cultures may come up with different answers to the famous trolley problem. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Over the past two years, the world has seen what happens when supply and procurement chains seize up and shortages in such staples as infant formula and sunflower oil become commonplace. Daniel Weise, leader of BCG’s global procurement business, explains how companies can move beyond a cost-cutting mentality to treat their supply chain as a strategic imperative—the way that Apple did when it promoted Tim Cook, an operations and supply chain executive, to CEO. Unfortunately, most CEOs spend only minutes a day on their supply chain and procurement issues, and these topics are far too important to be relegated to corporate Siberia, Weise is a coauthor of Profit from the Source, published by Harvard Business Review Press.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

A Pride@BCG leader talks about how a supportive culture unlocks creativity. For Dakota Santana-Grace, being out at work is a professional necessity as much as a personal choice. When Santana-Grace once hid his queer identity from a client, he was stressed and exhausted, and his work suffered. The weight of his secret lifted after Santana-Grace, BCG’s Northeast lead for Pride@BCG, casually mentioned his boyfriend. Santana-Grace also talks about the time a straight ally called him out for deepening his voice in meetings--and why he invited a drag queen to the Boston office.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Corporate leaders often view sustainable products as a series of technical challenges—how to decarbonize the supply chain, reduce waste in manufacturing, eliminate plastic packaging, and so on. But what about the human dimensions? Shalini Unnikrishnan, a leader on social impact at BCG, discusses the importance of designing, marketing, and pricing products through the lens of the consumer. She also discussed the need to create ecosystems of like-minded companies and institutions and to connect sustainability to a company’s core purpose.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Nan DasGupta played soccer in her youth and worked as an engineer at GE early in her career, so she has firsthand experience breaking into male-dominated realms. DasGupta, BCG people and organization expert and Women@BCG leader, talks about the difficulties in breaking down bias at work, how bias prevents men from assuming more caregiving responsibilities, the importance of role models, and why nobody wants to talk about menopause.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Businesses that lead on climate and sustainability will have tailwinds at their back, says Rich Lesser, BCG’s global chair. Reaching net zero will require investments of $3 trillion to $5 trillion per year for the next 30 years—and it is much smarter to participate in this massive industrial transformation than to fight it. To succeed, businesses will need to engage deeply with other businesses, their customers, and governments. The challenge is too large to go it alone or to view government as an impediment. For businesses that want to do the right thing, Lesser says, “getting government policies that raise the standard for everyone is in their interest.” Lesser also talks about his own evolution in understanding the climate crisis, how purpose can drive performance, and why the job of CEO today is harder but more rewarding than it was a decade ago. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Pay, promotion, and benefits have been the traditional carrots for hiring and retaining employees. But what happens when they are not enough? During the Great Resignation, companies have watched well-paid, decorated employees walk out the door. They have watched front-line workers who had just received raises walk. Why? The emotional needs of employees are as critical as their functional needs, says Gabi Novacek, a BCG Henderson Institute fellow researching diversity, equity, and inclusion. Feeling safe, challenged, and valued at work can be even more important as a paycheck. Novacek, an archeologist by training, also discusses how a family medical emergency shaped her thinking about what really matters at work.   This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

As the travel industry slowly awakens from the pandemic-induced slumber, airlines, hotel chains, and cruise lines face a highly uncertain and volatile future in which the past is unlikely prologue. Jason Guggenheim, BCG’s global leader of travel and tourism, explains that these companies can sharpen their ability to sense subtle shifts in demand. Will business travel, for example, ever fully return? Leaders in the industry, especially airline and cruise line executives, are facing mounting calls to forcefully address climate change.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Neveen Awad, the daughter of an engineer, learned early in life “how fun it was to make machines do something.” As the only computer science major in her graduating class at college and later a PhD, she eventually realized that she did not want to spend her days coding. Awad became a professor and now runs BCG’s Detroit office. She’s spent the past few years researching gender diversity in technology. She talks about why the first and second promotion for women are so critical, how paternity leave can be for a boon for women in leadership—and more.   This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Why do CEOs struggle with the act of imagination when it comes naturally to 5-year-olds? And what happens when people and organizations seemingly lose their ability to imagine? Martin Reeves, chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, argues that imagination is an untapped and essential resource for organizations. This is particularly true in an error when competitive advantages that once lasted a decade can disappear in as quickly as a year--and as companies see their growth potential decays as they grow and age. Reeves, coauthor of The Imagination Machine, explains how organizations can regain the art of imagination. Hint: it takes practice.  This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Organizations often view inclusion, along with its cousins diversity and equity, as a goal. But what if they start viewing it as a practice, an active commitment, and a way of doing business? Kedra Newsom Reeves, a BCG partner and co-lead of BCG’s North America Center for Inclusion and Equity who works for financial and social sector clients alike, argues that organizations must deeply embed inclusivity into their business practices. Otherwise banks and other financial institutions will not meaningfully play their part in closing the racial wealth gap. And other organizations will also fall short of whatever aspirations they set. Inclusion must be treated as an innovation—as a break from the past—because “for hundreds of years, we were not making decisions to be inclusive.”   This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Cell phones, social media, messaging software, and multitasking are robbing our attention, as our monkey minds jump from one notification to another. Mickey McManus, a BCG senior advisor and leadership coach, explains how these distractions strip our cognitive capacity and even our ability to make ethical decisions. Is this the price of “progress,” or is there something to be done? McManus offers tips for everyone from the board and C-suite to the front line to enable companies and employees to regain control of our cognition.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Ashley Grice finds great joy, meaning, and sometimes peril in words. As the CEO of BCG BrightHouse, Grice helps organizations find their purpose. Words are her instruments of trade. They can help bring strategy to life and inspire imagination and wonder. But by choosing words that are impersonal, flat, and cold, CEOs and other leaders frequently miss the chance to connect with their people. Grice explains how leaders can use language more effectively and what to do when their words are misunderstood. She also reads two poems—her own.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

As the pandemic rumbles on, many countries have been suffering shortages and panic buying as global supply chains wobble. Much of that will likely ease over the coming months, but systemic challenges remain. In this episode, Dustin Burke, one of BCG’s leaders in manufacturing and supply chains, urges companies to use the experience of the last 18 months to build resilience and reliability into their operations without adding cost and redundancy. How do companies achieve better access to real-time data for greater visibility into potential shortages and risks? Could we see greater cooperation within—and even across—industries to protect supply chains of essential components? And looking to the long term, how can we expect automation and artificial intelligence to help ease labor shortages?This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

The pandemic has exposed fissures in the way we work, which is stuck in the industrial age. Deborah Lovich, who leads BCG’s people strategy topic, and Brian Elliott, executive leader and senior vice president of Future Forum, talk about why leaders want to return to the office and many workers don’t, why water coolers are not the source of inspiration, and how organizations can start to recalibrate their outdated approach to leadership, work, culture, and purpose.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

How can organizations become more experimental? Julia Dhar, the cofounder and leader of BeSmart, BCG’s behavioral economics and insights initiative, says identify a big problem, start small, and do not overly worry that academics may criticize your experiment. As a bonus, Dhar provides her three favorite nudges for everyday living.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Lil Miquela, a 19-year-old TikTok influencer with more than 3 million followers, has promoted Calvin Klein, Prada, and other top fashion brands. She also happens to be an avatar, an online robot created by a startup with venture funding. Sarah Willersdorf, BCG’s global head of luxury, explores the somewhat wacky but very real intersection of fashion and the metaverse, explaining what the virtual world holds in store for consumers and brands.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Most transitions are hard—the transition to net zero is especially so. But with political will, new business models, and major investments, saving the planet does not have to break the bank. In fact, Jens Burchardt, BCG’s global expert on climate impact and cofounder of its Center for Climate and Sustainability, argues that companies and countries that aggressively address climate issues will grow more swiftly than their slower counterparts. Many consumers, he says, would gladly pay 2% extra for net-zero products and services, a modest premium that would allow many companies today to go green.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Uncertainty is not a dirty word. While it may be impossible to predict the future, preparing for it is possible. Alan Iny, BCG’s partner and director of creativity and scenarios, explains that scenario planning and other exercises leave us better able to harness the future, whatever shape it takes. Iny acknowledges that this is hard work. Albert Einstein once doubted that atomic energy could be harnessed. But doubt itself is key to breaking free of stale business models and unlocking creativity.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

This podcast gets straight to the point of ideas that will shape and disrupt the future. Award-winning British journalist Georgie Frost interviews the leading thinkers and doers at BCG on topics ranging from global warming, COVID-19, business resilience, and social inequity to the influence of digital technology on everything. Look for it every two weeks, starting November 3. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy