Show overview
Meet The Leader has been publishing since 2020, and across the 6 years since has built a catalogue of 217 episodes. That works out to roughly 100 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence.
Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 21 min and 33 min — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. It is catalogued as a EN-language Business show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 1 months ago, with 31 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2023, with 45 episodes published. Published by World Economic Forum.
From the publisher
In these one-on-one conversations, host Linda Lacina interviews the world's top leaders, change-makers and experts on the solutions they're building to tackle the world's biggest challenges, the habits they can't work without, and their lessons learned, all from the World Economic Forum
Latest Episodes
View all 217 episodesRenminbi and the World
Hiring Is Changing: Why Human Judgment Still Matters in the AI Era: ManpowerGroup
Be less reactive: A Buddhist monk on how mindful leaders make better decisions
The books that shaped and inspired 5 tech founders
Find your purpose after major setbacks: Katie Piper on how to adapt, reinvent and lead
How to Focus on What Matters Most: 5 Leaders' Effective Strategies
How to Face Uncertainty and Take Action: Lessons from a Blind Sailor's Pacific Crossing
AI and Jobs series: How entry level jobs are changing in an AI era
AI and Jobs Series: Fixing the Skills Mismatch and Navigating Upskilling's 'Messy Middle' - An Expert Explains
AI and Jobs Series: What one company stopped doing - an HR exec shares lessons shaping the future of work
5 leaders from NVIDIA, Goldman Sachs and more share career advice for uncertain times
AI 'workslop' is a leadership problem. Here's how to fix it
How to Lead People Through AI Change: Questions to Ask from a Transformation Expert
What women's sports reveals about building future leaders: Deloitte's Lara Abrash
The Attention Crisis: How leaders can fix focus and happiness in an AI Era - Psychologist Jonathan Haidt
How mentoring shaped top leaders - and how it's changing in an AI era
What Astronauts Know About High-Performing Teams (That Many Don't Understand)
S1 Ep 200Meet The Leader at 200: 20 Leaders Share Their Best Tips, Aha Moments and Advice
Learn when you listen. Know your strengths can be weaknesses. Take your space before someone takes it for you. This 200th 'Best of' episode collects hard-won lessons learned and one-of-a-kind moments from this podcast's past 6 years. Listen to the late Jane Goodall recall a transformative run-in with a grumpy cabbie or hear the critical question that helped AWS teams get future-ready. It's a hit parade of top names, from IKEA to Microsoft, from Misty Copeland to Matt Damon, drawing insights and turning points that have shaped CEOs, startup founders, actors, activists, fashion designers, AI pioneers, best-selling authors and more find solutions and drive meaningful change. In this episode: Unexpected turning points Jane Goodall, Jane Goodall Institute, on connecting with people you disagree with (Recorded 2021) Al Gore, Former US Vice President and founder of the Climate Reality Project, on his climate communication turning point (Recorded 2021) An AI Powered Future Swami Sivasubramanian, AWS, on the question that got teams future-ready (Recorded 2024) Adam Grant, organizational psychologist and Wharton professor, on how to practice the soft skills an AI era will need most (Recorded 2025) Suleika Jaouad, best-selling author, on thinking beyond our 'resume virtues' (Recorded 2026) Bringing people together: Diane von Fürstenberg, fashion designer, on a habit she swears by (Recorded 2024) Misty Copeland, ballerina and activist, on unlocking potential (Recorded 2025) Jagan Chapagain, IFRC, on why effective listeners are learners (Recorded 2024) Brad Smith, Microsoft, on having a personal sounding board (Recorded 2024) Seeking innovation Matt Damon and Gary White, founders - Water.org, on the value of experimentation and failure (Recorded 2026) Nela Richardson, Chief Economist - ADP, on thinking outside the box (Recorded 2024) Gail Whiteman, Rainn Wilson, Arctic Basecamp on rethinking communication (Recorded 2023) Advice they swear by Daphne Koller, AI pioneer and insitro founder, on how strengths can become weaknesses (Recorded 2024) Fidelma Russo, CTO - Hewlett Packard Enterprise, on knowing yourself (Recorded 2024) Ulrika Biesèrt, CHRO - Inkga Group / IKEA, on taking your space (Recorded 2024) Meeting the moment Jonathan Reckford, Habitat for Humanity, on how serving others to bridge division (Recorded 2024) John Amaechi, psychologist, leadership expert and author, on finding your inner giant (Recorded 2021) David Miliband, IRC, on how leaders can navigate an increasingly disordered world, and the change that will be needed next (Recorded 2025) Related episodes: Meet The Leader - Adam Grant: Future leaders won't succeed without this key trait Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buVVIpttzUA Meet The Leader - Ballerina Misty Copeland: Unlocking potential and a leader's most 'vital' role Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNwmJJMRt4o&t=1s IRC's David Miliband: How leaders can meet the moment in an increasingly disordered world Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABadygYvsZ0&t=16s Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/42hzpvvmRead here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3vk4723b Matt Damon and Gary White: Why the Global Water Crisis Is Really a Finance ProblemWatch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d95kccQuFUk Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/ybwhf395 Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/b8a2sr34
S1 Ep 199Why Smart Ideas Don't Always Land — and How to Build Creative, Curious Teams
In an AI era, the real competitive advantage won't come from generating more ideas, but picking the right idea to take forward. Leaders who foster cultures of creativity and curiosity will build teams better able to sharpen focus, challenge assumptions, and execute in the most effective and compelling ways. Liberty Science Center CEO Paul Hoffman is a noted expert on connecting the public to the sciences. He'll explain how that major cultural institution makes complex ideas clear and irresistible. The long-time science writer, puzzle maker, brainstorming expert and former head of the Encyclopaedia Britannica shares lessons from his eclectic background on how leaders can harness a team's natural curiosity to drive fresh thinking and innovation. You'll learn: Why clarity matters in innovation - and why the audience is usually right How to model the creative behaviors you want to see in your team Which qualities creative, curious teams always have in common This episode was recorded at the Urban Transformation Summit, San Francisco (October 2025). About this week's guest: Liberty Science Center: https://lsc.org/ Paul Hoffman: http://thephtest.com/ Like this episodes? Try these: Nick Thompson, The Atlantic: Why one CEO sets 'non -goals' - and what ultramarathons taught him about focus and mental toughness Watch here - YouTube: https://youtu.be/Xh9PLsyptgA Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/bdbrspj7 Read here - Listen: https://tinyurl.com/mtdhe37w Build a culture of innovation: HPE's Chief Technology Officer shares what's neededListen here: https://tinyurl.com/bdfmtxbkRead here: https://tinyurl.com/5kwr6x6t This simple question helped Amazon teams get future ready: AWS AI and data chief Read here - Transcript: http://tinyurl.com/3k3vvaexListen here - Spotify: http://tinyurl.com/yckpbtpe 7 top innovators share strategies that drive cutting edge solutions: Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/mtj9tncs Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/482wyxpf
S1 Ep 198Matt Damon and Gary White: Why the Global Water Crisis Is Really a Finance Problem
2.1 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water. Solving this problem will take more than charity - it will take innovation and a new approach to scaling partnerships, building awareness and raising funding. In this episode, Water.org's co-founders Matt Damon and Gary White share key efforts to fix the 'financial plumbing' connecting people and capital, helping to bridge the water gap for 85 million around the world, including: Water Credit (a specialized microfinance solution funding safe water and sanitation solutions) and Water Equity (an asset manager mobilizing private investment in water and sanitation). The two explain why creating an economic flywheel for change can bring truly sustainable solutions. They also share what they've learned about scale and from each other in a partnership that has now spanned 17 years and the role a new campaign for the public, Get Blue, can play. This episode was recorded at the Annual Meeting in Davos in January 2026. About this episode: Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/matt-damon-water-crisis-gary-white-finance-innovation About this week's guests: Water.org Get Blue campaign: https://getblue.water.org/ Related session at the 2026 Annual Meeting in Davos Water in the balance https://www.weforum.org/meetings/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2026/sessions/water-in-the-balance/ Related episodes: IRC's David Miliband: How leaders can meet the moment in an increasingly disordered world Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABadygYvsZ0&t=16s Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/42hzpvvm Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3vk4723b What most people get wrong about progress: Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2IJjZs4E7A Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/4r69a5pr Read here - Transcript:: https://tinyurl.com/3smrwev9 Nick Thompson, The Atlantic: Why one CEO sets 'non -goals' - and what ultramarathons taught him about focus and mental toughness Watch here - YouTube: https://youtu.be/Xh9PLsyptgA Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/bdbrspj7 Read here - Listen: https://tinyurl.com/mtdhe37w