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The McKinsey Podcast

The McKinsey Podcast

106 episodes — Page 1 of 3

Sell, close, or continue? The transfer of US businesses is at a crossroads

May 14, 202626 min

Rewiring for AI: From ambition to advantage

May 7, 202620 min

The rise of the human–AI workforce

Apr 30, 202620 min

What great leaders know about not knowing it all

Apr 23, 202622 min

Follow the money: How FDI is redrawing the global economy

Apr 16, 202619 min

Can the US sustain its competitive edge?

Apr 9, 202623 min

AI is everywhere. The agentic organization isn’t—yet

Yes, AI is astonishing: fast, powerful, and learning every day. But even as leaders strike up new pilots across their organizations, most still struggle to translate experimentation into enterprise value—and now, agentic AI is raising the stakes. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey Senior Partner Alexis Krivkovich speaks with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about what it will take to build an “agentic organization”—from reimagining workflows to reshaping leadership roles, skills, and culture for a future where humans increasingly operate above the loop. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Apr 2, 202625 min

Leadership lessons from private equity CEOs

Companies backed by private equity (PE) tend to transform faster and more often than public or family-owned firms do, leading to consistently outperforming their peers. Marla Capozzi and Sacha Ghai, McKinsey leaders, researched nearly 300 CEOs across PE and private-capital companies to define their tactics and share their best practices with others. They and their coauthors published the findings in a recent Harvard Business Review article, and in this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, they speak with Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro about lessons from PE that any company can implement. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Mar 19, 202620 min

Trust in the age of agents

Many leaders can get agentic pilots rolling—but realizing ROI can mean activating thousands of AI agents enterprise-wide. Is your organization ready? “Agency isn’t a feature—it’s a transfer of decision rights,” says McKinsey Partner Rich Isenberg. “The question shifts from ‘Is the model accurate?’ to ‘Who’s accountable when the system acts?’” On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Isenberg joins Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to explore how leaders can scale AI safely, mitigate risk for autonomous systems, and build the trust required to make innovation stick. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Mar 5, 202628 min

What does it take to achieve and sustain growth?

McKinsey research has found that while many leaders believe they’ve adopted and implemented productive mindsets for growth, those attitudes and ambitions don’t always translate into the behaviors and actions necessary to achieve their growth objectives. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro speaks with McKinsey Senior Partners Greg Kelly and Jill Zucker about how leading organizations translate growth intent into sustained performance. In part, it involves making clear bets, allocating resources deliberately, and staying committed through uncertainty. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Feb 19, 202623 min

A new way of thinking about metabolic health

On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Lars Hartenstein, senior fellow at the McKinsey Health Institute, and Roberta Fusaro, an editorial director at McKinsey, discuss the findings from McKinsey’s recent research on obesity and metabolic health—specifically, the potential interventions for sparking a metabolic health revolution, the economic impact of improving outcomes, and the technologies that are emerging as the connective tissue between prevention and treatment. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Feb 5, 202617 min

Special episode: 2026 Davos highlights

This is a special episode of The McKinsey Podcast covering last week’s meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. McKinsey Senior Partners Becca Coggins and Shelley Stewart III speak with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about what was top of mind for CEOs—from geopolitics to leading through the AI moment to the faster-than-expected arrival of humanoid robots at scale. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Jan 29, 202616 min

How the best CEOs are meeting the AI moment

AI has yet to deliver the ROI many leaders expected. What are they getting wrong? “This is probably the biggest, most complex transformation we’ve seen—but it’s 80 percent business transformation and 20 percent tech,” according to McKinsey’s North America Chair Eric Kutcher. “That’s different from how most people have thought about it.” On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Eric speaks with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about how CEOs can deliver on AI’s revolutionary potential—and meet this “legacy moment” successfully. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Jan 22, 202621 min

Special episode: McKinsey at CES 2026

McKinsey’s Bill Wiseman, Bob Sternfels, Martin Kellner, and Steffen Fuchs were on the ground at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. In this special episode of The McKinsey Podcast, they tell us about the tools and themes that most resonated with them—breakthrough AI applications, advances in mobility, and more. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Jan 9, 20266 min

The future of work is agentic

Think about your org chart. Now imagine it features both your current colleagues—humans, if you’re like most of us—and AI agents. That’s not science fiction; it’s happening. And it’s happening relatively quickly, according to McKinsey Senior Partner Jorge Amar. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, originally broadcast on McKinsey Talks Talent, Jorge joins McKinsey talent leaders Brooke Weddle and Bryan Hancock and Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to talk about what these AI agents are, how they’re being used, and how leaders can prepare now for the workforce of the not-too-distant future. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy NgiawSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Jan 2, 202635 min

Don’t get stuck in a rut—update how you operate

People are asked to update the operating systems on their phones all the time. What if leaders applied that same kind of polishing and bug fixing to themselves? McKinsey research shows that executives who periodically review and revise their priorities, roles, time, and energy tend to be more productive, work more consciously, and drive change more effectively. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Senior Partner Arne Gast joins McKinsey Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro to discuss how leaders can tune up their own personal operating models. Articles mentioned: America at 250 In a moment of tariffs, can the world find balance and trust to thrive? Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy NgiawSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Jan 1, 202619 min

What's next for global banking?

Banking has had a couple of very good years—the best, in fact, since the global financial crisis of 2007–09. Yet to some, the industry’s outlook seems less buoyant than recent profitability might suggest. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey Senior Partners Klaus Dallerup and Pradip Patiath speak with McKinsey Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about McKinsey’s latest global banking annual review, breaking down the sources of skepticism, the risks and opportunities of a changing landscape, and lessons leaders can take from banks that have consistently outperformed over the past decade. Articles mentioned: M&A Annual Report: Is the wave finally arriving? Investing in housing: Unlocking economic mobility for Black families and all Americans Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Dec 31, 202526 min

Quantum computing: Game on

Quantum computing has long been technology’s white whale. But in recent months, new developments suggest practical applications for this elusive technology could finally be within reach. “Quantum has been five to ten years away from fruition for many, many decades,” says McKinsey Partner Michael Bogobowicz. “Now it feels three to five years away.” In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Bogobowicz joins McKinsey Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss how quantum differs from conventional computing, what its potential use cases are likely to be, and how to prepare for the highs and lows of a world that could move exponentially faster than it does today.  In our second segment we ask, what’s the most important factor in having a successful transformation? McKinsey Senior Partner Michael Bucy says it’s the CEO.   Articles mentioned: Navigating tariffs with a geopolitical nerve center The Global Trade Explorer Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy NgiawSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Dec 30, 202524 min

The fashion industry faces a world in flux

One thing is clear for the fashion industry in 2025. Due to climate change, global trade uncertainties, and consumers focused on value, growth is expected to be slow. However, despite the negative environment, McKinsey Senior Partner, Gemma D’Auria says there are opportunities to mine. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, she speaks with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about our latest state of fashion research and how brands can navigate the challenges. Theme music is composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Dec 29, 202527 min

The industries reshaping our global economy

“A bank and a steel company can walk into a bar and not have much to do with each other. But once one of the arena companies walks in, we’re all involved.” That’s McKinsey Global Institute director Chris Bradley. On the latest episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Chris spoke with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about a new report delving into the next arenas of competition—namely, a set of dynamic, high-growth industries that are fundamentally redefining the global economy and changing the game for businesses across the board. Article mentioned:The McKinsey Quarterly Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Dec 26, 202519 min

Data centers: The race to power AI

Leaders worldwide are moving fast to deploy AI at scale. But scaling AI means more data centers—and data centers consume vast quantities of energy. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey’s Jesse Noffsinger and Pankaj Sachdeva speak with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly about what needs to happen to build new, bigger data centers quickly, as well as to sate their growing hunger for power. Articles mentioned:  A generational shift: The future of foreign aid Risk rebalancing: Five important geopolitical-risk questions for CIOs Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy NgiawSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Dec 25, 202513 min

Gen AI is here—but where are its users?

Gen AI is evolving fast—but employee adoption is slow for most companies. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, we feature an episode of our technology podcast, At the Edge. Tech visionaries Navin Chaddha, managing partner at Mayfield Fund; Kiran Prasad, McKinsey senior adviser and CEO and cofounder of Big Basin Labs; and Naba Banerjee, McKinsey senior adviser and former director of trust and operations at Airbnb, join guest host and McKinsey Senior Partner Brian Gregg. They unpack the technical, cultural, and organizational challenges companies face—and what leaders can do to realize gen AI’s full potential while managing its risks. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Dec 24, 202524 min

Which tech trends are rising to the top of the business agenda?

Global competition has intensified, and the demand for energy and computing power is growing exponentially as companies embed AI, robotics, and other technologies into their everyday business processes. McKinsey’s annual outlook on technology trends points to 13 “frontier” trends that can help companies get a handle on these and other challenges. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast McKinsey Senior Partners Lareina Yee, Roger Roberts, and Sven Smit share the latest data and their insights on digital innovation, implementation, infrastructure, and trust with Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly. Articles Mentioned: How CEOs are responding to geopolitical uncertainty A CEO for All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of Leadership Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy NgiawSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Dec 23, 202536 min

Building leaders from the ground up

CEOs are confronting double the number of critical issues today compared with ten years ago. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey Senior Partners Daniel Pacthod and Kurt Strovink, along with McKinsey Senior Advisor Wyman Howard, join McKinsey Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro to discuss the characteristics today’s business leaders need to handle greater and more frequent waves of disruption and how organizations can create the infrastructure and conditions to build team-oriented leaders. In our second segment, we examine three types of resiliencies that CEOs can develop within their companies with McKinsey Senior Partner Ida Kristensen. (Starts at about 18:05) Article mentioned: Superagency in the workplace: Empowering people to unlock AI’s full potential. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Dec 22, 202526 min

Rewinding 2025: A year of The McKinsey Podcast insights—in under 10 minutes

This year on The McKinsey Podcast, we’ve dived into an array of topics on leadership, organizational change, and technological innovation, talking to McKinsey’s most seasoned experts about how to lead during times of geopolitical upheaval and economic uncertainty, as well as how to harness and then radiate the advances made possible by AI. We didn’t just go for the broad strokes. We heard from McKinsey partners about the questions they’re getting every day from their clients across industries. How can leaders move forward competitively in a business climate so full of flux and opportunity? Our guests this year had plenty of ideas.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Dec 19, 20257 min

How agentic AI could transform travel

Yes, dreaming up your next getaway can be exhilarating. But booking it? Often less so. For many customers, the thrill of travel risks getting lost in logistics, says McKinsey Senior Partner Jules Seeley. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, he joins Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss new research on the rise of AI in the travel industry, including the advent of AI agents that could design end-to-end itineraries, rebook disrupted flights, and tailor recommendations to each traveler’s tastes—changing the calculus for customers and travel employees alike. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Dec 4, 202520 min

Productivity first: AI and the COO agenda

From gen AI pilots to automated supply chains, technology is reshaping how operations leaders create efficiencies, build resilience, and encourage teamwork. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey Senior Partner Daniel Swan speaks with Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro about how COOs can embed technology, particularly AI, into their company’s culture. It requires balancing the urgency of today with the transformation of tomorrow. Articles/pieces mentioned: The hard stuff 2025: Taking stock of progress on the physical challenges of the energy transition The state of AI in 2025: Agents, innovation, and transformation Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy NgiawSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Nov 20, 202521 min

A more accurate way to measure consumer engagement

Not all consumer attention is created equal—that’s a critical lesson from McKinsey’s recent report on content creation and monetization. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey Senior Partner Kabir Ahuja speaks with Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro about something called the “attention equation” and how media players can use it to get a better return on their investments. It’s about quality of focus, Ahuja reminds us, not just quantity of eyeballs. Articles Mentioned: The FDI shake-up: How foreign direct investment today may shape industry and trade tomorrow How Strategy Champions win Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy NgiawSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Nov 6, 202515 min

Remanufacturing: Turning old parts into new opportunities

What if a product’s journey didn’t end after its first use? Remanufacturing—restoring preowned parts to perform like new—is transforming automotives, electronics, and other industries. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Senior Partner Inga Maurer and Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro explore how this practice reduces waste while creating more value for companies. Articles Mentioned:  One year of agentic AI: Six lessons from the people doing the work The infrastructure moment Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy NgiawSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Oct 23, 202520 min

What sets the world’s best leaders apart

Most leaders set out to be the best—but few make that Mount Everest–like ascent successfully. What do the world’s most iconic CEOs do differently? McKinsey Senior Partners Carolyn Dewar, Kurt Strovink, Scott Keller, and Vik Malhotra break it down in their new book A CEO for All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of Leadership (Scribner/Simon & Schuster, October 2025), based on research and interviews with executives ranking among the top 200 CEOs across the globe. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, the four coauthors join Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss some of the more surprising lessons they learned—and what they’ve changed about their own leadership as a result.   Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy NgiawSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Oct 9, 20259 min

The promise and potential of rural America

There is no single definition of “rural America.” It comprises agricultural hubs, manufacturing centers, and fast-growing regions—each a regional archetypes with its own distinct challenges and opportunities. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Senior Partner Nora Gardner joins Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss these archetypes and new research that can help leaders better understand rural communities. In our second segment, McKinsey Partner Sarah Tucker-Ray speaks with Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro about how rural K–12 education can equip students with the skills needed for advanced manufacturing—and why partnerships with industry matter for the future of rural America. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy NgiawSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Sep 26, 202531 min

The changing role of the CMO—and what it means for growth

Chief marketing officers are vital to strategic decision-making, but increasingly, they’re being left out of the discussions that matter most—to the detriment of both customers and growth. “Kelsey and I are on a singular mission to bring CMOs back,” McKinsey Senior Partner Shelley Stewart III said recently, referring to Senior Partner Kelsey Robinson. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Shelley and Kelsey join Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss new research on worsening disconnects in the C-suite, as well as how strengthening alignment between CMOs, CEOs, and CFOs can make a meaningful and sustainable difference in organizational performance. This conversation originally aired as a McKinsey Live webinar following the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy NgiawSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Aug 28, 202523 min

A conversation about valuation

Don’t lose sight of the long term. It’s a core message from the eighth edition of Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies, McKinsey’s seminal guide for corporate-finance professionals. It also describes the unique investment approach of the legendary investor Warren Buffett, who will step down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at the end of 2025. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, we hear an excerpt from our Author Talks series featuring Valuation coauthor and McKinsey Partner Tim Koller and Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro. They talk about what’s changed in the business world since the first edition of Valuation was published, some 35 years ago. He also touches on Buffett’s approach to investing, including why it worked and whether it can be replicated. Articles/pieces mentioned: Tariffs and trade: Preparing for the unpredictable Confronting the affordable-housing crisis Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy NgiawSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Jul 31, 202525 min

What the latest trends in sporting goods mean for brands

Pickleball, padel—yes, they’re hot. Nevertheless, a third of the world’s adults are inactive—and among youth, inactivity is even more pronounced, according to McKinsey Partner Alexander Thiel. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Alexander joins Global Editorial Director and Deputy Publisher Lucia Rahilly to discuss this year’s whipsawing consumer trends, as well as what sporting goods leaders can do to harness them to combat slowing growth. Articles/pieces mentioned: Can Bloomingdale’s bring the magic back to department stores? McKinsey's 2025 annual book recommendations Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy NgiawSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Jul 17, 202526 min

Tariffs and trade: Preparing for the unpredictable

As geopolitical tensions persist, global trade dynamics are becoming increasingly complex—and many leaders find themselves on tenterhooks. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Cindy Levy and Shubham Singhal, two global coleaders of McKinsey’s geopolitics work, join Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss how to move forward amid rapidly reconfiguring trade relationships—regardless of the way current tariff talks play out. This conversation has been adapted from our McKinsey Live series. Articles mentioned:  The ‘attention equation’: Winning the right battles for consumer attention State of the Consumer 2025: When disruption becomes permanent Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw    See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Jul 3, 202528 min

Confronting the affordable-housing crisis

The US housing crunch is bad—and it’s getting worse. Wider access to safe, affordable homes is vital to enabling economic mobility for all Americans—and to harnessing what McKinsey Partner JP Julien, a leader of the McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility, calls a “massive” untapped economic opportunity. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, JP joins Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss what’s causing the crisis in affordable housing, who’s most affected, and what both public- and private-sector leaders can do to effect fast but lasting change. Articles mentioned:  The State of Aviation 2025 Global Private Markets Report 2025: Braced for shifting weather Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy NgiawSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Jun 24, 202525 min

Time to revisit your M&A strategy

M&A activity is down, as is private equity investment, and companies are facing a range of new geopolitical tensions. Still, there is a path to growth through M&A for those companies that maintain an active acquisition strategy, understand their capabilities, and avoid certain assets, says McKinsey Senior Partner Jake Henry. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, he and McKinsey Senior Partner Mieke Van Oostende join McKinsey Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro to discuss findings from McKinsey’s 2025 M&A report. They also discuss the importance of culture in M&A integrations. In our second segment, McKinsey Senior Partner Dana Maor shares how CEOs can and should stay connected to their teams with Managing Editor of Podcasts, Laurel Moglen. (Starts at 15:58) Articles mentioned:  The cost of compute: A $7 trillion race to scale data centers In a moment of tariffs, can the world find balance and trust to thrive? Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy NgiawSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

May 22, 202520 min

When the career ladder breaks for women—and how to succeed anyway

Career advancement is tough for everyone—but for women, it can feel particularly elusive. There’s a reason for that, according to the new book The Broken Rung: for every 100 men promoted early in their careers, only 81 women experience that same opportunity. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, the book’s authors, McKinsey Senior Partners Kweilin Ellingrud, Lareina Yee, and María del Mar Martínez, join McKinsey Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss the challenges that can limit professional women’s progress—as well as the approaches some have used to find their footing and continue to climb the career ladder successfully.  ***** What's new on McKinsey.com? Beyond the start-up phase: Recipes for growth at mobility companies European automotive industry: What it takes to regain competitive Theme music is composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Mar 27, 202526 min

McKinsey’s highlights from Mobile World Congress

Companies are getting practical about how to create value from gen AI – while 5G, satellites, and innovations in phone design also take center stage. This is a special, bonus episode of The McKinsey Podcast. McKinsey Partner Ferry Grijpink joined McKinsey Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro to share some immediate takeaways from the annual Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Mar 5, 20257 min

Special episode: Debriefing Davos 2025

The World Economic Forum was buzzing as leaders confront a world in flux. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Daniel Pacthod, Rodney Zemmel, and Tracy Francis talk with McKinsey global editorial director, Lucia Rahilly, about what happened in Davos last week (originally recorded for our webinar series, McKinsey Live). Key themes on the mountaintop were: AI transformation, resilience and geopolitics, EU competitiveness, the energy transition, and women’s health. Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Jan 29, 202520 min

Navigating the new geopolitical uncertainty

Yes, the changing geopolitical reality presents new risks—but like all disruptions, it may also create new opportunities. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Cindy Levy and Shubham Singhal, global coleaders of McKinsey’s geopolitics work, speak with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about how leaders can orient themselves within this evolving geopolitical landscape and, in particular, begin to move beyond mitigating risk to finding and mobilizing on new opportunities.  Articles mentioned: The value now consumer: making sense of consumer sentiment and spending Tariffs on the move? A guide for CEOs for 2025 and beyond Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Jan 16, 202518 min

Replaying a full year of The McKinsey Podcast—in just ten minutes

Technology, talent, decarbonization—we explored these and many other topics this year on The McKinsey Podcast. A range of McKinsey partners joined us on the mic and offered their perspectives on the pivots that global business leaders have made to compete more effectively. On this episode, we revisit a few those discussions and offer quick takes from McKinsey partners on what has mattered most to CEOs and other C-suite leaders over the past 12 months. Also, McKinsey senior partners Kweilin Ellingrud, Sven Smit, and Yuval Atsmon talk about their choices for McKinsey’s 2024 book recommendations. Articles mentioned: AI for IT modernization: faster, cheaper, better A proactive approach to navigating geopolitics is essential to thrive Theme music composed, performed, and produced by Joy Ngiaw.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Dec 19, 202415 min

What will it take for working women to rise?

Ten years of research on women in the workplace, conducted by McKinsey in partnership with LeanIn.Org, reveals what’s better, what’s worse, and what all of us can do now to help more women advance—more quickly—at work.  On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partners Alexis Krivkovich and Lareina Yee speak with global editorial director Lucia Rahilly about where women’s experiences have improved, stalled, and even worsened over the past ten years, as well as about how to finally hasten the pace of change. Articles mentioned: The McKinsey Quarterly Global Banking Annual ReviewSee www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Nov 21, 202427 min

Special episode: Climate adaptation is one key theme at COP 29

This is a special, bonus episode of The McKinsey Podcast. McKinsey partner Alexis Trittipo joins us from the UN climate change conference (aka COP 29) in Baku to share what she’s hearing about climate adaptation.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Nov 14, 20242 min

CEO Tufan Erginbilgiç on reinventing Rolls-Royce

Since Tufan Erginbilgiç took the helm of the iconic brand, its share price has surged. Profits have more than doubled. How he did it is a case study in the art of corporate transformation. In conversation with McKinsey senior partner Michael Birshan.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Nov 8, 202425 min

How the top UK companies have set themselves up for success

If you have an ambition but no plan behind it, you’re probably not going to get the results you’re looking for. According to recent McKinsey research on the UK economy, the highest-performing UK companies have grounded their ambitions in a set of five conditions—looking at investors, incentives, sources of growth, partnerships, and people. And the results speak for themselves. On today’s episode of The McKinsey Podcast, senior partners Andrew Goodman and Tunde Olanrewaju speak with editorial director Roberta Fusaro about this research. In our second segment, we look at the role of the CEO during an M&A transition with senior partner Mieke Van Oostende, from our CEO Insights series.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Oct 24, 202422 min

Rewiring for the era of gen AI

It’s easy to fall in love with gen AI—but recent research suggests that realizing its value is harder than the hype. Rewired offers a playbook that can help. In this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Rodney and fellow senior partners and co-authors Eric Lamarre and Kate Smaje join global editorial director Lucia Rahilly to talk about their book Rewired: The McKinsey Guide to Outcompeting in the Age of Digital and AI (Wiley, 2023)—which, a year and a gen AI disruption post publication, continues to offer leaders a play-by-play guide for outcompeting in a fast-changing era. In the second segment, senior partner Wesley Walden talks about the time he went to a client meeting instead of his son’s first concert. The client’s reaction taught him an important lesson about open communication.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Oct 10, 202423 min

A net zero reality check

Optimists, pessimists—who’s right? On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey senior partner Humayun Tai, partner Mekala Krishnan and global editorial director Lucia Rahilly discuss new research that takes stock of the physical realities shaping our trajectory toward net zero, as well as what needs to happen to address these challenges—and hasten progress—successfully. In our second segment, we hear about how to improve the CEO–board relationship with senior partner Celia Huber, from our CEO Insights series. Theme music composed and performed by Joy Ngiaw See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Sep 26, 202433 min

Leading from the inside-out: Why CEOs must make time for self-reflection

The greatest CEOs are necessarily driven, decisive, and confident. But McKinsey senior partner Ramesh Srinivasan, senior partner emeritus Hans-Werner Kaas, and coauthors of their new book, The Journey of Leadership: How CEOs Can Learn to Lead from the Inside Out, say CEOs must weave in a layer of soft skills like self-awareness, humility, and compassion to inspire their workforce. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, Srinivasan and Kaas speak with editorial director Roberta Fusaro about taking on the challenge of reinvention for the greater good of the company.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Sep 12, 202417 min

A look at the technology trends that matter most

Innovation and interest in the tech sector remain strong, despite market challenges and dips in investment. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey technology experts Lareina Yee and Roger Roberts share findings from the McKinsey Technology Trends Outlook 2024 report. They talk with editorial director Roberta Fusaro about where innovation is exploding, interest is deepening, and investment is flowing. In our second segment, from our CEO Insights series, McKinsey partner Blair Epstein explores how successful CEOs organize their yearly communication plans, including how to manage comms through crisis.See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Sep 5, 202423 min