Inside the Strategy Room

Read more >    Listen to the podcast (duration: 27:49) >  This year has been a challenging one for boards of directors. The pressure on boards has been increasing as they work to manage the continuing impact of the pandemic on the direction and strategies of the organizations they serve. At the same time, board members must simultaneously grapple with the implications of rapid technological shifts, and the need to embrace external perspectives about the role and purpose of the company, both in their communities and in society as a whole. Today we’re pleased to bring you a discussion on the role board directors are playing in navigating this complex environment, with a specific focus on how boards are handling risk. We’ll hear from Celia Huber, a senior partner in our Silicon Valley office, who leads our Board Services work in North America, and Olivia White, a partner in our San Francisco office who leads our work in enterprise risk management.Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Read more >    Listen to the podcast (duration: 33:48) >  In this episode, Erik Roth, who leads McKinsey’s innovation work globally, talks with Anjali Sud, CEO of Vimeo, about her experience reinventing the online video platform’s business model. It is the fifth episode in our ongoing series, which features interviews with leading innovators across a range of sectors.Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Read more >    Listen to the podcast (duration: 42:15) >  In the past few months, alliances and joint ventures have been essential for many companies to meeting the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. But during crises, strain can emerge even among allies, often revealing underlying problems. In this episode, Ankur Agrawal, a partner in our finance practice in the Americas who focuses on healthcare, and Eileen Kelly Rinaudo, a leader in our work on joint ventures and alliances, discuss the importance of regular partnership check-ins to make sure that, like any relationship, both sides are getting what they need.Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Read more >    Listen to the podcast (duration: 40:30) >  McKinsey senior partner Celia Huber, who leads our board services work in North America, talks with three seasoned board directors about the role boards are playing in guiding their companies toward recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. Nora Aufreiter sits on the board of Scotiabank, supermarket operator Kroger, and real estate developer Cadillac Fairview, as well as a Toronto hospital. Peter Bisson is an independent director on the boards of HR services company ADP and research firm Gartner and Margaret (Peggy) Mulligan serves on the boards of Canadian Western Bank and mining company New Gold. The panel discussion was hosted by Canada’s Institute of Corporate Directors.Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Read more >    Listen to the podcast (duration: 37:50) >  Budgeting for the coming calendar year entails unique challenges, given the uncertainty about the pandemic’s continuing impact. In this episode, Ankur Agrawal, Christian Grube, Matthew Maloney, and Ishaan Seth, all co-authors of the McKinsey.com article, “Memo to the CFO: A new approach to 2021 budgeting starts now,”discuss how CFOs and other business leaders should adapt their budget process for the uncertain times. They were joined by Steven M. Sterin, an independent director on the boards of DuPont and Kosmos Energy, who is the former CFO of two Fortune 500 companies: Endeavor (now a part of Marathon) and Celanese.Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Read more >    Listen to the podcast (duration: 32:43) >  In recent months, many companies have rushed to build digital businesses to overcome pandemic-induced disruptions and address shifts in customer behavior. In this episode, we explore how to develop a digital offering quickly and effectively despite ongoing economic uncertainty.Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Read more >    Listen to the podcast (duration: 28:18) >  Senior partner Celia Huber speaks with Laxman Narasimhan, the CEO of Reckitt Benckiser. The UK-based global consumer-goods company focuses on products in health, hygiene, and nutrition categories, some of which saw massive demand spikes during the height of the pandemic. Before joining the company, Narasimhan held various senior roles at PepsiCo, most recently that of global chief commercial officer. He is also a former McKinsey senior partner. In this interview, recorded in early July, he shares his perspective on maintaining resilience through the COVID-19 crisis, staying connected while working remotely, and how the company’s purpose helped it navigate the pandemic.Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Read more >    Listen to the podcast (duration: 25:54) >  In this episode Simon Mulcahy, Salesforce’s executive vice president and chief innovation officer, discusses the ways the COVID-19 crisis has reshaped the sales function, and how Salesforce orchestrates innovation inside the company and with customers.Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Read more >    Listen to the podcast (duration: 30:24) >  We hear from two award-winning American economists about how capitalism and corporate purpose could evolve to more broadly benefit society, especially in this current time of crisis. Yuval Atsmon, a senior partner in our London office, spoke with professor Anne Case and Nobel prize winner, Angus Deaton, about their new book, ‘Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism’. Their book, which has been short-listed for the 2020 Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year, highlights the social and economic forces negatively impacting the working class, which they argue fosters inequality and undermines society.Support the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Read more >    Listen to the podcast (duration: 30:15) >  Nigel Hughes, head of R&D and Innovation at Kellogg Company, speaks with Stacey Haas, who heads up McKinsey’s Consumer Innovation practice, and Erik Roth, who leads McKinsey’s innovation work globally. Hear Nigel’s perspective on the evolution of the CPG industry’s approach to innovation and how Kellogg itself is being solution-based and partnering with other organizations in its pursuit of growthSupport the show: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance/See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information