Meet The Leader

Climate change is one of 5 forces reshaping the world order, according to Ray Dalio, the founder of hedge fund Bridgewater Associates and a student of history who has tracked centuries of patterns in economics and geopolitics for his series of best-selling books. He explains how climate change will power a global transformation of economies and societies that’s both “existential” and potentially “catastrophic.” He’ll share how bridging climate finance gaps can mitigate the worst impacts of a warming planet and how smart use of climate philanthropy can de-risk the investments needed for critical innovations and progress. This interview was recorded August 2024 in the World Economic Forum Headquarters in Geneva About this episode:  GAEA (Giving to Amplify Earth Action): https://initiatives.weforum.org/giving-to-amplify-earth-action/home

Changes in demographics, technologies and geopolitics will create a net 78 million new jobs by 2030. But current workforces are not yet skilled for these jobs and 40% of the skills needed on the job are set to change. ADP’s Chief Economist Nela Richardson breaks down research from the latest World Economic Forum Future of Jobs report and key findings from ADP data - including the dramatic boost to wages upskilling could bring to some workers. She’ll explain why experts might soon be focused on task creation, not job creation, what soft skills will be valued more than ever and how leaders can help prepare their teams for a new future. She’ll also share lessons learned from her own professional journey including how competing on her high school debate team has shaped how she communicates and connects with people to this day – and the two words she uses more than any other as a leader. About this episode: ADP: https://www.adp.com/ ADP Research Institute: https://www.adpresearch.com/ Article, ADP CEO Maria Black, Solving for human connection in the Intelligent Age: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/01/solving-for-human-connection-in-the-intelligent-age/ Future of Jobs Report: https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/ Related Podcasts:  Upskilling, tapping human talents, and what's really needed for the future of work: Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/ravi-kumar-cognizant-future-technology/

Around the world, affordable housing is becoming less and less easy to attain. Habitat for Humanity CEO Jonathan Reckford lays out in plain language the state of global housing, the barriers to affordability and the practical steps that can tackle this crisis, including the solutions this global housing organization is helping get into place. He also shares lessons from his unique career journey - one that included talking himself into a job at an investment bank after college and later coaching the South Korean Olympic rowing team - and what he learned from the leaders who shaped him, including the late US president Jimmy Carter and grandmother Millicent Fenwick, the fashion editor and former US representative.

Workplaces are poised for a step change in how they leverage (and partner with) technology and how they tap human talents. Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar shares insights from special research the company commissioned on how enterprise organizations can better harness tech disruptions. He discusses this research that mapped thousands of occupations and tasks and how they’ll shape our need for upskilling. He also shares lessons learned from his own background, including his training as a nuclear scientist, and how that helps him embed curiosity and experimentation into teams and why a collaborative approach that empowers people with a variety of backgrounds will be key to driving innovation in the years ahead. About this episode: Cognizant: https://www.cognizant.com/us/en Future of Jobs Report: https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/ Reskilling Revolution: https://initiatives.weforum.org/reskilling-revolution/home  

Consultancy AlixPartners works with top companies around the world, giving it a front row seat at how industries are changing. Its annual Disruption Index takes an even closer look at these changes surveying leaders to understand the biggest opportunities and challenges they see, all while identifying the tipping points ahead in everything from global labor markets to technologies. CEO Simon Freakley breaks down surprising insights from the Index’s fifth edition, including the ways leaders have become more adept at handling change since COVID and the skills CEOs say they need to strengthen now. He uses his own experience to put key takeaways into sharp focus, sharing the traits effective technology leaders must develop and the tactical questions they must ask themselves to navigate disruption and eventually drive the transformation of their sectors.  For more information:  AlixPartners: https://www.alixpartners.com/ 2024 Disruption Index: https://disruption.alixpartners.com/ Related podcasts:  What’s next for data driven medicine - and what AI-powered innovation needs now: Insitro CEO Daphne Koller: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/daphne-koller-insitro-data-driven-medicine-ai/ Build a culture of innovation: HPE's CTO shares what must be in place: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/fidelma-russo-innovation-cto/ 7 top innovators share strategies that drive cutting edge solutions: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/top-innovator-strategies-tactics/

Looking for a new read? Something that will make you sharper in 2025 or something for that hard-to-buy-for person on your list? Or maybe you just want closer access to the ideas shaping today's brightest changemakers. No matter the reason, look no further than our annual books roundup, an episode collecting books that have transformed how some of the top global leaders manage teams, get inspired and motivated, shift mindsets and more. This year's recommendations include fresh takes on classic business books, histories, time-honored works of literature, and new favorites that can change how you build and lead.   Leaders and their book selections: Leader: Alexi Robichaux, CEO, BetterUp Book Selection: Boyd Varty's Liontracker’s Guide to Life: https://boydvarty.com/book/the-lion-trackers-guide-to-life/ Leader: Mark Lundstrom, CEO, Radia:  Book Selection: Eliyahu Moshe Goldratt's The Goal: https://www.tocinstitute.org/the-goal-summary.html Leader: Sahil Tesfu, Chief Strategy Officer, Essity Book Selection: Mark Manson's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a ****: https://markmanson.net/not-giving-a-fuck Leader: Christopher Oakes, CEO, Reefgen Book Selection: Cal Newport's A World Without Email: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/575655/a-world-without-email-by-cal-newport/ Leader: Brad Smith, President, Microsoft Book Selection: Brian Merchant's Blood in the Machine: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/brian-merchant/blood-in-the-machine/9780316487740/?lens=little-brown Leader: Serge Raemaekers, CEO, ABOLOBI Book Selection: Jim Collins' The Flywheel Effect: https://www.jimcollins.com/concepts/the-flywheel.html Leader: Ritu Narayan, CEO, Zum Book Selection: Clayton Christensen's The Innovator’s Dillemma: https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Dilemma-Revolutionary-Change-Business/dp/0062060244 Leader: Jordan Justus, Automotus Book Selection: Matt Ridley's How Innovation Works: https://www.mattridley.co.uk/books/how-innovation-works/ Leader: Catalina Cock Duque, founder, Fundacion mi Sangre Book Selection: Otto Scharmer's Leading from the Emerging Future: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/575194/leading-from-the-emerging-future-by-otto-scharmer-and-katrin-kaufer/ Leader: Christophe Catoir, President, Adecco Book Selection: W. Henry Gilbert's Homo erectus: https://www.ucpress.edu/books/homo-erectus/hardcover Leader: Kara Alaimo, Professor and author, Fairleigh Dickinson University Book Selection: Kate Manne's Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny: http://www.katemanne.net/down-girl.html Book Selection: Mikki Kendall's Hood Feminism: https://www.amazon.com/Hood-Feminism-Notes-Movement-Forgot/dp/0525560548 Book Selection: Caroline Criado Perez's Invisible Women: https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Women-Data-World-Designed/dp/1419729071 Leader: Jonathan Reckford, CEO, Habitat for Humanity Book Selection: J. R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings Series: https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-Picture-Trilogy-Extended/dp/B000654ZK0 Leader: Florian Hoffman, Founder, The Do Book Selection: Voltaire's Candide: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/19942/19942-h/19942-h.htm  

Jessica Jackson understands the damage wreaked by excessive incarceration and supervision. As a young mother with a two-month old on her hip, she watched her husband be sentenced to six years in prison, being pulled into a system impacting millions in the US alone - one that erodes families and communities and restricts opportunities for stable lives after release. This life-changing experience drove this housewife just only a GED to go to college, then law school, and then become a human rights attorney driving a movement for reform. She talks about her work running The Reform Alliance as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Advocacy Officer, a non-profit that has passed 18 bipartisan bills in 11 states that have created pathways for more than 850,000 people to exit the system. She also shares why tackling stigma and isolation is so key to future progress on this issue and the personal traits that she’s depended on the most to overcome hurdles and challenges. About this episode: The Reform Alliance: https://reformalliance.com/ Young Global Leaders: Future of Leadership Series: https://www.younggloballeaders.org/vision-and-mission/ Jessica is a Young Global Leader, a group of more than 1,400 innovators, entrepreneurs, technology pioneers, educators, activists, artists, journalists, and more, working to make change happen. This is the first in an ongoing series spotlighting leaders from this community. 

Top leaders from renowned organizations share transformative advice that reshaped their careers. They discuss the importance of letting go and building trust within teams for collaborative growth. Empathy emerges as a key element in leadership, promoting strong relationships and creativity. The conversation highlights the power of authenticity and self-awareness, encouraging leaders to align decisions with their core values. These insights offer a roadmap for overcoming challenges and enhancing leadership effectiveness.

Humans have learned to survive in space. But as Tejpaul Bhatia reminded Meet the Leader, it’s time to learn how to live, work and thrive. One step towards that goal is Axiom Station, the first commercial space station. With the International Space Station due to be decommissioned, he explains how Axiom Station will build on decades of lessons learned for a future-ready station factoring in principles of ergonomic and industrial design, a station planned to adapt to new technologies and needs. And while it employs its share of former astronauts and rocket scientists, this unique company also designs space suits - like the one for the upcoming Artemis moon mission set for 2026. This means it also counts sewers and costumers from places like Cirque du Soleil on its team – people who understand performance fabrics and who have the skill sets to hand sew parts of uniforms that can’t be tackled with a machine. He’ll share how this incredibly diverse group works together and how learning how to tap such a range of capabilities is a window into the unique pioneering collaborations that will drive the space economy. To learn more:  Axiom Space: https://www.axiomspace.com/ Report:  Space: The $1.8 Trillion Opportunity for Global Economic Growth: https://www.weforum.org/publications/space-the-1-8-trillion-opportunity-for-global-economic-growth/ Related podcasts:  This former astronaut shares what’s key to building strong, effective teams: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/soichi-noguchi-astronaut-build-effective-teams/ From space to the ocean's depths - how a space CEO and explorer approaches risk: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/dylan-taylor-voyager-space-risk-leadership/

Ulrika Biesèrt, Global People and Culture Manager at Ingka Group (IKEA's parent company), shares her extensive experience from over 27 years at IKEA, emphasizing her journey through various roles. She discusses the strategic initiatives that led to near gender balance in leadership, the importance of accountability in promoting gender equity, and the need to address unconscious bias. Biesèrt also highlights the value of financial independence and self-advocacy for women, drawing on the wisdom her mother imparted to her early in her career.