Redefiners

Annastiina Hintsa, CEO of Hintsa Performance, has transitioned from strategy consulting to advocating for holistic health and sustainable high performance, aiding everyone from Formula One drivers to CEOs. In this captivating discussion, she shares her personal journey of overcoming burnout and the crucial link between well-being and performance. The conversation highlights the importance of empathy in the workplace, resilience strategies during crises, and the need to optimize rather than maximize performance to foster a supportive organizational culture.

Whether he’s leading from the C Suite, chairing a board, or authoring books on leadership, our guest Jim Hagemann Snabe is revered across industries as a master of transformation. In this insights-filled episode, Jim shares his refreshing and trailblazing leadership model that has enabled him to deftly lead transformation and change at SAP and at 100+ year old companies, Siemens and Maersk.  We’ll discuss Jim’s views on reinventing from a position of strength, culture change and navigating an unpredictable future. We’ll also hear about his redefining moment in India that most deeply informed his perspective on leadership: to use leadership to help progress some of the world’s problems all while running a smart business. It’s been his mantra ever since. At a time when sustainable leadership is more critical than ever, Jim explains how it’s as good for the balance sheet as it is the environment, employees and the world. This episode will leave you inspired, energized, and emboldened to dream big and unlock potential for both your organization and you.  This episode also includes a special offer for listeners to submit questions to Russell Reynolds Associates consultants on leadership, career development, joining a board, or other topics. If you have a question, send it toredefiners@russellreynolds.com. Don’t miss your opportunity to get your questions answered by an expert.   If you liked this episode, check out these other Redefiners episodes: · Trust Your Gut: AXA’s Thomas Buberl Talks Transformation and Reinvention · From Corruption to Transformation: The Rebirth of a Global Conglomerate with Joe Kaeser· From Gillette to Jamba Juice: How to Lead Iconic Brands with Empathy, Purpose & Integrity 

Sustainability has quickly risen to the top of corporate agendas, as shareholders, investors, employees, policy makers, and other stakeholders demand action. We talk with two passionate leaders – Kate Brandt, Chief Sustainability Officer at Google and Sophia Mendelsohn, Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of ESG at Cognizant – about how they embed sustainability into their organizations’ core business strategy. They’ll share how they’ve mastered the role of “CEO whisperer” to drive top-down change and connect sustainability initiatives to their company’s business, products and supply chain. We’ll talk about why it’s critical to shift our thinking from how to reduce our business impact on climate change to how to reduce climate change's impact on our business. And for those interested in becoming a CSO, Kate and Sophia share their career advice on how to navigate the often-undefined path to the role.   If you’d like to learn more about Sustainable Leadership, check out Redefiners host Clarke Murphy’s new book, Sustainable Leadership: Lessons of Vision, Courage, and Grit from the CEOs Who Dared to Build a Better World. The book is a complete blueprint for infusing sustainability across business strategy, all while growing your bottom line. Drawing on the stories of 35+ CEOs at world-leading companies, including Adidas, Heineken, Duke Energy, Natura &Co, Maersk, Mahindra Steel, and Salesforce, veteran leadership expert Clarke shows how sustainability action is within reach of every business executive. Perfect for CEOs and boards across industries, Sustainable Leadership is also a can’t miss book for sustainability experts, entrepreneurs, and next-generation leaders looking to make sense of the latest—and most profitable—sustainability strategies. Order your copy here.  To hear more from other global leaders on sustainability, you might also enjoy these Redefiner episodes:  Trust Your Gut: AXA’s Thomas Buberl Talks Transformation and Reinvention  Leadership Reimagined: Transformation Tips from Jim Hagemann Snabe  Digital Transformation and the Power of Listening and with Microsoft’s Jacky Wright 

Nowadays, every business has either become or is becoming a digital business. And it’s not all about technology. Creating the right culture and environment are critical keys to success. Our guest Jacky Wright is a digital transformation mastermind who led the tech evolution in both the private and public sectors, including leadership roles at BP, GE, Microsoft and the British government’s tax department. One of her superpowers—one we should all adopt in this fast-changing world filled with uncertainty—is adaptability. We talk with Jacky about how she embraces change, innovates with agility, and leads by listening. She talks about sustainability and how technology can play a role. And we discuss issues facing boards, including managing risk, digitalization and cyber security, and corporate responsibilities as it relates to social good. To hear more from leaders on digital transformation and adapting to change, you might also enjoy these Redefiners episodes:  · Trust Your Gut: AXA’s Thomas Buberl Talks Transformation and Reinvention · Risk-taking and Dealmaking with Global MedTech Leader, Kevin Lobo · Carlyle Group CEO: You may not like change, but you're going to like  obsolescence even less 

Emily Chang is a master bridge builder – and it’s made her a wildly successful leader in the US and in Asia. As the CEO of McCann Worldgroup China, she bridges US and Chinese cultures to establish brands that are thriving, global, and remarkably agile. We’ll talk about the differences between the two markets, and how brands can succeed in the notoriously challenging Chinese market. We’ll also talk about another kind of bridge—between people—and how Emily literally opens her home to those in need and how that led her to the concept of social legacy, the topic of her bestselling book Spare Room. We’ll also talk about capacity and how to take control of your time – perhaps the most valuable commodity of all. There’s a lot to learn from this leader who, prior to McCann, was a top exec at Starbucks China, InterContinental Hotels Group China, Procter & Gamble, and Apple.       BIO:Having catalyzed a turnaround for McCann Worldgroup China in just over a year, Emily Chang is a true changemaker whose drive for O+O branded experiences and cross-cultural team leadership have delivered record-high results for the agency.  Emily has always positioned creativity and innovation at the center of her business strategy, even in her first two decades leading client-side businesses. So, when she joined McCann Worldgroup China as CEO in Sep 2020, Emily was thrilled to help brands deliver delightful, integrated customer experiences that earn a meaningful role in people’s lives. When working as the CMO for Starbucks China, Emily was responsible for marketing, sales, loyalty, customer engagement, and the digital ecosystem (ecommerce, loyalty, payments, partnerships). Her teams tripled digital tender across stores, helped open the Starbucks Shanghai Roastery, and launched the brand’s delivery program.  Before joining Starbucks, Emily was Chief Commercial Officer for InterContinental Hotels Group, Greater China, where she led all commercial functions across Greater China. Looking after 320+ hotels and a team of 5,200 Sales & Marketing members, Emily spearheaded the market share turnaround of six hotel brands and the contribution mix of three loyalty programs. She also invested in new BI and Digital capabilities and differentiated the group with a focus on Branded Guest Experiences. Prior to IHG, Emily worked for a combined 15 years at Procter & Gamble and Apple.   As a champion of DE&I, she is committed to creating a positive culture of belonging at work and in fact, sees Conscious Inclusion as a core business strategy. Emily injects a ‘positive spirit’ in the workplace, prioritizing wellness, fun and active engagement. Among other significant improvements, McCann has seen “I see opportunity for potential growth” increase +88% and “My well-being is cared for” improve +70% over the last three bi-annual surveys.     In 2022, Emily was awarded “Women To Watch Greater China” by Campaign Asia, one of the most prestigious recognitions in the marketing & advertising industry. She also contributes time to support the industry’s development by delivering lectures like at Tsinghua University, AmCham, and FBIF, and judging awards like New York Festivals AME Awards. Emily sits on the board of SOS Children’s Villages and recently published a best-selling book called “The Spare Room,” also the topic of her first TEDx Talk. She enjoys spending time with Minki, her husband of 22 years, Laini, her thirteen-year-old daughter, Holly Berry their rescue dog, and Scarlett the pygmy hedgehog. 

As we arrive at the halfway point in Redefiners Season 2, it’s a good time to take a look back at the key takeaways and insights from our conversations so far. We’ve learned a lot from the guests who have joined the podcast this season – dynamic, change-making leaders from a wide array of industries. In this episode, host Clarke Murphy takes us through some memorable highlights on critical topics facing leaders across economies around the world. Culture, sustainability, DE&I, the evolution of boards, tech transformation, and more. The insights in this episode are invaluable, the takeaways are actionable, and the conversations are up-close and candid.     This episode also includes a special offer for listeners to submit questions to Russell Reynolds Associates consultants on leadership, career development, joining a board,or other topics. If you have a question, send it to redefiners@russellreynolds.com. Don’t miss your opportunity to get your questions answered by an expert.    If you want to hear more from one of our Redefiners guests, you can listen to any episode from Season 1 or 2 at https://www.russellreynolds.com/en/insights/podcasts/redefiners-overview.  

Take risks, keep learning, and stay calm. It’s how our guest, Stryker Chair and CEO Kevin Lobo, became arguably one of the most successful CEOs ever. We’ll talk with the Indian-born, Canadian-raised, internationally acclaimed businessperson about how he became known as the “Godfather of MedTech” and as an acquisitions deal maker. We’ll hear how Kevin’s high threshold for risk helped Stryker drastically outpace the competition and how he built his Board’s trust to make more than 55 acquisitions. Kevin also shares his insights on timely topics leaders in all industries are talking about: technology, crisis management, company culture, and how to keep employees happy, purpose-driven, and loyal.    If you liked this episode, check out these other Redefiner episodes:·  Trust Your Gut: AXA’s Thomas Buberl Talks Transformation and Reinvention·  How to Lead Like a Legend with Samuel Tsien·  Confessions of a Serial Entrepreneur with Mario Schlosser BIO: Kevin A. Lobo, Chair and CEO, StrykerKevin A. Lobo has been CEO of Stryker since October 1, 2012, and also assumed the role of Chair of the Board on July 22, 2014. He joined Stryker in 2011 and had previously been Group President of Orthopaedics. Mr. Lobo serves on the board of directors for Parker Hannifin Corporation (NYSE:PH), the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) and the U.S.-India Business Council. He is also a member of the Business Roundtable and Business Council. Mr. Lobo has a broad business career across multiple industries. After holding finance positions with KPMG, Unilever and Kraft Canada, he spent eight years with Rhone-Poulenc, including roles based in Europe as Corporate Controller of a chemical spin-out and General Manager of Specialty Phosphates EMEA. He then spent eight years at Johnson & Johnson, including President of Ethicon Endo Surgery.

Gender bias is everywhere, impacting how we view authority and power around the world. In fact, it’s so pervasive—and potentially damaging to organizations—that our guest Mary Ann Sieghart wrote a book about it titled Authority Gap, which explores the critical issue of why women are often taken less seriously than men. This unconscious, double standard behavior affects the C Suite, boardrooms, and conference rooms alike—even the US Supreme Court and UK Parliament. We talk with Mary Ann – journalist, author, non-executive director, and television broadcaster – about why organizations and boards need to change gender bias culture and how to make the critical shift from the top down. It’s a thought-provoking conversation well worth the listen for leaders of any gender.  If you want to hear more conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion, you might enjoy these other Redefiner episodes:  Power, Politics and Purpose: Leadership Lessons with Former PM of Australia Julia Gillard  From Gillette to Jamba Juice: How to Lead Iconic Brands with Empathy, Purpose & Integrity with James D. White  Break the Bias: Closing the Gender Wealth Gap with Sallie Krawcheck  BIO: Mary Ann Sieghart  - Journalist, author, non-executive director, broadcasterMary Ann Sieghart leads a portfolio life. She makes programmes for BBC Radio 4 and is a Visiting Professor at King’s College London. She spent 2018-19 as a Visiting Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, where she researched her book, The Authority Gap, on why women are taken less seriously than men. She is Chair of the judges for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2022. Mary Ann is a Non-Executive Director of the Guardian Media Group and Chair of the Investment Committee of The Scott Trust (owner of The Guardian and The Observer), Senior Independent Director of Pantheon International, Non-Executive Director of The Merchants Trust and Senior Independent Trustee of the Kennedy Memorial Trust. Until recently, she was Chair of the Social Market Foundation, a non-party-political think tank, Senior Independent Director of Henderson Smaller Companies Investment Trust and sat on the Content Board of Ofcom and the Council of Tate Modern. She spent 19 years as Assistant Editor of The Times, including as Acting Editor of the Monday edition, Op-Ed Editor, Arts Editor, Chief Political Leader-Writer and political and social affairs columnist both on the Op-Ed page and in Times2. She has also written a weekly column in The Independent about politics, economics and social affairs, and presented Newshour, the BBC World Service’s flagship news and current affairs programme. Mary Ann has extensive TV and radio experience, including presenting Start the Week, Analysis, Profile, One to One, Fallout, The Inquiry, Beyond Westminster, Newshour, Powerhouse, The Brains Trust, The Week in Westminster, Taking Issue, The Big Picture, No Illusions and The World This Week. She has regularly appeared as a guest on Question Time, Any Questions, Today, Newsnight, The World Tonight, Channel 4 News, PM, The Andrew Marr Show, The World at One, Woman’s Hour and The Daily Politics.  Before joining The Times, Mary Ann was political correspondent of The Economist, City Editor of Today newspaper and a Lex columnist and Eurobond correspondent at the Financial Times. She has also sat on numerous boards, including the Heritage Lottery Fund, the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the North Fulham New Deal for Communities, New Europe, the No Campaign, the Radcliffe Trust, the Social Studies Faculty of Oxford University, Women in Journalism and the National Council for One-Parent Families.  She won the Laurence Stern Fellowship to work on The Washington Post. She also captained The Times’s University Challenge: The Professionals team, which reached the semi-final.

Henry Timms has discovered a new form of power based on mobilizing participation in our hyperconnected world. He joins us to talk about how leaders can harness this power to effect far greater success, which is the subject of his book New Power, co-authored by Jeremy Heimans. We’ll also talk with Henry about an entirely different kind of power—that of the arts and its critical role in society today—through his role as President and CEO of New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. And we’ll get the backstory on Giving Tuesday, the generosity movement Henry created which became a global phenomenon that’s raised over $7 billion to date. Henry offers a fascinating point of view on power and leadership – one that blends influences from his varied professional career – that will be useful for all leaders.    If you liked this Redefiners episode, you also might like From Harvard to Hollywood: A Conversation with Debra Martin Chase.  BIO:Henry Timms is President and CEO of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc.-- an artistic and civic cornerstone of New York City and home to eleven resident companies on 16-acres in Manhattan. President since 2019, Henry’s focus is several-fold: supporting organizations on campus to realize their missions and fostering collaboration; increasing the accessibility and reach of Lincoln Center’s work; championing inclusion; and reimagining and strengthening the performing arts, helping ensure their place at the center of daily life. He is the creator and co-founder of #GivingTuesday, a global philanthropic movement that engages people in close to 100 countries. Designed as a counterpoint to Black Friday, it has generated over 2.5 billion dollars for good causes in the U.S. alone. The recent special edition to support COVID-19 causes catalyzed over $500M of giving online.  Henry is also the co-author of the international bestselling book New Power, described by David Brooks in the New York Times as “the best window I’ve seen into this new world” and as a “must-read…a gift to our movements” by Alicia Garza, co-founder of Black Lives Matter. It was shortlisted for the FT/McKinsey Business Book of the Year and named as a Book of the Year by Bloomberg, Fortune, Financial Times and CNBC.  As a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, he chairs the nomination committee for the RSA’s most prestigious award, the Benjamin Franklin Medal. Previously he was the President and CEO of 92nd Street Y, a leading cultural community anchor in NYC. Under his leadership, the 144-year-old institution was named to Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies” list. He is a Hauser Visiting Leader at Harvard Kennedy School and Visiting Fellow at Stanford University.

Thomas Buberl faced what a lot of leaders fear: becoming CEO of a company that’s already successful with a culture that’s already flourishing. So what did he do? He reinvented and transformed the company to make it all even better. In our conversation with Thomas, CEO of global insurance giant AXA, we learn some of the secrets of his successes and how he makes gutsy decisions. One of Thomas’ big pivots? A bold realignment towards sustainability and rallying other big corporations to take action on the climate crisis. Reinvention and constantly learning are consistent themes in this podcast – it’s how Thomas stays fresh, agile, and one of those leaders we can all learn from.   To hear more from leaders on transformation, you might also enjoy these other Redefiner episodes:  From Corruption to Transformation: The Rebirth of a Global Conglomerate with Joe Kaeser  From Gillette to Jamba Juice: How to Lead Iconic Brands with Empathy, Purpose & Integrity  Leadership Reimagined: Transformation Tips from Jim Hagemann Snabe  BIO:Thomas Buberl has been Chief Executive Officer and Director of AXA since September 1st, 2016.  He started as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group for the banking & insurance sector both in Germany and internationally.  From 2005 to 2008, he worked for the  Winterthur  Group  (acquired  by  AXA  in  2006)  as  member  of  the  Management  Board  of  Winterthur  in  Switzerland,  first  as  Chief  Operating  Officer  and  then  as  Chief  Marketing  and  Distribution  Officer. He  then  joined  Zurich  Insurance  Group  as  Chief  Executive  Officer for Switzerland.  At the beginning of 2012, Thomas Buberl joined AXA as Chief Executive Officer of AXA Germany and member of the AXA Executive Committee. In March 2015, he also joined the  AXA  Management  Committee  and  was  appointed  Chief  Executive  Officer  of  the  Global  Business  Line  for  the  Health  Business,  and,  in  January  2016,  of  the  Global  Business Line for Life & Savings. From March to September 2016, he was deputy CEO (“Directeur général adjoint”) of AXA.  Thomas  Buberl  holds  a  Master  of  Economics  degree  from  WHU  Koblenz  (Germany),  a  MBA  from  Lancaster  University  (UK)  and  a  PhD  in  Economics  from  the  University  of  St.Gallen  (Switzerland).  He  has  been  distinguished  as  a  Young  Global  Leader  by  the  World Economic Forum.Thomas  Buberl  sits  on  the  Board  of  Directors  of  IBM,  the Supervisory  Board  of  the  Bertelsmann  Verwaltungs Gesellschaft  (BVG),  and  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  World  Economic Forum. A German, Swiss and French citizen, Thomas Buberl was born in 1973.