Redefiners

Our guest Taha Bawa admits he grew up with more opportunities than most. He traveled, volunteered, went to renowned schools, had parents who believed in him. But it was a visit to a refugee camp at age 10 that opened his eyes. While Taha was giving out sweets to kids his age, he realized luck was the only thing that separated him from them. The opportunity haves versus have nots. Today, as co-founder and CEO of Goodwall, Taha’s mission is to help create opportunities for Gen Z youth from around the world. The social network platform helps those aged 14-24 from over 150 countries maximize their educational and professional potential while making a positive societal impact. In this episode, we’ll talk with the Forbes 30 Under 30 CEO about how companies can attract and retain Gen Z employees and, in turn, how those employees can earn a seat at the leadership table. We’ll discuss corporate authenticity and how diversity of thought that includes the Gen Z POV is good economics. And we’ll talk about the importance of re-learning, having an entrepreneurial mindset and being comfortable with failure—regardless of age. It’s a conversation that’s as much for C Suite leaders as Gen Z leaders-to-be.  

Leading is one thing. Leaving a leadership legacy that has a resounding impact on an entire industry is quite another. Sam Tsien, former CEO of OCBC Bank in Singapore, accomplished the latter. In this episode, we’ll talk with Sam about how he did it, from leading the best-managed bank during the COVID-19 pandemic, to executing a seamless CEO succession plan, to adeptly navigating the Chinese banking market – and ultimately how he created a lasting legacy. Sam spent 44 years in Asia’s banking sector. Prior to OCBC Bank, he was CEO of China Construction Bank Asia and president and CEO of Bank of America, Asia. Sam’s redefining moment? Early on in his career, he was transferred from Hong Kong to San Francisco where banks had already begun to embrace technology, far more than in Asia. It was in California that he learned to have an open attitude and to adapt to the practices of where he was rather than where he came from. Sam’s a man who knows his market—wherever on the planet that is—and that perspective is part of what enabled him to create a lasting impact on both Asia’s financial services sector and the world’s business leadership community.  

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.

Mario Schlosser, CEO, and co-founder of Oscar Health helped redefine the health insurance category by using data to give members better customer experiences and thus improved patient outcomes. He dared to use emerging technologies in a heretofore technologically timid industry – an approach that was disruptive, transforming, and highly successful. Like many of our guests, Mario’s path to Oscar Health wasn’t a direct one. A lot of success in a lot of disparate industries. But what didn’t make it on Mario’s resume—yet had a valuable impact on his leadership and entrepreneurial approach—are the startups Mario founded that failed. Because it’s how he’s learned to avoid mistakes – by actually giving himself permission to make them. See what works, see what doesn’t; and learn from it all. In this episode, Mario elaborates on this and other insights relating to his success as a leader, including the importance of people matters, the reality of luck, and why paying attention to little nudges along the way can take you in new, totally amazing directions.

How does someone who started out in finance end up center stage in the fight against COVID-19? Because our guest Aurélia Nguyen had the guts and self-awareness to step out of traditional trajectories into a career that, at the time, didn’t even have a name yet. As she progressed through the finance and policy departments at Glaxo Smith Kline, Aurélia realized she had more resonant work to do. So she retrained and redefined herself for her role today: Managing Director of the Office of the COVAX Facility, where she helps secure and distribute COVID-19 vaccines to 92+ lower-resource countries – a job description that’s about as high-stakes and high-speed as it gets. We talk with Aurélia about how she’s learned to successfully lead in an environment where there are many players, objectives, realities, and pivots (sound familiar?). We talk about collaboration, working toward collective milestones rather than collective visions, gathering talented teams who work with a singular focus, and how extending partnership arcs far outside the health category is helping her team reach their global health mission. It’s a powerful story of redefining and the incredible impact it can have on the world. Relevant Report: What if they mean it? | Russell Reynolds Associates

There’s one thing for certain: Tamara McCleary sees things differently – and that’s precisely what makes her perspective so captivating. In this episode of Redefiners, we talk with Tamara about how her circuitous career path—from helicopter trauma nurse to cancer researcher to CEO of Thulium—has informed how she leads. Primarily, by being a close listener and a continuous learner – two essential traits of successful leaders, she says. Tamara shares her perspectives on the future of technology and offers a pretty urgent insight to our listeners: that we as leaders must make technology accessible and equitable for all, that technology should be used to better serve humanity, and leaders are in the unique position to make that happen.

The business world is rife with sports analogies. After all, there are remarkable similarities between what happens in athletics and in the boardroom. Troy Vincent is the embodiment of this parallel. As a 15-year veteran of the National Football League, he took the leadership skills he learned as a player—communication, presence, resiliency, game planning—and applies them in his current position, Executive Vice President of Football Operations of the NFL. Different sides of the sidelines, same desired outcome: success. In this episode, Troy talks about how he became a respected, impactful, integrity-driven leader—critical insights for anyone in a leadership role—and why sustainable leadership and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) efforts are necessary in order to make organizations stronger. It’s a game plan you’ll definitely want to study. Show notes:  Elevation: How Organizations Can Accelerate the Rise of Black Leaders | Thought Leadership | Russell Reynolds Associates

If you want to inspire a culture of resiliency and healthy stamina in your own organization, this is the episode for you. You wouldn’t think falling down a flight of stairs would be a Redefiner moment that wouldchange a career trajectory, but it was for our guest Annastiina Hintsa. Because the event forced her to realize that she was officially in a state of burnout and it opened her eyes to the link between wellbeing and sustainable performance. Now, as CEO of Hintsa Performance, Annastiina helps the likes of Formula 1 drivers andFortune 500 C-Suiters find that holistic sweet spot in order to operate at peak levels and avoid burnout. In this episode of Redefiners, we talk with her about optimizing performance rather than maximizing it, and how to make behavioral changes that lead to sustained performance. Enjoy this must-listen episode. Show notes:  Employee Well-Being: It is Now or Never | Thought Leadership | Russell Reynolds Associates

You want to make big things happen. Debra Martin Chase knows how to make big things happen. A Harvard Law School graduate and lawyer turned famed Hollywood producer, she is adynamic example of how to adeptly craft a career and lead for change. As one of the industry’s first African-American female producers to have a deal with a majorstudio, Debra shares in this episode anecdotes and insights on how she became the namebehind some of TV and film’s most popular titles, and how she then uses her influence as aboard member and mentor to help women and people of color thrive in the industry and beyond. We all want to evolve with confidence, move forward with purpose and never give up. Thisepisode is full of these lessons and more. Show notes: Is There a Fast Track to DE&I Maturity? | Thought Leadership | Russell Reynolds Associates

Call them changemakers. Call them rule breakers. We call them Redefiners. And in this provocative podcast, we explore how daring leaders from across industries and around the globe are redefining their organizations—and themselves—to create extraordinary impact in today’s rapidly changing world. In each episode, Russell Reynolds Associates consultant Nanaz Mohtashami and CEO Clarke Murphy host engaging, purposeful conversations with leaders in and out of the business world who share their insights and perspectives on how they lead, boldly. You’ll come away with fresh ideas and tangible takeaways on how you can redefine your own leadership trajectory – no matter where you are on your journey.   Our Hosts:  Clarke Murphy  Clarke Murphy is the Chief Executive Officer of Russell Reynolds Associates and serves on the Board of Directors. Prior to his appointment as CEO, he was the Global Leader of the firm's CEO/Board Services Practice.​ While at Russell Reynolds Associate​s, Clarke has conducted a number of significant projects in the industry, including Fortune 100 board searches and CEO successions. In addition, he has led notable searches in​​ the private equity industry including searches ​for the Carlyle Group and Warburg Pincus. Nanaz Mohtashami Nanaz Mohtashami is Managing Director at Russell Reynolds Associates, a core member of the firm’s Healthcare Sector and leads the Medtech Practice in Europe. She devises global strategies for healthcare clients across devices, diagnostics and pharma, as well as for private equity clients around the world. Nanaz focuses on leadership assignments at the executive and non-executive levels, tackling a wide array of senior talent issues such as succession, development, team effectiveness and more. She is based in London but spends a significant amount of her time across Europe and the United States.