Redefiners
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 Leadership Advisor Hoda Tahoun and former 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 former 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 Associates, 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.Hoda TahounAs a leadership advisor and leader of the global Leisure & Hospitality Practice at RRA, Hoda Tahoun identifies, assesses, and develops dynamic C-suite leaders for global hospitality, travel, and leisure companies. Based in Miami, Hoda helps clients solve their most pressing leadership issues at the CEO, C-suite, and other executive-levels. She also advises clients on customer-centric, go-to-market leadership roles such as chief marketing officers and chief experience officers. Hoda is committed to reshaping the hospitality and leisure landscape to ensure it is an industry that leads with purpose, value, and wellbeing and continues to attract and retain talent across all facets of diversity.Hoda spent more than seven years working for a boutique executive search firm, rising to the title of principal where she worked closely with hotel management companies, cruise lines and private equity firms. Previously, Hoda was an assistant vice president at SHUAA Capital in Dubai where she led the firm’s investment banking efforts. She has also worked at American Express, Bank of America and Citi.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 9, 2022 • 30min
Countdown to the Super Bowl: Leadership Lessons from the Field with Troy Vincent (Re-release)
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.
Jan 26, 2022 • 39min
Lesley Stahl: 30 Minutes with a 60 Minutes TV Legend
We’re stepping out of the boardroom and into the newsroom with our guest, broadcast journalist legend Lesley Stahl. Now in her 30th year on 60 Minutes, Lesley is renowned for her courage, intelligence, and interviewing prowess. She’ll share her two Redefiner moments—covering Watergate and surviving Covid—that significantly shaped her career, her life, and her priorities.
In this episode, we’ll also talk with Lesley on broadcast news topics that have surprising parallels to business topics: how to prepare for and deal with tough conversations, and how Diversity, Equity & Inclusion efforts make both news and business organizations infinitely better.
We’ll also talk about how technology is changing the way we get our news—not necessarily for the better—and how trust and truth in news are more essential and harder to come by than ever.
Dec 22, 2021 • 2min
A Season of Gratitude: A Look Back at Redefiners 2021
As 2021 comes to an end and we begin to look forward to 2022, we want to take a step back for a moment of gratitude and reflection. Join Nanaz Mohtashami for a quick retrospective on 2021, along with her key takeaways from a few of the incredible guests who joined us on Redefiners.
She’ll also share some of the guests we have lined up for 2022 who are redefining what it means to be a leader. Redefiners will return with more incredible guests and conversations in January. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss a single episode!
Dec 15, 2021 • 34min
From Corruption to Transformation: The Rebirth of a Global Conglomerate
What do you do when you’re the CEO of one of the world’s most iconic companies? If you’re Joe Kaeser, you do things differently. In this episode, we’ll talk with the former CEO of Siemens AG and current chairman of the supervisory board of Siemens Energy about how he transformed the company—and how he thinks today’s business leaders must be more purpose-driven in their approach to societal and climate change.
But let’s back up. Three months into Joe’s role as CEO at Siemens AG, Joe found out the company was embroiled in a massive corruption scandal. The fallout informed how he handled crisis, change, and the future, and it’s part of what led him to make a colossal and, at the time, unpopular decision: to break Siemens AG up into three separate businesses. It was one of the most complicated, most massive business transformations of all time—and it paid off. This is an episode about the courage to change, the power of intuition, and leaders’ responsibility on matters that extend way past business.
Dec 8, 2021 • 32min
Ready or Not, Gen Z is Coming
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.
Dec 1, 2021 • 26min
How to Lead Like a Legend
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.
Nov 17, 2021 • 38min
Leadership Reimagined: Transformation Tips from Jim Hagemann Snabe
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.
Nov 3, 2021 • 35min
Confessions of a Serial Entrepreneur
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.
Oct 20, 2021 • 32min
Leadership Lessons from the Frontlines of the Pandemic
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
Oct 6, 2021 • 29min
Leadership, Tech Equity and the Future of Work
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.
