Leadership Next

On the newest episode of Leadership Next, Alan Murray is joined by the CEO of Mastercard, Ajay Banga. The two discuss how the global pandemic has impacted Mastercard’s business – surprisingly, it’s not all bad news.  Talk then turns to economic recovery – what it may look like, and when it’s coming. Banga believes the crisis will likely speed the adoption of digital technologies. And while this can be a great equalizer, it can also deepen divisions. Banga has a passion for financial inclusion – under his leadership, Mastercard has launched roughly 1500 products designed to promote financial inclusion. Those projects have touched some 500 million people in 80 different countries.  This drive for inclusion carries through the current situation too. Banga explains that a focus on inclusion has led him to commit to no layoffs at Mastercard right now, and to contribute $250 million to aid struggling small businesses.  Also in this episode: Fortune's Ellen McGirt asks Kate Moore - Head of Thematic Strategy at BlackRock - which industries are best positioned for an economic rebound.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff believes business can improve the state of the world. And as the world has grappled with the realities of the coronavirus, he’s used both company and personal resources to attempt to do just that. But now he says we are preparing to enter the second phase of this pandemic: returning to work. In this episode of “Leadership Next,” Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt ask Benioff what that return looks like. They discuss his challenge to companies to retain employees for at least the first 90 days of this crisis. They also ask if company devotion to issues like diversity or the environment falls by the wayside in the months to come. Benioff’s answer: CEOs who remain committed to stakeholder capitalism will ultimately find the most success.

During World War II, American industry mobilized to support the military - reconfiguring assembly lines to produce things like airplane engines and tanks. Seventy-five years later, the world finds itself in a different type of war: the battle against COVID-19. And once again, business is responding to calls for help.  On today’s Leadership Next, Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt speak with two CEOs whose companies have pivoted to fight the pandemic. KR Sridhar is founder and CEO of Bloom Energy, a clean energy company based in San Jose, CA. Responding to a call from California governor Gavin Newsom, Bloom quickly figured out how to refurbish ventilators. Jane Mosbacher Morris is founder and CEO of To the Market, a for-profit social enterprise that connects artisans from all over the world with businesses looking for products. Morris has redirected many in her network to begin producing hospital-grade masks. This work landed her on Fortune’s 2020 World’s Greatest Leaders list. While Sridhar and Morris run very different companies, they share something important: the belief that now, more than ever, they have a responsibility to put their companies to work for the greater good.  

Eileen Fisher has been putting purpose at the center of her company since 1984. The entrepreneur started her women’s clothing line with $350 in her pocket and the desire to help women feel great about getting dressed.  Although it’s more expensive to do so, Eileen is focused on using environmentally sound raw materials, and ensuring good working conditions for those creating her products. She’s observed a growing number of companies following suit. She tells Leadership Next's Alan Murray, “I think the companies that aren’t doing this kind of work will be gone in 5 years, 10 at the most.”  Eileen and Alan discuss some of the tradeoffs that have come with sticking by these sustainability practices, why Eileen has never partnered with investors, and the advice she has for other entrepreneurs. Also in this week’s episode, Ellen McGirt speaks with the founders of the fashion label Public School, who – with advice from Eileen Fisher - are retooling their business to become a more sustainable brand. 

Retraining workers for jobs in the digital economy has been a focus of IBM’s Ginni Rometty for a long time. Now, with coronavirus driving unemployment sky high, the need for reskilling is even more urgent. On this episode of Leadership Next, Rometty – who recently transitioned from CEO to Executive Chairman of IBM – tells Alan Murray why corporations, not the government, are best positioned to make this happen.  The two also discuss the Business Roundtable. The group represents nearly 200 companies, and in August announced it believed business has a duty to serve all stakeholders, not just shareholders. This was a big deal, and Rometty was part of the group that pushed for the change. She explains why she believes this is essential for economic success, and how she has instituted a commitment to all stakeholders at IBM. Also shedding light on how this change from the Business Roundtable came to fruition, Alan speaks with Rick Wartzman of the Drucker Institute. 

How well are companies responding to the coronavirus crisis? That’s what today’s Leadership Next guest wants to find out.  Martin Whittaker runs JUST Capital, a non-profit which attempts to measure if companies are doing well by ALL stakeholders – employees, customers, communities and shareholders. Since COVID-19 has gripped our attention, and the economy, Whittaker’s group has been measuring how major corporations are responding to the pandemic. He highlights some specific companies he believes have risen to the challenge, protecting employees and customers alike.  Also in this episode: Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian tells Fortune’s Susie Gharib how hard it’s been to furlough thousands of workers. Plus, the steps he’s taken to try and soften that blow. And, Fortune senior editor Ellen McGirt joins Leadership Next to offer her thoughts on how this pandemic will change the future of business. 

Can business rise to meet the challenges presented by COVID-19? Can supply chains provide the medical equipment doctors and patients need? When will we have adequate coronavirus tests? And ultimately, how close are we to finding a vaccine for the disease? Those are the questions Alan Murray is asking on this week's Leadership Next. Today’s guests are two CEOs working overtime to provide the answers.  Up first, Alex Gorsky, CEO of Johnosn and Johnson. His company has just announced it will begin testing and manufacturing a vaccine that may be available early next year. Also adding insight is Stan Bergman, the CEO of Henry Schein, a dental and medical supply company. Not only does the company supply healthcare workers with disposable masks, gloves, and gowns, it's working to bring COVID-19 point-of-care tests to these workers.

When the NBA announced it was indefinitely suspending its season, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban made a quick decision: he would continue to pay all of the hourly employees who worked in his arena. How did he do it? And why? That’s what Alan Murray asks in this episode of Leadership Next. Cuban is also an investor in over 150 small businesses, so he’s been closely following government plans to assist these smaller companies. He shares his take on the coronavirus relief legislation, the advice he’s been offering entrepreneurs, and other steps he’s taking to assist both business owners and health care workers during the COVID-19 crisis.

Business, when it’s at its best, can solve very big problems. And today Leadership Next is talking about a very big problem - COVID-19. George Yancopoulos is the President and Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron. His company announced this week it has developed a promising drug to fight coronavirus, and will begin human trials by early summer.Yancopoulos details the innovative approach Regeneron used to create the drug - an approach that led to an effective therapy for Ebola. He also explains that a Regeneron drug aimed at patients with rheumatoid arthritis is currently being used to treat some of the worst symptoms of COVID-19. The treatment is still in a trial phase but, if successful, could potentially keep severely ill patients off of ventilators. Leadership Next host Alan Murray told Yancopoulos, “This is the most encouraging conversation I’ve had in quite awhile.”

Starbucks recently announced plans to cut carbon emissions, waste, and water usage. But, as CEO Kevin Johnson tells Alan Murray in the newest episode of Leadership Next, he's not 100 percent sure how the company will meet those goals.Enter Andrew Wanliss-Orlebar, VP Strategy at Futerra, who advises companies on their sustainability policies. He lays out some of the challenges that Starbucks and other companies face in their quests to protect the planet. Also in the episode: find out just how much coffee Johnson drinks throughout the day, and how reading to his grandson impacted Starbucks corporate policy.