Leadership Next

Fortune
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Aug 1, 2023 • 27min

Roam Is Trying to Revolutionize Remote Work

We are more than three years into a pandemic-altered way of working. Many companies have decided to stay fully remote or offer their employees hybrid work options, which means workers across the world have become very familiar with ever-present apps like Zoom and Slack. But there is a new remote work tool that claims to have identified the shortcomings of these existing applications, and promises to make hybrid work more efficient and connected- a tool that claims to cut down meeting times to an average of eight minutes and includes a digital floor plan to see whose in the office and who isn't. Founded by co-founder and former CEO of Yext Howard Lerman, Roam is a "cloud HQ" for distributed teams. Roam launched in November 2022 with $40 million in Series A funding and 40 initial corporate clients.In this episode of Leadership Next, Lerman joins host Michal Lev-Ram to discuss why he was inspired to start Roam. He also shares how Roam cuts down meeting times, makes communication between colleagues more seamless and how it differs from its competitors. Lev-Ram and Lerman also discuss employees' wariness of the surveillance implications of remote work tools like Roam. They also chat about why Lerman moved the company to Miami and his take on tech hubs outside Silicon Valley.Leadership Next is powered by Deloitte.
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Jul 25, 2023 • 33min

The Business Opportunity in Women's Sports

Kara Nortman fell in love with women's soccer at the Women's World Cup in Vancouver in 2015. She promptly went out to buy a jersey to show her support ... and couldn't find one. She struggled to find a way to watch more women's games. And eventually, this led her to join other investors to bring a women's soccer team to her hometown of Los Angeles. The Angel City FC inaugural season was 2022. Then, in March of 2023 she - along with business partner Jasmine Robinson - launched the Monarch Collective. With an initial raise of $100 million, the fund invests in women's sports, from teams and leagues to adjacent revenue streams like media and gaming.Today on Leadership Next, Nortman tells hosts Alan Murray and Michal Lev-Ram what prompted her to leave her long-time job as a tech investor and dive headfirst into the world of women's sports. She lays out the opportunity she sees and plainly states the challenges that accompany her work. Finally, she offers advice to anyone else who is considering making a big career move.
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Jul 18, 2023 • 34min

A.I., Green Tech & Protecting Your Privacy

Fortune's 2023 Brainstorm Tech Conference took place over three days last week, and it was one of our buzziest conferences yet. CEOs, a former Vice President, investors, founders, journalists and entrepreneurs gathered in Park City, UT, our first year hosting BST in the "Silicon Slopes," to discuss what's happening in the tech industry.In this episode of Leadership Next, host Michal Lev-Ram is joined by guest co-host Deputy Tech Editor Alexei Oreskovic to recap the conference's highlights alongside its most controversial moments. We hear from four Utah-based CEOs on the advantages and challenges of doing business in the burgeoning tech hub. Miami Mayor Francis X. Suarez and Keith Rabois of the Founders Fund also discuss how the political situation in Florida is affecting tech workers' inclination to relocate to the state. Lev-Ram recaps her conversation with former WeWork CEO Adam Neumann about what he learned from his experience as the embattled founder and leader of the co-working giant and about his new venture, Flow.Later in the episode, the hosts dig into the tech topic on everyone's mind- A.I. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei discusses the short term, medium term and long term risks of generative A.I. and Dr. Arati Prabhakar, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology, shares her thoughts on what a national strategy for A.I. regulation could look like. Then, Meredith Whittaker, the president of encrypted messaging app Signal, shares why it is imperative to address the privacy issues in tech and what Signal is doing about it.Finally, Vice President Al Gore shares his view of what is happening in green tech, his thoughts on President Biden's climate legislation and the potential technology has to save the planet.You can find more Fortune conference coverage here.Leadership Next is powered by Deloitte.
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Jul 11, 2023 • 29min

Mattel Is Betting Big on Barbie

When Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz took over the toymaker in 2018, he was the company's fourth CEO in four years. Mattel's internal culture was rigid and top down, and operating income was at a $343 million loss. Kreiz implemented cost saving and restructuring measures, which included laying off almost 2,000 people and closing five Mattel factories. In 2021, the company recorded $730 million in profit. Mattel is now betting big on using its beloved toy brands as IP in other media, starting with the much anticipated Barbie movie, in theaters on July 21st. Mattel currently has 14 films in various stages of production, each centering on an iconic toy like Hot Wheels and the Magic 8 Ball.In this episode of Leadership Next, Kreiz joins hosts Alan Murray and Michal Lev-Ram to talk about his experience of joining Mattel at one of the company's lowest points and his strategy for turning it around. He also explains why he thinks Mattel's toy brands hold so much promise as larger franchises beyond the toy aisle, so expect a lot of conversation about the Barbie movie. Kreiz talks about how he expects the movie to affect the perception of Barbie and what he thinks of Will Ferrell's portrayal of Mattel CEO. Additionally, he shares more about how his experience as a media exec prepared him for this role and Mattel's plans for more diverse and inclusive toys - and how he deals with political blowback for creating those toys.Leadership Next is powered by Deloitte.
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Jun 27, 2023 • 36min

How Should CEOs Respond When Pride Celebrations Spark Backlash?

The changing public expectations for how corporations should honor Pride month has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride over the past decade. Pressure from both the public and from employees to support the LGBTQ+ community has been vocalized and well documented. That pressure was followed by some corporate missteps and accusations of pinkwashing, but this year’s corporate pride celebrations have been the most conflicted in recent memory.Right-wing backlash led Target to pull its Pride merchandise from stores and AB InBev to yank ads featuring a transgender influencer. Those companies have made a lot of headlines, but they are not alone in facing backlash and needing to figure out how to respond. These responses have impacted both the public perception of companies and their bottom lines.In this episode of Leadership Next, GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis joins hosts Alan Murray and Michal Lev-Ram to discuss how the country's political atmosphere has impacted this year's Pride, and why it feels different from previous years. She shares advice and guidance for companies in supporting the LGBTQ+ community and explains what happens when CEOs listen to the needs and desires of both shareholders and stakeholders to guide these sorts of decisions. Ellis also talks more about GLAAD's transformation under her leadership from a media watchdog to a consultant and advisor to media, advertising, social media and business industries on representation and support of LGBTQ+ people.Leadership Next is powered by Deloitte.
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Jun 20, 2023 • 30min

Dave Calhoun Became Boeing CEO at the Company's Lowest Point

Dave Calhoun took over as the CEO of Boeing in January 2020 in the midst of two major crises: the crash of two of Boeing's 737 Max aircrafts that led to the grounding of the fleet and an abysmal internal culture that was being discussed in the press and throughout the industry. Calhoun has led the company through a notable turnaround in the past three years, as reflected in the company's earnings and increased demand for its aircrafts. Boeing's Q1 earnings for 2023 grew 30% year over year.In this episode of Leadership Next, Calhoun joins hosts Alan Murray and Michal Lev-Ram to discuss leading Boeing through a difficult and complicated period in its history. He shares what he chose to prioritize in his turnaround efforts and why, including initiating a safety overhaul for Boeing's aircrafts and emphasizing transparency throughout the company. He also discusses how supply chain issues are impacting Boeing and the aerospace industry at large in the face of unprecedented demand, along with his predictions for when the problem may resolve. Additionally, Calhoun shares how working with Jack Welch at G.E. influenced his leadership style, the needs of both Boeing's military and commercial arms, and producing more sustainable aircraft.Leadership Next is powered by Deloitte.
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Jun 13, 2023 • 30min

DaVita Is Treating One of America's Leading Diseases

Over 30 million Americans suffer from some form of kidney disease, and roughly 600,000 people have their kidneys fail. It's a chronic disease that requires chronic treatment, and there is a Fortune 500 healthcare company dedicated to supporting people living with it. DaVita, an Italian phrase meaning "give life", is number 357 on this year's 500. It runs almost 3,000 outpatient dialysis centers across the country and is working to transform from a dialysis company into a holistic kidney care company. Javier Rodriguez took over as CEO of DaVita in 2019, after 21 years with the company.In today's episode of Leadership Next, Rodriguez joins hosts Alan Murray and Michal Lev-Ram to discuss the scale of the kidney disease crisis and how DaVita is addressing it. He explains DaVita's plans to shift from a fee for service to a value based model with the goal of providing care to people earlier in life before their kidneys begin to fail, and how this change will affect business. Rodriguez also discusses navigating the healthcare staffing shortage, Berkshire Hathaway's investment in DaVita and tech innovations in healthcare. He also shares his personal story of immigrating to the U.S. from Mexico and his decision to turn down $250 million in government pandemic relief funding back in 2020.Leadership Next is powered by Deloitte.
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Jun 6, 2023 • 37min

Ed Bastian of Delta Air Lines Is No Stranger to Bouncing Back

Delta Air Lines soared twenty-eight spots up the 2023 Fortune 500 to reach number eighty-five. Demand for air travel is bouncing back to and beyond pre-pandemic levels, and Delta's earnings are bouncing back along with it. Delta reported $51 billion in revenue in 2022, a 69% jump from the previous year. This is not the first time CEO Ed Bastian is leading Delta through a period of bouncing back. Bastian took over as CEO in 2016, but he has been in the airline's leadership ranks for twenty-five years. This means he has led the company through some seriously tough times, including 9/11, Delta's 2007 bankruptcy declaration and the COVID-19 pandemic.In this episode of Leadership Next, Bastian joined hosts Alan Murray and Michal Lev-Ram for an in-person recording in Fortune's studio. Bastian shares which crisis he found the hardest to lead through and how Delta is planning to meet this summer's unprecedented demand for air travel, which he refers to as "revenge travel." He also explains why the airline has done away with change fees and what Delta is doing to bring free WiFi onboard every flight. Additionally he shares his thoughts on the pushback against "woke ceos" - a label that's been attached to him in the past. We also hear from Bastian on developing more fuel-efficient aircraft, how Delta is using A.I., pilot and flight attendant shortages.Leadership Next is powered by Deloitte.
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May 30, 2023 • 28min

GSK's Emma Walmsley Rejects the Notion of 'CEOs as Superheros'

Emma Walmsley, who became CEO of drug giant GSK in 2017 after 17 years at L'Oreal, has led the company through several challenges: disappointing COVID-19 vaccine candidates, noise from activist investors, and Europe's largest demerger in two decades when the company spun out its consumer healthcare business. But according to Walmsley this all comes with the job. And, she also has a lot to celebrate. Shortly before she visited the Leadership Next studio, GSK announced its RSV vaccine was one of two recommended for approval by the FDA for older adults.In this episode of Leadership Next, Walmsley talks to hosts Alan Murray and Michal Lev-Ram about the potential impact of that approval and the other aspects of GSK's infectious disease portfolio including innovation in H.I.V. treatment and prevention. She also shares her thoughts on the opportunities for data tech in healthcare, leading in the face of pushback from activist investors, and being the only woman CEO in big pharma.Explore more of Fortune! Use the promo code LN25 to get 25% off an annual subscription at fortune.com/subscribe.Leadership Next is Powered by Deloitte.
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May 23, 2023 • 33min

Reid Hoffman Co-Wrote a Book with A.I.

Reid Hoffman might be best known as the cofounder of LinkedIn. He’s also a partner at the VC firm Greylock and was an early investor in OpenAI, the company that developed ChatGPT. He's been investing in and writing about A.I. for several years, and recently he put the technology's capabilities to the test. In March 2023, he released his book Impromptu: Amplifying Our Humanity With A.I. , co-written by GPT-4.In this episode of Leadership Next, Hoffman joins hosts Alan Murray and Michal Lev-Ram to discuss what it was like to write a book using generative A.I. Hoffman also discusses how he thinks A.I. will change the job market, and why all of us might soon have a "co-pilot" to help us do our jobs. He also has some thoughts on how both tech and non-tech CEOs can talk about A.I. with their employees. Finally, Hoffman shares his perspective on the creative opportunities for A.I., and what its limitations are.Explore more of Fortune! Use the promo code LN25 to get 25% off an annual subscription at fortune.com/subscribe.Leadership Next is Powered by Deloitte.

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