Leadership Next

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Cotopaxi: Why Business Is the Best Way to Improve the World Feb 21, 2023

Show notes

Cotopaxi is an outdoor gear and apparel brand that pledges to give at least 1% of its annual revenue to charitable causes through its Cotopaxi Foundation. Cotopaxi is also a certified B corp and 94% of its products contain recyclable or reusable materials. On its mission to help people and the planet, Cotopaxi is also making money. In 2022, the company surpassed $100 million in revenue. Its work has caught the eye of investors. In 2021, Bain Capital's Double Impact Fund invested $45 million in Cotopaxi.

In today's episode of Leadership Next, hosts Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt talk to Cotopaxi founder and CEO Davis Smith about why he built Cotopaxi as a for-profit company rather than a non-profit, and how Cotopaxi differs from other outdoor brands. Smith also explains why he's stepping away from leading the company he believes in so deeply.

Later in the episode, we hear from Cecilia Chao, Managing Director of the Bain Double Impact Fund. Chao talks about why Bain invested in Cotopaxi and the importance of prioritizing both impact and profit. Chao also gives her take on trends in impact investing and the difference between impact and ESG investing.

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Bernard Looney on BP's Big Announcement Feb 14, 2023

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In 2020, BP CEO Bernard Looney announced the international oil company planned to significantly increase investments in solar and wind energy while cutting oil and gas production - and thus carbon emissions - up to 40 percent by 2030. Last week, amid soaring oil prices, BP rolled back that commitment. BP's new plan is to reduce its oil output 25 percent by 2030 and its Scope 3 carbon emissions by 20 to 30 percent.

At the same time, the 114 year-old company points out it now spends 30 percent of it capital on its alternative energy business, up from just three percent in 2019. And, it still intends to cut its own direct emissions 50% by 2030.

In this episode of Leadership Next, Looney joins hosts Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt to dissect this complicated message. He details what motivated the change and lays out BP's strategy to become an integrated energy company (to include explaining why oil will remain a part of that strategy). Also in the conversation: BP's approach to addressing the "energy trilemma," maintaining public trust in the midst of a strategy change, and how growing up on a farm in Ireland influenced Looney's leadership style.

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Esusu Brings "Justice Capitalism" to the American Credit System Feb 07, 2023

Show notes

Forty-five million Americans are credit invisible, meaning they do not have a credit score or have had very little opportunity to build credit. Many of these millions are people of color, low-income people or immigrants. Esusu co-CEO Wemimo Abbey is trying to do something about that. Esusu is on a mission to democratize access to credit. By reporting on-time rental payments to the three major credit bureaus, the company allows people with no or low credit scores to build credit history. In the five years since its founding, Esusu has reached over one million renters in all 50 states and helped put 44,000 people on the financial map.

In this episode of Leadership Next, hosts Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt talk with Abbey about how Esusu's platform is helping change who can fully participate in the American economy. Abbey shares what inspired him to start the company, how Esusu makes money, and his long-term dreams for it. He also shares how he persevered through "NOs" from over 300 investors to become the founder of what is now a unicorn company.

Later in the episode, McGirt is joined by Erika Seth Davies, the CEO of Rhia Ventures and the founder of The Racial Equity Asset Lab. Seth Davies shares her thoughts on trends in impact investing, the barriers diverse-owned companies face when looking for capital, and what we can all do to encourage investment in those companies.

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The Biggest Opportunities for Business in 2023 Jan 31, 2023

Show notes

Welcome back for season four of Leadership Next! In today's season opener, hosts Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt present exclusive content from Davos, where Coca-Cola's James Quincey, Novartis' Vasant Narasimhan and Grab's Anthony Tan joined Fortune for conversation over dinner. On the menu: discussion around the biggest opportunities and challenges facing business in 2023.

Murray, McGirt and the panelists tackle topics like using A.I. to help scale business while protecting employee jobs, responding to the “woke ceo” narrative, and more.

In this episode, Murray and McGirt also talk with Fortune Senior Writer Jeremy Kahn about the A.I. tool on everybody's mind... ChatGPT. Kahn shares how the chatbot can be used for good and what we should be afraid of. You can read more about ChatGPT in Kahn's Fortune magazine cover story The Inside Story of ChatGPT.

What We Learned About Leadership in 2022 Dec 13, 2022

Show notes

In this final Leadership Next of 2022, Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt are joined by Joe Ucuzoglu, CEO of Deloitte and long-time supporter of the podcast. The team talks through how the biggest news of the year impacted CEO leadership, and discusses what's ahead for business in 2023.

You'll also hear thoughts, reflections and advice from CEOs featured throughout this season, including Doug McMillon of Walmart, Jane Fraser of Citi and Albert Bourla of Pfizer.

Leadership Next will return with more interviews in January of 2023. Subscribe to be the first to know when we return!

A.I. Is Still Human Intelligence Dec 06, 2022

Show notes

Tiger Tyagarajan is the CEO of Genpact. Originally a part of GE, Genpact is a professional services company that helps organizations undergo digital and technological transformation. And in this penultimate episode of Leadership Next's third season, host Alan Murray explains why he considers Tyagarajan his A.I. mentor. Along with co-host Ellen McGirt, the three discuss how A.I. is being used effectively in business and explore its future potential.

Tyagarajan also shares his leadership journey from being a sales manager in Mumbai to being the CEO of a global, publicly-traded company. He details what he learned from former head of GE Jack Welch, digs into the role of globalization in business and explains how podcasts have helped him become a more curious leader.

Leadership Next is powered by Deloitte.

Citi CEO Jane Fraser is Bringing Empathy to Banking Nov 29, 2022

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Jane Fraser became CEO of Citi in March 2021- a difficult time for the world and for the bank. Fraser was expected to turn around a bank that had struggled to recover from the 2008 financial crisis when it took a $45 million government bailout in order to survive. Luckily, Fraser was prepared for the challenge. She had already navigated economic crises in Venezuela, Argentina and Puerto Rico in her previous role as CEO of Citigroup Latin America.

In this episode of Leadership Next, hosts Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt speak with Fraser about why focusing on culture is essential to turning Citi around and why she is committed to making empathy a key initiative in banking. She explains her approach to true inclusion in the workplace and why equity is essential to successful investing. Fraser also shares her thoughts on the current state of the economy, the return-to-office debate and how the crypto meltdown has impacted traditional banking. She also speaks candidly about her journey towards the CEO role as a woman and a mother.

Cigna's David Cordani is Expanding the Definition of "Healthy" Nov 15, 2022

Show notes

Whether it is leaning more on telehealth options or lining up outside our local pharmacies and walk in clinics for vaccines and covid tests, the pandemic has changed out relationship with healthcare. And the pandemic is still changing the way we relate to each other and the world. Mental health issues are on the rise and many of us feel more isolated than ever before. Cigna insurance is on a mission to make sure that the half a million people enrolled in their plans can access top tier care for their bodies and their minds.

In this episode of Leadership Next, hosts Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt speak with Cigna's CEO David Cordani. Cordani interprets the findings of a few of Cigna's studies and initiatives that are determined to understand and treat America's mental health crisis- including Cigna's research on the loneliness epidemic and on the mental health of young women and girls coming out of the pandemic. He then shares more about Cigna's new vitality index as a measure of true ability, and how the vitality of America's workforce impacts the economy. Cordani also has some advice for other CEOs on what they can do to maximize their company's insurance offerings and support the health of their employees.

Affirm CEO Max Levchin on the Potential of Buy Now, Pay Later Nov 08, 2022

Show notes

Recently, you may have noticed that when you buy almost anything online - clothing, furniture, even groceries - there's an option to Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL). This usually means splitting the total cost of your purchase into a series of smaller payments, and it doesn't require a credit card up front. The BNPL business is taking off as a payment alternative, thanks in part to Affirm. Affirm is a financial company that allows its 14 million active consumers to pay for purchases over time, without a credit check and without late fees.

In this episode of Leadership Next, hosts Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt speak with Affirm's founder and CEO Max Levchin. Levchin, also a co-founder of PayPal, struggled to build credit in the U.S. after immigrating from Ukraine. He shares how this led him to eventually found Affirm and shares his hopes for making financial services more equitable. He also explains how Affirm plans to make money without collecting late fees, and discusses the ups and downs the company has experienced since its January 2021 IPO.

What Makes Progressive a Top Workplace for Women? Nov 01, 2022

Show notes

Tricia Griffith started her career at Progressive in the insurance giant's claims department.

"I saw that there were not very many people that looked like me at the top," she tells Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt on this week's Leadership Next. "And we had to change that."

Today, Progressive's board of directors is led by a woman and the board has gender parity. Griffith talks about the work it took to get to that point, and details DEI initiatives she's launched and supported over the years.

"We've been working on this for probably 15 to 20 years," she says.

Also in today's conversation: how Progressive is thinking about climate change, the aftermath of Hurricane Ian and the impact of inflation on the insurance business.

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