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Leadership Matters

Explore McKinsey’s exclusive interviews with leaders whose ideas and insights shape the world of business.

Keeping McDonald’s ‘relevant’: An interview with CEO Chris Kempczinski

– Soon after Chris Kempczinski became CEO, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the restaurant chain suffered the worst quarter in its history. But under his leadership, recovery—and growth—are once again on the horizon.
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Taking stock: Catching up with Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman

– How has the global market exchange remained relevant to its stakeholders after 50 years? By embracing changes in technology, society, and the economy and by meeting customers’ needs with innovation.
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‘Keep it simple’: Aditya Puri on HDFC Bank’s path to market leadership

– The recently retired founder–CEO of India’s highest-valued financial institution reflects on how customer-focused innovation and disciplined risk management led to strong performance.
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LEADERS ON SUSTAINABILITY

Asia at the speed of light: An interview with the head of ReNew Power
– The energy transition will remake Asia, says Sumant Sinha, managing director of ReNew Power.

Taking ownership of a sustainable future
– Three CEOs offer lessons on their pursuit of sustainability.

‘Bring the problem forward’: Larry Fink on climate risk
– The physical impact of climate change will lead to a major capital reallocation, says the head of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager.

LEADERS ON COVID-19

Critical communications infrastructure and COVID-19: An interview with Ericsson’s CEO
– Börje Ekholm discusses the impact of the crisis on global telecom networks and the coming 5G transition, as well as the future of work and challenges to the physical and mental health of employees.

Avoiding a ‘social recession’: A conversation with Vivek Murthy
– The former US surgeon general discusses the effects of the crisis on both individuals and the public-health system, issues a call to action, and warns against slipping backward.

Adapting healthcare to COVID-19: An interview with the CEO of Boston Medical Center
– Kate Walsh shares how Boston Medical Center, New England’s largest safety-net hospital, has had to adapt to the pandemic—and why there’s no going back.

General James Mattis on leading in a crisis and thriving in the next normal
– The former US defense secretary shares lessons on how to emerge from the pandemic and prepare for what comes next, in a conversation with McKinsey global managing partner Kevin Sneader.

The CEO of Blue Shield of California on scaling up coronavirus testing
– Paul Markovich, who coleads California’s COVID-19 Testing Task Force, describes the goals, challenges, and early achievements of a statewide effort to increase the volume of coronavirus testing.

Food security and the coronavirus crisis: A view from Feeding America’s COO
– Katie Fitzgerald discusses the efforts of Feeding America, a national hunger-relief organization, to obtain and distribute food amid the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

Leading Off

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LEADERS ON STRATEGY

James Manyika speaks with Richard Haass about businesses as ‘global entities’
– “We’ve got to expect that we’re going to be in a world of greater, not less, geopolitical turbulence,” explains the author of The World: A Brief Introduction.

Transformation and resilience: An interview with Best Buy’s executive chairman Hubert Joly
– Hubert Joly shares lessons from leading the turnaround of the retail and technology giant and how it prepared him and the company for the current crisis.

LEADERS ON DIGITAL AND INNOVATION

Unleashing developers’ full talents: An interview with Twilio’s CEO
– Jeff Lawson talks about software’s growing digital supply chain, the future of flexible work, and the origins of both his communications-platform company and his new book, Ask Your Developer.

The committed innovator: An interview with Anjali Sud, CEO of Vimeo
– When a marketing executive discovered an unexpected market opportunity, she disrupted the company’s original business—and became CEO in the process.

Building a digital New York Times: CEO Mark Thompson
– Thompson looks back on an eight-year tenure that has transformed a 170-year-old news brand into a global, digital-subscription-first powerhouse—and at what lies ahead for its new leadership.

In disruptive times, the power comes from people: An interview with Eric Schmidt
– As we enter a new golden age of technological innovation, nurturing talent will become more critical, according to the former chairman of Alphabet.

Reviving the center aisle: An interview with Kellogg’s chief growth officer
– From Monica McGurk’s perspective, innovation is alive and well in packaged food—and Kellogg’s best days are still ahead.

An interview with Satya Nadella
– CEO Satya Nadella talks about innovation, disruption, and organizational change.

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Kevin Sneader: Business In 60 Seconds

McKinsey’s global managing partner shares quick takes on top-of-mind issues for business leaders in this video series produced in association with GZERO Media.

McKinsey Books
Explore our Author Talks series of interviews, this month’s best-selling business books prepared exclusively for McKinsey Publishing by NPD, and a collection of books by McKinsey authors on the management issues that matter, from leadership and talent to digital transformation, corporate finance, and more.

The McKinsey Download Hub
Download PDFs of McKinsey’s latest research, perspectives, and insights on the management issues that matter most, from leading through the COVID-19 crisis to managing risk, digitizing operations, and more.

Leading in the 21st Century
Maximizing the effectiveness of leaders in an environment of increasing uncertainty and complexity.