Leaders who can adapt to the times understand the power of reinvention. Bruce Crawford’s move from BBDO Worldwide to the Metropolitan Opera marked a turning point for the institution. Applying corporate discipline to cultural stewardship, he ushered the Met into a new era. Crawford cemented the Met’s standing as the nation’s most financially robust performing-arts institution, an enduring testament to his impact.
As chair of Russell Investments (formerly Frank Russell Co.), George F. Russell Jr. transformed the family-owned company into an investment powerhouse and built a distinctive niche in pension-fund consulting. Claire Rothman, the former president of the Forum in Los Angeles, was a master of personal and organizational reinvention. In the 1980s, Rothman pivoted from her decision to be a stay-at-home mom to her signature role as the self-proclaimed “only woman in the United States who runs a major sports arena.” In presiding over the home of the National Basketball Association’s Lakers and the National Hockey League’s Kings, she started a trend of booking major music talent at the arena, including Prince.
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