The CEO Shortlist

Every two weeks, get the insights that C-suite leaders use to make bold moves—curated by McKinsey's editors. From breakthrough ideas about technology, leadership, and other emerging trends, it’s your guide for navigating what’s next.
A silver SUV makes navigates a winding dirt road as it snakes through a wide mountain valley, cutting sharp switchbacks across dry, golden-brown slopes. Steep ridges rise on both sides, with sparse vegetation and distant peaks fading into a hazy, expansive backdrop.
Deal me in
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Global M&A had a rocky start in 2025, amid abrupt shifts in trade policies. As tensions eased, dealmaking took off, with...
A stylized profile of a human head depicted in blue hues, with an illuminated network of lines and nodes symbolizing neural activity within the brain.
The human edge—and Europe’s competitiveness
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As AI accelerates, companies are entering what we call the brain economy—one where cognitive, social, and emotional capabilities...
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After Davos: Leadership priorities for a more fragmented world
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Conversations in the Alps converged around five themes shaping leadership agendas worldwide.
Container ship in seaport at night
New growth flows—and the new rules shaping them
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Resilience isn’t just the right response to disruption: It’s becoming essential for growth, too. Emerging markets hold much of...
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Grow smarter. Change faster.
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B2B companies are facing slower demand, shifting customer expectations, and more competition than at any point in the past decade...
View from the inside of a modern bright airport with an airplane taking off outside the window.
Airports and fashion: Two outlooks
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Seamless, automated, and personalized: Three words that no one ever uses about today’s airport experience, especially on US Thanksgiving...
3D image of a transparent cell growing and developing offshoots.
Building new businesses in the age of AI
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The latest edition of our landmark AI survey finds that most organizations are still in the experimentation phase, they’re deeply...
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Shopping made easier
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Companies have spent decades refining consumer journeys, fine-tuning every digital interaction. But in the era of agentic commerce,...
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Realizing the full potential of AI agents
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The majority of CEOs have yet to see bottom-line value from AI agents. But there’s no question that the pace and potential scope...
Brake lights glowing on an autonomous vehicle with a hazy blue sky in the background
Travel technologies come of age
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New autonomous tools are already planning trips for people and improving customers’ experience. Soon they’ll be helping travel...
3D model illustration of futuristic city expanding the foundations of modern society
Shifting seasons
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Leadership isn’t static: It changes as organizations grow, markets shift, and leaders themselves evolve. McKinsey’s forthcoming...