The CEO Shortlist

Our best new ideas for the C-suite
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...
Animation of a spiral slowing spinning behind hex-patterned glass.
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,...
Yellow orb in a sea of blue orbs
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...
A football play diagram is being sketched by a hand, featuring Xs and Os to represent players and arrows indicating their movements.
From locker room to boardroom
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It’s not just the scoreboard that matters—it’s the system. Our new research on world-class teams looks at how leaders in sports...
A blue arrow trending upwards symbolizes growth. The arrow appears to be constructed on a foundation of small blue, black, and white spheres, creating a dynamic and textured effect.
Public boards can take a page from private equity to create value
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Tactics most often associated with private equity (PE) boards can be artfully deployed by public-company boards as well. By adopting...
An abstract, digital art composition displaying a segmented blue circle topped with nested dark square frames and a light-colored square.
The classics get an update
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Crafting a strategy has always been demanding. In 2010, only 35 percent of surveyed executives said they had a high-quality,...
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The latest on quantum and tariffs
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And it’s only gaining momentum. Last year was the hottest on record for three uses of quantum—computing, communication, and sensing—by...
Computer Neural Network Concept Image. Bright dots connected by glowing lines.
Agents on the case
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Nearly eight in ten respondents we surveyed say their companies use gen AI—yet just as many say they’ve seen no significant bottom-line...