Inside the Strategy Room
Kanaal Besonderhede
Inside the Strategy Room
We talk with McKinsey partners and corporate executives on the challenges they face creating lasting strategies in a fast-changing world. We also examine the different ways these executives approach these challenges and the new and innovative ways they think of creating a vision for their enterprise...
Onlangse Episodes
306 episodes
306. Transforming value creation in private equity portfolio companies
Outperformance in private equity is no longer defined by leverage or multiple expansion; disciplined value creation will be the decisive factor in fut...
305. Prudential’s Charles Lowrey on finishing strong as CEO
For CEOs, the first 100 days often get the most attention. But the final chapter of a CEO’s tenure can be just as consequential. In this episode, seni...
304. The coming wave of business transfers
As millions of baby boomer business owners in the United States approach retirement, the country faces a major transition in business ownership. Over...
303. How finance leaders are driving value with AI
In this episode, we explore how finance leaders can harness AI to drive performance and create value for the organization. Our guests—Kevin Carmody, D...
302. What every CEO can learn from private equity
Private equity firms have long outperformed their peers—not just through financial engineering, but by building better businesses faster. In this epis...
301. Using generative AI to conduct outside-in diligence
Generative AI is reshaping the way investors evaluate opportunities and replacing much of the manual work involved in completing an outside-in diligen...
300. The CEO’s agenda for thriving in the agentic age
Generative and agentic AI are moving rapidly from experimentation to enterprise-wide transformation—but many CEOs are still grappling with what this r...
299. The new CEO’s guide to stakeholder impact
For new CEOs, engaging stakeholders is one of the most important—and most challenging—parts of the job. In this episode, Carolyn Dewar, Blair Epstein,...
298. The CEO as a resilience leader
Building resilience is a critical skill for organizations today, yet our research shows that many leaders and organizations don’t spend enough time bu...
297. Boards in the age of AI
As artificial intelligence transforms how companies compete, many boards are grappling with how to provide effective oversight in this new era. Senior...
296. The power of rigor in transformation
Companies that execute transformations with rigor are much more likely to achieve their goals, generate higher total shareholder returns, and enjoy be...
295. AI, strategy, and the future of work: What business leaders need to know
While artificial intelligence is moving rapidly from experimentation to execution, many companies still struggle to capture real value from the techno...
294. Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon on adapting to economic and technological change
What does today’s wave of AI and economic change really mean for markets, jobs, and leadership?
In this episode, David Solomon, Chairman and CEO...
293. Private equity 2026 outlook: Clearer view, tougher terrain
After a long period of uncertainty, the fog has lifted, and while private equity rebounded in 2025, the clearer visibility has also revealed a more co...
292. 2026 M&A Trends: Navigating a rapidly rebounding market
Top dealmakers entered 2025 expecting to overcome continued challenges, but few anticipated how sharply trade and geopolitical pressures would intensi...
291. ‘Having a human bank is very important’: A conversation with Citi CEO Jane Fraser
Jane Fraser, Chair and CEO of Citi, talks with McKinsey Senior Partner and North America Managing Partner Eric Kutcher. After becoming CEO in March 20...
290. Tim Koller reflects on three decades of Valuation at McKinsey
From its origins as an internal three-ring binder to its status as a global reference text, Valuation has shaped how business leaders think about valu...
289. The CFO as growth leader: Levi’s Harmit Singh on transformation and the “Magic of the And.”
Levi Strauss & Co. Chief Finance and Growth Officer, Harmit Singh, joins us to share lessons from his 13-year journey transforming the iconic clothing...
288. Securing agentic AI: A playbook
As organizations increasingly employ agentic AI, they face new risks that could disrupt operations, compromise sensitive data, or erode customer trust...
287. IBM Chairman, President, and CEO Arvind Krishna on setting bold ambition and driving growth through innovation
Arvind Krishna, the Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of IBM, stepped into the CEO role at IBM in 2020, following 30 years at the compa...
286. The Cigna Group’s Brian Evanko on improving affordability and prevention in healthcare
Health insurers are facing urgent challenges related to affordability, access, and how to safely and effectively leverage AI and emerging technologies...
285. Keys to success for CFOs leading transformations
CFOs are increasingly helping lead transformations of their companies, which has a range of implications for how they manage their time and stay up to...
284. Becoming a Chief of Staff
Leaders across both the public and private sectors are navigating an era of constant disruption. They're expected to deliver major transformations, ma...
283. The CEO as chief storyteller
To ensure that their companies engage effectively with stakeholders, CEOs need to set communication standards, embody the organization’s culture and p...
Investing in innovation: A pathway to resilient growth
In times of economic volatility, the temptation to focus on short-term profitability can become a trap that stalls longer-term projects designed to sp...
281. Pricing to create value across the private equity portfolio
A small improvement in pricing can often drive greater value creation than larger cost or volume improvements. However, private equity (PE) funds face...
280. Hilton President and CEO Chris Nassetta on culture, strategy, and reinvention
Chris Nassetta has served as President and CEO of Hilton since 2007, leading the organization through some extraordinary challenges. Chris’s focus on...
279. From the NFL to the C-Suite: Jason Wright on what it takes to transform organizations and build world-class teams
What do winning teams in elite sports teach us about driving transformation in business? This week, Kevin Carmody, a senior partner and global coleade...
278. Frontier Communications CEO Nick Jeffery on purpose, strategy, and keeping it simple
Nick Jeffery, President and CEO of Frontier Communications since 2021, has over three decades of strategic and operational leadership in the U.S. and...
277. The new boardroom dynamic: More conversations, transparency, and trust
In this episode of Inside the Strategy Room, we discuss how the board’s relationship with management is evolving in an era of heightened uncertainty a...
276. From strategy to performance: Building a new operating model for a new world
To successfully execute a strategy, organizations must make deliberate choices about their operating model. In this episode, Julie Goran and Dickie St...
275. M&A update: Dealmaking is higher, despite volatility
After several years of slowed activity, mergers and acquisitions picked up in the first half of 2025, as disciplined dealmakers reentered the market d...
274. How Nestlé’s CFO sharpens focus across a global portfolio
The CFO’s challenge has long been one of translating data into a story that the CEO and their management team can use to set strategy and make other d...
273. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian: Lessons from the captain’s seat
Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines since 2016, speaks with our North America Chair and senior partner Eric Kutcher. After 25 years at Delta, including...
272. Clear signals in a world of noise: The strategic realities of a new era
Uncertainty often dominates the headlines, but it is possible to cut through the static to find clear signals in the global trends and demographic shi...
271. Mastering the cycles of CEO leadership: Starting strong, and staying ahead
In this second episode of our two-part series on navigating the four seasons of successful CEO leadership, Carolyn Dewar and Kurt Strovink, two of the...
270. Mastering the cycles of CEO leadership: Stepping up and sending it forward
In the high-stakes world of corporate leadership, becoming a Fortune 500 CEO is an Everest-like ascent, with only the savviest succeeding across every...
269. Strategy under geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty
The current climate of geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty can complicate the strategy process and can make the idea of waiting for calmer time...
268. Accounting for carbon: SAP’s Dominik Asam on the CFO’s role
Beyond reporting requirements and transparency imperatives, there’s a huge financial incentive to manage your company’s sustainability activities with...
267. Cybersecurity for CFOs: Defending against an accelerating threat
In today’s fast-evolving cybersecurity landscape, organizations face bigger and bolder threats that have wide-reaching implications − from financial a...