Latest Interviews

Jim Hackett: President and CEO of Ford Motor Company

Jim Hackett, David

Ford CEO Jim Hackett outlines the company's strategic pivot toward a "propulsion portfolio" of electric and hybrid vehicles, leveraging a global alliance with Volkswagen to fund over $100 billion in capital commitments for autonomous technology. Hackett emphasizes an "S-curve shift" in the industry, arguing that survival requires abandoning internal combustion virtues while maintaining consumer vehicle ownership through software-defined ecosystems. Rooted in his leadership philosophy of integrity and clear point of view, Hackett predicts that Ford will achieve carbon neutrality within 12 years by blending technologies rather than mandating an immediate, total transition to electrification.

Rebecca Minkoff: Fashion Designer

Rebecca Minkoff, Dena Powell

Rebecca Minkoff transformed a $4-per-hour internship into a global lifestyle brand by pioneering the "Morning After" handbag and surviving the economic recession through strategic price adjustments that fueled 546% growth. Beyond product innovation, she established the Female Founders Collective to support over 5,000 women-owned businesses while leveraging RFID technology to revolutionize retail experiences and committing to zero-waste production models. The company now focuses on systemic industry change by targeting diverse representation, expanding into home and beauty sectors, and creating an educational platform to close the gender pay gap.

Stacey Cunningham: President of the NYSE Group

Stacey Cunningham, Susie Scherr

Susie Scherr, the first woman to serve as NYSE president, traces her career from a 1994 trading floor intern to a 2020 leader who leveraged the ICE acquisition to modernize the 220-year-old exchange. Under her guidance, the NYSE has evolved to accommodate delayed IPOs by capturing 75% of technology proceeds in recent years while validating direct listing models for established firms. Her leadership now focuses on reducing regulatory barriers to encourage earlier public market participation and drawing new boundaries for diversity in senior financial roles.

Kat Cole: COO and President of North America for Focus Brands

Kat Cole

After rising from a single-parent household to serve as Vice President of Hooters and securing ten CEO endorsements for an MBA, the executive now leads Focus Brands and Rourke Capital over seven restaurant chains including Cinnabon and Auntie Anne's. She employs a proprietary "Hot Shot Rule" and private equity strategies to leverage consolidated resources for 2,000 franchise owners while navigating macro trends like the "death of the middle" in retail pricing and the shift toward health-conscious consumption. Her approach integrates startup agility and co-appetition tactics to drive growth through delivery technology and strategic partnerships, positioning her brands to compete effectively in an increasingly fragmented and digitally driven market.

Andre Iguodala: NBA Champion

Andre Iguodala, Nicole Pullen-Ross

Andrew Iguodala reflects on a career defined by strategic sacrifices, including accepting a reduced salary to join the Golden State Warriors and transitioning to a sixth-man role under Steve Kerr to prioritize team success. He advocates for systemic changes in college athletics to compensate African-American student-athletes and emphasizes the psychological discipline instilled by his mother and early mentors to dismantle racial stereotypes. Iguodala further details his post-retirement focus on financial literacy and mental resilience, urging athletes to prepare for life after basketball by diversifying skills and managing wealth proactively.

Ash Carter: Former US Secretary of Defense

Ash Carter, Sharmeen Mosavar-Rahmani

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense James "Ash" Carter discusses the unprecedented operational scale of the Pentagon, which rivals global corporations in budget and personnel, while emphasizing the critical need for a permanent leader to provide direction. Carter outlines a complex strategy for managing the United States' sustained competitive relationship with China, arguing that traditional containment or free trade models are insufficient and requiring a new playbook centered on multilateral rules rather than bilateral coercion. He further details his tenure's focus on combating ISIS as an existential threat and highlights the volatile risk of unintentional conflict with Iran due to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' operational autonomy and regional instability.

George F. Will: Author of "The Conservative Sensibility"

George F. Will, Jake Stewart

George Will's new book, *The Conservative Sensibility*, argues that American conservatism has fundamentally shifted by prioritizing individual liberty over majority rule, a stance he applies to criticize the Republican Party's current uncritical support for Donald Trump's expansive executive power. Will contrasts the Madisonian system of checks and balances with Woodrow Wilson's advocacy for concentrated authority, contending that Congress has abdicated its legislative responsibilities to the executive branch through vague statutes while failing to defend true capitalism against what he terms a misleading socialist narrative. Having effectively severed ties with the GOP over its alignment with the current administration, the veteran columnist champions judicial review as essential for protecting minority rights and defends the virtues of market societies against both modern socialist misconceptions and government economic planning.

Jason Rezaian: Author of "Prisoner"

Jason Rezaian, Andrew Williams

On July 22, 2014, Washington Post columnist Jason Rezaian was arrested in Tehran and falsely accused of being a CIA operative, subjecting him to seven months of solitary confinement in a sensory-deprived cell at Evin Prison. Rezaian argues that his eventual release resulted from sustained global public attention and political will rather than the legal system alone, while criticizing the U.S. for failing to leverage Iran's vast economic potential and for neglecting the six remaining Americans currently detained there. He further contends that American soft power and press freedom must remain a guiding global standard despite domestic challenges, urging renewed diplomatic engagement with Iran instead of isolation.

Nandan Nilekani: Co-Founder of Infosys

Nandan Nilekani

Nandan Nilekani and his team pioneered Infosys's global scaling strategy before architecting the Aadhaar digital identity system to authenticate 1.2 billion citizens and drive massive financial inclusion. This infrastructure enabled the Unified Payments Interface, a public-bank-owned platform that now processes hundreds of millions of real-time transactions monthly while catalyzing a domestic services-led economic model. As India transitions toward a young, tech-enabled workforce, the event highlights how these foundational systems position the nation to achieve sustained GDP growth despite global manufacturing shifts.

Goldman Sachs at 150: Part 10 – Going Forward (2019)

David Solomon, Al

David Solomon has succeeded Lloyd Blankfein as Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, initiating a strategic shift toward digital-first growth through the launch of the consumer platform Marcus and the gender-lens investment vehicle Launch with GS. This new era emphasizes "stakeholder capitalism" and aggressive diversity targets to secure uncorrelated perspectives, while the firm maintains its traditional emphasis on rigorous recruitment and consensus-driven teamwork. By balancing its 150-year heritage with these forward-looking adaptations, the institution aims to efficiently allocate global capital while serving a broader demographic of clients and communities.

Goldman Sachs at 150: Part 8 – Around the World (2000)

Goldman Sachs successfully navigated its transformation from a private partnership to a global public entity by adapting its culture to rapid expansion across BRICS nations while maintaining core partnership values under leaders like Hank Paulson and Lloyd Blankfein. The firm leveraged strategic foresight regarding global economic shifts, including a $100 million investment in the "10,000 women" initiative to close gender gaps and drive development in emerging markets. Looking ahead, the organization commits to evolving its structure and hiring practices to preserve excellence and adaptability within an increasingly integrated global financial marketplace.

Goldman Sachs at 150: Part 9 – Crisis (2008)

Lloyd Blankfein, Marty

In June 2006, Lloyd Blankfein succeeded Hank Paulson as CEO of Goldman Sachs, guiding the firm through the unfolding U.S. housing bubble and the subsequent 2008 financial crisis. While the collapse triggered a cascade of market failures and froze global credit, Goldman Sachs mitigated significant financial losses despite admitting they spent the period "scrambling" to manage emerging risks. Following the turmoil, the bank faced intense reputational backlash for its resilience and government bailouts, prompting leadership to establish a Business Standards Committee, enhance transparency regarding derivatives, and commit to a more robust public dialogue about their societal influence.

Goldman Sachs at 150: Part 7 – Going Public (1999)

Hank Paulson

Facing a severe 1994 financial crisis and the strategic necessity of funding global expansion, Goldman Sachs leadership concluded that a public capital structure was essential to sustain a stable balance sheet and unlimited liability risk controls. On May 4, 1999, the firm executed the second-largest initial public offering in financial history at the time, raising capital primarily to distribute equity among existing partners and employees rather than diluting ownership to external investors. This transition, led by senior partners such as Henry Paulson and John Corzine, allowed the institution to scale operations into new markets while maintaining its unique biennial partnership elections and collaborative corporate ethos.

Goldman Sachs at 150: Part 6 – Going Global (1989)

In the 1980s, Goldman Sachs strategically pivoted from a U.S.-centric firm to a global powerhouse by establishing London as its European hub and securing the British Gas privatization to link local markets with international capital. Under the leadership of John Weinberg, who demonstrated unwavering client commitment during the 1987 Black Monday crash, and successors like Bob Rubin and Stephen Friedman, the firm modernized its operations by integrating quantitative risk management and recruiting top-tier mathematical talent. This transformation, supported by a flat, collaborative culture and a focus on hiring diverse talent, established a three-pillar framework of people, culture, and strategy that defined the firm's dominance in global finance over the following three decades.

Goldman Sachs at 150: Part 5 – Takeoff (1976)

John Whitehead, John Weinberg

Since 1985, the firm has navigated six or seven orderly CEO transitions, a succession pattern John Whitehead and John Weinberg established by codifying core principles to scale from a partnership of 800 employees to a global institution of 8,000. Their 1976 co-leadership era successfully separated strategic development from client relationship management while maintaining a "white knight" reputation for defending clients against hostile takeovers. This enduring culture prioritizes long-term trust and the client-first ethic as the primary assets ensuring the organization's 150-year longevity.