Podcast · Business

Meet The Leader

by World Economic Forum · English · Business

In these one-on-one conversations, host Linda Lacina interviews the world's top leaders, change-makers and experts on the solutions they're building to tackle the world's biggest challenges, the habits they can't work without, and their lessons learned, all from the World Economic Forum

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 27 min
Latest: 31 Aug 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

31 Aug 2026 · 28 min

Hiring Is Changing: Why Human Judgment Still Matters in the AI Era: ManpowerGroup

Hiring managers are struggling to find the talent they need, while job seekers face one of the toughest markets in recent memory. Jonas Prising, Chair and CEO of ManpowerGroup, explains what is driving these pressures—from the economic cycle and geopolitical shifts to major demographic changes. He also examines AI's growing role in hiring and recruiting. While technology can make the process faster, it does not necessarily make it more accurate. For Prising, human judgment remains essential to recognizing potential, assessing fit and making better hiring decisions. How cyclical economic…

Play episodeWhatsApp Download

Earlier episodes 29 most recent

S1 · E215 · 24 Aug 2026 · 18 min
Be less reactive: A Buddhist monk on how mindful leaders make better decisions
In a fast-moving world, the ability to pause and reflect gives leaders a valuable edge: the clarity to make better decisions, sidestep conflict and know when to pivot or keep going. Shogun Mahadumrongkul is the founder of incubator Avant Labs and a three-time ordained Buddhist monk. He believes in leadership informed by mindfulness and compassion. In this conversation, he shares practical lessons from Zen Buddhism and meditation that apply directly to modern leadership, from adopting a "beginner's mind" and managing ego to separating signal from noise. You'll learn: How pausing before…
S1 · E213 · 17 Aug 2026 · 12 min
The books that shaped and inspired 5 tech founders
In this episode of Meet the Leader, five founders share books that have helped them drive sector-leading innovation and navigate uncertainty — from classics like Isaac Asimov's Foundation series to modern favorites like The Purpose Driven Life and Brotopia. Their recommendations reveal the unique challenges founders face as well as key lessons on resilience, purpose, AI, fundraising and leading through change. What you'll learn: The key role books still play for top innovators, even in our AI era Why a learning mindset matters to shape a tech-driven future. How digging into purpose helps…
S1 · E213 · 10 Aug 2026 · 25 min
Find your purpose after major setbacks: Katie Piper on how to adapt, reinvent and lead
What do you do when life changes in an instant—and the future you expected disappears? Advocate, activist and author Katie Piper explains how she rebuilt her life after surviving an acid attack on a London street at 24 driven by a man she'd briefly dated. The ordeal lead her to rethink her purpose, eventually founding a burn-rehabilitation charity and helping survivors like herself reframe "Why me?" as "What now?" It's a special conversation about resilience, personal reinvention and leading through adversity. You'll learn: -Why real confidence comes from knowing you can adapt and recover…
S1 · E212 · 3 Aug 2026 · 21 min
How to Focus on What Matters Most: 5 Leaders' Effective Strategies
How do you focus on what matters most in a distracted and noisy world? In this special Meet the Leader episode, leading thinkers and adventurers share practical ways to reclaim your attention and sharpen your focus so you can spend your time on the right priorities. Their strategies and approaches for leaders will help you refresh your thinking, make better decisions and prevent distraction from turning into burnout. Leaders will learn to: Rethink the first and last things you do each day to sharpen your attention Craft a "to-feel list" to clarify priorities and make days more meaningful…
S1 · E211 · 27 Jul 2026 · 35 min
How to Face Uncertainty and Take Action: Lessons from a Blind Sailor's Pacific Crossing
How can leaders move forward when pressure is high and the way is not clear? Blind adventurer Hiro Iwamoto and his 'seeing eye Doug" guide Doug Smith sailed across the Pacific in 55 days, from San Diego to Fukushima. The two share key strategies for leaders in taking action despite uncertainty and what's needed to pick the right partners to make impossible projects a reality. Hiro also shares how he stays calm in moments of extreme adversity, like when whale sank his boat during an earlier attempt leaving him in a life raft for 11 hours amid five-metre waves. Key takeaways: Courage means…
S1 · E210 · 21 Jul 2026 · 22 min
AI and Jobs series: How entry level jobs are changing in an AI era
Entry-level jobs provide a special window into the wider changes we'll see to job design and skill development. In this episode of Meet the Leader, Peter Brown of PwC explains how entry-level roles are transforming and breaks down new research on what employers really want from entry-level workers now. He also shares how these roles can continue to serve as training grounds for career skills like collaboration, critical thinking, and relationship building and why a thoughtful redesign of these roles will be key to future leadership development. Top names from our Chief People Officer…
S1 · E209 · 13 Jul 2026 · 28 min
AI and Jobs Series: Fixing the Skills Mismatch and Navigating Upskilling's 'Messy Middle' - An Expert Explains
New research shows many labor markets face a skills mismatch, not a talent shortage. And in the 'messy middle' of the AI transformation, that mismatch will be harder for leaders, workers and hiring managers to ignore as they build future-ready teams. To compete, companies will need to focus on skills-based hiring to ensure worker capabilities reflect what rapidly evolving roles require. In this episode, Maria Flynn, CEO of non-profit Jobs for the Future, explains why skills, not degrees will be the currency of the future workplace, and why education and workforce systems built for the past…
S1 · E208 · 6 Jul 2026 · 28 min
AI and Jobs Series: What one company stopped doing - an HR exec shares lessons shaping the future of work
As AI grows more powerful and takes on more rote work, what should humans stop doing? Fertility benefits company Progyny took on this question as a company to re-evaluate routines and norms and how AI might help work evolve. Chief Human Resources Officer Cassandra Pratt shares how teams there are using AI to reduce rote work, rethink job design, improve meeting culture and give people more time for the human side of work that machines cannot do, such as building trust and strengthening relationships. The first in a three-part AI and Jobs series. Key takeaways: The importance of clear goals…
S1 · E207 · 8 Jun 2026 · 22 min
5 leaders from NVIDIA, Goldman Sachs and more share career advice for uncertain times
Top leaders from NVIDIA, Walmart International, TIAA, Goldman Sachs and NYU share career advice, leadership lessons and practical ways to stay resilient through uncertainty in an AI age. This an inspiring collection of advice and personal anecdotes shared at this spring's commencement addresses can help anyone from new grads to veteran professionals navigate coming AI shifts and other big career pivots. In this episode: NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang on AI and maximizing your potential TIAA CEO Thasunda Brown Duckett on the advice she gives her team Social Psychologist Jonathan Haidt's 3 tips on…
S1 · E206 · 26 May 2026 · 23 min
AI 'workslop' is a leadership problem. Here's how to fix it
Workslop – low-quality work produced through poor human-AI collaboration – is wasting time, slowing teams down and limiting the productivity gains leaders expect from AI. But the problem isn't always the technology – it's often a signal to leaders that teams need more support. Workslop often reflects unclear standards, weak direction and poor feedback. In this episode, BetterUp CEO Alexi Robichaux explains why AI can amplify both good and bad leadership standards, and why leaders need to define what excellent work looks like before AI scales a team's output. He also shares how AI coaching…
S1 · E205 · 18 May 2026 · 35 min
How to Lead People Through AI Change: Questions to Ask from a Transformation Expert
Are you building game-changing AI solutions? Or just automating low-stakes work that makes the "irrelevant efficient"? Nigel Vaz, Publicis Sapient's CEO and a digital transformation expert, talked to Meet The Leader to explain why many AI strategies fall short and what's needed to lead teams through technological change. In this episode, Vaz shares the questions that can refine your strategic discussions on AI and help close the gap between AI expectations and results. He also shares why the hardest part of AI transformation isn't the tech but getting the people part right -- and what helps…
S1 · E204 · 11 May 2026 · 24 min
What women's sports reveals about building future leaders: Deloitte's Lara Abrash
How can we strengthen leadership pipelines? One overlooked answer: Invest in women's sports. Data shows that investment in women's sports creates a powerful yet under-appreciated talent pipeline, building future leaders, closing the gender gap and driving high-performing teams. Deloitte US Chair Lara Abrash shares insights from the firm's research on women's sports – both the billion-dollar economic opportunity it represents and the unsung way sports strengthens the leadership talent pipeline. Abrash, active in a range of sports since her youth, will also break down the leadership skills,…
S1 · E201 · 4 May 2026 · 22 min
The Attention Crisis: How leaders can fix focus and happiness in an AI Era - Psychologist Jonathan Haidt
As tech and AI transform productivity and free us from rote work, will humanity finally crack happiness? Maybe not, warns Jonathan Haidt. This social psychologist, NYU professor and bestselling author of The Anxious Generation has spent years studying the links between happiness, technology, and societal change. Unless key steps are taken, he says, the technologies transforming work and communication could pull humans further from a sense of meaning, connection and purpose, taking happiness even further from our grasps. To progress on any big challenge ahead will depend on restoring focus,…
S1 · E202 · 22 Apr 2026 · 27 min
How mentoring shaped top leaders - and how it's changing in an AI era
As more professionals turn to AI for career guidance, is human mentorship extinct? Not by a long shot, according to our experts. Mentors will continue to be critical in shaping talent, but will make their mark not by sharing expertise but by leveraging truly human skills -- by meeting changing needs in time and by being a champion that unlocks potential, not just directs it. Key insights: - Mentorship is moving from expertise to emotional intelligence - The best leaders will continue to prioritize people over output alone In this moment of change, Learn how the top minds of our time have…
S1 · E201 · 7 Apr 2026 · 25 min
What Astronauts Know About High-Performing Teams (That Many Don't Understand)
Teamwork beats raw talent. It's a fact astronauts know well but one that Earthbound teams can sometimes overlook. European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti shares what space crews understand about building teams that work well together – and the shift that preparation undertook to make that happen. She shares what mentors taught her about being a great team member and why the 'experience' of the work day is as important as the task at hand. She also details other lessons learned from her more than 200 days in space, including: -Why the best leaders are great followers -Why space…
S1 · E200 · 2 Apr 2026 · 50 min
Meet The Leader at 200: 20 Leaders Share Their Best Tips, Aha Moments and Advice
Learn when you listen. Know your strengths can be weaknesses. Take your space before someone takes it for you. This 200th 'Best of' episode collects hard-won lessons learned and one-of-a-kind moments from this podcast's past 6 years. Listen to the late Jane Goodall recall a transformative run-in with a grumpy cabbie or hear the critical question that helped AWS teams get future-ready. It's a hit parade of top names, from IKEA to Microsoft, from Misty Copeland to Matt Damon, drawing insights and turning points that have shaped CEOs, startup founders, actors, activists, fashion designers, AI…
S1 · E199 · 27 Mar 2026 · 25 min
Why Smart Ideas Don't Always Land — and How to Build Creative, Curious Teams
In an AI era, the real competitive advantage won't come from generating more ideas, but picking the right idea to take forward. Leaders who foster cultures of creativity and curiosity will build teams better able to sharpen focus, challenge assumptions, and execute in the most effective and compelling ways. Liberty Science Center CEO Paul Hoffman is a noted expert on connecting the public to the sciences. He'll explain how that major cultural institution makes complex ideas clear and irresistible. The long-time science writer, puzzle maker, brainstorming expert and former head of the…
S1 · E198 · 16 Mar 2026 · 32 min
Matt Damon and Gary White: Why the Global Water Crisis Is Really a Finance Problem
2.1 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water. Solving this problem will take more than charity - it will take innovation and a new approach to scaling partnerships, building awareness and raising funding. In this episode, Water.org 's co-founders Matt Damon and Gary White share key efforts to fix the 'financial plumbing' connecting people and capital, helping to bridge the water gap for 85 million around the world, including: Water Credit (a specialized microfinance solution funding safe water and sanitation solutions) and Water Equity (an asset manager mobilizing private…
S1 · E197 · 12 Mar 2026 · 38 min
Suleika Jaouad: Harnessing Creativity and Curiosity to Lead Through Uncertainty
For Suleika Jaouad, a best-selling author and 3-time cancer survivor, journaling became a life-changing creative outlet during her battles with leukemia as well as a powerful tool for navigating uncertainty. It also became a surprising way to connect with others leading to singular projects that have stuck a chord with hundreds of thousands such as her book, The Book of Alchemy, and her 300,000 member Substack, The Isolation Journals, projects that merge journal prompts and personal essays from the top creative minds of our time. She breaks down practical ways anyone can carve out time for…
S1 · E196 · 7 Mar 2026 · 27 min
Burnout: 4 Leaders share real-world stories and how to cope
Burnout and work-related depression costs the world an estimated $1 trillion dollars a year in lost working days – and chances are you've felt that stress yourself. In this special compilation episode, highlighting interviews recorded over the past year, leaders share their personal experiences with burnout and exhaustion. They also offer practical, tactical steps for recognizing burnout early, setting boundaries, fostering psychological safety and building teams that are resilient — not just productive. Leaders featured include: -David Ko, CEO of Calm, who reveals the blind spots that leave…
S1 · E195 · 23 Feb 2026 · 40 min
Why one CEO sets 'non-goals' - and what ultramarathons taught him about focus and mental toughness
The Atlantic CEO Nicholas Thompson ran all his life but became an ultramarathoner in his 40s. Recommitting to the sport helped him break records and even get faster as he aged. The discipline he built also helped transform his approach to nearly every aspect of his life. His latest book, The Running Ground , focuses on his own personal journey with running, a sport that helped him cope with a cancer diagnosis in his 30s and later process his relationship with his complicated father. In this special conversation, Nick shares what running can teach leaders about the healthy habits that…
S1 · E194 · 19 Feb 2026 · 26 min
How to close gender gaps in tech - and the one skill AI can't learn
While prospects for women in tech and AI have improved over the years, women still comprise just a fraction of the tech workforce. Ayumi Moore Aoki is the founder of Women in Tech Global, an organization with a presence in over 60 countries around the world, one designed to empower women in the sector. She shares how a leaky talent pipeline makes opportunity harder to seize, what's needed at each stage of women's careers to bridge gaps and what leaders can do to ensure they make the most of their team's talents. She'll also explain what skills will be more important than ever for leaders in…
S1 · E193 · 12 Feb 2026 · 17 min
Be your own role model - a female rocket scientist, pioneer and science influencer explains
Women comprise just a fraction of the aerospace sector - a field research says is poised for trillion-dollar growth in the years to come. Mishaal Ashemimry is the head of the Centre for Space Futures where she works to improve space policies and unlock the next phase of the space economy. She shares her experience as a woman not just in a male-dominated sector but in a region that for much of her life didn't have a formal space agency. She explains what slows the growth of women in aerospace and what's changing for the better in this sector. She also shares the mindsets and strategies she…
S1 · E192 · 5 Feb 2026 · 27 min
The questions top Davos leaders are asking to start 2026
How can leaders navigate a world roiled by a host of uncertainties, from the impact of AI to jobs and economies, to an ever-warming world and increasing geopolitical conflicts? They can start by asking the right questions. In this special episode, with interviews recorded in Davos, leaders share what's top of mind for 2026. They give their thoughts on how leaders can navigate the unknown, their strategies to focus on what matters most and the key questions they're looking to answer at the start the year. Featured in this episode: Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International…
S1 · E191 · 30 Jan 2026 · 36 min
How to upskill for an AI Age: Workera CEO Kian Katanforoosh
Upskilling for an AI era will be critical. While it requires a strong grasp of individuals' skills and potential, data shows leaders wildly overestimate their own capabilities and can misjudge what their teams can offer. CEO Kian Katanforoosh of skills measurement platform Workera shares what's needed to bridge these gaps and what could be ahead to keep pace with changing needs. He offers a sneak peek at what the future could look like, tackling questions on how AI can reshape mentorship and why it might one day be unethical for a human (rather than a machine) to judge another human's…
S1 · E190 · 24 Jan 2026 · 31 min
Davos 2026: Conversation with Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase
JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon, the CEO of one of the largest banks in the world, has a frank and lively one-on-one conversation in Davos with Economist editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes on a host of topics, including: what's needed to unlock growth; how rapid technological shifts could spur economic growth; how AI is integrated AI into the typical JPMorgan workday and how policy moves can impact economies and affordability. He also shares what's driven his successes, what his failures have in common and why not every question will have a simple answer. About this episode: Watch this…
S1 · E189 · 23 Jan 2026 · 33 min
Davos 2026: Conversation with Jensen Huang, President and CEO of NVIDIA
How will AI's hotly anticipated growth take shape? And what makes this moment different than past technology cycles? Could it really spark labor shortages, not labor surpluses? These questions and others are answered In a special one-on-one session at the 2026 Annual Meeting in Davos where NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang digs into these themes with Larry Fink, the World Economic Forum's own Interim Co-Chair and BlackRock's President and CEO. Recorded at the Annual Meeting in Davos Switzerland 2026. Read a transcript of this episode here:…
S1 · E188 · 23 Jan 2026 · 32 min
Davos 2026: Conversation with Elon Musk
How can tech maximize the future of civilization? In a chat with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO discusses the role of robotics in tackling stubborn issues such as global poverty as well as how it could drive an expansion in the global economy. He also explores how reusable rockets will drop the cost of access to space, how he sees AI developing in the years ahead and his take on optimism. Speakers: Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla; Chief Engineer, SpaceX; CTO, xAI; and Laurence D. Fink, Chair and CEO, BlackRock; Interim Co-Chair, World Economic Forum. This session was recorded at…
S1 · E187 · 22 Jan 2026 · 28 min
Davos 2026: IMF's Kristalina Georgieva on what's next for AI, skills and the global economy
What's ahead for the economy and how can leaders navigate economic uncertainty in 2026? Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva takes us through: the International Monetary Fund's new research on the surprising impacts AI could have on jobs and paychecks, which country's workers could be best poised for these new shifts, and why policymakers could play a make-or-break role in what plays out. She'll also share the organization's outlook for the year and what to expect as new changes for trade and geopolitical tensions take shape. Recorded live from the Congress Centre the Annual Meeting in…

About Meet The Leader

Meet The Leader is a English business podcast from World Economic Forum. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: World Economic Forum
Language: English
Category: Business
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 27 min
Latest episode: 31 Aug 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1534915560
Rights: World Economic Forum

RSS feed Apple Podcasts

More English business

Take it with you

The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.