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Meet The Leader

Meet The Leader

World Economic Forum 207 Episodes Aug 17, 2026

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.

Episodes

The books that shaped and inspired 5 tech founders
The books that shaped and inspired 5 tech founders Aug 17, 2026 11:47 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 th
Find your purpose after major setbacks: Katie Piper on how to adapt, reinvent and lead
Find your purpose after major setbacks: Katie Piper on how to adapt, reinvent and lead Aug 10, 2026 24:56 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 m
How to Focus on What Matters Most: 5 Leaders' Effective Strategies
How to Focus on What Matters Most: 5 Leaders' Effective Strategies Aug 3, 2026 21:06 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 t
How to Face Uncertainty and Take Action: Lessons from a Blind Sailor's Pacific Crossing
How to Face Uncertainty and Take Action: Lessons from a Blind Sailor's Pacific Crossing Jul 27, 2026 35:05 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
AI and Jobs series: How entry level jobs are changing in an AI era
AI and Jobs series: How entry level jobs are changing in an AI era Jul 21, 2026 21:56 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
AI and Jobs Series: Fixing the Skills Mismatch and Navigating Upskilling's 'Messy Middle' - An Expert Explains
AI and Jobs Series: Fixing the Skills Mismatch and Navigating Upskilling's 'Messy Middle' - An Expert Explains Jul 13, 2026 28:25 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 ep
AI and Jobs Series: What one company stopped doing - an HR exec shares lessons shaping the future of work
AI and Jobs Series: What one company stopped doing - an HR exec shares lessons shaping the future of work Jul 6, 2026 27:57 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 fo
5 leaders from NVIDIA, Goldman Sachs and more share career advice for uncertain times
5 leaders from NVIDIA, Goldman Sachs and more share career advice for uncertain times Jun 8, 2026 21:46 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 p
AI 'workslop' is a leadership problem. Here's how to fix it
AI 'workslop' is a leadership problem. Here's how to fix it May 26, 2026 22:47   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 Robicha
How to Lead People Through AI Change: Questions to Ask from a Transformation Expert
How to Lead People Through AI Change: Questions to Ask from a Transformation Expert May 18, 2026 35:26 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 dis
What women's sports reveals about building future leaders: Deloitte's Lara Abrash
What women's sports reveals about building future leaders: Deloitte's Lara Abrash May 11, 2026 23:37 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 econom
The Attention Crisis: How leaders can fix focus and happiness in an AI Era - Psychologist Jonathan Haidt
The Attention Crisis: How leaders can fix focus and happiness in an AI Era - Psychologist Jonathan Haidt May 4, 2026 22:23 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 communicat

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