The So What from BCG
This podcast from Boston Consulting Group looks around the corner of today’s big business and social issues. The goal–the so what–is to make sense of today and prepare busy leaders and executives for the day after tomorrow. Award-winning British journalist Georgie Frost interviews the leading thinkers and doers at BCG on the trends, developments, and ideas that will shape and disrupt the future. This is not your typical business strategy podcast.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp
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What’s Keeping CEOs Up at Night?
<p>BCG CEO Insomnia Index–Understanding CEO Pressure: More than 70% of CEOs are under chronic stress—but the real sources might surprise you.</p><p>Drawing on BCG’s CEO Insomnia Index, Judith Wallenstein and Christine Barton unpack what’s driving the pressure, why it’s coming from closer than expected, and how it’s starting to impact decision-making at the top. While performance, growth, and cost pressures remain constant, the real weight is coming from much closer to home: boards, leadership teams, and employees.</p><p>You’ll learn:</p><p>The surprising stakeholders creating the most pressure</p><p>How stress n...
Leading Through Scarcity: Purpose Over Panic
<p>CEO lessons for navigating constant change: When resources are tight and uncertainty is high, what keeps organizations moving forward? New Jersey Performing Art Center CEO John Schreiber and BCG’s Rishi Varma share how purpose-led strategy, prioritization, and the right partnerships drive growth. Clear, actionable plans grounded in mission give leaders a north star, helping them stay focused and make hard calls with confidence. </p><p>Learn More </p><p>John Schreiber, President and CEO, New Jersey Performing Arts Center https://www.njpac.org/about/our-people/ </p><p>Rishi Varma, Managing Director & Senior Partner, BCG https://www.bcg.com/ab...
How Asia Is Rising as an AI Superpower
<p>AI innovation no longer flows in one direction. Jeff Walters, who leads the AI topic in Asia Pacific, explains why companies across China, India, and Southeast Asia are moving at speed—and in some cases pulling ahead. For CEOs, the real differentiator isn’t geography. It’s leadership ambition, organizational change, and the willingness to rethink knowledge work from the ground up.</p><p>Learn more: Jeff Walters, Managing Director & Senior Partner, https://www.bcg.com/about/people/experts/jeff-walters</p><p>AI at Work: Is Asia Pacific Leading the Way? https://www.bcg.com/publications/2025/ai-at-work-is-asia-pacific-leading-the-way</p><p>The Wi...
AI Profit, Not Pilots: Lessons from Tech, Media and Telecom
<p>AI is no longer a technology experiment—it’s a business imperative. Val Elbert, a member of BCG’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications practice, explains why CEOs must shift from AI pilots to profit, demand quarterly results from all AI initiatives, and lead cross-functional AI transformations that deliver real bottom-line impact. The winners will scale fast. The rest will be left explaining themselves to investors. </p><p>Learn More </p><p>Val Elbert, BCG Managing Director and Senior Partner, https://www.bcg.com/about/people/experts/val-elbert </p><p>As AI Investments Surge, CEOs Take the Lead, https://www.bcg.com/pu...
High-Performing Leadership Teams Are Built, Not Bought
<p>What makes a leadership team truly high performing, and why does it matter for the entire organization? Judith Wallenstein, CEO Advisory Global Lead of BCG, and Khadija Ben Hammada, Chief People Officer of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, explore this topic and more. They share how CEOs can build executive teams grounded in trust, purpose, and psychological safety. When the top team clicks, the whole company moves faster and with more clarity.</p><p>Learn more: https://lnk.to/so-what-general-show32</p><p>Learn More:</p><p>Judith Wallenstein, Managing Director & Senior Partner, Global Lead, CEO Advisory</p><p>https://www...
Whatever Happened to the Energy Transition?
<p>The global energy transition is growing in complexity with shifting economics, soaring electricity demand, and competing national priorities. Maurice Berns and Asheesh Sastry from BCG’s Center for Energy Impact lay out how leaders can keep up by focusing on the economics, creating strategies for individual markets, and staying ahead of policy shifts.</p><p>Learn More:</p>Maurice Berns, Chair, BCG Center for Energy Impact https://www.bcg.com/about/people/experts/maurice-bernsAsheesh Sastry, Managing Director & Senior Partner https://www.bcg.com/about/people/experts/asheesh-sastryThe Energy Transition’s Next Chapter https://www.bcg.com/publications/2025/global-energy-landscape-next-chapterBCG Center for...
Special Episode: Davos Wrap-up
<p>Join several BCG senior partners as they share their insights from their time on the ground at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. BCG invites you to an exclusive look at the forces shaping the CEO agenda in 2026. </p><p>BCG’s Judith Wallenstein, Aparna Bharadwaj, and Vlad Lukic discuss what they learned from their personal conversations with CEOs and global leaders at Davos. They share practical guidance for organizations preparing for the year ahead in AI, geopolitics, and other areas. </p><p>Chapters </p><p> </p><p>Learn more: </p><p>BCG at Davos, https://www.bc...
Successful CEOs Know That Growth Isn’t Magic. It’s Management.
<p>CEOs must pursue growth transformation with the same rigor that they bring when they tackle costs. Tuukka Seppä, BCG’s global chair of transformation, explains why CEOs need bold targets, smart incentives, and relentless follow-through to scale effectively. He unpacks the common misconceptions that hold companies back, the impact of a chief transformation officer, and why this is the moment to shift from reacting to rebuilding. </p><p>Listen on podcast platforms: https://lnk.to/so-what-general-show12 </p><p>Learn More: </p>Tuukka Seppa: https://www.bcg.com/about/people/experts/tuukka-seppa BCG’s Latest Thinking on Business Transformation: https://www.b...
From the Archive: Winning the Rest of the 20s
<p>Rich Lesser, BCG’s global chair, and Martin Reeves, chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, reflect on the shocks and surprises that shaped the first half of the decade and what they reveal about the future. They explore the traits leaders need today: building trust, staying geopolitically aware, and adopting AI in a people-centered way.</p><p>Learn More:</p><p>Rich Lesser: https://on.bcg.com/4lZrWla</p><p>Martin Reeves: https://on.bcg.com/4lXaAVX</p><p>Winning in the 20s: https://on.bcg.com/4lpe1oo</p><p>Winning the ’20s: A Leadership Agenda for the Next...
The Untapped Market Opportunity Hiding in Plain Sight
<p>Many companies have a blind spot when it comes to serving women. In fields from health care to financial services, they often treat women just like men—even though their needs are very different. BCG’s Alex Friedman and Trish Stroman share tangible steps leaders can take today to better serve women—who are responsible for up to 80% of spending. Organizations that are best positioned won't guess what women want—they’ll co-create with them and design for real needs. </p><p> </p><p>Learn More: </p><p>Alex Friedman: https://on.bcg.com/3XW4lry </p><p>Trish Stroman: https://on.bcg...
