Inside the Mind of the CEO

Obi Ozor, the founder of Kobo360, a data-driven logistics startup based in Nigeria, explains how COVID-19 is accelerating digitization, which in turn is improving food security in Africa.

Chantelle Abdul grew Mojec International Holdings from a small family-owned business in Nigeria into an energy business that has helped modernize the country’s electricity market. Now, she’s thinking even bigger.

Felipe Bayón, CEO of Ecopetrol, Colombia’s biggest company, explains how the company is transforming to stay on top.

Arthur Huang, CEO of Miniwiz, wants to build a circular economy by changing people’s minds about the value of trash.

John Riady, the CEO of Indonesia’s Lippo Karawaci, is a young business leader with an eye for the future of his company and his region.

Stephen A. Schwarzman discusses what it takes to think big — in business, deals, and philanthropy.

Li & Fung CEO Spencer Fung has explicitly championed a digital transformation of one of the world’s most influential supply chain solutions platforms.

Silvio Kutić, CEO of Infobip, discusses the evolution of messaging technology and the ways in which artificial intelligence will change how we interact with the Internet.

How Bhaskar Bhat turned an Indian watchmaking startup into a lifestyle giant.

Roberto Martínez, CEO of PepsiCo Foods Mexico, is capitalizing on digital tools to better understand the needs of new consumers. And he’s not forgetting about the power of empathy.

How Segun Agbaje, CEO of Nigeria’s Guaranty Trust Bank, is building a financial institution for the digital age.

The former Stanford president and current Alphabet chair distills leadership lessons from a long career in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Daniel Dines runs UiPath — the only unicorn to emerge from Romania and one of the world's fastest-growing software companies — which helps businesses design the way they automate processes.

João Paulo Ferreira, CEO of Natura, Brazil’s largest cosmetics company, uses the secrets of the Amazon to fuel an ambitious, environmentally responsible expansion agenda.

As head of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Nicky Newton-King has pushed companies to look beyond shareholder return and earn the trust of the community.

At the 2019 meeting of CEO Action, chief executives talk about the challenge of fostering diversity and inclusion in their companies and industries.

Steelcase CEO Jim Keane explains how giving people work-space choices can make workplace behavior more human.

Paul Polman, former chief executive of Unilever, explains why partnerships among government, civil society, and business are urgently needed.

How Beth Mooney, CEO of KeyCorp and chair of the Cleveland Clinic, earns trust in banking and healthcare.

How Peter Amangbo, outgoing group managing director and CEO of Zenith Bank, positioned it to win the 30 percent of Nigerians who don’t have bank accounts.

Barbara Humpton, US CEO of one of the largest and oldest engineering firms in the world, talks about continuous innovation, the future of AI, and the societal aspects of technology.

Johan Torgeby, CEO of Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (SEB), one of the biggest Nordic banks, explains how trust and technology must form the foundations of banking in the digital world.

Pinnacle Group CEO Nina Vaca’s top priorities are to keep growing fast and expand the talent pipeline.

Jean-Dominique Senard, the departing CEO of Michelin and incoming chair of Renault and of the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi alliance, argues that the prevailing concept of corporate purpose needs an update.

An Conghui, president of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group and CEO of Geely Auto Group, explains the future of flying cars and the value of an international brand.

Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, who leads one of the Philippines’ biggest conglomerates, explains how Southeast Asian companies are taking advantage of the changes in East–West dynamics.

Linamar is evolving from an automotive supplier into fields such as agricultural equipment and infrastructure. As CEO Linda Hasenfratz tells us, it’s all part of the 100-year plan.

CEO Hernán Rincón explains his goal to transform Avianca into a digital company that flies airplanes.

Nancy McKinstry, CEO and chairman of Wolters Kluwer, explains how going digital is allowing a 183-year-old provider of specialist information and expert solutions to prosper in a data-driven world.

For Antonio Huertas Mejías, chief executive officer of the MAPFRE insurance company, economic growth aligns with making a sustainable contribution to the wider community.

Peloton’s bikes may be stationary. But as CEO John Foley tells us, the company is on the move.

In 2014, Piyush Gupta, CEO of DBS Bank of Singapore, asked his staff to think like the employees of a fintech startup and build the digital capabilities they would need to succeed.

Despite the continent's governance challenges, Standard Bank CEO Sim Tshabalala says Africa is open for business and ready to take advantage of rapid digitization.

Daniel Hulme, CEO of the AI solutions startup Satalia, offers other chief executives a primer on the technology that will shape the future of work and business.

For Greg Lehmkuhl, president and CEO of Lineage Logistics, temperature-controlled supply chains for perishables are one of the world’s next great platforms.

Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chair of Tata Sons, sets a strategic course for the 21st century.

Adidas CEO Kasper Rørsted explains how to align business strategy and execution during a shift in global consumer demand.

Brazilian media and private equity leader Eduardo Sirotsky Melzer has a message for high-tech, middle-market companies in emerging economies: This could be their moment.

Jim Clifton, chief executive of Gallup Inc., has a robust theory about entrepreneurialism and economic recovery.

Building strategy at a newly spun-off company means moving quickly to reset expectations.

Pursuit of innovation is crucial in the competitive global market.

The “head magician” at Katjes Magic Candy Factory talks about custom candy, serial entrepreneurship, technology, and the growing pains of startups.

Today’s CEO creates opportunity through innovation and customer awareness. Strong cultural values come from the top.

Jonathan Warburton, chairman of U.K. bakery chain Warburtons, is clear-sighted about developing family talent and attracting top managers.

Yasuyuki Nambu, CEO of Japan’s Pasona Group, is reframing short-term employment as a means of social benefit.

Valentin Stalf, chief executive of German financial-services startup N26, wants banking to be like music downloading.

Bernardo Vargas Gibsone, CEO of the Colombian utility and construction company ISA, sees opportunity emerging from turmoil.

For Shin Sakane, CEO of Japan’s Seven Dreamers Laboratories, the key to innovation is satisfying unrecognized customer needs.

Michael Pennisi, the chief executive of QSuper, one of Australia’s largest pension funds, describes how to change direction at scale.

In the first interview in this series, which kicks off PwC’s 2018 CEO Survey, chief executive Safra Catz explains the broad culture shift brought on by AI and cloud technologies.