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In this episode of PNC C-Speak, Stephen Kramer, CEO of Bright Horizons Family Solutions, discusses the mission and growth of Bright Horizons as the largest provider of employer-sponsored childcare. He shares insights into the challenges employers face with childcare, the impact of COVID-19 on early childhood education and his journey with entrepreneurship. 

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In this episode of PNC C-Speak, Jon Bernstein, regional president for PNC Bank New England, turns from host to guest as he’s interviewed by Boston Business Journal Market President and Publisher Carolyn Jones. They discuss Bernstein’s career journey at PNC Bank, as well as his commitment to furthering early childhood education.

Bernstein also provided advice for the next generation of leaders. 

“The best in the world are the best at something because they’re always finding ways to get better. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, there are ways to get better. You need to maintain that curiosity and that exploration and that passion,” Bernstein says.

Listen to hear more about:

-              PNC’s growth in the New England region (0:45)

-              The bank’s efforts to improve early childhood education (6:38)

-              Bernstein’s appointment as chair of the Mass Business Roundtable (11:37)

-              What Bernstein wishes for Boston (18:14)

In this episode of PNC C-Speak, Ming Min Hui, executive director of the Boston Ballet, shares her journey from a ballet-loving child to a Wall Street banker and ultimately to Boston Ballet. She discusses the importance of merging business acumen with arts management, the mission-driven aspects of her work, and how the Boston Ballet influences the community through education and accessibility. 

“Because it is a nonprofit and it’s a mission-fulfilling organization, we can keep at the center of everything we do a real focus on pushing the boundaries of dance forward,” Hui says. “Really taking the risks of innovating and investing in these large-scale artistic works that are not necessarily commercially driven.”

Listen to hear more about: 

• How Hui’s career went from Wall Street to ballet (0:53)
• The involvement of Boston Ballet in the community (7:58) 
• The ways the Boston Ballet is shaping Boston’s cultural landscape (15:10)          What’s next for the Boston Ballet (21:47)

Download a transcript of this episode.

In this episode of PNC C-Speak, Christophe Weber, president and CEO of Takeda Pharmaceuticals, discusses the company’s global footprint and its mission to deliver life-transforming medicines worldwide. 

 Weber shares his leadership perspective, emphasizing the importance of cultural agility and value-driven operations. 

 “Our mission is to deliver life-transforming medicines. When we develop new medicines —  which is a very hard mission — we really aim for that medicine to be made available across the world for all patients,” Weber says.

 Listen to hear more about:

-              Takeda’s approach to ‘caring leadership’ (4:33)

-              How Takeda’s corporate social responsibility program unites all employees (8:46)

-              Where Takeda believes AI can make a difference (12:10)

-              Why Takeda moved its headquarters to Massachusetts (15:00)

Download a transcript of this episode.

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In this episode of PNC C-Speak, Justin Pasquariello, president and CEO of East Boston Social Centers, and Sarah Siegel Muncey, co-president of Neighborhood Villages, delve into the missions of their organizations and their impactful partnership.

Muncey highlights Neighborhood Villages’ mission to establish a structured child care system and details their collaborative approach to support schools and care providers. Pasquariello shares his journey into early childhood and community work, emphasizing the importance of addressing foundational social issues and building resilient, joy-filled communities. 

Listen to hear more about: 

·      Why Sarah Siegel Munsey started Neighborhood Villages (00:32)

·      The partnership between East Boston Social Centers and Neighborhood Villages (4:09)

·      How Pasquariello leads successful programs while working to change the early childhood system (11:17) 

·      Key accomplishments of each organization (22:34)

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On this episode of PNC C-Speak, David Dunbar, president and CEO of Standex, discusses his leadership journey and the evolution of Standex, including the company’s history and strategic pivots.

Dunbar shares his thoughts on problem-solving, maintaining a high-performance culture and the value of humor in leadership. 

Listen to hear more about: 

-              The history of Standex (1:09)

-              How Dunbar’s lessons in leadership shaped his outlook (7:26)

-              What Dunbar looks for when recruiting leaders (13:54)

-              Dunbar’s experience with songwriting (19:19)

-              His perspective on the Northeast as a place to live and work (22:11)

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On this episode of PNC C-Speak, Alan Trefler, founder and CEO of Pegasystems, joins to discuss his entrepreneurial journey that led to a billion-dollar company. He shares the importance of fostering curiosity in business, managing technological transitions and the impact of AI on future business processes. 

Trefler also touches on his passion for chess — he became a master at age 19 — and his experiences and lessons as the son of a Holocaust survivor and his philanthropic efforts through the Trefler Foundation.

Listen to the podcast to learn more about: 

·      Pega’s business model and impact (2:05)

·      How Pega has navigated major technology transitions (4:32)

·      Trefler’s North Star as he leads the company (6:39)

·      How chess factors into Trefler’s business strategy (12:46)

·      Trefler’s favorite spot in Boston (22:16) 

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In this episode, Saskia Epstein, SVP PNC Bank in New England, sits down with Eneida Roman, president and CEO of ALX, and Kristin McSwain, senior advisor for early childhood and director of the Office of Early Childhood for the city of Boston, to discuss the state of early childhood education in the region. 

McSwain shares how she became interested in early childhood education and what led her to become involved in The Boston Opportunity Agenda, as well as to spearhead development of programs for young people and child care in the Office of Early Childhood.

“I think it’s really important for our child care providers to see themselves as business leaders,” McSwain says. “They’re providing those first formative four or five years for our littlest learners that are really important for the economic prosperity of our region.” 

In the episode, Roman discusses the fact that a significant amount of child care providers in Massachusetts are Latina and how she has focused on providing programs for those individuals to set children up for success.

“I have this immense awareness of how important it is to make sure we have a structured child care space for children so that when they’re ready to enter a school, they have the basic knowledge and tools to be able to be successful,” Roman says. 

Listen to hear more about:

·      The Boston Opportunity Agenda and early childhood initiatives (1:59)

·      Boston’s approach to early childhood and the child care census (5:50)

·      Mentorship and business skills for child care providers (13:57)

·      What actions the business community can take to support early childhood education (26:23)

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On this episode of PNC C-Speak, Lila Snyder, CEO of Bose Corp., discusses her vision for the company’s future, leveraging AI to enhance user experience and Massachusetts’ role as a hub for talent and business.

Snyder also touches on the company’s culture of innovation and how her team pushes the envelope in audio technology. 

“Most great innovation comes from understanding where your customer has pain points, so we spend a lot of time being customers ourselves, talking to customers, learning about what our customers really care about,” Snyder said.

Listen to the podcast to learn more about: 

• The importance of leadership and connection during the Covid-19 pandemic (3:15)
• Snyder’s personal career path from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to Bose (8:19)[JL2] 
• Advice Snyder would share with her younger self (13:49)
• The future of innovation at Bose and how AI fits in (21:11)

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Nearly 75% of employees in the U.S. have caregiving responsibilities outside of work, and more than two-thirds of children age 6 and under have two parents who work, which underscores the importance of supporting parents in the labor force. 

“We took this data and thought, ‘What if there’s an opportunity to really focus in on the internal policies that these businesses have,’” said Sadie Funk, national director and co-founder, The Best Place for Working Parents. “Could we build a multi-pronged solution that really allows these businesses and supports these businesses to attract and retain their top talent?” 

In this episode of PNC C-Speak: The Language of Executives, Funk joins Brooke Thomson, president and CEO of Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM), to talk about the innovative ways businesses are supporting their working caregivers. The two organizations partnered to bring the Best Place for Working Parents designation to Massachusetts in 2022.

This episode is the latest segment in a C-Speak miniseries exploring the relationship between early childhood and the economy. Tune in to learn more about:

• How Massachusetts is leading the way in implementing family-friendly policies (9:40)
• Where businesses stand on flexible work arrangements and remote work (14:49)
• Low- to no-cost solutions for working caregivers, including accessing the Best Place for Working Parents Toolkit (20:49)
• Why Massachusetts was named the No. 1 state for women by Wallethub (26:42) 
• How Thomson has handled parenting challenges (39:10)

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