Global rules are being rewritten. Pictet’s Maria Vassalou joins David Bach to discuss BRICS, AI, aging societies – and why leaders must rethink everything they thought they knew.

As global trade rules unravel, AI accelerates, and demographics shift dramatically, what should business leaders do? What do they need to rethink, and where should they invest? 

Listen to this thought-provoking episode of Leaders Unplugged with the Head of the Pictet Research Institute, Maria Vassalou, and learn how to challenge your assumptions – from China’s long game and the rise of BRICS, to what aging societies and AI mean for future growth. In conversation with IMD’s president David Bach, Maria Vassalou shares a powerful message: Globalization, free trade, and world peace – the principles most of us have built their decisions on – are all being challenged, she says. “And the idea that we can continue doing what we have been doing seems… not a very good idea.” Her advice: The winners of the next three decades will lead with “strategic investments in demographics, technology diffusion, and production efficiencies.”

If you want to understand where the world is headed – listen to this episode.

Harvard’s Daniel Ziblatt explores how democracies fail and why business leaders must act now before it’s too late.

“Democracy is a system of competition: not harmony, but contest... When that competition is fair, something extraordinary happens.” 

In this gripping keynote and fireside conversation with IMD President David Bach, Harvard professor and political scientist Daniel Ziblatt reframes democracy as a circuit breaker against power hoarding — and business leaders as essential players in defending it. 

Recorded live at IMD’s annual flagship event OWP, Ziblatt warns that “most democracies die at the hands of elected leaders... who use the very institutions of democracy to subvert it.” 

For Ziblatt, democracy is not idealistic fluff — it’s a vital check on catastrophic failure. “Without democracy, political leaders are much more likely to make major blunders.”

Ziblatt, author of “How Democracies Die”, delivers a direct challenge to those in the room, and to everyone listening: “The future of democracy is in the hands of people like you – people in positions of leadership in society – to draw the red lines, to remind fellow citizens of this, and to stand up for democracy.”

Marc Maurer didn’t build ON by playing it safe. In this live conversation with IMD’s Alyson Meister, the outgoing Co-CEO explains why betting on purpose, rejecting hype, and ignoring the industry playbook paid off:

1. Culture over hype.
 “We’re actually the anti-metaverse.” ON doubled down on real-life movement instead of pixels, and built a brand with soul.

2. Purpose-driven growth.
 “Why do we need to grow 28%? Why not 20%? Who tells you it should be 28?” Maurer insists that growth must serve the purpose, not the markets.

3. Hire outsiders, build insiders.
 “For the first 10 years or so, it was forbidden to hire from a competitor.” ON’s originality? No legacy thinking, just bold innovation.

With insights on sustainability, Gen Z expectations, and life after ON, this episode – recorded live at IMD’s flagship event Orchestrating Winning Performance (OWP) – is a masterclass in leadership.

Three alumni. Three decades. One question: What makes IMD’s leadership journey so lasting? 

What do a former Olympic basketball player, a Japanese strategist in London, and a Swiss energy executive have in common? IMD. 

In this special MBA reunion episode of Leaders Unplugged, IMD President David Bach welcomes 

- John Hatch (MBA 1990)

- Kazumi Nakayama (MBA 2015)

- Aurore Amaudruz (MBA 2020) 

for an honest, funny, and reflective conversation on what IMD taught them - and how it shaped the leaders they’ve become.

From pandemic pivots to circular economy lookouts, the three alumni explore how IMD’s emphasis on self-leadership, global perspective, and shared values continues to influence their careers. “I provide a secure base for the team I work with,” says Aurore. “That’s what IMD brought me.” Adds Kazumi: “My perspective matters. That was a discovery.”

And John, now a sustainability board leader, reflects on the future leaders:  "We're going to be faced with a generational change which is just going to hold us to account much differently than what we're currently being pressured." 

Tune in for an unusual intergenerational reunion that explores how to lead differently. 

Global deans on leading through turbulence — and why optimism, not certainty, is the real power in today’s business education.

In today’s episode, IMD President David Bach discusses how the rapid global shifts of the moment impact leadership education, with two of his peers:

– Catherine Duggan, Dean of the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business
– Darren Dahl, Dean at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia

Duggan challenges prevailing assumptions about the Global South, calling African leadership “a masterclass in managing volatility.” Dahl reveals how political instability in the US has made Canada re-evaluate its economic dependence – and sparked a surprising boom in university applications.

This episode is packed with unplugged moments, like when Duggan compares running a business in Africa to “playing video games on hard mode,” and Dahl admits: “We’re not teaching students how to fall down.”

If you’re in leadership, higher education, or just trying to make sense of this moment in history – don’t miss this one.

Leaders Unplugged features real talk with the impactful. Candid, honest, actionable, and fresh from behind the scenes. It is presented by IMD in collaboration with Remote Daily.

In the latest episode, IMD President David Bach explains the vital importance of the partnership between the US government and the elite research universities, what we can learn from the vibrancy of the Middle East, and why Ted Lasso is a better leadership role model than Elon Musk. 

“The US built its global edge by attracting the world’s best. Now, it risks driving them away,” says Bach, who discusses the fallout from the clash between academia and the Trump administration. 

For decades, leading scientists or aspiring scientists from all over the world have gone to the US, says Bach who takes the guest chair with co-host Felix Zeltner, but now there is anecdotal evidence of a “reverse brain drain”. 

“It is ironic that a country that built an important part of its economic success, military strength, and soft power appeal on research universities, which drew people from all over the world, now seems to be doing everything it can to drive their successors back out of the country to Canada, Europe, and Asia.” 

The situation in the US is in stark contrast to the drive for investment in research and education seen in the Gulf region. Fresh from a visit to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the Emirates, Bach was impressed by the vibrancy, optimism, and can-do attitude on display. 

Another key area the Trump administration has turned a spotlight on is leadership by intimidation and insult. In reality, Elon Musk and his ilk have been successful despite their leadership style and not because of it, says Bach. Successful leaders are the ones who have “built long-term sustainable enterprises in which people feel a strong sense of belonging, where they're motivated, and where they're inspired.” 

“Leadership is about two things: direction and energy. If you’re not doing both, you’re not leading.” For a truly inspirational leader, concludes Bach, look no further than Ted Lasso, the fictional soccer coach on Netflix. 

Tune in now to explore the leadership challenges reshaping global talent, innovation, and trust. 

Welcome to the third episode of Leaders Unplugged, presented by IMD, and hosted by IMD's president David Bach, together with Remote Daily's founder Felix Zeltner. 

Leaders Unplugged is real talk with the impactful – candid, honest, and fresh from behind the scenes. 

Today, we take you behind the scenes of a recent gathering led by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development together with IMD, where David sat down with two sustainability experts and leaders: 

• Geraldine Matchett, global board member at Nestlé, ABB, and SwissRe, and Chair of the steering committee of the influential Greenhouse Gas Protocol.
• Stuart DeCew, Executive Director of the Yale Center for Business and the Environment and Lecturer at the Yale School of the Environment.

Together, they explore why transformation and sustainability are inseparable.

“You don't make the climate case with compliance — you make it with innovation", says Stuart and claims that sustainability roles have to shift from reporting to investing, while Geraldine takes it a step further:

“If you're truly going to lead transformation, you can't do it with an inside view of your company. You need to be much more outward-focused. Sustainability is an essential part of your license to operate.”

They unpack the rise of “quiet activists", organizations that stay on course on sustainability while deliberately flying under the radar, making hard choices about what matters most. As Geraldine puts it: ”We officially say this matters a bit less”.

And the conversation goes beyond challenges to highlight the immense opportunities in the sustainability space — from unlocking innovation to attracting and retaining top talent.

Tune in for a fast-paced, thought-provoking journey into why sustainability isn’t a side topic any more — it’s the strategy.

Enjoy listening to this new biweekly series and other IMD podcasts here: https://www.imd.org/ibyimd/podcasts/

Send feedback to: [email protected]

Welcome to the second episode of Leaders Unplugged, a bi-weekly podcast by IMD, hosted by IMD President David Bach with Felix Zeltner. In this wide-ranging chat, David goes from the global to the personal with one of the world’s most prominent bankers: UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti.

At a recent event in Lausanne, Sergio Ermotti joined Bach on stage and put a host of burning questions and discussion points into a larger perspective. Taken straight from the headlines, Ermotti gives his impressions on AI, cryptocurrencies, tariffs, the UBS-Credit Suisse merger, and how Europe should respond to the changing global situation. 

Leaders Unplugged features real talk with the impactful. Candid, honest, actionable, and fresh from behind the scenes. It is presented by the International Institute for Management Development in collaboration with Remote Daily. This episode was edited by Rabea Debus with music by Moritz Katz, and produced by Brendon Hanley and Felix Zeltner. The executive producer of IMD Podcasts is Delia Fischer.

Enjoy listening to this new biweekly series and other IMD podcasts here: https://www.imd.org/ibyimd/podcasts/

Send feedback to: [email protected]

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Leaders Unplugged, presented by IMD and hosted by IMD President David Bach and Felix Zeltner. To kick things off, David and Felix discuss the key learnings from David's recent travels that took him from the World Economic Forum to the World Government Summit, to business school conferences in Las Vegas and Lisbon, and back to IMD's home in Lausanne.

Also a Nestlé Professor of Strategy and Political Economy, David shares his key takeaways, encounters with leaders that have inspired him, and what he is most optimistic about in these very uncertain times. 

Leaders Unplugged features real talk with the impactful. Candid, honest, actionable, and fresh from behind the scenes. It is presented by the International Institute for Management Development in collaboration with Remote Daily. This episode was edited by Rabea Debus with music by Moritz Katz, and produced by Brendon Hanley and Felix Zeltner. The executive producer of IMD Podcasts is Delia Fischer.

Enjoy listening to this new biweekly series and other IMD podcasts here: https://www.imd.org/ibyimd/podcasts/

Send feedback to: [email protected]