Looking Beyond With Michael Sikand

In Episode 33, listeners hear from Bain & Company Partner Lori Sherer, who leads Bain’s Advanced Analytics practice, helping companies in verticals like banking, telecom, and healthcare capture more value in their businesses. She discusses the impact of COVID-19 on the consulting industry, the ways in which she makes persuasive recommendations to clients, and her advice to young people interested in recruiting consulting this fall.

In Episode 32, listeners hear from Todd Parsons, Chief Product Officer at OpenX, a leading online advertising exchange. He discusses the rise of first party ad-exchanges on digital platforms, the current dilemma in advertising with negative news content, and his advice to young people interested in advertising and marketing.

In Episode 31, listeners hear from Chuck Muth, Chief Growth Officer at Beyond Meat, about the early pitch that sold him on the company’s mission, the bold move to put plant-based meat alongside animal meat in supermarkets, and his advice for young people who want to excel professionally.

In Episode 30, listeners hear from Chris Murphy, President of the Santa Cruz Warriors, about the relationship between the GSW and the SCW, the evolution of the NBA G-League in recruiting young talent, and his career advice to students who want to work in sports and beyond.

In Episode 29, listeners hear from Dan Springer, CEO of DocuSign, the e-signature pioneer that has become one of the most successful companies in the post-pandemic economy. He talks about his vision for DocuSign's future with new “agreement cloud” services, the way DocuSign verifies signor identity and looks to contend with its growth, and his advice to future business leaders.

In Episode 28, listeners hear from Angel Rich, Founder & CEO of Wealthy Life, a Financial Education Technology Company that designs games to increase financial literacy. Angel made waves around the world when she invented CreditStacker, a game resembling Candy Crush that allows users to learn about credit types and improve their credit scores. It was coined the best financial literacy product in the country by The White House, Department of Education, and JP Morgan Chase, and Google named it one of the Top 10 Apps in the world of 2017.

In Episode 27, listeners hear from Scott Alexander, an acclaimed Hollywood screenwriter who has penned works like "The People vs. Larry Flynt", "Ed Wood", "Man on the Moon", "Dolemite is my Name", and his first TV series, "American Crime Story - The People vs. OJ Simpson" won four Primetime Emmys after airing on FX in 2016. He discusses getting hired by 21st Century Fox as a professional screenwriter at age 22, his upcoming movie with Netflix about Nike founder Phil Knight based on his memoir "Shoe Dog", and his advice to young people who want to notch a career in entertainment.

In Episode 26, listeners hear from Adi Ignatius, Editor-in-Chief of Harvard Business Review, about his time as a WSJ Bureau Chief overseas, how HBR has evolved as an idea exchange in the business world, and his advice to young people interested in media and journalism.

In Episode 25, listeners hear from Samir Patel, Director of Engineering at Instagram, about his experience launching the Google Play Store, the complex challenges in building user trust on social media platforms, and his advice to students who to work in Big Tech. Join Our Future on Instagram @ourfuturerpodcast and Twitter @ourfuturepod.

In Episode 24, listeners hear from Brian Swette, President of Sweet Earth Natural Foods, former CMO of PepsiCo from 1990-1997 and COO of Ebay from 1997-2002, and former board director of iconic companies like Burger King, Jamba Juice, Shutterfly, and Care.com. He discusses accidentally creating the Starbucks Frappuccino, how he missed a flight to be the first COO of Ebay, and why a culture that embraces failure is key.