Meet The Leader

Looking for a new read? Something that will make you sharper in 2025 or something for that hard-to-buy-for person on your list? Or maybe you just want closer access to the ideas shaping today's brightest changemakers. No matter the reason, look no further than our annual books roundup, an episode collecting books that have transformed how some of the top global leaders manage teams, get inspired and motivated, shift mindsets and more. This year's recommendations include fresh takes on classic business books, histories, time-honored works of literature, and new favorites that can change how you build and lead.

Leaders and their book selections: Leader: Alexi Robichaux, CEO, BetterUp Book Selection: Boyd Varty's Liontracker's Guide to Life: https://boydvarty.com/book/the-lion-trackers-guide-to-life/ Leader: Mark Lundstrom, CEO, Radia: Book Selection: Eliyahu Moshe Goldratt's The Goal: https://www.tocinstitute.org/the-goal-summary.html

Leader: Sahil Tesfu, Chief Strategy Officer, Essity Book Selection: Mark Manson's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a ****: https://markmanson.net/not-giving-a-fuck

Leader: Christopher Oakes, CEO, Reefgen Book Selection: Cal Newport's A World Without Email: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/575655/a-world-without-email-by-cal-newport/

Leader: Brad Smith, President, Microsoft Book Selection: Brian Merchant's Blood in the Machine: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/brian-merchant/blood-in-the-machine/9780316487740/?lens=little-brown

Leader: Serge Raemaekers, CEO, ABOLOBI Book Selection: Jim Collins' The Flywheel Effect: https://www.jimcollins.com/concepts/the-flywheel.html

Leader: Ritu Narayan, CEO, Zum Book Selection: Clayton Christensen's The Innovator's Dillemma: https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Dilemma-Revolutionary-Change-Business/dp/0062060244

Leader: Jordan Justus, Automotus Book Selection: Matt Ridley's How Innovation Works: https://www.mattridley.co.uk/books/how-innovation-works/ Leader: Catalina Cock Duque, founder, Fundacion mi Sangre Book Selection: Otto Scharmer's Leading from the Emerging Future: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/575194/leading-from-the-emerging-future-by-otto-scharmer-and-katrin-kaufer/ Leader: Christophe Catoir, President, Adecco Book Selection: W. Henry Gilbert's Homo erectus: https://www.ucpress.edu/books/homo-erectus/hardcover

Leader: Kara Alaimo, Professor and author, Fairleigh Dickinson University Book Selection: Kate Manne's Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny: http://www.katemanne.net/down-girl.html Book Selection: Mikki Kendall's Hood Feminism: https://www.amazon.com/Hood-Feminism-Notes-Movement-Forgot/dp/0525560548 Book Selection: Caroline Criado Perez's Invisible Women: https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Women-Data-World-Designed/dp/1419729071

Leader: Jonathan Reckford, CEO, Habitat for Humanity Book Selection: J. R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings Series: https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-Picture-Trilogy-Extended/dp/B000654ZK0

Leader: Florian Hoffman, Founder, The Do Book Selection: Voltaire's Candide: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/19942/19942-h/19942-h.htm

Jessica Jackson understands the damage wreaked by excessive incarceration and supervision. As a young mother with a two-month old on her hip, she watched her husband be sentenced to six years in prison, being pulled into a system impacting millions in the US alone - one that erodes families and communities and restricts opportunities for stable lives after release. This life-changing experience drove this housewife just only a GED to go to college, then law school, and then become a human rights attorney driving a movement for reform. She talks about her work running The Reform Alliance as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Advocacy Officer, a non-profit that has passed 18 bipartisan bills in 11 states that have created pathways for more than 850,000 people to exit the system. She also shares why tackling stigma and isolation is so key to future progress on this issue and the personal traits that she's depended on the most to overcome hurdles and challenges. About this episode: The Reform Alliance: https://reformalliance.com/

Young Global Leaders: Future of Leadership Series: https://www.younggloballeaders.org/vision-and-mission/ Jessica is a Young Global Leader, a group of more than 1,400 innovators, entrepreneurs, technology pioneers, educators, activists, artists, journalists, and more, working to make change happen. This is the first in an ongoing series spotlighting leaders from this community.

What's a piece of advice that changed you for the better? In this special episode of Meet The Leader, top leaders from Microsoft, to IKEA to the International Monetary Fund and more share the feedback that was so meaningful and compelling they'd applied it throughout their careers. Learn the tough moments and powerful feedback that led to turning points and transformations, nudging leaders to reflect, change course, listen in new ways and change how they react to scale their impact. Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/leaders-advice-grateful-for-microsoft-ikea-hpe

Featured in this episode: Olajumoke Adekeye, Founder, Young Business Agency

Tejpaul Bhatia, CRO, Axiom Space

Ulrika Biesert, CHRO, Ingka Group / IKEA

Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund

Daphne Koller, CEO, insitro

Annette Mosman, CEO, APG

Nigina Muntean, Chief of Innovation, UNFPA

Sander van 't Noordende, CEO, Randstad

Christopher Oakes, CEO, Reefgen

Madison O'Brien, Customer Success and Community Lead, Teamgage

Alexi Robichaux, CEO, Better Up Fidelma Russo, CTO, Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President, Microsoft

Humans have learned to survive in space. But as Tejpaul Bhatia reminded Meet the Leader, it's time to learn how to live, work and thrive. One step towards that goal is Axiom Station, the first commercial space station. With the International Space Station due to be decommissioned, he explains how Axiom Station will build on decades of lessons learned for a future-ready station factoring in principles of ergonomic and industrial design, a station planned to adapt to new technologies and needs. And while it employs its share of former astronauts and rocket scientists, this unique company also designs space suits - like the one for the upcoming Artemis moon mission set for 2026. This means it also counts sewers and costumers from places like Cirque du Soleil on its team – people who understand performance fabrics and who have the skill sets to hand sew parts of uniforms that can't be tackled with a machine. He'll share how this incredibly diverse group works together and how learning how to tap such a range of capabilities is a window into the unique pioneering collaborations that will drive the space economy. To learn more: Axiom Space: https://www.axiomspace.com/ Report: Space: The $1.8 Trillion Opportunity for Global Economic Growth: https://www.weforum.org/publications/space-the-1-8-trillion-opportunity-for-global-economic-growth/ Related podcasts: This former astronaut shares what's key to building strong, effective teams: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/soichi-noguchi-astronaut-build-effective-teams/ From space to the ocean's depths - how a space CEO and explorer approaches risk: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/dylan-taylor-voyager-space-risk-leadership/

Last year, Ingka Group, the parent company for big retailer IKEA, reached near gender balance in leadership. This transformation did not come overnight and HR chief Ulrika Biesèrt discusses the mindset shifts and tangible changes in everything from hiring to development that helped make this possible for the 80-year-old company. Biesèrt also shares her own leadership journey, one that includes 27 years at IKEA and roles in every part of the company, including logistics, product development and retail. She explains how that breadth and depth shapes how she leads -- while also sharing the advice her mother gave her at the beginning of her career that has helped her get her voice heard. Interview recorded Spring 2024. Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/mserdr8z To learn more: Global Gender Gap: https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2024/ Related podcasts: 9 leaders from Microsoft, IKEA and more share advice for new grads: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/9-leaders-share-advice-for-new-grads-2024/ Ingka Group's Jesper Brodin: The talent crisis you're not talking enough about: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/ingka-holding-jesper-brodin-refugees-hiring/

Unsafe, costly transit contributes to everything from wealth and equity gaps to pollution. But as cities grapple with growing populations, shifting needs, technological advancement and the energy transition, we're approaching a moment of reinvention that could lead to positive change if planned correctly. Benjamin de la Peña, the CEO of the Shared-Use Mobility Center breaks down the incentives and strategies that could drive more climate-ready, equitable, safe and affordable transportation. He also discusses the importance of systems thinking and planning that factors in the generations to come -- thinking that can help any leader make big change happen.

Daphne Koller is an AI pioneer, MacArthur fellow, member of the National Academy of sciences and the founder and CEO of drug discovery and development company insitro. She'll talk about how attitudes surrounding AI have evolved in her multi-decade career and what's ahead - including how technology is reshaping drug discovery, paving the way for more targeted treatments for the patients who can benefit most. But maximizing AI-powered innovation will depend on better investments in data aggregation, quality and collection and navigating hype cycles that can distract from real impact.

This academic-turned-entrepreneur will also share how founding insitro (and a previous company, Coursera) helped her expand her leadership and management skills, all while driving home the importance of shaping a company culture. At insitro, this focus building a culture that works for unique needs led to a special 'helix' inspired-structure that helps discovery biologists, automation engineers and others in the company's cross-functional teams keep communication flowing, problem solve, and prevent the siloes that can hold true innovation back.

Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/daphne-koller-insitro-AI-soft-skills Insitro: https://www.insitro.com/ Top Ten Technologies of 2024: https://www.weforum.org/publications/top-10-emerging-technologies-2024/

Gaps in the design of everything from AI to pharmaceuticals lead to everything from safety risk to poor health outcomes. Nigina Muntean, the chief of innovation at the United Nations Population Fund, is looking to fix this, making research and design more inclusive for everyone. Her agency launched the Equity 2030 Alliance last year bringing together leaders in tech and pharma and other sectors to share best practices. Its experts in academia, government and business come together to help advocate for new standards in equitable investment, and to champion more gender-inclusive approaches to tech and design. The group is coming upon its first year anniversary which it celebrated during this year's UN General Assembly Week in New York City. Nigina is also a former physician and a public health expert who understands how investments in research and design impact the lives of everyday people, especially those with the least resources. She shares her first-hand perspectives on what's needed tackle bias in design and what any leader should keep in mind. More about this episode: 2030 Equity Alliance: https://www.unfpa.org/equity-2030-alliance 2024 World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap: https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2024/ 2024 Sustainable Development Impact Meetings: https://www.weforum.org/events/sustainable-development-impact-meetings-2024/

Related podcasts: Cyber has a skills gap. How approaches to tech, hiring – and retaining women - can help: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/petra-jenner-splunk-cyber-skills-gap/

Build a culture of innovation: HPE's CTO shares what must be in place: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/fidelma-russo-innovation-cto/

After the pandemic, Tiya Gordon realized the next global crisis would be climate based. To that end, she's co-founded It's Electric, a curbside solution that takes power from buildings, sidestepping the currently time-consuming permitting and installation process that slows the growth of charging stations in cities around the world. She shares how her design background has helped her be clear-eyed on objectives, identify fresh approaches and break down stubborn barriers, all to speed the change needed for the energy transition. To learn more: Guest: https://www.itselectric.us/Report: Scaling Investment in EV Charging: A Policy Roadmap for Cities Related podcasts: An energy company is building the world's largest airplane. Here's why: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/mark-lundstrom-radia-climate-change/ 7 top innovators share strategies that drive cutting edge solutions: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/top-innovator-strategies-tactics/

Jeremy Allaire is the co-founder and CEO of Circle, a global financial technology firm that operates one of the largest dollar digital currency payment systems in the world -- USDC. Stablecoin is already seeing billions of digital dollars in economic activity and he talks about what we can expect next, including emerging applications for humanitarian aid. He'll talk about Circle's special partnership with the refugee agency UNHCR, and how new approaches for social impact could be more and more important as political strife and climate change drive up the numbers of unbanked around the world. Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/jeremy-allaire-circle-stablecoin-unhcr More about this episode: Circle: https://www.circle.com/en/usdc