Redefiners

Transformation is easy to praise when it’s successful but hard to live through, especially when the business appears to be doing well and the market isn’t demanding you to change it. In a special in-person two-part episode, Clarke Murphy sits down with Indra Nooyi, former Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo and now a board director at Honeywell, Amazon, and Philips, for a masterclass conversation for any leader pursuing change that the market may not reward right away.

Indra traces how growing up in Madras, India, with "a foot on the brake and a foot on the accelerator," shaped her leadership. She unpacks the thinking behind PepsiCo’s Performance with Purpose: why she launched it from a position of strength, how she won her board over one director at a time, and how she held her ground against skeptics. She makes the case that AI transformation starts with leaders going back to school and running pilots before writing big consulting checks. And she explains the difference between "micro understanding" versus micromanagement.

We’ll also hear from Jens-Thomas Pietralla, a leadership advisor at Russell Reynolds Associates and co-leader of our Global Board and CEO Advisory Partners practice, who shares how boards can bring the right technology expertise into the boardroom. 

Four things you’ll learn from this episode: 

1. Run the company for its lifetime, not your tenure, to better recognize and act on transformation opportunities
2. Train the top, then go deep into the details to develop micro-understanding
3. Start AI with leadership education and pilots before deploying it
4. Freedom within an established frame builds better leaders

A closer look at the research from this episode:

• 2025 Transformational Leadership Study
• Global CEO Turnover Index
• Global Corporate Governance Trends for 2026
• The Catalyst CEO: Why CEOs Can’t Lead Transformation Alone—And What the Best Do Instead
• Why Tech-Q Alone Isn’t Enough: Bringing the Right Technology Expertise into the Boardroom

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes:

• Lessons from a Catalyst CEO: How Jean-Pascal Tricoire Sparked a 20-Year Transformation at Schneider Electric
• Leadership Lounge: Why Decision-Making Is Becoming Harder for C-Suite Leaders—and How You Can Overcome It
• The Eight Moves to Rewrite Your Leadership Playbook with Former IG Group CEO June Yee Felix
• Leadership Lounge: How New CEOs Build Productive Relationships With Their Board
• Talking Transformational Leadership with RRA’s CEO Constantine Alexandrakis
• Leadership Lounge: How to Build a Top-Performing C-suite: The Leadership Blueprint for Sustained High Performance

Transformation is at the top of the agenda for CEOs. The rise of AI is forcing even the most successful organizations to rethink how they operate and create value. Yet despite the time, energy, and investment going into transformation, success remains stubbornly difficult to achieve.

The reality is that transformation is incredibly complex. It requires thousands of people to let go of familiar ways of working, make different decisions, and move in a new direction. And that inevitably creates resistance.

So, how can CEOs overcome that resistance and make transformation stick? In this episode of Leadership Lounge, Emma Combe sits down with Russell Reynolds Associates CEO and author of The Catalyst CEO, Constantine Alexandrakis, alongside leadership advisors Sean Dineen and David Mills,who share their perspectives on:

• Why even the strongest transformation strategies can struggle to translate into lasting change
• How CEOs can identify and respond to different forms of resistance
• Why building ownership across the leadership team, board, and wider organization matters
• How CEOs need to adapt their own leadership style to make transformation stick

“The key shift CEOs need to make is from seeing themselves as someone who has to command transformation from the top to creating the conditions where people can co-own and co-lead it together.”

Constantine Alexandrakis 

CEO, Russell Reynolds Associates and author of The Catalyst CEO

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.

Four things you'll learn from this episode

1. Resistance to transformation does not have a single cause. People may not understand why change is necessary, feel a natural pull toward the status quo, or genuinely support the transformation but face barriers that prevent them from acting. Understanding which type of resistance you are dealing with is critical to responding effectively.
2. CEOs cannot impose transformation and expect it to stick. Lasting change requires ownership across the organization. Bringing the leadership team and board into the process early—and expanding that ownership deeper into the organization—can help turn transformation from something people are asked to execute into something they actively help shape.
3. Leading transformation requires CEOs to know when to let go. CEOs still need to set the ambition, but they do not need to make every decision about how to get there. Listening with humility, inviting productive disagreement, and trusting others to exercise judgment can prevent the CEO from becoming a bottleneck.
4. When transformation stalls, pushing harder is not always the answer. What looks like resistance may actually be a practical barrier preventing people from moving forward. CEOs need to pause, understand what is really getting in the way, and be willing to learn from what has gone wrong before deciding how to move forward.

In this episode, we will cover:

02.31 Why transformation remains so difficult—even when the strategy is strong 

03.30 The three types of resistance that can derail transformation 

05.14 How CEOs can create urgency when the business is already performing 07.15 07.14 How to build genuine ownership across the leadership team and organization 

08.06 How to bring the board with you through transformation 

09.47 Why culture determines whether transformation becomes self-sustaining 

10.46 The leadership skills CEOs need to lead transformation differently 

14.28 What CEOs should do when transformation starts to stall 

16.31 Why leaders should not be too quick to move past failure

A closer look at the research from this episode:

The Catalyst CEO: Why CEOs Can’t Lead Transformation Alone—And What the Best Do Instead, Russell Reynolds Associates

Transformational Leadership Study, Russell Reynolds Associates

In today’s rapidly changing world, the ability for an organization to adapt and transform is critical. But while nearly 75% of leaders believe that their organization risks going out of business without fundamental transformation in the next decade, only 29% say that their organization has been very or extremely successful in its transformation efforts.

In today’s Redefiners, Schneider Electric Chairman Jean-Pascal Tricoire joins Russell Reynolds Associates CEO Constantine Alexandrakis and leadership advisor Marla Oates to talk about why and how he led an audacious transformation of the company to become a global technology leader in software, sustainability, digitization, and electrification. Jean-Pascal talks about how he got the board, executive leaders, and team aligned around this new sense of transformational urgency and the first steps he took in the process. He shares why he built a leadership team designed for tension and friction to drive better decision-making, and how he got things back on track if something didn’t go according to plan. And he shares how he maintained his own vision and energy throughout the 20-year transformation process.

We’ll also hear from Sean Dineen, leadership advisor at Russell Reynolds Associates, who shares why organizations can struggle to make change stick—even when the need to transform is clear.

Four things you’ll learn from this episode: 

1. What it means to be a Catalyst CEO to recognize transformation opportunities while aligning your board, leadership team, and people around the urgency 
2. How to use “micro-movements” and storytelling to create transformation at scale 
3. How to create productive tension and friction on a leadership team for better decision-making
4. The differences of driving transformation as a board member versus a CEO

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes:

• Talking Transformational Leadership with RRA’s CEO Constantine Alexandrakis
• Leadership Lounge: From Firefighting to Future-Building: How Leaders Can Master Perpetual Transformation
• The Eight Moves to Rewrite Your Leadership Playbook with Former IG Group CEO June Yee Felix
• Leadership Lounge: How to Create and Maintain Impact as a Leader
• Driving Transformation with Volvo Cars President and CEO Jim Rowan
• Leadership Lounge: Beyond Handshakes: How to Build Trust and Transform Executive Team Performance

A closer look at the research from this episode:

• The Catalyst CEO: Why CEOs Can’t Lead Transformation Alone—And What the Best Do Instead
• Why Organizational Inertia Is Killing Your Transformation—And What to Do About It
• Transformational Leadership Study

When a CEO steps into the role, the focus is often on the first 100 days. But preparation should begin much earlier. The weeks—and sometimes months—between accepting the offer and officially starting provides a valuable opportunity to build (or evolve) relationships, reflect on the leader you want to be, and put the right support around you.

So, how can first-time CEOs use the period before day one to lay the groundwork for a strong start?

In this episode of Leadership Lounge, Emma Combe is joined by leadership advisors Ty Wiggins, Shannon Knott, and Marie-Osmonde Le Roy de Lanauze-Molines to explore how first-time CEOs can make the most of the transition period between accepting the role and officially starting.

They discuss:

• Why the transition period looks different for internal and external CEO appointments
• What new CEOs should prioritize before day one.
• How first-time CEOs can prepare themselves personally for the demands of the role
• Why thinking about impact, legacy, and support systems shouldn’t wait until after you start

“Every CEO transition introduces change, and every change is experienced through people.”

— Shannon Knott 

Leadership Advisor, Russell Reynolds

Four things you’ll learn from this episode:

1. Why external CEOs should be wary of early assumptions: Board papers, interviews, and conversations can tell you a lot about an organization, but they cannot give you a complete picture of its culture, ways of working, or leadership team. External CEOs need to remain open-minded and be prepared to test their early impressions once they are in the role. 
2. Which relationships matter early on: Use the transition period to establish a strong working relationship with the chair, listen to individual board members, and understand the perspectives of other influential leaders.
3. How your leadership may need to evolve: The appointment process can offer valuable insight into your strengths, blind spots, and development areas. Use that feedback to consider how your leadership needs to evolve as you step into the CEO role.
4. What will help you sustain performance: The CEO role can be more isolating and demanding than first-time CEOs expect. Establishing a trusted group of advisors and routines that help you reflect and recharge can help you sustain your performance once the job begins.

In this episode, we discuss:

[01.55] Why internally promoted CEOs have a “golden hour” before their appointment is announced—and how to make the most of it

[03.38] Why external CEOs can do all the right research and still struggle to understand how an organization really operates before joining

[06.13] What newly appointed CEOs should learn from the chair and individual board members before they formally start

[10.02] How to use feedback from the CEO appointment process to identify the strengths and blind spots that could shape your tenure

[11.16] Why thinking about your legacy before day one can help clarify the impact you want to have as CEO

[14.32] Why first-time CEOs should build a “trusted cabinet” and establish routines that help them sustain their performance before they need them

With around 2 billion people globally in Gen Z—roughly 25% of the world’s population—it’s no surprise so many consumer companies are racing to connect with them, drawn to their spending influence today and their growing economic power tomorrow. Yet capturing their loyalty is anything but straightforward.

In today’s Redefiners episode, Tomas and Marla talk with a leader in youth fashion, Pacsun CEO Brieane Olson, who seems to have cracked the code on Gen Z and even wrote a book on it: Co-Created: The Cultural Strategy That Redefined Pacsun. Brieane shares how she helped lead Pacsun's turnaround after bankruptcy, the leadership lessons that shaped her early days as CEO, and how she shifted the culture from "brand telling" to "customer listening" and co-creation. She also covers how Pacsun is using AI to deepen customer relationships and drive sales, along with her playbook for building authentic partnerships that resonate.

We’ll also hear from Emmy Melville, a leadership advisor at Russell Reynolds Associates, who shares how today’s leadership teams can sustain performance when change never stops.

Four things you’ll learn from this episode: 

1. Tips on stepping into the CEO role
2. How to go from “brand telling” to customer listening 
3. Insights on developing authentic brand partnerships
4. Ideas on how to use AI to deepen customer connections

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes:

• Paws, Purpose & Profit: A Conversation with Pets at Home CEO Lyssa McGowan
• Leadership Lounge: Why Decision-Making Is Becoming Harder for C-Suite Leaders—and How You Can Overcome It
• Music with a Mission: Former MTV International Chairman and CEO Bill Roedy on Leading with Purpose
• Leadership Lounge: How to Create and Maintain Impact as a Leader
• Outwork the Competition: Jordan Brand’s Winning Strategy with President Sarah Mensah
• Leadership Lounge: Generation Collaboration: How Leaders Can Harness the Power of Multi-Generational Teams

A closer look at the research from this episode:

• What Are The Top Surprises New CEOs Experience?
• The Three Conditions That Matter Most for Transformation
• Team Regeneration: How Leadership Teams Sustain Performance When Change Never Stops 

Stepping into a family enterprise as an outside CEO is unlike taking the helm of almost any other organization. You’re stepping into a business shaped by generations of history, deeply held values, and personal relationships.

That means trust cannot be assumed. Outside CEOs need to understand what matters to the family, build relationships across the enterprise, and recognize that even seemingly small decisions can carry significant weight.

So, how can outside CEOs earn the trust they need to lead effectively, while respecting the legacy they have been entrusted to protect?

In this episode of Leadership Lounge, Emma Combe is joined by leadership advisors Hugo Healing and Burak Gorbon to explore what it takes to succeed as an outside CEO in a family enterprise.

They discuss:

• What makes leading a family enterprise different from other CEO roles
• How outside CEOs can establish credibility and build relationships with family stakeholders
• How to navigate the expectations and complexities that come with leading a family-owned enterprise
• How to balance the need for transformation with respect for the family’s legacy

“You're a custodian of something that's very personal to people.”

— Hugo Healing

Leadership Advisor, Russell Reynolds

Four things you’ll learn from this episode:

1. Trust must be earned: The CEO title provides authority, but family stakeholders still need to develop confidence in the person behind it.
2. Preparation starts before day one: Learning the family’s history, relationships, values, and expectations gives outside CEOs a stronger foundation for success.
3. Small actions send big signals: Seemingly routine decisions can take on greater significance when they appear inconsistent with the family’s values.
4. Transformation needs shared ownership: Involving family stakeholders and recognizing their contribution can help position change as evolution rather than rejection of the past.

In this episode, we discuss:

(00:05:32) Why modifying a company car caused one outside CEO to lose the family’s trust just three months into the role

(00:08:42) How one incoming CEO started building relationships before day one—including going sailing with a family member

(00:07:09) Why outside CEOs need to “read the book” of a family enterprise before trying to write its next chapter

(00:09:58) What informal conversations can reveal about a family’s expectations that you may never uncover in the boardroom

(00:12:50) Why a cost-cutting transformation can raise deeper questions about whether a CEO understands what the family stands for

(00:11:05) Why becoming defensive when trust breaks down can make the problem worse—and what to do instead

(00:12:50) How giving family members credit for what they have built can help an outside CEO create support for change

Every leader needs a playbook to keep the organization operating consistently, cut through ambiguity, and align teams around a shared vision and goals. But many playbooks weren’t designed for an era defined by increasing uncertainty and relentless change.

In today’s Redefiners, Tomas and Marla talk with former IG Group CEO June Yee Felix about how she had to rewrite her own leadership playbook after stepping into the CEO role during a time of increased regulation and scrutiny. She explores why leaders need to rewrite their playbooks to better navigate chaos and uncertainty, and shares the eight moves they’ll need to do it. She also discusses the characteristics that make up an effective board and the role boards play when it comes to tech and AI governance. 

We’ll also hear from Margot McShane, a leadership advisor at Russell Reynolds Associates and co-founder of RRA Artemis, an initiative to create more future-ready CEOs. She’ll explain why traditional CEO succession planning is no longer enough and how boards can build stronger leadership pipelines for an uncertain future.

Four things you’ll learn from this episode: 

1. How to prepare for stepping into a leadership role at a difficult time 
2. Why leaders need to change their leadership playbooks and what should they do
3. What are the characteristics of an effective board and what is its role when it comes to tech and AI governance
4. What is contributing to increasing CEO turnover and how are boards preparing for CEO appointments and succession

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes:

• Winning in Volatility: How Trafigura Chairman Jeremy Weir Built a Global Powerhouse
• Leadership Lounge: Why Decision-Making Is Becoming Harder for C-Suite Leaders—and How You Can Overcome It
• The Only Certainty Is Change: Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman on AI, Innovation & Market Evolution
• Leadership Lounge: From Firefighting to Future-Building: How Leaders Can Master Perpetual Transformation
• The Necessity of Change with President and CEO of Wells Fargo Charlie Scharf
• Leadership Lounge: How to Be an Effective Board Director When Everything Is On Fire

A closer look at the research from this episode:

• Create A Next-Generation Board
• The New Qualified Technology Executive: Redefining Board-Level Technology Expertise in 2026
• Global Corporate Governance Trends for 2026
• Global CEO Turnover Index

Interim CEO appointments are on the rise. As boards contend with increasing leadership turnover, unexpected CEO departures, and growing pressure from stakeholders, many are turning to interim leaders to provide stability while they identify the right long-term successor.

But succeeding as an interim CEO is far from straightforward. Leaders are often expected to build trust quickly, make important decisions with limited information, and create momentum across the organization—all while operating under significant uncertainty about their own future.

So, how can interim CEOs succeed in the role? In this episode of Leadership Lounge, Emma Combe sits down with Efe Ekhaese, Aimee Williamson, and Justus O'Brien—who share their perspectives on:

▪ Why boards are increasingly appointing interim CEOs 

▪ The unique pressures and challenges that come with leading on an interim basis 

▪ How leaders can build trust, clarity, and momentum during periods of transition 

▪ What aspiring permanent CEOs should consider when navigating interim appointments

"The most fraught word in interim leadership is ambiguity. The first question that an interim CEO needs to ask is: Why am I here? What am I trying to accomplish?"

Justus O'Brien 

Leadership Advisor, Russell Reynolds Associates

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.

Four things you'll learn from this episode

1. Interim CEOs don't have the luxury of a traditional onboarding period. With limited time and high expectations, they must absorb information quickly and make decisions before they have complete certainty.
2. There is no universal playbook for interim leadership. Some situations require leaders to preserve stability, while others demand rapid transformation—success depends on understanding which mandate the board has given you.
3. Trust is built faster when leaders look beyond the executive leadership team and listen to the layers below. Engaging stakeholders across multiple levels of the organization helps interim CEOs make better decisions and build credibility more quickly.
4. Ambiguity can undermine even the most capable leaders. The most effective interim CEOs reduce uncertainty by aligning early with the board on expectations, authority, tenure, and long-term succession plans.

In this 19-minute episode, we will cover:

(2:26) Why interim CEO appointments are increasing

(3:09) How CEO turnover, burnout, and succession planning challenges are shaping leadership transitions

(6:06) The unique pressures of serving as an interim CEO

(8:51) Why clarity on your mandate is essential for success

(9:56) Examples of interim CEOs who have led through crisis

(13:32) How to build trust quickly across the organization

(14:10) Managing competing ambitions within the executive team

(15:58) When and how to discuss becoming the permanent CEO

A closer look at the research from this episode:

Global CEO Turnover Index | Russell Reynolds Associates

The Three Areas Boards Spend Their Time But Aren’t Seeing Results | Russell Reynolds Associates

World Cup madness has taken over the world. And while you’re screaming “Allez les Bleus!”, “Vamos Vamos Argentina!”, “I Believe That We Will Win!”, “It’s coming home!”, “Vamos Nippon!”, “¡Cielito Lindo”, "Olé, Olé, Olé!" or any other team chant at the World Cup, there are thousands of people who have been planning and sweating the details so that you can watch the games and cheer your team to victory.

Today, we’ll speak with someone who is leading that team in Mexico, as Marla and Tomas sit down with the Commissioner and President of Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Mikel Arriola. Mikel shares how he regrouped after a setback running for political office to step into the top roles at FMF and Liga MX. He digs into how he aligned his team to execute an audacious World Cup strategy across three host cities in Mexico, guiding the organization through the complexity, politics, and stakeholder demands of both FMF and FIFA. And he discusses how technology and AI are redefining sports.

We’ll also hear from Navio Kwok, a leadership specialist at Russell Reynolds Associates, who will share his perspective on whether the lessons learned in professional sport can help explain why so many athletes go on to become successful leaders. 

Four things you’ll learn from this episode: 

1. How to align your leadership team and navigate complexity, politics, and stakeholder demands to execute an audacious strategy
2. How to regroup and move forward after a setback
3. How to manage competing priorities and conflicts to drive decisions
4. Ideas on building the culture and skills needed for technology and AI transformation

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes:

• The Business of Football with Los Angeles Rams COO Kevin Demoff
• Leadership Lounge: Why Decision-Making Is Becoming Harder for C-Suite Leaders—and How You Can Overcome It
• Exploring the Art of Possible with Google and Alphabet President and Chief Investment Officer Ruth Porat
• Leadership Lounge: How GenAI Can Elevate—And Expose—Today’s Leaders
• In the Fast Lane: A Conversation with FIA CEO Natalie Robyn
• Leadership Lounge: Built to Last or Built to Learn: How Leaders Can Develop Resilience

A closer look at the research from this episode:

• Why Athletes Make Effective Leaders
• AI and Leadership

The ability to make sound decisions has always been a defining leadership capability. But for today’s C-suite leaders, the challenge is greater than ever. Rapid change, increasing uncertainty, and a constant flow of information mean leaders are often required to make high-stakes decisions without having all the answers.

In this episode of Leadership Lounge, Emma Combe sits down with leadership advisors Ilana Abramowicz and Henryk Krajewski to explore why decision-making is becoming more challenging in the C-suite—and the practices leaders can adopt to make better decisions and sustain performance.

They discuss:

• The forces making decision-making harder at the top of organizations 
• How leaders can navigate decisions when every option involves difficult trade-offs
• The practical tools leaders can use to make better decisions under pressure

“Go fast where learning is cheap. Be careful where being wrong is expensive.”

Henryk Krajewski

Leadership Advisor, Russell Reynolds Associates

Four things you'll learn from this episode:

1. Great decision-making starts with creating space to think. C-suite leaders who are “always on" risk burnout and decision fatigue, making it harder to exercise sound judgment when it matters most.
2. Values provide critical decision-making guardrails. When facts are incomplete and every option carries consequences, clarity about what leaders stand for helps them make difficult decisions with confidence and integrity.
3. Strong leaders know the difference between conviction and ego. The best decision-makers remain open to new evidence and avoid becoming overly attached to their original ideas.
4. High-performing executive teams bring discipline to decision-making. Clear accountability, constructive challenge, and knowing when to move quickly—or slow down—help top teams make better decisions and execute them more effectively.

In this episode, we will cover:

(02:33) Why leaders often fall into analysis paralysis

(04:12) The impact of being "always on" and how it can affect a leader’s judgment

(05:54) How personal values help leaders navigate difficult trade-offs

(10:40) How executive teams can improve decision-making through clearer decision rights

(12:53) How to avoid groupthink and create productive dissent

(14:03) The role of pre-mortems to stress-test major decisions

(15:27) The one-way-door versus two-way-door-framework for more effective decision-making 

A closer look at the research from this episode:

Global Leadership Monitor | Russell Reynolds Associates

The New Leadership Portrait: Understanding & Unlocking Senior Executive Potential | Russell Reynolds Associates

Overcome Decision Paralysis: Finding Order in Chaos | Russell Reynolds Associates