In this second episode of our Voices of CEO Excellence interview with Ken Frazier, the former executive chairman and CEO of Merck candidly reflects on how he managed past crises.

Frazier discusses his decision-making process around the litigation trial concerning Merck’s pain-relief drug Vioxx, and how his employees ensured that a potentially crippling cyber attack did not stop production of critical medicines. He also speaks about how his most important advisor, his wife Andrea, has kept him grounded. 

Frazier spoke with Vik Malhotra, former chairman of McKinsey’s Americas region and co-author of last year’s New York Times bestseller, CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest and Steve Van Kuiken, a former leader in our Life Sciences Practice and global leader of McKinsey Technology. 

Listen to other episodes in our Voices of CEO Excellence series:
Blackstone’s chairman, CEO, and cofounder, Stephen Schwarzman
Morgan Stanley’s chairman and CEO, James Gorman

Join our LinkedIn community of more than 89,000 members and follow us on Twitter at @McKStrategy.

Explore our collection of Inside the Strategy Room episode transcripts on McKinsey.com

Take a masterclass with 67 of the world’s highest-performing CEOs and order your copy of the New York Times bestseller, CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest.

In this second episode of our Voices of CEO Excellence interview with Ken Frazier, the former executive chairman and CEO of Merck candidly reflects on how he managed past crises.
Frazier discusses his decision-making process around the litigation trial concerning Merck’s pain-relief drug Vioxx, and how his employees ensured that a potentially crippling cyber attack did not stop production of critical medicines. He also speaks about how his most important advisor, his wife Andrea, has kept him grounded. 
Frazier spoke with <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/vik-malhotra">Vik Malhotra</a>, former chairman of McKinsey’s Americas region and co-author of last year’s New York Times bestseller, <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-on-books/ceo-excellence">CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevevankuiken">Steve Van Kuiken</a>, a former leader in our Life Sciences Practice and global leader of McKinsey Technology. 
Listen to other episodes in our Voices of CEO Excellence series:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/voices-of-ceo-excellence-blackstones-stephen-schwarzman">Blackstone’s chairman, CEO, and cofounder, Stephen Schwarzman</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/voices-of-ceo-excellence-morgan-stanleys-james-gorman">Morgan Stanley’s chairman and CEO, James Gorman</a></li>
</ul>
Join our <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&amp;-corporate-finance/?viewAsMember=true">LinkedIn community</a> of more than 89,000 members and follow us on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/McKStrategy">@McKStrategy</a>.
Explore our collection of Inside the Strategy Room <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/itsr">episode transcripts on McKinsey.com</a>
Take a masterclass with 67 of the world’s highest-performing CEOs and order your copy of the New York Times bestseller, <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-on-books/ceo-excellence">CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest</a>.

We talk with McKinsey partners and corporate executives on the challenges they face creating lasting strategies in a fast-changing world. We also examine the different ways these executives approach these challenges and the new and innovative ways they think of creating a vision for their enterprises.

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Inside the Strategy Room

We all know the world is moving faster. We also know that as upheaval becomes the norm, vast business opportunities will be within the grasp of the extraordinary few.  But it takes bold people and courageous approaches to seize those opportunities and create value.

In each episode of our weekly podcast, we sit down with the world’s highest-performing CEOs, CFOs, innovators, and McKinsey experts and discuss how they build the courage, clarity, conviction, and cohesion that allows their businesses to win by moving faster than the world around them. 

We all know the world is moving faster. We also know that as upheaval becomes the norm, vast business opportunities will be within the grasp of the extraordinary few.  But it takes bold people and courageous approaches to seize those opportunities and create value.
In each episode of our weekly podcast, we sit down with the world’s highest-performing CEOs, CFOs, innovators, and McKinsey experts and discuss how they build the courage, clarity, conviction, and cohesion that allows their businesses to win by moving faster than the world around them.

Ken Frazier, the former executive chairman and CEO of Merck, candidly reflects on how he managed past crises.

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