This week, we’re joined by Scott Herren, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Cisco Systems, and Eric Kutcher, Senior Partner and Chair of McKinsey & Company, North America. They discuss the rationale for Cisco's recent acquisition, the role of CFOs in driving change within a company, the impact of AI on finance, and the current geopolitical and economic climate. 

Related insights:

The Seasons of the CFO

Palo Alto Networks CFO on AI, cybersecurity, and the finance leader’s mandate

Data, analytics, and decisions: An interview with Teradata’s CFO

This week, we’re joined by <a href="https://newsroom.cisco.com/c/r/newsroom/en/us/executives/r-scott-herren.html#:~:text=R.,billion%20and%20approximately%2090%2C000%20employees.">Scott Herren</a>, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Cisco Systems, and <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/eric-kutcher">Eric Kutcher</a>, Senior Partner and Chair of McKinsey &amp; Company, North America. They discuss the rationale for Cisco's recent acquisition, the role of CFOs in driving change within a company, the impact of AI on finance, and the current geopolitical and economic climate. Related insights:
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/the-four-seasons-of-the-cfo">The Seasons of the CFO</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/palo-alto-networks-cfo-on-ai-cybersecurity-and-the-finance-leaders-mandate">Palo Alto Networks CFO on AI, cybersecurity, and the finance leader’s mandate</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/data-analytics-and-decisions-an-interview-with-teradatas-cfo">Data, analytics, and decisions: An interview with Teradata’s CFO</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.

What does it take to survive in a world of constant change? More than ever, enterprises need to create strategies that can meet current needs but also adapt to future demand. A regular series of interviews with McKinsey partners and corporate executives.

Inside the Strategy Room

The world is moving faster, and 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 interview the world’s highest-performing CEOs, CFOs, innovators, and McKinsey experts and discuss how they build the courage, clarity, conviction, and cohesion that allow their businesses to win by moving faster than the world around them. 

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

218. Cisco Systems CFO on M&A, geopolitics, and the emerging AI opportunity

Levi Strauss & Co. Chief Finance and Growth Officer, Harmit Singh, joins us to share lessons from his 13-year journey transforming the iconic clothing company. Singh explains how Levi’s returned to growth, strengthened profitability, and shifted toward a direct-to-consumer model, while staying true to its purpose-driven heritage. He introduces the “Magic of the And”–his approach to driving both top- and bottom-line performance– and discusses building a performance culture, navigating volatility and tariffs with cross-functional teams, developing finance talent, and approaching AI in finance with practical use cases and discipline. Joining Harmit for this discussion is Steve Begley, a senior partner based in our New York office.

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The State of Fashion 2026: When the rules change

How finance teams are putting AI to work today

How Nestlé’s CFO sharpens focus across a global portfolio

Levi Strauss &amp; Co. Chief Finance and Growth Officer, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/singhharmit/">Harmit Singh</a>, joins us to share lessons from his 13-year journey transforming the iconic clothing company. Singh explains how Levi&rsquo;s returned to growth, strengthened profitability, and shifted toward a direct-to-consumer model, while staying true to its purpose-driven heritage. He introduces the &ldquo;Magic of the And&rdquo;&ndash;his approach to driving both top- and bottom-line performance&ndash; and discusses building a performance culture, navigating volatility and tariffs with cross-functional teams, developing finance talent, and approaching AI in finance with practical use cases and discipline.&nbsp;Joining Harmit for this discussion is <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-w-begley-2a20361a/">Steve Begley</a>, a senior partner based in our New York office.
Related Insights
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion">The State of Fashion 2026: When the rules change</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/how-finance-teams-are-putting-ai-to-work-today">How finance teams are putting AI to work today</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/how-nestles-cfo-sharpens-focus-across-a-global-portfolio">How Nestl&eacute;&rsquo;s CFO sharpens focus across a global portfolio</a>

289. The CFO as growth leader: Levi’s Harmit Singh on transformation and the “Magic of the And.”

As organizations increasingly employ agentic AI, they face new risks that could disrupt operations, compromise sensitive data, or erode customer trust. Rich Isenberg and Charlie Lewis join us to discuss these emerging risks and how leaders can proactively ensure secure and compliant adoption.

Rich Isenberg is a partner in our Atlanta office and a leader within our Risk and Resilience and Cybersecurity Practices. Charlie Lewis is a partner in our Connecticut office and leads our cybersecurity and tech resilience work across North America and Europe. Together, they offer a frontline perspective on how organizations are implementing agentic AI, the emerging forms of cyber and operational risk, and the critical steps leaders must take to build robust governance and resilience.

Related Insights

Deploying agentic AI with safety and security: A playbook for technology leaders

The change agent: Goals, decisions, and implications for CEOs in the agentic age

Seizing the agentic AI advantage

McKinsey Risk & Resilience on LinkedIn

McKinsey Risk & Resilience: Our latest insights

As organizations increasingly employ agentic AI, they face new risks that could disrupt operations, compromise sensitive data, or erode customer trust. Rich Isenberg and Charlie Lewis join us to discuss these emerging risks and how leaders can proactively ensure secure and compliant adoption.
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/rich-isenberg">Rich Isenberg </a>is a partner in our Atlanta office and a leader within our Risk and Resilience and Cybersecurity Practices.<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/charlie-lewis"> Charlie Lewis</a> is a partner in our Connecticut office and leads our cybersecurity and tech resilience work across North America and Europe. Together, they offer a frontline perspective on how organizations are implementing agentic AI, the emerging forms of cyber and operational risk, and the critical steps leaders must take to build robust governance and resilience.
Related Insights
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/risk-and-resilience/our-insights/deploying-agentic-ai-with-safety-and-security-a-playbook-for-technology-leaders">Deploying agentic AI with safety and security: A playbook for technology leaders</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-change-agent-goals-decisions-and-implications-for-ceos-in-the-agentic-age">The change agent: Goals, decisions, and implications for CEOs in the agentic age</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/seizing-the-agentic-ai-advantage">Seizing the agentic AI advantage</a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-risk-resilience/">McKinsey Risk &amp; Resilience on LinkedIn</a> <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/risk-and-resilience/our-insights">McKinsey Risk &amp; Resilience: Our latest insights</a>

288. Securing agentic AI: A playbook 

Arvind Krishna, the Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of IBM, stepped into the CEO role at IBM in 2020, following 30 years at the company. Prior to that, he held various senior positions, spanning VP of Cloud and Cognitive Software to Head of Research, where he drove innovation in core technologies – including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and cloud platform services. In today’s episode, Arvind joins our North America Chair and senior partner Eric Kutcher to discuss how he led IBM to triple its share price in just five years, the current AI landscape, how to pursue opportunities from volatility, the potential of quantum computing, what it takes to drive growth through innovation, and the dangers of being too risk-averse.

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CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest 

A CEO for All Seasons: Mastering the cycles of leadership

The Strategic CEO newsletter

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian: Lessons from the captain’s seat 

Doug Parker, former chairman and CEO of American Airlines, shares leadership lessons

John Stankey talks about leaning into the long term at AT&T

Arvind Krishna, the Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of IBM, stepped into the CEO role at IBM in 2020, following 30 years at the company. Prior to that, he held various senior positions, spanning VP of Cloud and Cognitive Software to Head of Research, where he drove innovation in core technologies &ndash; including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and cloud platform services. In today&rsquo;s episode, Arvind joins our North America Chair and senior partner Eric Kutcher to discuss how he led IBM to triple its share price in just five years, the current AI landscape, how to pursue opportunities from volatility, the potential of quantum computing, what it takes to drive growth through innovation, and the dangers of being too risk-averse.
Related insights
<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&nbsp;</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-on-books/ceo-for-all-seasons">A CEO for All Seasons: Mastering the cycles of leadership</a>
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-strategic-ceo-7236955032997216256/">The Strategic CEO newsletter</a>
<a href="https://omny.fm/shows/inside-the-strategy-room/273-delta-air-lines-ceo-ed-bastian-lessons-from-the-captain-s-seat">Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian: Lessons from the captain&rsquo;s seat&nbsp;</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/doug-parker-former-chairman-and-ceo-of-american-airlines-shares-leadership-lessons">Doug Parker, former chairman and CEO of American Airlines, shares leadership lessons</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/john-stankey-talks-about-leaning-into-the-long-term-at-at-and-t">John Stankey talks about leaning into the long term at AT&amp;T</a>

218. Cisco Systems CFO on M&A, geopolitics, and the emerging AI opportunity

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