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

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.

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

As geopolitical trends bring increased uncertainty and risk, CEOs and other business leaders can take action to get and stay ahead of it all. This week Sean speaks with three McKinsey experts on geopolitical risk about how organizations can build resilience to address continued global uncertainty.

Cindy Levy is a senior partner in our London office and the global co-leader of our Geopolitics Practice. She previously led our Global Risk and Resilience and our United Kingdom Financial Services Practices, and she works with financial institutions on strategy, corporate finance, enterprise risk management, and culture. Shubham Singhal is a senior partner in our Detroit office and co-leads our Geopolitics Practice with Cindy. He previously led our healthcare, public sector, and social sector practices, as well as our efforts to help clients respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Olivia White is a senior partner in our Bay Area office and a director of the McKinsey Global Institute. She advises leading financial institutions and other global firms on a wide range of issues across strategy, growth, risk and resilience.

Related insights

How American business can prosper in the new geopolitical era

Navigating the new geopolitical uncertainty

Geopolitics and the geometry of global trade: 2025 update

Tariffs on the move? A guide for CEOs for 2025 and beyond

A proactive approach to navigating geopolitics is essential to thrive

Dependency and depopulation? Confronting the consequences of a new demographic reality

Can your company remain global and if so, how?

 

As geopolitical trends bring increased uncertainty and risk, CEOs and other business leaders can take action to get and stay ahead of it all. This week Sean speaks with three McKinsey experts on geopolitical risk about how organizations can build resilience to address continued global uncertainty.
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/cindy-levy">Cindy Levy</a> is a senior partner in our London office and the global co-leader of our <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/geopolitics/how-we-help-clients">Geopolitics Practice</a>. She previously led our Global Risk and Resilience and our United Kingdom Financial Services Practices, and she works with financial institutions on strategy, corporate finance, enterprise risk management, and culture. <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/shubham-singhal">Shubham Singhal</a> is a senior partner in our Detroit office and co-leads our Geopolitics Practice with Cindy. He previously led our healthcare, public sector, and social sector practices, as well as our efforts to help clients respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/olivia-white">Olivia White</a> is a senior partner in our Bay Area office and a director of the McKinsey Global Institute. She advises leading financial institutions and other global firms on a wide range of issues across strategy, growth, risk and resilience.
Related insights
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-sector/our-insights/how-american-business-can-prosper-in-the-new-geopolitical-era">How American business can prosper in the new geopolitical era</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/geopolitics/our-insights/navigating-the-new-geopolitical-uncertainty">Navigating the new geopolitical uncertainty</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/our-research/geopolitics-and-the-geometry-of-global-trade-2025-update">Geopolitics and the geometry of global trade: 2025 update</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/geopolitics/our-insights/tariffs-on-the-move-a-guide-for-ceos-for-2025-and-beyond">Tariffs on the move? A guide for CEOs for 2025 and beyond</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/geopolitics/our-insights/a-proactive-approach-to-navigating-geopolitics-is-essential-to-thrive">A proactive approach to navigating geopolitics is essential to thrive</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/our-research/dependency-and-depopulation-confronting-the-consequences-of-a-new-demographic-reality">Dependency and depopulation? Confronting the consequences of a new demographic reality</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/can-your-company-remain-global-and-if-so-how">Can your company remain global and if so, how?</a>
&nbsp;

248. Taking a proactive approach to geopolitics

Companies often aim for growth or transformation, but it's less common for them to pursue transformation as a means of achieving growth. This week, three McKinsey experts share their research into how the one in four companies that outperform use transformation to achieve growth beyond that of their peers.

Sandra Sancier-Sultan is a senior partner based in Paris and a leader in McKinsey’s Transformation, Sustainability, and Financial Services practices. Rebecca Doherty is a partner in our San Francisco Bay Area office and co-leader of our global Strategic Growth and Innovation Practice, and Louisa Greco is a partner in our Toronto office and a leader in our Transformation Practice.

Related insights

Breaking the mold: Five behaviors of leading growth transformers

Choosing to grow: The leader’s blueprint

Courageous growth: Six strategies for continuous growth outperformance

Eight lessons on how to get the growth you planned

McKinsey Insights on Transformation

McKinsey Transformation on LinkedIn

Companies often aim for growth or transformation, but it's less common for them to pursue transformation as a means of achieving growth. This week,&nbsp;three McKinsey experts share their research into how the one in four companies that outperform use transformation to achieve growth beyond that of their peers.
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/sandra-sancier-sultan">Sandra Sancier-Sultan</a> is a senior partner based in Paris and a leader in McKinsey&rsquo;s Transformation, Sustainability, and Financial Services practices. <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/rebecca-doherty">Rebecca Doherty</a> is a partner in our San Francisco Bay Area office and co-leader of our global Strategic Growth and Innovation Practice, and <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/louisa-greco">Louisa Greco</a> is a partner in our Toronto office and a leader in our Transformation Practice.
Related insights
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/transformation/our-insights/breaking-the-mold-five-behaviors-of-leading-growth-transformers">Breaking the mold: Five behaviors of leading growth transformers</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/choosing-to-grow-the-leaders-blueprint">Choosing to grow: The leader&rsquo;s blueprint</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/courageous-growth-six-strategies-for-continuous-growth-outperformance">Courageous growth: Six strategies for continuous growth outperformance</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/eight-lessons-on-how-to-get-the-growth-you-planned">Eight lessons on how to get the growth you planned</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/transformation/our-insights">McKinsey Insights on Transformation</a>
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-transformation/">McKinsey Transformation on LinkedIn</a>

247. Transforming for growth

Alok Sama spent years in corporate finance and as a managing director at Morgan Stanley before joining Softbank as CFO and plunging into founder-CEO Masayoshi Son’s world of high-speed, high-risk decision making. For Sama, the shift involved many eye-opening experiences, which he later shared in a memoir, titled The Money Trap: Lost Illusions Inside the Tech Bubble (St. Martin’s Press, 2024).

In this episode, Sama speaks with McKinsey senior partner Vik Malhotra, who is based in our New York office, where he counsels CEOs and corporate boards and serves as our firm’s Chairman of the Americas. Vik is also a co-author of the New York Times bestseller, CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest. The two talked about what it was like to work with SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son, negotiating deals such as Softbank’s $32 billion acquisition of the British chip design company Arm Holdings, and why Alok decided to return to school in his 50s to earn a master’s degree in fine arts.

Related Insights

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

The CEO as elite athlete: What business leaders can learn from modern sports

How AI is transforming strategy development

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

The Seasons of the CFO

Achieving growth: Putting leadership mindsets and behaviors into action

McKinsey Strategy & Corporate Finance on LinkedIn

<a href="https://aloksama.com/">Alok Sama&nbsp;</a>spent years in corporate finance and as a managing director at Morgan Stanley before joining Softbank as CFO and plunging into founder-CEO Masayoshi Son&rsquo;s world of high-speed, high-risk decision making. For Sama, the shift involved many eye-opening experiences, which he later shared in a memoir, titled The Money Trap: Lost Illusions Inside the Tech Bubble (St. Martin&rsquo;s Press, 2024).
In this episode, Sama speaks with McKinsey senior partner <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/vik-malhotra">Vik Malhotra</a>, who is based in our New York office, where he counsels CEOs and corporate boards and serves as our firm&rsquo;s Chairman of the Americas. Vik is also a co-author 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>. The two talked about what it was like to work with SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son, negotiating deals such as Softbank&rsquo;s $32 billion acquisition of the British chip design company Arm Holdings, and why Alok decided to return to school in his 50s to earn a master&rsquo;s degree in fine arts.
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.</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/the-ceo-as-elite-athlete-what-business-leaders-can-learn-from-modern-sports">The CEO as elite athlete: What business leaders can learn from modern sports</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/how-ai-is-transforming-strategy-development">How AI is transforming strategy development</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&rsquo;s mandate</a>
<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/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/achieving-growth-putting-leadership-mindsets-and-behaviors-into-action">Achieving growth: Putting leadership mindsets and behaviors into action</a>
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-corporate-finance/posts/?feedView=all">McKinsey Strategy &amp; Corporate Finance on LinkedIn</a>

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

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