Innovation and transformation become critical imperatives for many organizations, especially as they grow larger and mature. The complex merger and series of spin-offs that Dow Inc. underwent with E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company between 2017 and 2018 is among the more dramatic of such reinventions. The move to create a materials science company (Dow), an agricultural business (Corteva), and an industrial company (Dupont), remains a much-studied growth strategy case. 

In this episode, Dow Inc. Chair and CEO Jim Fitterling talks with McKinsey Senior Partner and Global Energy and Materials Practice leader John Warner about why the “merge-spin” made sense then and now, and about leading a global company with compassion in a rapidly changing world. 

Related insights

How Dow reinvented itself

Getting fit for growth: The leadership mindsets and behaviors that matter

The Committed Innovator: A conversation with Neal Gutterson of Corteva

The making of a megadeal: Howard Ungerleider on the merger of Dow and DuPont

Top M&A trends in 2024: Blueprint for success in the next wave of deals

How one approach to M&A is more likely to create value than all others

Innovation and transformation become critical imperatives for many organizations, especially as they grow larger and mature. The complex merger and series of spin-offs that Dow Inc. underwent with E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company between 2017 and 2018 is among the more dramatic of such reinventions. The move to create a materials science company (Dow), an agricultural business (Corteva), and an industrial company (Dupont), remains a much-studied growth strategy case. In this episode, Dow Inc. <a href="https://corporate.dow.com/en-us/about-dow/leadership/jim-fitterling.html">Chair and CEO Jim Fitterling</a> talks with McKinsey Senior Partner and Global Energy and Materials Practice leader <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/john-warner">John Warner</a> about why the &ldquo;merge-spin&rdquo; made sense then and now, and about leading a global company with compassion in a rapidly changing world.&nbsp;
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Related insights
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/leadership/how-dow-reinvented-itself">How Dow reinvented itself</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/getting-fit-for-growth-the-leadership-mindsets-and-behaviors-that-matter">Getting fit for growth: The leadership mindsets and behaviors that matter</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/the-committed-innovator-a-conversation-with-neal-gutterson-of-corteva">The Committed Innovator: A conversation with Neal Gutterson of Corteva</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/the-making-of-a-megadeal-howard-ungerleider-on-the-merger-of-dow-and-dupont">The making of a megadeal: Howard Ungerleider on the merger of Dow and DuPont</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/top-m-and-a-trends-in-2024-blueprint-for-success-in-the-next-wave-of-deals">Top M&amp;A trends in 2024: Blueprint for success in the next wave of deals</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/how-one-approach-to-m-and-a-is-more-likely-to-create-value-than-all-others">How one approach to M&amp;A is more likely to create value than all others</a>

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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;

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