Kate Ryder, the founder and CEO of Maven, was early to telehealth. Ryder founded Maven in 2014 after witnessing and experiencing gaps in the women's and family healthcare model. Today, Maven offers patients access to a digital network of over 2000 providers specializing in women's and family health. It has become the first company valued at over a billion dollars in the category. This suggests investors - alongside employers and insurance companies - are recognizing the business case for comprehensive family planning and reproductive health benefits. Ryder joined Fortune CEO Alan Murray in Aspen, CO at Fortune's Brainstorm Tech Conference. In this powerful conversation, Ryder explains what healthcare shortcomings motivated her to start Maven and how the company has evolved over the past eight years. Ryder also shares how employers have responded to the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and how the ruling is impacting her company.

Niren Chaudhary is the CEO of Panera Brands, which includes the popular chain restaurants Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bagels. The brand has nearly 4,000 restaurants across 10 countries, and the company is committed to serving high quality food in every one of them. Panera also wants to make sure its 110,000 employees feel supported on and off the job. In this episode of Leadership Next, Chaudhary tells Alan Murray that Panera Brands only serves food he would be willing to serve to his own family. He also describes Panera's commitment to providing its diverse workforce an array of educational and growth opportunities. Chaudhary elaborates on how including each meal's individual carbon footprint on the menu is key to their sustainability goals and how his late daughter inspires his leadership. Chaudhary is also Leadership Next's first singing CEO! Stay tuned to the end of the episode to hear his ode to Panera's chicken sandwich.

Shipping is an industry that is so invisibly essential to our lives, so much so that we might only think about it when something’s wrong. And the world has been talking a lot about the shipping industry since the start of the pandemic BECAUSE there are so many factors making their jobs very difficult. Supply chain issues, COVID restrictions, climate concerns, the invasion of Ukraine... to name just a few. In this episode, hosts Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt interview Søren Skou, the CEO of Maersk. Maersk is a Danish shipping and global logistics company that moves goods around the world, primarily by sea. Skou talks to Alan and Ellen about the challenges and opportunities presented by the global events of the last two years. Skou discusses how the pandemic, China’s stringent Covid regulations and the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has impacted the supply chain and Maersk’s role in it. He also explains Maersk’s decision to withdraw its business from Russia after they invaded Ukraine, how Maersk plans to meet their goal of going carbon neutral by 2040 and what tech advancements consumers can expect from the shipping industry in the coming years.

Hayden Brown is the CEO of Upwork, a platform that connects freelance workers with companies looking to hire. Founded over twenty years ago, Upwork went public in 2018. But it was the pandemic that has truly proved to be a turning point as both workers and companies have begun to embrace remote work in new ways. In this episode of Leadership Next, Ellen McGirt digs into the size and scope of the freelance economy, and explores how the past two years continue to influence the future of work. Also in the conversation: bringing new diversity into a company via freelance talent, Brown's push to help working moms regain jobs lost during the pandemic and the opportunities that come with crisis.

Over the past two and half years, many companies have transformed at faster rates than ever before, as the sudden shifts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, calls for racial justice, and other events have accelerated the need for new ideas and innovations. Those organizations that rose to the challenge were able to navigate ongoing disruptions—and embrace change to meet the evolving needs of their stakeholders. Now, as business leaders look ahead, they are searching for ways to continue to build on this growth.  Here, Fortune Media CEO Alan Murray and Deloitte US CEO Joe Ucuzoglu sit down to discuss how global events have challenged businesses, from digital transformation to the Great Resignation, and how forward-looking leaders can utilize the lessons they’ve learned throughout this challenging and transformative period to come out even stronger. “Deloitte presents: Leadership Transformed” was produced by FORTUNE Brand Studio. FORTUNE editorial staff was not involved in its creation or production. The views and opinions expressed by podcast speakers and guests are solely their own and do not reflect the opinions of FORTUNE. 

For two and a half years, Leadership Next has introduced listeners to a new CEO each week - exploring how these leaders are looking beyond the bottom line and tackling issues that impact employees, customers and other stakeholders. But, to mark our 100th episode, Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt have invited three previous guests back to the show. Why? To learn how much progress these CEOs have made on some important initiatives, and gain perspective on how strongly the business world is embracing the idea of stakeholder capitalism. Today you'll hear from Chip Bergh, CEO of Levi Strauss; Adena Friedman, CEO of Nasdaq; and Martin Whittaker, CEO of JUST Capital.

Doug McMillon is a Walmart lifer. He started loading trucks at a Walmart warehouse as a teenager trying to pay for college. He is now the company's CEO. Just two weeks ago, Walmart topped the Fortune 500 for the 10th year in a row. In this episode, McMillon and Leadership Next's Alan Murray discuss how record-high inflation, conflict in Ukraine and supply chain snarls are affecting Walmart’s business. McMillon elaborates on Walmart’s plans to become a regenerative company, detailing the environmental impact that transformation will have. And, to critics who say today's CEOs invest too much time in the planet and other external stakeholders, he has this to say: “I think it all boils down to timeframe. Yes, we are here to provide a return for shareholders. The best way to provide a return for shareholders over time, is if you have strong communities, associates that are well compensated and happy with their jobs and excited about their futures. A planet that works.”

When Sasan Goodarzi became Intuit CEO about three and a half years ago he wanted to move the company beyond its focus on taxes and accounting. Through two big acquisitions and innovations utilizing data, A.I. and blockchain, he's making big strides towards that goal. On today's Leadership Next, Goodarzi explains why this was so important and how he's pulling it off. Also in today's conversation: what it means to truly be an inclusive company and how Intuit is helping small businesses hit climate goals.

To those who love online trading or flock to the latest cryptocurrency, Edward Jones may appear old-fashioned. The company has been offering clients financial advice for 100 years and it remains focused on face-to-face interactions. And, CEO Penny Pennington says while cryptocurrency may be a fit for some portfolios, "we do not believe that speculation is a part of serious long-term financial planning. And there is part of the crypto market right now that is pure speculation." This approach is clearly working out well for Edward Jones, a Fortune 500 company that's spent the pandemic growing its customer base. In today's Leadership Next, Pennington tells Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt how she's working to diversify the company's pool of financial advisors, why she strives to infuse empathy into all aspects of the company, and what she sees as the key tenets of good leadership. Also in today's conversation: Pennington's approach to investing in crypto and her take on the threat of an impending recession.

When Dr. Marlow Hernandez was a child in Cuba, he promised his grandmother he would become a doctor. He did so, and is now the CEO of Cano Health, a primary care provider specializing in senior care. Cano has 137 medical centers across the country. The majority of its patients are located in low-income areas of South Florida. Companies the size of Cano Health don't typically appear on Leadership Next. But Cano's results are anything but typical. COVID-19 mortality rates among its patient population are 60 percent lower than the comparable senior population. How did Cano pull this off, and what can the rest of the health industry learn from its business model?

As the war in Ukraine continues, it's brewing one crisis - threatening the global food supply - and deepening another - pushing millions of Ukrainians from their homes. Today on Leadership Next, Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt speak with two leaders who are working hard to mitigate these problems. Svein Tore Holsether is the CEO of global fertilizer company Yara. He explains why the war is hurting agricultural production and driving up prices. He also points out that while the larger businesses community has widely paused operations in Russia, Yara doing so has ripple effects across the world's food supply. Holsether shares how he's navigating this humanitarian dilemma. Also in the conversation: why Holsether is pushing his company to produce green fertilizer, the challenges this presents and how it's changing the way he spends his time. David Miliband is CEO of the International Rescue Committee, an NGO that assists refugees in over 40 countries. He lays out the scope of the refugee problem created by the war in Ukraine. He then details the role business can play in improving the lives of refugees.

Fred Smith envisioned FedEx during his time as an undergrad at Yale. By 1973 his school project had become a functioning business. He's been a part of the organization ever since. But on June 1st he'll step down from the role of CEO and transition to FedEx Executive Chairman. Taking the reins at the Fortune 500 giant is current President and COO, Raj Subramaniam. In his first interview with a major media outlet, Raj tells Leadership Next how he came to FedEx, and how he's thinking about filling the shoes of a legendary CEO. Also in today's conversation: why the company stopped delivering packages for Amazon, the role FedEx played in delivering crucial COVID-19 supplies, and how technology will impact FedEx operations in the future.

As Leadership Next listeners know, the role of business in society is changing. Companies are being held responsible for their environmental footprint, CEOs are asked to weigh in on social issues. Employees and customers both have new expectations of the corporations in their lives. And as companies respond to these changes they need corporate boards that understand these new expectations and pressures. Today, boards best equipped to do this are composed of diverse members with a wide variety of expertise. Nobody knows this better than Brian Stafford, the CEO of Diligent. Diligent designs software and educational tools for use by corporate boards and leaders. The company has also partnered with Fortune to build a list of companies with the most innovative boards. In this episode, Stafford explains the changing demands on board members and the skills these leaders need to succeed.

When the COVID pandemic struck, Pfizer was ready to tackle the challenge of developing a vaccine. That's due in large part to some key decisions CEO Albert Bourla made after becoming CEO in 2019. In this episode of Leadership Next he was also quick to acknowledge the role purpose played in making this feat possible. "I think it was the most important factor," Bourla said. "It was not the singular focus on sciences, it was not the infrastructure were able to develop. It was the culture and the mindset ... breakthroughs that change patients' lives. That's the reason of our existence. This is why we have formed this corporation. Without that there's no reason for us to be part of corporate America ... Companies that are staying true to their purpose always perform better than companies that don't. And I think this is because when you are having a strong focus on your purpose, you coordinate all the resources of the company towards one common goal." Also in the episode: the complicated debate over drug pricing, big lessons learned from the COVID pandemic, and Bourla's top leadership goal.

On February 24, Russia fired missiles into Ukraine, launching a war that has displaced millions and likely killed thousands. One week later, mega retailer IKEA announced it would pause all production in both Russia and Belarus and shutter its namesake stores. This decision was anything but simple. Showing support for Ukraine ultimately meant impacting over 12,000 IKEA employees in Russia, not to mention Russian consumers who turn to IKEA for reasonably-priced home goods. On today's Leadership Next, the CEO of IKEA's Ingka Group Jesper Brodin explains how the company thought through this complicated decision. "A bit like the pandemic, there is no manual or guidebook for us here," Brodin says. Also in today's conversation: why IKEA now sells renewable energy, the mattress-recycling economy in Sweden, and how Brodin nurtures his mental health.

Linda Rendle is one of just a few women to be running a Fortune 500 company. She took over the top job at Clorox early in the pandemic when the company was scrambling to meet unprecedented demand for its cleaning products. That demand has subsided but inflation has skyrocketed, handing Rendle yet another challenge. On today's Leadership Next, she tells Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt how she's approached these hurdles and why she strives to take care of her employees and the planet. "(It) has nothing to do with the idea of being woke. it has to do with this is the way that we actually create value," Rendle explains. "And we've been under leveraging it as a society for many years. And now I think it is the way and the path forward to continuing to create good growth, and really a more comprehensive view of capitalism."

Global Payments provides the technology plumbing for a lot of digital commerce. That means when life moved largely online for many in 2020, the company's bottom line benefited. And while pandemic restrictions have eased, CEO Jeff Sloan says consumers will likely continue to order dinner, buy shoes and visit the doctor online. "Cash and check is the enemy. And the pandemic has accelerated the decline of cash and check," Sloan tells Leadership Next. "As long as you as a consumer are paying for something other than in cash and check, we ultimately are going to get paid." That extends to cryptocurrency as well. But Sloan feels strongly nobody is going to be buying groceries with crypto any time soon. Instead, he expects to see the introduction of a U.S. stable coin in the near future. Also in the conversation: how Sloan see corporations benefiting from cryptocurrency today, the importance of empathy in leadership, and why Sloan aims to surround himself with people who disagree with him.

Ahead of Russia launching attacks on Ukraine, businesses and governments were warned to brace for cyber warfare. That hasn't transpired yet, but it doesn't mean it won't warns the co-founder and CEO of security company CyberArk. "Perhaps they're saving it for a later time," Udi Mokady tells Leadership Next. "(Y)ou don't certainly pull out all of your arsenal at once. And of course, my concern is that some of it will be taken against countries that are participating in the sanctions." Cyber threats - and the actors behind them - have changed dramatically since Mokady helped found CyberArk in 1999. Of course, he points out, investment in cyber defenses have changed over time too. Also in today's conversation: why companies are more vulnerable than ever to cyber attacks and how to improve the cybersecurity talent pipeline.

What is design thinking, and why should you care about it? " You know, so many leaders today are asking the question, what comes next? How do we prepare ourselves for what we can't even see? ... Well, that's where design thinking comes in," Sandy Speicher, CEO of IDEO, tells Leadership Next. Design thinking is a different way of seeing the world, a different approach to problem solving and leading. It's also a bit of a buzz word that many people still don't fully understand. But with so many changes happening in business right now - the technology revolution, the rethinking of how companies function in a hybrid world, the search for greater corporate purpose - now's the time to figure it what it is and how to implement it, according to Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt.

Bigger is no longer better for General Electric, according to CEO Larry Culp. When he took charge of the iconic company in 2018 it was clear change was needed - GE was in the midst of a years-long slump where much of its market value disappeared. His solution: break the corporate giant into three smaller, focused companies. How did he come to this conclusion? Why is it the right move? And what leadership lessons can others gain from Larry's story? Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt answer those questions and more in this episode of Leadership Next.

Signet Jewelers - parent company to Zales, Kay and several other brands - has seen its digital sales quadruple since the start of the COVID pandemic. And an estimated 85 percent of customers interact with the company digitally at some point during their shopping process, according to company CEO Gina Drosos. But pushing the company towards a digital future is just part of the transformation plan Drosos put in place after becoming CEO in 2017. "Our transformation has been both strategic and cultural, with cultural being probably even the more important of the two," Drosos tells Leadership Next. Also in today's conversation: tracing the diamond supply chain, the importance of having a diverse leadership team, and inflation's impact on the jewelry industry.

Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya immigrated to the U.S. from Turkey, He purchased an old yogurt factory in upstate New York in 2005. Two years later, the company sold its first Greek yogurt. Today, the brand is reportedly worth billions and is preparing for an IPO. But perhaps the most remarkable part of this story is HOW Ulukaya met his goal of making quality yogurt available to the mass market. As he tells Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt, it all came down to trusting his employees and treating them well. Chobani makes a practice of hiring refugees, and has enlisted other companies in these efforts. Ulukaya is dedicated to the idea that CEOs have the power to change lives, and the responsibility to do so. Hear more in this episode of Leadership Next.

As recently as 1993, 80 percent of Africans had never heard a phone ring according to Cassava Technologies CEO Hardy Pemhiwa. Today, the vast majority of people on the continent own mobile phones. But connecting those phones to the internet remains pricey. This is where Cassava Technologies enters the picture. The company aims to become the first tech company to connect all of Africa. This massive ambition springs from the belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to afford online access, and that providing this access opens the door to job growth and - ultimately - to a better economy. Pemhiwa tells Leadership Next how he's approaching the challenge, the role of regulators in Africa's growing tech industry, the opportunity for investing in African entrepreneurs, and more.

In this episode of Leadership Next, Alan Murray and Ellen McGrit take listeners inside the annual CEO meeting that Fortune typically hosts at Davos. Davos itself was postponed due to Omicron, so Fortune moved its meeting online - and attendance was impressive. Leaders who joined oversee an estimated $2.6 trillion in annual revenues and directly employ just under seven million people. On the agenda: looking ahead to the biggest challenges and opportunities of 2022. Today you'll hear from Andy Jassy of Amazon, Brian Moynihan of Bank of America, Carol Tomé of UPS, Nicolas Hieronimus of L'Oréal, Vicki Hollub of Occidental Petroleum, and Dan Schulman of PayPay. Also on the show, Joe Ucuzoglu of Deloitte US shares results from the Fortune-Deloitte CEO survey conducted in January.

For years Steve Case has been pushing venture capital investors to look beyond California, New York and Boston for startups to support. This has been the driving mission of his investment firm, Revolution, and his seed fund has backed nearly 180 companies in 80 cities. But now - finally - a growing number of investors are joining him. "I do believe one of the silver linings of a terrible tragic pandemic may be this accelerant in terms of what's happening with these rising cities and more companies starting and scaling in cities," he tells Leadership Next's Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt. Case says this is of course good news for company founders, but it's also good for workers and local economies. And, hopefully, it translates into more diverse entrepreneurs attracting funding. Also in the conversation: the types of companies Case has his eye on now, his time as the founder of AOL, and why you may want to consider a trip to Chattanooga. The transcript of this episode will be available on Fortune.com.

In this final Leadership Next of 2021, Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt are joined by Joe Ucuzoglu, CEO of Deloitte US and long-time sponsor of the podcast. The team reviews highlights from the season, identifying themes that emerged from the 40 episodes, and discusses what's ahead for business in 2022. Voices from the season appear throughout the episode. Hear from the CEOs of UPS, Chipotle, Intel, S&P, United, Best Buy, Albertsons and many more. Leadership Next will return with more interviews in January of 2022. Subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss a thing!

After 24 years at Home Depot, Carol Tomé was ready to retire. But United Parcel Service - where she had served as a board member since 2003, had other plans. Why did she decide to accept the CEO job at UPS? That's just the first thing Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt want to know in this episode of Leadership Next. UPS is the leading delivery business in the U.S. Tomé says the company delivers six percent of the country's GDP each day. That requires a lot of employees! Tomé sees making these workers happy and developing them into leaders as one of her top priorities. She explains the various ways she's tackling that part of the job. Also in the conversation: growing the business, navigating COVID, smoothing supply chain snarls and innovating for the years ahead.

Before the COVID pandemic, roughly 10 to 15 percent of Chipotle's business came in through digital channels. Today, that number is closer to 40 percent. "Sometimes, you know, your strategies end up finding an unknown accelerator. And the pandemic proved to be an accelerator on the strategy," CEO Brian Niccol explains. The company was well positioned to excel during the pandemic in other ways too. Thanks to its previous food safety scares, Chipotle had stringent health and safety protocols in place. Raising wages and outlining opportunities for career growth have helped the company weather the current labor shortage. And now, Niccol is looking ahead to another big challenge: climate change. Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt dig into all of the above, and more in this episode of Leadership Next.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby was one of the first leaders of a major American company to insist all employees be vaccinated against COVID-19. The move was controversial. But in the end, over 99% of workers complied. Kirby tells Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt that while he was confident the mandate was the right choice, he's glad the process is now in his rearview mirror. In this episode of Leadership Next Kirby shares how he makes hard decisions. He talks about United's commitment to be "100% green" by 2050. (He's quick to point out that carbon offsets do NOT figure into the company's plan.) And, he explains how his military training and love of reading have set him up for success.

When Adrian Gore decided to build an insurance company in South Africa in the early 1990s, he took a novel approach: the company should aim to make people healthier. This was not - and is not - a common tactic in the insurance business. But in a country with lots of sick people and not enough doctors, it seemed like the only sustainable choice Gore told Leadership Next. His gamble paid off - Discovery is now a very successful global business that has expanded beyond health insurance. In this conversation with Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt, Gore explains how he founded Discovery, the power of incentives to drive healthy behavior and where the company is headed next.

Cruise, backed by General Motors, plans to have one million of its self-driving cars on the road by 2030, according to CEO Dan Ammann. But the cars won't be sold to individuals. Instead, Cruise plans to introduce the public to its autonomous vehicles via ride sharing. The idea is that instead of calling an Uber or a Lyft, passengers will call a Cruise AV. On this episode of Leadership Next, Ammann tells Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt how the company plans to pull this off. He also explains why he's so eager to get more self-driving cars on the road. For him, it's about safer roads and saving lives.

In the past, offering executives leadership training was an expensive proposition. This meant only a handful of employees were able to participate. But what if you blew that model up? If you could lower the. cost, you could increase the number of employees being trained to excel. The result: a broader and more diverse group of up-and-coming corporate leaders. This is exactly what ExecOnline's CEO and co-founder, Stephen Bailey, has done. His company partners with top business schools and offers their material online to nearly half of all Fortune 500 companies. In this episode of Leadership Next he tells Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt why he started ExecOnline. The three discuss how the responsibilities of corporate leaders have changed, and what it takes to be a successful leader today.

Jack Dangermond founded Esri over 50 years ago and has grown it into a giant private company that provides software to global corporations, governments and NGOs. At its heart, it's a map-making company. Customers pull data into Esri software to create maps that help inform all sorts of decisions. As Jack tells Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt, "Our customers run the world ... and they do it through maps." But Esri's mission runs deeper than this. "We look at issues of a social nature or an environmental nature, and try to build some of the parameters of that kind of thinking into the basic tools. So when our users buy those tools, they wind up doing usually a lot more than their basic mission. ... They do things more efficiently. They do things more sustainably, ... So we can't actually control them or tell them what to do. But we can introduce to them this geographic way of thinking and acting that ultimately drives better action and behavior on their part."

Michael Dell had a reputation for not paying attention in school. But apparently, reading computer magazines in the back of his high school classrooms paid off - he went on to found Dell Technologies. This story, and many others, appear in Dell's new book, 'Play Nice But Win.' And today he's sharing several of them on Leadership Next. Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt spend some time digging into Dell's decision to take his company private in 2013 and then return to the public markets in 2018. You may not be surprised to hear that the CEO of Dell Technologies also has a lot to say about tech itself. He believes "nobody is going to be spared" from transformation, that the experience will be "wicked and brutal" but also "wonderful and amazing."

Thanks to COVID-19, corporate America has been forced to reimagine how, where and when works gets done. And the former CEO of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi, is pushing companies to inject "more humanity" into these future of work conversations. For her that means including discussions on how to support families, enabling everyone to fully participate in the workforce. As she tells Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt, this is not a "feminist issue," it's an economic one. Drawing on her new book, "My Life In Full," Nooyi lays out some specific steps she believes companies should take to better support working women. The Leadership Next conversation also touches on Nooyi's moves as PepsiCo CEO to make healthier products and boost sustainability efforts.

In today's race to attract and retain the best employees, creating an inclusive environment where people actually want to work is key to success. And this is something today's Leadership Next guests have been focused on for years. Michael Bush is CEO of Great Place to Work (GPTW), and Aron Ain is CEO of UKG, the company that recently acquired GPTW. The two tell Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt why their companies recently joined forces, and share advice on navigating the rapidly-changing world of work.

Robots have been moving into factories and other manufacturing facilities for some time. But Daniel Dines is out to automate tasks traditionally done by knowledge workers. Dines's company, UiPath, is working hard to bring robotic process automation, or RPA, into offices across the world. He argues that automating routine tasks ultimately enhances jobs - and investors seem to agree. The company went public earlier this year in one of the largest U.S. software IPOs in history, and continues to grow. On this episode of Leadership Next, Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt dig into Dines's argument that this automation is a positive development for all concerned.

It's been almost exactly two years since the Business Roundtable - a DC-based advocacy group comprised of the country's biggest companies - updated its mission statement to include stakeholders like employees and communities alongside shareholders. The move signaled a change in approach that Leadership Next's Alan Murray calls "transformational." As co-host Ellen McGirt points out however, skeptics continue to say this is all just talk, not substantive change. So today, Alan and Ellen check in with the head of the Business Roundtable - Josh Bolten - to hear the arguments he offers critics. They also discuss implementing standards to better measure the impact of the stakeholder approach, how the pandemic has impacted adherence to the stakeholder model, and Bono (yes, that Bono).

Why should business care if the government agrees to repair roads and bridges? The answer to that question is more complex than you may think. But this week's Leadership Next guest lays it out beautifully. Andrew Liveris, former CEO of Dow, is co-chair of a boldface group of CEOs called Build Together. Their goal: to encourage bipartisan support of the $1T infrastructure bill. That bill passed the Senate - garnering support of all Democratic Senators and 19 Republicans - last week. Now, it's heading for the House. Liveris explains why Build Together was formed and how it functioned. Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt also ask about what's next for the group and how the CEOs feel about the $3.5T soft infrastructure budget blueprint.

Flex is "one of the biggest companies you may have never heard of," Alan Murray says on this week's Leadership Next. The third-largest manufacturer in the world, Flex makes products and components for other companies you DO know - like Cisco, Dyson and Bose. Revathi Advaithi became Flex CEO in February of 2019 - just in time to negotiate sensitive trade issues with China, quickly followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this episode of Leadership Next, Advaithi talks about running factories and managing customers during the pandemic's early days, what the pandemic revealed about supply chains, and how she expects manufacturing to change over ensuing years. She also shares her career journey, and her thoughts on how more women can reach leadership positions within Global 500 companies.

When the COVID pandemic hit, Best Buy turned all of its stores into curbside service only - in the span of just 48 hours. And while stores have since reopened, many changes made as a result of the global crisis are here to stay. CEO Corie Barry tells Leadership Next how Best Buy has rethought using its stores, connecting with customers and best utilizing employee skills. And what about business itself? Will the outsize demand we saw for tech products eventually wane? Barry's answer may surprise you. Also in this episode: Best Buy's efforts to retain women employees, its focus on cybersecurity, and why being CEO "is not a job you do by yourself."

Leadership Next's Alan Murray calls the board shakeup at Exxon one of the biggest business stories of the year. And today the man behind that shakeup - Chris James of Engine No. 1 - joins Alan and Ellen McGirt to explain what inspired his activist campaign, and why he believes it succeeded. Fortune's Katherine Dunn - who has been reporting on the story - has valuable insight to offer too, laying out how the proxy fight unfolded and why the moment was ripe for disruption. Also key of course is what happens next. Will the three new board members be able to drive change at Exxon, pushing it to invest in the technology needed to transition away from a carbon-centered energy future? And does Engine No. 1 have its sights set on another company?

Grab is widely considered Southeast Asia's most valuable startup. Founded in 2012, the company started as a riding hailing service and has grown to include food delivery, financial services and more. From the beginning, co-founders Anthony Tan and Hooi Ling Tan have focused on building a successful business that also creates a lasting social impact. On this episode of Leadership Next, CEO Anthony Tan tells Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt how the company came to be, how it has grown, and how competition has made Grab better. Throughout it all, he illustrates how an unwavering attention to stakeholders has benefited millions across Southeast Asia, and strengthened Grab's bottom line.

While Leadership Next enjoys an extended Fourth of July holiday, check out this episode of Fortune's Brainstorm podcast - a weekly podcast which examines how tech is reshaping our world. Like what you hear? Subscribe here! In this episode, which originally aired in May, hosts Michal Lev-Ram and Brian O'Keefe look at Silicon Valley's efforts to perfect a delicious meat alternative. There are more plant-based meats on the market than ever before. But startups are increasingly using other methods to develop alternative proteins too - and investors are flocking to support their efforts. Today's Brainstorm podcast is all about these alternative meats: the case for developing them, how Silicon Valley is embracing the challenge, who is most interested in backing these companies and - perhaps most importantly - how do they taste? Fortune senior writer Beth Kowitt wrote her first big feature on the industry in 2017 and has been following it closely ever since. She gives Brian O'Keefe and Michal Lev-Ram an industry overview. Kowitt also interviews Lisa Dyson, the founder and CEO of Air Protein. A young company that - yes - aims to make alternative protein from the elements found in air. Finally, hear from Sharyn Murray of The Good Food Institute. She has a slew of data about who is investing in this industry and where the money's going - plus an interesting argument that the government should be playing a larger role in encouraging the adoption of meatless meat.

Duke Energy, number 126 on the Fortune 500, delivers electricity to nearly 8 million customers in the Southeast and Midwest. A fair amount of that electricity remains generated by coal-fired plants. Since Lynn Good became CEO in 2013 she's retired 52 of these plants, but there's still work to be done. And with an increased focus on climate change coming from government, investors, employees and customers - the push to reach net zero is stronger than ever. Good tells Leadership Next's Alan Murray how the company is approaching this challenge. They also discuss cybersecurity threats, activist investors, and how the job of CEO has changed over time.

Vivek Sankaran was ten months into his tenure as CEO of Albertsons Companies when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. His roughly 300,000 employees immediately became front-line workers, and the company had to scramble to figure out how to keep everyone safe. But ultimately, Sankaran said, the pandemic made Albertsons a better company by accelerating innovation around digital orders and much more. Another big change for Sankaran over the past year is how he thinks about social issues and community impact. "I shouldn't be episodic about this," he explained. "I need to make this commitment, I need to problem solve it like I'm problem-solving other aspects of the business."

Dow is one of the world's largest producers of plastics, yet company leader Jim Fitterling is committed to ending reliance on single-use plastic products. It's a tension that's difficult to balance, and it makes for an interesting discussion on this week's Leadership Next. As Dow moves towards a more sustainable business, Fitterling points out that products are just part of the equation. The processes used to make the products have an even bigger carbon footprint. So how specifically do you approach this challenge AND still run a profitable business? Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt dig into the details.

Pat Gelsinger has been CEO of Intel for about four months now. But he's not new to the company - he spent the first 30 years of his career at Intel. The story of how a young man from a Pennsylvania farming community landed at Intel is a good one - and it's something Pat shares with Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt in this episode of Leadership Next. But first, semiconductors. They're embedded in all the tech we touch, and most of them are manufactured in Asia. Supply chain problems have led to shortages recently, which has put the issue on many American's radars. But the push to increase manufacturing capacity in the U.S. has been building for some time. Gelsinger admits Intel ceding manufacturing to Asia was a strategic mistake and, as he explains, he has a strategy for improving the situation. Fortune's Eamon Barrett also joins this episode to shed further light on the global chip shortage, the challenges of increasing manufacturing in the U.S., and the political forces behind initiatives to do so.

Chris Nassetta has been CEO of Hilton since 2007. He tells Alan Murray that when arrived on the job "the business just wasn't functioning in the ways that it needed to function." And while some of that related to strategy, he pinpointed the real problem as tied to culture. "It (had) really sort of lost its way from a cultural point of view." While the problem may have been easy to diagnose, it was anything but easy to solve. He succeeded however, as evidenced by the company's high ranking on Fortune's 'Best Companies to Work For' list. In this episode of Leadership Next he explains how he tackled the problem. Also in this episode, the return of business travel and a peek at what Nassetta calls the "phygital" future (yep, it's a combo of physical and digital.)