What workers really want - and how it can bridge the gender gap: Reshma Saujani

Forget snacks and gym memberships: Today's worker wants to know you value their family. 
 
When Reshma Saujani founded Moms First -- a movement to drive paid leave for families --she already had a successful non-profit under her belt in Girls Who Code. But she quickly learned that advocating for moms and parents uncovers a host of structural barriers that hold back both women and families.

In a special conversation recorded at the 2024 Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, she shared how leaders will need to focus on their teams' families to stay competitive and to bridge a host of gaps - including gender pay gaps and labor shortages coming down the line. She also shared how a special AI-powered tool her organization built -- PaidLeave.AI -- is helping thousands better understand leave benefits in New York State and showing how new technologies can expand opportunity in surprising ways. 

Where do you see yourself and your team a year from now? How can you maximize tech - and mitigate its risks? How can you stay focused despite increasing geopolitical tensions? What impacts will small decisions now have in 5 to 10 years? In this special compilation episode of Meet The Leader recorded at the Annual Meeting in Davos, heads of top companies, civil society organizations and non-profits shared what leaders should prioritize this year. They share questions to ask yourself, how to set your objectives, ways to better serve your team, the risks to keep on your radar and ways to build your vision for the long term.

In this episode: 
Sander van 't Noordende, CEO, Randstad
Fidelma Russo, CTO, HPE
Milton Cheng, Global Chair, Baker McKenzie
Daphne Koller, CEO, Insitro
Hilde Merete Aasheim, CEO, Norsk Hydro
Petra Jenner, senior vice president and general manager, Splunk 
Christy Hoffman, General Secretary, UNI Global 
Reshma Saujani, founder, MomsFirst
Olajumoke Adekeye, Founders, Young Business Agency
Catalina Cock Duque, Co-Founder and President, Fundacion Mi Sangre
Rudayna Abdo, founder, Thaki
Jagan Chapagain, Secretary-General, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

What’s next for the year ahead? Is a much-promised “soft landing” for certain economies possible? And what new impacts can we expect from inflation? Meet The Leader caught up with International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva at the Annual Meeting in Davos to get her take on what's ahead, including how upcoming elections and other global challenges could make some moves especially tricky in 2024. She discusses the findings of a new IMF report exploring how AI will impact jobs in different economies around the world in the decades to come -- and how leaders can get prepared now. She also shares the mindsets and approaches that can help leaders stay nimble in what could be an unpredictable year -- along with what gives this "die hard" optimist hope. 

New approaches to partnering and collaboration will be key to tackling climate action. This will require new mindsets, new systems and connecting with people and groups you might have otherwise overlooked. To better understand how collaboration is evolving, this week’s episode talks to Chief Procurement Offers, leaders who do more than acquire goods and services, but who increasingly work across the business and hold a holistic perspective, exposed to everything from the bottom line to changing trade rules, innovations and shifting geopolitical contexts. They share methods they use to collaborate in new ways -- practices any leader can put to work to push climate action forward.

In this episode: 
Rachael De Renzy Channer, Global Head of Sustainability, Egon Zehnder 
Andrea Fuder,  Chief Procurement Officer, Volvo Group 
Björn Stenecker, Chief Procurement Officer, Vattenfall 
Dan Bartel, Chief Procurement Officer, Schneider Electric

Canadian-Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy interviews fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg about the designer's life and one-of-a-kind perspective. The spirited, wide-ranging conversation goes beyond the creation of the famous wrap dress and how Furstenburg built one of the world's most recognizable brands, to explore how these two strong female creatives open doors for others and navigate challenges in their industries. 

Recorded at the Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland January 18, 2024. 

Watch the full session here: https://www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2024/sessions/wrapped-in-leadership

Intel Chief Executive Officer Pat Gelsinger talks with World Economic Forum Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab in this wide ranging conversation on technology, leading edge semiconductor production and the trends shaping the year ahead. Recorded January 17, 2024.

Watch the session here: https://www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2024/sessions/a-conversation-with-pat-gelsinger-and-klaus-schwab

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Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella speaks to World Economic Forum Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab in a special wide ranging conversation covering how AI will transform science, new game-changing technologies that will drive progress, and more.

This conversation was recorded at the Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Recorded January 16, 2024. 

Watch the session here: https://www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2024/sessions/a-conversation-with-satya-nadella-and-klaus-schwab

How do the world's top leaders maximize their time to connect and build solutions to the world's biggest problems? This special highlight episode shares insights recorded at past Annual Meetings in Davos, Switzerland with a range of voices including CEOs, entrepreneurs, civil society leaders and an astronaut. They share the personal approaches they employ to listen effectively, build trust, strengthen collaborations, seek out new perspectives and ensure their leadership meets the moment. 

In this episode:

Roy Jakobs, CEO, Royal Philips

Priya Lakhani, CEO and Founder, Century Tech

Alex Liu, Chairman, Kearney

Matthias Maurer, astronaut, European Space Agency

David Rubenstein, founder, Carlyle Group

Achim Steiner, administrator, UNDP

Ashleigh Streeter-Jones, founder, Raise Our Voice Australia

Swami Sivasubramanian’s first experience using a computer was in high school in India, where there was just one computer for the entire school. While each student could use the computer for just a few minutes a day, those few minutes sparked his lifelong passion for technology, one that led to his current role as VP of Data and AI at Amazon Web Services. It also drove home to him that any exposure to new technologies can be transformative. He talks to Meet the Leader about why it's critical to prioritize access to AI training for a range of ages and backgrounds, especially those in non-technical fields like HR or Marketing where new possibilities will be on the horizon. He also shares a slate of free AWS programming for cutting edge AI tools as well as guidance for leaders setting training priorities for the year ahead. He’ll also explain how he's changed as a leader and technologist since starting at Amazon as a mere intern and the key questions that can help teams get future ready, including one that helped teams at AWS maximize technologies like machine learning. 

Want a book for that hard-to-shop-for person? Or a book to make you that much sharper in the year ahead? In this special collection episode, CEOs, startup founders and more share the books that have changed their minds, how they lead and even changed their careers. Their book picks include business classics, as well as surprising selections from histories, how-to books and the Bible. These recommendations helped this year's class of leaders better manage teams, their time and their energy, all while making critical shifts in their lives and mindsets. 

Interviewees include:
Alyssa Auberger, CSO, Baker McKenzie
Deborah Braide, E-Guide
Didier Elzinga, Chief Executive Officer, Culture Amp
Martine Ferland, Chief Executive Officer, Mercer
Tiya Gordon, founder, It's Electric
Fahd Jamaleddine, co-founder, Nafda Lebonan
Cassandra Mao, Chief Strategy Officer, Halo Car
Benjie de la Pena, Chief Executive OfficerShared Mobility Center
Blake Scholl, Chief Executive Officer, Boom Supersonic
Mitzi Short, CEO of New Season Coaching and Consulting
Aaron Tartakovsky, Chief Executive Officer, Epic Cleantec
Dylan Taylor, chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Voyager Space
Angela Williams, Chief Executive Officer, United Way Worldwide

Interviews in this episode were recorded at: Annual Meeting, Davos Switzerland; Sustainable Development Impact Summit, New York; Urban Transformation Summit, Detroit.