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Next to Lead

Fortune

Next to Lead featuring Fortune editor Ruth Umoh is a weekly vodcast series featuring a new generation of Fortune 500 leaders. Each week we talk to today’s most prominent C-suite executives who are shaping the future of business. Episodes will reveal what drives these executives, their vision for the future, and how to succeed in today’s hyper competitive landscape.

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21 episodes
Avg 35 min
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Thursday · 29 min
Never Heard of Toast? How a Restaurant Tech Giant Dominates Global Dining | Next to Lead
Toast started as a point-of-sale company. Today, the restaurant technology platform serves over 180,000 locations globally and is expanding into areas including payments, payroll, marketing, reservations, retail. In this episode of Fortune Next to Lead, C-suite and Leadership Editor Ruth Umoh sits down with Toast CMO and COO Kelly Esten to discuss the company’s growth strategy and its vision for the future of restaurant technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 19 · 17 min
Meta’s Billion-Dollar Bet on Wearable AI | Next to Lead
Meta is spending billions to catch up in the AI race, betting that its latest model, Muse Spark, can help close the gap with its biggest rivals. But the company’s aggressive AI investments, ranging from advertising tools to its latest AI-powered smart glasses, are coming at a cost: Meta’s profits fell 14% in the second quarter, as spending surged alongside hefty legal penalties. In this episode of Next to Lead, Fortune’s C-suite and Leadership Editor Ruth Umoh sits down with Nicola Mendelsohn, Meta’s Head of Global Business Group, in Cannes to discuss the company’s AI ambitions, the creator economy, and Meta’s push towards AI supremacy. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:08 Ad 01:38 How AI is Shifting All Business 03:02 Meta’s AI Ad Stack Advantage 04:26: Meta’s Creative Workplace Launch 04:53 Meeting Customers Through Messaging, Business Agents 06:43 Meta’s Customers Key Pain Points 07:20: Case Study: Car Rentals in Brazil 07:54 Is Meta Taking Too Much Control? 09:07 Estée Lauder Experiment 10:44 Kylie Jenner x Meta Glasses 12:04 Creators, Community, Commerce 13:40 AI Hype, Responsibility 14:48 Future of Creators, Agents 16:28 Looking Ahead for Nicola Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 6 · 19 min
Tinder’s CMO Has a Hard No for Dating AI Chatbots | Next to Lead
As dating apps experiment with AI, Tinder CMO Melissa Hobley is drawing a line between using the technology to help people connect and using it to replace human connection. Tinder wants AI to help users choose their best profile photos, make sense of complex astrology charts, and ultimately spend less time on their phones—not create artificial people to date. At Cannes Lions, Fortune’s Ruth Umoh sits down with Hobley to discuss AI avatars, the future of digital intimacy, and where technology’s role should end and real-life connection begin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 22 · 1 hr 1 min
A McKinsey Partner Warns Slow AI Adoption Could Cost Companies Their Existence | Next to Lead
AI is rewriting the rules of marketing, but not every brand is ready for it. At Cannes Lions, Fortune's Ruth Umoh sat down with the marketing and growth chiefs behind four major brands to drop the polish and tackle the messy middle: what's really holding AI adoption back. How do you build momentum when your data strategy is still warming up? How do you chase innovation without torching the budget? And what happens when "AI-powered everything" creates more noise than results? Expect straight talk, live debate, and hard numbers on where the hype ends and the business impact begins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 17 · 45 min
Killing Vanity Metrics: How AI Just Blew Up The CMO Job | Next to Lead
Today’s CMO isn’t just selling the brand; they’re responsible for the business, owning revenue, product, and data. At the same time, AI is automating a huge slice of marketing and exposing the metrics that don’t actually move the business. At Cannes Lions, Fortune’s Ruth Umoh sat down with the marketing chiefs of Slack, Zoom, Slalom, and TD Bank U.S. to unpack how AI is reshaping their roles, what they now measure, and how they chase growth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 1 · 30 min
How Coach's Parent Company Keeps Winning Gen Z
You may know Coach and Kate Spade, but you may not know Tapestry, the $30 billion company behind them. After a blocked merger with Capri Holdings, and the sale of its Stuart Weitzman brand, Tapestry is betting on Coach's momentum to fuel its next phase of growth. As luxury retailers compete for younger consumers in an uncertain economy, Tapestry CFO and COO Scott Rowe says the key is winning Gen Z, investing in brand engagement, and using AI-driven insights to stay ahead of changing consumer behavior. 00:00 Why Coach Is Winning While Luxury Struggles 01:18 Tapestry's Competitive Advantage 02:09 Scott Rowe's Career Journey 03:42 Why He Left Manufacturing for Fashion 04:11 Why Global Experience Creates Better Leaders 05:35 Is Job Hopping Better Than Company Loyalty? 07:58 Why Scott Joined Tapestry 09:46 Balancing the Roles of CFO and COO 10:39 The "So What?" Test for Business Investments 11:37 Why Finance and Operations Work Better Together 12:41 What the Failed Capri Merger Taught Tapestry 14:33 Can Kate Spade Make a Comeback? 15:59 How Tapestry Is Navigating the K-Shaped Economy 17:27 Why Coach Keeps Winning 19:18 The Biggest Myth About Gen Z Consumers 20:38 How Tapestry Uses AI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
April 27 · 34 min
How Carvana Survived a 99% Stock Collapse | Next to Lead
In late 2022, Carvana was flirting with bankruptcy after its stock collapsed 99% in just 16 months. Now, the online used-car retailer is staging a stunning comeback, pouring billions into acquisitions, infrastructure, AI, and its signature car vending machines. In this episode of Next to Lead, Fortune’s C-suite and Leadership editor Ruth Umoh sits down with Carvana strategy chief Christina Keiser to discuss what it will take to sustain that momentum and how it came back from the brink. 00:00 Intro 01:05 What is Carvana 04:49 Carvana’s online shopping business model 06:32 Christina’s rise to the C-suite 08:20 Christina’s strategy role at Carvana 10:56 Carvana’s vision 11:51 Christina’s vision 12:34 Managing Carvana’s stock crash 16:37 Looking back at Carvana’s crisis 19:00 Staying focused in leadership 21:27 Carvana’s inventory strategy 23:04 Balancing rising interest rates 25:28 Carvana’s ADESA auction acquisition 28:55 Carvana’s car vending machines 31:30 Carvana’s AI strategy 33:47 Christina’s best leadership advice 34:13 Christina’s advice for recovering from a career mistake 34:37 Christina’s personal car and outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
April 13 · 30 min
Big Pharma's Trust Gap? How Gilead Is Rewriting the Narrative | Next to Lead
Gilead Sciences moves at a pace rarely seen in pharma, delivering breakthrough COVID-19 antivirals and HIV preventatives in record time. Yet, in an industry facing a massive trust deficit, speed isn’t always enough. In this episode of Next to Lead, Johanna Mercier, Gilead’s Chief Commercial & Corporate Affairs Officer, joins Fortune’s Leadership Editor Ruth Umoh to discuss how the company is rewriting its narrative and balancing its patients with its shareholders. 00:00 Intro 01:05 Mercier’s role at Gilead 03:05 Work-life balance and managing energy 05:10 Mercier’s biology and business background 06:02 Personal motivation and prioritizing patients 08:10 Balancing profits with patients 09:04 Public trust 11:03 Resilience following failure 13:02 Drug pricing agreements with the federal government 14:33 Growth engines for Gilead 15:24 Gilead’s billion-dollar acquisition strategy 17:24 Gilead’s COVID-19 and SARS pivot 18:07 Gilead’s AI strategy 21:34 Responsible AI use 22:10 AI-powered predictive analytics 23:07 Mercier’s leadership strategy 24:24 Ending HIV 25:30 Rapid-fire questions 30:45 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
March 23 · 22 min
Can Adobe Survive the AI Era It Helped Shape? | Next to Lead
Adobe built the modern creative economy, but as AI reshapes how content is made, its legacy may be its biggest risk. With a leadership shakeup and rising competition, will Adobe stay indispensable or will they'll be left behind? In a moment of transformational change, Adobe President of Customer Experience, Anil Chakravarthy, says the challenge is moving as fast as AI-- without losing sight of what their creatives, marketing professionals and businesses want. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
March 9 · 38 min
Airbnb Is Building a Travel Platform, Not Just Rentals | Next to Lead
Airbnb is evolving from a hotel alternative into a full-scale travel concierge. In this episode of Next to Lead, Airbnb CFO Ellie Mertz joins Fortune’s Ruth Umoh to discuss the company’s expansion into end-to-end travel services and "white space" opportunities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 22, 2025 · 36 min
Red Lobster’s CEO says “organizations take on the personality of their leaders” | Next to Lead
To close out a year of great conversations with c-suite talent who may very well be the CEOs of tomorrow, Ruth speaks with one of the most interesting CEOs of today, Red Lobster’s Damola Adamolekun. Damola was only 31 when he became CEO of P.F. Chang’s. Five years later, he was tapped to turn around Red Lobster after bankruptcy. He talks to Ruth about his perspective on leadership, how his time working in private equity sharpened his skillset, and how he makes high stakes decisions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 15, 2025 · 38 min
Can a tobacco giant build a smokefree future? | Next to Lead
In 2016, Philip Morris International announced a bold new mission: to deliver a “smoke-free future.” Its U.S. division—Philip Morris U.S.—is now leading that charge with a portfolio of smoke-free products, including the widely known nicotine pouch brand ZYN. Yet globally, Philip Morris International continues to sell cigarettes, fueling the very addiction it says it aims to eliminate. In this episode, Ruth Umoh sits down with Seth Kaufman, chief commercial officer of Philip Morris U.S., to discuss what success looks like for a company trying to move consumers away from cigarettes, the ethical tensions embedded in its business model, and whether a truly smoke-free future is possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 8, 2025 · 37 min
How America’s oldest automaker is tackling tariffs, electrification, and AI | Next to Lead
How does a company founded in 1908 survive the breakneck speed of the 21st century? For Shilpan Amin, General Motors’ global chief procurement and supply chain officer, the answer has been forged through crisis leadership and quiet reinvention over nearly three decades inside one of America’s auto giants. He joins Fortune’s Ruth Umoh to reflect on how mentorship accelerated his career, what it takes to move with speed inside a massive organization, and why supply chain risk is one of the few things that still keeps him up at night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 1, 2025 · 36 min
How the bank founded by Alexander Hamilton is transforming for the future of finance | Next To Lead
BNY’s Chief Commercial Officer, Cathinka Wahlstrom, joins Fortune’s Ruth Umoh to unpack how a centuries old institution is transforming itself for the next era of finance. Drawing on her nearly three decades at Accenture and her time at Alight, she explains how client obsession and following her gut has shaped her career. She discusses why today’s leaders have to be comfortable “living in paradox,” how BNY is adopting AI, and how it's balancing tradition and innovation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 17, 2025 · 37 min
Is Xbox building the future of gaming? | Next to Lead
From consoles to cloud, Xbox is reinventing itself for an era where players can game anywhere. Xbox president Sarah Bond sits down with Fortune to discuss the company’s sweeping transformation, her approach to leadership and innovation, and how she plays to redefine the future of gaming. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 10, 2025 · 36 min
“Farmers are the ultimate entrepreneur,” Land O’Lakes SVP Leah Anderson | Next to Lead
As President of Winfield United and SVP at Land O’Lakes, Leah Anderson has a front-row seat to the challenges and opportunities shaping American agriculture. In conversation with Fortune’s Ruth Umoh, she discusses the macroeconomic headwinds facing farmers, how AI can strengthen the workforce, and the path that led her to the C-suite. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 3, 2025 · 37 min
UPS’s Matt Guffey on the company's next act: leaner operations and a sharper focus on growth
In the wake of widespread layoffs, UPS is undergoing one of the largest transformations in its nearly 120-year history. Chief commercial officer Matt Guffey explains how a leaner operating model and a sharper focus on healthcare, small and midsized businesses, and international markets are positioning the company for its next era of profitable growth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 27, 2025 · 36 min
IBM's Rob Thomas on why companies fail at innovation—and how iteration fixes it
Rob Thomas has spent more than two decades at IBM, rising from consultant to SVP of software and chief commercial officer. In this conversation, he explains why real innovation starts close to the customer, why reading is a core leadership habit, and how IBM is shifting from “lightbulb” AI experiments to business-changing “motor” outcomes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 20, 2025 · 37 min
Taking Grindr public & building a career on 'leaps of faith' with CFO Vanna Krantz
Grindr calls itself “the global gayborhood in your pocket,” and since going public in 2022, the dating app for gay men has steadily expanded its reach. Behind that leap to the public markets was CFO Vanna Krantz, who previously helped launch Disney+. She joins Ruth to reflect on being a self-described late bloomer, the joy of working with teams deeply invested in their work, and what’s next for her career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 13, 2025 · 39 min
Resy CMO Hannah Kelly on where to dine next, how trends are made, & smart leadership
Resy’s CMO Hannah Kelly reflects on the brand’s journey from AmEx acquisition to post-pandemic reinvention—and how data and storytelling are guiding its next chapter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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