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Nordic Business Forum

Nordic Business Forum

Nordic Business Forum is the podcast that empowers leaders to change the world. Each episode features insights from a top business expert on topics such as leadership or innovation - and everything in between. Learn about all things business from all of the best in business.

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  • 23 episodes
  • Avg 33 min
  • English

Episodes 23

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  • October 12 · 45 min

    Michael Beckley - The End of Easy Growth

    In this keynote presented at Nordic Business Forum 2026, professor Michael Beckely explains:- How to challenge the outdated growth assumptions, especially about China, that might be hiding massive risks in your current strategy.- How to build a winning strategy when you’re no longer competing with companies, but with the subsidized power of nations.- How to design a resilient, “shock-proof” supply chain and market strategy for a world that is breaking into geopolitical blocs.

  • October 5 · 46 min

    Paul Polman - The Courage to Collaborate

    In this Main Stage keynote, the former CEO of Unilever Paul Polman explains how to:- Build the right partnerships across your ecosystem — from suppliers and peers to competitors and communities — to unlock the kind of collective impact no company can achieve alone, and which sits at the heart of becoming truly Net Positive.- Build the radical trust and transparency required to lead transformative change across your entire value chain.- Turn humanity’s greatest challenges into your company’s biggest opportunities and most profitable ventures.- Find the personal courage to lead with purpose, making the tough, values-driven calls that build unbreakable trust with your team.

  • October 2 · 42 min

    Patty McCord - A Team, Not a Family

    Former Chief Talent Officer at Netflix, Patty McCord, shared how to build high-performing teams that deliver results at the Nordic Business Forum 2026. More specifically, she focused on: - How to implement ‘radical honesty’ as the foundation for a high-performance culture where trust isn’t just a poster on the wall, but a daily practice.- How to dismantle the traditional HR systems that kill motivation and replace them with a culture of freedom and responsibility that attracts and retains true A-players.- How to build a ‘team, not a family,’ where every member is a high-performer, enabling the level of trust and collaboration required to achieve extraordinary results.

  • S5 · E3
    May 19 · 47 min

    Stop Optimizing Everything: The Real Path to High Performance

    From the crucial difference between performance and productivity to the spillover effect between your personal and professional life, this episode unpacks the deeper mechanics of human efficiency. Expect sharp insights on the reality of wearable tech and a step-by-step blueprint to optimize your energy from your morning arrival to your evening wind-down. Plus: how to conquer the post-lunch slump, ways to measure mental well-being, and the single biggest hidden habit that is quietly killing your daily performance. 00:00 – Intro: What We’ve Gotten Wrong About Performance 01:15 – Why More Optimization Often Makes Things Worse 03:59 – James Hewitt’s 3C Model: Capacity, Control, Coordination 06:10 – Why Doing Less Is a Performance Strategy 07:37 – Wearables, Tracking, and the Data Obsession Trap 11:03 – Sleep, Stress, and Leadership Performance 13:42 – What Formula 1 Teams Teach Us About Performing Under Pressure 17:47 – Managing Mistakes Without Losing Control 19:05 – The Science of High-Performing Teams 21:11 – Why Most Teams Fail to Coordinate Properly 23:13 – Plan, Brief, Execute, Debrief: System for Teams 26:30 – The Importance of Psychological Safety and Failure 29:22 – High-Performance Teams Succeed in Organized Hybrid Settings 34:23 – Cognitive Load of Online Meetings 37:30 – Boundary Management Between Work and Non-Work Time 39:01 – Building Better Attention Habits 41:14 – The 3C Model Applied to Personal Life 43:43 – Attention Is Our Most Valuable Resource 45:00 – Attention Is an Act of Love 45:33 – Why Self-Compassion Improves Performance

  • S5 · E2
    April 28 · 1 hr 4 min

    Is This the End of the Neutral CEO?

    In a world where silence is no longer safe, today’s CEOs face a new reality: take a stand or risk losing relevance. But what does it really mean to lead in an age of polarization?Host Heli sits down with Annika Arras (CEO, Miltton New Nordics) and Thomas Kolster (marketing advisor & author) to unpack the rise of corporate activism.From the tension between profit and purpose to the risks of “performative” values, this episode explores why neutrality is fading and what replaces it.Expect sharp insights on leadership, trust, stakeholder pressure, and the messy intersection of business and politics. Plus: real-world examples, hard truths about money and morality, and a practical playbook for navigating activism without breaking your company. 00:00 – Intro: The End of the Neutral CEO 03:00 – What Corporate Activism Really Means Today 04:10 – From Milton Friedman to Modern CEOs: What Changed? 05:58 – The “Hero Trap”: When Activism Becomes Self-Serving 07:48 – US vs. Nordics: Why Context Matters in Taking a Stand 10:39 – Should CEOs Follow Values or Customers? 13:00 – The Three Drivers of Activism: Material, Societal, Existential 18:06 – “Everything Is Politics”: Why CEOs Are Already Political 25:22 – It’s Sustainable to Be Inclusive 28:02 – Leaders Need to Create the Space for Difficult Discussions 29:45 – Challenger Brands vs. Corporates: Who Can Take Stronger Stands? 32:37 – When Activism Works: Examples from Finlayson and Others 35:15 – Short-Term vs. Long-Term Thinking in Leadership 37:14 – Why CEOs Must Stay Curious and Close to Society 39:25 – What Kind of Money Do You Want to Make? 44:14 – Practical Guidelines: Why, What, How, and When to Act 58:55 – The One Thing Leaders Should Remember 01:02:28 – Outro: It’s Okay to Disagree

  • S5 · E1
    April 8 · 57 min

    How to Use AI Without Letting It Rot Your Brain

    AI can boost your thinking but it can also replace it completely. In this episode, we explore how to use AI in a way that strengthens your brain instead of weakening it. Host Olivia Ojala is joined by neuroscientist Mona Moisala and Pactum AI co-founder Kaspar Korjus to discuss what research says about AI’s impact on cognition, memory, and decision-making. When does AI enhance learning, and when does it lead to shallow thinking? You’ll hear practical insights for professionals and leaders: how to use AI as a co-thinker, what tasks to delegate, how to avoid “AI slop,” and why “think first, prompt second” might be the most important rule of all. A must-listen for anyone navigating AI at work and wanting to stay sharp while doing it. 00:00 – Intro: Is AI Enhancing or Rotting Your Brain? 02:21 – The Neuroscience of AI: Cognitive Offloading vs. Atrophy 04:52 – Think First, Prompt Second: The Golden Rule for Brain Health 06:55 – AI Agents as "Graduate Students": How to Train Your Tools 12:29 – The Fears and Misconceptions around AI 17:34 or 18:46 – Integrating AI at the Workplace: Useful Strategies for Companies and Leaders 20:47 – The Adoption Inequality Gap: Winners and Losers of AI 26:57 – The Fine Line between Outsourcing Tasks for Productivity and Killing Expertise 33:50 – Beware of "AI Slop": Spotting Hallucinations and Fake Citations 36:36 – How AI Really Works: Next-Character Prediction vs. Human Logic 41:26 – Using AI as a Co-Thinker: The Active Way of Using AI at Work 46:17 – Building Your Brain Muscle Back 47:54 – The 3x Productivity Trap: Why AI Makes Us More Stressed 49:13 – Leading with Empathy: Mental Health in the AI Era 53:48 – Bridging the Generation Gap: How AI Impacts us Across Generations 56:03 – Outro: How to Stay Human in an Automated World

  • S4 · E3
    Jun 16, 2022 · 26 min

    Psychological Safety - Amy Edmondson

    In this session, you will learn: How does psychological safety lead to high performance? How does your leadership style affect your team? Why are bad ideas also an essential ingredient of success?

  • S4 · E2
    Apr 28, 2022 · 34 min

    Strategic Work in a Turbulent Geopolitical Landscape - Kjell Nordström

    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused, above all dreadful loss, grief, anxiety, and fear. It has also drastically changed the geopolitical landscape we operate in as businesses. So, how can you navigate your business strategy now? We’ll try to find that out at our next live webinar as we sit down with the economist and author, Kjell A Nordström. In this session, you will learn: What are the emerging risks you need to be aware of? How can you navigate the current geopolitical landscape? How can you work strategically in a fast-changing environment? How can boards play a vital role in building a culture for cyber security?

  • S4 · E1
    Apr 8, 2022 · 38 min

    3 Ways To Succeed In The Future of Work - Terence Mauri

    In the last two years, everything changed. People changed. Technology changed. The office changed. Priorities changed. And the way we work changed. The future of work is now. Are you prepared for opportunity, choice, and growth in the accelerated future of work? Terence Mauri is on a mission to help leaders harness the upside of disruption, leadership, and growth in the accelerated future of work. He holds Entrepreneur Mentor roles at MIT and IE Business School and is the founder of the management think tank Hack Future Lab. His latest book The 3D Leader: Take your leadership to the next dimension has been described as a ‘game changer’ by Forbes.

  • S3 · E4
    Dec 9, 2021 · 34 min

    Ed Catmull - Culture of Creativity

    During this keynote, Ed explores his learnings at Disney–Pixar on how to remove the barriers that inhibit creativity in the workplace.

  • S3 · E3
    Dec 2, 2021 · 14 min

    Morten Hansen - Do Less, Work Better, Achieve More

    Morten Hansen, an author and management theorist, talks about the importance of working smart in the 21st century. He also shares a few pieces of advice on how to do less, work better, and achieve more. The discussion is a recording from Nordic Business Forum Stockholm in 2019. Enjoy!

  • Nov 18, 2021 · 14 min

    Simon Sinek - Great Leadership According to an Optimist

    During this interview, the world-renowned author and speaker Simon Sinek talks about issues such as the infinite game and great leadership. The discussion is a recording from Nordic Business Forum Stockholm in 2019.

  • S3 · E1
    Nov 12, 2021 · 27 min

    Sahar Hashemi - 6 Steps to Be Entrepreneurial in a Large Company

    In this episode, the co-founder of Coffee Republic, Sahar Hashemi, shares her journey to entrepreneurship. Her keynote also provides 6 pieces of advice on how to be entrepreneurial in a large company. The session was recorded at Nordic Business Forum Stockholm in 2019

  • S2 · E6
    Aug 27, 2021 · 43 min

    Donald Miller - How the Power of Story Can Grow Your Business

    "A clear story will win every time." During this keynote, Donald Miller, the CEO of StoryBrand, talks about the power of storytelling. He also shares 7 key characteristics of a story that you can use in marketing.

  • S2 · E4
    Jul 29, 2021 · 59 min

    Seth Godin - Leadership vs. Management

    In this keynote, Seth Godin, a world-renowned marketing and leadership author, talks about the difference between leadership and management, the confusion surrounding them, and why the world needs more leaders.

  • S2 · E4
    Jul 1, 2021 · 18 min

    Anssi Rantanen - Why Experimentation is the Future of Growth

    This time, Anssi Rantanen, the winner of our 2019 speaker contest explains why experimentation is the key to growth. With the help of a very practical example, he also demonstrates how technology allows us all to experiment much faster and easier.

  • S2 · E3
    Jun 17, 2021 · 26 min

    Costas Markides - Innovation As a Springboard to Success

    In this episode, Costas Markides, a professor at London Business School speaks about what innovation is and why it is important. He also explains why and how an organization must identify the kind of innovation it needs before implementing.

  • S2 · E1
    May 20, 2021 · 32 min

    Simon Sinek - The Infinite Game

    In his keynote, "The Infinite Game", Simon Sinek talks about the idea that business is not about beating the competition - it’s about outlasting your competition. Additionally, he shares 5 things you need in order to play the infinite game.

Showing 1–20 of 23 episodes