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The Committed Innovator

McKinsey Innovation

Unsung heroes of innovation and deeply experienced innovators discuss their triumphs, trials, and lessons learned with Erik Roth, the global leader of McKinsey's Growth and Innovation practice.

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  • 20 episodes
  • Avg 33 min
  • English
  • February 27 · 26 min

    The Committed Innovator: Why innovation competitions work

    McKinsey holds an innovation competition every year; compelling evidence shows that most organizations can benefit from doing same. McKinsey & Company regularly holds an internal competition, the Innovation Olympics, in which our own teams bring their best business ideas to an internal competition. In the most recent cycle over 2,000 McKinsey colleagues competed, with the goal of creating a bottom-up innovation mechanism that surfaces great ideas and put them to work for our clients. In this episode, McKinsey innovation leader and senior partner Erik Roth speaks with our current winners about the process. Part of the team joins us—Iris Roelens, John Law-Lund, and Suryansh Soni—to describe how and why they decided to use machine learning to draw on McKinsey knowledge and create digital agents that could serve as virtual consultants. This is an edited transcript of their conversation. You can follow the series on your preferred podcast platform. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

  • February 5 · 34 min

    The Committed Innovator: Keeping up with AI and deploying it as it evolves

    Adopting AI remains a challenge for most, and the fact that the world of AI is advancing so incredibly rapidly doesn’t help. Nathaniel Whittemore aims to make both adoption and keeping up with change a lot easier. He is the founder and CEO of Superintelligent, the AI enablement platform that offers interactive tutorials that provide practical AI education and clear paths to business solutions. And is also the host of the podcast, AI Daily Brief, that seeks to keep its listeners up to date with AI as it evolves. In this episode of The Committed Innovator, McKinsey innovation leaser and senior partner, Erik Roth, speaks with Whittemore about the intersection between Whittemore’s two companies, the challenges of adopting and scaling AI for enterprises, and what he sees in store for AI in 2026. This is an edited transcript of their conversation. You can follow the series on your preferred podcast platform. Related content Taking fear out of innovation The essentials of innovation Reconfiguring work: Change management in the age of gen AI See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

  • Dec 17, 2025 · 38 min

    The Committed Innovator: Enabling and harnessing the innovation process

    Miro founder and CEO Andrey Khusid discusses the inspiration behind what started as a digital whiteboard and has evolved to become an AI innovation workspace. Of the many challenges of innovation, enabling members of a team to share and capture their new ideas so they can build on them collaboratively, quickly, and easily is a perennial source of drag. The need to do so remotely inspired Miro founder and CEO Andrey Khusid to start the online whiteboard platform used for brainstorming, planning, and team collaboration. Today the company has evolved into an AI-driven innovation workspace. In this episode, McKinsey innovation leader Erik Roth speaks with Khusid about the problem Miro seeks to solve, the process of scaling the business, and what is next for the company in the age of generative and agentic AI. Related reading: The eight essentials of innovation Taking fear out of innovation Fear factor: Overcoming human barriers to innovation See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

  • Nov 17, 2025 · 32 min

    The Committed Innovator: Taking on the challenge ocean pollution from plastic with Boyan Slat

    The Ocean Cleanup's Boyan Slat discusses the promise and challenge of technological innovation at planetary scale. The problem of ocean pollution from plastic waste is growing and intractable, and can feel insurmountable to many consumers. For Dutch innovator Boyan Slat, however, not only is the problem solvable, it’s an imperative. In addition to harming habitats and wildlife, improperly discarded plastics can cause health problems for humans. The founder and CEO of Rotterdam-based The Ocean Cleanup, Slat seeks to both clean up the worst of plastic pollution in oceans, and to stop the flow of plastics from rivers into oceans. McKinsey innovation leader Erik Roth speaks with Slat about the challenges of starting and evolving The Ocean Cleanup, how the organization has found success, and what it takes to continue the effort. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

  • Apr 9, 2025 · 33 min

    Restaurateur John McDonald offers a grounded approach to hospitality

    In this episode of The Committed Innovator, we talk with John McDonald, the founder and CEO of Mercer Street Hospitality, which owns Lure Fishbar in New York City and Chicago, among other restaurants and bars. McDonald spoke with McKinsey Senior Partner and innovation leader Erik Roth about maintaining success and equilibrium in the notoriously difficult hospitality industry. Related insights: What’s on the menu? Revenue growth techniques for restaurants Cooking up extraordinary growth for restaurants during a downturn Taking fear out of innovation How to take the measure of innovation Fielding high-performing innovation teams Explore our collection of Committed Innovator episode transcripts on McKinsey.com: Strategic Growth & Innovation See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

  • Feb 12, 2025 · 31 min

    Closing the gap between innovation and go-to-market, with AWS’s Jelena Joffe Weil

    McKinsey innovation leader Erik Roth speaks with Jelena Joffe Weil, the founder and worldwide leader of the Venture Innovation program at AWS, Amazon’s cloud computing arm, about how AWS works to close the gap between innovation and go to market for start-ups and large enterprises. The global hyperscaler is known for helping businesses grow and scale rapidly, but it also helps start-ups and established enterprises find each other to engage in open, or collaborative, innovation. Related insights: Driving innovation with generative AI Taking fear out of innovation How to take the measure of innovation Fielding high-performing innovation teams Explore our collection of Committed Innovator episode transcripts on McKinsey.com: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/inside-the-strategy-room-podcast/strategic-growth-and-innovation Discover our latest insights and join more than 92,000 influential professionals who are part of our LinkedIn community: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-&-corporate-finance See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

  • Oct 22, 2024 · 35 min

    Child and adolescent mental health as proving ground for innovation

    In this episode of The Committed Innovator, McKinsey innovation leader Erik Roth speaks with the founder, president, and medical director of the Child Mind Institute in New York City, Dr. Harold Koplewicz. At a time of increasing concerns globally about child and adolescent mental health, the institute is working to use advanced imaging technologies and AI to help revolutionize diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric illness, and psychological and learning disorders. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

  • Aug 21, 2024 · 38 min

    Helping India’s e-commerce leapfrog into the future

    McKinsey innovation leader Erik Roth speaks with Shiprocket cofounder and CEO Saahil Goel about how he built his e-commerce logistics company into a highly successful platform that is helping launch new entrepreneurs all over India. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

  • Jun 24, 2024 · 34 min

    March Capital’s Wes Nichols talks about innovating on the frontlines of technological change

    Rapid technological innovation heightens opportunity for investors. Serial entrepreneur and investor Wes Nichols shares the factors he looks for in but choosing the right start-ups and entrepreneurs to back. Nichols is best known for starting MarketShare, the marketing resource allocation software solution. Today he is a partner at March Capital, the growth-stage venture capital firm that focuses on enterprise technology companies. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

  • May 13, 2024 · 30 min

    Innovation in video gaming with Electronic Arts’ Chief Strategy Officer Mihir Vaidya

    Innovation in online gaming requires keeping up with a broad mix of changes, including digital advances, audience desires, and artistic trends. In this episode of The Committed Innovator podcast, McKinsey innovation expert Erik Roth talks with Mihir Vaidya, the chief strategy officer of Electronic Arts, about these unique aspects of innovating in the gaming industry. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

  • Mar 6, 2024 · 29 min

    American Red Cross chief innovation officer Sajit Joseph

    Innovation in a not-for-profit context involves measuring success in terms of returns on mission, rather than returns to shareholders. In this episode of The Committed Innovator podcast, McKinsey innovation expert Erik Roth talks with Sajit Joseph, the chief innovation officer of the American Red Cross, about how the 142-year-old institution began and carries out its innovation journey. Explore other episodes of The Committed Innovator: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/inside-the-strategy-room-podcast/innovation See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

  • Oct 4, 2023 · 33 min

    How Major League Baseball built an innovation machine

    In this episode of The Committed Innovator, Major League Baseball’s Chief Operating and Strategy Officer Chris Marinak speaks with McKinsey innovation leader Erik Roth about how the league is using fan feedback, experimentation, and data to change a game steeped in tradition and culture to reach the next generation of fans. This season, MLB implemented rules changes that fundamentally altered the pace and action of the game and continues to embrace innovation and technology to improve the game and the overall fan experience. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/inside-the-strategy-room-podcast/innovation See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

  • Jul 20, 2023 · 31 min

    How Shopify approaches innovation

    The e-commerce platform’s president, Harley Finkelstein, talks about the changing online retailing landscape. Even e-commerce platforms that help disrupt retail need to keep innovating. In this episode of The Committed Innovator podcast, McKinsey innovation expert Erik Roth talks with Shopify president Harley Finkelstein about how his company keeps the creativity flowing. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

  • Jun 23, 2023 · 48 min

    How design thinking drives innovation

    PepsiCo design chief Mauro Porcini talks about the role of humanity and authenticity in driving innovation. Innovation requires commitment. In this episode of The Committed Innovator podcast, McKinsey innovation expert Erik Roth talks with PepsiCo senior vice president and chief design officer Mauro Porcini about how design thinking can help create that commitment and free people to innovate. Mauro's recently published book, The Human Side of Innovation: The Power of People in Love with People describes the power of design to drive sustainable and inclusive growth by unleashing people’s natural innovative tendencies. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

  • Apr 28, 2023 · 22 min

    The core attributes of the innovative mindset

    Successful innovators tend to follow certain practices. In this episode of The Committed Innovator podcast, McKinsey innovation expert Erik Roth talks with our global Strategy & Corporate Finance Practice communications director, Sean Brown, about the building blocks of innovation and how they help drive sustainable and inclusive growth. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

  • Mar 16, 2023 · 46 min

    Working with start-ups

    Corporate innovators often turn to Israel and its vibrant start-up ecosystem to meet their goals. In this episode of The Committed Innovator podcast, we continue our series on Israel, talking with innovators from three large organizations about how they approach their relations with start-ups. Roi Bar-Kat is head of Intel Capital in Israel, Neta-Li Meiri is chief of global tech innovation for the Israeli food company Strauss Group, and David Schwartz is vice president of tech innovation for PepsiCo Labs. They spoke with innovation leader and McKinsey senior partner Erik Roth about the intersection of corporate innovation and start-up lead innovation, and how the two functions can support each other. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

  • Dec 13, 2022 · 25 min

    The future of Israel’s start-up ecosystem

    Israel’s start-up ecosystem is already a powerhouse—how can the country continue to scale it up? This episode of The Committed Innovator podcast is the second in a series on Israel’s vibrant start-up scene, and a continuation of McKinsey innovation leader Erik Roth’s conversation with Avi Hasson and Chemi Peres. Hasson leads a not-for-profit, Startup Nation Central, that promotes Israel’s start-up sector, while Peres leads a venture capital firm, Pitango, and a not-for-profit, The Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, that promotes peace and innovation which was started by Chemi’s father, Shimon Peres, the former prime minister of Israel. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

  • Nov 22, 2022 · 33 min

    Israel’s start-up ecosystem

    Two leaders of the world’s third-largest start-up ecosystem discuss how the tiny Middle Eastern country grows and supports a culture of innovation Despite its small domestic market, Israel has managed to build a vibrant start-up scene that competes with those of much larger countries. In this episode of The Committed Innovator podcast, two leaders of Israel’s innovation culture, Avi Hasson and Chemi Peres, talk with McKinsey’s innovation leader Erik Roth in this first in a series of episodes on innovation in Israel. Hasson leads a not-for-profit, Startup Nation Central, that promotes Israel’s start-up sector, while Peres leads a venture capital firm, Pitango, and a not-for-profit, The Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, that promotes peace and innovation which was started by Chemi’s father, Shimon Peres, the former prime minister of Israel. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

  • Jul 19, 2022 · 26 min

    A conversation with DBS’s Han Kwee Juan

    Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 26:47) > Singapore-based DBS Bank is known for having transformed itself from a local bank to a global leader and winner of multiple “best bank” titles. The bank has continued its evolution by focusing on digital transformation and building new digital products. DBS’s group head of strategy and planning is Han Kwee Juan. In this episode of the Committed Innovator podcast, Kwee Juan talks with McKinsey’s innovation leader Erik Roth about building a company culture that enables and promotes innovation. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

  • May 10, 2022 · 27 min

    A conversation with Temasek’s Pradyumna Agrawal

    Read more > Listen to the podcast (duration: 27:13) > Pradyumna Agrawal is managing director for blockchain and venture building at Temasek, and as such is very active in searching out new use cases for blockchain and forming partnerships that can help bring products for this to market. In this episode of the Committed Innovator podcast, Prady talks with McKinsey’s innovation leader Erik Roth about how he approaches his work bringing blockchain-based companies to market. See www.mckinsey.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

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