Best Stern Strategy Group Podcasts (2025)

1
Rachel Ramaswamy- Managing Partner - Work and Co 55:34

18d ago55:34

55:34

Rachel has spent over a decade at Work&Co. In the episode, we discuss the company's unique origin story and how it has evolved alongside the transformative changes in the world of technology. We talk about.. 1. The importance of carving out space for creative risk, which clients demand because they find it challenging to accomplish in their environ…

1
The Talent Architect: Christine Olivas (No Single Individual) on Building Today's Agency Model 1:06:33

2M ago1:06:33

1:06:33

Christine Olivas began her career by hand-delivering 50 resumes to San Francisco startups, which resulted in one startup hiring her. Her entry into agency work came when an owner heard a webinar she produced and was impressed enough to bring her aboard. At this agency, she excelled by running two departments and contributing to significant growth. …

1
Tara Lawall- Chief Creative Officer and Partner- Rethink NY 58:59

2M ago58:59

58:59

Tara is the Chief Creative Officer at Rethink NY. She has extensive creative experience from agencies including Y&R, BBH, Mother, and Droga (x2). In our conversation, we discussed her experience at Miami Ad School, where she was forced to think seriously about funny- to an approach and perspective on being sensitive enough to find funny in the worl…

1
Pip Bingemann- Co-Founder- Springboards.Ai 47:54

3M ago47:54

47:54

The latest Inspiring Futures podcast features an interview with Pip Bingemann- the co-founder of Springboards.ai As strategy departments grapple with how to use AI, this podcast seems timely. Pip is an agency strategist who embraced AI from the early days, learned basic code, and built a model that attracted the attention of several agencies. Fast-…

1
Michael Miller and Chris Noble- Consiglieri 1:05:54

3M ago1:05:54

1:05:54

The latest Inspiring Futures podcast features an interview with Michael Miller and Chris Nobile- two of the three founders of consulting group Consiglieri. Before the founding of the consultancy, Michael and Chris worked together and helped build T-Mobile's in-house capabilities. In our conversation, we talk about what they learned from the T-Mobil…

1
Ali Burton- Gate One and Catch 53:58

4M ago53:58

53:58

The latest Inspiring Futures podcast features an interview with Ali Burton. Ali is Head of Incubator at Gate One in London, which is a Havas-owned start-up incubator. He's also in the process of growing his own start-up Catch. https://catchcameras.co.uk/ The idea of Catch is to lean into the movement for people to appreciate the analog, enjoy waiti…

1
Donna Dupont- Chief Strategist, Foresight and Design- Purple Compass 1:00:34

5M ago1:00:34

1:00:34

The latest Inspiring Futures episode is all about "Futures". My guest is Donna Dupont, Chief Strategist, Foresight and Design at Purple Compass. As the Founder and Chief Strategist in Foresight & Design for Purple Compass, Donna Dupont brings skills and insights developed over 20 years working with leaders in healthcare, emergency management, gover…

1
Looking Ahead to What’s in Store for Tech in 2025 With Futurist Mark Esposito 37:42

5M ago37:42

37:42

Few could predict the speed with which generative AI evolved in 2024, surprising even top global experts. Could we see similar explosive capability growth in 2025? On this bonus New Year episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Justin Louis sits down with Mark Esposito, a faculty associate at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society and direc…

1
Brent Vartan- Managing Partner- Bullish- Moving Strategy Upstream 34:43

6M ago34:43

34:43

The latest episode of Inspiring Futures features an excerpt from a webinar I hosted with Brent Vartan of Bullish. Brent began his career as a strategist at shops that included- BBDO and Deutsch. Bullish was founded in 2016 with the promise of bringing ad agency expertise, including strategy, to the start-up world. The company describes its approach…

1
Mark Lester- Squint Consulting 59:02

6M ago59:02

59:02

Mark is the co-founder of Squint Consulting. Before Squint, Mark was an experienced Head of Strategy working with clients like Nike, Netflix, Samsung, and Diageo. His career spanned New York, London, and Amsterdam and he spent his formative years at R/GA, the world’s leading digital innovation firm. In our conversation, we talked about his experien…

1
The World of Pharma Marketing- Martin Stapff- Co-Founder, Chief Creative Officer, Michelle Rigot- Executive Creative Director/Strategy- Yama Group 57:03

7M ago57:03

57:03

YAMA Group was founded in 2009 and has steadily built a reputation as one of the leading small, independent pharma shops in the world. It has worked on brands including Botox, Humira, and Keytruda and works with Takeda, AbbVie, and Pfizer. It's a highly creative agency that works across all aspects of pharma marketing including efforts to reach spe…

1
Dr. Anastasia Kārkliņa Gabriel.- Understanding Culture 54:13

7M ago54:13

54:13

My latest Inspiring Futures podcast episode features an interview with Dr. Anastasia Kārkliņa Gabriel. Anastasia is a cultural theorist, writer, social critic, and strategist specializing in inclusivity within marketing, media, and tech. She earned her doctorate in cultural studies from Duke University and is now using her expertise to help brands …

1
Revisit the Best Moments from Minds Worth Meeting Season 4 20:00

7M ago20:00

20:00

This season on Minds Worth Meeting, we talked to global experts including renowned thought leaders from Stern Strategy Group’s exclusive roster of speakers and advisors about everything from leading with purpose to digital exhaustion, protecting reputation and more. Now, we’re taking a look back at our favorite moments to share the best of Minds Wo…

1
Julianna Katrancha- Group Strategy Director - Johannes Leonardo 57:42

7M ago57:42

57:42

The latest episode of Inspiring Futures features an interview with Julianna Katrancha- Group Strategy Director at Johannes Leonardo. This is one of my favorite interviews because Julianna dives into the learnings from her journey from a media planner to a senior strategist. She talks about her periods and moments of doubt, and how committed and foc…

1
Learn How to Play ‘The Reputation Game’ With Oxford’s Rupert Younger 39:39

8M ago39:39

39:39

It’s always been vital to stay on top of reputation management, both individually and organizationally. Today, though, bad actors can tarnish a reputation in the blink of an eye thanks to social media and artificial intelligence. On this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, we sit down with the founding director of the Oxford University Centre for Corpo…

1
Allen Adamson- Metaforce 50:49

8M ago50:49

50:49

The latest Inspiring Futures episode features an interview with Allen Adamson of Metaforce. Allen is a seasoned executive with experience client side at Unilever and in the agency world with the likes of Landor, Y&R, and Ogilvy. He has taken his extensive experience in both worlds to build his own consulting company that's focused on helping client…

1
Is It Time for Performance Reviews to Be Put Out to Pasture? Leadership Expert and Author Ashley Goodall Explains 30:40

9M ago30:40

30:40

From an employee standpoint, constant upheaval and the specter of having to sit down with the boss multiple times a year to be graded via performance review is a recipe for organizational disaster. In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, former Cisco and Deloitte HR executive and author, Ashley Goodall joins Justin Louis to discuss his latest book,…

1
The Future of Creative Services- Joe Nash and Patrick Kizny 1:04:53

9M ago1:04:53

1:04:53

The latest Inspiring Futures podcast is a discussion with Joe Nash and Patrick Kizny about the current and future state of creative services and creative studios. Joe was formerly the Director of Business Strategy at Buck and the co-founder of Slate. Patrick runs Futurecrafting which provides strategic advisory services to brands and companies and …

1
Megan Reitz on Open Dialogue, Spaciousness and the Conversations We Need to Have 36:47

9M ago36:47

36:47

Speaking up – and empowering your employees to speak up – is a vital prerequisite for a company culture that supports innovation. In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Justin Louis and Meg Virag sit down with Oxford University Saïd Business School associate fellow, Megan Reitz. We discuss the importance of how leaders “show up” to work, why we al…

1
Lori Bartle- Cultivagency- From Account Management to Account Leadership 54:56

9M ago54:56

54:56

The latest episode of the Inspiring Futures podcast features an interview with Lori Bartle of Cultivagency. Lori has over two decades of experience in Account Management although she much prefers to call it Account Leadership. In our conversation, we discuss some of the challenges the discipline faces and the critical importance of a role that brin…

1
Tom Suharto - Global Strategy Lead - Forsman & Bodenfors 55:37

9M ago55:37

55:37

The latest episode of Inspiring Futures features an interview with Tom Suharto, Global Strategy Lead at Forsman & Bodenfors. Tom started in market research (quant) worked with Hall and Partners and helped to establish their office in Shanghai and then on to Wieden in Shanghai to work on Nike, Disneyland, and then to the Portland office to work on N…

1
How to Supercharge Strategy While Avoiding Digital Exhaustion with UCSB's Paul Leonardi 35:52

10M ago35:52

35:52

Successfully leading a business in the AI-heavy digital age requires a new mindset. In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Justin Louis sits down with University of California Santa Barbara professor and Technology Management department chair, Paul Leonardi. We talk about how to cultivate a digital mindset and why it’s so important to do so, he sh…

1
Hyphenated- 4 Years On- William Esparza and Kelli Roberston 1:01:44

10M ago1:01:44

1:01:44

When Hyphenated was awarded Silver, West Coast in Ad Age's Small Agency of the Year Awards the publication wrote the following introduction. "When William Esparza and Kelli Robertson left their roles at R/GA in 2019 to establish their own creative agency, they chose the name Hyphenated to reflect the agency’s aim of bridging the gap between brands …

1
Finding the Friction Sweet Spot with MIT's Renée Richardson Gosline 39:41

10M ago39:41

39:41

The conventional wisdom in business is that friction is a bad thing that must be removed for processes to move forward smoothly. In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Whitney Jennings has a fascinating conversation with MIT researcher and head of the Human-First AI group at the school's Initiative on the Digital Economy, Renée Richardson Gosline.…

1
Are You a Plumber or a Poet? AI, Purpose and Leadership With Harvard’s Ranjay Gulati 36:05

11M ago36:05

36:05

How can leaders engage people both rationally and emotionally? In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Whitney Jennings and Justin Louis sit down with Harvard Business School professor Ranjay Gulati. We talk about corporate purpose, artificial intelligence leadership and Ranjay shares the inspiring story of how his mother’s passion became a global …

1
Jonathan Wise- CoFounder - Purpose Disruptors 1:02:23

11M ago1:02:23

1:02:23

The latest Inspiring Futures podcast features an interview with Jonathan Wise one of the co-founders of the non-profit Purpose Disruptors. Jonathan was once a strategist at JWT, but quit his job to study for an MBA in Sustainability. In the episode, we discuss his journey and transformation, what Purpose Disruptors is, and how it is trying to impac…

1
Dr. Grace Kite- Founder- Magic Numbers and Magic Works 53:53

12M ago53:53

53:53

The latest episode of Inspiring Futures features an interview with Dr. Grace Kite, the founder of Magic Numbers and Magic Works, an analytics-focused consultancy that helps companies and brands understand how they grow. In our conversation, we discussed the challenges and importance of being strategic when understanding the factors behind growth, t…

1
Beth Bentley - Tomorrowism 1:04:41

12M ago1:04:41

1:04:41

The latest Inspiring Futures episode features an interview with Beth Bentley the co-founder of consultancy Tomorrowism. Beth's experience includes- Deputy Head of Strategy- Adam & Eve, London Executive Head of Strategy- at Wieden&Kennedy- London SVP Strategy Virtue at Vice. She is also the author of a best-selling book, was the Chief Strategy Offic…

1
Caroline Johnson- Co-Founder- Business Model Company 1:01:16

1y ago1:01:16

1:01:16

The latest Inspiring Futures podcast features an interview with Caroline Johnson- Co-Founder of The Business Model Company. Caroline worked at Grey but then worked at KPMG as a consultant. The Business Model Company advises agencies on how to evolve their business models to generate value for their clients and increase revenues and profitability fo…

1
Andy Nairn- Co-Founder- Lucky Generals 1:12:43

1y ago1:12:43

1:12:43

Andy Nairn co-founded Lucky Generals- an ad agency with offices in London and New York. Beyond running an agency, Andy has written a best-selling business book "Go Luck Yourself" and has just completed his first novel- "Trail of Blood" a murder mystery set 500 years ago on the border between England and Scotland. Some quotes from our chat. On Pitch…

1
Maz Karimian- ustwo 59:26

1y ago59:26

59:26

Maz Karimian heads up strategy at ustwo an employee-owned product design company that brings emotional game-inspired thinking to product design—some key quotes from our conversation below. About ustwo “Monument Valley is the game and the game series That was so successful that usTwo games was split off as a sort of a separate sister entity, still u…

1
Daniel Groh- Satisfy Running 58:40

1y ago58:40

58:40

Daniel Groh heads up brand at Satisfy Running. In this interview, we discuss the transformed state of the running category and Satisfy's place within it. How the brand leans into personal expression and appeals to those who want to express themselves beyond the traditional players and the traditional running silhouette. How it's leading the charge …

1
John Geletka 51:29

1y ago51:29

51:29

The latest episode of Inspiring Futures features an interview with John Geletka John is the owner and founder of Geletka + - a small agency located in the West Loop of Chicago The agency started five years ago. John's an artist by training but has done several different jobs in his career including corporate marketing, but he's also an entrepreneur…

1
Eliza Yvette Esquivel- Our Protopian Future 1:00:46

1y ago1:00:46

1:00:46

The latest Inspiring Futures podcast is an interview with Eliza Yvette Esquivel. Eliza has worked both on the agency and client side. She's had senior brand management roles at Mondelez and Microsoft and as a strategist and CSO at several different agencies, including Barbarian, Future Brand, DDB, JWT, Wieden and Kennedy Amsterdam, and TBWA. In our…

1
Warren Berger- Author and Journalist 1:01:07

1y ago1:01:07

1:01:07

Warren Berger is an author and journalist who has spent the last 25 years writing about the worlds of design, advertising and innovation. Back in the day he got a feature story about Weiden and Kennedy into the NYT Magazine and he wrote the book "Advertising Today" that was published by Phaidon,. For the past 10 years, he's been focused on the worl…

1
Gerard Crichlow- Global Strategist- Axe/Lynx/Unilever- IPG 48:47

1y ago48:47

48:47

This episode features an interview with Gerard Crichlow, who heads up Global Strategy on the Unilever brands- Axe/Lynx at IPG. Gerard collaborates with several IPG entities worldwide to ensure the Axe/Lynx brands connect to their consumers and cultures. Some quotes from Gerard from the episode. "And for me, if we're in the attention game, who does …

1
Peter Semple- CMO- Depop 1:03:33

1y ago1:03:33

1:03:33

This latest episode of Inspiring Futures features an interview with the CMO of Depop. Depop is one of the most interesting brands in the fashion space since it's all about reselling and ultimately about transforming the way we shop for fashion. Peter has a fascinating background with experience on the agency side with both Anomaly(where he worked o…

1
Tass Tsitsopoulos- Global Strategy Director, McDonald's at Wieden + Kennedy 1:20:38

1y ago1:20:38

1:20:38

In this episode, I talk with Tass Tsitsopoulos, the Global Strategy Director of McDonald's at Wieden + Kennedy. We discuss his early life in London, studying politics at LSE, his accidental journey into advertising thanks to Jeremy Bullmore, his life as an Account Guy at BBH, and his leap into planning. We also get to talk about his journey in the …

1
Ian Murray- Co-Founder-Burst Your Bubble 1:02:32

1+ y ago1:02:32

1:02:32

Last month, I sat down for a conversation with Ian Murray- the co-founder of Burst Your Bubble. Ian has no shortage of contrarian views on everything from media and the current vogues in marketing to what strategists need to be doing in their work. To give you a flavor of the conversation- here are some soundbites. On Media "TV still produces the s…

1
Hear Our Favorite Moments from Season 3 18:04

1+ y ago18:04

18:04

What do the geek takeover, rethinking economies, unparalleled resilience, appreciating nostalgia while understanding our past and ensuring recognition and dignity for all have in common? They’re just a few of the memorable lessons we learned this past season on Minds Worth Meeting. Join us as our hosts Whitney Jennings and Justin Louis take a look …

1
Seeing Others Can Help Heal a Divided World, but How? Harvard's Michèle Lamont Tells Us 34:36

1+ y ago34:36

34:36

How can something seemingly as simple as recognition help to heal society's deep divides? In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Whitney Jennings has a conversation with sociologist and Harvard University professor Michèle Lamont. She tells us how taking the time to see others and give recognition and dignity to all can redefine the workplace, and…

1
Jae Goodman- The Future is Super Connected 1:01:31

1+ y ago1:01:31

1:01:31

Jae Goodman is unique. He worked on Madison Avenue. He has a deep understanding of brands. He knows Hollywood, and he understands the power of culture and celebrity. Jae has experienced these worlds throughout his career, which spanned the likes of Wieden and Kennedy, CAA, and the creation of his agency- Observatory, and now his consulting company,…

1
Amy Daroukakis- How to Be a Cultural Strategist 53:16

1+ y ago53:16

53:16

The latest Inspiring Futures podcast features an interview with Amy Daroukakis, a cultural strategist. Our conversation stretched far and wide from the creative emergence of crisis to the importance of curiosity as a lifestyle to get you out of your comfort zone. The idea is that Cultural Strategy is a more significant thing than understanding Yout…

1
How Can You Become a Great Boss and a 'Good-ish' Person? Dolly Chugh Explains 40:14

1+ y ago40:14

40:14

How can we become ‘good-ish’ people? For that matter, what is a ‘good-ish’ person? In this episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Whitney Jennings and Justin Louis speak with NYU Stern School of Business professor and social psychologist Dolly Chugh. She explains how being a ‘good-ish’ person allow us to better relate to others, become great leaders and u…

1
Learn How To Nurture Hope From Great Adversity With Tova Friedman 27:34

1+ y ago27:34

27:34

It is possible to spread a message of hope from the greatest adversity possible. In this inspirational episode of Minds Worth Meeting, Justin Louis and guest host Meg Virag speak with Holocaust survivor Tova Friedman about how to find hope in times of darkness. In this episode: Tova tells us about the emotional process of writing her memoir, “The D…

1
Peter Spear- All things Qualitative 57:42

1+ y ago57:42

57:42

Peter Spear started his career at Tattoo in San Francisco, where he fell in love with qualitative research and has been a practitioner ever since. We discussed the importance of talking to people to learn the hows and whys that data can't explain. How, in recent times, talking to strangers has become a challenge, and how to overcome those challenge…

1
Are There Economic Alternatives That Actually Work? Author Nick Romeo Says Yes 30:48

1+ y ago30:48

30:48

Economics is inseparable from politics and philosophy, but we don’t have to be prisoners to what are assumed to be inevitable economic laws. As we kick off our third season of Minds Worth Meeting, Justin Louis speaks with journalist and UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism lecturer Nick Romeo about his new book, "The Alternative: How to Build …

1
Keely Adler- VP, Cultural Futurist- Dentsu Creative and Core Team, RADAR 1:03:51

1+ y ago1:03:51

1:03:51

Last December, I recorded a podcast with Keely Adler, who heads up Futures at Dentsu Creative. This was before the agency's huge T-Mobile win, in which Keely played a huge part. In this conversation, we talked about how she sees the discipline of "Futures" (what it is and what it isn't) and its role in strategy and for clients. Keely is also on the…

1
Laura Hutfless, FlyteVu Co-Founder 53:55

1+ y ago53:55

53:55

Back in November, I had a fascinating conversation with Laura Hutlfess, the co-founder of FlyteVu. FlyteVu is an entertainment marketing agency based in Nashville. Laura has a talent management background and worked for CAA before branching out independently. In our conversation, we talked about her background, the type of work the agency does, the…

1
Neal Mann- Co-Founder- NOAN 1:08:11

1+ y ago1:08:11

1:08:11

A few weeks back, I got to talk to Neal Mann. Neal has had a fascinating career. Working in the literal frontlines of journalism, he got to experience the pressures and realities of getting stories out to the world before your competitors. He was an early advocate and power user of digital platforms like Twitter and understood the transformations h…

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Stern Strategy Group Podcasts

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