WSJ Leadership Institute

Last night in Chicago, Alan Murray, President of the WSJ Leadership Institute, and Arvind Krishna, Chairman & CEO of IBM, led an exclusive CEO Council Titan dinner, where top CEOs gathered for a thought-provoking conversation on the future of AI in business. In partnership with IBM, we delved into how AI is transforming industries and reshaping leadership. As Alan shared, "While the conversation centered on AI, much of the focus was on culture and organizational structure. Many leaders felt that we are still operating within a 20th-century framework, ill-equipped to address the unique challenges of the 21st-century AI revolution. The corporation, as we know it, needs reinvention."

Last month, SAP CEO Christian Klein shared his perspective on AI regulation at our CEO Summit. He emphasized the importance of innovation before regulation. Watch the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/edtxREWW

Last night, in collaboration with IBM, the WSJ Leadership Institute launched a series of exclusive CEO Council Titan Dinners, bringing together top executives to explore the transformative power of AI. The evening featured a candid conversation between Arvind Krishna, Chairman & CEO of IBM, and Alan Murray, President of the WSJ Leadership Institute. They discussed actionable AI strategies that are driving real-world impact — from addressing cost pressures to scaling operations and bridging labor gaps. Alan also sparked a fascinating discussion by asking each attendee to share one example where AI implementation was succeeding and one where it faced challenges. The conversation revealed invaluable insights into where we stand on the AI adoption curve and how learning from both successes and failures can shape the future of enterprise AI. We look forward to continuing this important dialogue on how AI is reshaping industries and creating new avenues for innovation.

Last month, we gathered CEO Council members in Chicago for an exclusive dinner featuring Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO of Chobani, one of the most successful yogurt brands in the U.S. Joined by Alan Murray, Hamdi shared his remarkable journey in building a multibillion-dollar brand, grounded in a people-first philosophy. Among the many valuable insights, Hamdi offered this powerful piece of advice: "Anything that you do for your people is not an expense, it’s an investment."

At Journal House in Cannes last week, we were joined by Code and Theory Co-Founder Dan Gardner, to discuss what’s really required for brands to compete in an AI-driven world. As Dan put it, “Everyone is focused on some version of copiloting or automating the  creation of things. But that is not enough to be competitive in a world where platforms are constantly changing.”

White Lotus star and entrepreneur Patrick Schwarzenegger joined us at Journal House Cannes to close out an incredible week of conversations with CMOs—and left the room with this insight from his dad: "Whatever you want to be, it's good to have a business background because at the end of the day, you are your own business.”

At Journal House in Cannes this week, Sir Martin Sorrell, Executive Chairman of S4 Capital, joined WSJ Leadership Institute Head of Content Gwendolyn (Wendy) Bounds for a timely conversation on what defines successful marketing leadership today. Reflecting on the evolving role of the CMO, Sorrell shared this insight: “The creation of silos is a critical problem. The best people inside clients and agencies are good by definition. But the people who are good and share—they are the jewels."

Yesterday at Journal House Cannes, The WSJ Leadership Institute brought together some of the world’s top CMOs for a candid conversation on authenticity, storytelling, and the future of brand-building. Olympic Gold Medalist Tara Davis-Woodhall and Paralympic Gold Medalist Hunter Woodhall joined our Head of Content Gwendolyn (Wendy) Bounds to share what makes partnerships resonate today. As Tara put it: “When we sign a brand deal, we double check first: ‘Here’s the concept of what we want to do.’ That’s how brands should work—let creators tell the story in their own way. That’s what gets real engagement.” This conversation marked the official launch of the reimagined WSJ CMO Council—a year-round forum for the decision makers shaping the world’s most influential brands. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/g9mGNwbF

At Journal House in Cannes, Netflix CMO Marian Lee shared her view on the competitive landscape: “I don’t view our competitive set to be all the other streamers or studios—it’s me scrolling on TikTok, me looking at Instagram. We have to stay focused on how we’re engaging our audiences every single day to win that share of attention.”