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What does it take to disrupt an industry as entrenched as banking and keep evolving once you’ve done it? On this episode of SuiteTalk, Gerrie Fourie, former CEO of Capitec Bank, reflects on what it takes to build a truly client-obsessed organization. He shares lessons on the importance of simplicity and transparency, emphasizes the power of purpose in inspiring others, and offers a unique perspective on the evolving role of a CEO in today’s fast-paced environment.
On this episode of SuiteTalk, Hugo is joined by Alex Hsieh, the president and chairman of Voltronic, to explore the journey behind one of the leading companies in the uninterrupted power supply and solar inverter space. Together, they discuss the resilience needed when starting a company, navigating industry headwinds, and addressing the global demand for energy.
Trust is not something that can be bought or sold—it's earned and built over time. On this episode of SuiteTalk, Hugo is joined by Adrian Blair, CEO of Trustpilot, a global review platform headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, for a conversation about the market for trust, the differences between high- and low-trust societies, and the role of technology in enhancing customer feedback.
In this episode of The Active Share, Hugo sits down with William Blair’s Olga Bitel, partner, global strategist, for a conversation all about tariffs—their complexities, their historical context, and their implications on modern economies. With a global perspective in mind, Hugo and Olga touch on the theory of competitive advantage, the impact of tariffs on consumers and producers, the resurgence of tariffs amid globalization, and potential compelling growth opportunities in Europe and China.
What is behind the unprecedented demand for defense spending in Europe? On the first episode of SuiteTalk, an Active Share series that taps into the minds of top business leaders, host Hugo Scott-Gall sits down with Daniel Ljunggren, CEO of MilDef. Together, they discuss the evolution of the defense technology industry, the challenges and opportunities that have arisen in the current geopolitical landscape, and the important role leaderships plays when navigating uncertainty.
Is it possible to identify a market bubble before it bursts? On this episode of The Active Share, Hugo welcomes James Mackintosh, senior market columnist at The Wall Street Journal, for a deep dive into the current state of the U.S. equity market. Together, they explore the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and U.S. exceptionalism in today’s global economy and explore strategies for identifying compelling investment opportunities and navigating uncertainty in a rapidly evolving landscape.
What drives growth on a global scale? And why does growth occur? On the 50th episode of The Active Share, Hugo is joined by William Blair’s Olga Bitel, partner, global strategist, and Simon Fennell, partner, portfolio manager, for an insightful conversation on the outlook for 2025. Through the lens of economic growth, they discuss key topics such as accelerating innovation, artificial intelligence (AI), the insatiable demand for compute power, growth dynamics across emerging markets (EMs), and the impact of what Olga calls the “perpetual growth machine.”
What would it cost to live forever? In this episode of The Active Share, Hugo is joined by Dr. Greg Bailey, co-founder and executive chairman of Juvenescence, for an in-depth discussion about the science of aging, the societal and economic impacts of extended lifespans, and how advancements in biotech are paving the way for longer, and healthier, lives.
In the luxury goods market, there has been growing consumer preference for sustainable products—particularly for diamonds and other fine jewelry. In this episode of The Active Share, Hugo is joined by Marie-Ann Wachtmeister, co-founder and creative director of Courbet, a Parisian fine jewelry company, for a conversation on how luxury brands are embracing technology, how lab-grown diamonds have upended the traditional diamond industry, and how this shift in values offers new opportunities for companies to appeal to consumers’ changing ethical and environmental concerns.
In this episode of The Active Share, Hugo is joined by Rob Kaplan, partner and vice chairman at Goldman Sachs and former president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, for a conversation that explores the shifting economic and geopolitical dynamics in a post-COVID world. Together, Hugo and Rob touch on the pendulum swing away from excessive globalization, the importance of balancing national security concerns with the economic benefits of trade, and the need for informed debate when making decisions amidst global uncertainty.
Making the growth case for India involves answering one key question: How can India differentiate itself from China? In this episode of The Active Share, Hugo and Raghuram Rajan, a professor of finance at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, discuss what it would take for India to evolve into a global economic powerhouse.
Finding success later in life requires a growth mindset—but also the ability to capture the right opportunity at the right time. In this episode of The Active Share, join Hugo and guest Henry Oliver, a London-based author and brand consultant, for a discussion of what it means to bloom late, how pushing past others’ expectations can foster curiosity and self-exploration, and why it’s critical, for businesses and organizations, to look beyond algorithms to identify talent.
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, how do we ethically approach a technology with such wide-ranging implications? In this episode of The Active Share, Hugo talks with Olivia Gambelin, founder and CEO of Ethical Intelligence, for a conversation about AI ethics, responsible AI, and how our current systems—legal, social, economic, and political—adopt, and adapt to, new technologies.
Will 2024 be the first year of “normal” economic expansion post-COVID? In this episode of The Active Share, Hugo sits down with William Blair’s Olga Bitel, partner, global strategist, and Simon Fennell, partner, portfolio manager, for a wide-ranging conversation on the outlook for 2024. Together, they touch on key topics like inflation and interest rates, Japan’s investment story, the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications, and what new growth opportunities could be on the horizon.
The cosmos, the final frontier, the galaxy beyond: Our collective fascination with outer space has always been intense. But with companies and public figures now dedicating huge sums of money to space exploration, it seems a new kind of space race has been born. In this episode of The Active Share, Hugo sits down with Chris Impey, an astronomer, educator, and author, to discuss the potential economic, environmental, and geopolitical ramifications of space exploration.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly enhance human capabilities and improve lives. But the implications are far-reaching and not fully understood. In this episode of The Active Share, Hugo sits down with Tyler Cowen, best-selling author, podcast host, and Holbert L. Harris chair of economics at George Mason University, for a conversation about the impact of AI on labor, capital, business models, and global connectivity.
Taiwanese American conductor Mei-Ann Chen joins The Active Share podcast with as much energy and enthusiasm as she brings to the orchestra. As the music director for the Chicago Sinfonietta and chief conductor of recreation of the Grosses Orchester Graz at Styriarte in Austria, Mei-Ann has broken barriers as the first female Asian conductor in this role. Tune in as she shares her journey, her unique approach to conducting, and the power of music in connecting humanity.
We can’t understand current geopolitical events without understanding how fossil fuels shaped the 20th century. In this episode of The Active Share, Hugo sits down with Helen Thompson, a professor of political economy at Cambridge University and author of Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century, for a conversation about energy—how U.S. shale production created fault lines through the Middle East, Western Europe, and Russia; how decarbonization could drive further change; and how other industries (such as semiconductors) are having a similarly disruptive effect.
The idea of lending with interest can be traced back thousands of years. But despite the pivotal role that interest rates play in our economic structures, they continue to be misunderstood. In this episode of The Active Share, Hugo sits down with Edward Chancellor—author, journalist, and financial historian—for a conversation that challenges everything we thought we knew about the cost of money.
Every decade brings a different economic environment. What’s set to impact the 2020s? In this episode of The Active Share, join Hugo with guest Olga Bitel, partner and global strategist for William Blair Investment Management, for a wide-ranging discussion of what’s driving the U.S. and global economies, including inflation, recession risk, productivity, geopolitics, and interest rates.
