Norsk Hydro was founded nearly 120 years ago to tackle global famine. Today, it has evolved to take on a bigger challenge: climate change. The company focuses on low- and no-carbon aluminium, a material that will be key in electric vehicles, construction and comprises 2% of emissions. CEO Hilde Merete Aasheim shares the unique technologies and partnerships that are helping to drive a green energy transition. She also takes us through her unique path to the top job, one that has spanned a range of roles, from plant manager to auditor to HR leader. She shares how seemingly unrelated roles can help you better understand yourself and how you can contribute as a leader -- better motivating people and tapping the full capabilities of your team.

This episode was recorded at the Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, 2024.

SUGI is a unique global organization that brings pocket forests -- ultra-dense, biodiverse forests leveraging the proven Japanese Miyawaki Method -- to cities all over the world. The group has built 200 pocket forests in 42 cities so far, with each providing a key form of "urban acupuncture" that can protect biodiversity, restore ecosystems, and even better reconnect people to nature. Founder and CEO Elise Van Middelem shares more about SUGi and how it got started - and the unique ways these projects are reviving places from England to Cameroon.

This interview was recorded at the Urban Transformation Summit in Detroit, Michigan in October 2023.

Photo by Joya Berrow

What workers want - and what keeps them motivated - has changed drastically in recent years. And with big technological and demographic shifts driving labor shortages, knowing how to both retrain and retain your workforce will be more important than ever. Randstad CEO Sander Van't Noordende will share insights from the talent firm's annual Workmonitor survey, giving a one-of-a-kind snapshot on how workers are thinking about everything from ambition, to purpose, to flexibility and pay. He'll also share what new habits leaders will need to adopt (including the value of microfeedback) and how leaders should be approaching everything from how they connect with workers to how they future proof their talent pipelines.

Recorded at the Annual Meeting in Davos, 2024.

Transcript here: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/how-leaders-must-adapt-randstad-sander-vant-noordende