Feb 28, 2019   SOURCE: PR NewsWire

U.S. News & World Report Premieres Leaders Talk

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, publisher of Best Countries and Best States, today unveiled its new video series focused on 21(st) century leadership. Hosted by Executive Chairman Eric Gertler and CEO Bill Holiber, "Leaders Talk" features interviews with corporate, philanthropic and government leaders on important issues ranging from increasing the ranks of women in the C-suite to achieving realistic sustainability goals.

"We face a dearth of leadership today throughout the world, as evidenced by our 2019 Best Countries survey in which 81 percent of people globally believe we have a leadership crisis," said Gertler. "In our new series, we engage with private and public sector leaders to better understand how they are grappling with the major challenges of our day and how they are moving their organizations forward in a period of intense disruption."

Leaders Talk highlights executives from a range of sectors, including banking, consulting, insurance, government, sports, media and technology. Featured interviews include:

    --  Omar Abbosh, Group Chief Executive, Communications, Media & Technology,
        Accenture
    --  Mamuka Bakhtadze, Prime Minister of Georgia
    --  Roger Crandall, Chairman, President and CEO, MassMutual
    --  Heather Johnson, Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate
        Responsibility, Ericsson
    --  Tom Moriarty, Executive Vice President, Chief Policy and External
        Affairs Officer, and General Counsel, CVS Health
    --  Jennifer Nason, Global Chairman of Investment Banking, JP Morgan Chase
    --  Steve Pagliuca, Co-Chairman of Bain Capital and Co-Owner of the Boston
        Celtics
    --  Tim Ryan, U.S. Chairman and Senior Partner, PwC
    --  Sam Saperstein, Head of Women on the Move, JP Morgan Chase
    --  Alicia Tillman, Chief Marketing Officer, SAP
    --  Nola Weinstein, Global Head of Culture & Experiential Marketing, Twitter
    --  Shelley Zalis, Chief Executive Officer, Female Quotient

Across the board, leaders stressed the importance of diversity and inclusion to business culture and growth. Roger Crandall, Chairman, President and CEO of MassMutual said, "The key to creating sustainable advantage is not products, it's building a culture that can be quick, adaptable and part of that is focusing on creating a diverse and inclusive culture."

Tim Ryan, U.S. Chairman and Senior Partner at PwC, echoed this sentiment, saying, "Business leaders have a big responsibility to lean into broader societal issues. The biggest opportunity is diversity and inclusion."

Alicia Tillman, Chief Marketing Officer at SAP, emphasized how diversity supports the company's business goals. "The more diverse skills, the more diverse areas of thought, people with differing abilities, people of different color, different race, different religious belief, all of that is necessary for us to create a very diverse product set that's going to appeal to a very diverse customer base."

Other executives spoke about the power of connecting with their customers and communities. Tom Moriarty, Executive Vice President, Chief Policy and External Affairs Officer, and General Counsel of CVS Health, stressed the need to engage directly with the community and individuals they serve. "Engaging with the patient at a very human level is a big part of what we're doing going forward," he said.

Nola Weinstein, Global Head of Culture & Experiential Marketing at Twitter said, "We can learn a lot by listening to how leaders in other sectors confront the issues that matter to their employees, communities and customers." She added, "The leaders who have gained a lot of trust are the ones who consistently and authentically step up for what matters to them."

Leaders Talk will be featured on U.S. News' new platform devoted to 21(st) century leadership. Interviews will be released on an on-going basis, with conversations with Mamuka Bakhtadze, the Prime Minister of Georgia, and Heather Johnson, Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility at Ericsson, among others, appearing in March. Leaders Talk will also be featured on U.S. News' "Wealth of Knowledge" podcast. Released weekly and hosted by Consumer Advice Editor Antonio Barbera, podcast episodes spotlight the leadership series and feature Gertler and Holiber providing their perspectives on each interview. To hear more, visit https://www.usnews.com/topics/series/leaders-talk.

About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower people to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. A digital news and information company focused on Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars and Civic, USNews.com provides consumer advice, rankings and analysis to serve people making complex decisions throughout all stages of life. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

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SOURCE U.S. News & World Report