Changing Careers with Conrad Chua

The Business of Polling with Sir John Curtice Polling shapes political strategy, fuels media headlines, and influences public perception—but how does it actually work? And how did polls do during 2024, the so-called Super Year of elections. You've seen him on the BBC during UK General elections. Now you can join a session with Sir John Curtice, the UK's most trusted polling expert, as we dive deep into:

Unlock Elite Performance for Managers. Are you ready to redefine your career and leadership potential? Talbot Stark combines his extraordinary experience in international finance, the US military, and Silicon Valley to teach managers how to become *elite performers* in today's competitive world. He is also the author of "Elite Performance for Managers. - Discover the *Elite Performance Pillars™* framework to transform your approach to leadership. - Learn why accountability is critical, and why results alone won't cut it anymore. - Gain actionable strategies to strengthen your team's productivity and manage upward like never before. What's your biggest challenge in achieving elite performance as a manager?

Private Credit: A Game-Changer in Corporate Finance? Private credit is rapidly transforming the landscape of corporate finance, particularly in the US and Europe—but what are the corporate governance issues that this might create? Narine Lalafaryan will unpack: - Why private credit has skyrocketed in recent years . - Key differences between private credit, traditional lending, and equity investing. - How private credit funds exert influence in the boardroom and the risks of crossing into shadow directorship. - The impact on companies: How do businesses feel when private credit steps in, and what's the balance between senior and junior creditors? Key takeaway: Private credit is more than just an alternative to bank loans—it's influencing corporate control and decision-making.

Building a fintech is very difficult. Launching a fintech startup serving the travel business a few months before covid brought travel to a halt is crazy difficult. Raman Korneu, an MBA alumnus from Cambridge Judge Business School and his team, had to make tough decisions quickly if they were to save their start up. Raman talks about his entrepreneurial journey, and how myTU - an online digital banking platform - was born and how digital-first fintechs have a huge advantage over legacy providers.

We all want to work on teams that just click. But you have also worked in dysfunctional ones. Prof Robin Dunbar has devoted his career to studying why teams work and he is the father of the Dunbar number, which observes that humans can only make meaningful connections with 150 other people. He also found that team dynamics change when you go from team sizes of 5 to 15 to 50 to 150. I don't know if Jeff Bezos had the Dunbar number in mind when he said that teams in Amazon had grown too large when they could not be fed with just one pizza. Join us to learn how you can create and lead better teams.

Startups focus a lot on product, marketing and growth functions but as they mature, there is an increased focus on the finance function. This is not just to control costs but also to put money where the best growth opportunities are. There is also a need to look at the longer-term in addition to short-term. Akshay Sarma is a CFO at axio, one of India's fast growing startups. He has had extensive experience in finance working for large multinationals and also in the startup world. Akshay will tell us his views on how the finance function adds value to a startup, how the CFO should work with others and the skills one needs to be a great CFO.

What drives the UK economy and what are its future prospects? Professor Simon Deakin is the Director for the Centre for Business Research at CJBS and he will share his thoughts especially on the crucial aspects of productivity and investments shaping the UK's economic landscape. 1. Explore the Role of Services: Understand why services are the backbone of the UK economy. 2. Deep Dive into Productivity: Discover the causes of low productivity growth, its implications, and potential solutions to this critical issue. 3. Investment Insights: Examine current investment figures. 4. New Policy Strategies: Learn about the state of public finances and the growth levers within a tight budget. Are you optimistic about the UK economy's growth prospects in the next 5 years?

Discover the Challenges and Opportunities: We'll explore the potential of green hydrogen to decarbonize industries, from steel production to aviation. Learn about the technological and economic hurdles that need to be overcome for widespread adoption. Ujjwal Pandey has co-written a case on green hydrogen and we'll discuss key factors that will determine its success, including cost reduction, policy support, and technological advancements.

Join Us for a Deep Dive with Nobel Laureate Venki Ramakrishnan!

Diving Deep into the Future of E-Commerce

Ready to explore the future of agribusiness in Africa? Africa is not one homogenous market so join us to learn more about the nuances. Join this livestream with Micheline Ntiru, a powerhouse in sustainable ventures!

Ready to dive into the fascinating world of music, AI, and gender equity? Join Mira Howard, executive at record label Snafu Records , for a livestream that pulls back the curtain on the music industry! Discover the inner workings of record labels and artist revenue streams. Learn why Taylor Swift re-recorded her music and how AI is revolutionizing artist discovery at Snafu. We'll also tackle the crucial topic of gender inequity in the music business and explore the impact of streaming and financialisation on the industry. Gain insights on: - The roles of record labels vs. record companies - How artists earn through streaming, touring, and sales - The use of AI in music - Addressing gender gaps and empowering female talent - The relationship between record companies, artistes and platforms like TikTok and YouTube Music Don't miss this chance to understand the dynamics that shape the music we love! What's your take on AI's role in the future of music? Join the conversation and share your thoughts!

In many companies, there are several layers between developing strategy and the customer. The best plans and presentations crumble on the first contact with customers and the best companies can rapidly collect, clean and learn from customer data. Whether you are grappling with customer churn, or figuring out what's going on between strategy and execution, our guest Vignesh Chandran has more than 10 years of experience working with top companies on precisely these problems. Learn how you can develop better strategies that can be better executed based on good data.

Dive into the heart of finance with David Pitt-Watson, a pioneering figure in responsible investment and a passionate advocate for the finance sector's societal role. As a co-founder of Hermes Focus Funds, David brings a wealth of experience and insight into how finance can serve a greater good. David is also a Visiting Fellow at CJBS and teaches the award-winning course Purpose of Finance. **Why Should You Tune In?** **Experience and Expertise**: Gain insights from David's extensive career, including his leadership in creating the UN Principles for Responsible Investment and his advocacy for finance as a force for positive societal impact. **Unlock the True Potential of Finance**: Explore David's vision for a finance industry that fulfills its true purpose, supporting sustainable development and contributing to a better world. **Challenges and Opportunities**: Learn from David's unique perspective on the current state of the finance sector, its impact, and the transformative path forward.

Prof Jennifer Howard-Grenville will do a deep dive into "The Future of Work". Join us to discover the ways to navigate through generational crises, embrace collective leadership, and leverage technological advancements for organizational success. Whether you're a leader, professional, or part of the workforce aiming to future-proof your career, this discussion will equip you with the insights needed for the changing landscape of work. You'll leave with actionable insights, forward-thinking strategies, and a deeper understanding of how to position yourself and your organization for success.

Are you passionate about tackling climate change and interested in the financial strategies that can make a real impact? Cambridge Judge Business School alumni, Baysa Naran and Daniel Duma have worked in the area of climate finance for years and we will talk about the following: - The Critical Role of Climate Finance: Explore why financial investment is fundamental in battling climate change and achieving sustainability targets. - The Current Landscape & The Financing Gap: A deep dive into the present state of climate finance and the urgent need to bridge the funding shortfall. - Innovative Financing Mechanisms:Success stories of public-private partnerships that are changing the game. Learn how these models enhance the risk-return profile for investors, making climate finance more attractive and impactful. Mitigation and Adaptation Funds: How are funds being allocated to support essential climate mitigation and adaptation efforts? - The Future of Climate Finance: How to innovate and expand climate finance, involving key financial players like pension funds to drive broader participation.

Businesses have been implementing analytical AI models for nearly a decade. But few were ready for the advent of generative AI's ability to conquer the creative activities long thought to be “quintessentially human.” GenAI holds the promise of automating entirely new domains of human activity—and it also evolves faster than prior technologies. In this AI revolution, where there is no “end state,” a company's competitive advantage hinges on the rate of learning. Those able to learn fastest will not only reap the benefits of the today's GenAI applications; they will also be poised to exploit the next wave of technological possibilities ahead of the competition. Francois Candelon, Managing Director and Senior Partner of BCG, has worked with senior leaders and boardrooms about digital transformation and will talk about how companies are approaching AI. This session is part of an AI Conference organised by CJBS MBA students.

Are you navigating the complexities of mental health in your teams? Listen to this Balance Sheet podcast where our guests discuss how managers can help employees with their Mental Health challenges. We'll explore innovative strategies and practical tips to support your team's well-being in today's changing work environment. Prof Thomas Roulet is Professor of Organisational Sociology and Leadership at CJBS. He is also co-director of the King's Entrepreneurship Lab at King's College, Cambridge. Thomas has done extensive research on how individuals and organisations can lead social change, and well-being in the workplace. Dr Kiran Bhatti is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist currently working at Wolfson College Cambridge as a private therapist. She has many years of experience providing therapeutic support to a range of individuals and groups across the NHS, third-sector, and education settings. In addition to her clinical practice, Kiran writes and researches on employee wellbeing, workplace stress and mental health. She has written articles on the concept of Wellbeing Intelligence (WBQ), and is also the co-author of a forthcoming book on the topic.

Do you see 2024 as a year of uncertainty or opportunity? We already know that some events from 2023 will continue to have an impact while there are other events that are scheduled to happen. How will the following play out in 2024? Elections and Economics: With the US and UK gearing up for their elections, what impact will they have on the global economic landscape? Geopolitical Tensions and Global Business Impact: What will the economic impact be from the ongoing war in Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza, and will tensions between China and the US flare up during the US elections? How do these conflicts affect global supply chains, energy markets, and international trade relations? Macro-Economic Factors: From inflation trends to employment rates, understand the macro-economic indicators that will shape business strategies in 2024. Big Tech and Anti-Trust Action: Regulators have big tech in their cross-hairs. What is the impact of anti-trust actions? AI Adoption and Business Strategy: How will AI adoption transform business models in 2024? Join CJBS faculty Michael Kitson and Hamza Mudassir as they present their predictions for 2024.

Much has been written about how centers of academic excellence (think Cambridge, Stanford) have given rise to vibrant startup ecosystems. Gerard Grech is the Managing Director of the newly launched Founders at the University of Cambridge initiative which will supercharge the spin out and scaling process for Cambridge. Dive into the world where academic brilliance and entrepreneurial spirit collide to address some of humanity's biggest challenges.

Europe has long been at the forefront of global efforts to transition towards cleaner and more sustainable energy sources. Ambitious plans such as the European Green Deal and the Fit for 55 reinforce the region's commitment to reducing hashtag#carbon emissions by 55 percent by 2030 (from 1990 levels) and achieving hashtag#netzero emissions by 2050. However, the energy transition faces new challenges, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the lingering effects of the pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and economic turmoil, all of which have posed threats to energy security and affordability in EU countries. McKinsey & Company released a report on how Europe could overcome these challenges and achieve an orderly clean energy transition. -https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/sustainability/our-insights/five-key-action-areas-to-put-europes-energy-transition-on-a-more-orderly-path Authors of the report Tommaso Cavina and Andre Ancleto will join #CambridgeJudge Professor David Reiner to discuss how the European Union can achieve a more orderly energy transition, balancing rapid decarbonization with energy security and economic growth. McKinsey report https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/sustainability/our-insights/five-key-action-areas-to-put-europes-energy-transition-on-a-more-orderly-path

How do you drive new sustainability practices in a company that spans the globe and has millions of customers every day, and which has suppliers across the world? Nira Johri, Chief Sustainability Officer for KFC, will talk about the company works with suppliers and across its global footprint to reach its sustainability goals. Join us to learn if sustainability leads to compromises in taste and price. How does a global organisation share best practices. What is the work of a chief sustainability officer look like and how do you start on that career?

The world is grappling with the question : how to reduce hashtag#carbon emissions to combat climate change. A crucial part of the solution will come from new startups. Chris Coleridge is founder of Carbon13, which has venture building programmes that supports and invests in scalable climate ventures. He also teaches at Cambridge Judge Business School. Chris will talk about the cleantech startup landscape, how investors are looking at cleantech, what are the challenges and opportunities and is it any different from other sectors.

As the demands on businesses increase, corporate boards have to develop skills in new areas to scrutinise and challenge the executive leadership. What are these new skills? How should boards build constructive relationships with the CEO and senior leadership team? Should you consider joining a board as a Non-Executive Director? Faculty Simon Learmount will bring his many years of experience studying and working with corporate boards across different geographies to answer these questions.

The prominence of shareholder activism and M&A are topics regularly discussed in Boardrooms. Boards and Chief Executives often look to external advisers for support in these situations, and Dhruv Sarda (MBA2003) will be joining us to share his experiences from working in the City of London for over 20 years. As an investment banker, management consultant and restructuring adviser, Dhruv has seen several situations unfold up close. Dhruv Sarda is a Managing Director at Alvarez & Marsal and one of the early founding members of the firm's European Corporate Transformation practice. He brings over 23 years of experience advising corporate boards and management teams on M&A, turnarounds and performance improvement topics in both corporate and private equity environments. Mr. Sarda has led a number of corporate transformation cases: for example, serving as interim Chief Transformation Officer at a Fortune 20 business, and has worked on 80+ M&A transactions with values of up to USD14bn, primarily focused on carve-outs and post-merger integrations. Prior to joining Alvarez & Marsal, Mr. Sarda was a Partner at Accenture, and an investment banker at ABN Amro.

Social media gave every brand potentially a global reach but in reality, reach did not equate to a global brand or global marketing. And as geopolitical tensions cause a global reconfiguration of supply chains and market perceptions, is global marketing still a positive? Or do we see a return to more localised marketing? Prof Eden Yin of CJBS will look at different brands are adjusting their marketing strategies in the face of geopolitical tensions, does it all matter to younger consumers, and how has ESG changed global brands' marketing efforts.

The Asset Management industry, which manages more than US$100tn of assets globally, will play a key role if the world is going to combat climate change. Vast amounts of capital will have to redeployed to support the shift towards clean energy and help societies less able to make that change. How does asset management influence company decisions when it comes to sustainability and climate change? Is it simply a case of buying and selling shares in companies? Does the industry exert influence in the boardrooms of companies? Are there regional differences in approaches and what about the backlash against some of these moves in the boardrooms? Amelia Tan, Head of Responsible Investment Strategy for LGIM, will address these issues and more.

Most developed nations have decided that replacing internal combustion engines (ICEs) with electric vehicles (EVs) will be the main measure to combat greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. But while electrification of transport will greatly reduce emissions, what about the supply chain that goes into the production of electric vehicles? Are we trading an ongoing source of greenhouse gases in ICEs for new sustainability challenges in the production of EVs, particularly in the batteries? Natalia Dziergwa with the World Economic Forum will talk about how a circular economy approach to EV supply chains could greatly reduce embedded emissions and address issues related to the raw materials for EVs that will only get worse as production of EVs increases.

CJBS Marketing and Decision Sciences Faculty Vincent Mak will talk about the theory of marketing applied to product launches. And we will use a live case study to see how well the 4 Ps or Roger's 5 Factors explain Apple's decisions related to the VisionPro headset. Join us to learn about product marketing and discuss answers to these questions : whether US$3499 is too high a price for a mixed reality headset; what were the words missing from Apple's product launch? Why did Apple emphasise certain use cases? And many more.

What does the future of work mean for the bread and butter HR issues of attracting, retaining and managing talent? The pandemic forced leaders and managers to figure this out for ourselves and as the dust settles, it is time to think whether HR and other parts of an organisation have to re-evaluate these processes. CJBS Alum Mathias Huber has extensive experience in people management, first in consulting projects with McKinsey and now with Viessman. Join us to hear his thoughts on what leaders, managers and HR departments need to do.

Starting with the fall of Silicon Valley Bank, this crisis has been a long time coming. From the forced merger of UBS and Credit Suisse to the growing pressure on US regional banks, the cracks are showing. What caused this crisis? Was it years of quantitative easing, or is it a case of lax regulation? Are we seeing the exposure of fundamentally weak banks, or is this as bad as it will get? Simon Taylor, Cambridge Judge Business School faculty explores the ongoing banking crisis that has been shaking the global economy.

We explore how businesses can minimize waste, promote sustainability, and generate economic growth by adapting concepts of the circular economy. We will learn how circularity can be implemented in an industry and how it can benefit the environment while still maintaining a profitable business model. Rina L. Einy has a lifelong career in the fashion industry and started culthread, a slow fashion brand that uses recycled materials to make stylish and top-quality clothing. This is an important concept given the amount of waste that the global fashion industry produces. They talk about ways to reduce waste in the fashion industry by designing durable products, using sustainable materials, and creating efficient supply chains. David Block is CFO/COO for circulee, which is on a mission to make green IT simple and accessible for businesses of all sizes. Ewaste is another global problem and so any way to reduce e-waste by repairing, reusing, and recycling of IT products is key. The circular economy is becoming increasingly important in today's business landscape. As consumers become more environmentally conscious, companies that implement circular practices will be better positioned to meet their expectations and succeed in the marketplace.

Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine was the latest in a series of crises that have engulfed the world and affected businesses, countries and societies. Then there was covid, the US-China tensions, the rise of Trump and other strongmen political leaders, the current banking crisis. Are we truly in an age of permacrisis? Helen Thompson helps us make sense of what's going on. She looks at how slow-moving forces in the energy and currency markets have created tensions within, and between major countries. We are just seeing the first signs of these cracks. Helen's book Disorder : Hard Times in the 21st Century was on the Financial Times Shortlist for Best Business Book and anyone in business should join us to learn from Helen how geopolitics can affect business and society.

How do investors and big pharma assess deals with startups and other companies? It isn't always an M&A, it could be an alliance, a licensing arrangement or some other form of partnership. Anna Gran has worked in many roles in big pharma to spot these opportunities, using her deep science background and an MBA from the University of Cambridge Judge Business School. She will talk about these issues and share points about her career. You need to watch this if you are in a startup in healthcare or biotech pitching to investors, or you are working in deeptech and thinking how to make a career switch to the business side, or you want to work in big pharma.

The 2023 Employment Report showed a strong performance by Cambridge Judge Business School MBA students. The class of 2021-22 did extremely well in the face of an uncertain employment landscape with considerable global economic headwinds, with many going into top consulting firms and other interesting areas. A good part of their success came from the School's Careers Office and Careers Director Sadia Cuthbert will join us to bring out the main themes from the Employment Report. This episode shows MBA graduates, students and applicants, how you need to think about your career. How to use your time in business school to make the career transition that you want.

Generative AI such as ChatGPT have captured the public's imagination with its text outputs that alternates between genuinely useful, to the downright boring, to what Microsoft calls "usefully wrong". People are predicting that this use of AI will mean the end of everything from Google's domination of search to the mass retrenchment of copywriters. How will these predictions come to pass? Professor Michael Barrett will talk about how technologies like AI get adopted and propagated. Kellyann Ripnar, COO and co-founder of Fincrime Dynamics, will share how AI is already being used in less public, but no less groundbreaking settings.

From difficulties in obtaining funding to the lack of support and advice, minority-owned businesses face challenges that can make it difficult to succeed. Meet Cambridge Judge Business School research fellows, Professor Simone Phipps of Middle Georgia State University and Professor Leon Prieto of Clayton State University, who will be joined by Yvonne Lardner, an Associate Research Fellow at CJBS, who has done extensive research in the experiences of Black founder-owners in the UK, and hear about their experiences with host Conrad Chua, Cambridge MBA Executive Director.

Despite technological advances, healthcare costs remain high or access is constrained. The Healthcare Utility Initiative seeks to solve this. What if healthcare providers become more like utilities to deliver high-quality products and services at low, equal costs. The initiative aims to develop rapidly scalable not-for-profit business models for healthcare service innovation to improve healthcare delivery, and keep access and costs low. The co-founders of the Healthcare Utility Initiative, Carter Dredge, Lead Futurist at SSM Health, and Professor Stefan Scholtes at Cambridge Judge Business School will talk about the initiative and how it can improve healthcare outcomes.

For decades, banking meant the usual suspects of big household names. There were national champions and only a few truly global financial institutions and almost no new entrants. Technology and regulatory changes have ushered in an age of challenger banks. Banks that offer new products or repackaged existing products for retail and business customers. Will these challenger banks survive and what do they do that incumbents don't do? We hear from two speakers connected to Cambridge Judge Business School, Tim Harvey-Samuel and Dickson Ma. Tim Harvey-Smith spent more than 20 years in equity capital markets and teaches the Finance Concentration for the Cambridge MBA. He is on the board of UK-based challenger bank that caters to SMEs. MBA alumnus, Dickson Ma, worked in finance and the entertainment industries in Hong Kong and was part of the team that started Alipay's operations in Hong Kong. He also worked in livi bank, a virtual bank in Hong Kong.

Automation, AI and Machine Learning are just some of the terms that are driving old-timers in B2B sales and marketing out of board rooms and corporate suites. Learn from some Cambridge MBA alumni on how technology is changing sales, marketing and customer success in B2B.

MBA alumna Jules Robertson talks about the business models and trends around shared work spaces, that were developed and sprung up during and after the global pandemic. From collaborative days to popular locations in cities, what attracts the best talent to your business in the new global flexible market.

Dr Ronita Bardhan from the University of Cambridge School of Architecture, talks about her recent study about working patterns and models post-pandemic. As we navigate the new hybrid and flexible working environment the data and insights she discusses shed light on the journey we are all taking. Link to Dr Bardhan's You Tube page where she talks about social housing, among other topics, in India: https://youtu.be/7JRNDzdiBtM

Cyber security to invasion - the unsettling position after the recent invasion of Ukraine - Cambridge Judge Business School Faculty talks about the East and the economic impact of war.

What business leaders think about innovation in 2022 - MBA alumnus Marco Donzelli (MBA 2009) talks about the market recovery after the pandemic, as Global CEO of global accounting and advisory network, HLB International. HLB Ltd released their annual survey recently and this year's theme was innovation. The results cover discussions from company culture, to innovation and bold leadership to navigating risk in a new global outlook. For reference - HLB Ltd Annual survey link: https://www.hlb.global/powering-your-innovation-engine/

MBA graduate Robert Ippolito (MBA 2017) talks about starting businesses across Latin America; in the coupon sector and working with the use of bitcoin. Working also in the Ed Tech sector, offering tuition for school children across 19 countries. Robert works in the sales and operations side of the fastest growing online English academy for kids in Latin America.

Dr Joshua Oppenheimer, a leading medical professional and founder of medical tech start up, Transformative, talks about his career transformation and changing careers. His career journey after his Cambridge MBA(MBA 2014)moves from an emergency medical doctor to the CEO of a private AI and software enterprise in the healthcare sector. Still working directly with hospital patients, Joshua manages to juggle two roles while still growing the business and managing the company growth - during a challenging time for the health sector with Covid-19.

From founding the start up charity Halal Gems through to her role as Director of the Muslim Youth Helpline, Zohra takes us on a varied and fascinating journey through her career, since her Cambridge MBA in 2008/2009. From the food industry and supply chains to youth engagement and empowerment, her career as a founder and entrepreneur examines the challenges and thoughts that exist across varied sectors, all of which are united by a drive for change and to make an impact.

Cambridge Executive MBA alumni Rav Seeruthun(2013)talks about his career in the medical sector from the pharmaceutical industry through to rare diseases and respiratory medicine at Roche, the global pharmaceutical and diagnostics company, where he is now Medical Director. Rav also shares a view on the global pandemic Covid-19 from inside the industry. He covers a career in politics alongside medicine, as well as the key pivot points and changes in his extraordinary career journey.

Cambridge MBA Andreas Kitzing talks about the company Sponsoo, that he founded soon after completing his Cambridge MBA in 2013/14. Sponsoo is Europe's largest digital marketplace for sports sponsorship. From entrepreneurship to brand and marketing to fundraising, Andreas describes his start up journey, alongside his Cambridge MBA year.

The changing face of the workplace after the pandemic, how to manage and think about your mental health during a crisis, and how to build your resilience during a crisis, in order to start preparing to change your career - a personal perspective from Cambridge MBA Executive Director, Conrad Chua.