Founder's Mentality: The CEO Sessions artwork

Careers · Bain & Company

Founder's Mentality: The CEO Sessions

by Bain & Company

Before a strategy becomes a success story, it's a judgement call. Now in its second season, Founder's Mentality: The CEO Sessions gets inside the decisions that defined some of the world's greatest leaders - a bet the market couldn't yet see, a crisis that put the organisation's purpose to the test, and the courage to keep showing up even when you don't have the answer. How do you stay close to the frontline as the organisation scales? What does AI mean for the thing you have spent years building? How do you transform the company without breaking what makes it great? Hosted by Jimmy Allen, Advisory Partner at Bain & Company, bestselling author and leader of Bain's Global CEO Forum, each episode is a candid, in-depth conversation with leaders from Mars, The Economist Group, Khan Academy, and more. Each episode is built around one real story, one defining moment, and the lessons that come from living through it. Dense with insight and designed for leaders who listen with a pen in hand, the series explores the outer game of markets, technology and growth, and the inner game of energy, humility and courage, and what it takes to master both. The question this season isn't just what the CEO should do. It's who does the CEO need to become? Join the Conversation: https://www.bain.com/founders-mentality/ https://www.bain.com/insights/topics/ceo-agenda Links: Bain & Company LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/bain-and-company/) Bain & Company X (https://x.com/BainandCompany) Jimmy Allen LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-allen-3442b/) About the Host: Jimmy Allen is an Advisory Partner at Bain & Company with over 35 years’ experience advising leading organizations. He’s the author of multiple best-selling books on growth and leadership and the host and founder of Bain’s Global CEO Community Forum. Jimmy is a regular speaker at global business events, including the World Economic Forum, and serves on the Botswana Economic Advisory Council. Outside of consulting, Jimmy started his own record label (Abubilla Music) in 2008 and supports Singing Wells, a project dedicated to preserving Kenyan village music. Bain & Company: Founder’s Mentality: The CEO Sessions is brought to you by Bain & Company, a global consultancy trusted by the world’s most influential business leaders. With decades of experience guiding organizations through growth, transformation, and leadership development, Bain’s executive insights offer what it takes to lead at scale.

Chart trend

Position in the Careers chart (US), last 90 days.

#33
all-time peak
6
days in the top 50 since Oct 2025

Latest episodes

Showing 19 · updated from the feed

Lara Boro, The Economist: AI Won't Change Who We Are

What does it take to lead a fragmented business through disruptive transformation?     When she joined The Economist as Group CEO, Lara Boro faced a divided company, meta

Sep 1
29 min

Sal Khan, Khan Academy: Why He Chose to Disrupt Himself With AI

How will AI impact the business I have spent years building?     When Sal Khan, CEO and founder of Khan Academy, was confronted with this question in 2023 he didn’t wait

Aug 18
33 min

Daniel Servitje, Grupo Bimbo: The Enemy of Growth Is Distance

What does it take to expand worldwide without losing sight of the things that matter most?     Daniel Servitje is the executive chairman of Grupo Bimbo, an organization

Aug 4
30 min

Jacqueline Novogratz, Acumen: Start Before You're Ready

What are the costs of not daring to make a change?      Jacqueline Novogratz is the Founder & CEO of Acumen, an organisation that invests patient capital in enterprises

Jul 21
28 min

Kevin Lobo, Stryker: The $1.6B Bet That Changed an Industry

What does it take to back a decision that may take years to prove itself?     Soon after becoming CEO of Stryker, Kevin Lobo backed a $1.6 billion acquisition of Mako, a

Jul 7
25 min

Founder’s Mentality: The CEO Sessions - Season 2 - Coming Soon!

Before a strategy becomes a success story, it's a judgement call. For 35 years, Jimmy Allen has been in the room with the world's most consequential CEOs, and this seaso

Jun 30
1 min

Embrace the New Rules of Scaling

As this season of Founder’s Mentality: The CEO Sessions comes to a close, we take a step back to ask the question that has driven every conversation: how do you lead and

Apr 28
23 min

Compete, Evolve, Compete Again: Marcos Galperin, Executive Chairman & Founder, Mercado Libre

What does it really take to stay relevant when the world refuses to stand still? In this episode, Jimmy Allen sits down with Marcos Galperin, Founder and Executive Chair

Feb 24
40 min

Stay Relevant, Spark Energy: Pedro Arnt, CEO dLocal

How can a hyperscaler grow at lightning speed without losing its soul? In this episode, Jimmy Allen sits down with Pedro Arnt, CEO of dLocal and former CFO of Mercado Li

Feb 10
38 min

Shift to Vertical: David Haines, Group CEO, Flora Food Group

What does it take to stay connected to your customers when scale and complexity threaten to pull you away? In this episode, Jimmy Allen sits down with David Haines, Grou

Jan 27
32 min

Simplify: Stuart Gent, Partner, Bain Capital

How on earth can we simplify when business complexity feels inevitable? In this episode, Jimmy Allen sits down with Stuart Gent, Partner and Co-Head of Europe Private Eq

Jan 13
35 min

What CEOs Bring Home: A Holiday Special

As the year winds down, Founder’s Mentality: The CEO Sessions takes a festive turn. In this special holiday bonus episode, host Jimmy reflects on the season’s conversatio

Dec 23 2025
13 min

Rediscover The Art of Business Building: Tanuja Randery, Managing Director EMEA, Amazon Web Services

Big companies are built to deliver, but in a world where technology shifts daily and customer needs change overnight, delivery alone isn’t enough. Business building has t

Dec 16 2025
34 min

Pursue Repeatable Models: Sunny Verghese, CEO & Co-Founder, Olam

How do you grow a bold idea into a global agribusiness leader… and then reimagine it all over again? In this episode, Jimmy Allen sits down with Sunny Verghese, Co-Found

Dec 2 2025
35 min

From Sapling to Forest, Master Deliver and Develop: Nirav Tolia, CEO & Co-Founder, Nextdoor

What does it take to ‘refound’ a company that you started, this time in the public spotlight? In this episode, Jimmy Allen sits down with Nirav Tolia, Co-Founder and CEO

Nov 18 2025
32 min

Manage Complexity By Returning to the Why: Don Katz, Audible

What happens when a founder’s vision doesn’t just spark a company, but reshapes an entire industry? In this episode, Jimmy Allen sits down with Don Katz, founder of Audi

Nov 3 2025
34 min

Create Joyful Routines: Christina Zhu, CEO & President, Walmart China

What turns a routine into a ritual that actually changes how people work? In this episode, Jimmy Allen sits down with Christina Zhu, President and CEO of Walmart China,

Oct 21 2025
33 min

Fall Back in Love With Your Product: Aaron Powell, CEO, Pizza Hut

Pizza may seem simple, but leading one of the world’s most iconic brands is anything but.  In this episode, Jimmy Allen sits down with Aaron Powell, Global CEO of Pizza

Oct 7 2025
25 min

Founder’s Mentality: The CEO Sessions - Coming Soon!

What does it take to lead - and live - when the world won’t sit still? Founder’s Mentality: The CEO Sessions, hosted by executive advisor and bestselling author Jimmy Al

Sep 19 2025
1 min

Chart positions

Where Founder's Mentality: The CEO Sessions ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 6, 2026).

#112 ▲ 27 Careers US

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