Inside the Strategy Room

327. Four strategy myths holding your company back

Today’s disruption has created a critical ‘Strategy Moment’ for organizations navigating a fundamentally changing basis of competitive advantage. Carolyn Dewar, Marcus Ja

326. M&A heading into Q4: How AI is reshaping value creation

As we enter the fourth quarter, we look to where M&A stands and how dealmakers can finish strong. We also explore how AI is rewriting the traditional M&A playbook: succes

325. Addressing AI Frontier Lab model risks and opportunities

As AI models become increasingly sophisticated, organizations and their leaders need to maintain awareness of the opportunities and challenges each new model can present.

324. How strategy creates value: The four foundations that drive long-term performance

Episode description Executives have more data, more frameworks, and more advice than ever, and yet their confidence in their strategies keeps falling. Andy West, Tim Ko

323. How to drive transformations with rigor

McKinsey research finds that companies executing transformations with rigor are much more likely to meet overall organizational transformation goals. Chris Hagedorn, Pree

322. Capturing value in real estate’s new terrain

Real estate is moving from stabilization to selective acceleration, with value creation becoming more targeted, operational, and execution-led. As capital concentrates in

321. M&A integration: PE’s new value creation playbook

Private equity is navigating one of its most challenging value creation environments in years, and winning firms are using M&A integration as a competitive weapon. Brian

320. The digital twin: Reimagining non-financial risk management

The risk function’s fundamental purpose has not changed in light of AI. What has changed is the nature and pace of risks amplified by AI, as well as the tools available t

319. Why strategy needs mobilization, especially in this moment

As strategy rises to the top of executive agendas, many organizations are struggling to translate bold strategic choices into sustained performance. In this episode, the

318. Inside the 2026 CFO Forum: How finance leaders are preparing for what's next (bonus episode)

In this bonus episode, McKinsey CFO practice leaders Kevin Carmody, Matt Maloney, and Christian Grube share their insights from the 2026 CFO Forum in London. Their conv

317. Strategic re-underwriting in private equity

Private equity firms are under increasing pressure to create value in a tougher market, with longer hold times and evolving value creation theses. Leading funds are using

316. Your budget is killing your strategy: 4 imperatives for CFOs

The traditional annual budget process is broken. It is rigid, backward-looking, and not operationally fit to keep up with today's fast-moving markets. Top-performing comp

315. The $106 trillion infrastructure opportunity: Private market outlook

Infrastructure is at a pivotal inflection point: its definition is expanding beyond traditional assets to digital and interconnected systems, demanding a fundamental mind

314. How to maximize competitive advantage

Competitive advantage is becoming much more fluid as market positions shift faster across industries, with advantages eroding and differentiation narrowing. Despite this

313. Driving value with an investor mindset

Long-term value creation is foundational to building strong companies and economies, yet many leaders struggle to ensure that well-conceived, well-executed strategies rec

312. Improving private equity exit prospects

In today’s tougher exit environment, private equity firms are facing longer holding periods, valuation gaps, and increased pressure to return capital. Kai Vollhardt and J

311. Proven growth strategies from market leaders

Discover how market leaders—Walmart, Builders FirstSource, Progressive, and JPMorgan Chase—achieved exceptional growth from 2019 to 2024, outperforming peers by an averag

310. The CEO's role in transformation

Transformations often falter due to internal dynamics that divide organizations, such as misaligned incentives, siloed efforts, and risk aversion. CEOs are uniquely posit

309. Five key moves to create value in spinoffs

More than 55 percent of large spin-offs fail to deliver the expected value three years post-spin; this is true for both the parent and the new company. However, even in t

308. From the C-Suite to the boardroom: Christiana Smith Shi on what it takes

Today’s board members face growing demands on their time. A challenging macro environment and ever-evolving business risks are increasing meeting frequency and requiring