The Proteus Leader Show

Marie Holive sits down with David Shrier, Professor of Practice in AI and Innovation at Imperial College London, plus author of WELCOME TO AI and The Intelligence Capital Manifesto.

We explore why the real opportunity with AI is not just automation, but redesigning work around true human-AI symbiosis.

David explains the difference between replacement, augmentation, and symbiosis, why lasting advantage comes from building “Int...

Erika talks with Kursten Faller, co-author of The Hidden Project Drivers, about how to stop managing for compliance and start leading to build ownership.

Visit Kursten's website

Timestamps:

[00:00] Podcast episode starts

[01:59]  Stop managing for compliance and start leading for ownership

[04:27]  Impact when employees and teams don't feel like owners

[06:43]  What leaders can do to build greater ownership within teams

[08:49] What it me...

Marie Holive sits down with Mario Azar, Chairman and CEO of Black & Veatch, to explore what it takes to deliver critical infrastructure under pressure. Mario shares what’s different about leading a 100% employee-owned company and how ownership changes accountability, decision-making, and execution when timelines are tight.

Together, they unpack the leadership implications of the data-center boom, the real-world trade-offs...

Erika talks with Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, Olympic Gold Medalist and newly named CEO of the U.S. Center for SafeSport, about why safety on all levels - physical, emotional and psychological - is essential in modern organizations, and how to create a safe environment that supports the organization and its members to succeed.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Beginning of the podcast episode

[02:03] Why is safety a necessary foundation for excellence...

Marie Holive sits down with Karim Chaiblaine, CEO of Nesma Mobility in Saudi Arabia, to explore what true transformation requires from leaders in uncertain environments. Through the conversation, listeners will hear practical insights on making tough strategic choices, knowing when to build versus partner, scaling with intention, and staying flexible without losing clarity of purpose. Karim also draws on Professor David Teece's dyn...

Erika Andersen shares the podcast with Jeff Mitchell, her partner at Proteus and Head of Proteus' Leadership Development Practice. They dive into the power of building real skills, why it's critical for leaders - and how it so often gets overlooked.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Podcast episode starts

[01:54]  Why skill building is crucial to leadership development

[03:41] How to make skill building actionable

[08:24] What happens when leadership...

Marie Holive speaks with Marie Berthelon, Co-founder and CEO of Rouvenat, a historic French jewelry maison founded in 1852 and relaunched in 2022 to redefine luxury around modern, sustainable values. After more than 20 years in senior roles at Hermès, Cartier, De Beers, LVMH, and Richemont, Marie chose to leave major luxury groups to build a new kind of brand rooted in circularity and responsibility.Marie shares the story of Rouven...

The Human Side of Selling. Erika Andersen talks with Laird McLean, Proteus Partner, Head of Organizational Transformation and Sales Leader, about the human side of selling - what it means and why it's important, especially in today's increasingly complex and technologically sophisticated business environment.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Podcast episode introduction

[01:00] Importance of focusing on the human side of selling

[03:25] Looking at ...

Marie Holive speaks with Rosie Bichard, Non-Executive Director at UBS Asset Management, Audit Committee Chair, seasoned investor, and EMEA Co-Chair of WomenExecs on Boards — a global network of over 400 senior women prepared for board service at Harvard Business School.

Marie and Rosie revisit their shared experience in the 2017 “Succeeding as a Corporate Director” program at Harvard Business School and trace h...

Erika Andersen talks with Alison Moore, CEO of Chief, about why supporting women's success in business is more important today than ever before - and how women are changing the definition of leadership in critical ways.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction to podcast

[01:45] Why do we need to support women

[06:36]  How can organizations support women's success?[11:22] How can leaders support women be successful?

[13:52] Podcast wrap-up

For m...

Marie Holive talks with Jason Beesley, CFO of Pattern (Nasdaq: PTRN) and former CFO of NBCUniversal International, about what it takes to be a transformational CFO in today’s fast-moving business world. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience, from GE’s Corporate Audit Staff to global media, and now leading Pattern through its IPO, Jason shares lessons on scaling finance functions, building public-company discipline...

Erika Andersen talks with Noel Massie, retired VP of US Delivery Operations for UPS, about his new book, 'Congrats! You've Been Promoted!' They discuss the most critical elements of success for new managers in any business.

Timestamps

• [00:00] Introduction to the podcast
• [01:28] Why new leaders need support
• [02:29] The coach-leader relationship
• [03:59] Intentional leadership and integrity
• [07:10] The Four-to-One Feedback Model
• [09:20] ...

Marie Holive talks with Todd McLees (HumanSkills.AI Co-Founder), creator of “AI Agility” and HBR contributor, about turning AI from a set of tools into a collaborative partner. We cover the human-skills stack for GenAI, team norms and ethical guardrails, and practical ways to move from one-off experiments to strategic impact, plus simple prompts you can use this week.

Timestamps:

• [00:00] Podcast Introduction
• [00:40] Ex...

Marie Holive talks with Kelsey Achenbach, Vice President of Pharmaceuticals at dsm-firmenich, about leading with strategy, science, and heart to drive innovation in healthcare. With a background spanning engineering, operations, and commercial leadership, Kelsey is at the forefront of transforming how the pharma industry operates — from optimizing product development pipelines to embedding purpose into every step of the value...

Marie talks with Ian O’Connor, Professor at École Centrale de Lyon, about the true energy cost of AI and the breakthroughs that could change everything. As AI’s electricity use surges, Ian explains where the power really goes, why moving data is more expensive than doing the math, and how new hardware is helping bend the energy curve. They also explore what business and tech leaders can do today to make AI smarter, fast...

Marie Holive talks with Jean-Hugues Monier, retired Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company and chevalier of the Légion d'honneur, about weaving purpose and service into a life of leadership.

From mentoring students and supporting transatlantic education through the Lafayette Fellowship, to helping restore cultural icons like Notre-Dame de Paris, Jean-Hugues has made giving back a core part of his journey, not a later chapter, but...

Marie talks with Therese Miclot, Director of Facilitation Excellence at Proteus International about her book: "The Facilitation Advantage", which breaks down the mindsets and skills leaders need to run high-impact meetings and shape meaningful conversations that actually move the business forward.

Therese has spent more than 25 years helping leaders level up, not just by teaching them what to do, but by showing them how to show up.

...

Erika talks with Zina Sutch and Patrick Malone about their new book, Little BIG Decisions: A Leader Imperative for Lasting Impact. They propose that some of leaders' critical choice points are the day-to-day decisions that affect their teams and clients most.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Podcast introduction

[00:34] Introducing Zina and Patrick

[01:39] What are little big decisions?

[03:18] Differences between little/little decisions and little/...

Marie speaks to former headhunter and board readiness coach Jacquie O’Dea about demystifying that all-important first leap into the boardroom, sharing insider tips on what today’s boards really want, how to craft a stand-out value proposition, and the smartest ways to build the relationships that open boardroom doors.

Timestamps:

• [00:00] Introduction to the podcast
• [00:34] Introduction to Jacquie
• [01:44] What are boards...