Executive Decisions with Steve Sedgwick

Steve Hasker never followed a formal career plan. Instead, the Thomson Reuters CEO says his biggest decisions were guided by one question: Would he learn more by saying yes than by staying where he was?

In this episode of “Executive Decisions,” Hasker reflects on the childhood experiences that taught him resilience, the mentors who shaped his leadership and why the people around you can matter more than the role itself.

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After more than three decades at science-based firm DSM, Dimitri de Vreeze faced what he calls the hardest decision of his career: selling the materials business where he had grown up professionally. 

In this episode of “Executive Decisions,” the DSM-Firmenich CEO reflects on why the decision made strategic sense, even as it felt deeply personal, and how it shaped his view that success is not a finish line. 

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Mike Gitlin never set out with a master plan to become CEO. Instead, his career has been shaped by a series of decisions to embrace opportunities that pushed him outside his comfort zone. 

In this episode of Executive Decisions, the Capital Group CEO reflects on the family values that shaped his leadership, from lively dinner-table debates to mock trials with his father that taught him to think critically, listen carefully and ...

After 25 years at Dow, Ester Baiget left a business she loved to take on the top job at Novozymes — now Novonesis. It was not a move driven by ego, or a lifelong plan to become CEO. Baiget says she did not need the title. What drew her in was purpose, potential and a belief that she could help the company make a bigger impact through biology. 

In this episode of “Executive Decisions,” the Novonesis CEO reflect...

After 26 years at Goldman Sachs, Robin Vince made a decision few senior Wall Street executives would make: he walked away without another job lined up. At 48, he chose to take what he called a “gap year,” turning down an immediate approach from BNY so he could step back and think carefully about what he wanted from the next phase of his life and career. 

In this episode of Executive Decisions, the BNY CEO explains w...

At the start of his career, Lloyd Blankfein made a decision that would define the way he led — stop trying to fit in. 

In this episode of Executive Decisions, the former Goldman Sachs CEO reflects on growing up in public housing in Brooklyn, arriving at Harvard as an outsider and learning that authenticity was more powerful than performance. He explains how that mindset shaped his rise through one of the most co...

At one of the highest points in her career, Amanda Blanc made a decision most executives would avoid — she walked away. 

In this episode of Executive Decisions, the Aviva CEO reflects on leaving a senior role with no safety net, the judgment required to know when something isn’t right and how that instinct shaped the decisions she’s made since. 

From leading Avi...

Vas Narasimhan never planned on becoming a CEO. In fact, he says the idea only hit him six months before he got the Novartis job.

He credits his rise to a lesson from his parents: throw yourself fully into whatever you’re doing, because you never know what comes next.

Narasimhan talks through the surprising roles that opened new doors, the crises that forced him to “stay in the ring” and why focusing ...

Thrust into the top job sooner than expected, Schneider Electric CEO Olivier Blum explains why leadership isn’t about making perfect calls — it’s about committing once you choose, following through with discipline and learning fast under pressure. He shares how he sorts reversible vs. irreversible decisions, builds teams that execute without micromanagement and how he stays steady when the stakes climb.

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Roy Jakobs reflects on the early experiences that shaped his leadership—from post‑war lessons in forgiveness to the resilience built through childhood asthma. In “Executive Decisions with Steve Sedgwick,” the Philips CEO explains why compassion must sit alongside hard, practical choices—and how those uncomfortable decisions prepared him to lead the company through its latest evolution. 

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In this episode of Executive Decisions, Steve Sedgwick sits down with Victor Riparbelli, co‑founder and CEO of Synthesia, to unpack the unconventional thinking that took him from a restless, "rebellious" childhood in Denmark to leading one of Europe’s most valuable generative‑AI companies. 

He describes the pivotal moments that guided his trajectory—from a transformative semester at Stanford Universit...

In this episode of Executive Decisions, Steve Sedgwick sits down with Sir Nigel Wilson, chairman of Canary Wharf Group, to explore the curiosity-driven career that took him from a council estate in northeast England to the top of U.K. business. 

Wilson shares how intellectual curiosity—nurtured by family and teachers—shaped his path from a scholarship at MIT to roles at McKinsey, Dixons and ...

In this episode of Executive Decisions, Steve Sedgwick sits down with Dominik von Achten, CEO of Heidelberg Materials. 

One of Dominik’s earliest decisions was to leave the “dry” world of legal practice for the fast-paced environment of Boston Consulting Group. Today, he steers one of the world’s largest building materials companies through a bold sustainability pivot, 

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In this episode of Executive Decisions, Steve Sedgwick sits down with Ilham Kadri, CEO of Syensqo. 

Raised in a humble home in Casablanca without running water or electricity, Ilham shares how her grandmother’s belief in education as a “third exit” out of poverty shaped her life.

From public schools in Morocco to earning a Ph.D. in macromolecular physical chemistry, her journey is a testament to curiosity ...

In this episode of Executive Decisions, Steve Sedgwick sits down with Andy Briggs, CEO of Phoenix Group, for a candid conversation about leadership and purpose. 

Andy reflects on a career spanning nearly four decades in financial services, shaped by the values of hard work and authenticity instilled by his family. He shares how early decisions — from pursuing actuarial training to embracing diverse roles in...