About the Y-SIM CEO Speaker Series
Y-SIM hosts the CEO Speaker Series to broadly share candid insights and guidance from leaders of iconic enterprises. Moderated by practice leader Jon Iwata, these fireside chats explore the “how” of stakeholder management: How do leaders balance stakeholder demands without succumbing to zero-sum tradeoffs? How do they turn commitments into systems and strategy? How can leaders evolve their firm without losing what makes it distinctive?
Since its inception in 2023, the series has hosted Indra Nooyi, former PepsiCo CEO; Paul Polman, former Unilever CEO; Jane Sun, CEO Trip.com Group; and Ed Bastian, Delta CEO.
By uncovering the mechanisms behind their decisions and approaches, the series aims to reveal the playbooks shaping some of the most consequential strategies in business today.
Latest
How Roger Goodell transformed the NFL from a U.S. sports league into a $25 billion global entertainment powerhouse
April15, 2026
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell shares how he helped transform the NFL from roughly $6B in annual revenue in 2006 to over $23B in 2025. Over twenty years, Goodell secured a media rights package valued at approximately $110 billion over eleven years, expanded the schedule to include nine international games in 2026, and built a media strategy that keeps 87 percent of games on free-to-air television while deploying streaming platforms to reach younger audiences globally.
How Former Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm Reshaped the Company’s Purpose, Culture and Strategy in the Wake of a Crisis
October 20, 2025
Rio Tinto, the world’s second-largest mining corporation, underwent massive cultural and operational transformations following an incident where the company destroyed a 46,000-year-old sacred Aboriginal site at Australia’s Juukan Gorge in 2020. Former CEO Jakob Stausholm emphasizes the importance of transparency, humility, and long-term thinking to rebuild stakeholder trust and foster a healthy corporate culture. Additionally, Stausholm shares insights into his leadership philosophy, underlining the significance of self-awareness, resilience, and continuous improvement in navigating complex challenges.
How Delta CEO Ed Bastian Creates Enduring Impact Through Bold Investments and Putting People First
October 2, 2025
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian reflects on Delta’s transformation into the most profitable U.S. airline, highlighting how a commitment to people, culture, and stakeholder alignment has powered its success. In this wide-ranging conversation, he shares insights on leadership, resilience, profit-sharing, the future of air travel, and why investing in employees and customers is the foundation of long-term value.
Other CEO Speaker Events
Jane Sun, Trip.com Group CEO
December 8, 2024
Jane Sun guided Trip.com Group, a leading global travel services company based in Shanghai, China, to significant growth in all aspects of the business. Under her leadership, the company experienced an exponential increase in its market capitalization.
Francesco Starace, Former Enel CEO
December 4, 2024
As CEO of Enel, Francesco Starace set into motion a company-wide transformation that unleashed innovation, shifted its business, forged new ways to engage communities, and resulted in a near doubling of the company’s market value.
Fernando González Olivieri, Former Cemex CEO
September 13, 2024
Fernando González Olivieri has spearheaded global growth and transformation at Cemex, with innovation and sustainability at the forefront of stakeholder value creation. The conversation was moderated by Horacio Arredondo, Dean of EGADE Business School and took place at EGADE Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico.
Paul Polman, Former Unilever CEO
November 13, 2023
Paul Polman developed Sustainable Living as the organizing principle for Unilever while also achieving excellent financial performance.
Ronald Lam, Cathay Group CEO
February 13, 2025
Under Ronald Lam's leadership, Cathay reported an attributable profit of HK$9.9 billion in 2024, and Cathay Pacific reached a significant milestone by exceeding 100,000 passengers in a single day, showcasing the airline's post-pandemic recovery. The conversation was hosted by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Business School (HKUST) and moderated by Prof. Stephen Shih, Associate Dean of MBA Programs at HKUST.
Indra Nooyi, Former PepsiCo CEO
November 6, 2023
Indra Nooyi is recognized for aligning PepsiCo’s customers, employees, suppliers, and shareholders around Performance with Purpose. The conversation was moderated by Professor Edward Snyder and took place during a new elective class on stakeholder management at Yale School of Management.
About the Global Network for Advanced Management (GNAM):
GNAM’s mission is to drive innovation and create value by connecting leading global business schools, their resources, and their stakeholders. Launched in 2012, the global network includes 32 leading business schools from diverse regions, countries, cultures, and economies in different phases of development. Member schools connect their students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other constituencies so that they can deepen their understanding of differences and commonalities in their economies and increase their effectiveness. Today, many Global Network schools are already exploring aspects of stakeholder management. To find out more, visit the GNAM website.