"Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning. From technological advances and geopolitical changes to workplace culture shifts and market pressures, 2025 has been a year of change, uncertainty, and disruption."
"I'm Gwen Moran, and for nearly three years as Modern CEO 's editor, I've had a front-row seat as Mansueto Ventures CEO and Chief Content Officer Stephanie Mehta talks to business leaders and experts to help CEOs navigate the modern world. Every year, I recap some of the key insights from a year of interviews with the array of leaders featured in the newsletter. Here are four themes that we saw repeatedly in 2025."
"Leaders faced nearly constant change-and more than a few curveballs-this year. When E.l.f. Beauty CEO Tarang Amin was named inaugural Modern CEO of the Year near the end of 2024, little did he know that tariffs, blowback over an influencer scandal, and attacks on the diversity efforts that E.l.f. champions were awaiting him in the coming months. When we asked CEOs to share their thoughts on leading during times of great uncertainty, we got responses representing industries from architecture to pharmaceuticals."
"Some of the changes we saw this year will have lasting ripple effects. Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman talked about closing one of the world's largest and most well-known philanthropies over the next two decades. What had become an annual check-in with former SAIC CEO Toni Townes-Whitley was canceled after she and the company parted ways, leaving TIAA's Thasunda Brown Duckett as the only Black woman currently leading a Fortune 500 company."
2025 featured technological advances, geopolitical shifts, workplace culture changes, and market pressures that produced widespread uncertainty and disruption. Leaders across industries encountered constant change, including tariffs, influencer scandals, and attacks on corporate diversity efforts. Major institutions faced long-term transitions, such as plans to wind down large philanthropic operations and executive departures that altered diversity among Fortune 500 leadership. CEOs prioritized grappling with artificial intelligence as a strategic imperative alongside navigating operational and reputational risks. Inclusive leadership practices and cross-industry insights informed approaches to managing volatility and sustaining organizational resilience.
Read at Fast Company
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