Global rules are being rewritten. Pictet’s Maria Vassalou joins David Bach to discuss BRICS, AI, aging societies – and why leaders must rethink everything they thought they knew.

As global trade rules unravel, AI accelerates, and demographics shift dramatically, what should business leaders do? What do they need to rethink, and where should they invest?

Listen to this thought-provoking episode of Leaders Unplugged with the Head of the Pictet Research Institute, Maria Vassalou, and learn how to challenge your assumptions – from China’s long game and the rise of BRICS, to what aging societies and AI mean for future growth. In conversation with IMD’s president David Bach, Maria Vassalou shares a powerful message: Globalization, free trade, and world peace – the principles most of us have built their decisions on – are all being challenged, she says. “And the idea that we can continue doing what we have been doing seems… not a very good idea.” Her advice: The winners of the next three decades will lead with “strategic investments in demographics, technology diffusion, and production efficiencies.”

If you want to understand where the world is headed – listen to this episode.

Harvard’s Daniel Ziblatt explores how democracies fail and why business leaders must act now before it’s too late.

“Democracy is a system of competition: not harmony, but contest... When that competition is fair, something extraordinary happens.”

In this gripping keynote and fireside conversation with IMD President David Bach, Harvard professor and political scientist Daniel Ziblatt reframes democracy as a circuit breaker against power hoarding — and business leaders as essential players in defending it.

Recorded live at IMD’s annual flagship event OWP, Ziblatt warns that “most democracies die at the hands of elected leaders... who use the very institutions of democracy to subvert it.”

For Ziblatt, democracy is not idealistic fluff — it’s a vital check on catastrophic failure. “Without democracy, political leaders are much more likely to make major blunders.”

Ziblatt, author of “How Democracies Die”, delivers a direct challenge to those in the room, and to everyone listening: “The future of democracy is in the hands of people like you – people in positions of leadership in society – to draw the red lines, to remind fellow citizens of this, and to stand up for democracy.”

Marc Maurer didn’t build ON by playing it safe. In this live conversation with IMD’s Alyson Meister, the outgoing Co-CEO explains why betting on purpose, rejecting hype, and ignoring the industry playbook paid off:

1. Culture over hype.
“We’re actually the anti-metaverse.” ON doubled down on real-life movement instead of pixels, and built a brand with soul.

2. Purpose-driven growth.
“Why do we need to grow 28%? Why not 20%? Who tells you it should be 28?” Maurer insists that growth must serve the purpose, not the markets.

3. Hire outsiders, build insiders.
“For the first 10 years or so, it was forbidden to hire from a competitor.” ON’s originality? No legacy thinking, just bold innovation.

With insights on sustainability, Gen Z expectations, and life after ON, this episode – recorded live at IMD’s flagship event Orchestrating Winning Performance (OWP) – is a masterclass in leadership.