Leaders Series: Conversations With Global Decision-Makers
Leaders Series: Conversations With Global Decision-Makers
About
The Leaders Series convenes senior global decision-makers for disciplined, forward-looking conversations on capital, strategy, and institutional direction. Each session features leaders operating at scale, CEOs, founders, chairpersons, and policymakers shaping consequential sectors of the global economy. The aim is to move beyond conventional narratives to examine structural change and inflection points, equipping the audience with clearer strategic judgment and a sharper understanding of where opportunity lies.
Why It Matters
This matters because opportunity is rarely obvious at the outset. It is defined by those willing to make disciplined decisions before consensus forms. Understanding how leaders think and act in those moments provides the entrepreneurial clarity required to build, invest, and move first.
Origin
Markets and strategy are widely taught, yet the real moments where opportunity is defined, where risk is taken and capital is committed, remain largely unseen.
Maria Cristina Baroudi founded The Leaders Series at Columbia University to make that layer visible, opening access to the judgment and discipline that shape great companies and lasting institutions.
Institutional Foundation
Supported by the School of Professional Studies and shared across all Columbia schools, including Columbia Business School (CBS), the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), the School of Engineering, SIPA, the Climate School, and others, the Leaders Series reflects a cross-disciplinary approach to leadership, finance, technology, and institutional strength.