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 reflects on the family values that shaped her, the teacher who nudged her toward chemical engineering and the mother who pushed her to attend the interview that began her 25-year career at Dow.

Baiget discusses why curiosity has guided her more than career planning, how she learned not to take setbacks out of proportion and why the CEO role is less lonely than many assume when you build the right team.

She also explains the strategic shift that led Novozymes to see itself not as an enzyme company, but as a biosolutions company — a decision that helped make the merger with Danish biotech company Chr. Hansen possible.

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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 why stepping away became essential, and how that pause helped him decide he was not finished building. He reflects on the pressure, uncertainty and self-doubt that shaped his career, from arriving in France as a child unable to speak the language to navigating the intensity of Goldman Sachs in the 1990s.

Vince also looks back on the global financial crisis, including the weekend of Lehman Brothers’ collapse, and the lessons he took from moments of extreme pressure. He then discusses the transformation of BNY under his leadership, why consistency matters in building institutions and how he balances running one of America’s oldest banks with family life and personal wellbeing.

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Stéphane Boujnah, the CEO of Euronext, reflects on a pivotal decision to block a major merger, the origins of his conviction and the emotional weight of leading against the consensus.

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James Reed reflects on the decision that defined his career — taking the risk of joining the family business. The Reed CEO discusses failure, purpose and why standing still is the worst decision of all.

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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 competitive firms on Wall Street.

From handling criticism and changing his management style to leading Goldman Sachs through crisis, Blankfein explains why the most effective leaders know who they are — and when they need to change.

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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 Aviva through a major turnaround to publicly calling out sexism at the top of the industry, Blanc explains how decisive action — not consensus — defines leadership under pressure.

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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 on the job you have—not the next one—can accelerate your career.

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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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