As industries consolidate, is being bigger becoming a competitive advantage?

In this episode of ExecutiveEDGE, we examine why companies across industries are turning to M&A to build scale — and why the motivations go well beyond simply adding revenue.

From absorbing rising costs and securing labor to managing risk and funding long-term investments in AI and innovation, greater scale can give companies capabilities that are becoming increasingly valuable in today's operating environment.

But for midsize companies, that raises a difficult strategic question: Do you need to get bigger to compete?

We explore what's driving the M&A wave, why the line between offensive and defensive acquisitions is blurring, and the choices leaders face as their industries consolidate.

The second half of 2026 is forcing executives to revisit assumptions they made just months ago.

As leadership teams finalize their 2027 plans, inflation, supply-chain challenges and cost pressures are once again moving up the C-suite agenda. At the same time, companies are looking to AI investments to deliver efficiencies — but the results so far aren't necessarily living up to every expectation.

In this episode of ExecutiveEDGE, we examine what recent surveys of CFOs and CEOs reveal about the changing business outlook, where executives are adjusting their priorities and why resilience may be just as important as predicting what comes next.

Listen for insights into the economic pressures, cost decisions and AI expectations shaping the C-suite's 2027 planning conversations.

Does the organization you have today support the business you're trying to build next?

In this episode of ExecutiveEDGE, Abby White and Geert De Lombaerde explore three places where strategy gets tested in practice: capital allocation, organizational resilience and employee productivity.

They examine why traditional budgeting can make cross-functional priorities harder to fund, how leaders can build organizations capable of adapting as assumptions change, and why productivity challenges may point to a larger issue around clarity and alignment.

Plus, new workforce research offers a revealing look at when employees feel most productive, what gets in their way and how far AI adoption has actually progressed.

Listen for practical insights into building an organization that can fund its priorities, adapt to change and keep its workforce aligned around what matters most. Episode Resources

The Strategy Budget: Turning Capital Allocation Into Competitive Advantage Jess Mand

From Recovery to Growth: How Leaders Can Design Resilient Organizations Jess Mand

Why Employee Productivity Is a Culture Problem, Not Just a Metric Conversation with Geert De Lombaerde and Paul Mattioli

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