The Big View

Reuters Breakingviews columnists tap their best contacts to explore the biggest issues driving business and markets today. Every Tuesday, Global Editor Peter Thal Larsen and his team tackle a pressing question with a senior executive, financier, policymaker, or other expert. The Big View helps you understand what is going on, explore all sides of the argument, and think about what happens next.

[For previous The Exchange podcast users, we didn't want to leave you hanging so we've decided to repurpose this feed for the launch of The Big View podcast. You can still find the legacy episodes below marked under the old title]

News
151
Road to COP: Sealing the deal
Seasoned climate change lawyer Rick Saines received recognition from the French state for his role in making the 2015 Paris Agreement a landmark success. With days to go until Glasgow’s equivalent COP26, he chatted to George Hay about how this one could pan out.<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>
31 min
152
Road to COP: Making companies do better
Anne Simpson is one of the key figures in U.S. climate finance. As head of Board Responsibility at U.S. pension fund CalPERS, it’s her job to give companies a hard time if they shirk on decarbonisation. Ahead of November’s critical COP26 conference, she chatted to George Hay.<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>
46 min
153
Road to COP: Mark Carney on finance’s climate role
The UN climate envoy is enlisting banks, asset managers, insurers and others in wide efforts to keep global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees. He tells Rob Cox what to expect from the industry at Glasgow, how multilateral development banks need to “up their ambition” and more.&nbsp;<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>
20 min
154
Road to COP: How can banks stop planetary frying?
In the first instance, financial institutions can reduce travel budgets and replace radiators in office buildings and branches. The real leverage comes in how they manage customer assets and deploy balance sheets, UBS Chief Executive Ralph Hamers says in a chat with Rob Cox.<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>
28 min
155
Road to COP: Italy’s ecological transition chief
Prime Minister Mario Draghi picked Roberto Cingolani, a trained physicist, from the private sector to lead the country’s mega-ministry combining environment and energy. As Milan hosts the warmup to the COP26, Cingolani discusses Italy’s role in the global decarbonization fight.&nbsp;<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>
31 min
156
Road to COP: Denmark’s green giant
Orsted is one of the most highly valued players in the global energy transition. Chief Executive Mads Nipper’s main job is to ensure things stay that way as demand for its wind power intensifies. Ahead of Glasgow’s critical COP26 conference in November, he chatted to George Hay.<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>
36 min
157
Road to COP: Hydrogen comes faster than you think
At this fall’s United Nations climate summit, world leaders will seek to take concrete steps to fight global warming. Green hydrogen could help, but it’s still too expensive. Snam CEO Marco Alvera tells Lisa Jucca why the hydrogen energy revolution is likely to surprise us all.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>
30 min
158
The Exchange: Adam Tooze on the pandemic
<p>&nbsp;</p><p>2020 was one of the most seismic years in world history. The Columbia University professor’s new book, “Shutdown”, recaps the events and offers some conclusions about where Covid-19 has left the planet. Tooze tells Peter Thal Larsen why it might be a dry run for future crises.</p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>
46 min
159
The Exchange: Ron Johnson, Apple store retail guru
He helped transform Target, opened the first Apple store, but failed to save J.C. Penney. Now Johnson is turning his attention to mobile stores. He tells Jennifer Saba about his new venture, Enjoy, and explains how e-commerce is changing everything.
26 min
160
The Exchange: Buyout bonanza
Thomas H. Lee’s Scott Sperling has been investing in private equity deals for more than two decades. As the industry is hotter than ever, he talks to Lauren Silva Laughlin about how nothing and everything have changed.
23 min
161
The Exchange: Good chemistry
Jean-Marc Gilson, the first foreigner to run industrial giant Mitsubishi Chemical, is streamlining a conglomerate with fingers in everything from pharma to batteries. He talks with Pete Sweeney about clean energy, better governance and how outsiders fi...
31 min
162
The Exchange: How UK’s vaccine taskforce did it
Clive Dix was part of a crack team of business execs and scientists that secured Covid-19 jabs for Great Britain. They applied a venture capital approach that can be used to tackle other public sector challenges. The former chairman discusses lessons l...
25 min
163
The Exchange: Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez
In his attempt to revive the economy, Pedro Sánchez wants investors to give Spain more love. Local and global politics make that a challenging proposition. John Foley met with the prime minister as he set out for Wall Street, Silicon Valley and Hollywo...
35 min
164
The Exchange: Travel disruption, SoftBank style
After a dizzying expansion from China to the United States, the pandemic forced a tough reset at Oyo Hotels and Homes. The plucky Indian startup’s 27-year-old founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal tells Una Galani about the lessons learnt, rightsizing challen...
46 min
165
The Exchange: American-EU relations return to warm
After four frosty years, Washington and Brussels are back to cooperation on foreign and economic policy, with some big trade wins already on the scoreboard, Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis tells&nbsp;Rob Cox in an&nbsp;interview hosted by the Eu...
28 min
166
The Exchange: Global tax deal
EY Vice Chair Kate Barton is helping companies figure out a minimum corporate rate agreed to by 130 countries. The historic pact will help raise $150 billion in government revenue. She talks to Gina Chon about the 15% floor, how effective it may be and...
22 min
167
The Exchange: Niall Ferguson on human error
The historian joins Pete Sweeney to discuss his latest book on disasters, natural and man-made, and why so many governments got Covid-19 so wrong. They debate which political model looked best after the pandemic and whether historians can make a differ...
30 min
168
The Exchange: Roger Ferguson talks monetary policy
The former Fed vice chair and ex-TIAA CEO joins Swaha Pattanaik to discuss how the central bank is navigating economic recovery and price pressures. He also talks about whether corporate America is living up to its diversity pledges and suggests strate...
33 min
169
The Exchange: Hiro Mizuno
The former chief investment officer of Japan’s $1.6 trillion Government Pension Investment Fund is now a board member at Tesla and Danone. In an interview as part of last week’s Ethical Finance 2021 summit, he tells George Hay how ESG has changed since...
30 min
170
The Exchange: IAC Chairman Barry Diller
The media mogul has backed businesses ranging from travel to gambling to dating and more. Plus, he’s behind Little Island, a new park in New York. Diller shares his thoughts on the reopening of the world, IAC’s unique model and why Netflix has already ...
58 min
171
The Exchange: EU Trade Commissioner Dombrovskis
With vaccination programs catching up with America and Britain, Europe is poised to rebound, the former Latvian premier, who is also responsible for an "Economy that Works for People," tells Rob Cox in an&nbsp;interview hosted by the Euro...
53 min
172
The Exchange: Steering Europe’s green transition
Frans Timmermans has a key leadership role in the European Union’s quest to reduce its 2030 emissions by 55% compared to 1990 levels. Ahead of a major set of green policy updates next month, he talks to George Hay about both these and November’s COP26 ...
40 min
173
The Exchange: South Africa’s prospects
Johannesburg Stock Exchange CEO Leila Fourie tells Swaha Pattanaik how South Africa’s economy has coped with Covid-19. In an interview recorded for the International Economic Forum of the Americas, she also flags sectors that will rebound fastest and d...
27 min
174
The Exchange: Trip.com CEO Jane Sun
Where are Chinese travellers headed these days? How is the pandemic changing outbound tourism and business travel? Will China’s recent anti-monopoly regulations affect Trip’s approach to partnerships and deals? Sun shares her views in an exclusive di...
36 min
175
The Exchange: Finance far away from Wall Street
It’s not often we hear from the boss of a finance business based in Milwaukee. Even more unusual is to find one that is owned by its customers. Rob Cox chats with Northwestern Mutual CEO&nbsp;John Schlifske about investing, interest rates, ESG and ...
32 min