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Driving Change in the Age of Disruption

SpeakerS:
Stephanie Chang, Vice President of Content and Global Editor, The Trust, Wall Street Journal, Barron’s Group
Jacek Olczak, CEO, Philip Morris International

We are in a time of global change and shifts, impacting society and our personal lives, began Stephanie Chang, Vice President of Content and Global Editor, The Trust, Wall Street Journal, Barron’s Group. Agreeing that we are living in complicated, challenging times, Jacek Olczak, CEO of Philip Morris International, explained that we can no longer sweep problems under the carpet because we have run out of carpet. Cigarette smoking is harmful, so his company is looking for ways to reduce harm to the one billion smokers around the world. Olczak noted that it is challenging for a company to disrupt itself, but that Philip Morris International is working to create technologies and new products that can solve the problem.

Chang asked how recent disruptions have affected this goal. Olczak explained that for an international company as large as his, there will always be disruption somewhere. They focus on what they can impact, like fixing the product, reducing environmental harm, providing a living wage, and eliminating child labor in agriculture. He admitted that the beginning of this journey to “unsmoke” the world was not welcomed, but that they have an obligation to change today and the future.

Key takeaways & next steps:

  • Driving change will require companies to take bold steps to spell out problems and pursue solutions, even when it means disrupting themselves.
  • Industries that caused harm cannot change the past but they can change the present and the future.

“We know that innovation can’t happen in a vacuum […] there is the need for collaboration and partnerships.”

 

Stephanie Chang, Vice President of Content and Global Editor, The Trust, Wall Street Journal, Barron’s Group

“The time is coming when tech and science will unite to accelerate solutions, especially for people who are smokers, so they are more inclined to embrace smoke-free alternatives.”

 

Jacek Olczak, CEO, Philip Morris International