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    Leaders Unplugged

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    “It’s time for a complete reset” – Maria Vassalou on the future of investing

    August 7, 2025 • by David Bach in Leaders Unplugged • Podcast availablePodcast available

    Global shifts in AI, trade, and aging demand bold strategy. Hear Maria Vassalou’s insights on how leaders must rethink the future to stay ahead....

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    What is Leaders Unplugged?

    Leaders Unplugged is real talk with the impactful. Candid, honest, actionable – and fresh from behind the scenes. Presented by IMD in collaboration with Remote Daily. Hosted by IMD’s president, David Bach.

    Global rules are being rewritten. Pictet’s Maria Vassalou joins David Bach to discuss BRICS, AI, aging societies – and why leaders must rethink everything they thought they knew.

     

    As global trade rules unravel, AI accelerates, and demographics shift dramatically, what should business leaders do? What do they need to rethink, and where should they invest?

    Listen to this thought-provoking episode of Leaders Unplugged with the Head of the Pictet Research Institute, Maria Vassalou, and learn how to challenge your assumptions – from China’s long game and the rise of BRICS, to what aging societies and AI mean for future growth.

    In conversation with IMD’s president David Bach, Maria Vassalou shares a powerful message: Globalization, free trade, and world peace – the principles most of us have built their decisions on – are all being challenged, she says. “And the idea that we can continue doing what we have been doing seems… not a very good idea.” Her advice: The winners of the next three decades will lead with “strategic investments in demographics, technology diffusion, and production efficiencies.”

    If you want to understand where the world is headed – listen to this episode.

    Expert

    Maria Vassalou

    Head of Pictet Research Institute

    Maria Vassalou, heads the Pictet Research Institute, which was launched in early 2024. In this role, she leads research on strategic asset allocation, portfolio construction, as well as global economic and investment trends. Vassalou joined Pictet from Goldman Sachs Asset Management, where she was co-CIO of Multi-Asset Solutions. She holds a PhD in Financial Economics from London Business School.

    Authors

    David Bach

    David Bach

    President of IMD and Nestlé Professor of Strategy and Political Economy

    David Bach is President of IMD and Nestlé Professor of Strategy and Political Economy. He assumed the Presidency of IMD on 1 September 2024. He is working to broaden and deepen IMD’s global impact through learning innovation, excellence in degree- and executive programs, and applied thought leadership. Recognized globally as an innovator in management education, Bach previously served as IMD’s Dean of Innovation and Programs.

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