News & Insights

Polytrauma and survival mode: sustainable leadership has never been harder - or more critical.

Mon, 09 Nov 2026 21:40:42 Z

James Bond and his Aston Martin. Herbie the Volkswagen Beetle. Miami Vice and the Chevrolet. For many countries, the automotive industry has historically been an economic mainstay – a hub of aspiration, innovation and production. A national flagship.

The sector’s current woes – and its battle between profitability and sustainability - illustrate the disruption caused by global market shifts and geopolitics.

But no industry is exempt. Does sustainability have a place in a world like this?

Wise Leadership in a Wild World - Part 2: Stability in the Crosswinds

Mon, 09 Nov 2026 15:39:02 Z

In a volatile world, sustainability is now a core leadership duty. Uniting short-term interests with a long-term vision. Meeting present needs without compromising future generations.

As AI reshapes decision-making and societal expectations intensify, leaders must elevate smart intelligence to wise judgment. Not in spite of the current turbulence, but because of it.

No leader is flawless. But the journey is as important as the destination. Wise leaders strive to build organizations that can weather adversity and thrive. They are the role models who carry business and society forward.

We now drill down into the reality. What core competencies define the wise leader? How are external pressures impacting them?

The Ampersand November 2026

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 16:45:53 Z

Is the Client Always Right?

By Adam Pekarsky

Wise Leadership — AI won't hold your organization together. Wise leadership will.

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 22:44:20 Z

Technology, uncertainty and organizational pressure. They all test the same human capacity. Wise leadership is the factor that turns purpose into resilience, role modelling into culture, and transforms AI from a substitute for judgment, into a tool that supports it. “The pillars of wise and purposeful leadership make leaders resilient in uncertain and complex times,” says Sandra Schrögenauer, Managing Partner of Amrop Austria.

“When a company does well in business and in the other principles – societal and environmental – you find good leaders,” adds Juan Pablo Román, Managing Partner of Amrop Chile. “These firms are better prepared for tough decisions like downsizing and restructuring. With fairness, openness, and equality, difficult conversations are less harmful.”

Igor Šulik is the Managing Partner of Amrop Slovakia. “People are under significant stress - uncertainty about the future. Leaders must be honest, establish trust, and tell the truth even when it’s difficult. People value knowing what they face.”

“Purpose that resonates almost always contains stable elements, even when the world is unstable,” says Victor Reis, a Partner with Amrop Sweden (and psychologist). “For example: Are we contributing to making the world better for its inhabitants? There’s nothing wrong with shareholder value, but people feel more fundamentally connected and positively reinforced when they contribute to the environment or society.”

Wise Leadership — The North Star in a dark night.

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 20:17:56 Z

10 years after we planted the wise leadership flag, the world has changed beyond recognition. Is there still a case for wisdom in board and executive hiring and development? Or is it a pipe dream? Do leaders really have any power, or are they the hapless victims of their context? For Fredy Hausammann, Amrop Global Chair, wise leadership has never been more important. “It is a non‑negotiable for sustainable success, long‑term trust, and the acceptability of leadership in society.”

Wise Leadership — There is power in individuals. Even more, in numbers.

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 21:26:33 Z

What is the difference between a smart leader and a wise one? The answer lies in a willingness and ability to address and resolve dilemmas in a holistic way; driving long-term value creation for the planet, profit and people.

In reality, leadership is fiendishly difficult. Whether we’re an NED or a CXO, our decisions are affected by unconscious biases. By multiple pressures (and incentives) from our operating context.

Amrop’s research into wise decision-making revealed four key insights:

Leaders are on the path from smart to wise, but missing vital opportunities
The moral guiding light is in sight, but often lost in the clouds
Leaders are driven by service, virtue and entrepreneurship – but not to the point of self-sacrifice
Many leaders are habitually engaging in personal mindfulness practices – but feedback is often skipped.

Wise Leadership — What makes wise leaders different?

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 15:11:32 Z

“Meeting present needs, without compromising future generations.” Beyond ESG measures, this is the true definition of sustainability. Yet, 10 years after Amrop planted the wise leadership flag, the world has changed dramatically - transformed by populism, conflicts, trade wars and shifting ESG directives.

Meanwhile, leaders and their organizations face 24/7 scrutiny. And AI is re-defining what leadership means.

Is there still a case for wisdom? Or is it a pipe dream? Do leaders have any power, or are they the victims of their context? We argue that the case has never been stronger.

The Ampersand April 2024

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 22:31:00 Z

Virtue Signalling
by Adam Pekarsky

The Ampersand October 2026

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 17:07:14 Z

The Conversation Has Consequences

By Adam Pekarsky

The Ampersand September 2026

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 18:37:41 Z

My Fellow Humans...

By Adam Pekarsky

Bridging the Generation Gap — Part 3: Designing the Future

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:19:03 Z

Over 25 years, directive, autocratic leadership has been replaced by democracy. By dialogue and feedback. By showing authenticity and giving autonomy. This is hardly news. What has changed is the extent to which executives will need these qualities if they are to retain and grow their new gen successors.

Wise Leadership in a Wild World - Part 1: From Survival to Revival

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:19:03 Z

Meeting present needs, without compromising future generations. This is the true definition of sustainability. Yet, 10 years after we planted the wise leadership flag, the world has changed dramatically.

The global landscape has been transformed by renewed populism, conflicts, trade wars and shifting ESG directives. Meanwhile, leaders and their organizations face 24/7 scrutiny. And AI is re-defining what leadership even means.

News & Insights

Polytrauma and survival mode: sustainable leadership has never been harder - or more critical.

Wise Leadership in a Wild World - Part 2: Stability in the Crosswinds

The Ampersand November 2026

By Adam Pekarsky

Wise Leadership — AI won't hold your organization together. Wise leadership will.

Wise Leadership — The North Star in a dark night.

Wise Leadership — There is power in individuals. Even more, in numbers.

Wise Leadership — What makes wise leaders different?

The Ampersand April 2024

Virtue Signallingby Adam Pekarsky

The Ampersand October 2026

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The Ampersand September 2026

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Bridging the Generation Gap — Part 3: Designing the Future

Wise Leadership in a Wild World - Part 1: From Survival to Revival

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A Union Worth Celebrating

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