Thomas Buberl faced what a lot of leaders fear: becoming CEO of a company that&rsquo;s already successful with a culture that&rsquo;s already flourishing. So what did he do? He reinvented and transformed the company to make it all even better. In our conversation with Thomas, CEO of global insurance giant AXA, we learn some of the secrets of his successes and how he makes gutsy decisions. One of Thomas&rsquo; big pivots? A bold realignment towards sustainability and rallying other big corporations to take action on the climate crisis. Reinvention and constantly learning are consistent themes in this podcast &ndash; it&rsquo;s how Thomas stays fresh, agile, and one of those leaders we can all learn from. &nbsp;
To hear more from leaders on transformation, you might also enjoy these other Redefiner episodes:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.russellreynolds.com/en/insights/podcasts/episode-10-from-corruption-to-transformation-rebirth-global-conglomerate">From Corruption to Transformation: The Rebirth of a Global Conglomerate with Joe Kaeser</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.russellreynolds.com/en/insights/podcasts/how-to-lead-iconic-brands-with-empathy-purpose-integrity">From Gillette to Jamba Juice: How to Lead Iconic Brands with Empathy, Purpose &amp; Integrity</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.russellreynolds.com/en/insights/podcasts/episode-7-leadership-reimagined">Leadership Reimagined: Transformation Tips from Jim Hagemann Snabe</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
 BIO:Thomas Buberl has been Chief Executive Officer and Director of AXA since September 1st, 2016.&nbsp; He started as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group for the banking &amp; insurance sector both in Germany and internationally.&nbsp; From 2005 to 2008, he worked for the&nbsp; Winterthur&nbsp; Group&nbsp; (acquired&nbsp; by&nbsp; AXA&nbsp; in&nbsp; 2006)&nbsp; as&nbsp; member&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; Management&nbsp; Board&nbsp; of&nbsp; Winterthur&nbsp; in&nbsp; Switzerland,&nbsp; first&nbsp; as&nbsp; Chief&nbsp; Operating&nbsp; Officer&nbsp; and&nbsp; then&nbsp; as&nbsp; Chief&nbsp; Marketing&nbsp; and&nbsp; Distribution&nbsp; Officer. He&nbsp; then&nbsp; joined&nbsp; Zurich&nbsp; Insurance&nbsp; Group&nbsp; as&nbsp; Chief&nbsp; Executive&nbsp; Officer for Switzerland.&nbsp;
At the beginning of 2012, Thomas Buberl joined AXA as Chief Executive Officer of AXA Germany and member of the AXA Executive Committee. In March 2015, he also joined the&nbsp; AXA&nbsp; Management&nbsp; Committee&nbsp; and&nbsp; was&nbsp; appointed&nbsp; Chief&nbsp; Executive&nbsp; Officer&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; Global&nbsp; Business&nbsp; Line&nbsp; for&nbsp; the&nbsp; Health&nbsp; Business,&nbsp; and,&nbsp; in&nbsp; January&nbsp; 2016,&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; Global&nbsp; Business Line for Life &amp; Savings. From March to September 2016, he was deputy CEO (&ldquo;Directeur g&eacute;n&eacute;ral adjoint&rdquo;) of AXA.&nbsp;
Thomas&nbsp; Buberl&nbsp; holds&nbsp; a&nbsp; Master&nbsp; of&nbsp; Economics&nbsp; degree&nbsp; from&nbsp; WHU&nbsp; Koblenz&nbsp; (Germany),&nbsp; a&nbsp; MBA&nbsp; from&nbsp; Lancaster&nbsp; University&nbsp; (UK)&nbsp; and&nbsp; a&nbsp; PhD&nbsp; in&nbsp; Economics&nbsp; from&nbsp; the&nbsp; University&nbsp; of&nbsp; St.Gallen&nbsp; (Switzerland).&nbsp; He&nbsp; has&nbsp; been&nbsp; distinguished&nbsp; as&nbsp; a&nbsp; Young&nbsp; Global&nbsp; Leader&nbsp; by&nbsp; the&nbsp; World Economic Forum.Thomas&nbsp; Buberl&nbsp; sits&nbsp; on&nbsp; the&nbsp; Board&nbsp; of&nbsp; Directors&nbsp; of&nbsp; IBM,&nbsp; the Supervisory&nbsp; Board&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; Bertelsmann&nbsp; Verwaltungs Gesellschaft&nbsp; (BVG),&nbsp; and&nbsp; the&nbsp; Board&nbsp; of&nbsp; Trustees&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; World&nbsp; Economic Forum. A German, Swiss and French citizen, Thomas Buberl was born in 1973.

Trust Your Gut: AXA’s Thomas Buberl Talks Transformation and Reinvention

Redefiners

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Call them changemakers. Call them rule breakers. We call them Redefiners. And in this provocative podcast, we explore how daring leaders from across industries and around the globe are redefining their organizations—and themselves—to create extraordinary impact in today’s rapidly changing world.In each episode, Russell Reynolds Associates Leadership Advisor Hoda Tahoun and former CEO Clarke Murphy host engaging, purposeful conversations with leaders in and out of the business world who share their insights and perspectives on how they lead, boldly. You’ll come away with fresh ideas and tangible takeaways on how you can redefine your own leadership trajectory – no matter where you are on your journey.&nbsp; &nbsp; Our Hosts:Clarke Murphy&nbsp; Clarke Murphy is the former Chief Executive Officer of Russell Reynolds Associates and serves on the Board of Directors. Prior to his appointment as CEO, he was the Global Leader of the firm's CEO/Board Services Practice.​ While at Russell Reynolds Associate​s, Clarke has conducted a number of significant projects in the industry, including Fortune 100 board searches and CEO successions. In addition, he has led notable searches in​​ the private equity industry including searches ​for the Carlyle Group and Warburg Pincus. Hoda TahounAs a leadership advisor and leader of the global Leisure &amp; Hospitality Practice at RRA, Hoda Tahoun identifies, assesses, and develops dynamic C-suite leaders for global hospitality, travel, and leisure companies. Based in Miami, Hoda helps clients solve their most pressing leadership issues at the CEO, C-suite, and other executive-levels. She also advises clients on customer-centric, go-to-market leadership roles such as chief marketing officers and chief experience officers. Hoda is committed to reshaping the hospitality and leisure landscape to ensure it is an industry that leads with purpose, value, and wellbeing and continues to attract and retain talent across all facets of diversity. Hoda spent more than seven years working for a boutique executive search firm, rising to the title of principal where she worked closely with hotel management companies, cruise lines and private equity firms. Previously, Hoda was an assistant vice president at SHUAA Capital in Dubai where she led the firm’s investment banking efforts. She has also worked at American Express, Bank of America and Citi.