CEO Shortlist: Fixing the health equity gap could be worth $1 trillion

Two weeks ago, thousands of leaders converged on the tiny Swiss town to kick around some big ideas. We were there to share our latest research, developed in partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF), and to find out what’s on CEOs’ minds. In this edition of the CEO Shortlist, Liz Hilton Segel and I look closely at four of the most critical issues for leaders at Davos—and for the year ahead. We hope you enjoy the read.

What’s new

The numbers are stark: over the course of their lifetimes, women are expected to spend 25 percent more time in poor health than men are. Closing this gap is primarily an issue of health equity and inclusivity. But better health equity would also have a positive economic outcome—potentially to the tune of $1 trillion annually by 2040.

For more on how better health is correlated with economic prosperity, read Closing the women’s health gap: A $1 trillion opportunity to improve lives and economies, the new McKinsey Health Institute report, by Kweilin Ellingrud , Lucy Perez , Anouk Petersen , and Valentina Sartori .

What’s now

End of an era? The world is becoming more competitive and confrontational, as wars rage, supply chains unravel, and new rivalries emerge in business and politics. Despite these ominous developments, there are hints that global cooperation is not just continuing but even expanding.

Get your read on the global climate with The Global Cooperation Barometer 2024, the new WEF report written in collaboration with McKinsey, by Oliver Bevan, Daniel Pacthod , Olivia White , and their coauthors.

What’s next

A blueprint for a better world. The Resilience Consortium—which WEF launched in 2022 in partnership with McKinsey—has laid out the framework for a new kind of resilience muscle, one that both public and private sector leaders can use to make sure their organizations are ready for a tumultuous future. In a new report, we profile nine organizations that are turning the framework into action.

Get real with Building a resilient tomorrow: Concrete actions for global leaders, by Bob Sternfels , David Francés Barrera , Maria del Mar Martinez , Daniel Pacthod, Thomas Poppensieker , and their coauthors.

What’s needed

It’s time to raise the bar on poverty. There was some celebration last week in Davos about the significant progress made toward eradicating extreme poverty. But leaders were also thinking critically about the work left to be done. The McKinsey Global Institute proposes centering the concept of empowerment—rather than poverty—to help ensure the focus stays on quality of life.

For more on what empowerment means—for people and the planet—check out From poverty to empowerment: Raising the bar for sustainable and inclusive growth, by Anu Madgavkar , Sven Smit , Mekala Krishnan , Kevin Russell , Rebecca J. Anderson , Lola Woetzel, Kweilin Ellingrud , and Tracy Francis .

We hope you find these ideas inspiring and helpful. See you next time with four more McKinsey ideas for the CEO and others in the C-suite.

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