In this episode, we sit down with Todd Cassler, Chief Growth Officer of Cerity Partners, to explore the growing role of corporate venture capital (CVC) as a strategic tool for driving innovation and growth. With decades of experience in asset and wealth management as a chief strategy and growth officer, Todd is a trusted partner with a front-row seat to how Fortune 500 companies are using CVC not just to diversify financially, but to shape their strategic futures.

Things we cover in this episode:
- Why CVC programs often fail without CEO and board-level buy-in
- How to design a governance model that avoids being pulled back into “business as usual”
- The hidden benefits of CVC, from M&A pipeline generation to competitive intelligence
- What it takes to align siloed innovation efforts with core business objectives
- How to measure the strategic—not just financial—value of your venture investments

• Learn more about Outthinker's community of chief strategy officers - https://outthinkernetwork.com/
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In this episode, we’re joined by Sarah Beckman, Chief Strategy Officer of Ulteig.
Ulteig specialized in infrastructure solutions across power, renewables, transportation, and water. Sarah is an experienced structural engineer, shedesigning energy systems spanning the continental U.S., and also spent time in sales before moving into her current role leading corporate strategy. Her deep technical roots give her a unique perspective on solving complex problems and leading transformation in a traditionally slow-moving, high-stakes industry. Today, she’s focused on preparing Ulteig—and the entire sector—for an era defined by AI, electrification, and the race to build faster than ever before. Sarah brings a powerful systems-thinking lens to transformation in one of the most critical—and traditionally slow-moving—sectors: energy infrastructure.

Things we’ll cover in this conversation:

• How to drive innovation inside mission-critical industries where the cost of failure is high
• Why aligning strategy to purpose and stakeholder value is key to building urgency without panic
• How Sarah applied engineering skills to transform a sales strategy and sunset a commoditized offering
• What CSOs can do to prepare for industry-wide disruption—from AI demands to a nuclear energy renaissance
• The leadership behaviors and organizational systems that actually make strategy stick

Whether you're preparing to pivot, wrestling with internal resistance, or rethinking how to build a transformation-ready culture—this episode is packed with practical wisdom from the front lines.

• Learn more about Outthinker's community of chief strategy officers - https://outthinkernetwork.com/
• Follow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/outthinker-networks
• Learn more about Outthinker's community of chief strategy officers - https://outthinkernetwork.com/
• Follow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/outthinker-networks
• Learn more about Outthinker's community of chief strategy officers - https://outthinkernetwork.com/
• Follow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/outthinker-networks
• Learn more about Outthinker's community of chief strategy officers - https://outthinkernetwork.com/
• Follow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/outthinker-networks
• Learn more about Outthinker's community of chief strategy officers - https://outthinkernetwork.com/
• Follow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/outthinker-networks

• Learn more about Outthinker's community of chief strategy officers - https://outthinkernetwork.com/
• Follow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/outthinker-networks

Today, we are tackling a topic that holding back most organizations from adapting to our rapidly changing business environments, a topic rooted in a habit that is so engrained in most companies that we don’t even think about changing it: budgeting.

In this episode, we sit down with Eric Woodard, Head of Strategy at Primerica and former Bain consultant, to unpack the future of agile budgeting. Eric shares why the old model—locking budgets 12 months in advance—is no longer viable in a world shaped by digital disruption, economic volatility, and shifting priorities. He lays out a practical, compelling alternative: treat strategy as a living, breathing guide for capital allocation.

We explore:
- Why companies are being forced—not just encouraged—to rethink budgeting cycles
- The key difference between "run the business" and "change the business" spend
- How to structure dynamic, strategy-led funding pools
- What cycle times and KPIs work in an agile budgeting environment
- Why people—not systems—are the biggest barrier to change

Whether you're navigating growth, transformation, or efficiency, this episode will give you the tools to align your budget with your boldest strategic ambitions.

• Learn more about Outthinker's community of chief strategy officers - https://outthinkernetwork.com/
• Follow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/outthinker-networks
• Learn more about Outthinker's community of chief strategy officers - https://outthinkernetwork.com/
• Follow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/outthinker-networks
• Learn more about Outthinker's community of chief strategy officers - https://outthinkernetwork.com/
• Follow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/outthinker-networks
• Learn more about Outthinker's community of chief strategy officers - https://outthinkernetwork.com/
• Follow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/outthinker-networks

• Learn more about Outthinker's community of chief strategy officers - https://outthinkernetwork.com/
• Follow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/outthinker-networks