This Week's Top Five Leadership Stories

How Asha Sharma Plans to Lead as CEO of Microsoft Gaming

Microsoft Gaming has appointed Asha Sharma as its new CEO, with the executive delivering a striking opening statement that games "will not chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop".

Asha, who becomes Executive Vice President at Microsoft and will report to CEO Satya Nadella, has also pledged a "renewed commitment to Xbox, starting with the console which has shaped who we are".

The appointment follows Microsoft's latest report, which revealed a 9% year-over-year decline in total gaming revenue and a significant 32% drop in Xbox hardware sales.

Asha replaces the retiring Phil Spencer and will be joined at the helm of Microsoft Gaming by new Chief Content Officer, Matt Booty.

Sarah Bond, former President of Xbox, has opted to leave Microsoft to "begin a new chapter".

Why is Dassault Systèmes’ Bernard Charlès Stepping Down?

Dassault Systèmes, the global leader in 3D design and product lifecycle management has announced a restructuring of its top-tier leadership positions. 

Bernard Charlès, a widely regarded tech visionary who has spent over four decades steering the company’s rise from startup to industry leader, has stepped down as Executive Chairman and member of the Board for personal reasons, effective immediately. 

Current CEO Pascal Daloz will step into the role, becoming Chairman and CEO as of 21 February 2026. 

He will continue to shape and drive the company’s ambition to lead the global transformation of industries powered by industrial AI through its 3D UNIV+RSES initiative. 

Bernard will remain with the company in a strategic advisory role. He says: “I love and am deeply proud of Dassault Systèmes – its people, its teams, its customers, its purpose and values and what we build together. I am, at heart, a product and technology leader; this is my passion. 

“I will remain fully available to the company to accelerate the adoption of 3D UNIV+RSES. Over the past 40 years, I have driven six generations of industry transformations, leading cutting-edge product innovation. “Gen7” is now well defined and architected.”

Why Julie Sweet Sees 'a Future of More' With AI Growth

Many business leaders have expressed that they believe AI is going to completely reinvent the way people and organisations operate. 

Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, told the Financial Times that he thinks white collar roles will be automated in a year and a half, while Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, shared at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi that he thinks AI will soon be able to do a better job than CEOs of major companies. 

Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture, however, thinks AI will instead lead to significant growth. 

Speaking at the New Delhi AI impact summit, Julie said: “There are lots of headlines today that predict less. Less jobs, less opportunity, less human relevance. We are here because we see a future of more.”

How Chelsea FC & IFS are Pioneering AI in Sport

The evolving landscape of professional sport increasingly resembles that of large-scale industrial enterprises.

And while the primary focus often remains on match performance, the operational infrastructure supporting these events requires a management approach that is far more sophisticated.

Like that seen in a collaboration between Chelsea Football Club and IFS, which demonstrates a shift in how sports organisations use technology to maintain critical assets and optimise service delivery.

This partnership highlights the potential application of industrial AI in environments traditionally viewed as purely recreational but which function as complex business entities.

What is Standard Chartered’s CEO Succession Plan?

Standard Chartered has announced its full-year and fourth-quarter results for 2025, with income up 8% and an underlying return on tangible equity of 14.7%. 

This follows a dip in shares after the departure of Diego De Giorgi, former CFO of the bank. 

Diego was a favourite to replace current CEO Bill Winters, who has been under pressure to clarify Standard Chartered’s succession plan after his exit. 

Despite this, Bill suggested that he has no current plans to leave the bank when it shared the annual results, saying that he plans to deliver a strategy update in May 2026, “and I intend to see it through”.