Management Insights Reports
Blue Heron Management Insights feature hundreds of in-depth reports on the cultures and businesses of public and private companies.
Management Insights are available for one-off purchase or via a subscription to our on-demand library.
Think of these reports as unbiased primers on companies and managers you may want to then investigate further, either with additional interviews or an exhaustive public records search.
Recent Management Insights
Nintendo
After the passing of longtime president Satoru Iwata, Nintendo made moves that surprised investors including the appointment of Shuntaro Furukawa as president in 2018. We spoke with Nintendo formers to discuss the impact this decision had on the internal dynamics of the Kyoto-based company.
LPL Financial
Early into his tenure in the top job, CEO Rich Steinmeier announced a bold and ambitious vision to expand LPL Financial to lead across all of wealth management. We spoke to former LPL executives to discuss how realistic they think Steinmeier’s vision actually is, as well as his strengths, weaknesses, and track record.
Ubisoft
Ubisoft, the family-owned video game production company behind several popular titles, made headlines for the wrong reasons in 2020 following widely publicized reports of workplace harassment, which led to the resignation of prominent and long-serving creative executives. We interviewed former Ubisoft executives and employees to learn how much CEO Yves Guillemot knew about what was going on, and if there was more he could have done.
CyberArk Software
After a long and successful career at software company PTC, Matt Cohen joined information security specialist CyberArk as CRO in 2019 and took over as CEO in 2023. We spoke to his former colleagues at both PTC and CyberArk to understand how Cohen approached the role of CEO, and whether he has the necessary skills to lead the company through a new phase of growth beyond its core privileged access management business.
Ross Stores
After overseeing a period of strong growth at Boot Barn, James Conroy became the new CEO of Ross Stores. We interviewed former colleagues of his from Boot Barn to learn about his strengths, weaknesses, and track record in order to get their perspectives on his skill set and if it is a match for maintaining robust growth at a much larger organization.
McKesson
After over 20 years at pharmaceutical distributor McKesson, Brian Tyler took over as CEO in 2019 with a change agenda. Tyler's leadership was tested by McKesson's implication in America's opioid crisis and by the Covid pandemic. We spoke to former McKesson executives about Tyler's handling of these issues, his priorities as CEO, and key risks for the company.
Johnson Controls
Joakim Weidemanis, the new CEO at Johnson Controls, spent 13+ years gaining operational experience as a senior executive at Danaher. We spoke to sources from Danaher to learn more about his impact and key decisions there, leadership style, and whether he can successfully make the leap from a divisional leader to a CEO role.
Intel
Our discussions with former executives and customers explore the unique position Intel is in as the only US-headquartered semiconductor supplier of scale, as well as whether Intel will be able to deliver on its roadmap, given persistently poor product design and development methodology.
Snowflake
Speaking with former senior executives, we conducted interviews focused on CEO Frank Slootman and his senior management team’s leadership skills, strategic vision, and corporate culture.
Biogen
One of the most controversial names in biotech, Biogen has been on a roller coaster with its Alzheimer's drug approval and rejection. But its pipeline still has promise, and we spoke to former employees about new CEO Chris Viehbacher’s ability to handle the turnaround task.
Uber
Following a series of scandals in 2017, Uber appointed Dara Khosrowshahi as CEO. We spoke with former senior executives to discuss the role Khosrowshahi had in overhauling the culture and reputation of Uber, and whether Uber will become a profitable business under his leadership.
Starbucks
After successfully turning around Chipotle in the wake of major food safety incidents, “celebrity CEO” Brian Niccol took on the top job at Starbucks in late 2024. We spoke to former Chipotle executives to find out about Niccol’s strengths and weaknesses, his track record and playbook for turning around struggling brands, and whether this is likely to be effective at Starbucks.