In this episode, I sit down with Manny Maceda, the first Asian and Filipino American Worldwide Managing Partner and CEO of Bain & Company, and now Chair of the firm. He was the first and only Asian American to lead a global services company. Manny’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and leadership across cultures. Born in Boston and raised in the Philippines under a dictatorship, Manny’s family fled to the U.S. after his father, then a senator, was forced into exile. What began as a visit to see his father turned into a lifelong journey in America that led him from Illinois Tech to MIT and, eventually, a 37-year career at Bain.
We talk about how his early experiences shaped his empathy and adaptability, his path from a young immigrant engineer to the first Asian leader of Bain, and how he’s helped transform the company into a $6 billion global firm while keeping its culture of mentorship, diversity, and purpose at the core. Manny shares lessons on leading through transformation, building inclusive teams, and why culture, not strategy, is the most sustainable competitive advantage.
We also discuss his remarkable encounters, from nearly derailing Jack Welch’s MIT speech (and ending up at lunch with him the next week) to navigating racial barriers in corporate America and staying grounded through mentorship and family.
It’s a powerful conversation about leadership, identity, and giving back, both to the next generation and to the countries that shaped us.
