The CEO Pulse: Troubled Waters

Join Leonardo Quattrucci and me for a bold discussion about the crossroads facing Europe, from institutional reforms to the AI revolution. Is Europe becoming the world of yesterday — a place full of history but unable to continue to grow and innovate?

#TheReset is back and I’m kicking off Season 2 with Antonios from EPIC. We unpack Europe’s competitiveness with zero filters.

In the final episode of Season 1 of The Reset, I sit down with Anthony Gooch Galvez, Secretary General of the European Roundtable for Industry (ERT) — the network representing Europe’s top CEOs.Since taking office last September, Anthony has been calling on EU leaders to act boldly on industrial policy and competitiveness. But in a global landscape marked by trade wars and rising geopolitical tensions, is Europe ready to respond? In this episode, we unpack: What’s the future of European industry in the current geopolitical climate? Do fragmented EU policies — from trade to digital — make a coherent industrial strategy impossible? Should business leaders play a more direct role in policymaking, grounded in economics and evidence, not just politics? This isn’t just about economics. It’s about Europe’s industrial future — and its role in the global order.

This episode features Paul Voss, Director General of European Aluminium, and a leading voice on how EU industrial policy is shaping - or stalling - Europe’s economic future.From net exporter to net importer, aluminium tells a wider story: of energy costs, missed opportunities, and the policy contradictions weighing down EU industry.Francesca and Paul dive into:-How the EU lost ground on aluminium production - and why it matters- Why the Survival of European Industry Hinges on Lower Energy Costs-The political hesitations around reshoring, trade defence, and supply chain autonomy-Whether Europe's leaders can move beyond symbolic announcements and embrace strategic decisionsWhy listen?Because aluminium is just one case study. The real subject is Europe's industrial future - and whether we can still fight for it before it’s too late.

This time, I’m joined by Marco Mensink, Director General of Cefic, one of the strongest voices for Europe’s industrial transformation. In this episode, Marco and I unpack:What’s changed since the Antwerp Declaration shook up the EU’s competitiveness agenda?With soaring energy costs, does the EU chemical industry still have a future in Europe?And can Europe act fast enough to stop the investment drain and revive its industrial base? This isn’t just about regulation — it’s about geopolitics, growth, and the future of Europe’s economic power.

Join me, Francesca Stevens, for the second episode of The Reset - a podcast on what it really takes to make European industry competitive again.This episode features Sigrid de Vries, Secretary General of ACEA , and a leading voice of the European automotive sector. In this episode of The Reset, Sigrid and I dive into: -Can Europe’s automotive industry regain its competitive edge?-What are the impacts of the combustion engine ban on Europe’s automotive value chain?-And can Europe really lead on EVs without the battery technologies and charging infrastructure?-This isn’t just about cars — it’s about jobs, trade, and Europe’s industrial power in a fast-changing world.