Rolls-Royce CEO Tufan Erginbilgiç on Turning Around a ‘Burning Platform’
Leaders with Francine Lacqua
Bloomberg
4.6 • 64 Ratings
🗓️ 25 May 2026
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Rolls-Royce’s turnaround made Tufan Erginbilgiç one of the most closely watched CEOs in Europe. In this episode of Leaders, he tells Francine Lacqua how he used data, discipline and direct communication to change the trajectory of the company — and what other leaders can learn about strategy, culture and long-term growth.
Watch the interview:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0PAxeoWOBGj6M7GXhXQmdn6
Check out more Leaders interviews:
http://bloomberg.com/leaderswithlacqua
Read more on management and work:
https://www.bloomberg.com/management-work
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hey, everyone. I'm Dylan Dreyer, co-host of the third hour of today and mom to three wild boys. |
| 0:06.0 | I've learned a lot in my years as a parent, mostly that I don't have it all figured out yet. |
| 0:10.7 | And I'm not the only one. This is my new podcast, the parent chat. Each week I sit down with someone new for honest conversation and real world advice about parenting. |
| 0:20.3 | I am over here just like winging it hey i'm |
| 0:22.7 | just trying not to screw my own kids up i'm not giving you advice on how much screw yours up search the parent chat on |
| 0:27.0 | youtube and wherever you get your podcasts bloomberg audio studios podcasts podcasts radio news i am demanding. If you are working with me, there's this trust element. I'm going to be very fair, very transparent. You won't be wondering what too fun is thinking about me because I will tell you. And you won't like everything I tell you because I want you to improve. |
| 1:00.0 | I'm Francie Lacqua and this is Leaders, the podcast that explores what drives the world's most influential people. |
| 1:08.0 | This week I'm speaking to Tufan Ergen Bilgich, the chief executive of Rolls-Royce, the aerospace and defense company. |
| 1:15.4 | Historically, a jewel of British industry, when Ergen Bilgich took over in 2023, it was on shaky ground. |
| 1:22.6 | It had underperformed for over a decade and been battered by the COVID pandemic with shares down almost |
| 1:28.8 | 70% during his predecessor's time. Since taking over, Ergen Bilgich has set in motion a dramatic |
| 1:36.1 | restructuring defined by thousands of job cuts, contractory negotiations, and widespread culture |
| 1:42.4 | change. For the company, all of that pain has paid off. |
| 1:47.7 | His tenure was described by McKinsey as a case study in the art of corporate transformation. |
| 1:54.0 | I wanted to know what gave him the confidence to institute such radical change, |
| 1:59.0 | how he actually did it, and whether he sees himself as a standard |
| 2:02.8 | bearer for British industry. |
| 2:12.2 | Tufan, thank you so much for joining us. |
| 2:14.2 | Great to be here. |
| 2:15.4 | Now, you took over Rolls-Royce in January of 2023, and quickly |
| 2:19.0 | you made waves with a speech, right, where you talk about a burning platform that every |
| 2:24.3 | investment we make, we destroy value. Why did you decide to be so tough? I'm not sure I was tough, |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 18 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Bloomberg, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Bloomberg and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.