In his nearly four years as chief executive officer and chief operating officer of Italian telecommunications operator Wind, Maximo Ibarra has pushed the company to become one of the leaders in the Italian mobile market, particularly in the consumer segment. Despite starting his tenure during an economic downturn in Italy and amid rapidly increasing competition in the industry, Ibarra focused on providing innovative products to serve hyperconnected customers, developing Wind Factory, an initiative within the company that builds cross-functional teams to bring new ideas to life. In this interview with McKinsey’s Rik Kirkland, Ibarra explains how he has worked to redesign strategic functions throughout the company to keep up with the pace of technology. An extended and edited transcript of Ibarra’s remarks follows.

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