In 2011, the American fast food brand Taco Bell faced an accusation that sent sales plummeting. According to a lawsuit that quickly went viral, the beef served at more than 5,600 Taco Bell restaurants in the U.S. wasn’t beef at all. The accusers deemed it was a mystery-meat recipe that the company was being deceptive about. At the center of it all was the company’s new CEO: 53-year-old Greg Creed, an Australian marketer who had made a name for himself at other fast-casual food brands such as Pizza Hut and KFC.

In our conversation with Greg, he discusses how his decision to publicly fight the accusation was not just good business, but a battle to prove his own integrity. He offers his take on when to fight and when to fold, why today’s executives should be bolder, and how to win the right way.

After a 31-year stint at Accenture, Omar Abbosh eventually found himself at the helm of the educational courseware and services provider, Pearson. But his journey upward wasn’t as simple as stepping on the next rung. He shares how he found his footing with strength from his family—despite the life-changing personal challenges and rigorous professional hardships that threatened to impede his goals.

From World 50, this is The Moment—where we explore the pivotal moments that changed the lives and careers of the world’s leading CEOs and defined their leadership journeys.

Now a director on the boards of Apple, IBM, and JPMorgan Chase, former Johnson & Johnson Chairman and CEO Alex Gorsky spent three decades at the pharmaceutical company—though he took a pivotal detour in the middle. He shares how a serendipitous encounter with his former CEO in an unlikely place opened the door for his return to J&J and how asking, “What can I learn?” drives his most important decisions.

From World 50, this is The Moment—where we explore the pivotal moments that changed the lives and careers of the world’s leading CEOs and defined their leadership journeys.