Chang Zhenming: Chinese Financial Executive

Chang Zhenming was born in Beijing, China in 1956. He worked at the Dining Hall of the School Affairs Department at Tsinghua University from 1971 to 1977. In 1979 Chang studied Japanese Literature at the Beijing International Studies University, finishing in 1983.

With his knowledge of Japan he received on the job training from 1984 to 1985 at Daiwa Securities in Japan.  Chang started his career at China International Trust and Investment Corporation (CITIC) in 1985. His first position was as deputy manager of the Treasury Division and held various positions such as deputy manager at CITIC Industrial Bank, in charge of foreign exchange and bond businesses.

Chang moved to New York in 1989 as the deputy representative at the CITIC Office. He held this position until 1992. During his time in New York he earned an MBA from the College of Insurance.

In October 1992 Chang was appointed vice president of CITIC Industrial Bank. He became in charge of fund raising through issuing of bonds in the international market, foreign exchange and securities.  Chang became assistant vice president, executive director and vice-president of CITIC from January 1994 to March 2002. He was in charge of establishing the securities, insurance and trust branches of CITIC and non-banking financial business.

He made a major career move in 2004, leaving CITIC to accept the position of vice chairman and president of China Construction Bank.  Two years later though in 2006 he was back at CITIC this time as vice chairman and president of CITIC Group.

CITIC Pacific a subsidiary of CITIC Group made unauthorized bets in the foreign current market in October 2008 and lost $1.9 billion causing senior officials of the subsidiary to resign. In April 2009 Chang was commissioned to replace the chairman and managing director of CITIC Pacific.

Back in 2000 Chang was put in charge to turn around CITIC Ka Wah Bank which was already on the verge of bankruptcy. By 2002 the bank was back on its feet.
  

Enrico Tommaso Cucchiani: Italian Business Executive

Enrico Tommaso Cucchiani studied Economics and Business Administration at Bocconi University in Milan from 1970 to 1975. He then completed research work on multinational corporations at Harvard Business School in 1975. Enrico holds an MBA and Fulbright Fellow from Stanford Graduate School of Business from 1975 to 1977.

He started his career in 1977 serving at Continental Illinois National Bank and Trust in Chicago, Illinois. Enrico then moved to McKinsey & Co. Milan/New York from 1979 to 1985.  He was then General Manager of fashion house Gucci from 1985 to 1992. 

Other positions include being CEO of Llyod Andriatico, SpA, a subsidiary of Alliance SE, Head of Insurance Europe of Alliance SE (formerly Allianz AG). He has served as Member of the Management Board of Alliance SE from October 2006 to December 21, 2011 and Head of Insurance Europe (& South America) from January 2010 to December 21, 2011.

Enrico has been Managing Director and Member of the Management Board at Intesa Sanpaolo SpA since December 22, 2011, and served as its CEO. Intesa Sanpaolo is the second-largest bank in Italy. Enrico has been trying to institute reforms in the bank but had several clashes with major shareholders.  He finally resigned in September 2013 after a 21 month tenure.

A business executive of vast and varied experience Enrico has had a sterling career but also knows when to exist when he can’t do things his way.

Dr. Severin Schwan: Roche CEO

Dr. Severin Schwan was born in Austria, in 1967.  He studied economics at the universities of Innsbruck, York and Oxford earning a degree in 1991. He obtained a Doctorate in Law at the University of Innsbruck in 1993.

 Dr. Schwan has been a Roche company man all his life. He began his career as a trainee at Corporate Finance at Roche in Base, Switzerland.  Dr. Schwan earned a promotion in 1995 when he became Head of Finance & Administration at Roche Brussels.

He continued his rise through the ranks becoming Head of Finance and Informatics at Roche Grenzach, Germany and Member of the Executive Board of Roche Deutschland Holding GmbH in 1998. Dr. Schwan continued his fast rise in the organization becoming Head of Global Finance & Services, Roche Diagnostics, Basel in 2000.  

In 2004 Dr. Schwan became had Head of Region Asia Pacific, Roche Diagnostics, Singapore. In 2006 he was promoted to Chief Executive Officer Division Roche Diagnostics. Dr. Schwan finally got the prized job of Chief Executive Officer, Roche Group in 2008.

While company employees can work their whole life and not be promoted to the top position, Dr. Schwan reached the top post in around 15 years.  The company he leads it by no means a small one. Roche is one of the largest firms in the world.

Roche is a researched-focused healthcare company which discovers, develops and provides diagnostic and therapeutic products and services. The pharmaceutical company was founded on October 1, 1896. The founder Fritz Hoffman-La Roche, was among the first to recognize that the industrial manufacture of standardized medicines would be a major advancement in the fight against disease.  The firm today, has more than 80,000 employees and its products are sold in over 150 countries.

Roche is among the world’s leading healthcare companies with two strong core businesses: diagnostics and pharmaceuticals. In 2012 group sales was at 45.5 billion Swiss francs coming from oncology sales, and clinical laboratory businesses.

Dr. Schwan continues to lead the company through more milestones.

Koichi Miyata: SMFG Head

Koichi Miyata joined Sumitomo Mitsui Bank in 1976 after graduating from university. In 2003 Koichi was appointed as a director of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC). He was then appointed in 2006 as a managing director of SMBC. In 2009, he became a senior managing director. 

Koichi in 2010 was appointed as a Director of SMFG (Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group). This is the umbrella organization of which SMBC is under. In this position he was the Deputy Head of the Treasury Unit of SMFG as well.  In April 2011 Koichi was appointed President of SMFG. He was now the head of a very large financial group in Japan and the whole world as well. 

One advantage presented itself when Koichi became president. The financial world was still recovering from the financial meltdown in 2008. Japanese banks which had more prudent outlook were largely insulated from the worst part of the crisis. 

His Group bought carefully chosen assets from struggling European lenders. They are looking at acquisitions abroad and pushing strongly in China. As a result Group net profit in the April-December (2012) period increased by 34 percent from a year earlier.

As expected of a competent leader, Koichi has taken advantage of opportunities that came about.

Robert A. Niblock: Lowe’s CEO

Robert A. Niblock earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Before joining Lowe’s he had a nine year stint with accounting firm Ernst & Young. Robert came on board at Lowes in 1993. He has held a number of key positions such as director of taxation, vice president and treasurer, senior vice president, and executive vice president and chief financial officer. 

Robert was promoted to president in 2003 and held the position till 2006.  He was elected as chairman and CEO of Lowe’s Companies in January 2005. Robert reassumed the title of president in 2011.

He holds a number of positions outside of Lowe’s as well. Robert was elected to the board of directors of ConocoPhillips in 2010 and serves on its audit and finance committee. He is a member and currently serves as secretary of the board of directors of the Retail Industry Leaders Association. Previously he served as the organizations chairman in 2008 and 2009 and vice chairman in 2006 and 2007. Robert is also on the board of directors of BEST NC (Business for Education Success and Transformation in North Carolina).

Robert is in charge of a very large publicly traded corporation. Based on Forbes Magazine ranking Lowe’s is one of the largest corporations in the world. The firm was founded in 1946 and has grown from a small hardware store to the second-largest home improvement retailer worldwide. 

Today Lowe’s runs more than 1,825 stores in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. It serves around 15 million customers each week and employs more than 245,000 people. Its stores stock 12 product categories ranging from appliances to tool, to paint, lumber and nursery products. Lowe’s has 40,000 products in stock, 500,000 items available online at Lowes.com and over 500,000 more products available by Special Order. 

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has been publicly held since 1961. Its shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Sales for fiscal year 2012 stood at$50.5 billion and net earnings of $2.0 billion.

Robert leads one of the biggest companies in the world, a job many business executive wished they had.

Ian Merchant: Top British Energy Executive

Ian Merchant was born on February 9, 1961 in Croydon. He went to the independent Trinity School of John Whitgift. Later he earned a BA in Economics at the University of Durham.

From 1983 to 1992, Ian was an accountant for PricewaterhouseCoopers. In 1992 he joined Southern Electric, which later became Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) in 1998. Rising through the ranks Ian at the age of 41 became the CEO of SSE in 2002. The firm has around 9.5 million electricity and gas consumers.

Ian held this position until June 30, 2013 when he officially resigned. His £1 million bonus did get in the news considering the fact that he was already resigning. He actually waived some future bonuses that were supposed to be awarded to him. Towards the end of his 10 year leadership role there had been complaints about higher energy charges and doorstep mis-selling.

Yet the experience he has in the industry means he is still in high demand. He was recently appointed a non-director of aerial “drone” firm Cyberhaw Innovations.

Mohammed H. Al-Mady: SABIC CEO

In a push to diversity from just producing plain crude oil, Saudi Arabia created SABIC to also take advantage of crude’s by-products. A fresh graduate student from the University of Wyoming joined SABIC at its inception and would later play a big role in its growth and development.

Mohammed H. Al-Mady obtained his B.S degree at the University of Colorado at Boulders in 1973. Studying further he earned an M.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Wyoming 1975.

He joined Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) at its inception in 1976. Al-Mady has held various key positions within the company and climbed through the corporate ladder.  He was finally appointed Vice Chairman and CEO of SABIC in July 1998.  Having been in command of the company for over a decade Al-Mady has contributed significantly to the company’s continued growth.

For his stewardship of SABIC and other activities Al-Mady has received many awards such as an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree by the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2012; Company of the Year (Chemicals) by the People’s Choice Stevie Award in 2011; and elected by Colorado Engineering & Applied Science College among the gifted students with global scientific and industrial contributions in 2010.

SABIC was created by royal decree in September 1976. It began the move into using the by-products of oil extraction to produce value-added commodities like chemicals, polymers, and fertilizers which were targeted for export.

As a consequence, in the late 1970s and early 1980s the fishing village of Al-Jubail transformed into a modern industrial city with the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu building the infrastructure, and SABIC constructing the factories.  In 1985 the company’s total production was 6.3 million tons (mmt). It reached 69 mmt by the end of 2012.

In 2011 profit was at $7.8 billion with total assets standing at $88.74 billion.

While always looking towards the future Al-Mady can look back at the significant role he has played in SABIC’s growth and development.

Dr. Marjin Dekkers: Bayer Chairman

Scientists with interest in the field of business can become top executive of large companies too. Take the case of Dr. Marjin Dekkers.  He was born on September 22, 1957 in the Dutch city of Tilburg. Dr. Dekkers earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry from the Radboud University of Nijmegen (Netherlands) and his PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Eindhoven (Netherlands).

From the Netherlands Dr. Dekkers crossed the Atlantic and began his professional career as a scientist at the corporate research center of General Electric in the U.S. He gained valuable experience working in various units of the company.

In 1995 he joined AlliedSignal (later Honeywell International Inc.) Dr. Dekkers then became the chief operating officer of Thermo Electron Science Inc. in 2000. He later became the president and CEO of the company which is the leading manufacturer of laboratory instruments in the world (following the acquisition of laboratory supplier Fisher Scientific the company was renamed Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.)

Dr. Dekkers joined Bayer as interim CEO of Bayer Healthcare on January 1, 2010. Since October 2010 he has served as chairman of Bayer’s management group.

Bayer is a global company which had sales of €39.7 billion in fiscal year 2012 and employing around 110,000 people.

Francisco Rodriguez: BBVA Chief

Francisco Rodriguez was born on October 19, 1944 in Chantada, Lugu, Spain. He graduated from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in 1970 with a degree in Economics and Business Sciences. 

Francisco’s first job was as a computer programmer at an IT company in 1964.  His interest then shifted to finance and he left the computer industry to become a stockbroker in 1983. Francisco ranked first among the candidates who took the stockbroker exam in 1980.

In four years time he earned enough money to start his own brokerage firm, FG Inversiones Burtsátiles. It was the first and largest independent brokerage firm in the country. Francisco sold this company to Merrill Lynch in 1996 for $30 million greatly increasing his wealth.

His brokerage business also allowed him to establish connections with people in the political arena. In 1996 a new government was elected in Spain. In the process Francisco was appointed as chairman of the Argentaria banking group. The government chose Gonzalez to complete the privatization of Argentaria which was formed in 1991 in a merger with government-controlled banks in Spain. The government still owned 25 percent of the group which had 16,000 workers.

Francisco instituted far-reaching reforms in the banking group. It included merging three main units, refinancing its expensive assets, reducing costs, as well as taking the painful action of cutting jobs.

A major event happened in the Spanish banking industry when two of the largest banks, Banco Santander and Banco Central Hispano merged.  This convinced Francisco to merge with Banco Bilbao Vizcaya (BBV) in 1999 as not to be left behind.

Francisco became the cochairman of the newly formed BBVA sharing responsibilities with Emilio Ybarra who was the CEO of BBV.  A serious crisis occurred in 2000 when it was found out that BBV had been involved in illegal activities such as money laundering, slush funds, and bribery. The illegal activities involved BBV before the merger. Francisco took actions to correct the wrongdoings; it also led to the resignation of the cochairman and other employees.  There were 27 person indicted in connection with the scandal.

This left Francisco in sole command of BBVA. Since then he has pushed for the expansion of the bank’s operation overseas. With his computer programming background he has also championed the use of technology to improve banking efficiency and profit.

James Gallogly: Lyondellbasell CEO

James Gallogly earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado in 1974. He went on and obtained a law degree in 1977 from the University of Oklahoma.  This looked like an individual who would go into law practice as a profession. Yet James took a different direction.

He joined the oil industry, Phillips in particular in 1980 and held a number of positions in exploration and production, legal and finance in the early portion of his career; this included international assignments as well. He rose through the ranks eventually becoming senior vice president of chemicals and plastic, vice president of olefins and polyolefins as well as vice president for North America production.

In 2000, James joined Chevron Phillips Chemicals as president and chief executive officer. In 2006, he became executive vice president of Refining, Marketing & Transportation for Conoco Phillips. James was then appointed executive vice president of Exploration & Production in 2008 for Conoco Phillips.

He then joined another company becoming the chief executive officer of LyondellBasell Industries in 2009. He became a member of the management board in 2010.

LyondellBasell is one of the largest plastics, chemical and refining companies in the world. It is involved in the entire petrochemical value chain, from refining to specialized petrochemical products and end uses. The firm manufactures products in 58 sites in 18 countries and has annual revenues of $45 billion.

James while a lawyer by training joined the oil industry and never looked back.

George L. Mikan: ESL Investment President

George L. Mikan earned a B.A. from the University of St. Thomas in 1994 and is a native of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Only in his early 40s George has already held a number of high executive positions. There are only a handful of business executives who have held the kinds of positions and responsibilities that George has.

At the age of 41 he was the interim Chief Executive Officer of Best Buy from April 2012 to September 2012. George had been a board of director of Best Buy since April 2008 to December 2012. In January 2013 he 42 became the President of hedge fund ESL Investment Inc.

He has served in a number of executive positions over a 14-year period at UnitedHealth Group. George was the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President from November 8, 2006 to January 2011. He was the Senior Vice President from February 2006 to November 2006. George was also the Chief Financial Officer at UnitedHealth Group’s United Healthcare division and the President at UnitedHealth Networks, Inc. from June 2004 to February 2006.

He was the Chief Executive Officer at Health Services Platform at UnitedHealth Group Inc. since January 2011.  George was the Chief Financial Officer of Specialized Care Services division from 2001 to 2004.  He has also served as an Executive in the UnitedHealth corporate development group. George joined UnitedHealth Group in 1998 after a four year stint at Arthur Andersen.

ESL Investments, Inc. is an employee owned hedge fund sponsor. The company mainly offers its services to pooled investment vehicles. ESL launches and manages hedge funds for its clients. The company invests in public equity and fixed income markets. It invests in convertible securities, derivatives, swaps and options as well. ESL Investments was founded in 1988 by Edward Scott Lampert.

From healthcare to retail chain to hedge funds, George’s work experience has covered different industries. His capability to work at the highest level shows his value as an outstanding management talent.

Xavier Huillard: Keeping His Principles

Xavier Huillard was born in June 1954. He came from a family of builders and continued the tradition of previous generations. Xavier went to the top schools in France graduating from the École Polytechnique and the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussée.

He started his career as a civil servant beginning at a local public works and planning department then later transferred to the Ministry for Infrastructure’s international business department.  Xavier eventually joined Sogea in December 1996 as Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of international activities and specific projects. He was appointed Chairman and CEO in 1998.

Xavier then joined VINCI in March 1998 and was Chairman of VINCI Construction from 2000 to 2002. He was promoted Co-Chief Operating Officer of VINCI and Chairman and CEO of VINCI Energies from 2002 to 2004, the Chairman of VINCI Energies from 2004 to 2005.Xavier was promoted to a number of  positions until he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of VINCI in May 2010.

In what you usually don’t hear of in the corporate world Xavier openly criticized his predecessor and then VINCI Chairman Antoine Zacharias for personal luxurious excesses which led to the previous chairman’s resignation. It showed Xavier’s sticking to his principles even though he had worked closely with Zacharias for over a decade.

VINCI, a French company, is a global force in concessions and construction having close to 193,000 employees working in 100 countries.

Gilles Benoist: Outstanding French Executive

A good business executive can come out of any country. France has its share of outstanding executives. One of them is Gilles Benoist.

Gilles was born on December 12, 1946. He has a law degree and is a graduate of the Institut d’Etudes Politques de Paris and the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA).

After graduating from ENA he followed the path taken by many successful business executives; cut their teeth in the government sector then join the private sector. Gilles would take on key jobs during his stint with the government. From 1974 to 1981, he was the Director of the Cabinet for the Prefect of Oise, Secretary General of Ariége and Director of Cabinet of the General Director of Local Communities at the Ministry of the Interior. Gilles interest turned more in the direction of economics and finance after 1981.

He was appointed Head of Cabinet of the Ministry of Economics and Finance and the Referendum Advisor to the Court of Accounts in 1983. Gilles was Secretary General of Local Credit of France in 1987 and Advisor to the General Director Deputy of Cash Deposits before becoming its Director of Central Services.

From 1993 to July 1998, Gilles was General Secretary, a member of the Executive Committee and Director of Human Resources for the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations. This company has a subsidiary CNP Assurance S.A. which was formed in 1959 and continues to own around 40 percent of CNP.

Gilles was Chairman of the Management Board of CNP Assurances from 1998 and CEO and Director from July 2007 to June 2012. Under his leadership CNP increased revenue by 80 percent. He began the international expansion of the insurance company in 1999 by entering Portugal.

CNP had premium income of €3.2 billion in 2010. It has 24 million policy holders. CNP does business in three main segments of the personal insurance market - life insurance, pensions and personal risks.

After doing an outstanding job at CNP Gilles is currently Corporate Director of Suez Environnement Company and is on the board of other companies as well.

 

Donald A. Guloien: Manulife Chief

Donald A. Guloien graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. Donald joined Manulife Financial, one of the largest insurance and financial services companies in the world, in 1981 as a research analyst. His talent enabled him to quickly move through a number of strategic and marketing positions in both the Canadian and U.S. Divisions.

Donald became Vice President, US Individual Business in 1990. He was responsible for the operations of Manulife’s individual insurance and annuity business in the United States. From 1994 to 2001, he headed the company’s Business Development unit. Donald led a number of key acquisitions, divestures and strategic initiatives, including: the merger of Manulife with North American Life Assurance Company; sale o f Manulife’s U.K. business; Manulife’s conversion from a mutual life insurance company to a publicly traded stock company; and its entry into Japan.

Donald rose further through the ranks and became the Chief Investment Officer from 2001 to 2009. He became the CEO in 2009 under very tough economic and business conditions. Donald took the controversial actions of going to the market for $2.5 billion in common equity in November, 2009 and slashed the dividend in half in August, 2009.

A true leader, Donald took the painful but necessary actions to keep Manulife healthy and continue to experience solid returns.

Shoji Muneoka: Mr. Steel

Shoji Muneoka is not Superman; it’s just that he has been in the steel making business for his entire career. Shoji was born on May 3, 1946 and went to school at Tokyo University. He graduated in March 1970 and the following month joined Nippon Steel.  

Interestingly, Nippon Steel was formed by the merger of two huge companies, Yawata Iron & Steel and Fuji Iron & Steel in 1970. Shoji rose through the ranks. Among the capacities he has served in include Director of Secretary, Managing Director and Vice President. He became the President of Nippon Steel in April 2008.

Heading a huge Japanese steel company has been very challenging. While known for advance technology and innovation it has experienced what companies in the U.S. has experienced; its cost of production was becoming too expensive against other steel producing countries like South Korea and China. 

From 1970 to 2008 Nippon Steel has ranked one of the top three steel companies in the world. Things became difficult when demand fell and competition from other countries started to heat up. By 2009 South Korean POSCO and Chinese mills surpassed the Nippon Steel and pushed its rank down to number six in the world.

Nippon Steel began to diversify engaging in such projects as the processing of waste food into ethanol. Nippon Steel also started to establish itself into the business of semiconductors, software and electronics. It has even ventured into theme parks with one called Space World. The steel company also has subsidiaries like Nippon Steel Engineering, Nippon Steel Materials and Nippon Steel Chemicals.

A major event occurred in October 1, 2012 when Nippon Steel and rival Sumitomo Metal Industries formally merged to produce the second largest steelmaker in the world. When the dust settled Shoji Muneoka emerged as Chairman and CEO of the combined entity known as Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp.

Shoji in an address stated that the combined company would take four major initiatives which are to globalize the steel business; utilize advance technologies; improve cost competitiveness: and reinforce non-steel business segments.

Having been in the steel business all his career, Shoji looks to be the right man to get these huge undertakings started and accomplished.

Dr. Rüdiger Grube: Transportation Expertise

Dr. Rüdiger Grube was born in Hamburg, Germany in August 2, 1951. His training and schooling has been very much focused in the world of transportation. Grube finished his commercial and technical training in metal aircraft construction and then earned a degree in automotive engineering and aircraft construction from the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg. He taught at the University of Hamburg and later gained his doctorate in the areas of industrial science and polytechnology at the Universities of Hamburg and Kasselin 1986.  Grube then joined a company that would later become Daimler-Benz Aerospace.

Grube went on to become the Chairman and CEO of Duetsche Bahn AG and DB Mobility Logistics AG in May 2009. He was elected to these positions after having served in a number of executive, supervisory and administrative board positions with Daimler, EADS, MTU Friedrichshafen, Hyundai Motor Company and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation.

Deutsche Bahn Group provides global mobility and logistical services operating in more than 130 countries all over the world. It has around 300,000 employees with over half in Germany. The firm is involved in rail, road, ocean and air traffic networks.  DB Group registered revenues of around €39.3 billion in 2012.

Given his expertise in transportation and by extension logistics, Grube has been able to lead GB Group with a steady and experienced hand.

Martin Senn: Zurich Insurance Group CEO

Martin Senn was born in 1957 and is a Swiss citizen. He earned a Commercial and Banking diploma from the Business School in Basel, Switzerland. Martin completed an International Executive Program at INSEAD in Fontainebleau and also finished an Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

 A good portion of his career had been spent in the banking industry. Martin worked for the former Swiss Bank Corporation from 1976 to 1994. Among the key positions he had held in the company included treasurer in Hong Kong and regional treasurer for Asia and the Pacific region in Singapore. Martin later headed the firm’s Tokyo office.

He then joined another banking organization, Credit Suisse in 1994. His executive roles in the company included being treasurer for the Head Office and Europe and chairman of Credit Suisse Group, Japan. A major promotion came in 2001 when Martin became a member of the Credit Suisse Banking executive board and was made head of its Trading and Investment Services Division.

From banking, Martin joined the insurance industry when he joined Swiss Life Group. From 2003 to 2006 he served as a member of the corporate executive board and as chief investment officer. This change in industry led to greener pastures when Martin joined Zurich Insurance Group as Chief Investment Officer and also serving on the Group Executive Committee. His good performance eventually landed him the top job. Martin became the CEO of Zurich Insurance Group in January 1, 2010.

Popularly known as Zurich, this insurance company is the largest insurer in Switzerland and is one of the largest companies in the world. Its scope of operation is global doing business in 170 countries and territories and employing around 60,000 people. The firm is composed of three business divisions namely, General Insurance, Global Life and Farmers.  Revenue for 2012 hit $70.414 billion.

With hands on executive experience in both the banking and insurance industries, it’s no surprise that the board of Zurich chose Martin to head this insurance giant which is over 140 years old.

 

Scott Davis: UPS Top Honcho

The path to the top post can take different paths. Some individuals work for only one company and work their way to the top. Others are hired from other companies. For Scott Davis the company he worked for was bought by another larger firm which he eventually headed.

Scott was born in 1952 in Medford, Oregon. He is a certified public accountant having earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Portland State University. Scott graduated in 1974 and then worked for the accounting firm Arthur Andersen.

He worked for Oregon aviation technology company II Morrow where he served as chief financial officer and then CEO. United Parcel Service (UPS) acquired the company in 1986 which was also the formal entry of Scott into UPS.

A good leader always comes through and for Scott the acquisition only made him an invaluable asset to UPS. He held a number of top positions in UPS and joined the Management Committee in 2001. He finally became the head of one of the largest publicly-traded logistics companies in the world in 2008.

As chairman and CEO Scott has taken UPS to new heights and has over saw the rapid growth in international operations and supply chain and freight.

Kevin Craffey: Carpentry and General Contractor Skills and an Entrepreneurial Spirit

In 1988, only a few years after earning his journeyman certification in carpentry, Kevin Craffey founded his first company, K&J Interiors, Inc. The Plymouth, Massachusetts, carpentry subcontracting firm has earned a reputation as one of the state’s finest, growing over the years to include as many as 350 union workers, a fitting outcome, as Kevin Craffey’s father and grandfather both served as presidents of carpentry unions. K&J Interiors’ early success led to several other companies where the founder has taken the helm as owner and president. One company, Mountain View Development, based in Whitefield, New Hampshire, he owned and operated for six years before selling it profitably to Great American Corporation.

Two years after founding K&J Interiors, the talented carpenter went into development with KJ Realty Trust Corporation/Court Street Trust Corporation, which develops residential and commercial projects in Plymouth, Avon, and Hanover, Massachusetts. Since 1995, the journeyman carpenter and entrepreneur has led Craffey & Co Builders Inc. of Plymouth as owner, president, and chief financial officer. At the general contracting business, which has completed major retail projects in nearly every state, the company’s namesake directs all aspects of business operations.

A third generation Bostonian, Kevin Craffey has followed his entrepreneurial spirit while honing his carpentry and general contracting skills. His companies have completed residential, retail, commercial, and institutional projects in such areas as drywall, framing, and finish carpentry as well as general construction, with clients including shopping malls, big-box stores, historic buildings, and a resort hotel. He completed his education and training at Massasoit Community College in Brockton, Massachusetts; The Associated General Contractors in Boston; and Massachusetts Carpenters Training Center. Outside of his professional pursuits, the Massachusetts entrepreneur enjoys participating in outdoor activities, including biking, golfing, boating and swimming.

Daniel Hajj Aboumrad: Outstanding Telco CEO

We’ve heard about Jack Welch of GE and so many other outstanding CEOs. Due to a popular global media most of the good CEOs we have heard about come from the U.S. or Europe. Yet there are equally impressive CEOs out there who come from other parts of the world. One of the standouts is Daniel Hajj Aboumrad from Mexico. He’s name me not ring a bell to many but he’s company has scores of clients and yes it has to do with ringing, the ringing of a mobile phone.

Daniel was born in 1966 and has an MBA from the Universidad Anáhuac. He worked in top positions in the Carso Group from 1987 to 1998. In 1997 he became the CEO of Telcel and became the CEO of América Móvil in 2000.

América Móvil is the fourth largest mobile network operator in term of equity subscribers in the world. It is also one of the largest companies in the world and has headquarters in Mexico City. Telcel is a subsidiary of América Móvil and is the largest mobile operator in Mexico.
Daniel masterminded the firm’s license acquisitions and helped expand into South America creating today the world’s fourth largest mobile operator. He has focused underserved countries in Latin America with low penetration rates and high potential and made heavy investments to provide reliable services.

Competitions in some Latin American countries were bought out. Daniel also looked to lower income customers as his main target. He offered subsidized handsets and bought small startups where the company had no presence. Over 170 million new subscribers were brought in.

The financial market certainly approve of his and the company’s performance. In 2012 América Móvil sold $ 2 billion bonds in 10- and 30-year maturities. The bonds were given provisional ratings of A2 from Moody’s Investors Service, A-minus from Standard & Poor, and A from Fitch Ratings. This reflected some of the highest ratings on a pure corporate bond in Latin America.

América Móvil also has subsidiaries in the U.S. and Europe. The company with revenues of $59.3 billion in 2012 continues to grow and leading the charge is Daniel Hajj Aboumrad.

Grant O’Brien: Deep Woolworths Knowledge

Grant O’Brien is the current CEO of Woolworths the Australian supermarket giant.  He was appointed Managing Director and CEO effective October 1, 2011. While some companies hire outside talent for the top job Grant is an inside company man having a career with Woolworths that spans more than 25 years.

He started as an accountant in Purity Supermarkets in Tasmania, a division of Woolworths Limited. Other positions he has held included Marketing and Merchandising Manager of Purity, Director New Business Development, Chief Operating Officer Australian Food and Petrol, and Deputy Chief Executive Officer and CEO Designate.

Most companies would like to have their CEOs with deep knowledge and experience with regards to the company. Possessing this kind of information means the CEO cam make very informed decisions. Grant has this kind of knowledge because even when he wasn’t hired as an account in Tasmania he had already worked in the company before as a night filler stacking shelves at the Purity supermarkets, while studying accountancy in 1986.

Grant is one individual who really started from the bottom and worked his way to the top gaining knowledge and deep insight about Woolworths along the way.