Francois Pérol: The Fast Track

Some talents are screened out early on even before they start their careers. It usually begins by going to schools known for producing top executives.

This is the path Francois Pérol took. He went to the right schools which set him up for good government positions and eventually business executive positions. It’s not a guaranteed path; you have to compete and many talents go to the same schools but only a few get to go as high as Francois.

He graduated from the HEC School of Management and the Paris Institute of Political Science. Francois was also a student at the Ecole National d’Administration (ENA), the school for high-flying civil servants.  He started his career as an auditor in the General Inspectorate of Finance in 1990.

Over the years he would rise in the government bureaucracy. Francois was appointed Deputy Secretary General of the Interdepartmental Commission for Industrial Restructuring (CIRI) in 1994. He moved to the French Treasury Department in 1996 as the head of the Financial Markets Office.

As Francois rose in rank his exposures also increased in the international scene when he was the Secretary General of the Paris Club, responsible for international negotiations with debtor countries. This was from 1999 to 2001. Other significant positions Francois has held include being deputy Chief of Staff to Francis Mer, Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry in the French Government from 2001 to 2004.

Like many star civil servants Francois also became involved in the private sector when in 2005 he became a General Partner of the investment bank Rothschild & Cie. He went back to government when he was appointed deputy Secretary General at the Presidency of the French Republic, in charge of economic issues in May 2007.

Francois served as Chairman of the Management Board of Caisse National des Caisses d’Epargne (CNCE) and CEO of Banque Fédérales des Banques Populaires (BFBP) and on in August 2009 became Chairman of the Management Board of BPCE, the product of the merger between CNCE and BFBP.

Groupe BPCE is the second largest banking group in France with 117,000 employees meeting the needs of 36 million customers of which 8.6 million are cooperative share holders. A huge financial institution which is led be someone with deep experience and exceptional talent.

Sean O’Connor: Dealing With Risk

Sean O’Connor is the Chief Executive Officer of INTL FCStone. While many CEOs reach the top post after having worked for many years in the company, O’Connor took another path. He earned his spurs at other companies. With his credentials he joined INTL FCStone as CEO in October 2002.

Before becoming the CEO at the company O’Connor was already the CEO (from 1994 until 2002) of Standard New York Securities, a division of Standard Bank. O’Connor was also Executive Director of Standard Bank London, Ltd., from 1999 to 2002. This is a United Kingdom bank and a subsidiary of the Standard Bank of South Africa.

What is unique about INTL FCStone is the company’s market capitalization is below $400 million but it’s one of the largest companies in the US in terms of revenue. In fact other companies close to it in terms of revenue have market capitalization in the $50 billion range.

How the company he runs makes such huge revenues is because it deals with risks and volatility. Due to this O’Connor and his team can also get caught in a bad year. It’s all part of the territory though and O’Connor continues to make the necessary adjustments so that this large commodities brokerage company can get back to its winning ways.

Wang Yilin: Business And Politics

While business and politics are two distinct fields it is inevitable that the two engage with one another. Businessmen have to deal with politicians since they are the ones who shape the policies and laws that could be favorable or unfavorable to a businessman’s interest.

For China business and politics are very much intertwined. While the once communist country now allows private ownership, many enterprises are still run by the government and the individuals who run these companies like a private business must be members of the Communist Party of China (CPC).  You could say these individuals are highly talented since they must be astute businessmen who have to also play political roles.

One of these talented individuals is Wang Yilin. He is the Chairman of the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). Wang is also member of the 18^th CPC, Central Committee, Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

To be sure he didn’t reach these very high positions simply by great networking. Born in 1956, in Jiangsu Province, Ganyu County, Wang earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum and Geology and Exploration from the China University of Petroleum in 1982. He also obtained a Doctorate degree in Mineral Prospecting and Exploration from the China University of Petroleum in 2002.

Wang began his career in 1982.  Among the positions he has held include being the Deputy Director of the Petroleum Management Bureau, Xinjiang, Uygur Autonomous Region, Karamay City, Party Secretary of Xinjiang Petroleum Administration, Director and Party Secretary of Kamaray Municipal People’s Congress Standing Committee and First Party Secretary of Kamaray Military Sub-district.

After a number of promotions he became Vice President and Party Leadership Group Member of China National Petroleum Corporation in December 2003. Wang became Chairman and Party Leadership Group Secretary of CNOOC in April 2011.

CNOOC is China’s largest producer of offshore crude oil and natural gas. It is also one of the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in the world and is listed in both the Hong Kong and New York stock exchanges.

Wang leads a very important company in China’s business industry and his years of experience in both the business and political worlds are now paying off.

 

  

Yi Jun: Top Construction Head

We’ve heard about the large construction companies in the U.S. and their construction projects. What don’t know too well as the construction companies in China that have made inroads in the US and around the world. Just like any large company they are headed by top-notch managers like Yi Jun.

Renovation of the Alexander Hamilton Bridge in New York City, New York; ventilation shafts for the 7 Subway Extension also in New York City; Haier companies building, South Carolina. Nope these weren’t projects done by a U.S. construction company. These projects were undertaken and completed by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC). This is a Chinese construction firm that is reputedly the third largest in the world and the 20^th largest general contractor in terms of overseas sales.
To be sure the company had done projects closer at home such as the missile test center of the Shenzhou Space Center; the Airport Passenger Terminal in Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok; and many more projects.

The person who is leading the company is Yi Jun who sits as Chairman. To be sure he wouldn’t have been appointed to head such a large company without the necessary background and experience. He certainly does having a bachelor and master degree in the field of engineering. He joined CSCEC in 1982. Before being promoted to the top post among the positions he has held was as project manager of CSCEC Beijing Lufthansa, director and general manager of China State Construction Contracting Company, chairman of the Board and president of China State Construction International Company Limited and other positions.

Yi Jun is one of a handful of capable leaders who head large construction companies outside of the US.

Dr. Frank Appel: Neurobiologist Executive

With a highly scientific background Dr. Frank Appel took a career path that would eventually lead him to heading one of the largest companies in the world.

You wouldn’t be faulted to think that Dr. Frank Appel, PhD. is the head of a biotech company or an academic institution. Born in 1961, he earned a Master’s of Science in Chemistry from the University of Munich in Germany in 1989. On top of that he obtained a PhD. in Neurobiology from ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) in Zurich, Switzerland in 1993.

Dr. Appel did not follow the academic career path. He joined consultancy firm McKinsey & Co in Germany and became a consultant and project manager in 1993.  By 1999 he started serving as partner of member of German Business Management of the consultancy firm.

In 2000 Dr. Appel served as Managing Director for Corporate Development at Deutsche Post AG. He became a member of the Management Board of Deutsche Post AG in 2002. Among the positions Dr. Appel has held include as Head of Global Business Services and Head of Corporate Services as well as Head of Financial Services.  In 2008 he finally got the top post as CEO of Deutsche Post AG.

The company that Dr. Appel heads is unique in a sense that it is now known as Deutsche Post DHL. This is by virtue of the fact that Deutsche Post which has essentially been the postal service of Germany fully acquired international package and parcel company DHL in December 2002.  Duetsche Post AG itself when public in November 2000.

Deutsche Post DHL is a huge corporation. It employs around 475,000 people all over the world and is considered one of the top 10 largest employers worldwide. The company operates in over 220 countries and territories. Deutsche Post manages a staggering 1 million customer contacts per hour.  The company made revenues of over 55 billion euros in 2012.

Since us humans live with our brains his neurobiology background does come in handy in leading such a gigantic company.

Norio Sasaki: Managing Toshiba

Norio Sasaki graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering in March 1972 from Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. Since June 2009 he has been the president and CEO of Toshiba.

Sasaki has had a challenging job. While Japan has been noted for its consumer-electronics products, foreign companies notably from South Korea have made tremendous gains. Toshiba and other Japanese companies with consumer-electronics business have lost market share. The strong yen has not helped their situation.

For Sasaki that has not been his only concern. The March 2011 earthquake and tsunami has raised questions in Japan about nuclear safety. Two of the nuclear reactors crippled in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant were supplied by Toshiba. The firm owns Westinghouse Electric Co. based in the U.S. which is one of the world’s major nuclear-plant suppliers.

Sasaki has worked at Toshiba for around 40 years. After assuming leadership he has pushed for more focus on the conglomerate’s public infrastructure businesses to reduce reliance on its strong memory chips business. Sasaki has been credited with turning the company around following a record loss of $3.7 billion in the year ended March 2009.

After having served for almost four years there are now talks of replacing him and he will end up becoming vice chairman. The company’s last three presidents also all served around four years. Whether he stays or moves on Sasaki has already left a significant mark in the company’s history.

Carlton Hobbs: Passionate About Antiques

When high-end antiques entrepreneur Carlton Hobbs finds a new treasure, he gets arguably as excited as the eventual owner, who may pay hundreds of thousands of dollars or more than a million for the piece. One of his finds was even featured in Popular Mechanics magazine. The Russian strongbox, dating back to about 1815, which probably was produced in a factory in Tula, features a complex lock system that fires two loaded pistols when the lid is lifted 20 degrees. Carlton Hobbs, world renowned, began his career in London, moving his firm to New York City in 2002.

Hobbs and his partner, Stefanie Rinza, purchased the former mansion of Virginia Graham Fair Vanderbilt on East 93^rd Street and renovated it to its former circa 1930 glory. Clients, visiting by appointment only, view stunning museum-quality pieces in 11 rooms, mostly British and American furniture from the 17^th through 19^th centuries. A table exhibition featured table tops decorated with lapis lazuli, mosaic, jasper, volcanic rock, and other materials, with the tables listed as high as $1.6 million. A gallery show called Inspired by Antiquity: Classical Influences on 18^th and 19^th Century Furniture and Decorative Objects included the most comprehensive Thomas Hope collection on the market since 1917.

Carlton Hobbs and his partner also host other events at their establishment, such as an evening to benefit the Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation and a book launch party for Carolyne Roehm, who wrote A Passion for Interiors. Beyond hosting clients and various events, the passionate antiques dealer exhibits at top antiques fairs globally and researches in depth before bidding on any items whenever possible. His research library at Carlton Hobbs LLC includes 2,500 books and thousands of journal articles. Occasionally, he purchases on instinct, based on his expertise in design elements and condition.