CEO Profiles

Franck Riboud, Danone

Franck Riboud, Danone

For a former surfer and beach bum, Franck Riboud has done okay. More than okay. Danone's CEO has transformed a scattered, diverse portfolio into a lean dairy operator seemingly brimming with health. Now eyeing emerging markets with a gimlet eye, can Riboud do no wrong?
Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, Lego

Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, Lego

After 72 years as a family run business, Lego brought in outsider Jørgen Vig Knudstorp to bring it back from the brink. Jane Bordenave examines how the new boy saved a Danish treasure
Henri de Castries, AXA

Henri de Castries, AXA

A man of two worlds, Henri de Castries shows how it is possible to be rooted in old European tradition yet embrace the modern realities of economic globalisation

Bulgarian squeeze

How the EU are putting pressure on the Eastern European country.

Artistic investment

Investing in art can yield big dividends, we investigate the market for corporate acquisitions

Danone a good job

We profile Franck Riboud, CEO Danone

Open for business

How Ireland is timidly opening up to new investment strategies.

Multimedia       

Information
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Talking telepresence

We talk to Geir Olsen EMEA President of TANDBERG about improvements in telepresence technology.
CEO face

The advantages of telepresence

21st century technology: real time telepresence meetings
CEO face

Real-Time communication

Peter Quinlan explains the manifold benefits of benefits of telepresence

Latest Edition

In this issue...

In the latest edition of European CEO we explore the future of the eurozone, corporate identity theft, Germany's rise to power, and the art of executive matchmaking with the CEO of Kelleher International, Amber Kelleher-Andrews, along with a fresh set of CEO profiles delving into the minds of the key decision makers.
Latest Edition
The EU executive has released a proposal to combat internet piracy and counterfeiting and said it believed the draft framework would not curb civil li

EU Commission releases anti-counterfeiting plan

The EU executive has released a proposal to combat internet piracy and counterfeiting and said it believed the draft framework would not curb civil li...

Bailed-out UK banks to lend £94bn to business

Part-nationalised RBS and Lloyds must lend £94bn to businesses in the next 12 months as part of government plans to boost Britain's economic recovery,...

EU's Almunia says antitrust rules important in crisis

Joaquin Almunia, the EU's newly-appointed competition chief, has said the economic crisis was no excuse for loosening strict antitrust rules and reduc...

Hunger strikes

Our global perspective will be altered by chronic food shortages...
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    The 'A' player

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    Flying high

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    Operation fusion

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    Bulgarian squeeze

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Building your deal team

Assembling the right players is imperative to the smooth operation of a business, by Kenneth H. Marks

Getting drawn in

Julie Nord's drawings are striking in their beauty and strangeness. The combination of intricate draftsmanship and children's-storybook-bright watercolour painting first attracts the eye; it is only when one looks more closely that sinister elements begin to appear

Death of an airline

Even for those who are anaesthetised to the immense losses run up by various industries – banking, automotive and maritime in particular – in the course of the financial crisis, the red ink just spilt by two of the world's biggest airlines is alarming

Who wants to be a billionaire?

If you are planning to become a billionaire during your working career, is it more advantageous to start out in an already successful family business or to build your own from scratch, without any corporate baggage to hold you back? Should you get a university degree, or just get stuck in? What is the best subject to study?

Irish services expansion slows, confidence rises

The expansion of Ireland's services sector slowed in August but companies remained confident about future prospects and recorded rising orders from both home and abroad, a survey showed on Friday.

The NCB services Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 52.9 from 55.7 in July, when the sector saw the fastest rate of expansion since late 2007, but still staying above the 50 barrier separating growth from contraction.

Ireland officially exited the eurozone's deepest recession in the first quarter but doubts linger as it struggles to control the cost of bailing out banks and more fiscal tightening measures are on the way.

The strength of Irish exports has stood in contrast with weak domestic demand, with statistical data on Wednesday showing a fall in retail sales in July and rising jobless claims in August.

In the services sector, the rate of job cuts accelerated in August to its fastest in three months, the PMI survey showed.

"Despite this confidence continues to filter back into the sector, with the reading rising again in August," said Brian Devine, economist at NCB Stockbrokers.

The sub-index measuring business confidence rose to 68.6 from 68.4 in July. Companies also saw an increase in new business including, importantly, from domestic clients.

"Where higher activity was recorded, respondents mentioned higher new orders from both domestic and external markets," said Markit, which compiles the data.