Søren Kristian Toubro (27 February 1906 – 4 March 1982) was a Danish engineer who co-founded Larsen & Toubro, an India-based conglomerate.
Early days in India
Seeing opportunity in ship repair during wartime, Larsen and Toubro formed a new company called Hilda Ltd. Around this time, L&T also started two repair and fabrication shops. The internment of German engineers who were supposed to build a soda ash plant for the Tatas provided L&T another new opportunity.
In 1944, Larsen and Toubro established Engineering Construction & Contracts (ECC). L&T started collaborating with international companies around this time. In 1945, L&T signed an agreement with the Caterpillar Tractor Company of USA for marketing earthmoving equipment. L&T also started representing British manufacturers of equipment used to manufacture a variety of products including biscuits, glass, hydrogenated oils and soaps.
At the end of World War II, the war-surplus Caterpillar equipment was available in bulk at low prices. However, L&T lacked the money to purchase them. Therefore, Larsen and Toubro decided to raise additional equity capital, and as a result, Larsen & Toubro Private Limited was established on 7 February 1946. After India gained independence in 1947, L&T set up offices in Calcutta, Madras and New Delhi. In 1948, L&T acquired 55 acres (22 ha) of undeveloped land in the Powai suburb of Mumbai.
Larsen and Toubro gradually transformed L&T into a large business house with diverse interests. A 2006 article in The Hindu described Toubro as follows:
A workaholic, he expected the same of others. A hard taskmaster with a schoolmasterly attitude to training he may have been, but the young he mentored still remember the lessons he taught: that no effort was too great to ensure customer satisfaction, that there must be attention to detail in the quest for perfection, and that there must be pride in whatever was being done.
Soren K Toubro served as the director of L&T from 1946 to 1981, and retired from active management in 1962–63. He continued to serve on the L&T and ECC board of directors till 1981.
He owns Delton AG, an umbrella corporation that manages all his holdings. Among them is a 17 percent stake in BMW. He also used to be connected with Gemphus International, a digital security company. He also served on the boards of Dresdner Bank AG and Gerling Konzern Allgemeine Versicherungs AG.
Stefano Pessina (born 1941) is an Italian-born Monegasque billionaire businessman and the Executive Vice Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and the single largest shareholder of Walgreens Boots Alliance.
Biography:
Early life:
Pessina was born in Pescara and grew up between Milan, Como and Naples.
He graduated from the Polytechnic University of Milan in nuclear engineering.
Career:
In 1977, he took over his family's pharmaceutical wholesaler in Naples and turned it into Alliance Santé, a Franco-Italian pharmaceutical wholesale group. In 1997, it merged with Alliance UniChem, and he joined its Board of Directors. From 2001 to 2004, he served as its Chief Executive. He served as Executive Deputy Chairman, and later as Executive Chairman.
Stefano served as Executive Chairman of Alliance Boots from 2007 – 2014 and sat on the Board of Directors of Walgreens until Aug 2014. He now serves on the Board of Directors at Walgreens Boots Alliance. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Consumer Goods Forum.
Personal life:
He is separated from his wife Barbara, and they have two children. He has been the partner of Ornella Barra for over 30 years. As of February 2015, he is worth US$11.4 billion, owning around 15% of Walgreens Boots Alliance.
He has lived in Monte Carlo, Monaco, for many years. His son, a banker, works at Walgreens Boots Alliance.
UK Labour Party "catastrophe":
In a 31 January 2015 interview for The Sunday Telegraph, Pessina commented on the prospect of Britain's Labour Party winning the UK general election in May 2015, "If they acted as they speak, it would be a catastrophe ... The problem is would they act that way or not? One thing is to threaten and to shout but it is completely different to be in charge and to manage the country day-to-day." He described Labour’s business policies as "not helpful for business, not helpful for the country and in the end it probably won’t be helpful for them". The Sunday Telegraph noted that Pessina "declined to elaborate on which specific policies he disliked".
On Sunday 1 February, Labour's shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna, responded in The Independent, "The British people and British businesses will draw their own conclusions when those who don’t live here, don’t pay tax in this country and lead firms that reportedly avoid making a fair contribution in what they pay purport to know what is in Britain’s best interest." On 2 February, in a live Q&A session with Sky News, the Labour Party leader Ed Miliband said, "The chairman of Boots lives in Monaco and doesn't pay British taxes ... I don't think people should take kindly to being told how to vote by someone who avoids paying his taxes."
On 2 February, Walgreens Boots Alliance stated, "The comments made by Stefano Pessina were a small part of a much larger conversation and have been taken out of context ... Stefano Pessina was expressing his personal views only and is not campaigning against Ed Miliband or the Labour Party." On 6 February, Allister Heath, deputy editor of The Telegraph, described the "attacks" by Labour and Liberal Democrat politicians on Pessina, "one of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs", as being "as nonsensical as they were indefensible".
Stephen Allen Schwarzman (born February 14, 1947) is an American business magnate and financier. He is the chairman and CEO of the Blackstone Group, a global private equity and financial advisory firm he established in 1985 with former US Secretary of Commerce Pete Peterson. His personal fortune is estimated at $12.9 billion, according to Forbes. As of 2015, Forbes ranked Schwarzman at 100th on its World's Billionaires List.
Early life and education:
Schwarzman was raised in a Jewish family in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, the son of Arline and Joseph Schwarzman. His father owned Schwarzman's, a former dry-goods store in Philadelphia.
Schwarzman attended the Abington School District in suburban Philadelphia and graduated from Abington Senior High School in 1965. He attended Yale University during the same period as George W. Bush, one year behind him (both were in the Skull and Bones society) and graduated in 1969. He then went on to Harvard Business School and graduated in 1972.
Career:
Schwarzman's first job in financial services was with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, a now defunct investment bank. After business school, Schwarzman started working at the investment bank Lehman Brothers, where he reached the rank of managing director at age 31. He eventually became the head of Lehman Brothers' global mergers and acquisitions team. In 1985, Schwarzman and his boss Peter Peterson started Blackstone, which originally focused on mergers and acquisitions.
When Blackstone went public in June 2007, it revealed in a securities filing that Schwarzman had earned about $398.3 million in fiscal 2006. He ultimately received $684 million selling part of his Blackstone stake in the IPO, keeping a stake then worth $9.1 billion.
In 2007, Schwarzman was listed among Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World.
Schwarzman has served as an adjunct professor at the Yale School of Management and was chairman of the board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts from 2004 to 2010.
In June 2007, Schwarzman described his view on financial markets with the statement: "I want war, not a series of skirmishes... I always think about what will kill off the other bidder."
In August 2010, Schwarzman compared the Obama administration's plan to raise carried interest taxes to Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1939, a comment for which Schwarzman later apologized.
Among Blackstone's largest investments were SeaWorld Parks, in 2009. SeaWorld Parks were the focus of the 2013 film Blackfish, a documentary on Killer Whale attacks at these parks and the ethics of keeping them captive. When asked about the film, Schwarzman said on record that SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau should be blamed for her own death, claiming that the veteran animal trainer broke multiple safety rules before she was pulled into a tank and killed by a six-ton orca in February 2010. Blackstone said in a written statement that Schwarzman "misspoke" in response to the question about Blackfish. The firm said its chief executive had not anticipated a question about the film and had not been briefed on the subject. The firm said Schwarzman does not plan to go back on CNBC to correct the record on air. SeaWorld, for its part, said unequivocally that Brancheau bore no blame. "Dawn was one of the world's most skilled and experienced marine mammal trainers. Her dedication to safety was among the many reasons she was so respected by her colleagues at SeaWorld and within the worldwide animal training community," the company said in a written statement. "We have never said and do not believe that she was at fault for the events of February 24, 2010."
In 2014, Schwarzman was named as one of Bloomberg's 50 Most Influential people of the year.
Philanthropy:
In 2004, Schwarzman donated a new football stadium to Abington Senior High School—the Stephen A. Schwarzman Stadium.
On March 11, 2008 Schwarzman announced that he contributed $100 million toward the expansion of the New York Public Library, for which he serves as a trustee. The central reference building on 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue was renamed The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.
On May 11, 2015 Peter Salovey, the President of Yale University, announced that Schwarzman contributed $150 million to fund a campus center in the university's historic "Commons" dining facility.
Stephen K. Gunn is Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and co-Founder of Sleep Country Canada Inc, which he co-founded with Christine Magee and Gordon Lownds. As of June 2013, the company has 201 stores across Canada and 43 stores in the US (Sleep America).
Early life:
Gunn grew up in Montreal and Kingston. He completed an honours BSc in Electrical Engineering from Queen's University and an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business (1981).
Career:
After university he joined McKinsey & Company as a Management Consultant (1981–1987). In 1987, he co-founded and was the President of Kenrick Capital, a private equity business. In October 1994, he co-founded Sleep Country Canada with Christine Magee and Gordon Lownds. He is currently on the board of directors for Dollarama, Cara Operations and Golf Town.
Personal life:
Gunn is married with a daughter and 3 sons. He enjoys golf, sailing and skiing.
Awards:
1998- Financial Post named him and Christine Magee the Ontario Entrepreneur of the Year, Retail/Wholesale
2003- Inducted into the Canadian Retail Hall of Fame, Retail Council of Canada
2004- Inducted into the Canadian Marketing Hall of Legends
2006- Recipient of CIRAS Henry Singer Award for exceptional leadership in the retailing and services sectors
He is the CEO of Microsoft. He is responsible for the development of the groundbreaking .NET framework platform of the company. This software platform can run on computers, servers, the Internet and even in non-PC devices.
Stephen B. "Steve" Burke (born August 14, 1958) is an American businessman. He serves as the executive vice president of Comcast, and as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of NBCUniversal.
Early life:
Steve Burke is an Irish Catholic. His father, Daniel B. Burke was a former president of Capital Cities Communications, former owner of the ABC network. He graduated from Colgate University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Business:
Burke joined The Walt Disney Company in January 1986, where he helped to develop and found The Disney Stores. In 1992, he moved to Euro Disney S.A., where, as President and CEO, he helped to lead a comprehensive restructuring effort. He later served as President of ABC Broadcasting.
In 1998, he joined Comcast as President of Comcast Cable. Since then, Comcast has become the largest cable company, largest residential internet service provider, third largest phone company in America and launched a wireless business. He led Comcast to leadership in multi-platform video entertainment distribution, including the Company's industry changing video on demand platform and online video offerings. He has been praised for leading the highly successful integration of AT&T Broadband with Comcast.
He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of NBCUniversal. He oversees the company's valuable portfolio of news, sports, and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and theme parks. Burke assumed this role in January 2011, upon the closing of Comcast and General Electric’s joint venture merging the assets of NBCUniversal with Comcast's programming assets. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer of Comcast Corporation, where he was a driving force in its growth from a cable industry leader to one of the nation’s leading providers of entertainment, information and communication products and services.
He serves on the Boards of Directors of Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Stephen James Easterbrook (born August 1967) is a British corporate executive.On 1 March 2015, after being chief brand officer of McDonald's and its former head in the UK and northern Europe, he became the CEO of the company, succeeding Don Thompson, who stepped down on 28 January 2015.
Early life:
Stephen James Easterbrook was born in August 1967. He grew up in Watfordand was educated there at Watford Grammar School for Boys.He studied natural sciences at St Chad's College, Durham University, where he played cricket with fellow student, Nasser Hussain, the former England cricket captain.
Career:
After university, he trained as an accountant with Price Waterhouse.Easterbrook first worked for McDonald’s in 1993 as a manager in London. In 2011 he left to become CEO of PizzaExpress and then CEO of Wagamama, two British casual dining chains, before returning to McDonald’s in 2013.
Personal life:
He is married with three children, who visit McDonald's 113 times a month.He lives in Illinois and is a Watford FC football fan.
He was the founder and chief designer of Apple, Inc. He is responsible for the popularity of the current wave of modern products that we enjoy today, like the iPad, iPhone and iPod.
Stephen J. "Steve" Luczo (born February 28, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois) is the Chairman of the board of directors and CEO of Seagate. In January 2009, Luczo, Seagate's chairman, was appointed president and chief executive officer, returning him to the role he held at Seagate from 1998 to 2004. Since Luczo's return in 2009, Seagate’s stock has appreciated by 1600%, placing it among the top 5 performing stocks in the S&P 500.
Luczo is a member of the board of directors of the World Wildlife Fund, a member of the Advisory Board for All-Stars Helping Kids and is active in a variety of charitable and for-profit ventures through a wholly owned entity, Balance Vector, Inc. His charity initiatives are primarily focused on global environmental issues and programs to help at-risk children in the urban centers of the United States and the rural areas of Sicily, and he is a major donor to Stanford University and Hospital, the World Wildlife Fund, and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. In 2015, to recognize his support for education in service to the Italian Republic, Italy's President Sergio Mattarella honored Luczo with the title Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia (a knighthood known in English as the "Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity").
He has served on the boards of directors of Microsoft Corporation (including serving on the CEO Search Committee and as Chairman of the Compensation Committee), Veritas Software and VMWare. Luczo also served on the Advisory Boards of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
In 2016 Institutional Investor (magazine) ranked Luczo among the world's top 3 CEOs of IT Hardware & Electronics Manufacturing Services companies, based on the votes of sell-side analysts; in 2015 the magazine ranked him a top 3 CEO in the same category, based on buy-side analysts' votes, and in 2014 he was ranked a top 5 CEO by sell-side analysts in the same category. In 2015, Harvard Business Review ranked Luczo number 6 among "The Best-Performing CEOs in the World." In 2014, CNN Money named Luczo among the 5 top performing CEOs in America,
and Harvard Business Review ranked Luczo number 34 among the top 100 "Best-Performing CEOs in the World." In 2013 Bloomberg ranked Luczo No. 1 among its Top 20 list of technology leaders. In August, 2013, Luczo was awarded the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN), the Order of the Defender of State — Knight Commander Mylaysia, which carries the title of Dato, for his contributions to the state of Penang. In 2012, Luczo was ranked 21st on Fortune Magazine's Top 50 Businesspersons of the Year.
Stephen J. "Steve" Luczo (born February 28, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois) is the Chairman of the board of directors and CEO of Seagate. In January 2009, Luczo, Seagate's chairman, was appointed president and chief executive officer, returning him to the role he held at Seagate from 1998 to 2004. Since Luczo's return in 2009, Seagate’s stock has appreciated by 1600%, placing it among the top 5 performing stocks in the S&P 500.
Luczo is a member of the board of directors of the World Wildlife Fund, a member of the Advisory Board for All-Stars Helping Kids and is active in a variety of charitable and for-profit ventures through a wholly owned entity, Balance Vector, Inc. His charity initiatives are primarily focused on global environmental issues and programs to help at-risk children in the urban centers of the United States and the rural areas of Sicily, and he is a major donor to Stanford University and Hospital, the World Wildlife Fund, and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. In 2015, to recognize his support for education in service to the Italian Republic, Italy's President Sergio Mattarella honored Luczo with the title Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia (a knighthood known in English as the "Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity").
He has served on the boards of directors of Microsoft Corporation (including serving on the CEO Search Committee and as Chairman of the Compensation Committee), Veritas Software and VMWare. Luczo also served on the Advisory Boards of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
In 2016 Institutional Investor (magazine) ranked Luczo among the world's top 3 CEOs of IT Hardware & Electronics Manufacturing Services companies, based on the votes of sell-side analysts; in 2015 the magazine ranked him a top 3 CEO in the same category, based on buy-side analysts' votes, and in 2014 he was ranked a top 5 CEO by sell-side analysts in the same category. In 2015, Harvard Business Review ranked Luczo number 6 among "The Best-Performing CEOs in the World." In 2014, CNN Money named Luczo among the 5 top performing CEOs in America, and Harvard Business Review ranked Luczo number 34 among the top 100 "Best-Performing CEOs in the World." In 2013 Bloomberg ranked Luczo No. 1 among its Top 20 list of technology leaders. In August, 2013, Luczo was awarded the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN), the Order of the Defender of State — Knight Commander Mylaysia, which carries the title of Dato, for his contributions to the state of Penang. In 2012, Luczo was ranked 21st on Fortune Magazine's Top 50 Businesspersons of the Year.
Early career:
After graduating from Stanford in 1979, Steve was hired as a staff accountant in the audit practice of Touche Ross &Co., one of the original "Big Eight" accounting firms. Luczo was the first non- accounting major hired by the firm to work in the audit group. During his first year, he was assigned to assist the City and County of San Francisco in transitioning to a new, then state of the art, mini computing system. During the transition, the City lost control over its cash and payables system, and Luczo was assigned to a 3-member special team appointed by Mayor Dianne Feinstein, to resolve the system issue, which had resulted in a $200 million discrepancy between the cash system and the payable system. The issue was resolved within 5 days and as a result, Luczo was offered the opportunity to lead system deployment at any of 5 major City Departments.
Luczo left Touch Ross in 1980 to pursue the system development and deployment at the Port of San Francisco, which was transitioning from a Sperry Univac 1005 to a Microdata Minicomputer. He was responsible for managing all systems and application architecture and development for the Port, reporting to the chief financial officer. In late 1981 he was promoted to Acting chief financial officer of the Port, and resigned in August 1982 to attend the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
After graduating from the Stanford GSB in 1984, Steve joined Salomon Brothers, Inc. He attended the 1984 Salomon Brothers training program (the year before Michael Lewis did as described in Liar's Poker and was hired into the Municipal Finance Department, and was based in San Francisco. Salomon Brothers was the leading underwriter of Municipal Bonds nationally as was the Firms West Coast office, under the leadership of Terry Atkinson. Luczo financed a wide variety of municipal projects including those for the Irvine Ranch Water District, the LA Department of Water and Power ("LADWOP"), the Metropolitan Water District of LA, the Orange County ("John Wayne") Airport, the University of Arizona, the Central Arizona Water Project, the Sisters of Providence Health Care System, and the Santa Clara Water District. Luczo was involved with over 50 financings, which provided billions of dollars of funding for important infrastructure, educational and health care projects.
Stephen Luczo was the Senior managing director of the Global Technology Group of Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., an investment banking firm, from February 1992 to October 1993. Prior to joining Bear, Stearns & Co., he was an investment banker at Salomon Brothers, Inc. from 1984–1992. While at Salomon Brothers, Luczo led the investment banking team for Seagate when it acquired the Imprimis Disk Drive Unit from Control Data in 1989. Subsequent to his advisory work for Seagate, Luczo advised Control Data in the formation of Ceridian and Control Data Systems