Jean-Paul Agon, Chairman of L'Oréal

Belgian industrialist Thomas Leysen tells us about his upbringing and early interest in business, media and environmental issues. As the chairman of businesses in a range of different sectors, we also hear about the strategic decisions that informed Union Miniere’s transformation into Umicore, the expansion of Mediahuis into a significant player in the European news media sector and his experience overseeing the board of the Dutch multinational Royal DSM. He also shares his views on the Europ...

12 Jan 202252min

Paulo Azevedo tells us about growing up in Portugal and England and the various stages of his ascent to the role of Chairman of the Portuguese conglomerate, Sonae Group. We talk about what drives his belief in people and why reskilling and lifelong learning matter so much to him. He also explains how he researches new interests every few years, his fascination with biodiversity and reveals what he is planning to learn next. Episode 7 – Show Notes 21st Century Industrialists is produc...

12 Nov 202152min

Alessandro Profumo talks about his teenage passion for basketball, his early start in banking, his time in consulting and more recent move into aviation and security, as the CEO of the Italian company, Leonardo. We also discuss the pressure on aviation in a time of green transition and nascent post-COVID recovery; the promising opportunities presented by the era of big data; his view on intensifying security threats and why leaders need people with soft skills. Episode 6 – Show ...

26 Aug 202137min

Nancy McKinstry talks about her childhood in rural Connecticut, her path from consulting into the world of publishing and the strategy she put in place at the 185 year old company Wolters Kluwers to transform it into the leading information services company it is today. She also shares her thoughts on the importance of resilience, lifelong learning and why she has become an advocate of quotas to advance diversity in the workplace. Episode 5 – Show Notes 21st Century Industrialists is prod...

12 Jul 202140min

We sat down with Stefan Oschmann, former-Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of the global biopharma company Merck Group, before he moved to the new role of Chair of the Board & Independent Director at UCB. In wide-ranging conversation on his last day at Merck Group, he talks about what attracted him to work in science, why the public and private sectors need to build more trust and the opportunities that linked open data presents for solving some of societies biggest problems. He al...

1 Jun 202143min

Tony Smurfit talks about his interest in business from an early age and what it was like growing up in a family synonymous with enterprise. He shares his insights on leadership during challenging times, what innovation looks like in the packaging business and why inflation is next disruption coming over the horizon. Episode 3 – Show Notes 21st Century Industrialists is produced by ERT and presented by Robert O'Meara. Audio Production, Mixing & Editing by Stijn Vandeputte, Laure Balcaen a...

15 Apr 202144min

Ilham Kadri talks about her humble upbringing in Casablanca, her professional start in industry, some of the roles she took on earlier in her career and what she learned. She also tells us about her approach to transforming the 158 year old Belgian industrial company, Solvay and shares her thoughts on how inclusion & diversity can gain more scale. Episode 2 – Show Notes 21st Century Industrialists is produced by ERT and hosted by Robert O'Meara. This episode was recorded by Mathieu Save...

5 Mar 202144min