PERSONAL Insight
Interview With Daniel Servitje, CEO, Grupo Bimbo
Ghemawat, Pankaj
In 2006, Grupo Bimbo became the first major Latin American firm to gain a foothold in the coveted Chinese market. Crucially, too, in 2011, Grupo Bimbo became the largest baking company in the world after acquiring Sara Lee North American Fresh Bakery, Fargo in Argentina and Sara Lee in Spain and Portugal. In this interview with IESE Prof. Pankaj Ghemawat, Servitje talks more about leveraging global business opportunities.
Interview With Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO, Renault-Nissan
Nueno Iniesta, Pedro
Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO of Renault-Nissan, is well known for his innovative thinking. He has been ahead of the curve when it comes to minimizing costs by joining forces with competitors. As he told executives who gathered at IESE's Madrid campus for a special session on sector trends, moderated by IESE Prof. Pedro Nueno, collaborating with competitors isn't the only change afoot within the industry.
Interview With Mikael Schiller, Acne Studios
Ferraro, Fabrizio
The Swedish fashion collective, Acne, encompasses a wide range of creative ventures, which are examples of what Executive Chair and Publisher Mikael Schiller calls “making the impossible possible.” In this interview at the 14th Luxury Goods Industry Meeting held at IESE, Schiller discusses the creative tensions of running a business, their unique marketing approach of “branding by doing,” and how they avoid playing by the rules.
Interview With Antonio Urcelay, Toys "R" Us Europe
Moscoso, Philip G.
Working in the toy industry is not child’s play. As president in charge of Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us stores across Europe, Antonio Urcelay takes one thing very seriously: child safety. Urcelay expands on the challenges of his sector, including outsourcing to China, the rise of emerging markets, e-commerce, and the role and responsibility of management, in this interview conducted by IESE Prof. Philip Moscoso at the 9th Retail Industry Meeting held at IESE Madrid.
Interview With Howard Schultz, Starbucks
Villanueva Galobart, Julián
When Howard Schultz resumed his role as CEO of Starbucks in 2008, he had his work cut out for him. Yet, by 2010, profits were up again. How did Starbucks achieve such a turnaround? Schultz sat down with IESE Prof. Julián Villanueva at a Continuous Education session on IESE’s Madrid campus to discuss how to perk up a brand.
Interview With Kathy Xu, Capital Today
Nueno Iniesta, Pedro
Kathy Xu’s private equity group, Capital Today, is devoted to helping entrepreneurs build brand leaders in China. “Our strategy is simple,” she explains. “Build No. 1 brands, hold on to them for a long time, and develop the entrepreneurs throughout the entire process.” After 16 years in the business and with $680 million under management, Xu still feels that the Chinese market is just getting started. As she tells IESE Prof. Pedro Nueno, it’s worth the effort getting to grips with this complex business arena, because “if you take over China, you take over the world.”
Interview With Xavier Ybargüengoitia, LVMH Estates & Wines
Ferraro, Fabrizio
In this interview with IESE Prof. Fabrizio Ferraro, the CEO of Estates & Wines of Moët Hennessy-Louis Vuitton (LVMH), the largest luxury goods conglomerate in the world, explains how the luxury goods market has emerged relatively unscathed from the crisis. And as head of a business that spans 10 different countries, he speaks of the importance of adaptability and flexibility when facing climate factors beyond your control.
Interview With Michael Nash, Warner Music Group
Cabral, Luís
As Warner Music Group’s digital strategist, Michael Nash says the one thing you can predict with confidence is “the technologists can invent it tomorrow, the economy can pay for it next year and consumers may adopt it in five years.” He stopped by IESE’s New York Center to talk to IESE Prof. Luís Cabral about new ways of capturing value as the music industry and others come to terms with the digital revolution.
Interview with Charles Petruccelli, American Express Travel
Moscoso, Philip G.
Over the past 10 years, every time something cataclysmic has happened in the world – be it geopolitical, pandemics such as SARS or swine flu, the volcanic ash cloud or the economic recession – the travel industry has been “brutally impacted,” in the words of Charles Petruccelli, president of Global Business Travel at American Express. In this interview by IESE Prof. Philip Moscoso at IESE’s 2010 Global Alumni Reunion, Petruccelli discusses the shift of economic power to Asia, data protection, and how disruptive technologies, such as telepresence and smart mobiles, are changing the business model of the travel industry.
Interview with Subodh Bhargava, Chairman of Tata Communications
Roure Alomar, Juan
“When the world was melting, India stood its ground.” That remark, made at the 2010 Global India Business Meeting organized by Horasis, pretty much explains why Western investors are eagerly looking East for the answers to their own economic woes. IESE Prof. Juan Roure interviews Subodh Bhargava, who has witnessed India’s economic development over five decades in business. As Chairman of Tata Communications, Bhargava shares how India has managed to resist the global meltdown, and he reveals which sectors are ripe for Western investment.