France Telecom faces trial as former deputy CEO speaks out

In the week that a French court has launched an investigation into whether France Télécom SA should face trial over the suicide of its workers, Louis Pierre Wennes (former deputy CEO of the group) gives his first public interview since his resignation exclusively to MeetTheBoss.tv. Louis resigned from France Telecom in October last year after twenty-four of his staff commit suicide.

Louis was blamed for causing widespread stress in the company owing to his brutal cost-cutting measures. Union leaders pointed the finger at Louis for the suicides owing to a vicious, target-obsessed company culture in which, they say, well-qualified employees (most in their 40s) were pushed to "breaking" point.
An astonishing 22,000 staff have resigned in the last four years. But many remain and have been shifted into high-pressure call centres where individuals compete for monthly results-based bonuses. Mr Wennes, 60, had been overseeing a programme called "Next" to modernise the firm.

Throughout the interview Wennes maintained a professional approach “All I asked from my people was do the best you can, I can’t expect more than your best, but not less because we need it.” When asked about the 24 suicides in 18 months he replied “I do not want to underestimate the issue, but it’s a biased view of the situation, if we look at the facts the suicide rate at France Telecom did not increase during that period, it was more in the year 2000 and similar to the overall French corresponding population.”

This week an investigative judge will decide whether there is enough evidence to open a court case accusing France Télécom and some of its managers of involuntary homicide, which can lead to three years in jail and a substantial fine.
The first public interview with Louis Pierre Wennes (former deputy of France Telecom) will go live this week on MeetTheBoss.TV

Saatchi and Saatchi give a personal approach to the recovery

Bob Seelert, chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi, speaks candidly for MeetTheBoss.TV on how he was intent on taking the helm of what was a sinking ship and steering it into a course of thirteen years of concessive growth. What is his secret? The personal approach!

Saatchi & Saatchi are a truly world-wide communications network having 135 offices in eighty-five countries. From the first day of his arduous voyage Bob achieved incredible feats, and within six months he had built face-to-face connections with staff accounting for over 60% of the company’s revenues.

“From my first day at Saatchi & Saatchi, I met with as many people as I possibly could, There is no substitute for a personal presence, I went to four companies in London and then got on a concord and did the same in New York before meeting with the Chairman of our biggest client Proctor and Gamble”.

Bob wanted to break barriers, and he had to be seen as an approachable rock for the company, sharing his vision and hope for the future. Bob wanted everyone to know this and did the same exercise with client’s, bringing both his charisma and long term outlook to meetings and building faith in the brand and in his strategies.

“To be revered as the hothouse for world-changing ideas is what create sustainable growth for our clients.”

Bob Seelert’s uncanny ability to talk about his leadership is one of his many talents, which has lead him to make strong relationships with his clients, earn respect from his staff and attract new business relationships.


To see the full interview with Bob Seelert and learn about the skills that made him successful at Saatchi & Saatchi, visit MeetTheBoss.tv

Healthcare CFO’s V-tach on Obama’s Healthcare Reform

Urgent meetings are being held by the financial leaders of American Healthcare companies in the wake of Obama’s Healthcare Reform being passed 219 – 212 in the House of Representatives. The introduction of this policy heralds a transformation in the fabric of American society, and the way U.S citizens receive medical care has suddenly been revolutionalised in a direction which healthcare CFO’s cannot afford to ignore.

Obama states: “[It] answers the prayers of every American who has hoped deeply for something to be done about a healthcare system that works for insurance companies, but not for ordinary people.”

As miraculous as this sounds, the campaigns against the bill have been vehement, and during these unstable economic times not everyone is content with Obama’s changes. CFO’s need to strategize together to implement a plan that ensures the successful revenue cycle of their organizations. Industry leaders such as Vince Schmidt SVP and CFO of Multicare Health System, Mark Spafford CFO and VP of Health Management Associates, Robert Booth CFO of Summit Medical Group, and Larry Dupper CFO of Valley View Hospital are attending a series of closed door meetings at the ‘CFO Healthcare Summit US 2010’ in Arizona to discuss at this illustrious occurrence what action needs to be taken, and how.

A leading source, who wished to remain anonymous stated, “ I think most CFO’s feel thrown in at the deep end like never before. It is sink or swim, and we need a consistent approach to tackle these difficulties so the ‘CFO Healthcare Summit US 2010’ is a crucial event for our company, and for the American Healthcare industry as a whole.”

Obama’s greatest allies and fiercest critics await the outcome of the ‘CFO Healthcare Summit US 2010’ with baited breath, as not only the financial future of the American Healthcare system will be decided, but also the sagacity of the bill which Obama fought so hard to win will be revealed.

$18bn African Investment – but can the Middle East take the call?

Since 2001, Investment into the African telecommunications sector has hit $18bn, however Africa has missed many opportunities to deploy cable infrastructure to the same extent as its competitive continents such as the Middle East and Asia.
Nevertheless leading authorities understand that such an infrastructure is vital for the continents development and they are planning to announce future moves into 4G at NGT Africa summit hosted by GDS international.
South Africa’s international connectivity received a major boost last year with the launch of the Seacom cable, a high-bandwidth data link connecting Africa with India and Europe. Two further major cables, the West African Cable System and the East African Submarine Cable, are due to come into operation over the next two years.

Africa can offer competitive prices to emerging companies and has obvious mass growth potential. Recent infrastructure improvements throughout the African Markets have allowed the continent to rival the likes of Dubai. As a direct result of the NGT meetings regions such as East Africa are now the choice of many multinationals as a gateway to the Middle East and Africa.

“So far, technology has been a strong point for Dubai. But the arrival of the new submarine cables will allow Africa to run services at a reduced cost.” Will Gary Austin, NGT Director

With so much growth potential and increased investments into the African telecoms market it comes as no surprise that the Middle East telecoms elite have been quick to announce their attendance at the NGT MENA summit to discuss how they plan to maintain their dominance within the market and provide the best services possible to outside investors.
Representatives confirmed to attend the NGT Discussions include Tony Shakib – VP Service provider Emerging Markets from CISCO and Knut Aasrud GM Communications Sector EMEA who will be on hand to share their thought leadership as technology innovators with Ghana Telecom (Vodafone Ghana) - Eric Valentine, Head of Technology Core Networks Orange Uganda - Phillipe Luxey, CEO MTN Group - Sifiso Dabengwa , COO Telkom SA - Charlotte Mokoena, CEO Vodacom Group - Vujani Jarana, Ex. Director Operations Virgin Mobile South Africa - Steve Bailey, CEO

"Cisco and SEACOM share a common goal to enable accessible broadband across Africa while lowering the cost of communication to spur growth within urban and rural communities. We're working with SEACOM to help transform Africa by outlining process change, building networks, and then providing the application services and expertise that support key services for citizens, such as education, healthcare, public safety, economic development, and national security. SEACOM will provide the catalyst for African consumers, business and government to realise the benefits of connectivity and collaboration across the globe." Courtesy of CISCO Systems Inc

Big Banks Back Paperless Push

Finance Giants have met at the recent FST US summit to discuss ECM – practical solutions to a green problem.

The banking world has been under pressure for the last 12 months, if we put aside the global credit crunch, something which isn’t easy to do, banks have been facing a well documented consumer dispute over bank charges and clerical expenses, the need to review an extended history of client’s accounts is now a necessity. Government and consumer pressure to go green also means that traditional business practices must be re thought to meet sustainable demand.

“The ability to examine appropriate paperwork for an increasing number of client claims over extended periods of time is now a daily challenge. We must also consider the environmental impact of paper intensive banking.” Rein Hofstra – Bank of America

Discussions at the FST US summit (hosted by GDS International) quickly turned to the need for green solutions; top of the list was pushing the consumer to back paperless banking, how to create a system which allows easy options for the consumer to choose the green solution, and encouraging in house paper saving.

If we were to argue that big business is interested in the bottom line then switching to ECM is the sensible choice, printing and mailing costs can reach anywhere up to $3.50 per customer but the preparation and delivery of and electronic statement is a snip at $0.15 per customer.
“Data Document automation will aid in freeing up staff, reducing costs and maintaining 100% data accuracy. Changing compliance regulations, non-integrated technologies, and the complexity of the document life cycle are the main document management challenges integral to the financial services industry. Big business discussed how they would reduce costs and eliminate wasted resources ultimately saving money and streamlining processes.” Madhavan Rhagamacharvi – Morgan Stanley
We could become enamored with the glamorous savings, an environmentally sustainable banking system and improved customer relations but ultimately the test will come when implementing the technology to reach the consumer majority and digital storage capabilities.

Jeanne Capachin – Research VP, Global Banking, IDC Financial Insights led the 50 strong conglomerate including Rein Hofstra – Bank of America, Leon Wilson – BB&T and Madhavan Rhagamacharvi – Morgan Stanley discussing Enterprise Content Management (ECM), Streamlining information sharing and information access across all business lines, Eliminate paper waste and the costs associated with it and supporting green initiatives that promote environmentally responsible practices.
If we are to reach the ultimate goal of a green banking future and consumer control of digital banking solutions meetings such as the FST US summit must remain an open discussion platform for financial executives to discuss as an industry and not as a sole corporation.

Consumer Confusion Push for industry labeling agreement

The European Committee has just voted against consumer pressure to introduce a traffic light colour code for food labeling. But how has the industry reacted. Coca Cola, Kellogg’s, DANONE, Kraft Foods and Nestle among many other industry leading representatives meet at the illustrious NGF Summit at the Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin, The Netherlands to discuss action plans.

The new system already adopted in the UK has been unanimously agreed upon by consumer boards as the best way to combat global health concerns for obesity. It is no secret that this was widely rejected by the industry with growing fears of reduced competitiveness and unfairly portraying certain food products such as cheese and pâté as an unhealthy choice.

As in many other areas of food manufacturing, the rules have changed for packaging and labeling. Regulations surrounding ingredient and nutrition disclosure as well as allergen labeling necessitate changes in labeling operations, while sustainability and security in packaging become increasingly challenging. The attendees at the NGF EU summit hosted by GDS International will explore the innovative technologies and practices to enable both compliance and efficiency within the areas of packaging and labeling and debate the widely controversial subject of honest and clear fat, salt, calorie and sugar content labelling.

Under the system – a version of which is in use in the UK – food companies would be required to label the front of their packages with red, amber or green icons to denote the amounts of fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar they contain.

Despite the rejection BEUC, Europe’s largest consumer organisation, called the vote “a severe blow” for public health. A unified strategy is expected to be reached at the next NGH EU summit with representatives from Coca – Cola enterprises, Danone, Kellogs Europe, Kraft Foods, Nestle all of which who have openly stated their concerns with the traffic light.

With the consumer struggling with a mix match of food labeling solutions and confusing information an ever growing health conscious society is pushing for a standard solution. Although voluntary use of the traffic light system has been embraced by stores such as Waitrose and Marks and Spencer’s other companies are using different percentage break downs and varying colour coding systems. But can a viable solution be agreed upon given consumer pressure?

From Regional to Global: how Pfizer reworked the pharmaceutical business model

Jorge Puente, Regional President of WW Pfizer gives MeetTheBoss.tv an inside look into how Pfizer became global.

Jorge Puente explained to Adam Burns, Editor in Chief of meettheboss.tv, that the fact he did not know there was a Pfizer international office until they invited him to do a lecture, really became a telltale sign that change needed to take place at the pharmaceutical giant.
Jorge goes onto develop the example by supplying the underlying corporate culture that lead Pfizer International to generate more revenues then Pfizer US. The ability to “have this customer oriented philosophy where we are there for the customer first” was the basis for change.

When Pfizer looks globally at providing medication the need to look at the needs of patients in regions becomes a much greater challenge then looking at providing a blanket of solutions. Jorge cites the example of diabetes in the US, as opposed to Asia, to show why going global needed to be though about differently.

“If you look at diabetics in the West, your typical type two diabetic tends to be overweight, and hyperinsulinemic. In many Asian countries, diabetics are very different and tend to be hypoinsulinemic”. This means that the same medication cannot be provided across multiple regions based on same diagnosis.

“Sometimes for one patient there is a benefit/risk ratio that may be different for another patient. Obviously that changes with geography because conditions are also very geographically determined.” This is one of the very basic concepts that Jorge describes as translating from medical to corporate management.

To manage many different geographical medical solutions Pfizer became “a collection of small units”, each one of those completely focused on a specific area. So one unit in Asia would focus primarily on oncology and be “100 percent accountable within that unit for all decisions that are being made in the cancer space” and this is done in conjunction with global executives in Pfizer as well as governmental executives in the specific region, in this case Asia.

These corporate changes have allowed Pfizer the flexibility to reach any region globally, as well as the speed in which to make changes and implement programs: but does that translate to the patient trusting Pfizer? Possibly not, given that Jorge agreed only 42 percent of people trust the healthcare industry to do the right thing, a drop of 16 percent from last year.

But once the structure was been available for regional units to take responsibility for the needs of the patients in that unit then programs to rebuild that trust, such as the Maintain Program – Jorge’s innovative program to help eligible unemployed Americans and their families maintain access to their Pfizer medicines for free – could be created.