Skip navigation
The Leaders

LATEST

Neelie Kroes, EU Competition Commissioner
The most powerful woman in European business talks about growing up in war torn Rotterdam and how she pioneered  privatizations for the Netherlands only to become 'locked out' by the Dutch 'old boy network'. Neelie Kroes talk frankly about how - as competition commissioner - she went on to press $2.6 billion in fines against Microsoft and why she would like Angel Merkel to take one of the Big Four positions in Brussels.
Click here to watch the video >>>

PREVIEW

Thursday May 22

Ben Verwaayen, CEO of BT
The Dutchman who organized his school's first parliament and a trade union for soldiers whilst doing military service, explains how he led KPN private, dealt with turmoil at Lucent and went on to refocus BT over six years, creating one of the world's most competitive broadband markets in the process.

PREVIOUS INTERVIEWS

Watch these full-length interviews from "The Leaders" -- exclusively on cnbc.com!
  • Dr Mohamed 'Mo' Ibrahim, founder of Celtel 

      This African-born telecom pioneer explains how raw frustration with UK big business drove him to work for himself. Having designed many of the world's first wave of mobile networks, he then physically built them in Africa because no one else would. Now with an estimated personal fortune of $2.5bn he awards cash prizes in Africa to promote better leadership.

  • Indra Nooyi, chairwoman & CEO, PepsiCo 

      In her first ever full length TV interview the most powerful woman in world business talks frankly about her upbringing in India, how she came to restructure an American icon and why she now physically stops herself from feeling guilt each day about being a 'bad' executive, mother and wife.

  • Dr. Mike Lynch OBE, Co-Founder & CEO, Autonomy 

      This student of 18th centaury algorithms is leading a revolution in the way corporations extract information from video, pictures and voice conversations. Having been lent £2,000 by a stranger in a pub to set-up in business, this son of a fireman floated Autonomy at £5 billion.  It entered the FTSE 100 only to crash out.  Through it all Mike Lynch has built a 17,000-strong client list that includes real-time terrorist tracking for the US Department of Homeland Security.

  • Aditya Mittal, CFO, Arcelor Mittal 

      The son of the fourth richest man on the planet talks openly about how he's fought to be recognised in his own right by driving an acquisition strategy through the steel industry at a rate of 35 deals a year - which included his family's bitter battle for Arcelor.

  • Sergio Marchionne, CEO, Fiat 

      Europe's turnaround king explains how he goes about pulling businesses like Fiat back from the brink of bankruptcy, his five principles of leadership and why humility is paramount for CEOs. 

  • Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, Chairman, L’Oréal 

      In his first major television interview, Lindsay Owen Jones reveals how he's delivered an unbroken string of double-digit profit growth for 23 years. He talks frankly about his relationship with France's richest woman, billionaire shareholder Liliane Bettencourt. And why he's happy for the French to mistakenly think he's Welsh.

  • Ferdinando 'Nani' Beccalli-Falco, President & CEO, GE International 

      The Italian who runs GE outside the United States talks about fathers, sons, how he built his career in plastics and why sponsoring the Olympic Games is an extension of his 'company to country' approach to emerging markets. (GE is the parent company of CNBC). 

  • Jean-Pierre Garnier, CEO, GlaxoSmithKline 

      As the architect of the merger that created GSK prepares to retire as its CEO, the competitive Frenchman talks about how he revolutionized big pharma's R&D, its relationship with poor nations and why the original deal was not his preferred option. 

  • Natalie Massenet, Founder & Chairman, Net-a-Porter 

      Vogue claims the founder of this luxury, online fashion retailer is 'revolutionizing' how women buy clothes. In her first major television interview, Natalie talks about how she navigates the dangers inherent in a business that is doubling its revenues each year, why she can offer a lifeline to designers and how also bringing-up two young daughters is 'pulling her apart'.

  • Sam A. DiPiazza, CEO, PricewaterhouseCoopers International 

      This native of the US state of Alabama reveals what he's learnt in the 35 years he took to climb one of the world's big four accountants. Sam talks passionately about why CEOs need to re-invent for the next generation, what lessons there are to learn from the sub-prime crisis, and why he finds the New York City Ballet a powerful antidote.

  • Muhtar A. Kent, President & COO, Coca-Cola 

      The Turk who will become CEO of the world's most valuable brand in July talks frankly about what he's learnt during his 30 year career; beating back Pepsi in Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall; his close partnership with out-going CEO Neville Isdell and his self-imposed exile from Coke after he was investigated for short-selling.




"THE LEADERS" ARCHIVE

Missed one of our earlier programmes? Catch them here!

ABOUT THE SHOW

This new half-hour weekly show on CNBC Europe, hosted by award-winning presenter Simon Hobbs, features insightful one-on-one interviews with influential leaders from the world of business, politics and beyond.

How do they define leadership? What motivates them? How did they arrive at key decisions in their career?

Filmed on location, "The Leaders" reveals what drives Europe's top business and political talent, and gets to the heart of what makes them tick.

CONTACT US

Tell us what you think!
Let us know what you thought of the latest episode or if you have any other questions, comments or suggestions.

HOME  |  NEWS  |  MARKETS  |  EARNINGS  |  INVESTING  |  VIDEO  |  CNBC TV  |  CNBC PLUS  |  CNBC HD+
About CNBC   |   Site Map   |   Privacy Policy   |   Terms of Service   |   Advertise   |   Help   |   Feedback   |   Video Reprints
  Data is a real-time snapshot   *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes

Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis