Chief executives from around Europe discussed their companies' earnings, opportunities and the challenges they face in 2008 with CNBC Europe Monday.
TNT CFO Henk van Dalen on "Squawk Box Europe"
"I think the good thing that we have is that economic activity in our markets in the first quarter was in line with the fourth quarter last year. And that is also the reason that we reaffirm the outlook for the full year," Henk van Dalen, CFO of TNT told CNBC Europe.
"We have been able to raise our prices, partially also on the back of the increasing price of fuel. And let me remind you that TNT is not so much impacted by the U.S. market because we are not active in the U.S. In fact a lower dollar will lead to more export out of the U.S. and that is an advantage for us."
Video: ASMI CEO on Strategy
London Metal Exchange (LME) CEO Martin Abbott on "Squawk Box Europe"
"The steel industry is the second-largest commodity market after oil and gas, so it's a major prize for any futures exchange. It has traditionally been a very slow business, not a lot of volatility," Martin Abbott, CEO of LME told CNBC Europe.
"But we've seen structural change over the last 5 years, in particular, with the emergence of China, with the industrialization of a number of other emerging economies and growth in the Middle East. And with fracturing of the old integrated production. So we now have a lot more material crossing international boundaries."
Video: LME CEO on New Steel Futures Contract
ASMI CEO Chuck del Prado on "Squawk Box Europe"
"The (activist shareholders) owe it to us to give us a chance in the next two years to prove that we are the right management team to run this company," Chuck del Prado, CEO of ASMI told CNBC Europe.
"For 2010 and beyond ASMI also expects to continue to outgrow the market and to achieve operating profit margins at the top half level of its peer group."
Video: TNT CFO on Earnings, Outlook
Esmertec CEO Dr. Thomas Hornung on "Power Lunch Europe"
"Esmertec is a leading edge software company and we are developing software solutions for consumer electronic devices," Dr. Thomas Hornumg, CEO of Esmertec told CNBC Europe. "It's all about giving subscribers, that means consumers, an easy access to software and services in the mobile arena."
"We are on one hand side serving the devices, on the other hand side we are serving the mobile operators with their messaging platforms."
Video: Investing in Mobile Technology