Hall of fame: Six CEOs who've scripted great growth stories
Change has been the only constant for the companies of the Global 2000 list over the last decade. But through all the turmoil—including the most severe financial crisis since the 1930s—these six CEOs have not only kept their jobs, they've also presided over some of the world's best growth stories
American Tower
Boston
James Taiclet Jr
Age: 55. CEO since 2003
Industry: telecommunications towers
Rank: 798 (+556 spots since 2006)
Sales: $4.1 billion (+334%)
Profits: $824.9 million (n/a)
Assets: $21.3 billion (+143%)
Market Cap: $41.2 billion (+215%)
$5.1 billion
Amount paid to Verizon to take over 11,448 of its towers in 2015, by far the biggest deal in American tower’s history.
“The most transformative technology of the next 10 years will be personalised medicine. Driverless cars will pale in comparison.”
Fresenius
Bad Homburg, Germany
Mark Schneider
Age: 49. CEO since 2003
Industry: healthcare
Rank: 283 (+559 spots)
Sales: $30.8 billion (+212%)
Profits: $1.4 billion (+521%)
Assets: $48.3 billion (+341%)
Market Cap: $32.8 billion (+316%)
$4.6 billion
Value of September 2008 takeover of app pharmaceuticals, based in Schaumburg, Ilinois, the maker of an injectable blood-thinning
drug used in dialysis patients.
“Digitisation is changing the way that dentistry is practised, and there is no doubt that over the next decade there will be exciting advancements in this area that we cannot even dream of today. There is a tremendous opportunity in countries with a rapidly expanding middle class, a political environment conducive to business and a highly skilled workforce.”
Henry Schein
Melville, New York
Stanley Bergman
Age: 65. CEO since 1989
Industry: dental and medical supplies
Rank: 1144 (+633 spots)
Sales: $10.4 billion (+124%)
Profits: $466.1 million (+208%)
Assets: $6.1 billion (+138%)
Market Cap: $11.8 billion (+189%)
40 number of companies henry Schein
has acquired over the last decade.
"Two pieces of advice stand out in my mind: ‘Any time someone comes to you seeking to make a “strategic” investment, substitute the word “stupid” for “strategic” and you’ll be fine.’ And ‘never defend the indefensible’, which actually came from my father. If you think about the two bits of advice, they’re related.”
NRG Energy
Princeton, New Jersey
David Whipple Crane
Age: 56. CEO since 2003
Industry: electric utilities
Rank: 943 (+1052 spots)
Sales: $15.3 billion (+546%)
Profits: $134 million (+28%)
Assets: $40.7 billion (+422%)
Market CAP: $8.3 billion (+119%)
2 million
new houSehold customers NRG gained access to with its 2009 takeover of retail energy provider reliant.
“Our focus is delivering clean water, safe food, abundant energy and healthy environments. These needs are fundamental and transcend economic ups and downs. Wherever water needs to be conserved, food needs to be safe, energy is required and people seek healthier environments, we will find opportunity.”
ECOLAB
St Paul, Minnesota
Douglas Baker Jr
Age: 56. CEO since 2004
Industry: cleaning chemicals
Rank: 498 (+642 spots)
Sales: $14.3 billion (+215%)
Profits: $1.2 billion (+277%)
Assets: $19.5 billion (+413%)
Market Cap: $34.1 billion (+268%)
$5.4 billion
Value of the 2011 merger with NALCO, Naperville, illinois-based water treatment company.
“In low-fare airlines, Boeing’s new 737 MAX aircraft is a gamechanger with 4 percent more seats (allowing average fares to fall by up to 5 percent) and a great new engine technology, which will reduce fuel consumption, oil bills and emissions by almost 20 percent per seat.”
Ryanair
Dublin
Michael O’Leary
Age: 54. CEO since 1994
Industry: airlines
Rank: 829 (+547 spots)
Sales: $7.3 billion (+320%)
Profits: $1.1 billion (+207%)
Assets: $12.7 billion (+158%)
Market Cap: $16.5 billion (+135%)
150 million
passengers ryanair expects to Service annually in 2024, up from 89 million in 2014.
(This story appears in the 12 June, 2015 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)
