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The Great Battle or The Lonely Quest of Unilever's CEO Paul Polman describes the origins of Unilever and the role former CEO Paul Polman (2009-2019) played in Unilever's quest for acting responsibly in a world that is being threatened by climate change, lack of biodiversity, pollution and growing tensions between rich and poor. In The Lonely Quest of Unilever's CEO Paul Polman Smit reconstructs the lessons we can learn from a courageous pioneer who was also ahead of his time.
List of contents
PART 1 Doing well and Doing Good, 1994-2007; 1.Mea Culpa, We're Completely in the wrong: 1994-1998; 2.Two Captains, One Helm: 1998-2001; 3.Mutinous Men; We Can't Go On Like This: 2001-2005; 4.A French Bookkeeper Puts Share Price Centre Stage: 2005-2007; 5.Outsiders in Charge: 2007-2008; PART 2 Doing Good and Doing Well, 2008-2016; 6.Only Responsible Companies Go the Distance:September-December 2008; 7.Growing, Growing, Growing [...] and Doing Good: December 2008-January 2010; 8.It's Not a Job, It's a Calling: February-November 2010; 9.Colours to the Mast: November 2010-October 2011; 10.But We Can't Do This Alone: January 2012-March 2013; 11.Making Money Can Never Be the Goal: April-October 2013; 12.The World's Biggest NGO: November 2013-February 2015; 13.More Priest Than CEO: March-December 2015; 14.Too Far Ahead of His Troops: January 2016-January 2017; PART 3 Doing Well and Doing Good, 2017-2019; 15.'Rescued' by Warren Buffett: 11 February-7 March 2017; 16.A Mayor in Wartime: March-April 2; 17.For Sale: Dutch DNA, Milked Dry: May-December 2017; 18.'Rotterdoom': Mission Impossible: January-September 2018; 19.The Pioneer Feels Misunderstood: October-December 2018; 20.Paul Polman's Lonely High Road: January-July 2019; Acknowledgements; Notes; Bibliography; Glossary of Names
About the author
After finishing his MBA Jeroen Smit (1963) worked as a strategy consultant before starting a 30-year- career in business journalism. He wrote books about the rise and fall of the CEOS' of Ahold, ABN Amro, and most recently Unilever. What makes leaders come to believe in their own truth? Turning their companies into victims of groupthink and tunnel vision! With his investigative approach, Smit shows the inner workings of these companies to the general public.
