21st Century Industrialists ERT

During his engineering studies at Ecole Centrale Paris, Benoît Potier was active in the theatre group, enjoying it to such an extent that he even considered becoming a professional actor. Ultimately however, his decision to forge a career in industry instead proved to be the right one, as he has spent his entire career at Europe's leading industrial gases company: Air Liquide. 

In the first episode of Season 3, we discuss his early life, how his career path progressed all the way to the role of Chairman & CEO (2006 to 2022), we talk about energy transition and how he sees hydrogen demand developing, as well as hearing his thoughts on the state of the EU and his tips on how to keep challenging yourself.

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Episode 15 – Show Notes
21st Century Industrialists is produced by ERT and presented by Robert O'Meara. Interview recorded by Guillaume Girault.  Production by Janne Jooris and Kaat Tavernier at Uitgesproken.
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Leif Johansson initially wanted to be a rock guitarist. That ambition morphed into wanting to become a professor of physics. But somewhere along the way, he was drawn into business and found an endless avenue for his curiosity.
He turned out to be quite good at business too, taking on his first leadership role at Husqvarna Motorcycles, at the age of 27. Over the decades that followed he led companies making furniture (FACIT), household appliances (Electrolux), buses, construction vehicles & trucks (Volvo), phones (Ericsson) and pharma (AstraZeneca). Along the way, he even made time to be the Chair of ERT from 2009 to 2014.


Over the course of a wide-ranging conversation, we discuss his early life, how he embarked on his career and some of the most difficult decisions he had to make. He also shares his thoughts on entrepreneurship, the challenges and joys of switching sectors, the most effective ways to introduce change in companies and the unavoidable test of work-life balance. 

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Episode 14 – Show Notes
21st Century Industrialists is produced by ERT and presented by Robert O'Meara. Interview recorded by Jakob Herrmann.  Production by Shalini van den Langenbergh at Uitgesproken. Editing & mixing by Jordan Hudson at House of Media. Special thanks to Wouter Van Driessche. 
© ERT

 As ERT prepares to launch a new publication about innovation, we thought it could be interesting to do an episode where we discuss that very subject. So, we brought together a leader of one of Europe’s most significant industrial companies - Dr Martin Brudermüller, CEO of BASF SE - and a top drawer academic and deep tech investment expert - Dr Lars Frolund of M.I.T. and the European Innovation Council.  Over the course of this episode, we discuss why innovation matters, how Europe is faring in the global innovation race and try to find out how different the views of business and academia are on this important topic.  We also try to work out what can be done to help innovation in Europe deliver more.

Episode 13 – Show Notes
21st Century Industrialists is produced by ERT and presented by Robert O'Meara. Interview recorded in Ludwigshafen by Matthias Stroh.  Production by  Shalini  van den Langenbergh at Uitgesproken. Editing & mixing by Jordan Hudson at House of Media. Special thanks to Wouter Van Driessche. 
© ERT

We talk with Hilde Aasheim Merete, the President and CEO of Norsk Hydro, the Norwegian aluminium and energy company, with operations worldwide.  
She talks about how her first summer job in a bakery put her on the path to working in business, the career moves that followed – at some inopportune moments – and the opportunities and challenges she has faced on her way to the top of Norsk Hydro and indeed, in that role.

Episode 12 – Show Notes
21st Century Industrialists is produced by ERT and presented by Robert O'Meara. Interview recorded in Brussels by Ian Clement.  Production by Janne Joris,  Shalini  van den Langenbergh at Uitgesproken and Stijn Vandeputte  at House of Media. Editing & mixing by Xavier De Clercq & Jordan Hudson at House of Media. Special thanks to Wouter Van Driessche. 
© ERT

In this episode, we talk with someone is leading the transformation of one of the most recognised car companies in the world: Ola Källenius, the CEO of Mercedes-Benz Group. He has spent his entire career working in various depts of the legendary car company, culminating in his appointment to the top role in 2019 – the first non-German national to lead the company.
Over the course of our conversation, he talks openly about his early life in Sweden, his rise through Mercedes-Benz, those early months when he first became CEO and the extraordinary systemic change that the automotive industry is undergoing. 

Episode 11 – Show Notes
21st Century Industrialists is produced by ERT and presented by Robert O'Meara. Interview recorded in Stuttgart by Sebastian Specht.  Production by Janne Joris,  Shalini  van den Langenbergh at Uitgesproken and Stijn Vandeputte  at House of Media. Editing & mixing by Xavier De Clercq & Jordan Hudson at House of Media. Special thanks to Wouter Van Driessche. 


© ERT

In this latest episode,  we talk with Sir Jonathan Symonds, the Chairman of GSK. A maven of the bridge between life sciences and finance, he spoke with us about his upbringing in the UK, his first career track in accountancy & consulting, the cultural lessons he learned working on mergers such as the one that brought Astra and Zeneca together and the challenges & joys of changing career direction numerous times. It's an episode rich in inspiration and wisdom - enjoy!

Episode 10 – Show Notes
21st Century Industrialists is produced by ERT and presented by Robert O'Meara. Sounds Recording by David Crane. Audio Production by Janne Joris,  Shalini van den Langenbergh at Uitgesproken and Stijn Vandeputte at House of Media. Editing and mixing by Stef Lenaerts at House of Media. Special thanks to Wouter van Driessche.


© ERT