Business excellence awards 2013 by AI Global Media

“I am also proud of my extended family, namely the hundreds of team members that helped make GA Telesis’ success happen. I am proud to say that we have very low turnover. My original salesman (employee #1) is now Vice President & Deputy General Manager of our JV in Beijing, China, GAIC. My Chief Financial Officer and Chief Commercial Officer are still in their original roles, but obviously in a much larger and global organisation. The GA Telesis team is what makes this organisation different and ever-growing.” - Abdol Moabery, CEO - GA Telesis

“We view this award as recognition for our pioneering work in orthopaedics – both in helping to bring to market innovative technologies but also the nurturing of an industry responsible for relieving pain and suffering among the millions that suffer from arthritis and severe trauma to bones and joints. The award also marks a decade since the market-changing acquisition of Spine Solutions that transformed the field of joint arthroplasty.” - Anthony G. Viscogliosi, Co-Founder & Principal - Viscogliosi Bros

“The award is a terrific accolade for the team. The last twelve months in particular, have been among the most exciting and challenging for Xeros. Not only did we succeed in raising significant investment to take the business to the next stage, but we also achieved our objective of validating our technology in the States with installations in key segments of the market. We are now well placed to accelerate our journey towards changing the way the world cleans clothes, forever.” - Bill Westwater, CEO - Xeros

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BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Foreword Welcome to the Acquisition International 2013 Business Excellence Awards A business’ success is largely down to the collective effort of all of its employees, however, the role played by its leaders – especially in this on-going challenging corporate environment – is a critical factor. In times of economic turmoil, good leadership is the difference between surviving and thriving. The Conference Board CEO Challenge 2013, a report based on a survey of CEOs, presidents, and chairmen from the world’s leading companies, noted that leaders are taking a hard look at their own organisations, employees, customers, level of efficiency, and capacity for innovation. In an environment of slow economic growth and limited opportunity for double digit business expansion, continuous improvement of internal capabilities is no luxury or fad. It’s a prerequisite for organisational survival. “The world in 2013 remains an uncertain place, from Beijing’s leadership transition and Washington’s deficit and debt battles, to the still-unresolved Arab Spring and European debt crisis,” said Bart van Ark, Executive Vice President and Chief Economist, The Conference Board. “But CEOs have become used to frequent crises. Now they’re focused on people-driven strategies to create value in what may be a slow-growth landscape for years to come.” Acquisition International’s Business Excellence Awards identify and honour the most respected companies and their C-level executives, while recognising and rewarding outstanding success, innovation and ethics across international business communities. This year’s awards are sponsored by Sterling XAG Data Rooms – leading providers of due diligence data room services. Acquisition International prides itself on the validity of its awards and its winners. The awards are given solely on merit and are awarded to commend those most deserving for outstanding work over the last 12 months. Our awards recognise leaders in their respective fields and, crucially, are nominated by their clients and their peers. Read on for the full winners list and interviews with some of our winners. We’ve also included a comprehensive round up of recent CEO appointments and profiles of leaders of some of the world’s best known companies.

And the winners are ... Asia Strings D. E. Kozisek, Media Access Group Australia Donald Mcgurk, Codan Lindsay Reed, Aviva Corp West Rock Resources Limited Volta Mining Limited Mick McCormack, APA Group Volta Mining Limited Brazil Eduardo L’Hotellier, GetNinjas GetNinjas Burundi NITEREKA Déo Canada Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

CEO of the Year - Asia Australian CEO of the Year - Manufacturing Australian CEO of the Year - Mining Australian Growth Strategy of the Year Australian Management Team of the Year Managing Director of the Year - Australia West Africa Focussed Mining Company of the Year Brazilian CEO of the Year Business Excellence Award - Brazil Boutique Cross Border Advisory Firm of the Year - Burundi

Pelican Products, Inc. André Bourbonnais, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

Manufacturing Company of the Year - Canada Senior Vice President of the Year - Canada

China Matthew Murphy, MMLC Group MMLC Group

Business Lawyer of the Year - China Chinese Emerging Company of the Year

Columbia Andres Rojas, Grupo Consultor Empresarial

Visionary of the Year - Columbia

Croatia Divjak, Topic & Bahtijarevic Law Firm Ronald B. Given, Wolf Theiss Zagreb Branch Divjak, Topic & Bahtijarevic Law Firm Denmark Søren Mouritsen, ROMO Wind A/S ROMO Wind A/S

Advisory Team of the Year - Infrastructure & Capital Projects Business Lawyer of the Year - Croatia Investment Management Firm of the Year Croatia Danish CEO of the Year New Energy Company of the Year - Denmark

Finance Team of the Year - Canada

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Winners

Dominican Republic Leandro Corral, Estrella & Tupete Estonia ANF Technology Limited Europe Kreos Capital Nordic Real Estate Partners Kreos Capital

Business Lawyer of the Year - Dominican Republic Estonian Product of the Year - NAFEN™ – Aluminium Oxide Nano Fibers European Growth Debt Provider of the Year Northern European Private Equity Real Estate Company of the Year Pan European Strategy of the Year

Finland BLS Stream Gavin Weigh, Rapid Blue Solutions Outotec Outotec Rapid Blue Solutions

Business Excellence Award - Finland CEO of the Year - Finland Finnish Strategy of the Year Overall Company of the Year - Finland Platform of the Year - Finland

France Atfis Atfis

French Finance Team of the Year French Growth Strategy of the Year

Germany ezono Allan R. Dunbar, ezono Fiege Logistik Stiftung & Co. KG tocario Gibraltar Hassans Hassans

Business Excellence Award - Gibraltar Overall Financial Services Company of the Year - Gibraltar

Global Spotify Variant Somolend Somo Deal Market Jevgeni Kabanov, Zero Turnaround Sophono Vijay Shekhar Sharma, one 97 Sanford Selman, Asia West Funds Lukas Burkhard, SCM Strategic Capital Management AG INTELLIGENT PAYMENTS GROUP LTD Sightline Systems Hoot Suite Hong Kong Douglas Clayton, Leopard Capital Ltd Hungary Forgó, Damjanovic & Partners Law Firm Gábor Damjanovic , Forgó, Damjanovic & Partners Law Firm India Intelligere Magma Fincorp Ltd Dr Vedula Gopinath, advocate

Commitment to Business Excellence - eZono™ 3000 German CEO of the Year - Healthcare German Logistics Company of the Year German Software Company of the Year

Acquisition of the Year - Spotify Acquisition of Tunigo Commitment to Investment Transparency Debt-Based Funding Platform of the Year Global Full Service Mobile Marketing Company of the Year Global Private Equity Platform of the Year Global Software CEO of the Year Medical Manufactuer of the Year Most Admired Entrepreneur of the Year Non-Executive Chairman of the Year Overall Vice President of the Year Payment Service Provider of the Year Real Time Operations Solution of the Year Social Media Management Dashboard of the Year CEO of the Year - Hong Kong Law Firm of the Year - Hungary Managing Partner of the Year - Hungary

Advisory Team of the Year - India Business Excellence Award - India Business Lawyer of the Year - India

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Ashish Bhasin, Aegis Media Sanofi India The Four Fountains Amar Deep Singh, Interactive Venues Dr J Vijay Venkatraman, Oviya MedSafe Pvt. Ltd. Dr Vedula Gopinath, advocate

Chairman of the Year - India Commitment to Healthcare - India Hospitality Chain of the Year - India Indian CEO of the Year - Digital Media Managing Director of the Year - India Transformation Agent of the Year - India

Ireland Martin Welschof, Opsona Therapeutics Ltd

CEO of the Year - Ireland

Israel Fattal

Business Excellence Award - Hospitality

Italy Okairos Okarios RTR Rete Rinnovabile Paolo Lugiato, RTR Rete Rinnovabile

Break Through Medical Product of the Year Clinical-Stage Biopharmaceutical Company of the Year - Italy European Solar Power Producer of the Year Italian CEO of the Year - Energy

Netherlands XSML Alex Goldblum, Eurofiber

Business Excellence Award - The Netherlands Dutch CEO of the Year

New Zealand Minter Ellison Rudd Watts David Thomson, Buddle Findlay Cameron Taylor , Minter Ellison Rudd Watts

Business Excellence Award - New Zealand Lawyer of the Year - New Zealand Partner of the Year - New Zealand

Norway Erik Sandersen, Incitia Ventures Jens Petter Falck , Incitia

Partner of the Year - Norway Private Equity Partner of the Year - Norway

Portugal Web Details

Company of the Year - Portugal

Russia Marina Kolesnik, Oktogo

Russian CEO of the Year

Singapore Willson Cuaca, Apps Foundry South Africa SA Corporate Real Estate Fund Dave Mortimer, Mortimer Harvey (Pty) Ltd Laurence Rapp, Vukile Property Fund Pionner Foods HPF Knife Capital SA Corporate Real Estate Fund Spain Lucas Carné, Privalia IMICROQ SL Privalia Privalia IMICROQ SL

Singapore-based Indonesian Technology Entrepreneur of the Year Business Excellence Award - South Africa CEO of the Year - South Africa Forward Thinking CEO of the Year - South Africa Growth Strategy of the Year - South Africa Investment Vehicle of the Year - South Africa Partner of the Year - South Africa Real Estate Investment Trust of the Year - South Africa Spanish Entrepreneur of the Year Emerging Company of the Year - Spain Fashion E-tailor of the Year - Spain Growth Strategy of the Year - Spain Spanish Advisory Team of the Year

Sri Lanka Business Excellence Award - Sri Lanka Compass Synergies Private Ltd Darshan Maralanda, Compass Synergies Private CEO of the Year - Sri Lanka Ltd Sweden Novestra

SME Investment Firm of the Year - Sweden

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David Flynn, NYX Interactive iZettle Betsson AB Johan Heijbel, Novestra

Swedish CEO of the Year Swedish Financial Product of the Year - iZettle Swedish Gaming Investor of the Year Swedish Managing Director of the Year

Switzerland id est avocats. Urs Haeusler, DealMarket Dr Francesco Dell’Endice, QualySense AG MilleniumAssociates AG Sébastien Bettschart, Abels Patrick C. Price, IDEALIZER AG Stephan Rind, OTI Greentech AG Kellerhals Anwälte Beat Brechbühl, Kellerhals Anwälte swissminds AG SCHOEB attorneys at law

Business Acumen Award - Switzerland Most Trusted CEO of the Year - Switzerland Overall CEO of the Year - Switzerland Swiss Independent Firm of the Year Swiss Business Lawyer of the Year Swiss CEO of the Year - Digital Media Swiss CEO of the Year - Green Engineering Swiss Legal Team of the Year Swiss Managing Partner of the Year Swiss Platform of the Year Swiss Sports Law Firm of the Year

UK Melissa Burton, Goody Good Stuff Mendeley Sphere Fluidics Limited Grace Hotels Electra Partners John McMorrow, Energy Assets Marc Ghione, Apptitude Media Carlon Advisors Shutl Alkane Robert Smith, Serco Group plc Apptitude Media payleven Blue Energy Co Jonathan Quinn, Ultromex Darwin Strategic Essence Digital James Phipps, Excalibur Communications Marble Hill Partners Ltd Gatehouse Bank Opus Fund Services Royal London Group Apptitude Media Mark Aldridge, Better Capital Private Equity Recruitment Ltd Philippe M.E. Requin, Grace Hotels Giles Derry, Dunedin Neill Ricketts, Versarien Cerner Limited Ana Stewart, i-Design Group Ltd Downing LLP Mathias Plank William Hill Innovation Group Steve Owens, LOVEUROPE Bill Westwater, Xeros Ltd Scott Haddow, Trustmarque Solutions David Marock, Charles Taylor plc Stewart Schneider-Loos, 20Cube Richard Leftley, MicroEnsure & MicroEnsure Asia Alex Chesterman, Zoopla Property Group Kieran Byrne, Waste Beater Bradbury Hamilton Limited Osprey Capital

Best Entrepreneur in EMEA Best Free UK Product of the Year Best UK Early Stage Investment Boutique Hotel Group of the Year Buyouts & Growth Capital Investment Strategy of the Year CFO of the Year - UK CMO of the Year - UK Commercial Due Diligence Provider of the Year Commitment to Innovation - UK Commitment to the UK Clean Tech Sector Compliance Director of the Year - UK Digital Media Portfolio of the Year - UK Emerging Financial Services Company of the Year - UK Energy Executive Team of the Year Engineering CEO of the Year - UK Equity and Equity Led Investor of the Year - UK Fastest Growing Company of the Year - UK Innovative CEO of the Year - UK Interim Management Specialist of the Year Islamic Bank of the Year - UK Most Innovative Growth Strategy of the Year - UK Mutual Insurance Company of the Year Online Magazine Publisher of the Year - UK Overall CEO of the Year PE Recruitment Firm of the Year - UK Pioneer in Hospitality - CEO of the Year Private Equity Chairman of the Year - UK Regional CEO of the Year Relationship Focused Mangement Team of the Year Scottish CEO of the Year Tax Efficient Investment Manager of the Year - UK Top Ten Investment of the Year - $3M funding round / Conor and North Zone UK Betting Company of the Year UK BPO Company of the Year UK CEO of the Year - Advertising UK CEO of the Year - Clean Tech UK CEO of the Year - Infrastructure Solutions UK CEO of the Year - Insurance UK CEO of the Year - Logistics UK CEO of the Year - Micro Insurance UK CEO of the Year - Real Estate UK CEO of the Year - Recycling UK Charted Financial Planners of the Year UK Enterprise Investor of the Year

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Sanlam UK KickSport Connection Capital Phagenesis

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MBA HIG Capital Paul Thomas, Haystack Dryers

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Haystack Dryers Athena Security Solutions Christopher Widsocks PRICE BAILEY PRIVATE CLIENT LLP Merchandise Mania

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Capella PR IOVOX Xeros Ltd Sib Group Intel Capital Masabi Marc Ghione, Apptitude Media United Arab Emirates Sovereign Coroprate Services JLT John Hanafin, Sovereign Corporate Services JLT

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USA Abdol Moabery, GA Telesis Revolution Dancewear Dave Berkus Glenn E. Tynan, Curtiss-Wright Corporation Guidepost Solutions LLC Jonas Jacobi, Kaazing Corporation Elevate Services, Inc. Elevate Services, Inc. Dr Jock Percy, Perseus telecom Rex Capital Partners Viscogliosi Bros., LLC ekn links Sun & Skin Care Research, LLC Vixtel Inc. GMSI ACE Hotel Brokers Inc. Michael Shea, Bolder Healthcare Solutions Stephen A. Francis, Dovetail Insurance Corporation Polina Braunstein, Quake Global CMC Consulting Boston, Inc.

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UK Growth Management Growth Strategy of the Year UK Investment of the Year - Catapult Makes Further Investment into KickSport UK Investment Strategy of the Year UK Launch of the Year - Phagenesis Launches First Treatment for Acute Dysphagia UK Leading Independent Agency of the Year UK LBO Team of the Year UK Managing Director of the Year Manufacturing UK Market Leader of the Year UK Overall Company of the Year - Security Services UK PR Manager of the Year UK Private Client Team of the Year UK Promotional Corporate Gifts Company of the Year UK Public Relation Firm of the Year UK Real Time Analytics Company of the Year UK Sector Product of the Year - Xeros Polymer Bead Cleaning UK Social Investor of the Year UK Technology Company of the Year UK Transport Product of the Year - Masabi Visionary of the Year - UK

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Management Consultants of the Year - UAE Managing Director of the Year - UAE

Page 6 Aviation CEO of the Year - USA Brand of the Year - USA Business Acumen Award - USA CFO of the Year - USA Claims Consultancy of the Year - USA Commitment to Innovation Award Commitment to Legal Efficiency Commitment to US Sustainabilty Finance Practitioner of the Year - USA Investment Advisory Team of the Year - USA Page 12 Medical Merchant Banking Firm of the Year Small Business Strategy Firm of the Year - USA South East Construction Company of the Year Telecoms Company of the Year TMT Emerging Company of the Year - USA USA Business Excellence Award - Hospitality Brokerage USA CEO of the Year - Healthcare USA CEO of the Year - Insurance

USA CEO of the Year - Telecoms USA Dealmaker of the Year - acquisition of the Italian company Sigmar by the French Group Fareva ACE Hotel Brokers Inc. USA Emerging Company of the Year Verdent USA Green Deal of the Year - Verdant Action Hybrid Power System Developer Windstrip EDG Partners USA Growth Strategy of the Year - Healthcare Creation Investments Capital Management, LLC USA Impact Investor of the Year Quake Global USA Management Team of the Year Natera USA Medical Product of the Year - Panorama Warren Bergen, AVAC Ltd. Vice President of the Year - USA Vietnam VINGROUP Business Excellence Award - Vietnam Nguyen Gia Huy Chuong, Phuoc & Partners LLP Business Lawyer of the Year - Vietnam Phuoc & Partners LLP Emerging Company of the Year - Vietnam

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Awards

Aviation CEO of the Year – USA Abdol Moabery In the eleven years since its inception, GA Telesis and its Founder and CEO Abdol Moabery have seen and lived through some of the most difficult situations and have still been able to maintain a 35% CAGR.

In the months following the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and SARS, the airline industry started a free-fall that would not end for the foreseeable future. Airlines started filing for bankruptcy protection and financial institutions were distancing themselves from aviation. Abdol Moabery saw this as an opening and figured that when the market was at its bottom, there was no way to go but up. The question he couldn’t answer was whether it really was at its bottom. He was adamant that, even if he was not right on timing, the market would be ever-changing and that would lead to opportunity. He felt that commercial aviation and the business around it needed to be redefined. In April of 2002 he set out on his quest in what has become the globally recognised GA Telesis. Can you provide a brief description of GA Telesis and its offerings? GA Telesis is a global aerospace company that provides solutionsbased services to airlines and military and defence customers around the world. We provide everything in the form a service, not a sale transaction. Meaning, we look more towards the value add as opposed to the product. Why should this customer do business with us versus one of our competitors? How can we differentiate ourselves? How do we make ourselves important to the customer? Whether that comes in the form of leasing a Boeing 747 to an airline in Asia or performing a complete overhaul of its jet engines, or even getting a replacement part to airplane in a remote part of the world, we make sure the customer is our top priority.

focus on our airline customers and they took notice. We started off with smaller customers and before we knew it, we were working with Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines. At that point I realised the philosophy worked and what I had to figure out was how to scale it.

So how did you get from there to becoming a global leader in your industry?

Was this your plan 11 years ago when you founded the company?

I would say first and foremost that we put a lot of stock into our reputation. We really did our best not to let our customers down. Our philosophy was “if our customer is in trouble, we are in trouble.” At that time airlines were filing for bankruptcy protection and we were quite exposed. However, we worked through it and felt that by working with our customers, they would work with us when things got better that is exactly what happened. From that point we started to leverage our business model and expand our service offerings.

I guess to a degree yes. I started the company with a total of six people and at that time we were small and nimble and could really

By 2006 there was quite a bit of interest in our company and its growth. We received numerous offers to buy the company. I wasn’t

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

“

What we do, in great part, did not exist in China before we started our joint-venture and we are both very proud to be the first ones into such an exciting market. ready to retire and had the opportunity to stay in and bring in Merrill Lynch (now Bank of America Merrill Lynch) on as a substantial, but non-controlling shareholder.

munity was new. We could tell that something was coming, but did not know what. Then in December it hit us and we found ourselves concerned since our shareholder was in the thick of it.

What did bringing on a shareholder like BAML do for you?

We quickly grouped and came up with a strategy to sustain the business. Reduce cost without impacting headcount (no lay-offs), maintain market share and pay off all debt as soon as possible. What concerned me most was the debt we had. It wasn’t out of proportion to our business, but the banks in our syndicates were in trouble and we did not know if they would survive. Additionally, some were being taken over by banks that did not have experience in aviation while others were international and being seized by their respective governments. It was scary, but we had a solid strategy and execution was key to our survival. By March of 2011, our net debt was zero.

They brought a multitude of transaction and structural experience to the company. They taught us how to better model financial aspects of our business. They also helped us to institutionalise the company and bring it to the next level. Finally, the capital infusion and debt products allowed us to expand into a state-of-the-art component distribution operation in the UK, let us build out a larger leasing portfolio and take our first run at M&A.

Did your strategy change? You had a healthy CAGR up to that point; did you decide to enhance growth through acquisitions? Yes and no. We definitely wanted to continue our organic growth, but I felt it was a good time to venture into additional service-based-solutions, so we acquired the component aftermarket maintenance business of Curtiss Wright. Acquiring Curtiss Wright Accessory Services and rebranding it as GA Telesis Component Repair Group SE, afforded us the opportunity to further integrate our businesses up the customers’ value-chain. We immediately followed that acquisition with another and then another and then took a huge step when we acquired Helsinki, Finland based Finnair Engine Services, the engine overhaul unit of Finnair.

How did the financial crisis impact your growth strategy? We brought on ML as a shareholder in June of 2007. We had fresh capital, fresh credit lines and a lot of ambition. We started building our leasing business and acquiring businesses. By Q3 of 2008, we started to see things in the market that were new. Remember, we started just after 9/11 and SARS and we lived through the worst recession for aviation in its history, but what we started to see in the banking com-

You did two major deals in Asia last year. You sold a 20% stake in GA Telesis to Century Tokyo Leasing and you formed a 50/50 joint-venture with Air China. Is this part of a new Asia focused strategy? Let’s face it, Asia is booming and in our sector is experiencing high single digit growth year-on-year. It is also important to note that China is one of the world’s largest markets for air travel. With a population in excess of 1.3 billion people there is no country that has so many potential air passengers. Currently the US moves about 900 million travellers per year. It is expected that China will over-take this in the coming decades. In fact Beijing Capital International Airport is set to overtake Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport as the world’s busiest airport this year. Where there are more flights there stands a greater need for our services. Air China is the flag carrier and largest airline in China and one of the largest in the world. When I came up with the idea and shared it with Air China’s leadership, they loved the innovation. What we do, in great part, did not exist in China before we started our joint-venture and we are both very proud to be the first ones into such an exciting market. Our JV, GA Innovation China (GAIC) commenced early this year and is fully operational.

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Awards

Taking on CTL as the newest shareholder of GA Telesis was a nobrainer. They approached us on an asset transaction a few years ago that didn’t materialise, but we got to know them a little. We did not even broach the investment concept until 2012, but quickly realised we were like-minded and we understood and agreed with their strategy. Since their acquisition we have learned a lot from them and them from us. CTL is a major player in the leasing sector with over $30 billion in assets and about $8 billion in revenues. They bring a lot of ideas to the table. It is as if we have a full-fledged working office representing our interests in Tokyo and beyond.

What was your reaction to winning the Aviation CEO of the Year Award? It is always nice to be recognised for one’s accomplishments. My family has sacrificed a lot for me to be in this position and I am extremely grateful for their support. The fact is that I would not be here if it wasn’t for my wife’s commitment to our business and our family. She is my muse when I need ideas and my rock when I need support. I am also proud of my extended family, namely the hundreds of team members that helped make GA Telesis’ success happen. I am proud to say that we have very low turnover. My original salesman (employee #1) is now Vice President & Deputy General Manager of our JV in Beijing, China, GAIC. My Chief Financial Officer and Chief Commercial Officer are still in their original roles, but obviously in a much larger and global organisation. The GA Telesis team is what makes this organisation different and ever-growing.

How would you describe your leadership style? Has this evolved over time? When we were a small company, I was a micro-manger because I could do so effectively. However, as we grew I came to realise that this was not only ineffective, but also inefficient. I had to let go and that was difficult. Additionally, over the years I learned to empower my managers and allow them to make key decisions. That too was hard. I remember when I appointed my first divisional president everyone thought I wouldn’t actually hand over the reigns as I agreed, but rather be con-

trolling from afar. I think I even surprised myself with that one. Now, it is quite commonplace to empower my leadership with full authority to make decisions. Finally, I also learned that it was important to listen more than I speak. That certainly wasn’t easy for me since my ADD kicked in about 10 seconds into any conversation.

Will your leadership style continue to evolve? Yes and here’s why: while I am still a major shareholder of the company, I am not the sole proprietor. I owe my shareholders an organisation that can live, breath and function with or without me. That includes everything I described above, but also a succession plan that bolsters the management strength of the company.

What are your predictions for GA Telesis for the rest of 2013? We accomplished so much in 2013. However, we still have a lot of work to do. We have made a decision to slow down our M&A activities for the rest of the year and work on integrating our new businesses with a solid focus on earnings and organic growth.

“This entails a different mind-set and we are work-

ing very hard at understanding what the unique drivers are for each of our global businesses so that we can ensure success.”

Company: GA Telesis Name: Abdol Moabery Email: info@gatelesis.com Web: www.gatelesis.com Address: 1850 N.W. 49th Street, Fort. Lauderdale, Florida 33309, USA Telephone: +1 (954) 676-3111 ext. 2108

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Awards

UK CEO of the Year - Clean Tech Bill Westwater, Xeros Ltd

UK Sector Product of the Year Xeros Polymer Bead Cleaning

Bill Westwater, CEO of Xeros and winner of our UK CEO of the Year award in the Clean Tech category, gives Acquisition International some insight into the company, its winning product, and his professional background.

There are relatively few things that we do today that we did fifty, one hundred or five hundred years ago. However, washing clothes with water and detergent is one of them. But climate change and an ever-growing population are affecting the way we use our natural resources. How we manage the world’s water supply and meet current and future demand is one of the global issues facing governments, business and society. Xeros offers a real solution to this growing problem and demonstrates what can be achieved to create a more sustainable society with its groundbreaking technology that largely takes the water out of the wash through its polymer bead cleaning process. Bill Westwater was delighted to accept UK CEO of the Year for taking Xeros from a spin-out company from the University of Leeds to one of the country’s leading green businesses, whose innovative cleaning system is set to revolutionise the commercial and domestic laundry industries. “We have a big but simple idea: to convert the traditional world of aqueous washing to Xeros bead cleaning,” he explained. “Our superior cleaning method delivers a whole variety of benefits to people, businesses and the environment. “The award is a terrific accolade for the team. The last twelve months in particular, have been among the most exciting and challenging for Xeros. Not only did we succeed in raising significant investment to take the business to the next stage, but we also achieved our objective of validating our

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

technology in the States with installations in key segments of the market. We are now well placed to accelerate our journey towards changing the way the world cleans its clothes, forever.” Xeros provides an alternative to traditional water-based and solvent-based laundering systems and garment cleaning technologies. Its patented technology, which is the result of pioneering research originally carried out at the Textile Design department of the University of Leeds, comprises a washing machine designed to release polymer beads during the washing cycle. Unlike water, Xeros beads are designed for cleaning. Their physical and chemical properties have been tuned to increase agitation in the wash and absorb soil. Combined with a proprietary detergent solution, the result is a cleaning medium that is even better than water. And perhaps more surprisingly the Xeros system delivers these superior cleaning results by utilising at least 70% less water, 50% less heat and approximately 50% less detergent. The dirt and vagrant dye from soiled garments are attracted and absorbed by the beads, producing cleaner results than aqueous washing methods. The polymer beads have a lifespan of hundreds of washes before being collected and recycled. “Xeros is an excellent example of the UK’s ability to be a global leader in the field of environmentally friendly technology,” commented Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, Minister of State for Trade and Investment.

Growth Mr Westwater joined Xeros midway through 2008. He elaborated: “My background was primarily in the blue-chip sector with the likes of P&G, Royal Dutch Shell and Hutchinson Whampoa, but I also had gained expertise in corporate partnering and venture financing within the cleantech sector, which the investment team behind Xeros were looking for.” Under his stewardship, the company has grown steadily from a handful of scientists in 2008 to a firm employing a highly skilled workforce of over thirty. A world class R&D centre for polymer cleaning in Sheffield is the company’s engine for a pipeline of innovation. The company’s R&D strategy has been carefully developed around a patent filing programme, fully associated with its technology, in various stages of examination, or already been granted. The growth of the company and the commercialisation of its technology have been achieved by funding from private investment and government R&D grants. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg whose constituency in Sheffield is home to Xeros, said: “As a local MP I’m always delighted to celebrate our region’s successful, green and innovative local businesses. Xeros is a great example of how going green is good for our economy.” Milestones At every stage of development, Xeros has achieved independent verification of the system’s environmental, cleaning and cost benefits, all of which have contributed to the credibility and reputation of the company. Key milestones for Xeros include validation by the influential Hohenstein Institute (Europe’s leading textile care centre) for its environmentally-friendly cleaning in 2010, and earning acclaim from TIME Magazine as one of the ‘Best Inventions’ of the year. In 2011, Xeros completed successful field trials at two of the UK’s largest laundry and cleaning operations, proving the environmental and cost advantages of its technology. It also received the government-endorsed ‘Climate Week Award’ as the best technological breakthrough. These developments paved the way for Xeros to enter the US market in 2012 and to make its first commercial sales in the UK with Johnsons Group, which was celebrated with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg cutting the ribbon on the first Xeros system. And, as the company started 2013, it closed a £10 million funding round and cemented its presence in the States by validating its system in all three distinct segments of the

commercial laundry market: Hotel On Premise Laundry, Industrial Laundry and Retail Dry Cleaners. The £10 million raise included new and existing investors with new investor Invesco Perpetual managed funds leading the round. The funding has put Xeros in a strong position for the future. Not only is it enabling the company to accelerate the roll-out of its commercial laundry cleaning system, but it is also supporting the rapid development of a household system to replace conventional washing machines. “We are well on track with miniaturising our technology for the home environment, and we have struck a landmark deal with the chemical company BASF to jointly develop polymer beads based on engineering plastics that will increase Xeros cleaning power in laundry applications,” said Mr Westwater. And the prize is huge – both financially and for the environment. The global laundry market is worth $100 billion per annum, and Xeros offers a potential replacement technology to conventional methods that is akin to what James Dyson achieved in the vacuum cleaning sector. As for the environment, in the UK, domestic washing machines consume approximately 50 litres of water per wash. The UK is a microcosm for the rest of the world in that more and more demands are being placed on the amount of water we use. Mr Westwater concluded: “Climate change and a growing population will affect the way we use our natural resources and water is arguably our most precious commodity. We have calculated that if all UK households converted to Xeros cleaning this would save 400 million tonnes of fresh water per annum. Imagine how much water we can save globally.”

Company: Xeros Ltd Name: Bill Westwater Email: bill.westwater@xeroscleaning.com Web: www.xeroscleaning.com Address: Unit 14 Evolution, Advanced Manufacturing Park, Whittle Way, Rotherham, S60 5BL, UK Telephone: + 44 (0)114 2699 656

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Awards

Medical Merchant Banking Firm of the Year Viscogliosi Bros. LLC Anthony G. Viscogliosi, Principal of Viscogliosi Bros. LLC (VB), describes the firm, its recent achievements and its reaction to winning the Business Excellence Award.

VB was founded in New York in 1999 by Anthony, John and Marc Viscogliosi. The firm was the first investment banking and VC institution to focus exclusively on the emergent orthopaedic device industry.

VB was formed to develop nascent technologies in orthopaedics – notably Spine Solutions Inc – the replacement spinal disk innovator that VB sold to Synthes in 2003 for $350 mm. Since then VB has raised more than $500 mm in PE/VC funds, while securing exits from investments in several other orthopaedics companies that generated transactions valued at more than $1 billion. Since VB’s founding, global revenues in orthopaedic devices have grown from less than $10 billion to more than $40 billion in annualised sales in 2012. “We view this award as recognition for our pioneering work in orthopaedics – both in helping to bring to market innovative technologies but also the nurturing of an industry responsible for relieving pain and suffering among the millions that suffer from arthritis and severe trauma to bones and joints,” said Mr Viscogliosi. “The award also marks a decade since the market-changing acquisition of Spine Solutions that transformed the field of joint arthroplasty.” Mr Viscogliosi highlighted that VB was the first banking company to identify and categorise for investors the orthopaedic device market – as distinct from ‘medical products’. The major public companies then and now include J&J/Synthes, Medtronic, Smith & Nephew, Zimmer, Stryker and Biomet. VB has also helped private equity investors recognise the continuing long term growth potential of the orthopaedics category by supporting emerging companies that have helped fuel market growth and profitability during the past decade.

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Like Spine Solutions Inc., many of these companies have been acquired by the major companies mentioned above. “As an extension of its business model, VB has created or acquired entities in the professional services sector of the orthopaedics industry,” continued Mr Viscogliosi. “This includes the Washington DC-based MCRA LLC that since 2004 has helped manufacturers and device developers navigate the regulatory process to bring new products to market. Other initiatives include recruitment, financial advisory services, research and specialty publishing.” Mr Viscogliosi observed that the market recovery in the last 12 months has helped health care providers begin to implement plans that had been on hold and, more specifically, increased demand for advanced technology to treat the smaller bones and joints in a market still dominated by hip and knee replacements. Discussing the challenging market conditions, he noted that the continuing need for specialist personnel and VB’s development of professional service offerings has led the firm to utilise its real estate holdings in Connecticut as a lower cost alternative to New York City. In terms of technological developments, Mr Viscogliosi stated that recognising the potential of certain new technologies is central to VB’s model. However, he believes that the huge cost of bringing to market totally new orthopaedic solutions remains a barrier to growth. Looking to VB’s growth strategy, Mr Viscogliosi stated that the firm needs to access business opportunities in the service area to complement investments in manufacturing.

“MCRA, which stands for Musculoskeletal Clinical Regulatory Advisors, is now a leader in helping manufacturers address the challenges of meeting the needs of regulators, insurers, surgeons and, of course, patients,” he commented. “The toughest challenge to our industry is managing the continuous downward pressure on prices when developmental and regulatory costs escalate. Working closely with leading surgeons, we are addressing the ‘continuum of care’ in orthopaedics. By this I mean breaking down the process of joint degeneration into more categories to bridge the gap between conservative and radical treatments. Our understanding of the human anatomy is now much deeper than it was just a decade ago. “We can better analyse and diagnose conditions to the extent that radical surgery such as a joint replacement can be either averted or postponed using new approaches and treatments,” concluded Mr Viscogliosi.

Key Milestones for Viscogliosi Bros. LLC 2003 Sale of Spine Solutions Inc to Synthes for $350mm 2006 Raised largest ever private equity funding for an orthopaedics startup (Small Bone Innovations Inc.) from institutional investors of $42.2 mm 2008 Raised $39 mm for Series C funding for Paradigm Spine 2009 Received US FDA Approval to market the STAR ankle replacement technology 2013 Sold Knee Creations LLC to Zimmer.

Company: Viscogliosi Bros. LLC Name: Anthony G. Viscogliosi, Co-Founder & Principal Email: aviscogliosi@vbllc.com Web Address: www.vbllc.com Address: 505 Park Avenue, 14th floor, New York NY 10022 Telephone: +1 (212) 583-9700

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Italian CEO of the Year and Energy & European Solar Power Producer of the Year Paolo Lugiato - RTR - Rete Rinnovabile Paolo Lugiato, CEO of RTR – Rete Rinnovabile, speaks to Acquisition International to discuss the company, its achievements, and his role as CEO. RTR – Rete Rinnovabile is the largest European producer of electricity from the sun. With 300 MWp of photovoltaics plants, in only three years, RTR has become a benchmark in its field. Paolo Lugiato, CEO, who has been in charge of the company from the onset, has had previous experience with Novapower (part of the Ariston Group dealing with renewable energy) and with the consulting company McKinsey & Co.

“But this success,” he added, “would not have been possible without an exceptional team of professionals: from asset managers to the legal team, from business development to finance to HSE (Health, Safety and Environment), all of my co-workers face issues that are innovative and specific and require constant updating, a high level of professionalism and great personal commitment.”

“Creating a European champion in such an innovative field was an exciting experience,” explained Mr Lugiato. “In three years we have gone from 0 to €132 million turnover, with 117 plants throughout Italy.”

Mr Lugiato has a management style that is both open and collaborative, with no unnecessary formalities or hierarchies. However, he asks for a commitment that is not limited to working hours but aimed at reaching individual goals. “I have co-workers who come in on public holidays or work impossible hours if necessary” he points out. This joint effort creates a strong sense of community and a greater satisfaction, as emerged from an internal anonymous questionnaire.

Such rapid growth was made possible thanks to a targeted acquisition strategy and the standing of assets, each integrated into a system that generates productive and economic efficiency. Thanks also to the support from the shareholder Terra Firma, RTR has become a point of reference in an Italian and European market that is very fragmented, not only as far as plants are concerned but also regarding specific skills, talent and experience. New technologies in energy efficiency are tested and evaluated in the field in the light of previous experience and made operative adding percentage points according to energy efficiency throughout production. “Such a performance has been possible thanks to my previously held positions in companies in this field, of which I have a thorough understanding,” said Mr Lugiato. “Knowledge of renewable energy coupled with a strong strategic vision and tight control of targets and economic results have been the key to success.”

The growth of RTR is just beginning. The acquisition strategy of plants in Italy will continue, with the aim of consolidating leadership. RTR is proof that investing in photovoltaic plants is rational and profitable. But there is one point that is important to Mr Lugiato: Italian character. “The fund that gave birth to RTR is English: they could have invested anywhere, they chose Italy and they chose a team – starting with me – of Italians, with the aim of creating a ‘national champion’. I am very proud that on this occasion Italy has shown its better side and has demonstrated – as so often in its industrial past – it can generate avant-garde realities in the world. A reality that creates skilled jobs in a hi-tech sector, growth and development, respect for the environment and environmental sustainability,” he concluded.

Company: RTR – Rete Rinnovabile Name: Paolo Lugiato Email: paolo.lugiato@rtrenergy.it Web: www.rtrenergy.it Address: Viale Regina Margherita, 279, 00198 Rome, Italy Telephone: +39 06 64893202

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Awards

Singapore-based Indonesian Technology Entrepreneur of the Year Willson Cuaca, Apps Foundry Pte Ltd Willson Cuaca, CEO of Apps Foundry Pte Ltd., discusses his career, his company and its strategy. Apps Foundry is based in Singapore with an office in Jakarta, Indonesia. The company’s vision is to change the way consumers receive quality content through new forms of devices such as tablets and smartphones.

“In my career I love to experiment with new things,” he enthused. “In the late 90’s, when the internet had just arrived in this region, I dived into the internet technology and became the leading Cisco Certified Instructor in Indonesia.

“To bring quality content to the tablet, we first adopted the form of media that consumers have been comfortable with – magazines,” he explained. “The initial product got good traction and we quickly brought over more content onto our platform. Starting with 25 magazine titles, within two years we have over 600 magazine and newspaper titles and tens of thousands of books, our 1st version of SCOOP was downloaded by 30,000 user in its first 3 days, now it has been downloaded by millions of users and growing double digit in month by month. SCOOP is also always listed as top 5 grossing application on Indonesia app store and one of top application on Philippines app store.”

“In the early 2000’ when internet hit the corporate sector, internet security and infrastructure became necessity and played a core role in corporate structure. corporate started building a reliable and secure company’s network. i got involved in designing and securing over 200 mid to large corporates’ internet infrastructure in Singapore and one of very few professional with leading internet security certificatio that time. Now, mobile internet has become the latest new wave that changes the way we live and consume media. I’d like to contribute to this new trend through my product, SCOOP.”

Apps Foundry believes in local execution, while continuing the think about the global market. This can be seen in its product, where over 90% of the publishers in the company’s local market have joined it. These are publishers who have no been addressed to its potential. Our publisher partners have extended to all South East Asia, India, UK and Brazil. Apps Foundry has received a number of venture-funding rounds from Japan investors in Japan, China and Singapore to fuel its growth, and Mr Cuaca believes that the company is now ready for global expansion. Commenting on his reaction to winning the Business Excellence Award, Mr Cuaca said: “It’s kind of surprise and excitement at the same time and I would like to share this complement with my team. Without them, we wouldn’t be what we are today.” Mr Cuaca started his professional career as Head of IT Infrastructure at one of the largest agricultural companies in Jakarta. He then moved to Singapore in 2001, where he remains to this day.

Scoop is a platform for distribution, helping traditional media companies and ushering them into the new digital era by helping monetize their premium content, i.e. magazines, books and newspapers. Mr Cuaca stated that the platform is fast moving and agile, able to solve local problems and add value to current value chains. Commenting on his plans to further develop the product, Mr Cuaca stated that Apps Foundy moves and fights on multiple fronts now. Other than expanding geographically, the company is also moving into different verticals with new products that are coming soon. “It’s all about media distribution,” he elaborated. “We have the platform, users and understand their behaviours. We would like to leverage on that create more value to our partners and users.” He concluded: “We are in the era that will never be repeated: the era of information overloaded, connected and mobile. Opportunities are everywhere; it comes really fast and people’s response to it is almost immediate. It is really exciting and unpredictable.”

Company: Apps Foundry Pte Ltd Name: Willson Cuaca Email: Willson@apps-foundry.com Web: www.getscoop.com Address: 35B Mosque Street, Singapore 059513 Telephone: +65 93800787

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Swedish CEO of the Year David Flynn David Flynn, Chief Executive Officer of NYX Interactive AB, discusses the company, his career and his management style. NYX Interactive has in a short time become one of the world’s leading independent and total suppliers of systems for digitally distributed gaming entertainment. NYX Interactive, an associate member of the World Lottery Association, specialises in developing gaming system solutions for World Lottery Association members, media companies and both private and publicly listed Gaming companies for regulated markets world-wide.

Mr Flynn joined NYX Interactive in January 2010 as COO, and moved to the role of CEO in July 2010. He explained that, prior to joining the company, he was looking for a new challenge in the igaming industry. He focused on innovative software companies looking to make a name for themselves in the market and felt that he could really contribute to NYX with his knowledge of the sector.

Discussing his reaction to winning the award, Mr Flynn commented: “Initially, I was very honoured to hear that I had been put forward as a candidate by my peers in the industry. When I received notification that indeed I had won the Swedish CEO of the Year award, I was shocked. NYX Interactive has certainly created an excellent business. We are indeed enjoying spectacular growth, but I have to say that this is most definitely due to the team we have in place. This award really goes to them.”

His greatest achievement as CEO to date has been rewarding the team at NYX Interactive for their individual roles played in transforming NYX from a business with a consulting focus, to a successful, growing, product focused company with innovative market leading products.

Having a scientific background, many are shocked to hear that Mr Flynn has a Master’s Degree in Meterology and used to work in this field for the UK Met Office. “The public sector was just too slow paced for me, so I soon looked to the private sector and moved into operations management, initially in the UK and then later in France,” he explained. Mr Flynn moved to Sweden in 2003, where he started to work in a small company called Ongame e-solutions AB as a member of the Management Team. During the following three years, Ongame rapidly grew from 20 persons to over 360, picking up numerous awards along the way. “This intense period culminated in the sale of Ongame in 2006,” he continued. “I have stayed in the iGaming sector ever since, taking the role of COO at another leading iGaming software provider, based in the UK.”

“NYX are here for the long run,” he enthused. “Our growth is both organic and via acquisition. We are reviewing new markets for expansion of our products and services and indeed new media through which to deliver them. The future is bright!” Looking ahead in 2013/14, Mr Flynn highlighted a Juniper Research report that mobile gambling netted $20bn in revenue in 2011, a figure which is projected to increase by five times over the next five years. “I see that the advancement of smartphone technology will result in a sharp spike in mobile casino gaming, rocketing global mobile gambling revenues to $100bn by 2017,” he predicted. “According to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report, monthly data traffic for every smartphone will rise fourfold between 2013 and 2018 to 1,900 megabytes. Delivery of gadgets that are five inches (just under 13cm) or bigger in screen size will surge by nearly nine-fold to 228 million during the same period. The Gaming Industry and indeed NYX Interactive are going mobile.”

Company: NYX Interactive Name: David Flynn Email:david.flynn@nyxinteractive.com Web: www.nyxinteractive.com Address: Sandhamnsgatan 63c, 11528, Stockholm, Sweden.

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Mutual Insurance Company of the Year Royal London Group Phil Loney, Group Chief Executive of Royal London Group, discusses the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s background, its key achievements and its winning strategy. Founded in 1861, initially as a friendly society dedicated to serving the interests of its members and securing their financial security, Royal London became a mutual life insurance company in 1908. It made sound financial sense back then, and we firmly believe our mutual status is of equal, if not greater, value today. With no shareholders seeking short-term profits or influencing our investment decisions, we can reinvest profits for the benefit of our members and customers.

on the quality of proposition and service for customers and their advisers sits behind the strong growth that we are seeing in our pension, wrap and external fund management sales.

We believe our mutual business structure remains highly relevant and offers distinct advantages to our members and customers.

At the same time, we are progressing well with a direct to consumer proposition which we will update further on in 2014. This division will complement our existing product range sold through advisers by providing simple savings and protection products to consumers who do not have ready access to the services of advisers before making financial decisions.

Our strategy aims to deliver superior customer outcomes through competitive products, great service and strong investment performance for the benefit of our customers and members. We also help our customers to build their financial confidence through innovative services such as MoneyVista, and annually share profits with qualifying members through our discretionary mutual dividend.

We are confident that we are building a powerful business which will allow us to continue delivering a compelling proposition for our customers and members across pensions, protection and investment management. Despite a difficult UK market, we believe the long-term prospects for our business remain positive, with opportunities to further improve the quality of our products, service and investments.

In July 2013 we completed the acquisition of The Cooperative Banking Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life, pensions and asset management businesses. The impact of the acquisition will be reflected in our full year 2013 results and represents a significant increase in the scale of Royal London Group.

We are thrilled to receive this award from Acquisition International in recognition of our continued success, particularly in support of our mutual status. This achievement reflects the dedication of our people and our commitment to working for the long term best interests of our customers and members.

RDR has fundamentally changed the adviser landscape for savings and investment business. There is now no potential for commission levels to bias new product advice given in the market, and our focus

Company: Royal London Group Name: Phil Loney Email: phil.loney@royallondongroup.co.uk Web: www.royallondongroup.co.uk Address: 55 Gracechurch Street, London EC3V 0RL, UK Telephone: +44 (0) 8450 502020

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Awards

Business Excellence Award for OTI Greentech AG AI speaks to Stephan Rind, President & CEO of OTI Greentech AG, to discuss the company, his leadership and his reaction to winning the award. OTI Greentech is a provider of eco-friendly products and solutions for the cleaning, separation, recovery and decontamination of oil and oil-based chemicals. Its environmentally friendly and extremely efficient products and services provide solutions to a wide range of problems, from cleaning cargo tanks at sea to improving recovery of oil in connection with enhanced oil recovery processes and thereby replacing, in whole or part, chemicals that are hazardous to individuals or the environment used to date. The company was awarded the Business Excellence Award 2013 and Stephan Rind was awarded Swiss CEO of the year – Green Engineering by Acquisition International Magazine.

“You are only as good and successful as the team who is supporting your work,” he elaborated. “And I also believe in entrepreneurial structure delegating responsibilities to the team members and having high incentive base compensation schemes in place.”

“Both the Business Excellent Award as well as my CEO Award are awards to the whole team at OTI Greentech,” said Mr Rind. “It makes me very proud to lead such an experienced and highly motivated team. In the last two years we have been able to start the commercialization of our technology in various international markets from Europe to Canada, Russia and the Middle East to name the most important ones. Despite a strong competitive market environment we are turning the company into a leader of environmental friendly solution for the treatment of oil related waste streams.”

“All our products are non-toxic, fully biodegradable and solvent-free,” explained Mr Rind. “Our biggest opportunity however is in the oilsand industry. Canadian oilsands represent with estimated reserves of 180 billion barrels the second largest oil reserve on the planet. Our solutions show significant higher recovery rates than the current standard process. Better recovery rates clearly reduce the amount of waste at the end of process and increases efficiency for the industry.”

Mr Rind joined OTI Greentech in 2011 together with a group of friendly investors taking of the majority of the company. The group broadened the company’s focus from pure oil spill response products to providing sustainable green solutions in cleaning, separating and the recovery of oil. They quickly signed up distribution agreements with large industry players like Brenntag Group or UniService for the maritime market.

In the last year, OTI Greentech has been very successful in the worldwide shipping industry. ECOSOLUT 14 Marine became the market leading product for methanol tankers with almost 18% market share as of today. ECOSOLUT 24 for cleaning vegetable oils is being shipped out now and has 10 times the market potential of E14.

The company opened its first office in Calgary in June and signed a R&D agreement with AITF (Alberta Innovates Technology Future), the worldwide renowned government-backed Research Institute in Alberta. “First trials have been initiated and we are all excited about the prospects. In addition we target the first acquisitions in North America and East Europe to strengthen our local presence and infrastructure,” concluded Mr Rind.

Discussing his leadership style, Mr Rind stated that he clearly believes in the power of teamwork.

Company: OTI Greentech AG Name: Stephan Rind Email: s.rind@oti.ag Web: www.oti.ag Address: Seestrasse 5, 6330 Zug (Switzerland) Telephone: +41 41 7272 100

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Awards

Swiss Independent Firm of the Year Millenium Associates AG Ray Soudah, Founder of MilleniumAssociates AG, gives Acquisition International a detailed look at AI’s Swiss Independent Firm of the Year and explains how the company stands out from the competition. MilleniumAssociates is a leading international Swiss headquartered M&A and Corporate Finance advisory firm. Founded in 2000, the firm originally focused on the financial services industry, however in recent years it has built on this M&A expertise and experience and established a Corporate and Entrepreneurs practice in order to extend its M&A services to corporates and entrepreneurial business owners all over the world. Mr Soudah commented: “We are naturally delighted in winning the Business Excellence Award for Swiss Independent Firm of the Year, as it is a clear testament to Millenium’s commitment to delivering exceptional service and client satisfaction.” Mr Soudah stated that many factors differentiate MilleniumAssociates in the market place, noting that the company more than competes with the larger firms in terms of expertise, global reach and investors’ network. This enables the company to manage to manage the most complex mergers, acquisitions or disposals of companies as well as supporting any IPO or bond/capital market needs.

can now manage any transaction, irrespective of size, industry or global location,” continued Mr Soudah. “We are also proud of the fact that MilleniumAssociates has always had one of the broadest professional networks worldwide, including institutional and private investors. Over recent years we have augmented this with a number of global strategic partnerships in the key growth regions of the world that strengthens our coverage locally and regionally and complements our service offering as required.” A key achievement for MilleniumAssociates, and a validation of its strategy, is that the company has become even closer to its clients. Mr Soudah believes that clients clearly value its independence and lack of conflict, as well as its ability to create tailor-made solutions for them.

“Our independence and lack of conflicts allows us offer totally impartial advice whilst our professional network and nimble size enables us to be creative in finding the most appropriate strategic tailored solutions,” he added.

“We are proud of our reputation and expertise in delivering M&A and corporate finance solutions to the financial services industry and will always have a strong focus to service that sector and its clients, however we recognise our expertise, skills and relationship network enable us to continue to expand our offering and look forward to further expanding our Corporate and Entrepreneur practice with a view to deliver exceptional M&A and corporate finance advice and support to SME corporates, business owners and entrepreneurs regardless of size, industry or geography,” he enthused.

“Right from the start MilleniumAssociates enjoyed a strong market reputation in the financial services market and we originally specialised in M&A for the private banking, wealth and asset management sectors, however over recent years we have capitalised on this extensive M&A expertise and, in developing our new specialist Corporate and Entrepreneur practice, we

Mr Soudah concluded with his predictions for 2013/14: “We anticipate the financial services sector will continue to be active in Switzerland and internationally, and expect even more activity for our specialists in the Corporate and Entrepreneur practice as entrepreneurs, both in Switzerland and globally, monetise and/or expand their businesses through M&A projects.”

Company: MilleniumAssociates AG Name: Ray Soudah Email: ray.soudah@milleniumassociates.com Web: www.milleniumassociates.com Address: Florastrasse 44, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland Telephone: +41 58 710 47 00

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Best UK Early Stage Investment Sphere Fluidics Limited Dr Frank F. Craig, CEO of Sphere Fluidics Limited, highlights the company’s distinguishing features and discusses its recent £1.6 million investment round. Sphere Fluidics Limited (SF) is a new Life Sciences company which has developed unique products for use in single cell analysis and characterisation and provides collaborative R&D services in this area. The company was founded in 2010 and is a spin-out from Cambridge University. SF has raised angel finance to help sustain and develop the business through to profitability. Discussing the company’s USPs, Dr Craig noted that its team is one of very few in the world with expertise in single cell analysis technology. He also highlighted its portfolio of 47 patents covering the company’s leadingedge, patented technology and proprietary know-how and its expertise in new science with key applications for novel biopharmaceutical discovery. “Our technology provides our customers with significant savings in time, resource and money compared to conventional approaches,” he added. SF has raised several rounds of investment; £2.25 million in total funding. The company has launched a range of 55 products and has established itself as the main world supplier of Specialist Chemicals to the single cell analysis market. The company now has around 100 different clients worldwide. “Over the last year, we have also added 12 new patents to our international portfolio,” said Dr Craig. In February 2013, a major achievement was closing a Series A financing round of £1.6 million. In June 2013, the Company then relocated to a new, larger facility and our Scientific Founders won an ACES award for Best European University Life Sciences spin-out. In the same month, we were nominated as a Finalist in the 2013 UK Business Angels Association Awards. Another major milestone was launching a new range of chips and chemicals in July 2013. So, we have had a busy year!” In February 2013, SF completed a £1.6 million investment round from an investment syndicate led by 24Haymarket. This impressive round secured

the company the 2013 Business Excellence Award for Best UK Early Stage Investment. “We were delighted at the news as we had worked very hard with a number of investors to raise and close the investment round,” enthused Dr Craig. The company had been based in Cambridge University and needed funds to relocate, enlarge the senior management team, accelerate product development and perform market research to enable strategic positioning of several new opportunities. “The investment has helped improve the international profile of the business, increase interest of customers and generated increased, commercial momentum,” added Dr Craig. Discussing recent technological developments in Life Sciences, Dr Craig noted that scientists have recently seen that there is greater diversity in cells and tissues than previously observed, specifically at the single cell level. “Thus, there is interest in single cell diseases, such as cancer, and exploiting the diversity of single cells for biopharmaceutical discovery and development,” he elaborated. The company is currently evaluating market interest in novel instrumentation recently developed at SF. The company aims to grow the business by continuing to provide novel services and launching of such products. “There are signs that various, leading economies are coming out of recession. We are hoping that this is indeed the case. If it is, then more money may become available for investment in Life Sciences research and development and give a boost to our planned Sales,” he concluded.

Company: Sphere Fluidics Limited Name: Dr Frank F. Craig Email: frank.craig@spherefluidics.com Web: www.spherefluidics.com Address: The Jonas Webb Building, Babraham Research Campus, Babraham, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK. Telephone: +44 1223 804201

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

UK CEO of the Year – Advertising Steve Owens Steve Owens, CEO of Loveurope Group Limited, gives Acquisition International some insight into his career, his leadership style and his plans for the agency. Established in 1988, Loveurope is an independent advertising production agency. The company work directly with brands and in partnership with agencies to create, adapt and deliver advertising campaigns and marketing communications across all media, markets and languages. “I’m naturally delighted with this award,” said Mr Owens. “We have set the business an aggressive strategy for growth and expansion in 2013 and 2014 with an ambitious M&A agenda at the heart of these plans. With two acquisitions already completed this year and to now receive this award from such an influential publication as Acquisition International, it’s turning into a very exciting year indeed!” Mr Owens is a Chartered Accountant and joined Loveurope as COO/CFO in 1999, after spending over a decade in private practice specialising in advising SME businesses within the media production sector. “I worked closely with the owners of Loveurope throughout the 1990’s as their business grew and thrived, when the opportunity came to move away from practice and join the company on a permanent basis, what was a big career decision at the time, undoubtedly turned out to be the right one and I’ve genuinely never looked back!”, he elaborated. Mr Owens spent his formative years in the business commercially and financially managing the expansion of group operations into Central and Eastern Europe. In 2003 he co-conceived and led the restructuring of several businesses into the current Loveurope Group of Companies. He became CEO of the group in January 2004, and during his time as CEO has negotiated production deals with some of the world’s largest advertisers and agencies, formed new group businesses in North America, Africa, Continental Europe and Russian Markets and completed several acquisitions for the group.

Discussing his leadership style, Mr Owens said: “I’m a finance guy at heart so I can’t help but stay close to the numbers! That said we operate in a diverse and creatively focused business sector, so it’s vital that we always balance the commercials with the quality and delivery of our product. I couldn’t do this without the support of an exceptionally talented management team with a depth of knowledge and industry experience that is truly second to none.” Mr Owens noted that “brands are having to produce an increasingly diverse range of marketing content to fuel an explosion in their own communication channels. At the same time the financial crisis and on-going turbulence has lead to an irrepressible rise of procurement influence with the marketing arena. “This has led to our business being continuously challenged to develop smarter, more imaginative and ultimately cost effective client offerings that can operative on a 24/7/365 basis,” he added. Looking ahead, Mr Owens aims to position Loveurope as the leading mid-market independent marketing services agency in the UK. To achieve this, the agency has developed a detailed strategy that focuses on the acquisition of talent, service expansion, client development and product innovation. “As a sector we are going to see a continued growth in the demand for diverse tactical brand content and fast-track marketing communications. Brands are having to communicate with, and influence their customers, on an increasingly real-time basis, this puts a flexible production-orientated business such as ours in a fabulous position to capture market share from less flexible and more traditionally layered agencies,” he concluded.

Company: Loveurope Group Limited Name: Steve Owens ACA Email: steve.owens@loveurope.co.uk Web: www.loveurope.com Address: 88 Goswell Road, London, EC1V 7DB, UK

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Awards

UK Leading Independent Agency of the Year - MBA Stephen Maher, CEO of MBA, discusses the agency’s origins, its culture and its performance over the last 12 months. MBA is a creative agency for the digitally integrated world. Since inception in 1994, MBA has delivered business success for clients through combining the art of insightful thinking and creativity with the science and technology of rigorous and glorious delivery. We call this Brand Action™. It is where the art meets the science, where the ability to think creatively and big merges with logic, technology and technique, to give the best of both worlds. The past twelve months has been one of MBA’s best years to date. Our ever-expanding client portfolio includes Amazon’s LOVEFiLM, Avios (formerly Airmiles,) Sage by Heston Blumenthal, Accor hotels and Guide Dogs. Our work continues to deliver prestigious industry accolades, as well as driving business success for clients. The launch of LOVEFiLM Instant won a hat-trick of awards this year, including the sought after Marketing Society Award for Excellence.

We’re thrilled that great talent and clients continue to join us. We look forward to delivering even more exciting work – blending creativity and technology to improve our clients’ business and so delivering us another successful year.

Mr Maher was appointed Chairman of the Marketing Society in April this year and he is also Chair of the #IPASocialWorks Group.

Our culture and people are what makes us and we have gained recognition for this, being named a 2013 Best Company to Work For ‘One to Watch’. We were also honoured with an IPA Gold CPD Award – a coveted industry stamp which recognises MBA’s commitment, dedication and determination to ensure that every member of the agency is given the opportunity to meet their absolute potential. We’ve invested in new talent this year, taking on top new creative, tech and data talent. We’ve also created some highly successful new digital and social campaigns for Embraer Executive Jets, Guide Dogs, Everest, Sage by Heston Blumenthal, FairFX and for the launch of Avios in South Africa. Our global footprint has expanded too with two new office openings – MBA Miami to service US and Latam clients and MBA Brighton with the acquisition of the highly regarded tech and mobile development business, Cubeworks.

Company: MBA Name: Stephen Maher Twitter: @sfmaher Web Address: www.mba.co.uk Address: St Martin’s Courtyard, 11 Slingsby Place, London, WC2E 9AB, UK Telephone: +44 (0)20 7309 7200

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Appointments

Appointments AI presents a round up of recent CEO appointments from around the world.

Ben van Beurden to be Next CEO of Royal Dutch Shell plc The Board of Royal Dutch Shell plc has announced that Ben van Beurden will succeed Peter Voser as Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 January 2014. Peter Voser will leave Shell at the end of March 2014, marking the end of 29 years with the Company. Van Beurden, 55, has been Downstream Director since January 2013. “I am delighted to announce Ben van Beurden as the next Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell,” said Chairman Jorma Ollila. “Ben has deep knowledge of the industry and proven executive experience across a range of Shell businesses. Ben will continue to drive and further develop the strategic agenda that we have set out, to generate competitive returns for our shareholders.” “Van Beurden’s selection came after a comprehensive assessment and review of internal and external candidates led by the Board Nomination and Succession Committee,” Ollila added. Van Beurden joined the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies in 1983 and has held a number of technical and commercial roles in both the Upstream and Downstream businesses. He has worked in The Netherlands, Africa, Malaysia, USA and, most recently, the UK. Van Beurden, a Dutch national, graduated with a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. He is married and has four children. Ben van Beurden joined Shell in 1983, after graduating with a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. Ben’s career in Shell spans both Upstream and Downstream activities. He has held a number of operational and commercial roles, including some 10 years in the LNG business, and a variety of positions in Downstream.

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CareInSync Appoints New CEO CareInSync has tapped industry veteran Steve Curd as the company’s new President and CEO. Steve Curd is also joining CareInSync’s Board of Directors. Steve joins the CareInSync team with a distinguished reputation for building successful and innovative health care technology organisations. As Chief Information Officer of UnitedHealthcare, Steve delivered new technologies to improve the connectivity between health care providers, payers, and patients. As the Chief Operating Officer of Healtheon / WebMD, he helped lead the company’s rapid growth by introducing solutions which fundamentally transformed the efficiency and transparency of health care service delivery. Most recently, Steve led the development of Global Care Quest, the Surgical Informatics division of KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Inc., which focuses on improving surgical team communication, patient safety, and operating room efficiency. “I am thrilled to be joining Siva, Sathi and the CareInSync team at such a pivotal time. The innovative Carebook™ technology delivers an unprecedented real-time care team collaboration platform that streamlines the patient care transitions while reducing complications and readmissions,” according to Steve Curd. “Carebook works alongside the hospital’s existing electronic health records systems to manage care transitions across the entire professional team, essentially eliminating miscommunications, incorrect assumptions, and dropped handoffs through an intuitive mobile solution.” “We are excited to bring on a leader of Steve’s caliber, to help take the strong foundation we have built at CareInSync to the next level of business growth.” says Siva Subramanian, founder of CareInSync, Director, and Chief Operating Officer.

Delhaize Group appoints Frans Muller as CEO Delhaize Group, the Belgian international food retailer, has appointed Frans Muller as Chief Executive Officer, effective November 8, 2013. Mr Muller will succeed PierreOlivier Beckers, who will remain available to advise the new CEO until year-end and continue to serve on the Board of Directors in a non-executive capacity thereafter. In order to ensure a seamless transition, Mr Muller will join the company on October 14, 2013, prior to assuming the role of CEO. Frans Muller, 52, has more than 15 years of senior leadership experience in retail and brings to Delhaize Group a strong track record of managing complex, global organisations. Most recently, Mr Muller served as Member of the Management Board of Metro AG, an international retailing company, and CEO of Metro Cash & Carry, with direct responsibility for approximately 740 stores in 29 countries and sales of €31.6 billion. His extensive operational experience, from supply chain management to procurement, and proven ability to drive growth will be critical to Delhaize Group’s continued momentum. Mats Jansson, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said: “Frans has the right mix of experience and skills to lead our company into the future and we are pleased to welcome him to Delhaize Group. He brings a deep understanding of global food retailing and we are impressed by his international perspective, operational expertise, and proven ability to grow businesses.” Frans Muller said: “I am very enthusiastic to join Delhaize Group. The company is on track with its strategic priorities for the year and is focused on the areas that deliver the highest growth and returns. I am looking forward to leading the company, working with the Executive Committee and 160,000 Delhaize associates to build on the company’s current momentum.” Pierre-Olivier Beckers said: “I am delighted to welcome Frans to the Group. He has all the qualities to lead the company to the next level of its development and I look forward to working with him to ensure a smooth transition.”

Diageo appoints Ivan Menezes as CEO Ivan Menezes will be appointed Chief Executive of Diageo with effect from 1 July 2013. Paul Walsh, who will step down from the Board at the September 2013 Annual General Meeting, will retire from the company on 30 June 2014. In the last 12 months he will focus on transitioning critical partner and external relationships to Ivan. These will include those relationships essential to recent acquisitions. Dr Franz B. Humer, Chairman of Diageo said: “Paul is an outstanding Chief Executive. He has served our business, its shareholders, employees and partners with enormous imagination and dedication over the past 13 years. “I know he is justly proud of Diageo and its people and he leaves a great legacy for his successor. The Board is immensely grateful for his ambitious and thoughtful stewardship of the business and its people. The transition process which has been put in place enables Paul to contribute his knowledge and experience during Ivan’s first year as Chief Executive Officer.

“We are delighted to have a leader of Ivan’s talents and global experience to succeed Paul. The handover is being made at a time when the business is strong and Ivan takes on the role of CEO at an exciting stage of the company’s global development. The Board is confident that Ivan will inspire our organisation and Diageo will continue to achieve our medium-term performance objectives.”

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Intel Board Elects Brian Krzanich as CEO Intel Corporation’s board of directors unanimously elected Brian Krzanich as its next chief executive officer (CEO), succeeding Paul Otellini. Krzanich assumed his new role at the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting on May 16. Krzanich, Intel’s chief operating officer since January 2012, became the sixth CEO in Intel’s history. As previously announced, Otellini stepped down as CEO and from the board of directors on May 16.

“After a thorough and deliberate selection process, the board of directors is delighted that Krzanich will lead Intel as we define and invent the next generation of technology that will shape the future of computing,” said Andy Bryant, chairman of Intel.“Brian is a strong leader with a passion for technology and deep understanding of the business,” Bryant added.

“His track record of execution and strategic leadership, combined with his open-minded approach to problem solving has earned him the respect of employees, customers and partners worldwide. He has the right combination of knowledge, depth and experience to lead the company during this period of rapid technology and industry change.” Krzanich, 52, has progressed through a series of technical and leadership roles since joining Intel in 1982.

“I am deeply honored by the opportunity to lead Intel,” said Krzanich. “We have amazing assets, tremendous talent, and an unmatched legacy of innovation and execution.

I look forward to working with our leadership team and employees worldwide to continue our proud legacy, while moving even faster into ultra-mobility, to lead Intel into the next era.” The board of directors elected Renée James, 48, to be president of Intel. She also assumed her new role on May 16, joining Krzanich in Intel’s executive office. “I look forward to partnering with Renée as we begin a new chapter in Intel’s history,” said Krzanich.

Mark Weinberger becomes EY Global Chairman and CEO EY has announced that Mark Weinberger has become Global Chairman and CEO. The professional services organisation also announced the adoption of EY as its global brand name, unveiled a new logo and adopted Building a better working world as its purpose. Mark, 51, has had a distinguished career with a track record of leadership both inside and outside of EY. Mark has previously served as the Global and Americas Head of Tax and on the Global and Americas Executive. He has been a senior advisory partner for many of EY’s largest clients and also served on the Global Markets Executive and Global Public Policy Committees. Mark was the Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury (Tax Policy) under President George W. Bush and he was appointed to the US Social Security Advisory Board by President Clinton. Mark says, “It is a privilege to lead this great organization in these dynamic times and I’m looking forward to tackling the challenges ahead. EY has a proud history that stretches back more than a century. Over that time we have forged our reputation based on quality, trust and integrity. We are building on our history and our reputation to create our future.” From today Building a better working world will serve as both EY’s purpose and tagline, becoming central to the brand. Mark comments, “Every day, every EY person is part of building a better working world – for our clients, our communities, and our families. We believe that everything we do – every audit, every tax return, every advisory opportunity, every interaction with a client or colleague – contributes to building a better working world. “We know that building a better working world is an ambitious objective but it is an incredibly important aspiration and will be front and centre of everything we do as an organisation.” Mark continues, “In a better working world trust increases, so capital flows smoothly and investors make informed decisions. Businesses grow sustainably, employment rises, consumers spend and businesses invest in their communities. More than just growth, a better working world harnesses and develops talent in all its forms and encourages collaboration.

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Profiles

Maxis Berhad Announces New CEO Maxis Berhad has appointed Morten Lundal as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to take office on 1 October 2013. He will be reporting to the Chairman of the Board and be appointed to the Board as an Executive Director. Morten is presently Group Chief Commercial Officer of Vodafone Group plc, a member of the Executive Committee responsible for commercial activities at the group level. Prior to assuming this position in 2010, Morten was Regional CEO responsible for 8 operating companies in Central Europe and Africa. He joined Vodafone from DiGi.Com Berhad Group, Malaysia (DiGi Malaysia) in 2008. In 2004, Morten was appointed CEO of DiGi Malaysia where he was instrumental in instituting various changes crucial to DiGi Malaysia’s transformation and growth. Under his leadership, DiGi Malaysia’s mobile revenue market share, earnings and share price increased significantly. Morten joined Nordic mobile operator Telenor in 1997 and held several Chief Executive Officer positions including for the Internet Division and Telenor Business Solutions as well as the position of Executive Vice President for Corporate Strategy. He holds a Master of Business Administration from IMD Lausanne and a Master of Business and Economics from the Norwegian School of Management (BI).

“We are delighted to welcome Morten on board. We are confident that we have identified the right person. He has demonstrated the ability to take bold steps and make radical changes to align an organisation to anticipated changes in the industry and consumer demand. We particularly welcome his focus on innovation and management development,” said Raja Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Arshad bin Raja Tun Uda, Chairman of the Board of Maxis.

Specops Software Appoints New CEO Specops Software, a global innovation leader in desktop management and password management software, has appointed Marcus Kaber as Chief Executive Officer. Former CEO, Tobias Öien, will continue to serve as Chief Operating Officer, following years of leading the company and delivering growth and award winning products. Kaber comes to Specops Software from Netop Business Solutions, a provider of market-leading secure remote control, classroom management and live chat software solutions. As Global Sales and Marketing Director, Kaber led Netop’s international expansion. He built a world-wide sales and marketing organization across three continents and 100 countries that drove the company’s revenue growth to profitability. Responding to strong ongoing demand for its desktop and password management software solutions, Specops recently strengthened its presence in the North American market with the addition of a second office in Philadelphia, PA.

“Specops is an exciting company in an expansion phase. In the past year, it has grown approximately 100% in North America alone,” said Marcus Kaber, CEO of Specops Software. “Adding another location

in Philadelphia gives us the ability to serve more customers and further accelerate our growth on the East Coast and across the U.S.”

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

CEO Profiles AI profiles the leaders of some of the world’s best known companies.

Antonio M. Perez - Kodak Antonio M. Perez is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kodak. Since joining the company in 2003, Perez has led the on-going and worldwide transformation of Kodak into a digital imaging leader. His strategy is built on the company’s long history and distinct expertise in materials science, digital imaging science and deposition processes. Since early 2012, Perez has led Kodak through a chapter 11 reorganisation in the U.S., from which the company is expected to emerge in the first half of 2013 as a B2B company focused on commercial, packaging and functional printing solutions and enterprise services. The company also continues to offer leading products and services in Entertainment Imaging and Commercial Films. Before joining Kodak, Perez worked for Hewlett-Packard Company, where he held a variety of global leadership positions, including corporate vice president and President of HP’s Consumer Business, during his 25 years with the company. Mr Perez spearheaded HP’s efforts to build a digital imaging and electronic publishing business, generating worldwide revenue of more than $16 billion. After HP, Mr Perez was President and CEO of Gemplus International, where he successfully led the initiative to take the company public. While at Gemplus, he transformed the start-up into the leading Smart Card-based solution provider in the fast-growing wireless and financial markets. In its first fiscal year, revenue at Gemplus grew 70% to $1.2 billion. Mr Perez is Chairman of the Escuela Superior de Administración y Dirección de Empresas (ESADE) International Advisory Board, and is a member of the board of trustees of the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film. An American citizen born in Spain, Mr Perez studied electronic engineering, marketing, and business in Spain and France. In 2009, he received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Rochester.

Bob Dudley - BP Bob Dudley is BP’s Group Chief Executive. He was appointed an Executive Director of BP on 6 April 2009. Education: Degree in Chemical Engineering (University of Illinois, USA), MIM from Thunderbird School of Global Management (USA) and an MBA from SMU (USA). Mr Dudley joined Amoco Corporation in 1979, working in a variety of engineering and commercial posts. Between 1994 and 1997, he worked on corporate development in Russia. In 1997, he became general manager for strategy for Amoco and in 1999, following the merger between BP and Amoco, was appointed to a similar role in BP. Between 1999 and 2000, he was executive assistant to the group chief executive, subsequently becoming group vice president for BP’s Renewables and Alternative Energy activities. In 2002, he became group vice president responsible for BP’s upstream businesses in Russia, the Caspian region, Angola, Algeria and Egypt. From 2003 to 2008, he was president and chief executive officer of TNK-BP. On his return to BP in 2009 he was appointed to the BP board and oversaw the group’s activities in the Americas and Asia. Between 23 June and 30 September 2010, he served as the president and chief executive officer of BP’s Gulf Coast Restoration Organization in the US. He became group chief executive on 1 October 2010. Bob Dudley has spent his entire career in the oil and gas industry. His broad range of roles with Amoco and BP have given him substantial global experience. This has been supplemented by his time as chief executive officer of TNK-BP. He has performed strongly as BP’s chief executive officer since his appointment in 2010.

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

John G. Stumpf – Wells Fargo & Company John Stumpf became Chairman for Wells Fargo & Company in January 2010. He was named Chief Executive Officer in June 2007, elected to Wells Fargo’s Board of Directors in June 2006, and has been President since August 2005. A 31-year veteran of the company, he joined the former Norwest Corporation (predecessor of Wells Fargo) in 1982 in the loan administration department and then became senior vice president and chief credit officer for Norwest Bank, N.A., Minneapolis. He held a number of management positions at Norwest Bank Minneapolis and Norwest Bank Minnesota before assuming responsibility for Norwest Bank Arizona in 1989. He was named regional president for Norwest Banks in Colorado/Arizona in 1991. From 1994 to 1998, he was regional president for Norwest Bank Texas. During his four years in that position, he led Norwest’s acquisition of 30 Texas banks with total assets of more than $13 billion. In 1998, with the merger of Norwest Corporation and Wells Fargo & Company, he became head of the Southwestern Banking Group (Arizona, New Mexico and Texas). Two years later he became head of the new Western Banking Group (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming). In 2000, he led the integration of Wells Fargo’s acquisition of the $23 billion First Security Corporation, based in Salt Lake City. In May 2002, he was named Group EVP of Community Banking. In December 2008, he led one of the largest mergers in history with the purchase of Wachovia. He serves on the Board of Directors for The Clearing House, the Financial Services Roundtable, Target Corporation and Chevron Corporation. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. A Minnesota native, he earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minnesota and his MBA with an emphasis in finance from the University of Minnesota.

Jeff Immelt - GE Jeff Immelt is the Chairman and CEO of GE. He is the ninth chairman of GE, a post he has held since 7th September, 2001. Mr. Immelt has held several global leadership positions since coming to GE in 1982, including roles in GE’s Plastics, Appliances, and Healthcare businesses. In 1989 he became an officer of GE and joined the GE Capital Board in 1997. A couple years later, in 2000, Mr. Immelt was appointed president and chief executive officer. Mr. Immelt has been named one of the “World’s Best CEOs” three times by Barron’s, and since he began serving as chief executive officer, GE has been named “America’s Most Admired Company” in a poll conducted by Fortune magazine and one of “The World’s Most Respected Companies” in polls by Barron’s and the Financial Times. Mr. Immelt was the chair of President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. He is a member of The American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Mr. Immelt earned a B.A. degree in applied mathematics from Dartmouth College in 1978 and an M.B.A. from Harvard University in 1982. He and his wife have one daughter.

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Profiles

John S. Watson – Chevron Corporation

John S. Watson is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Chevron Corporation, a position he has held since 2010.

Previously Watson served as vice chairman of the board from 2009 to 2010 and was responsible for business development; mergers and acquisitions; strategic planning; corporate compliance; policy, government and public affairs; procurement; and the Project Resources Company. In 2008, he was elected executive vice president for strategy and development. In 2005, Watson was elected president of Chevron International Exploration and Production Company. In 2000, he led the company’s integration effort following the Chevron-Texaco merger and then became the corporation’s chief financial officer. In 1998, he was elected a vice president of the corporation, with responsibility for strategic planning and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to being elected president of Chevron Canada Limited in 1996, he held financial, analytical and supervisory positions. Watson is a member of the board of directors and the executive committee of the American Petroleum Institute. He is a member of the National Petroleum Council, The Business Council, the Business Roundtable, the J.P. Morgan International Council, the American Society of Corporate Executives and the University of California Davis Chancellor’s Board of Advisors. Watson was born in 1956 in California. He began his career in 1980 when he joined Chevron as a financial analyst. He earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of California at Davis in 1978 and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago in 1980.

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

John Veihmeyer – KPMG John Veihmeyer is the Chairman and CEO of KPMG in the U.S. and Chairman of KPMG International’s Americas region, which includes Canada, and South and Central America, and Israel. With more than 35 years of experience building and directing high-performing teams and advising some of the world’s leading companies, Veihmeyer is an influential and sought-after voice on business and financial issues, including ethical leadership, diversity, financial reporting, audit quality, risk, governance, and education – and has been consistently named as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting” by Accounting Today magazine, and over the last several years was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Corporate Governance by Directorship Magazine. He is a member of the Mendoza College Business Advisory Council of the University of Notre Dame, from which he graduated. Veihmeyer champions KPMG’s nationally-recognised high-performance culture, which places a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion as among the foundation of being a great place to work and build a career. He is a member of the board of Catalyst, whose mission is to expand opportunities for women and business. In 2011 he received the CEO Leadership Award from Diversity Best Practices for his commitment to diversity. And along with his wife Beth, he is a driving force behind KPMG’s commitment to education and stewardship within its local communities, through the firm’s “Family for Literacy” program which, since 2007, has provided over two million books to low-income children. Among his philanthropic and civic activities, he is a member of the Governing Board for the Center for Audit Quality (CAQ). He serves as the Co-Chair of CEOs Against Cancer in greater New York. He is also a Board member of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) and the US India Business Council. He serves on the Executive Committee of the BusinessHigher Education Forum (BHEF) and is a member of the British American Business International Advisory Board. He is a member of the Business Roundtable and the Partnership for New York City (PFNYC).

Mark Weinberger - EY Mark Weinberger is the Global Chairman & CEO of EY, a leading global professional services organisation that provides assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. With 175,000 people in more than 150 countries, EY is one of the largest professional services organisations in the world. Mark began his career with EY in 1987 and has served in a variety of Americas and Global leadership positions for the organisation including his most recent role as EY’s Global Tax Leader from 2008 to 2012. He was appointed Global Chairman & CEO-elect in January 2012 and became Global Chairman & CEO on July 1 2013. Mark serves as Chair of the Global Executive, EY’s highest level management body; the Global Practice Group; and the Global Public Policy Committee. In addition to his time at EY, Mark has previously served as the Assistant Secretary of the United States Department of the Treasury (Tax Policy) in the George W. Bush Administration. Mark was also appointed by President Clinton to serve on the US Social Security Administration Advisory Board, which advises the President and Congress on all aspects of the Social Security system. Mark has also held other US government positions including Chief of Staff of President Clinton’s 1994 Bipartisan Commission on Entitlement and Tax Reform; Chief Tax and Budget Counsel to US Senator John Danforth (R-Missouri); advisor to the National Commission on Economic Growth and Tax Reform; and Commissioner on the National Commission on Retirement Policy. Mark was co-founder of Washington Counsel, P.C., a Washington DC-based law and legislative advisory firm that merged into EY and now operates as Washington Council EY.

Michael Corbat - Citigroup Michael L. Corbat is Chief Executive Officer of Citigroup, the world’s global bank, with approximately 200 million customer accounts and activities in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Mr Corbat has been at Citi and its predecessor companies since his graduation from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1983. In his previous role as Citi’s CEO of Europe, Middle East and Africa since the start of 2012, he oversaw all of Citi’s business operations in the region, including consumer banking, corporate and investment banking, securities and trading and private banking services. Previously, Mr Corbat served as the CEO of Citi Holdings, Citi’s portfolio of non-core businesses and assets. In this role, he oversaw the divestiture of more than 40 businesses, including the IPO and sale of Citi’s remaining stake in Primerica. Mr Corbat also successfully restructured Citi’s consumer finance and retail partner cards businesses and divested more than $500 billion assets, reducing risk on the Company’s balance sheet and freeing up capital to invest in Citi’s core banking business. Mr Corbat also served as the CEO of Citi’s Global Wealth Management unit. Prior to this, he was Head of the Global Corporate Bank and Global Commercial Bank at Citi, a role in which he led the firm’s efforts to provide best-in-class financial services to top-tier multinational corporations and financial institutions around the world. In his various advisory and structuring roles, Mr Corbat has successfully guided retail and institutional clients across the spectrum of financial services and significant challenges, from the bankruptcy of Orange County, California, to sovereign debt restructurings in Latin America and business restructurings in North America and Europe.

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Paul Polman - Unilver Paul Polman has been Chief Executive Officer since 1st January 2009. Under his leadership Unilever has set out an ambitious vision to double its size while reducing its overall environmental footprint and increasing its positive social impact. Paul is Vice-Chairman (and the next Chairman) of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, a member of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum and serves on the Board of the UN Global Compact. He is on the Board of the Consumer Goods Forum and is a Director of the Swiss American Chamber of Commerce. Last year, he was invited to serve on the High Level Panel looking at the Post 2015 Millennium Development Goals and previously acted as co-chairman of the B20 group of companies reporting to the G20 on Food Security. He is also a member of the European Resource Efficiency Platform Working Group chaired by Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik. Since 2010, Paul has been a non-executive director of the Dow Chemical Company. In recognition of his contribution to responsible business, in 2012 Paul received the Atlantic Council Award for Distinguished Business Leadership and the CK Prahalad Award for Global Sustainability Leadership. Paul began his career at Procter & Gamble in 1979, holding many senior executive positions, including Group President of Europe. He moved to Nestle in 2005, where he was the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President for the Americas.

Randall L. Stephenson AT&T Inc.

Randall Stephenson became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AT&T Inc. in 2007, and in the years following he has transformed the company into a global leader in mobile Internet services and IP-based business communications solutions.

Under Mr Stephenson’s leadership, AT&T has dramatically expanded its nationwide U.S. wireless business and enhanced its advanced enterprise capabilities, serving millions of business customers including multinational companies on six continents. The company also has expanded its fast-growing AT&T U-verse platform for integrated TV, data and voice services to reach some 30 million living units. AT&T is today the world’s largest telecommunications company with more than $127 billion in 2012 revenues and 29 consecutive years of dividend growth. Over the past five years, AT&T has invested more capital into the U.S. economy than any other public company. Mr Stephenson began his career with Southwestern Bell Telephone in 1982 in Oklahoma. From 2001 to 2004, he was the company’s senior executive vice president and chief financial officer, and from 2004 to 2007, he served as the company’s chief operating officer. He was appointed to AT&T’s board of directors in 2005. Under Mr Stephenson’s leadership, AT&T has undertaken the largest education initiative in the company’s history – AT&T Aspire, a philanthropic program to help improve college/career readiness for students at risk of dropping out of high school. Launched in 2008,

He earned a BBA/BA from the University of Groningen, Netherlands, in 1977 and an MA Economics and MBA finance/international marketing from the University of Cincinnati in 1979.

Aspire I invested more than $100 million to support educational initiatives, and in 2012 AT&T announced Aspire II, a new and expanded financial commitment of $250 million planned over the next five years.

Married with three children, Paul is Chairman of Perkins School for the Blind International Advisory Board and serves as President of the Kilimanjaro Blind Trust.

Mr Stephenson also has led AT&T’s breakthrough “It Can Wait” campaign – an education and awareness program encouraging people to never text while driving.

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Profiles

Rex W. Tillerson - Exxon Mobil Corporation A native of Wichita Falls, Texas, Rex Tillerson earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering at the University of Texas at Austin before joining Exxon Company, U.S.A. in 1975 as a production engineer. In 1989, he became general manager of Exxon Company U.S.A.’s central production division, responsible for oil and gas production operations throughout a large portion of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas. In 1992, Mr Tillerson was named production advisor to Exxon Corporation. Three years later he was named president of Exxon Yemen Inc. and Esso Exploration and Production Khorat Inc., and in January 1998 became vice president of Exxon Ventures (CIS) Inc. and president of Exxon Neftegas Limited. In those roles, he was responsible for Exxon’s holdings in Russia and the Caspian Sea as well as the Sakhalin I consortium operations offshore Sakhalin Island, Russia. In December 1999, he became executive vice president of ExxonMobil Development Company. Mr Tillerson was named senior vice president of Exxon Mobil Corporation in August 2001, and was elected president of the corporation and member of the board of directors on March 1, 2004. He assumed his current position on January 1, 2006. Mr Tillerson is a member of the executive committee and a former chairman of the American Petroleum Institute. He is also a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and a trustee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is a member of the National Petroleum Council, a member of the Business Roundtable, a member of the Business Council, an honorary trustee of the Business Council for International Understanding, and a member of the Emergency Committee for American Trade. In 2013, Mr Tillerson was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

Robert Iger – The Walt Disney Company Robert A. Iger is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. As Chairman and CEO, Mr Iger is the steward of the world’s largest media company and some of the most respected and beloved brands around the globe. His strategic vision for The Walt Disney Company focuses on three fundamental aspects: generating the best creative content possible; fostering innovation and utilising the latest technology; and expanding into new markets around the world. Mr Iger has built on Disney’s rich history of unforgettable storytelling, with the acquisition of Pixar (2006) and Marvel (2009), and Lucasfilm (2012), three of the entertainment industry’s greatest storytellers. Always one to embrace new technology, Mr Iger has made Disney an industry leader at the forefront of offering its creative content across new and multiple platforms. Prior to his current role Mr Iger served as President and Chief Executive Officer from October, 2005 and President and Chief Operating Officer from 2000-2005. Disney’s exceptional entertainment experiences, widely diverse content and unique skill in managing businesses in an integrated manner led to strong results in 2012. In its most recent fiscal year, Disney posted record revenue, net income and earnings per share. During Mr Iger’s tenure, The Walt Disney Company has been recognised as one of the “Most Reputable Companies” in both America and the world by Forbes Magazine (2006-2013); one of “America’s Most Admired Companies” by Fortune magazine (2009-2013); one of the “World’s Most Respected Companies” by Barron’s (2009-2012); and one of the “Best Places to Launch a Career” by BusinessWeek magazine (2006-2010).

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Steve Ballmer - Microsoft

Stuart Gulliver HSBC Holdings plc

Steve Ballmer is CEO of Microsoft, headquartered in Redmond, Wash. He joined Microsoft in 1980 and was the company’s first business manager. Before becoming CEO in 2000, his roles at Microsoft included senior vice president of sales and support, senior vice president of systems software and vice president of marketing. Ballmer and the company’s leaders focus on creating a family of devices and services for individuals and businesses that empower people around the globe at home, at work and on the go, for the activities they value most. Under his leadership, Microsoft has more than tripled revenue and doubled profits since 2000. Ballmer was born in March 1956, and he grew up near Detroit where his father worked as a manager at Ford Motor Co. Ballmer earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics from Harvard University. He worked for two years at Procter & Gamble Co. as an assistant product manager and attended Stanford University Graduate School of Business before joining Microsoft. On August 23rd Steve Ballmer announced his intention to retire.

Stuart Gulliver is Group Chief Executive of HSBC Holdings plc. He is also Chairman of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited. Mr Gulliver joined HSBC in 1980 and has held a number of key roles in the Group’s operations worldwide, including postings in London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and the United Arab Emirates. Before his appointment as Group Chief Executive of HSBC Holdings plc in January 2011, he was Chairman of Europe, Middle East and Global Businesses of HSBC Holdings plc. He was appointed Chief Executive of Global Banking and Markets and HSBC Global Asset Management in May 2006. He has also served as Chairman of HSBC France, Deputy Chairman of Trinkaus & Burkhardt AG and on the boards of HSBC Bank plc, HSBC Bank Middle East Limited, HSBC USA Inc. and HSBC Bank USA, N.A. Mr Gulliver was appointed to the HSBC Group Management Board in March 2004 and became a Group General Manager in August 2000. He has been an Executive Director of HSBC Holdings plc since May 2008 and an Executive Director of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited since September 2006.

Barry Salzberg - Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited

Barry Salzberg is the global Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL). He assumed this position on 1 June 2011. As DTTL CEO, Salzberg leads and manages the Executive and sets the strategic direction of the Deloitte global network. The global network comprises 47 member firms operating in 150 countries, with approximately 200,000 people worldwide.

Salzberg is a member of the DTTL Board of Directors and Executive committee. Prior to this role, Salzberg served as Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte LLP (United States) from 2007 to 2011, and as the U.S. Managing Partner from 2003 to 2007. During his time as CEO of Deloitte LLP (United States), he was a member of the U.S. Board of Directors, the DTTL Executive committee, the DTTL Board of Directors, and served as the Americas Regional Managing Partner. Salzberg joined the Deloitte organisation in 1977 and was admitted as partner of the Deloitte U.S. member firm in 1985. He has since built an impressive record through a variety of leadership roles.

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013

Profiles

Ginni Rometty - IBM Ginni Rometty is Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of IBM. Mrs Rometty was appointed President and CEO effective January 1, 2012. She became Chairman of the Board of Directors on October 1, 2012. Mrs Rometty began her career with IBM in 1981 in Detroit, Michigan. Since then she has held a series of leadership positions in IBM, most recently as Senior Vice President and Group Executive, IBM Sales, Marketing and Strategy. In this role, she was responsible for business results in the 170 global markets in which IBM operates and pioneered IBM’s rapid expansion in the emerging economies of the world. As part of this, she established IBM’s Growth Markets organisation, which is expected to contribute as much as 30% of IBM revenues by 2015. Prior to this, Mrs Rometty served as Senior Vice President, IBM Global Business Services, where she led the successful integration of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting. This acquisition was the largest in professional services history, creating a global team of more than 100,000 business consultants and services experts. In recognition of her leadership in the professional services industry, Mrs Rometty was honoured with the Carl Sloane Award 2006, given by the Association of Management Consulting Firms. In prior leadership roles, Mrs Rometty served as general manager of IBM Global Services, Americas, as well as general manager of IBM’s Global Insurance and Financial Services Sector. Mrs Rometty serves on the Council on Foreign Relations; the Board of Trustees of Northwestern University; and the Board of Overseers and Board of Managers of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree with high honours in computer science and electrical engineering from Northwestern University.

W. James McNerney, Jr. - The Boeing Company W. James (Jim) McNerney, Jr., is Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Boeing Company. McNerney, 64, oversees the strategic direction of the Chicago-based, $81.7 billion aerospace company. With more than 174,000 employees across the United States and in 70 countries, Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and a top U.S. exporter. It is the leading manufacturer of commercial airplanes, military aircraft, and defence, space and security systems; it supports airlines and U.S. and allied government customers in more than 150 nations. Before taking the helm at Boeing on July 1, 2005, McNerney held the position as chairman of the board and CEO of 3M, then a $20 billion global technology company with leading positions in electronics, telecommunications, industrial, consumer and office products, health care, safety and other businesses. He joined 3M in 2000 after 19 years at the General Electric Company. McNerney joined General Electric in 1982. There, he held top executive positions including president and CEO of GE Aircraft Engines and GE Lighting; president of GE Asia-Pacific; president and CEO of GE Electrical Distribution and Control; executive vice president of GE Capital, one of the world’s largest financial service companies; and president, GE Information Services. Prior to joining GE, McNerney worked at Procter & Gamble and McKinsey & Co., Inc. By appointment of U.S. President Barack Obama, McNerney chairs the President’s Export Council, which operates as an advisory committee on international trade.

BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013