Recipe for success
January 27, 2012
Pierre Nanterme, chief executive officer of Accenture, is used to dealing with the media. As head of a major international consultancy, he is well connected with the global business elite and knows which way the wind is blowing in terms opportunities and threats.
The Frenchman is characteristically calm as he answers repetitive questions at press conferences and one-on-one interviews on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum. But this morning he appeared visibly irritated by the number of American reporters asking him when the eurozone will finally fall apart.
"When I tell them it's not about to collapse, that it will continue as Chancellor Merkel has stressed, they seem quite disappointed," Nanterme said.
He added that he thinks journalists are hunting for negative headlines. Positive assessments aren't sexy enough.
Good news
Frank Riemensperger, the head of Accenture's operations in Germany, was in a better mood.
He and his team travelled to Davos to present a new study of Germany's top 500 companies, which have weathered the crisis well so far and are optimistic about the future.
Key themes included: What has made these businesses so successful? And how do they generate sustainable and profitable growth?
Riemensperger said the magic recipe has five ingredients: innovation, a focus on emerging markets, clever mergers and acquisitions, and good corporate leadership. He cited chemicals giant BASF and Fresenius Medical Care as role models.
"German companies are extraordinarily well equipped to deal with future economic crises. They know how to manage risk and react flexibly," Riemensperger said.
"Furthermore, German ownership structures vary significantly from those of Anglo-Saxon companies - something that allows them to think in terms of decades instead of quarters."
Increasing complexity
So does that mean German executives can sit back and ignore the clouds gathering over the eurozone and beyond the horizon?
Not at all, according to Accenture. The global economy is constantly changing. Systems that once relied on three or four key economic centers now rely on nine or 10 as complexity grows and the speed of development increases.
"That said, there are still plenty of reasons why Germans should be optimistic," Nanterme said with a touch of envy in his voice.
Few journalists noticed the comment, however. By this point most reporters had packed up their microphones, computers and notepads to see if the next press conference would generate a juicier, more negative headline.
Author: Manuela Kasper-Claridge, Davos / sje
Editor: Joanna Impey