The hole is getting deeper for Olympus and its chairman, Tsuyoshi Kikukawa. And his outside auditor, Ernst & Young, might find itself alongside him. A day after denying allegations by its former CEO, Michael Woodford, that it paid advisory fees of $687 million on a $2 billion acquisition, the company reversed itself and acknowledged that […]
The messy firing of Olympus CEO Michael Woodford provides another example of the challenges in communicating an executive exit. The Japanese camera and medical-imaging company last week fired Woodford, its first non-Japanese CEO, after less than a year. In announcing his dismissal, Olympus cited Woodford’s inability to work effectively with Japanese managers and chairman Tsuyoshi […]
Give credit (no pun intended) to PIMCO chief Bill Gross for dealing honestly with the underperformance of his flagship fund, PIMCO Total Return (PTTRX). In an open letter to investors released today, Gross is candid about the misjudgments that produced an anemic 1.09% total return for the fund so far this year, compared with a […]
GE, the embodiment of American capitalism, is under fire from conservatives for CEO Jeff Immelt’s role on a presidential advisory panel and other alleged misdeeds. The sniping has mostly been heard on Fox News and at Republican presidential primary events, but Monday’s Wall Street Journal brought the story right to the doorstep of GE’s clients. […]
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about risk and corporate cultures. Some cultures produce disasters, like the massive, concealed trading loss at UBS – the most recent in a long streak of debacles for the bank. Other environments, however, seem consistently to produce good things – valued products and great experiences. Apple of course comes […]
The note earlier today by Morgan Stanley CEO Jim Gorman addressing what he called “confusion and misinformation” about the firm wasn’t too reassuring. It’s not likely to quell the rumors about the firm, nor does it do much to improve Gorman’s stature. By penning such a short memo (a mere 218 words), Gorman clearly did […]
Swiss banking giant UBS today announced the resignation of CEO Oswald Grubel after a marathon meeting of its board in Singapore. There was speculation all week that the scandal could ultimately cost Gruebel his job but the suddenness of his departure is a bit of a surprise. His exit marks the fourth CEO firing in […]
Jefferies Group (NYSE: JEF) could have spared itself (and its shareholders) a lot of pain if it had better handled the news CEO Richard Handler’s stock sale. The news, reported as a result of a regulatory filing, sent shares of the investment bank tumbling more than 11% on Thursday. They recovered somewhat today, but investors […]
Technology giant HP is demonstrating still another way to fire the CEO – by leaking your intentions to the media. The New York Times and other media outlets, citing anonymous sources “with knowledge of the board’s actions,” are reporting that the board is preparing to oust CEO Léo Apotheker, who has been in the post […]
Even if you’re not an ardent baseball fan, you have to be impressed with Mariano Rivera, the incomparable relief pitcher for the New York Yankees, who two days ago set the record for most saves, at 602. Sports writers long ago ran out of superlatives for describing Rivera’s talent and durability, and the crucial role […]