a biennial survey on top leading French companies
THE VCOMV CAC 40 SURVEY:
The year 2020 was particularly unstable and chaotic. There is nothing like the prospect of economic hardship, however, to single out the true Captains of Industry. The following three conditions are key:
The pandemic could very well have brought the CAC 40 to a halt. Quite the contrary, the market was rife with major manoeuvres: the FCA-PSA merger, ALSTOM’s acquisition of BOMBARDIER, LVMH’s buyout of TIFFANY, and VEOLIA’s takeover of SUEZ.
Agility comes with diversity: being able to see far ahead (telescope) and yet pay attention to detail (microscope). In the end, it is detail which matters.
Regardless of what they are known for: “the car guy”, the “grocer”, the “geek”, the “techie”, it is professionalism that counts. Those who are passionate about what they do will stay ahead of the pack: FAURY at AIRBUS, POUPART-LAFARGE at ALSTOM, TAVARES at STELLANTIS.
It is time for new faces. By 1 July 2021, nearly a third of CAC 40 executive management will be new compared with 2019:
A new era is upon us: one of team players as opposed to egocentric bosses. Leaders need to embrace collective practices: