Thomas Keil – författare

Shortlisted for the Business Book of the Year (International Books category) 2022Every year, companies spend billions of dollars in board time and headhunter fees on CEO searches. In fact, the selection of the next CEO is the single most important task of the board of directors. Yet, despite the huge amount of time, money, and attention given to the task, many CEO changes fail, with disastrous consequences for all concerned.With so much at stake, it is natural to ask what companies and their boards can do to increase the odds of success. Illustrated with an abundance of real-life examples from interviews with CEOs, C-suite members, members of the boards, and headhunters supporting CEO searches, The Next CEO explains how boards can improve the odds of success with CEO succession by identifying clear CEO mandates and associated CEO profiles and by selecting CEOs that are fi t for purpose. It further explains how the CEOs of leading corporations effectively take charge and create results, providing a roadmap for incoming CEOs. These ideas are brought to life with case studies and interviews with well-known corporations such as ABB, Alibaba, Freudenberg, GE, Google, HNA, HP, Microsoft, Nestle, Nike, Nokia, Novartis, Roche, Sony, Tata, and Zurich Insurance. The book is invaluable practical reading for board members of medium-to-large-size fi rms involved with CEO succession, and for those preparing for their fi rst CEO position. It is also relevant to headhunters who are involved in the process of CEO succession as a working tool for them and their clients. In addition, the book will be relevant to courses on corporate governance and strategic transformation at the executive and MBA levels.

Shortlisted for the Business Book of the Year (International Books category) 2022Every year, companies spend billions of dollars in board time and headhunter fees on CEO searches. In fact, the selection of the next CEO is the single most important task of the board of directors. Yet, despite the huge amount of time, money, and attention given to the task, many CEO changes fail, with disastrous consequences for all concerned.With so much at stake, it is natural to ask what companies and their boards can do to increase the odds of success. Illustrated with an abundance of real-life examples from interviews with CEOs, C-suite members, members of the boards, and headhunters supporting CEO searches, The Next CEO explains how boards can improve the odds of success with CEO succession by identifying clear CEO mandates and associated CEO profiles and by selecting CEOs that are fi t for purpose. It further explains how the CEOs of leading corporations effectively take charge and create results, providing a roadmap for incoming CEOs. These ideas are brought to life with case studies and interviews with well-known corporations such as ABB, Alibaba, Freudenberg, GE, Google, HNA, HP, Microsoft, Nestle, Nike, Nokia, Novartis, Roche, Sony, Tata, and Zurich Insurance. The book is invaluable practical reading for board members of medium-to-large-size fi rms involved with CEO succession, and for those preparing for their fi rst CEO position. It is also relevant to headhunters who are involved in the process of CEO succession as a working tool for them and their clients. In addition, the book will be relevant to courses on corporate governance and strategic transformation at the executive and MBA levels.

This book addresses the form and nature of the transition Romania has undergone since the fall of the Ceausescu regime in 1989. The reconstruction of Romania has taken place not only within the context of the legacy of state socialism, but within an even greater context of general historical, political social and economic legacies. Some of the problems Romania has encountered during this progression are its system of social stratification, economic development and the struggle to create a solid national identity.

Highly Commended in the 2024 Business Book Awards (International Business Book category)CEOs and organizational leaders are only as strong as the teams they build. And yet it is surprising how little practical advice there is for senior leaders on how to create, build, and optimize their teams. Step up The Next Leadership Team.Illustrated with real-life examples from interviews with CEOs, C-Suite members, and headhunters throughout, The Next Leadership Team explains how senior leaders can improve the performance of their leadership teams by identifying clear team approaches, associated team member profiles, and by leading that team. These ideas are brought to life with case studies and interviews with well-known corporations such as ABB, Allianz, Amazon, AXA, Best Buy, Capita, Danone, Deutsche Telekom, Ferrari, Freudenberg, Haier, Hilti, HSBC, Holcim, Huawei, Logitech, Microsoft, Nestlé, Netflix, Nokia, Nordea, Schneider Electric, Tata, Wipro, and Zurich Insurance.This book is an invaluable resource for CEOs and senior executives who need to build and develop leadership teams to drive success in the organizations they lead. It is also relevant to headhunters who are involved in the appointments of members of senior leadership teams.

Highly Commended in the 2024 Business Book Awards (International Business Book category)CEOs and organizational leaders are only as strong as the teams they build. And yet it is surprising how little practical advice there is for senior leaders on how to create, build, and optimize their teams. Step up The Next Leadership Team.Illustrated with real-life examples from interviews with CEOs, C-Suite members, and headhunters throughout, The Next Leadership Team explains how senior leaders can improve the performance of their leadership teams by identifying clear team approaches, associated team member profiles, and by leading that team. These ideas are brought to life with case studies and interviews with well-known corporations such as ABB, Allianz, Amazon, AXA, Best Buy, Capita, Danone, Deutsche Telekom, Ferrari, Freudenberg, Haier, Hilti, HSBC, Holcim, Huawei, Logitech, Microsoft, Nestlé, Netflix, Nokia, Nordea, Schneider Electric, Tata, Wipro, and Zurich Insurance.This book is an invaluable resource for CEOs and senior executives who need to build and develop leadership teams to drive success in the organizations they lead. It is also relevant to headhunters who are involved in the appointments of members of senior leadership teams.

Hardly a month goes by without news of a high‑profile corporate failure that raises the question of the role of the board. Why do boards of directors find it so difficult to steer the company and its management team? Topics such as digitalization, cybersecurity, AI, and sustainability have taken center stage, while multiple crises and the new geopolitical environment are forcing firms to operate in highly turbulent environments.Illustrated with real‑life examples from interviews with board chairs, board members, CEOs, executives, and investors, The Next Board provides unique insights on how boards can master the dual challenge of implementing the best practices of today while futureproofing an organization for the emerging challenges of tomorrow. Through the lens of the “board diamond” – purpose, people, structures and processes, leadership, and performance evaluation – this book introduces the building blocks that are central to implementing best practice. Furthermore, it provides a practical framework to configure them differently depending on the context of the company. These practices are brought to life with case studies and interviews with directors from some of the most successful firms from across the globe, including ABB, ASML, Avnet, Bertelsmann, Engie, Ericsson, IBM, Inditex, Kellogg, McKesson, Nestlé, Nokia, Novartis, Paypal, Santander, Target, and UPS.This book provides directors, board chairs, CEOs, senior executives, and C‑suite managers, who are preparing for future board assignments, with tangible advice on how to develop their boards and how to succeed as directors.

Hardly a month goes by without news of a high‑profile corporate failure that raises the question of the role of the board. Why do boards of directors find it so difficult to steer the company and its management team? Topics such as digitalization, cybersecurity, AI, and sustainability have taken center stage, while multiple crises and the new geopolitical environment are forcing firms to operate in highly turbulent environments.Illustrated with real‑life examples from interviews with board chairs, board members, CEOs, executives, and investors, The Next Board provides unique insights on how boards can master the dual challenge of implementing the best practices of today while futureproofing an organization for the emerging challenges of tomorrow. Through the lens of the “board diamond” – purpose, people, structures and processes, leadership, and performance evaluation – this book introduces the building blocks that are central to implementing best practice. Furthermore, it provides a practical framework to configure them differently depending on the context of the company. These practices are brought to life with case studies and interviews with directors from some of the most successful firms from across the globe, including ABB, ASML, Avnet, Bertelsmann, Engie, Ericsson, IBM, Inditex, Kellogg, McKesson, Nestlé, Nokia, Novartis, Paypal, Santander, Target, and UPS.This book provides directors, board chairs, CEOs, senior executives, and C‑suite managers, who are preparing for future board assignments, with tangible advice on how to develop their boards and how to succeed as directors.

Major players in the information and communication technology industries have used corporate venture capital, alliances, acquisitions, or spin-offs to achieve remarkable strategic self-renewal. Keil's succinct and readable account shows how. In-depth empirical research clarifies and emphasizes the role that external corporate venturing plays in the acquisition of knowledge and the advancement of corporate strategic capabilities. Keil explores the ways in which external corporate venturing creates access to other means of renewal, controls critical resources, and accelerates the overall growth of organizations.Keil conceptualizes two main elements of the external venturing process. First, the creation of a shared context bridges the gap between the corporation and the community in which it resides, supporting knowledge transfer and the formation of cognitive intra-corporate frameworks. The second element is the efficient execution of relationships, which allows a rapid development of venturing opportunities. With case studies and lucid explanations, Keil shows how other corporations create and use a variety of connected learning processes to build their own venturing capabilities.

Examining the anthracite coal trade's emergence and legacy in the five counties that constituted the core of the industry, the authors explain the split in the modes of production between entrepreneurial production and corporate production and the consequences of each for the two major anthracite regions. This book argues that the initial conditions in which the anthracite industry developed led to differences in the way workers organized and protested working conditions and the way in which the two regions were affected by the decline of the industry and two subsequent waves of deindustrialization.The authors examine the bourgeois class formation in the coal regions and its consequences for differential regional growth and urbanization. This is given context through their investigation of class conflict in the region and the struggle of workers to build a stable union that would represent their interests, as well as the struggles within the union that finally emerged as the dominant force (the United Mine Workers of American) between conservative business unionists and progressive forces.Lastly, the authors explore the demise of anthracite as the dominant industry, the attempt to attract replacement industries, the subsequent two waves of deindustrialization in the region, and the current economic conditions that prevail in the former coal counties and the cities in them. This book includes a discussion of local politics and the emergence of a strong labor-Democratic tie in the northern anthracite region and a weaker tie between labor and the Democratic party in the central and southern fields.