A Chat With Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris

The FOX Business Network's Liz Claman recently sat down with Andrew Liveris, the chief executive of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW), for an exclusive interview from the 2012 London Olympics.  Here's what he had to say:

CLAMAN: Give us your outlook of the overall economy and how your business is doing. LIVERIS: I’d say the outlook is weak. I anticipate some time in the later part of this year that China rebound will help drive the global economy to better than weak. But the macros are weak right now and I think recovery is going to be slow. CLAMAN: What is your biggest challenge as the CEO of Dow Chemical?LIVERIS: Staying the course. The volatility we’ve seen these last several years since ’08-’09 is unprecedented. All of us are now managing daily. This isn’t an question any more of a five-year plan and saying I’m going that way. Every day, it’s the details of the business that help your enterprise keep growing. CLAMAN: Who are the business leaders whom you admire?Pick one or two. It doesn’t even have to be business, but the leaders whom you admire. LIVERIS: Well, there are -- I’m very blessed. I have a role at the business roundtable, a role at the business council. I almost feel like if I speak to any particular one, I actually will miss some. But I would tell you that the business leaders that I’ve seen that have stepped out in the public policy domain, so Dave Cody, OK, for example, or Doug Oberhelman from Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT), Bob McDonald from Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG).These are people -- Jim McNerney from Boeing -- see, now, what’s happening to me, I’m remembering them all. So sorry if I’ve forgotten any of you.  These are people who have stepped up and said it matters that business and politics enjoined in public-private partnerships.  These are the leaders that I think are stepping out and creating a new face of global business. CLAMAN: Now perhaps the toughest question, if you weren’t running Dow Chemical, what would you be doing?LIVERIS: There’s a beach in Australia I’m looking forward to. I needed to return home. I’ve boomeranged for 25 years, Liz. Having said that, I do think, you know, somewhere out there in the world of post-CEO life I will have lots of interests. But I do want to stay active in the public policy area. CLAMAN: I was kind of hoping you’d say rock star but…LIVERIS: Rock star is your job.