CEOs Reveal Films That Changed Their Lives
In anticipation of the movie industry’s biggest awards event, the Oscars, FBN’s Liz Claman sat down with some of the most prominent business and political leaders in Davos. She asked Bill Gates, Jamie Dimon and others about their favorite movies.
Bill Gates, Chairman, Microsoft The Sound of Music "Years ago, my wife and I watched it together and bonded over it when we were dating." Davos 2013: Bill Gates on Global Fund’s Fight to Save Lives
Muhtar Kent, Chairman, President, CEO, Coca-Cola The Longest Day "It’s the story of D-Day and shows in the most amazing way that this must never happen again." Davos 2013: Coca-Cola CEO: Water is a Very Big Issue in the World
Jamie Dimon, Chairman, CEO JP Morgan Apocolypse Now "I’m a basic guy. This movie spoke to me." Davos 2013: Dimon: U.S. Consumer is in Better Shape
Gary Cohn, President, COO, Goldman Sachs Top Gun "You can always come back from adversity!" 10,000 Small Businesses: Will Demand in China Continue to Drive Commodity Prices?
Rich Gelfond, CEO, IMAX Chariots of Fire "It’s about perseverance, running toward goals and away from your demons. It definitely explains why I’m so driven." Davos 2013: Imax CEO on China, Future
Bob Greifeld, CEO, NASDAQ-OMX The Godfather "I’m half Italian and I loved the life lessons from the strong leaders of the family." Davos 2013: Greifeld: Government Doesn’t Deserve Current Rating
John Chambers, Chairman, CEO Cisco Patton "It was a life lesson how he transformed warfare by pulling out and re-engaging so quickly but he wasn’t collaborative and that prevented him from achieving more than just being the greatest General." Davos 2013: Cisco's Next Frontier
Toby Cosgrove, CEO, Cleveland Clinic Deer Hunter "I spent a year in Da Nang during the Vietnam War and I was in charge of evacuations of 22,000 wounded and K.I.A. (killed in action). The movie was so exaggerated compared to my experience which was so different. It taught me to be skeptical of all the news and information swirling out there." Davos 2013: Cleveland Clinic CEO: Want to Team With Companies Like McDonald’s
Orit Gadiesh, Chairman, Bain & Company Chariots of Fire "A great story of a Jewish kid making it against the Oxford establishment." Davos 2013: Bain & Company Chairman on Certainty of Uncertainty
Mark Bertolini, CEO, Aetna Pulp Fiction "One minute I was putting rear axels together at the Mercury Bobcat plant in Detroit and today I’m the CEO of a Fortune 100 company. The movie is incredibly chaotic and surreal and that’s how life really is… a bit of a random walk." Davos 2013: Aetna CEO: We’re Using Google to Track Flu Virus
Howard Lutnick, Chairman, CEO Cantor Fitzgerald, BGC Partners It’s a Wonderful Life "That moment when he talked to the townspeople to truly describe finance and mortgages. He explained in the simplest way what a ‘run on the bank’ really is." Davos 2013: Cantor Fitzgerald CEO on Ireland, Interest Rates
Stanley Fischer, Governor, Central Bank of Israel The Sting "So clever, so funny, and it taught me how to have a poker face." Davos 2013: Bank of Israel Governor on Security, Economic Growth
Paul Jacobs, CEO, Qualcomm Monty Python and the Holy Grail "I was always the smart kid. Monty Python taught me not to be so serious. Ease up a little." Davos 2013: Qualcomm CEO: We’re Very Focused on Value Smartphones
Duncan Niederauer, CEO, NYSE-Euronext Caddyshack "Bill Murray ad libbed close to the entire movie. Amazing." Davos 2013: NYSE Opens New Chapter With ICE Merger
Olafur Grimsson, President, Iceland An Inconvenient Truth "It communicated the melting of the Ice in my part of the world. Iceland has the largest glaciers in the world. We don’t need to go to conferences to know they’re melting." Davos 2013: Iceland President: We Decided to Let the Banks Fail
Rick Goings, Chairman, CEO, Tupperware The Graduate "This is easy. It’s a famous line: 'I have one word for you. PLASTICS.'" Davos 2013: Tupperware CEO on What's Missing from Davos
Stan Bergman, Chairman, CEO, Henry Schein Invictus "Through the story of Nelson Mandela, it’s an incredible lesson about making your enemy your friend." Davos 2013: Henry Schein CEO on the Flu Vaccine
Arne Sorenson, CEO, Marriott Kenneth Branaugh’s Henry V "That motivational, pre-battle speech he gives to his motley crew, I know it by heart." Davos 2013: Where are the Opportunities for Hotel Industry?
Chris Nassetta, CEO, Hilton Worldwide Lincoln "All that early childhood learning I got through textbooks was put into phenomenal context." Davos 2013: Where are the Opportunities for Hotel Industry?
Oleg Deripaska, CEO, RUSAL Anything Fellini "During my childhood we only had Soviet propaganda films we could watch.When I got to see Federico Fellini movies, I realized, I love Fellini." Davos 2013: Rusal CEO: Central Banks Don't Threaten Corporate Ingenuity
Carlos Ghosn, Chairman, CEO Nissan-Renault The Life of Others "A German film about the East German Communist regime. It’s about being honest in a Totalitarian regime." Davos 2013: Nissan CEO: An Electric Car Revolution is Happening
Anand Mahindra, Chairman and Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Every Fellini Film "His movies are about the magic of life meeting the magic of dreams. Fellini never let reality deny his dreams." Davos 2013: Mahindra & Mahindra Chairman on the Economic Outlook
Ken Frazier, Chairman, President, CEO Merck To Kill a Mockingbird "It inspired me to be a lawyer and to represent people who didn’t have a voice." Davos 2013: Merck CEO: We Need a Strong FDA
Laura Chinchilla, President, Costa Rica Chaplin "An amazing story of solidarity from someone who had nothing to offer but his humanity." Davos 2013: Costa Rica President: We are a Success Story
Andrei Kostin, President, VTB Bank The Godfather "The philosophy, the script, the actors.. it’s a perfect film." Davos 2013: VTB Bank Chairman on Russian Banking
Joe Jimenez, CEO, Novartis Wall Street "It helped me see excesses and what could happen if you don’t take the right path." Davos 2013: Novartis CEO: We Follow Protocol in Marketing Drugs Worldwide
Andrew Liveris, Chairman, CEO, Dow Chemical The Graduate "C’mon. That line, “Plastics” was a life-changer." Davos 2013: Dow Chemical CEO on Global Perceptions of U.S., Jobs
Rupert Stadler, Chairman, CEO Audi East of Eden "James Dean caught my attention in that movie. He drove a Porsche. Today I’m the CEO of Audi." Davos 2013: Audi Set Record Sales for 2-Straight Years
Dato Najib Bin Tun Razak, Malaysian Prime Minister Invictus "The strength and character of Nelson Mandela truly came through. He found success by not being vindictive." Davos 2013: Malaysian PM: Real Change and Progress Taking Place