Claman's Davos Notebook: Big Names, Bigger Ideas
The only time I've ever been colder than yesterday was at an Operation Desert Storm rally I was covering back in the day as a cub reporter for Channel 6 News in Columbus, Ohio. Our broadcasting tent atop the Kongress Center in Davos, Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum has two tiny space heaters battling a huge open picture window of the Swiss Alps. What we do for our craft! Our FOX Business crew has been working hard in 9-degree weather and -- as Maxwell Smart would say -- "annnnnnnnd LOVING it!"
Yesterday was a whirlwind day. Thirteen heavy-duty interviews with everyone from Merck (NYSE:MRK) CEO Ken Frazier ("takes an average of 15 years to develop a drug") to JP Morgan's Jamie Dimon (NYSE:JPM) ("I've never wanted to kill anyone...well, maybe I have") to Russian banker Andrei Kostin ("It's perhaps not great for a banker image but my favorite movie is 'The Godfather.'")
Today, our guest list is just as amazing.
Bill Gates joined me live at 5 a.m. ET. If you missed it, it's on www.foxbusiness.com/davos. He's full-swing into his second life after his first: co-founding Microsoft. Now, with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, he's sleepless in his quest to heal the world by providing access to vaccines and healthcare, especially for the poor.
Cantor Fitzgerald/BGC Chairman and CEO Howard Lutnick jetted in from doing business in London. He's with me today at 4 p.m. ET. He's got twenty-four offices worldwide, and I'm dying to ask him where the real action in business is around the globe.
Speaking of action -- many of us sprung into action after the Haitian earthquake three years ago by donating money, and yet years later, all we see are the tent cities people are still living in. However, a brand new prime minister, former telecom entrepreneur Laurent LaMothe, says it's time to stop taking donations and start building and helping the country build real infrastructure I'll put the tough questions to him at 4 p.m. ET. The world has been tricked by Haitian leaders before. How will he be different?
Last night, The Wall Street Journal reported that Swiss pharma giant Novartis (NYSE:NVS) is being investigated for doing business with banned nations, specifically Iran. CEO Joe Jimenez faces our cameras this morning to discuss that, but also some good news: Novartis's multiple sclerosis pill Gilenya is now hitting blockbuster status, which means sales of more than $1 billion. Jimenez unveiled it on FOX Business about two years ago. It's a true success story for sufferers of MS.
We nabbed Andrew Liveris, the chairman and CEO of Dow Chemical, (NYSE:DOW) for an interview -- don't miss it at 3 p.m. ET. There are only five chairmen this year for the World Economic Forum, and he's one of them. What needs to be changed to make Davos more relevant and vibrant? Hey listen, it's a looooooong way up this mountain and a constant process to keep it hot.
Gotta go for now, Bill Gates is coming!