Business leaders across the North-east are being urged to reflect on the key characteristics the region’s next leaders must master.
Business leaders across the North-east are being urged to reflect on the key characteristics the region’s next leaders must master.
Marianne Abib-Pech, former CFO of Shell Aviation turned writer turned entrepreneur, is speaking at a dinner next month (Dec 1) focusing on what she believes are the key areas of leadership, despite professing that “You are never a leader, you are always a leader in the making”.
Marianne left her native France in 1994 and has never returned. She studied at Instutit d’Etudes Commericales Superieures de Strasbourg and spent a year at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, with a double major in finance and business organisation.
Her own leadership journey has taken her around the world and began with Arthur Andersen in Luxembourg from where she moved to Motorola and then GE.
Marianne was one of the youngest management board members of a Fortune 500 division company, becoming the chief financial officer of Shell Aviation at the age of 35.
When her husband was offered the opportunity to advance his career with a move to Hong Kong, she decided it was time for a change of direction to pursue her own dreams by switching from being a "corporate person" to being an entrepreneur.
Asked to describe her perfect leader, it is unlikely that anyone in the audience at Norwood Hall Hotel will recognise themselves in her description.
“They would have the innovation of Steve Jobs, the ability to execute of Jack Welch (the former chairman and CEO of GE), the empathy of Mother Teresa and the creativity of Leonardo da Vinci - that would be my model of leadership," she said.
Marianne is appearing at one of the Chamber’s regular On Leadership dinners, which were launched a year ago, in partnership with Shell UK, on the theme of leadership.
Exceptional leaders from a range of sectors including business, the military and sport have imparted their knowledge and experience to Chamber members at the quarterly events.
The inaugural On Leadership address attracted more than 100 guests to hear General Sir Mike Jackson, one of the most high profile generals since World War II, talk about how the same leadership qualities required on the battlefield can be applied to business.
Other recent speakers have included former All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick, jeweller Gerald Ratner and BBC journalist Gavin Esler.
This evening event is being held on Tuesday, December 1 at the Norwood Hall Hotel, Aberdeen. More information can be found at www.agcc.co.uk/networking-events.