Archive for the 'Behind the Scene' Category
January 27, 2008 5:03PM
By Alexis Glick
It’s Saturday morning and I’m almost home.! Yeah!! Just about two hours until we arrive and I can’t wait to see my boys! All four of them:). I’m one of “those.” You know, the ones who LOVE to travel but love coming home to their family even more! Anyhow there is so much that I have to tell you about my last 12 hours in Davos. Strap yourself in because this is going to be an unusually long blog!
On Thursday afternoon, amidst all of the craziness, interviews, press conferences, private dinners and parties I received several messages from Rupert Murdoch’s office. He was in Davos like many other of the other executives to discuss many of the global issues facing the planet and in particular spoke on a panel about Rebuilding Brand America (Five Suggestions for the Future President). I was hoping to see him there, either personally or professionally. We tried to set something up in advance while in New York but his schedule was so busy, and the thing about Davos is you are in one meeting after another from 7am to midnight, if not later. So we decided we would exchange contact numbers and emails once we got on the ground and play it by year.
So back to Thursday afternoon. After responding to Rupert’s office and contacts on the ground, I received an invite to dinner on Friday night from Wendi Murdoch, Rupert’s wife. Yes, I was so thrilled and excited!!! I’ve had many meetings and dealings with Rupert while launching and creating the FOX Business Network but have only been to several events with Wendi, and I was so incredibly touched that she invited me to dinner. So the message was a private dinner hosted by Wendi, Queen Rania of Jordan (Wow) and Indra Nooyi of Pepsi (you know, chairman and CEO). Three of the most powerful women in the world. You can imagine my excitement! What do I wear? How do I get there? Where is it?
My producer and photojournalist were heading back to Zurich on Friday at 5pm. I was planning on going with them but when I saw the invite I knew this was going to be special and I had to stay on my own. So I made arrangements to stay, I saved my prettier dress of the two that I brought with me, and I went to the dinner.
Imagine a log cabin in the middle of a golf course covered in snow in the middle of nowhere. The sky is clear, the stars look like crystals and the mountains surrounding you are glowing in the moonlight. It was like a Norman Rockwell painting Dreamy……beyond dreamy. Majestic!
Imagine you’re on your own, where everyone speaks German, your colleagues have left, you have to carry all of your luggage (I planned to return to Zurich after the dinner so that I would make my flight the next morning) and the taxi drops you off at the wrong place. Yes, it happened to me. It always happens to me! The problem is it always seems to happen when you’re most excited, nervous and cannot be late. I arrive at another stunning hotel lobby and ask for the hotel lobby to hold my luggage, take my boots off, put my heels on and no one knows where the dinner is. You could only imagine. What am I going to do? Luckily there was another wonderful local young man who had checked my luggage and who kindly reviewed the email invite and said I was in the wrong location. He quickly offered to drive me — for 20 swiss francs no less but I would have given him anything:). The good news is my parents taught me to be on time so I was about 15 minutes early to the other hotel and therefore I arrived perfectly on time at the Golf Club Davos Mattastrasse.
So I walk in and I am greeted by Indra and her colleague Julie Hamp. Wow!!! I look around the room and realize that it is a room full of women. As you can imagine I had no idea what to expect. I was told that it was an invite to a private dinner but I had no idea who would be attending. The women in the room make my heart skip a beat just telling you. Wendi Murdoch; Indra Nooyi; Queen Rani; the Saudi Arabian Royal Family’s Princess Loulwa Al-Fiasal (grandaughter of King Abdulaziz, the founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a champion of women’s education and Vice Chairwoman of the Board and the General Supervisor of Effat College) and daughter (also a Princess); Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the former Finance and Foreign Minister of Nigeria (a role never occupied by a woman in history) and now a managing director of the World Bank, which makes her the second most powerful person at the World Bank behind President Robert Zoellick; Brenda Barnes, the president, chairman and CEO Sara Lee; Annie Lennox; Lucy Southworth (Larry Page’s better half :)…you know the Google guys); Sarah Brown, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s wife; former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s wife Cherie Booth; Joanne Lipman, Portfolio magazine’s editor, and so many others that would take your breath away. I’d say about 30 to 40 women in all arrived for a sitdown dinner. The purpose of the meeting? Maternal mortality. Are you still breathing? I’m not 
So what is maternal mortality? It’s when a woman dies while giving birth to her baby. In the developing world, 1 in 7 women die from childbirth. In developed countries like the United States, that’s 1 in 48,000. Every minute across the world, one woman dies in childbirth due to pregnancy related complications. The child is orphaned and the family is devastated. If a woman dies during childbirth, 9 out of 10 times the newborn will die, too. To demonstrate how shocking and truly devastating it is, Indra posed for a picture with six other women. Why? Because one in seven of us would die in child birth, she said. Throughout the night I listened to women, many of whom had never met each other before, discuss ways to make a difference and change the health care, training and outlook for women everywhere. To say that I was touched and in awe would do it little justice. These women spoke with passion and commitment. They spoke from the heart. Many of them have their own children and couldn’t imagine losing their mother, sister, friend or co-worker to birth. Many of them have lived in places like Africa. They have seen firsthand how little is needed to change the circumstances. It disheartens every one of us and yet somehow we feel disconnected here in the United States. How can we reconnect? Reach out? Make a difference? Change one person’s life?
Indra told us a story about how each year her executive team gets a $200 gift card. This year, each executive received a child. For $22 a month for two years, Pepsi paid for each executive to in essence adopt a child by giving them the funds needed to change their life: receive health care, shelter, education and hope.
Annie Lennox talked about her cause called Sing. She has traveled throughout Africa and is very passionate about changing the life expectancy for young children infected with HIV Aids. She told us a story about one young girl with HIV that she met while traveling in Africa. The family had picked out a casket for her imminent death. Caskets are commonplace and parents and loved ones see no opportunity for hope because they have no way of fighting the inevitable. She brought us a photo of what she looked like when they first met and then a photo of her six months later. It took your breath away. The first photo was of a child malnourished and on the brink of death. She was a healthy, beautiful girl glowing with chubby cheeks. She talked about her hope and her plans and she said, “I found my calling. I use my voice and my music to spread a message and I will fight this cause until the day I die.”
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who just became a managing director several months ago at the World Bank and probably is one of the most inspirational speakers that I have ever heard and someone who grew up in Africa, told us the real truth, or as she said the “uncomfortable truth.” She talked about how so many of the continent’s best and youngest doctors are educated and then leave the continent to practice medicine elsewhere. She said this is our fault, we need to incentivize them to stay home and provide care. She talked about the men, the husbands who don’t want or allow their wives to receive health care. How they deny a birthing coach or doctor in their homes. How the supplies and medical training required are so minimal it would break your heart. She talked about organizations, foundations, NGO’s that speak about change and yet they don’t have local African women or men at the table to discuss that change.
As you can imagine, it was an evening I’ll never forget but there’s more. Wendi Murdoch — whom I fell in love with (I know that she is my boss’s wife but this has nothing to do with it…honestly) — grabbed me and introduced me to every woman in the room. She planned the event down to every detail. She was stunning, fun, genuine and treated me like I was her sister. She shepherded me through the entire night. She’s infectious! The kind of person you gravitate toward. The life of the party, and oh, by the way, she’s as tall and thin as Cameron Diaz. I’m jealous She sat me directly across from her at the table and next to the editor of The Sun in London Rebekah Wadw (the first female editor of the newspaper and also the first woman to edit a “red copy” daily owned by News Corp) and Larry Page’s wife. She also created this myspace page dedicated to the cause. I urge you to take a look: myspace.com/davosdinner
So you think the story ends here. Well it does not!!!! It gets even crazier. Strap in. This is a moment I’ll NEVER forget. In the middle of the dinner Wendi got up a couple times to sneak into the kitchen. I could tell she had something up her sleeve but I couldn’t tell what. Bono, in a chef jacket, walks out and serves us dinner. Are you freaking out? I was speechless. In his yellow shades no less. My favorite singer and band of ALL time and he serving us dinner. No music. No speech. Just helping out and making the women swoon. That’s not all! About a half hour later wine and water served by Sergey Brin, Larry Page and Eric Schmidt from Google. Are you dying? I am :). Then like any great gentleman, my boss and Wendi’s husband, Rupert, comes out serves us water and, here’s the real kicker, vodka shots! It was priceless and precisely why he is who he is. A media mogul, a risk taker, a visionary and a real human being just like everyone of us who likes to have some fun. You ask what was he wearing? A button down shirt, pants and sneakers
There have been moments in my life that I’ll never forget, like meeting my husband, marrying my husband, giving birth to my three sons, watching Cal Ripkin break the record for consecutive games played in Camden Yards, going to Super Bowl XXXII when Denver beat the Green Bay Packers, winning an award for alumni achievement from Columbia University and meeting a man who said Starbucks saved his life. This is one of those moments!
A little later I’ll bring you my recap of DAVOS 2008, including highlights and what you can expect next on this blog (hint…..it’s in Phoenix and it involves New York and New England:) !!!
January 24, 2008 4:14PM
By Alexis Glick
Talk about power players. Bill Gates this evening talked about “Creative Capitalism” in front of a full house here in Davos. Here is some of what he said. See what he said about his time with Bono. When he speaks, people listen. Some agree. Some disagree. The premise is that the rich, wealthy corporations need to give a helping hand to the poor. Také a look below. There’s a reason why this man — and just as importantly his wife Melinda — have one of the best-known foundations in the world. The eight-year-old charity now has $70 billion dollars. Yes, $70 B as in Billion. Remember: Warren Buffett announced that he was leaving his fortune to the foundation valued at $31 billion in 2006.
Gates: We Need to Refine Capitalism
“We have to find a way to make the aspects of capitalism that serve wealthier people serve poorer people as well. The genius of capitalism lies in its ability to make self interest serve the wider interest. The potential of a big financial return for innovation unleashes a broad set of talented people in pursuit of many different discoveries. This system driven by self interest is responsible for the incredible innovations that have improved so many lives. But to harness this power so it benefits everyone we need to refine the system.”
Gates, Bono and Creative Capitalism
“One of the most inventive forms of creative capitalism involves someone we all know well. A few years ago I was sitting at a bar here in Davos with Bono. Late at night after a few drinks he was on fire talking about how we could get a percentage of each purchase from civic-minded companies to help change the world. He kept calling people, waking them up, and handing me the phone to show me the interest. Well, it’s taken time to get this going but he was right. If you give people a chance to associate themselves with a cause they care about while buying a great product, they will.”
Gates: I Challenge You To Help Poor
“I’d like to ask everyone here whether you’re in business, government, or the non-profit world, to take on a project of creative capitalism in the coming year and see where you can stretch the reach of market forces to help push things forward. Whether it’s foreign aid or charitable gifts or new products can you find a way to make the power of the market place helps the poor?”
Gates: Phenomenal Age Change World
“We’re living in a phenomenal age. If we can spend the early decades of the 21st century finding approaches that meet the needs of the poor in ways that generate profits and recognitions for business we will have found a sustainable way to reduce poverty in the world. The task is open-ended. It will never be finished, but a passionate effort to answer this challenge will help change the world. I’m excited to be part of it. Thank you. (Applause)”
January 24, 2008 1:29PM
By Alexis Glick
Oh my goodness….what a day! I’ve been doing interviews all day since I last blogged. We were in position at 7:30am Swiss time and it’s now 6pm. Haven’t eaten. Starving! On my way to the Hotel Belvedere once again for some night life. Yeah :). Actually before that I am interviewing Nasdaq CEO Bob Greifeld. You’ll see that one tomorrow morning.Today was so exciting! Activision CEO Bobby Kotick was so cool. He told me so many amazing stories, some of which I cannot repeat. (Sorry. I was sworn to secrecy!!!) One of the questions that I asked him about off air is how he buys the rights to all of the music on Guitar Hero. Three ways. One way they do it is by paying the rights to the publisher and by hiring a cover band to replay the song in question. Another way is to také the original and pay the master (i.e., pay the owner directly for the rights to that song). The third way is exclusivity. They make a deal with a specific artist, a special deal only with the arts that they feel fall into that exclusivity category. Which exclusivity deal is he currently working on? Led Zeppelin. Shhhh….it’s a secret. Stay tuned for “Stairway to Heaven!” A man after my own heart!! Just because it’s between us, he also told me a funny story about the first time he met Snoop Dogg to discuss a deal with him. He went to introduce him to a colleague and he said, “Hi. I’d like to introduce you to Snoopy Dog.” Yes….that’s right. Snoop’s manager pulled him aside and said, ‘You know, his name is Snoop Dogg, and if you say it again he’ll run you over with his car.” Is that crazy? True story. I swear.
Also I had a fascinating conversation with Tom Russo, vice chairman of Lehman Brothers, about possible solutions to the subprime/housing crisis, which he says is at the epicenter of this economy. He wrote a lengthy report all about those solutions. Spent 100 hours writing it. He gave me a copy. I’ll review it and give you the details. It was created for the G30 members. It’s truly a game changer. It was composed last November and several of his suggestions are being discussed already. I’ll bring you details later.
Oh, and his personal scoop. The late, late, late night crowd goes to a place called the Piano Bar at the Hotel Europa. It’s famous (and infamous) here for midnight singing sessions. Honestly I have not been there to give you better details. Tom tells me Barry Colson, the piano player, is being wooed by Tom and some close friends to move to New York. They are recreating the identical Piano Bar in New York City and they are begging Barry to come. Might that be the new location for CEO’s? Forget Power Lunch….next up Midnight Karoake with your best known execs.
Have to go. Time to interview Greifeld. Stay tuned for party analysis. Will I meet Gates? Perhaps Dell? And who will be on McKinsey’s dance floor tonight? Apparently, they fly in a thirteen piece band from Long Island and this is the MUST party aside from the Google party tomorrow night. We’ll see
January 24, 2008 10:14AM
By Alexis Glick
January 24, 2008 6:07AM
By Alexis Glick
Good Morning!! It’s just after 11am here. We’ve been up since the crack of dawn interviewing some fantastic CEO’s. Tune into Money for Breakfast and the Opening Bell this morning. If you miss them, just go to our home page and you can see the video. We’re talking to the CEO of General Mills, Coca Cola, Intel, Nissan and so many more. Here’s a taste of what you can expect from Intel Chairman Craig Barrett, “You can’t save your way out of recession, you have to invest your way out.”
So what other kinds of behind the scenes stories have I heard on the down low?
Ukrainian President Yushchenko is here staying at a private villa with maximum security. He has a private chef that cooks and travels with him at ALL times. He has had two surgeries to correct the results of the Dioxin poising and is expected to have another three.
Pakistani President Musharraf and Columbian President Uribe are both here and have lead to increased security. I wish I could sit down with Musharraf. He may be one of the most fascinating guests given the upcoming elections in Pakistan in February. We saw the Colombian president last night arriving at the Hotel Belvedere with about 10 agents wrapped around him. I tried to talk to him but feared that story would have an unhappy ending :). Also saw master of deal making Henry Kravitz talking to several international leaders. He still looks as strong and powerful as ever.
Ok. Need to buckle in for the next four hours of live television. See you on the back end!
January 23, 2008 6:58PM
By Alexis Glick
It’s 12:15 am in Switzerland and my night is finally ending. I haven’t shut my eyes in about 42 hours. Yikes!
We just got back from Steve Forbes party here in Davos at the Hotel Belvedere. It’s an institution and the location for multiple parties on each night. It was a star studded crowd of Executives and Business Leaders.
Among the people I saw and had a moment to speak with were Governor John Corzine, the CEO of Hasbro Alfred Verrecchia, the Chairman and CEO of Interpublic Group Michael Roth, Steve Forbes and Jeff Zucker the Chairman and CEO of NBC Universal.
I must admit it’s moments like this where I can’t help but pinch myself. How did I get so lucky? At the end of the day everyone one of them are real people just like you and me. What separates them from the pack? Their desire to win and their thirst for learning.
I learned a very valuable lesson tonight watching them mingle with one another. Even when the odds are stacked against you and things look bleak, you have to take the time to enjoy life, spend time with friends and forget for just one night, maybe two, that you are running a multinational corporation!
January 23, 2008 1:33PM
By Alexis Glick
So I arrived this morning at 7am into Zurich after an eight hour plane ride and no sleep. You’ll love this…..try not to laugh because I wanted to cry. Remember my technological issues? Well I get on the plane, turned on the iPod Shuffle, it didn’t work. Now I might be totally inept but all I kept seeing was a flashing orange light and then it shut off. Perhaps a lack of battery power or so I hope :). Needless to say no Eminem, no Rolling Stones. I was bummed. On the other hand, I did meet some interesting people on the plane who shall remain nameless. Big topic…..consolidation in the banking industry. Big year for mergers. Valuations are cheap and now is the time to shore up the balance sheet. Be on the look out. In addition, why only Sovereign Wealth Funds coming to the rescue and not the Hedge Fund Industry? They’re waiting with cash in hand for the “right moment.” They have lowered their risk levels and will be put money to work when they feel these names have bottomed out. Interesting right?
The most amazing part of my three hour journey from Zurich to Davos: driving with a local resident and lovely gentleman named Heinz. He was born in Davos and has lived here his entire life. He took such pride in telling me the history of the country and Davos. He was so well informed about so many political, economic and social issues. I was so incredibly impressed. I asked him how he knows so much… whether he reads papers or watches television news. He said he reads three to four papers a day. Quite impressive!
The best thing about being in Switzerland is the chocolate and the sheer beauty of the landscape. Sometimes you forget that there is this whole world out there. We live in a microcosm or at least I do. To work, to the grocery store, to school to pick up the kids and back home again. Being here reminds me of being a kid. As a kid, we didn’t have much. My dad drove a beaten up Peugeot but he took us to Europe as often as he could (my uncle lived here for almost fifteen years). He wanted us to explore, learn about other countries and see the natural beauty. It may not happen right away but I know what I need to do…. get my husband and three boys on a plane and explore!
January 23, 2008 1:10PM
By Alexis Glick
I’m not hearing the party line or canned responses. Everyone of the people that I interviewed today did not hold back. Former Treasury Secretary John Snow said a $150B stimulus package is not enough. $200B is the number he would like to see. Roughly 1.5%-2% of U.S. GDP, but it must be timely. That, says Snow, combined with a good monetary policy would avoid a sharp economic downturn.
Steve Forbes said the key to turning around the U.S. Economy is supporting the U.S. dollar and he wants the Federal Reserve Bank to step up to the plate and sell bonds from its portfolio to remove some of the excess dollar liquidity.
Steve Roach, the Economist from Morgan Stanley said a stimulus package and a Fed that continues to cut rates is irresponsible. We are in a recession and we will not begin to come out of it until early 2009.
Now some of what we heard was harsh but as Rich Edelman, a public relations expert and CEO of Edelman said, CEOs need to be honest. They need to speak the truth and guide investors. It’s not about rock star CEOs. It’s about accountability and the value of the brand. In a place like Davos I have no doubt that the brand that’s on everyone’s mind is the U.S. Brand. American companies are in focus and what we are learning is that while America’s share of Global GDP is declining, this Country is a leader and innovator and many countries around the Globe take their cue from us.
First impressions….. I’m glad the issues are being thrown on the table. That people are not afraid to speak their mind and that many solutions are being discussed.
January 22, 2008 4:32PM
By Alexis Glick
Welcome to the Glick Report. It’s my first official day writing on my new blog and I couldn’t be more excited! I have talked about doing this for months but with the launch of the network and the many miscellaneous responsibilities it never seemed like the right time.
Today is the day. You ask why? Well as we speak, I’m writing this blog from JFK airport in New York on my way to Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum. Some people refer to it as the Super Bowl of the Business World. Honestly, this is my first time going to Davos. I don’t know much about it or what to expect other than the fact that some of the greatest minds, leaders, executives and philanthropic groups will be there to shed some light on global issues and perhaps give us some insight into the turbulence that we have seen in the global markets over the last couple of weeks and months.
I don’t know how you feel about the past several months but I want answers. As I told a colleague of mine last night, I feel like Ricky Ricardo from “I Love Lucy” when he says to Lucy, “Lucy….you some ‘splainin to do.” I’m not sure what I want these leaders to tell me or if they have the answers but what I do want is candid responses. Are we headed into a recession? Are they concerned not only about the U.S. economy but also about the Global Economy? Is the Fed doing the right thing? Is a stimulus package needed? Can the Fed, a stimulus package and regulatory change erase or prevent this from happening again? Who bears the responsibility? What happened to due diligence? Should we not be concerned about rates getting so cheap once again that we create the same problem?
They may not have all the answers, but you can be sure that I am going to ask the tough questions and I would like you to do the same. This blog will be a place for us to share ideas, inform one another, create a dialogue and have some fun. We’re all scared. We’re all unsure. We’re all trying to create our plan for the future. We don’t know what the next three months or six months will look like. All we can do is live in the moment, plan for the future and live for today.
On a personal note, I’m a technological idiot. Maybe not an idiot but let’s say I’m not the savviest person when it comes to technological devices. Last night, knowing that I was going to be on an eight-hour flight my husband downloaded tons of music onto an iPod shuffle for me. Yes, it’s scary but true. There is a first time for everything. Davos, Switzerland, and the iPod Shuffle. I’m really psyched. It’s full of Queen, the Rolling Stones, Oasis, Steve Miller, U2. Oldies but goodies. Honestly, I can’t wait to hear Eminem’s song “Lose Yourself”. “You Only Get One Shot, do not miss your chance to blow this opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo……….you can do anything you set your mind to….!” Don’t you just love the sound of that?
See you in the morning.
