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Tidjane bursts "glass ceiling"

"I am black, French and I measure 1.93 meters. Here's how Tidjane describes himself himself a headhunter British came to offer him a position with Aviva in 2002. This polytechnician Franco-Ivorian then 40 years and worked for international consulting firm McKinsey study. Yet he prefers to prevent the caller who asked him to go to an interview for a position at the first insurer in the United Kingdom.

At that time, Tidjane was scalded by all its difficulties in finding a position to match its ambitions in France. However, his resume is not supposed to let recruiters indifferent. Born into a family of Côte d'Ivoire, son of former Ivorian Minister of Information and an illiterate mother until his thirty years Tidjane joined the cream of French schools in a faultless display.After preparatory classes, he pocketed his diploma from the Ecole Polytechnique in 1984 and parade on the Champs Elysees on July 14. He also wins a civil engineering degree Mines de Paris is a major promotion in 1986. The same year he completed this course with an MBA at Insead.

The fight against the discrimination he experienced in France became one of his fights. In a text entitled "What does being French," written for the think-tank "Institut Montaigne," the man tells her "frustration" when one of her classmates became hunter head told him to have his name struck off the list "because the answer was invariably: profile interesting and impressive, but you understand … '. He said he tired of constantly hitting the "glass ceiling" image means economic difficulties of a class of person to get to a position of responsibility.Term frequently used for women.

Parenthesis policy

Before the episode Aviva Tidjane fled discrimination in the economic world to take refuge in politics. With again, an extraordinary journey. After his degree, he took a sabbatical to attend the Young Professionals Program of the World Bank. A training program designed to attract the best young talent around the world. In 1994, he accepted a post as head of the National Bureau of Technical Studies and Development of the new President of Côte d'Ivoire, Henri Konan Bédié, he proposes. It will occupy until the coup of December 1999.

In August 1998, he became Minister of Planning and Development of his homeland. That same year he was selected among the "100 most promising leaders of tomorrow 'Forum in Davos (Young Global Leaders of Tomorrow).He was elected member of Dream Cabinet in 1999 and the Consultative Council of the Institute of the World Bank. With his little glasses and his smile, Tidjane convincing as Tony Blair. The British prime minister at the time chose to be a member of his Commission for Africa.

Back to Economics

In 2002, Tidjane closes the parenthesis policy by accepting a position with Aviva as director of strategy and development. He opts for the Great Britain said that "very tolerant and very open." Ambitious, Tidjane quickly climbed the ranks to become CEO of the biggest insurer in Britain. So when he decided to "downgrade" to the position of CFO at the competitor Prudential in September 2007, the new surprises. "This is not common.It almost never happens except when the directors of the divisions run much smaller, "says Gavin Hinks, British journalist. "Tidjane is obviously a very talented and ambitious. This is clearly someone who is being tipped for the top and should not remain very long time CFO.

The reporter was right. In October 2009, Tidjane becomes CEO of Prudential. He became the first passage to black to head a multinational FTSE 100. The City is also in love. So much so that she heartily applauded his promotion.

Today, the strategic choices of the Ecole Polytechnique are unanimously. The latest to Asia is no exception to the rule. Five months after his arrival at the head of Prudential, the group set out to conquer the biggest emerging market in the world.When Tidjane formalized the acquisition of Asian operations of AIG by a transaction colossal $ 35.5 billion, the news has excited all the financial centers of the United States to Asia via Europe. Incidentally, Prudential has also returned to profit in 2009, with a net profit of 676 million pounds (about 755 million euros) over the past year, against a loss of 396 million pounds (493 million euros ) a year earlier.

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  • The manufacturer Gemalto smart cards issued Thursday its results for the year in france 2009. The turnover declined by 1.5%, reaching 1.654 billion euros. The net lost 3.27% on a year to 148 million euros. For the first time in its history, the company will pay its first dividend, to 25 cents per share.

    The group's operating income amounted to 171 million euros (1.18%), although it is cut by 11 million euros. Indeed Gemalto had to make provision for this sum to settle a malfunction on smart cards in Germany.

    During Gemalto has accelerated its growth in external spending 74 million euros for six acquisitions, including a company specializing in mobile electronic signature cashadvance .The CEO of EADS (+0.04% at 14.11 euros), Louis Welsh said in Munich last Saturday he expected a "clarification" on the financing of additional costs for the Airbus A400M military "before the end of next week. "

    GDF Suez (+1.05% at 26.50 euros) could revise its bid for International Power Plc, particularly the terms of its offer in cash, reports the Independent on Sunday, citing sources close to the French group.

    The Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) has asked for new commitments to Bélvédère (-5.28% to 34.07 euros) in the case of warrants, which in recent weeks between the group of spirits Association Defense of Minority Shareholders (ADAM).

    Bongrain (-1.68% to 55.53 euros) has reported a turnover down 7.4% on a comparable basis in 2009, affected by unfavorable economic environment.

    Eiffage (+0.68% at 36.42 euros) was able to stabilize its sales in 2009 thanks to a rebound in activity in the fourth quarter.

    Several publications of companies are expected on Monday: Altran Technologies (-1.18% to 4.20 euros) pre-market Unibail Rodamco (-0.80% to 155 euros) after-hours trading, Le Noble Age (-1, 72% to 15.40 euros) and Devoteam (stable at 18.50 euros). Faurecia brings an extraordinary general meeting regarding the capital increase related to the repurchase of Emcon.

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  • With Twitter, the communication is passed in real time. With Shazam, the iPhone has become a machine to recognize the music. German Aka-Aki opened the madness of mobile location based social networks. These services are transforming our lives for several months have been identified, there are one or two years, the Forum Netexplorateur. Founded in 2008 by Martine and Thierry Bidegain Happe, it seeks to identify innovations that can have a significant impact on the uses digital economy or society. The third edition, including Le Figaro is a partner, meets Thursday and Friday to the Senate in Paris. It is an opportunity to set new standards in the "socio-digital revolution" underway.

    The winners of the 2010 edition were selected from more than 440 projects emerging. They are part of a new digital world where the Internet becomes ubiquitous.The URL can not be visited more but found himself. Many objects become key input into an ecosystem where real and not real live. Databases and servers are scattered, software and outsourced services, terminal dematerialized. The interface for mobile augmented reality Sixth Sense allows to browse the Internet with a virtual screen projected by a minicam, dial a phone number in the palm of his hand or view a video on a newspaper article. Accessible from anywhere, this new Internet makes the user knowing. With mobile browser layar augmented reality, any building or environment is an opportunity to unwind "layers of virtual information.Augmented with TAT ID, the user can display a variety of virtual cards and virtual social networking profiles around her face, free to the caller to download this information.

    Freeing the user of the computer

    This ecosystem is emerging as new human-machine interfaces capable of freeing, ultimately, the user of the computer or a smartphone. The aircraft of the future will respond to a voice command, gesture or brain. The French HiLabs has already begun to deploy an intelligent window on the windows of merchants Grenoble: responding to displacement of people, she then called by a movie, the way to interact with one giant touch screen (Eyelights).

    On the Internet also should be contacted individually to the consumer.Social networks like Facebook and Twitter is why a "hunting ground" ideal marker there conversations on Internet brand and integrate it with an ad campaign that takes account of these opinions (People Powered Ads).

    In this new digital world order, and environmental organizations are impacted first. The technology can learn to change and therefore it is the creed of Source Map, which shows the carbon footprint of a product or a food or Mobile Lucas, who turns the mobile phone Minilab analysis medical use and particularly to distinguish true and false cases of malaria.

    Similarly, the Better Place project relies heavily on intelligence network, able to indicate to drivers of electric cars recharging station nearest, then manage the transaction load and billing.At work, it calls for transparency on the powers of his future employer to decide to change. What improve individual productivity or collective, as the founder of the website Get a Great Boss. In parallel, microtâches can be relocated and create microjobs for solidarity: the draft Work Give an iPhone application developed by Samasource, which proposes to perform computing tasks mechanical ( "tag" a video detailing card, test application) by refugees from Dadaab camp in Kenya. Initiatives that, once industrialized are likely to reverse the tide.

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  • After a session with no real trend on Monday (0.07% to 10,205.02 points), Asian stock markets resume upward trend Tuesday. The Nikkei 225 ended the session sharply higher by 1.63%, driven by gains on Wall Street yesterday, the relative stability of the yen and the revival of the Toyota shares after the announcement of a cure his technical problem. At the close, the Nikkei 225 index of blue chips gained 166.07 points (1.63%) to receive at 10,371.09 points.The broader Topix index of all securities in the first table has taken his side 14.21 points (1.58%) to 912.82 points in a market where activity has yet revealed quite low, with 1.88 billion shares traded on the market first.

    Japanese carmaker Toyota said Monday that the pieces to solve the problem of having pedal forced to recall millions of cars in the world begin to arrive in Europe "next week".

    The U.S. and European stock markets have led the way Monday, the Dow Jones, the CAC 40, FTSE 100 and Dax gaining 30 respectively 1.18%, 0.60%, 1.14%, 0.81%.

    Rising commodity prices including gold and oil strongly favors trading companies and oil companies. While the weaker yen against the dollar makes exporting values to increase.The dollar goes back into effect at 90.84 yen.

    The oil companies and trading companies benefit

    The export values are not to be outdone, Canon Inc. gained 2.7% to 3610 yen, Sony Corp. takes 3.3% to 3160 yen and Kyocera progressed by 2.1% to 8320 yen payday loans .

    Regards, Toyota Motor Corp., which has been battered recently on Tuesday, the share jumped from 5.5% to 3640 yen after the announcement of the detailed plan of repair of vehicles recalled by the manufacturer.

    The oil companies are the big winners include the results better than expected Exxon published yesterday on Wall Street. The refiner, Nippon Oil gained 5.3% to 441 yen and Nippon Mining Holdings, whose principal activities include oil refining rose 5.2% to 407 yen. Cosmo Oil takes 2.6% to 200 yen. The tanker Inpex was up 2.3%.Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. gained 1.5%.

    Trading companies also take their game well, Mitsui & Co climbed 3.8% to 1342 yen, Mitsubishi Corp jumped 4.5% to 2237 yen and Itochu Corpb rose 2.9% to 709 yen.

    Among the values sharply down, the action of Tecmo Koei Holdings Manufacturer of video games fell 9.5% to 630 yen after the announcement of a delay in the launch of some key games such as "Quantum Theory" and of lowering its forecast for annual operating profit by 97%.

    From the financial side, Nomura Holdings (+1.6%) announced Tuesday for the third quarter, a third positive quarterly result in a row. Between October and December, net profit reached 10.2 billion yen (77 million euros).

    Softbank gained 3.8%.The telecommunications group introduced on Tuesday a net profit for the first three quarters of fiscal 2009/2010 to 94.86 billion yen (711 million euros), up 63% over one year. A result supported by the mobile business.

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  • The president of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, today apologized for the recall of its models in an interview on public television NHK.

    "We are extremely sorry for having caused discomfort to customers," said president of the Japanese group, interviewed on the sidelines of the Davos Forum in Switzerland. Toyota is looking for reasons for the problem and explain to customers to allay their fears, "he added.

    Up to 1.8 million: the number of cars sold in Europe that the Japanese car manufacturer Toyota will recall at its plants, a lack of accelerator pedal already detected in the United States, Canada and China .Toyota had announced the recall Europe before yesterday, but without the encryption.

    Eight models concerned

    A statement from Toyota, "the precise number is still under consideration, but could reach 1.8 million vehicles" recalled in Europe. Eight models are concerned: AYGO, iQ, Yaris, Auris, Corolla Verso, Avensis and RAV4. But "no Lexus or any other Toyota model is affected," says the group.

    The cause of the recall is a defective design of the accelerator: in some cases, the pedal may stay locked in position down free credit report .The same problem has already caused the recall of 270,000 cars in Canada, 75,000 in China and 2.3 million primarily in the United States, where the group has even had to suspend production and sale of eight models, an unprecedented step.

    "There is no need or intention to stop production in Europe," says Toyota Friday, who said he uses the more contentious parts for cars sold on this continent. The Japanese group says he tries to normalize the situation as quickly as possible, saying he has "found a solution to the problem" and that it will provide instructions to all its customers when its effectiveness will be verified .

    Tadashi Arashima, head of Toyota Motors Europe, has also tried to reassure by saying that the accelerator problem "happens only in very rare circumstances.The action announced is a preventive measure, intended to ensure the highest standards of quality for all consumers. " "We recognize that the current situation creates concern, and we deeply regret," he further stressed.

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  • All the big names in the electronics world is found in Las Vegas. All except Apple, which looks January 27 to make a revolutionary new listing, which may take competitors by surprise.

    Since late 2009, it seems clear that the firm will make an apple Internet Tablet to be called islation. The announcement will take place in late January, because Apple has rented a conference room in San Francisco. But the date of its Internet Tablet, which would have a multi-touch screen 25 to 28 centimeters diagonally, is only scheduled for the second quarter of 2010. Indeed, one of the subcontractors Taiwanese Apple said establishing a production of screens and aluminum chassis which should start next month. "It will not take long to assemble the different elements.But output in the second quarter is what we envision, "said an anonymous source to Reuters.

    It seems that islation, including a video circulated on the Internet is the answer to Apple's digital media books. It is the first color. This could lead to the creation of a new department of sales on the iTunes website.

    Competitors eclipsed

    But it would be difficult to know now than to give this one new activity. The new product Apple should allow you to download applications, listening to music, watching movies, into a true entertainment product while traveling. It would be more appropriate than the iPod touch and iPhone, whose screen is too small (9 cm) to qualify for comfortable vision. Islation with the Cupertino company remains true to its business model winner.It sells very expensive and a revolutionary product takes the services market (music, video, books …) that are downloaded on this product. Exits to sell these services at very low prices. Consequently, when Apple makes money, the service providers do not share the crumbs.

    This ad may overshadow those of its competitors have made in Las Vegas. Last week, new Internet Tablet, which is a kind of PC without a keyboard but with a multi-touch screen, were presented by almost all PC makers. Among them, the Chinese Lenovo freed from Intel and Microsoft opted for the chips Qualcomm U.S., of Britain's ARM and a Linux operating system. But these are, after all, only computers that are trying to rise from their ashes. Five years ago, a first wave of Tablet PCs had appeared before dying for lack of customers.

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  • As the situation worsens indebted French, Crédit Municipal de Paris offers a new personal loan that will follow the fluctuations of the budget of a borrower. "This loan applies for the first time consumer credit adapts to clients' lives that evolves over time," explains the Figaro.fr Emmanuel Bouriez, Director General of Crédit Municipal de Paris. The institution with a social means product support vulnerable people, particularly those that feed on a new project but who have already contracted one or more revolving loans. This new offset their loan reduces the amount of monthly payments when their incomes fall and to revise upwards if they were to increase.To sum borrowed less than 20,000 euros, no guarantee is requested to the borrower and ultimately, the loan will cost "up to three times cheaper" than a revolving credit "classical" says Crédit Municipal de Paris . Proposed by many specialized credit institutions, revolving funds are to make available to the consumer a sum of money on a particular account permanently but whose interest rates very high, usually ranging from 16 to 22%. The phrase "Reducto-flex" as proposed in January by Crédit Municipal de Paris, will match the interest rate personal loans, a rate between 6% and 7%.

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  • The National Association for Business Economics released its monthly survey on Monday on the state of the U.S. economy in 2010. The real GDP growth should reach them by 2.9% next year, compared with the 2.6% suggested in the previous survey.

    "The real GDP growth should be sufficient to rebuild the lost ground during the recession and ensure that the production reaches a record high by the end of 2010," NABE said in a statement.

    For the year, the group of economists expects a decline of 2.4% of GDP (against 2.5% previously) and an unemployment rate expected to remain above the 10 threshold % between the fourth quarter 2009 and second quarter 2010.

    Since December 2007 and the beginning of the recession that the United States came out, the economy has destroyed 7.3 million jobs, the unemployment rate rising above the symbolic 10% (10.2% precisely) of the workforce in October, the highest since 26 years and a half.

    "United States: economic indicators continue to improve

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