Ask Joe Kaeser what he has done in the past two years and he will come up with an impressive list.
It is hard to think of a European chief financial officer who had more on his plate. Shortly after taking over in May 2006, the company was rocked by the biggest scandal in its 161-year history over allegations of bribery, fuelling the need to redesign its compliance system from scratch. At the same time, Mr Kaeser had to deal with a move to international accounting standards, the biggest refinancing in Siemens’ history, several large asset disposals as well as takeovers and an ambitious cost-saving programme.
