The woman who brought stability after dictatorship and the man who bought a lemon
Good week for Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and a bad week for Kevin Hedderwick
The first woman elected to lead an African country, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, will step down in January, following this week’s election, having served two terms and presided over what’s likely to be the country’s first peaceful transfer of power in 74 years. The Nobel peace laureate admits she underestimated Liberia’s problems and the "roots of corruption" — yet she brought stability after 20 years of dictatorship and devastating civil war, and faced the debilitating Ebola crisis and 2014 commodity price collapse. The man who built Famous Brands, Kevin Hedderwick, saw his last signature deal at the company — the R2.1bn acquisition of Gourmet Burger Kitchen — turn out to be a lemon. The UK burger chain recorded a first-half loss of £872,000, Famous Brands said in a trading update indicating a 63% drop in HEPS in the six months to August, which triggered a 14% drop in the share price. Just days earlier Hedderwick had announced he was quitting his partnership with Brian...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.