BACKSTORY: Heineken SA MD Ruud van den Eijnden
What or who is the greatest love of your life? That is of course my wife, Irene. She complements me, supports and challenges me; she simply makes me a better person. She has made quite a few sacrifices in her own professional career in following me around the world and raising a wonderful family. What are you reading at the moment? I am reading Thank you for Being Late by Thomas Friedman, about the acceleration in technology, globalisation and climate change and the impact it has on all of us. The book shows the huge opportunities, but also the risks if we do not adapt. What’s the worst airport you’ve been in? The airport itself was not so bad, but once I missed a flight from Bujumbura (Burundi) because the plane left one hour before schedule. Which phrase or word do you most overuse? "Let me draw it for you"; I have the habit of summarising or facilitating discussions on a whiteboard, even when there is (to be honest) no real need for it. However, it helps me to structure my though...
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