The Great Fight
In 2017, Kraft Heinz’s attempt to buy the Dutch/British company Unilever for 135 billion euros failed. Its CEO, Paul Polman, refused to work for billionaires, believing companies should be a force for good and take responsibility for the climate.
Non-Fiction
Author
Jeroen Smit
Original title
Het grote gevecht
Having invented the ‘business book thriller’ genre with his books on Ahold and ABN Amro, Smit continues in the same vein, mapping Polman’s attempt to steer Unilever into a safe Dutch haven, escape Brexit, and protect the firm from shareholders focussed on quick profit. Sadly this all ends in drama. Inspiring nevertheless, The Great Fight reveals how the business community must be turned if the soul of capitalism is to be saved.
Jeroen Smit
Jeroen Smit (1963) is a renowned Dutch investigative financial journalist: he was editor for Het Financieele Dagblad, head of economy for Algemeen Dagblad, and until 2002 editor-in-chief and publisher of the business weekly FEM Business.