Quantitative Analisys

Quantitative analysis1.4 The Opponents: Klaus Esser And Chris Gent

And now some words to the human players, who they are and what they stood for in the growing telecommunication business and in respect to the merger.

1.4.1 Klaus Esser

The lawyer who took his doctorate degree is being called an eloquent, but quiet, passionate, but bookish and deeply private person. (Anonymous. 2000. "Face value: Mannesmann's dogged defender".)

He had been working for Mannesmann for more than 20 years, till he had to quit in June 2000 due to the merger.

In 1994 he took the leading of the finance department of Mannesmann to keep this position for another five years, when in 1999 he was finally appointed to be CEO of Mannesmann. A classical career, as one might say. (Preissner A., Nölting A. 1999. "Der Zwei-Teiler".)

His strategies for Mannesmann were based on a mixed wired and wireless telecommunication business, along with a strong footprint in the newly emerging internet platform which was ready to be launched 2 months after the proposed merger.

1.4.2 Chris Gent

One of four brothers, he grew up in London. His father was a sailor and died when Gent was a teenager. Gent decided against university and immediately took a job as a trainee at Britain's National Westminster Bank. He was politically interested and soon became chairman of the "Young Conservatives".

With his interest in Cricket, he shares a major hobby and befriended with John Major, former Prime Minister of the UK. This friendship came in handy when he decided, after 14 years in the computer business, to join Vodafone in 1985. He quickly rose through the ranks of the company.

Gent is publicity shy and a very private person, still he has come to be one of the most important managers of the telecommunication business. (Anonymous. 2000. "Chris Gent".)

His objectives for Vodafone (and Mannesmann) were not much different than Esser's: It did not look like he was on the internet track right from the beginning, though and it was clear that if he took over Mannesmann, he would demerge the wired parts of the telecommunication business and remain with the wireless ones.