Cream of the crop
More news on the “McKinsey effect” from the States: Robert Holland Jr, lately of the Firm, has stepped down as president of ice-cream firm Ben & Jerry’s after a mere 20 months. Reasons for the split have yet to emerge, and the firm speaks highly of his development of a line of “non-fat sorbets”.
Having read elsewhere of B&J’s corporate culture, which includes a “Joy Gang” and a “Grand Poobah” who make sure everyone is having fun, I’m amazed he lasted so long. Meanwhile, Wall St Journal writer David Stauffer warns against buying business books on the basis of the author’s long list of illustrious clients. Often, he warns “his role consisted of something like operating a slide projector at a three-hour workshop in 1979, when he was a first year associate with McKinsey”. Well, I’m impressed. Tricky blighters, slide machines.