The CEO: The Rise and Fall of Britain's Captains of Industry

The CEOs of Britain's largest companies wield immense power, but we know very little about them. How did they get to the top? Why do they have so much power? Are they really worth that exorbitant salary? Michael Aldous and John Turner provide the answers by telling the story of the British CEO over the past century. From gentleman amateurs to professional managers, entrepreneurs, frauds, and fat cats, they reveal the characters who have made it to the top of the corporate ladder, how they got there, and what their rise tells us about British society. They show how the quality of their leadership influences productivity, innovation, economic development and, ultimately, Britain's place in the world. More recently, issues have arisen regarding high CEO pay, poor performance, and a lack of professionalisation and diversity. Are there lessons from history for those who would seek to reform Britain's flagging corporate economy?

Michael Aldous is a business historian and Senior Lecturer at Queen's Business School, Queen's University Belfast. He is a founder and co-director of the Long Run Institute (LRI), which uses historical analysis to help senior executives and policy makers make better decisions.

John D. Turner is Professor of Finance and Financial History, Queen's Business School, Queen's University Belfast, and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. His previous book Boom and Bust: A Global History of Financial Bubbles (2021) was named an Economics Book of the Year by the Financial Times.