BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : JANUARY 10, 2000 ISSUE
COVER STORY Voracious at Vodafone KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS Gent's audacious deals have made Vodafone a global power in wireless Shares have skyrocketed 243%, to around $48, in two years The 51-year-old British chief executive of Vodafone AirTouch PLC (VOD), CHRISTOPHER C. GENT, ended 1999 exactly as he began it--with a hugely ambitious acquisition attempt. Back in January, 1999, Gent shocked the telecommunications world with his $62 billion bid for U.S. rival AirTouch Communications. Then, in November, Gent made an even more audacious move with a $128 billion hostile offer for German competitor Mannesmann. It's the largest hostile deal ever. In between, he managed to launch a $70 billion venture with Bell Atlantic, creating the world's biggest wireless empire. Two years ago, Gent and Vodafone were little known. But Gent was one of the first and most aggressive European telecom players to get out in front of a wave of consolidations sweeping the industry in the wake of deregulation. He put aside his hobbies of buying fine wine and collecting 17th century English oak furniture and went on a U.S.-style buying spree. His ability to pull off bold deals, financed largely with stock, has vaulted Vodafone into the global big leagues. Gent, who hails from the computer industry, has long been preparing for a center-stage role in the race to build the giant telecommunications providers needed for the online and wireless revolutions. An early believer in the mass-market potential of cellular, he was spreading the wireless gospel even before he joined Vodafone in 1985. These days, investors are all ears. Vodafone's share price has more than tripled since late 1997. For Gent, the runup means more powerful currency in his battle to land Mannesmann. If he can do that, as many expect he will, Gent will emerge the undisputed king of wireless. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP					RELATED ITEMS INTRODUCTION MANAGERS TO WATCH THE TOP ENTREPRENEURS THE TOP 25 MANAGERS Minuro Arakawa Bernard Arnault Arthur Blank Peter Bijur Gordon Binder Steve Case John Chambers James Curvey Thierry Desmarest Bernie Ebbers Tom Engibous Chris Gent Irwin Jacobs Steve Jobs Mel Karmazin James Kelly Timothy Koogle Ken Lay Jenny Ming Thomas Siebel Masayoshi Son Martha Stewart Keiji Tachikawa Jack Welch Yun Jong Yong ONLINE EXTRAS TO BUSINESS WEEK INVESTOR INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online

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