Profile

BBC Radio 4
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Sep 20, 2014 • 14min

Shane Smith

How did Shane Smith - a hard-partying, tattooed former Ottawa punk rocker - turn a community magazine into an international multi-media empire?Mark Coles looks at the life of one of the founders of Vice, a man whose motto is: "We like our stories to punch you in the face."His company is the fast-growing enfant terrible of digital media. Renowned for its often controversial reports aimed at a young audience disillusioned with mainstream media, it seems that no subject is taboo. Scoops include an interview with a former Liberian warlord and cannibal, as well as a trip to North Korea with former basketball player Dennis Rodman to meet Kim Jong-un. Among Vice's often controversial documentaries from war zones was this summer's eye-opening report from inside the Islamic State. Vice may have been accused of 'daredevil' journalism but that hasn't stopped the likes of Rupert Murdoch heralding Vice a "global success" and buying a 5% stake in the company. Could Vice become the next CNN, as Shane Smith hopes?Presenter: Mark Coles Producer: Ben Crighton.
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Sep 13, 2014 • 14min

Jack Ma

How did Jack Ma, a teacher with no business training, become one of China's - indeed, the world's - most successful entrepreneurs?The BBC's business editor Kamal Ahmed looks at the man behind the online retail giant Alibaba Group - a company described as a mix between Amazon and Ebay - which is due to list on the New York Stock Exchange later this month, making Alibaba one of the most valuable internet companies in the world.Jack Ma is no ordinary business leader. How many other global tycoons like to fill a stadium with their employees only to step on stage, be-wigged, to deliver not bland corporate messages, but Lion King songs?Producer: Ben Crighton Presenter: Kamal AhmedArchive clips from the film 'Crocodile in the Yangtze: The Alibaba Story' (by Porter Erisman).
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Sep 6, 2014 • 14min

Rona Fairhead

Edward Stourton profiles Rona Fairhead, the woman nominated to replace Lord Patten as chair of the BBC Trust. She's a high achiever who excelled at school and in the world of business, but her nomination caught many by surprise. So who is she, and how will she fare in one of the BBC's toughest jobs?
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Aug 30, 2014 • 14min

Petro Poroshenko

There is every sign this weekend that Russia's proxy war with Ukraine could become a full-blown conflict between states.The crisis now coming to a head has been in the making ever since Ukraine declared its independence from Moscow in the summer of 1990.Edward Stourton profiles the Ukrainian leader, Petro Poroshenko, who must now face the challenge of war - and who came of age and flourished during his country's first turbulent two and a half decades as a modern independent nation.Producer: Bob Howard.
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Aug 23, 2014 • 14min

Nicholas Macpherson

Sir Nicholas Macpherson, largely unknown outside Whitehall, has become a key figure in the Scottish independence debate. And as head of the Treasury since 2005, he's been at the centre of Britain's response to the global financial crisis. Chris Bowlby explains why he's so influential, and how his involvement in the Scottish debate is informed by personal links as well as policy considerations.
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Aug 16, 2014 • 14min

Haider al-Abadi

As Iraq's divisive Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki steps down, hopes are now pinned on his likely successor, Haider al-Abadi to restore trust with the Kurdish and Sunni communities and fight off the advance of the self-styled Islamic State's jihadist fighters. But what do we know about him?Mary Ann Sieghart charts the rise of the doctor's son from Baghdad, who gained a doctorate in electrical engineering in the UK, leading to him forming a company servicing lifts for clients including the BBC. She talks to fellow Shiite Dawa Party members, a member of the Sunni opposition and a former US diplomat to ask whether Dr al-Abadi has the qualities to fix his country's problems.
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Aug 9, 2014 • 14min

Karren Brady

Jo Fidgen explores the life and times of Karren Brady, successful in business, TV star in The Apprentice and now a rising political star in the Conservative party. How did she succeed in the male-dominated business of football, and where might her career now take her?Producer: Chris Bowlby Editor: Innes Bowen.
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Aug 2, 2014 • 14min

Radoslaw Sikorski

Becky Milligan profiles Poland's foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, a one-time teenage rebel, Oxford networker, daring reporter - and now a key voice in the Ukraine crisis and an important force in European politics. Producer: Chris Bowlby.
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Jul 26, 2014 • 14min

Mazher Mahmood

The so-called "fake sheikh" - investigative journalist Mazher Mahmood - hit the headlines this week after singer Tulisa Contostavlos's drugs trial, which was triggered by one of his newspaper investigations, collapsed. The judge told the court he thought prosecution witness Mahmood had lied in giving evidence.Mahmood has long been a controversial figure. His investigations, many for News of the World, have exposed serious wrongdoing. But he is accused of provoking people to commit criminal acts, in pursuit of a lurid newspaper headline. Edward Stourton presents.Producer: Smita Patel.
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Jul 19, 2014 • 14min

Nicky Morgan

After this week's cabinet reshuffle Mark Coles profiles Nicky Morgan. Who exactly is the new education secretary? Producer: Smita Patel.

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