Exposure

Inside the Olympus Scandal: How I Went from CEO to Whistleblower

De: Michael Woodford

Narrado por: Roy McMillan

The unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Michael Woodford’s autobiographical account, Exposure: Inside the Olympus Scandal, read by Roy McMillan.

Shortly after Michael Woodford was made President and CEO of Olympus, his dream job turned into a nightmare. After discovering a series of bizarre mergers and acquisitions deals totalling $1.7 billion, he turned to his fellow executives and within weeks he was fired in a boardroom coup that shocked the international business world.

Woodford went straight to the press - becoming the first CEO of a multinational to blow the whistle on his own company. Exposure is a deeply personal memoir that reads like a thriller.

©2013 Michael Woodford (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Intriguing insight into corporate Japan with gaps.

This is a an above average book, with fascinating insights into Japan's corporate culture. Worth having a listen - as it talks about Olympus's scandal or ie Japan's Enron as dubbed by the author.

But as reviewers externally have questioned - there were some questions that weren't clearly explored, if not answered (possibly due to legal issues), e.g. why Kikukawa et al, did a few things, and more insight into why Michael Woodford (MW) was scared about a threat to his life, but later on went back to Japan.

However, leaving those questions aside, its a unique insight into corporate Japan, particularly in the 2nd half of the book when the wheels start moving.

I guess, I'll have to be satisfied with the unsaid things that NW didn't say due to confidentiality, particularly around his aborted board challenge. In the end, it is the only known case and book about a real life whistleblower who was also the CEO/President of his company.