Jerome Gallot, Chief Executive, Veolia Transdev

Why is he on the list?

Gallot is chief executive of the world’s largest private sector transport group.

What kind of year has he had?

Triumph to disaster. After completing the merger with Veolia, Gallot headed a company with €8bn turnover in 27 countries. Deals worth €3bn in the final quarter of 2011 included the contract to run the USA’s largest private bus system.  But in December the rug was pulled from under Gallot by Veolia’s announcement that it would sell its stake to service debt.

What’s coming up in 2012? 

Transdev man Gallot will play a key role in determining whether to court a strategic partner to take Veolia’s stake and form an even larger group, or undertake asset sales to provide Veolia with a return.