Sir Pascal Soriot is the chief executive of AstraZeneca, Britain's most valuable listed company. He is French-born and Australian. He took over in 2012 and helped turn the firm around after years of stagnation, eschewing higher shareholder payouts and channelling cash into scientific discovery. Sir Pascal has been outspoken about his frustrations with Britain, calling AstraZeneca "a very American company" and describing Britain's tax environment as "discouraging." He has reportedly held private discussions about moving the firm's primary listing to New York.
"There are things that are so serious that you can only joke about them"