What hasn't he done? Former Credit Suisse CEO and world citizen Tidjane Thiam wants us to bear witness to his work.

During his time in Switzerland, former Credit Suisse Group CEO Tidjane Thiam made it clear on several occasions that he's a bookworm, once recommending a book for finews.com's annual summer reading recommendations.

Now he's going a step beyond and writing his memoirs, the British publisher William Collins announced recently, and also reported on by «tippinpoint» (in German) yesterday.

A Business and Political Path

William Collins acquired the first right of refusal on the as-yet-untitled memoirs of the manager who blazed a trail through African and European politics and business, according to a statement from the more than 200-year-old publisher.

Thiam is not only a manager but has also previously been active as a politician in his native Ivory Coast. The book is scheduled for publication in the fall of next year, explained Arabella Pike of William Collins.

Working With Humility

Thiam said he is approaching his new adventure with respect and humility, with the hope of inspiring young women and men to perhaps make it easier for those who come after him.

He served as Credit Suisse CEO from 2015 to 2020 and has had a checkered career, from contact with and imprisonment by coup plotters in his home country to the highest spheres in the business world.

Difficult Fate in Switzerland

The publisher's synopsis states that following a childhood in the turmoil of West and North Africa, Thiam made his way into the elite world of French higher education and became one of McKinsey & Company's first black consultants before joining the Ivorian government.

After a coup that forced him into exile, he moved into the financial world, rising to become CEO of British insurer Prudential and later Credit Suisse. At Switzerland's second-largest bank, he faced a difficult path culminating in the «Spygate» scandal in which several senior executives were spied on. The affair ended with the departure of former wealth management chief Iqbal Khan, who moved to UBS.

Literary Mixture

That resulted in Thiam hanging up his hat in February 2020 to pursue various subsequent activities in business, politics, and commitments to charitable causes.

The publisher highlights his mix of autobiography, business, politics, and personal philosophy, offering a unique perspective on entrepreneurial and political life in Africa, Europe, the United States, and Asia.

No Self-Doubt

It will be interesting to see how he shapes the narrative of his time at Credit Suisse. In a guest article in the «Financial Times» (behind paywall) in November 2002, he expressed no self-doubt or self-criticism about his time in Switzerland.

Pike promises the honest accounts of his childhood experiences in Ivory Coast, his role in politics, and his extraordinary career in business, particularly at Prudential and Credit Suisse, make for eye-opening reading.