Exposure

President, whistleblower, crusader. "Exposure" is the story of how Michael Woodford exposed the dark heart of Olympus. When Michael Woodford was made President and CEO of Olympus, he became the first Westerner ever to climb the ranks of one of Japan's corporate icons.

Then his dream job [...]
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President, whistleblower, crusader. "Exposure" is the story of how Michael Woodford exposed the dark heart of Olympus. When Michael Woodford was made President and CEO of Olympus, he became the first Westerner ever to climb the ranks of one of Japan's corporate icons.

Then his dream job turned into a nightmare.

He learned about a series of bizarre mergers and acquisitions deals totalling $1.7 billion - a scandal which if exposed threatened to bring down the entire company. He turned to his fellow executives but was met with hostility and a cover-up.

Within weeks he was fired in a boardroom coup that shocked the international business world. As rumours emerged of Yakuza (mafia) involvement in the scandal, Woodford fled Japan in fear of his life.

He 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. As Woodford himself puts it, 'I thought I was going to run a health-care and consumer electronics company but found I had walked into a John Grisham novel.' "Sensational". (Jon Snow, "Channel 4 News"). "He lost his job for his integrity". ("The Economist"). Michael Woodford grew up in Liverpool and joined Olympus as a medical equipment salesman, rising through the ranks to run its UK, MEA and European businesses.

In April 2011 he was appointed President and COO of the Olympus Corporation - the first Western 'salary-man' to rise through the ranks to the top of a Japanese giant.

That October he was made CEO, but only two weeks later was dismissed after querying inexplicable payments approaching $2 billion.

He was named Business Person of the Year 2011 by the "Sunday Times", the "Independent" and the "Sun", and won the "Financial Times" Arcelor-Mittal Award for Boldest Businessperson of the Year. He lives in London with his wife and two teenage children.