He’s the former corporate lawyer, who has a pilot's licence and loves music, but has never before been a government minister.

Friedrich Merz was born in the west German town of Brilon in 1955 into a prominent conservative, Catholic family. He joined the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) while still at school, before going on to study law.

Merz then worked as a lawyer and judge for a few years, but he always had his eye on politics.

He was elected to the European Parliament in 1989, and his journey to the top has been a winding one.

Sidelined by Angela Merkel before she became chancellor, he quit parliament entirely to pursue a lucrative series of corporate jobs and was written off as yesterday's man.

Yet he now looks set to clinch the job he has coveted for so long, as Stephen Smith has been finding out.

Production Team

Producers: Arlene Gregorius, Caroline Bayley, Chloe Scannapieco

Audio of Friedrich Merz at the Munich Security Conference by Bayerischer Rundfunk

His 14 year-stint at the top of European politics has earned him a distinguished record of domestic and international achievements.

Mark Rutte, born in The Hague in 1967, embarked on a career in business after leaving university and held several positions at Unilever.

His career in Dutch politics started in 2002, and four years later – as leader of the VVD party – he became prime minister.

During his tenure, he steered the Netherlands through times of significant national and global upheaval. From economic crisis, to the coronavirus pandemic.

And now, as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s 14th Secretary General, he faces his next challenge – leading Europe’s response to recent Russia-US talks over Ukraine.

Mark Coles takes a closer look at Mark Rutte.

Production Team

Producers: Sally Abrahams, Mantej Deol, Chloe Scannapieco

Credits

Having helped mastermind Labour's renewal in the 1980s and 1990s, one of British politics best-known figures has just embarked on his latest role.

And, it's a long way from Hartlepool, in the post-industrial North-East of England, where he first became an MP.

Born in 1953, Peter Mandelson started on the road to party politics as a researcher at the Trades Union Congress. After a stint as a TV producer, he left to take up the role of Labour's director of communications, but his real ambition was a place in Parliament.

Even his sternest critics accept he is a slick political operator and a good networker, but he’s a controversial figure – with a big challenge ahead.

Stephen Smith takes a closer look at the UK’s new ambassador to the US, and the man once dubbed the "Prince of Darkness".

Production Team

Producers: Sally Abrahams, Mantej Deol, Marianna Brain, Chloe Scannapieco

Credits

London Weekend Television station ident 1970s

Despite just winning a seventh consecutive presidential term, a look at Alexander Lukashenko’s early life reveals rather humbler origins.

Brought up by a single mother in a poor village in eastern Belarus, he first made his mark as the manager of a farm in the late 1980s.

After moving into politics at the end of that decade, he quickly established his reputation as a man with authoritarian instincts – and by 1994, he was elected president of Belarus for the first time.

Ever since, he has managed a balancing act between Russia, his closest economic and political partner, and overtures to the West. But, the country’s faced sanctions following its role in the invasion of Ukraine, while many Western governments have labelled this latest election as a sham.

Stephen Smith takes a closer look at the man often referred to as Europe's last dictator.

Production Team

Producers: Sally Abrahams, Charlotte McDonald and Nathan Gower

Guests

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, leader of the democratic opposition of Belarus

Credits

Animal Farm by George Orwell, recording produced by Ciaran Bermingham

A mathematician and cyber defence expert, Poppy Gustafsson has been handed an integral role within government, as the prime minister attempts to grow the economy and attract international investment.

She was born in 1982, to parents John and Gilly. Her father ran an agricultural sales business, while her mother was a journalist.

In her early career, Poppy Gustafsson worked for a venture capital firm before co-founding Darktrace, a cybersecurity company, in 2013. She would go on to take the role of co-CEO in 2016 and became the sole CEO in 2020.

Darktrace was among the first companies in its field to use artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning to improve cyber-security.

So, as ministers attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, what tricks does this one time CEO of the Year have in store?

Mark Coles has been taking a closer look.

Production Team

Producers: Sally Abrahams and Bethan Ashmead Latham

She is the renowned scientist who studied environmental engineering, and went on to hold the role of mayor of Mexico City during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Late last year, Claudia Sheinbaum made further history.

"For the first time in the 200 years of the [Mexican] Republic, I will become the first woman president of Mexico," she said before taking office.

Born in 1962, Claudia Sheinbaum’s father was a chemical engineer and her mother, a biology professor. Both parents descended from Jewish immigrants from Europe who settled in North America.

She’s enjoyed remarkably high poll ratings since taking office, but critics suggest she will live under her mentor’s shadow, and her biggest test is yet to come.

As Donald Trump gets ready to enter the White House for a second time, Claudia Sheinbaum has already had to respond to his suggestion to rename the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America.

So what lies ahead? Stephen Smith has been talking to her friends, colleagues and peers to find out more about Mexico’s history-maker.

Production Team

Producers: Sally Abrahams and Bethan Ashmead Latham

Credits

"Claudia: El Documental", Director: Rodrigo Imaz; @ClaudiaSheinbaumP

The Nobel Peace Prize, 2007, Nobelprize.org

He's been described as the best connected man in the business world. Allan Leighton’s the arch-moderniser who's led some of the UK's most well-known companies.

His career started at Mars Confectionery in the mid-70s, working his way up through the business over nearly two decades. But, it was in the 90s that Allan Leighton really made his name.

He moved to Asda in 1992, becoming Chief Executive four years later. There he was credited with a successful turnaround of the supermarket and oversaw its acquisition by Wal-Mart in 1999.

By the 2000s, Allan Leighton had left Asda to 'go plural', as he put it, and went on to take prominent positions in companies including Royal Mail, Co-Op, Dyson and lastminute.com. But late last year, the supermarket chain came calling again.

Mark Coles has been talking to his friends and peers to understand where Allan Leighton came from and what’s in store for him at Asda.

Production Team

Producers: Nathan Gower and Sally Abrahams

Credits:

He’s been described by his new bosses at the Football Association as, "one of the best coaches in the world".

Thomas Tuchel has also earned a reputation as a “control freak”, with “charming” yet “divisive” attributes.

Born in Krumbach, Bavaria in 1973 his football journey began as a youngster when his father coached him at his local club. After growing into a promising defender, a knee injury brought his playing career to an end at the age of 25, but he’d already turned his eye to coaching.

Spells at Augsburg, Mainz, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich followed. As did the honours, including a Champions League title.

But, as he now embarks on the international stage, Mark Coles has been talking with Thomas Tuchel’s friends and colleagues to find out more about the man leading the Three Lions.

Production Team

Producers: Bob Howard and Drew Hyndman

Oh! What’s occurrin'? Good question…

This week’s Profile, with Stephen Smith, is focusing in on a woman born in Bridgend in south Wales, who loved to participate in musical theatre as a child – and went on to create one of Britain’s best-loved sitcoms.

With a degree in drama under her belt from the University of Warwick, Ruth Jones initially found work at BBC Wales in both TV and radio comedy. She soon branched out into theatre, before gaining a role in the popular ITV series Fat Friends.

It was there that she would work with James Corden for the first time. But not the last. The pair went onto create BBC Three hit, Gavin & Stacey in 2007. Seventeen years on, the sitcom has just provided us with one last trip to Barry Island and Billericay.

So grab a chicken bhuna, lamb bhuna, prawn bhuna, mushroom rice, bag of chips, keema naan, nine poppadoms and listen to this episode of Profile on the woman known for her iconic role as Nessa.

Production Team

Producers: Ben Cooper and Diane Richardson

Credits

Gavin & Stacey 2008 Christmas Special: BBC / Baby Cow Productions

Since it was privatised over a decade ago, there's been speculation around the future of the UK's troubled postal service, Royal Mail.

Now the government has approved its purchase by the Czech billionaire, Daniel Křetínský, a relative unknown here in the UK.

Born in communist Czechoslovakia in 1975, Křetínský was a teenager when the Berlin Wall came down. He started his career as a lawyer, but after taking a job in an investment firm soon acquired a reputation as a financial prodigy. He went on to make his fortune in energy investments, but has since expanded to become a big player in the media scene, as well as buying stakes in businesses in Western Europe, especially France and the UK.

In this episode of Profile, Stephen Smith finds out more about the man who's set to take on the challenge of turning around a once cherished national institution.

Production Team

Producers: Nathan Gower and Ben Cooper

Credits

Canal+