He recently learned that before his own ill-starred purchase the seller told his staff that the new boss was rich, and that they should save up their grievances until the deal went through.

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That may be too rich for Kraft's boss, Irene Rosenfeld, who has said that she is determined not to overpay for Cadbury.

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To sweeten its takeover, Pirelli proposed that Roberto Colaninno, outgoing boss of Telecom Italia and already a rich man thanks to the fat premium Pirelli paid him for his shares, should get a euro31m handout in lieu of options and other pay.

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Another three companies will list today: Shandong Longquan Pipeline Engineering, a pipe manufacturer, AoKang Shoes, a footwear supplier whose boss Wang Zhentao is a former China Rich List member, and Dongjiang Environmental Company, a waste management company traded in Hong Kong that has arranged a secondary listing in Shenzhen.

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So far his boss President Francois Hollande, who famously said he does not care for rich people has backed the man he appointed to keep France's finances in line.

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