Hotshot zips back to Detroit

Surprise all round at the American Chamber of Commerce in Europe, after its dynamic Brussels-based president Tim Adams cleared his desk, issued a terse statement and disappeared back to Detroit. Adams was European president of third biggest US car-maker Chrysler until it decided to merge with German giant Daimler Benz. He is now serving on the headquarters-based integration team, dedicated to bringing the two companies together as swiftly as possible in the interests of making even more money than they already do. The chamber sullenly described the resignation of its president as "unexpected" and called an extraordinary meeting to nominate a replacement. But they shouldn't have been so surprised. Adams is known as a fast mover, something that has got him into trouble before. Not so long ago he was stopped by French police while driving back to Belgium at almost 200 km/hr in the Viper, a Chrysler hotrod. Problem was that Adams had neither a franc nor a cent to pay off the growling officers of the road. A cowering underling, in the passenger seat, had to fork out $200 so the Chrysler delegation could continue its journey home. Tim, who learned his trade making Lamborghinis, once told the Digest: "I just love driving". But the question arises, have the chamber's directors learnt their lesson? It seems not. They have just named another hotrod as Adams' successor: new president Leonard H. Schrank is chief executive officer at SWIFT, the ultra-rapid electronic money transfer service. Perhaps they should put him on a month's notice, double quick.