Having started as an apprentice in the shoe industry at age 17, he had a clear vision, namely to make functional, comfortable shoes designed to fit the foot.
Despite clear differences in tone between those in favor of further economic stimulus packages (namely Brown and U.S. President Barack Obama) and those opposed to pouring further public money into economies already in recession (German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy) there were early signs Thursday of agreement in other areas considered crucial to the summit's success.