CNN launches The Boss

The Boss will follow three business leaders from Asia, Europe and the United States, to get a unique insight into what it's like to run a company. Each segment will run about six minutes.

How does a company attract the best staff? How is it possible to motivate people during troubled economic times? Moreover, how does an individual responsible for a multi-million dollar turnover balance long hours and hefty responsibilities with family life? The programme will answer these questions through candid interviews and fly-on-the-wall observation - the viewer will get an honest assessment of what it's like to be at the very top.

To launch the series, we have secured the following...

High-profile bosses

London: Sarah Curran, founder & CEO, my-wardrobe.com.

Sarah launched my-wardrobe.com in April 2006. It is now the UK's leading online retailer of 'every day luxury' designer women's wear and men's wear clothing, shoes and accessories. With brands including Mulberry, Anya Hindmarch, D&G, By Malene Birger, and Paul Smith, and magazine-style editorial, bi-weekly MY-TV videos, my-wardrobe.com attracts over one million visitors each month. We'll follow Curran as she re-launches her brand and takes her business into the broader European market.

New York: Richard Braddock, chairman & CEO, FreshDirect.

The online grocer began in 1999, at the apex of the internet boom. While many other internet grocers went rotten, FreshDirect survived. Richard, a former chairman and CEO at priceline.com and product developer at General Foods, took over the CEO spot at FreshDirect two years ago during a troubled time for the firm. Under his leadership, the company reported its first-ever profitable year in 2009. Its growth rate is now in double digits. FreshDirect now delivers to around 600 000 regular customers. We'll track Braddock as he continues to expand his company into new markets.

Hong Kong: Michael Wu, chairman & managing director, HK Maxim's Group.

Maxim's Group is one of the largest catering companies in Hong Kong, operating over 70 brands and 600 outlets, and serving more than 540 000 people every day. The portfolio includes the bakery chain Maxim's Cakes, Chinese and Western restaurants, fast food outlets, Starbucks Coffee and Genki Sushi. Michael Wu has been at the helm since 2000 and is the grandson of one of the company's founders, who founded Maxim's in 1956. Under Wu's leadership, the company has expanded its operations to include more international brands and greater exposure to the Mainland Chinese market.

New backdrops, city by city

Throughout the calendar year, three CEOs will share their lives in the spotlight of international business. When the time is right, the cast of character will rotate and new cities will provide their own distinctive backdrop. The Boss will witness businesses at work from the inside - the atmosphere on the 'shop floor', a pivotal moment here, a risky strategy there. Nobody will see the boss in the same light again.

CEO Richard Braddock of @FreshDirect features in new series The Boss. Watch now - The Boss.