German bid puts the heat on BOC's Isaac I am passionate about the group and what everyone has done to improve it From: Daily Mail | Date: February 2, 2006| Author: | Copyright 2006 Daily Mail. Provided by ProQuest LLC.Copyright information

TONY Isaac stops smiling when the tape recorder is switched on. The chief executive of BOC formerly known as the British Oxygen Company is not used to poking his head above the parapet.

Industrial gases are not exactly a 'sexy' topic. At least, they were not until Isaac admitted last week that German rival Linde has made a bid approach.

The battle for control of BOC has far wider ramifications than the industrial gases sector. In a FTSE 100 index which is rapidly becoming populated by offshore gambling websites and Kazakhstan copper companies, Isaac is presiding over one of Britain's last ...