A final interview in the FT with Arun Sarin, who stepped down on Monday as Vodafone’s CEO. The verdict? After five tough years helming the global carrier where at one point he was seen as “arrogant, prickly and out of touch”, Sarin has emerged as the “bloodied victor,” leaving behind a company that is certainly in a better position than when he started.

But what may be even more interesting than Vodafone’s transformation from the “federation of assets,” as Sarin described the company he inherited from predecessor Christopher Gent, but his own story. It’s certainly a rich one as the FT describes it: “a salutary tale for corporate leaders,” “a case study in dealing with a dysfunctional board and a shareholder rebellion,” and lastly, “one man’s struggle to rehabilitate his reputation in the face of relentless criticism.”

So what has Sarin learned? For one, there’s a big difference between being a CEO in the UK versus being one in the U.S. In the UK the roles of CEO and chairman are split which on the one hand, can give an embattled CEO a helpful ally, but on the other hand, can lead to questions on who’s ultimately responsible. Sarin believes this separation in the UK should be re-examined.

Institutional investors are another point of difference in the two countries. In the U.S., they invest if they like what the company is doing, or sell if they don’t. In the UK, says Sarin, “The noise to investment ratio is much higher.” The other bit of noise that Sarin could have done without was from the press pack. He notes that in the US the “press is not constantly around you. There are not so many newspapers per capita and they let you be judged by results.” Considering Vodafone’s recent warning on the economy, can’t wait to see what’s doled out to Vittorio Colao, Sarin’s successor.

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