CIPD -

Communities

International Forum network seminar

Wednesday 12 November 2008

Venue: CIPD Offices, 3rd Floor, Manning House, 22 Carlisle Place, London SW1P 1JA

The last few years have witnessed a sharp upswing in international mergers and acquisitions (M&As). But while growth through international M&As present major opportunities for HR to capitalise on the fresh expertise and practices that the acquired organisation brings to the parent company, a large number still fail to deliver on their promises. In fact, CIPD research indicates that the success rate of international M&As is only between 30 to 40 per cent.

More often than not the reason for M&A failure is due to neglected people management aspects of the merger process, including the merging companies failure to share valuable knowledge and to learn from each other. The post-merger period is critical in establishing the future direction of a newly-merged organisation and a key concern for managers during and following M&As is how employees can be encouraged to forge a bond with the post-merger organisation.

This seminar will share key messages from the CIPD’s research on the people management aspects of international M&As and offer you valuable insights into how several organisations have successfully and not so successfully merged and acquired new businesses. There will also be time for you to network and take part in group debate with our expert speakers and fellow CIPD members.

Programme

12 30	Registration and lunch
13 00	Chair’s introduction Bob Morton, Head of HR Development, Northern Europe, EMEA, Ciba Speciality Chemicals
13 15	Speaker: Tony Edwards, Reader in Comparative HRM, The Management Department, King's College International mergers and acquisitions: How can HR play a strategic role?
13 45	Speaker: Charlie Atkinson, Managing Director, Human Factors International Establishing the management team pre and post merger transitions Whether identifying the fit of a potential acquisition or managing an integration, understanding the strengths and potential of the management team is vital for ensuring success. Human Factors International have worked with many global organisations to ensure that management teams are able to meet the current and future needs of the organisation. Charlie will be presenting the experiences of three organisations that they have helped to successfully deal with these issues.
14 15	Q&A Session
14 30	Coffee break and networking
14 45	Speaker: Alan Staniforth, Ex-Group HR Director, FKI plc Some reasons why M&As fail Alan will discuss his experience of the following 3 international acquisitions that went wrong and the reasons why: Courtaulds Textiles by Sara Lee Corp General Domestic Appliances (Hotpoint, Creda, Cannon) by the Italian white goods business Merloni Elettrodomestici DeWind (wind energy business) by FKI plc Alan will also talk about his experience of a couple of outstanding M&A successes.
15 15	Speaker: David Clifford, Global Head of Performance & Reward, Swiss Re and Ex-Head of Performance & Reward at ABN AMRO M&A - the acquired's perspective In late 2007 a Consortium of 3 major international banks acquired ABN AMRO in the largest bank takeover to date. During the bid period ABN AMRO also sold a substantial part of its US business in a transaction valued at c$21bn. David will explore some of the issues facing ABN AMRO and their strategy in coping with the events of 2007, in particular how the bank achieved strong operating results at a time of 'corporate distraction'.
15 45	Q&A session
16 00	Close of event

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Booking

Please download the booking form, complete and return with payment - details on the form. A VAT receipt will be given to delegates on registration with their delegate pack