Large Multi-National Bio-Tech Company,
EVP Corporate Development
M & A Process Consulting, 2010
"We have had a great deal of success with mergers and acquisitions but in 2010 we sought to reduce some of the friction that our internal process seemed to be experiencing. While ultimately much of our work in Corporate Development was highly successful it was clear that we were not operating the deal process as efficiently or as effectively as we could. As the executive responsible for all aspects of M&A activity I have a great sense of urgency for our company to realize its value targets and for us to build scale-able and replicable process to the extent possible. Our transactions can range from tens of millions to multiple billions, be incredibly complex, have international components, and we often must navigate a complex regulatory and competitive environment.
Michael was referred to us based upon a prior experience a colleague had with Michael, his Corporate Development background as well as his Organizational Development expertise. We contracted with Brainard Strategy to assess our M&A processes, then deliver a series of reports and facilitated sessions with a variety of executives and other stakeholders. As one can imagine there were executives wed to certain aspects of the process and many of the people who were in the debrief sessions helped to create the very processes that were being assessed and potentially challenged.
It became crystal clear that Michael’s ability to pull together many data points and points of view in an honest, clear and objective manner led to instant credibility. It was also clear that Michael and his team had a vast amount of technical expertise in both doing transactions, and consulting on the process of completing transactions. In many instances Michael asserted known challenges for us and in many other cases he was able to articulate the implications of some of our challenges in such a way so as to limit defensiveness. His ability to communicate tough truths and facilitate various types of groups toward the best end for us as the client was immensely valuable to me. We were left with a concrete action plan for change that was eventually integrated by the board and the senior management team.
We are now partnering with Michael as a strategic consulting partner to assist us with a variety of process consulting initiatives. Michael’s unique background as a psychologist, business development executive who completed transactions,
and facilitation capabilities, as well as interpersonal skills and pragmatism helped our team and company to gain value that may not have been gained without him. I estimate his contribution to be worth many millions of dollars for us."
Steve Becker
SVP HR,
Golden State Foods
"Golden State Foods is one of the largest diversified suppliers to the Quick Service Restaurant industry. This 63-year company is values-based and is 100 percent management owned and run. As such, GSF places a high priority on quality leadership development, which has been a strong motivator for us to establish a strategic learning and development system at our company.
In the past, we have provided training and learning solutions, but it became increasingly clear in recent years that we needed a more strategic approach to further educating and developing our leaders. We participated in the Disney Institute, Kellogg Executive School, and outsourced training to AMA, DDI and CCL. The approaches were effective to a degree, but none was right for us holistically. What we needed to do was to build a comprehensive and integrated training and development program that would include the best elements from the above organizations, but one that was more customized for us.
As I began to seek advice about a resource or partner to help us to build this infrastructure, I was referred to Brainard Strategy by a number of trusted colleagues. Michael Brainard met with me and our CEO to collaborate about outcomes and process options. Michael proved himself to be a technical expert in building and delivering corporate learning initiatives, but a ‘fit’ was critical, both technically and personally. Additionally, we needed a Web-enabled solution for our managers and employees, as they are spread out around the globe.
Brainard Strategy was selected based on our comfort with Michael and his team, their technical expertise and experience, and their Learning Management System recommendations. We are finalizing the design and implementation phases for this year-long project, and we are preparing for our initial launch later this year. It is a highly complex project, and we are delighted with the substance of and personal direction from the Brainard team. We look forward to a successful implementation in 2010."
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