Diploma-C: Recent Episodes
Corporate Diplomat - Louis de Schorlemer
Welcome to Diploma-C, the podcast for communications in Mergers & Acquisitions!
Join our host, Louis de Schorlemer, Managing Partner at Corporate Diplomat, as he invites seasoned industry professionals and experts to pull back the curtain of Mergers & Acquisitions and share their practical advice on how to make your transaction a success.
Our guests come from a wide range of fields and backgrounds and are well-versed in a series of topics, from on-the-ground stakeholder communication, to financial and legal affairs, to C-level strategy and planning, you can find it all here. We work with M&A professionals all over the world from our headquarters in Brussels, so wherever you’re tuning in from, we’ve got you covered.
If you are looking to learn about how people can add value to your deal, hear some expert best practice tips, or come up with your next great idea, this podcast is for you.
Produced by Nootka Sound - www.nootkasound.online
Sandor Talas undertakes academic research on the impact of M&A and change on employees and managers as this could be key to success in post-merger integration. In this episode, we explore the psychological consequences on people such as their natural defence mechanisms when the news breaks.
Christian Bucheli heads corporate development, change and communications at PAYONE and leads on strategy with WORLDLINE Merchants Services´ Joint Ventures and Independent Partners entity.
Christian holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in international business consulting. He successfully completed the advanced strategic management and negotiation for value creation programs at IMD Business School, where he also serves as a member of the advisory board of the Faculty Center for Global Business Transformation and guest professor.
He is a mentor to startups at F10 Innovation Incubator in Zurich.
Laurens Hoekstra advises boards and C-suites in brand transformation and technology and builds on an extensive experience and training in business administration and logistics.
He worked with international, leading companies such as Vattenfall, ING Group, SkyTeam, JDE, KPN, Ikea, KLM AirFrance, Rabobank, Solvay, Merck, NN, Volkswagen and Wolters Kluwer.
Laurens frequently lectures on brand implementation and brand technology, and he set up a master’s programme for brand management. He is co-author of the book “Future Proof your Brand” and published topical blogs. Laurens mentors and coaches’ students and scale-ups.
Jules Domenichini has 20+ years experience in corporate advisory and investment with a focus on Private Equity, Special Situations and Distressed investments. He has been successfully involved in 50+ transactions for a cumulative value in excess of EUR 12bn and is a board member of investment holdings and portfolio companies.
Jules obtained a Master’s degree in economics from Université de Neuchâtel and an MBA from Manchester Business School. He qualified as an accountant and obtained the CAIA certification. Jules studied Strategic Negotiations at Harvard Business School and was a Senior Lecturer in financial analysis at Sciences Po in Paris.
Gilles Mougenot is one of the founders and a managing partner at Argos Wityu, an independent European private equity firm specialising in transforming SMEs.
Close to the management teams, Gilles has accompanied numerous entrepreneurs on complex transformation and growth operations across the six countries where the group now invests.
Gilles graduated from the Institute of Comparative Law and holds a DESS degree in Business Law. He is the author of “Tout Savoir sur le Capital-Investissement” (Everything You Need to Know about Private Equity) which is now published in its 6th edition.
Jeppe Hansgaard is the founder and CEO of Innovisor, a consultancy in change, deploying the power of networks, communities, and ecosystems.
Jeppe made a major breakthrough when crafting #ThreePercentRule, an algorithm that identifies the 3% of employees that shape the perceptions of up to 90% of their colleagues.
He speaks at major conferences and has published several articles dealing with the benefits of connectivity in organisations.
Anirvan Sen is an experienced leadership and strategy advisor with 25+ years senior management experience across Europe, APAC, South Asia, Middle-East & Africa, and the US with some of the world’s largest companies. He has a strong track record of leading, mentoring and advising senior business leaders with growth, mergers & acquisitions (M&A) and transformation initiatives.
Anirvan Sen has founded Fifth Chrome and Roundtableinsights and mentored dozens of start-ups and scale-ups.
Marco is Chief Operating Officer with Geneva Capital Group GCG and GGI Global Alliance, where he handles the group's operations, business development, sales, and CRM activities.
Marco supports M&A firms, Investment Bankers and Professional Service Firms with achieving global reach and serving clients more efficiently and effectively.
He is passionate about ESG and CSR and collaborates with various organisations addressing sustainability issues.
Silke Wischeropp is member of the Executive Committee and General Counsel with Archroma.
As a qualified lawyer, Silke developed strong expertise in Mergers & Acquisitions and Transactions working on numerous transactions with major players in the chemical specialty industry, including textile and paper chemicals, industrial consumer specialties and the energy sector.
Dwayne Branch has more than 15 years of Restructuring and Transformation experience. He is a chartered accountant and holds the ICAEW Certificate in Insolvency. Dwayne currently serves as a Chief of Staff as part of the Global Financial Advisory practice of a Big 4 professional services firm. He spent time running large Transformation projects and has also led complex Change programs including the transformation of a multi-billion pound organisation.
He is passionate about inclusion.
Dwayne is a qualified change manager and completed the Oxford Said Business School Major Projects Leadership Academy in 2021.
Kison Patel is the Founder and CEO of DealRoom, a lifecycle management software for financial transactions, as well as the author of Agile M&A: Proven Techniques to Close Deals Faster and Maximize Value.
In 2016, he started M&A Science, an educational podcast featuring behind-the-scenes stories from leading M&A practitioners. Now boasting over 25k monthly listeners and 370k downloads, Kison has expanded the M&A Science platform to include a training program, M&A Science Academy, allowing others to learn practical how-to’s they can easily apply to their own practices from active M&A professionals.
Paloma Lillo is an executive businesswoman with over 15 years of experience across investment banking at Citi, business development, M&A & Strategy at Telefónica, United Technologies and Otis Elevators.
She lived and worked in North and Latin America, Europe, Africa and Middle East, fuelling her experience in and passion for Innovation, ESG and transformation of cultures.
Founder and co-founder of two start-ups in Peru and Mozambique, investor and advisor of several other start-ups, in love with Artificial Intelligence and learning languages, Paloma is mentor and speaker at MIT Sloan.
In 2005, Cédric Pierrard co-founded Efficy, a European CRM supplier today serving some 330.000 daily users in over 60 countries. Operating in a market where few large players meet a highly fragmented local offer, Cédric and his team ambition further consolidation and the establishment of Efficy as the European CRM champion. External growth is supported by acquisitions and, after a decade with more than 10 deals, Cédric accelerates the tempo and undertook four transactions in the past 12 months alone, thereby doubling the company’s size. A robust deal playbook, clarity of the integration principles and speed are among the work ingredients.
Louis de Schorlemer discusses the sensitive nature of M&A activities in communications, such as the importance of the appropriate strategic justification for a transaction. He provides guidance on how to communicate through times of uncertainty in a mindful way and lays out strategies for analytical mapping and putting people in the right mindset. And he asks challenging questions about transparency and preparedness―and shares the “Four Ps” (People, Patience, Perspective, Passion) he’s found to be instrumental for success.
This is an original recording made by Sharon McIntosh and Sharon Phillips as part of their EE Voice Podcast series.
Dino Dogan has 25 years of experience in managerial and board positions in the telecommunication and media industry (Alcatel, Telekom Austria Group, Deutsche Telekom Group, JCDecaux Group).
He has been a guest professor at various faculties of economics and developed deep knowledge in logistics, finance, strategy, organization and restructuring.
As a management board member, he was responsible for the biggest merger in Austria between Mobilkom Austria and Telekom Austria. For the successful integration, he received the European Change Communication Award. Since 2017 he is the Dean of the Luxembourg School of Business and the owner of Macaklin ltd., a business consulting company focused on strategy, transformation and coaching for SMEs.
Serge Krancenblum is IQ-EQ’s Group Executive Chairman and Chairman of the company’s Supervisory board.
Throughout his career, Serge has developed and managed cross-border solutions for multinational corporations, institutional investors and entrepreneurial families. He serves as an independent director on the board of real estate and private equity funds, and of listed and private companies.
He is the Chairman of the Investment Facilitation Forum, the Luxembourg Association of Family Offices (LAFO) and President of the Luxembourg Association of Corporate Service Providers (LIMSA).
Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard is Chairman of the Board of Directors of publicly listed Calida Group in Switzerland. He is also Chairman of the Board of private equity owned auction house Bonhams in the UK and is a member of the Board of Directors of Barclays Bank (Suisse) SA.
Hans-Kristian is currently a CEO-Mentor with Mentore Consulting in London.
Hans-Kristian holds a BA in Economics and Organisational Behaviour from the University of Southern Denmark and has undertaken executive education at INSEAD, Harvard Business School and Wharton as well as non-executive education at IMD. He is co-author of “Experience Leadership in Practice”.
Alexander has spent more than 25 years working with entrepreneurs, private equity firms and private family businesses, developing deep knowledge of strategy, organisation and transformation.
In 2020, he co-founded Planet First Partners as a purpose-led evergreen investment platform to foster a healthier life on a healthier planet. His prior experience includes being a Managing Director at Verlinvest, a strategic advisor as a McKinsey & Co consultant and an entrepreneur as founder of thelittlegym.eu and twinscapegroup.com.
Alexander Strahl co-leads the Korn Ferry EMEA Technology, Communications and Professional Services practice and provides his clients with more than 20 years of leadership advisory and executive search experience, including work in phases of critical leadership transition.
He has gained a wealth of international experience, having been a trusted partner to leading private, large public and private equity-backed companies.
In this episode, we explore the duties of leaders in M&A, what to look out for from current and future executives, and the importance of leading by example in change management.
Gwendoline Ornigg leads communications with UCB, a global biopharma company, and steered across numerous transactions for large multinationals throughout her career including Cargill and AB InBev. In this episode of Diploma-C, we discuss the critical impact of cultural assessments and proper communications on integration, establishing sustainability as a shared vision of the companies' role in society.
Jay Rahman, co-founder of Fractal Systems, is a professional agile and scrum trainer with extensive expertise and knowledge. In this episode, we discuss the power of mindset, of collaboration and processes during change. How can you measure the outcome of a different approach in financial services and other sectors during Mergers & Acquisitions?
Peter Vogel is Professor of Family Business and Entrepreneurship and holder of the Debiopharm Chair for Family Philanthropy at IMD Business School in Lausanne. He is also the Director of IMD Global Family Business Center.
Often referenced by leading media outlets, such as Harvard Business Review, CNN, Huffington Post, Forbes, Financial Times, Peter has an amassed an extensive publication history alongside his work with family- & non-family enterprises globally.
In this episode of Diploma-C, we sit down with Peter to discuss how family business interacts with M&A, the importance of philanthropy and his latest book, ‘Family Philanthropy Navigator’.
Selina Elwell is Director of Investment Counselling and Chief Executive Officer of MIO Partners (EU) Ltd, McKinsey & Company’s investment management arm. She brings over three decades of experience in the financial sector to this prominent role. Her extensive experience has taken her into almost every aspect of investment management, allowing her to gain a deep understanding of both finance and people.
A passionate philanthropist, Selina is a keen supporter of education for women in the developing world.
In this episode of Diploma-C, we sit down with Selina to discuss the role of people in transactions, how to get a good return on your investment and the role of women in the modern workplace.
Guy Harles is a Founding Partner and former Chairman of Arendt & Medernach, the European Law Firm of the Year 2020. He specialises in corporate projects, advising multinational and domestic companies, as well as high net worth individuals on the structuring of international transactions, mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, corporate reorganisations, corporate finance and private wealth management. As an entrepreneurial lawyer, Guy plays a major role in Arendt & Medernach’s international development.
In this episode of Diploma-C, we sit down with Guy to discuss the complex relationships within deal teams, and what important must-haves you should be looking for.
Jodie Goulden is Consultant and Founder of Orgdesign Works, helping organizations design and implement effective ways of working. Her career comprises more than 20 years of experience as a leader and HR professional in multinational companies, holding senior positions at BASF including Head of Global Development & Learning, and has also worked at Lucent Technologies (now Nokia) and Deloitte. Her search for adventure has led her to live and work in Germany, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, UK, Canada, Australia, and most recently the United States, with roles in HR, Corporate Communications, and Change Consulting. She believes in corporations as a force for good and is passionate about designing organizations for greater impact. Jodie has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Psychology from University of Western Australia.
Jodie is a Certified Organization Design Professional (CODP), Board Trustee of the Organization Design Institute, Faculty for the European Organization Design Forum, and Board Member of the Organization Design Forum.
In this episode of Diploma-C, we sit down with Jodie to learn how to find answers to the hard questions in organization design – how do you manage moments of extreme uncertainty, and how do you carve out a future with your people at the core?
Jeff Archambault is a coach/mentor for start-ups & scale-ups, an international conference speaker, university lecturer and consultant (tourism, bus dev, CSR) and former Vice President at The Walt Disney Company EMEA.
During his last six years with Disney, Jeff drove the CSR strategy and execution of the company’s stakeholder engagement and the company’s philanthropy program in EMEA. He previously worked for twenty years at Disneyland Paris in various senior executive positions including Financial Controller, Director Purchasing & Logistics, VP Theme Park Operations, VP Walt Disney Studios Park Development, VP Corporate Alliances, and ultimately VP Communications (corporate, internal & philanthropy.
Prior to joining Disney, Jeff was Treasury Manager for Apple Computer Europe (Paris) and Institutional Fixed Income Securities for Bankers Trust Co. on Wall Street (New York and Los Angeles). He earned his MBA’84 from Stanford University and resides in Paris since 1988 with his wife and two children.
In this episode of Diploma-C, we sit down with Jeff to discuss his extensive experience with CSR, finding the right cultural fit and what exactly it takes to manage a high-stakes transaction.
Dr. Alexander Steinbrecher began his in-house career at Bombardier Transportation by designing a software-based conflict management system. Headquartered in Berlin, his team leads legal M&A, corporate affairs, supports IS and IT on a global scale, supports global procurement contracts, and is involved in legal affairs such as antitrust, data privacy, real estate and supporting corporate finance. He and his team played a key role in the recently completed sale of Bombardier Transportation to Alstom forming the largest global player in the rail industry.
In this episode of Diploma-C, we sit down with Alexander to learn about his extensive experience with conflict resolution in M&A, explore his perspective on machine learning and the applications of artificial intelligence in transactions and discuss the three key tenets of his vision for a post-COVID-19 future.
Meet Diploma-C, our podcast for communications in Mergers & Acquisitions, brought to you by Corporate Diplomat! Find out what makes us different here.