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Upcoming Events for October 2008
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| Date: |
October 30, 2008 |
| Time: |
7:30am - 11:00am |
| Location: |
Madison Centre, 4950 Yonge Street,
20th Floor, Suite 2001 Toronto, Ontario M2N 6K1 |
| Speakers: |
Earl Hughson, President & CEO, Greenfield Technologies |
| Topic: |
The key to building strong effective teams. |
| Description: |
Many of today’s corporations streamline their operations by
amalgamating several operating units into one. By doing so they
eliminate redundant business processes, reduce complexity, and
become more nimble in reacting to the often capricious nature of the
global business world. Yet merging companies is never easy. It can
become a prolonged, muddled process. Competing agendas,
inter-company rivalries, management changes, these are just
some of the factors that can impede efforts at integration.
Earl Hughson is a leader who has experienced first-hand how
chaotic a corporate amalgamation can be. At a time when auto parts
manufacturer Magna International Inc. was facing tough times
financially, he was asked to merge five of the corporation’s companies,
three of which were joint ventures.
To make matters worse, the companies specialized in different areas.
In creating a single company called Invotronics, Earl faced numerous
challenges. When Magna fired the majority of the management teams
at all the companies, he was left to put the pieces back together and create a new company.
Consolidating business processess and systems, not to mention five different cultures, was problematic. So was trying to make a move to a new building while orders for work were still coming in. At one point, the company lost 60% of its business when it lost its biggest client. Faced with bankruptcy, Earl didn’t get discouraged. Instead, he pushed forward with several initiatives that saved the company, including
strategic R&D initiatives, the forging of partnerships with competitors and companies outside his industry, and implementing world-class quality and lean manufacturing systems. This success led to the company being sold three times over a seven-year period, and exposed it to the challenges of integration with other industries and corporate cultures.
During his session Earl will provide insight into the challenges he faced during his time with Invotronics. He will discuss the many issues he had to address during the amalgamation, and how he built a high performance team and came up with the breakthrough thinking that led to a reinvigorated company. He will also provide some practical thoughts on surviving changes in ownership.
Please join us on October 30, 2008, for a truly astonishing success story. Consolidating the employees of five companies into one team is a massive undertaking for any leader, but to do it while introducing new business initiatives is an amazing achievement. Earl’s story is one of resolve and determination, and the ability to break from tradition to seize new opportunities for success.
Leon Goren, C.A.
President,
Presidents of Enterprising Organizations
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