Testimonials

“On behalf of the Company, I would like to sincerely thank you for your remarkable support during these 30 months.

Your knowledge of similar large scale acquisitions and your human skills have tremendously helped our Group to overcome our difficulties and succeed this transformational integration

As said on many occasions, we faced 5 major risks when we started our integration project: i) target was as large as us, ii) its sales were declining, iii) its culture and language were different from ours iv) its operation were not autonomous and still depended on the seller after the acquisition, v) we had to overcome these first four challenges with a staff that has never experienced a significant acquisition  

Notwithstanding all the above, after 30 months, not all is 100% achieved but the major challenges are reached : Congratulations to you and to all the people who relentlessly helped Guerbet in achieving that superb goal”.

Yves L’Epine
CEO / Directeur Général

“Whilst exceptional at structuring the project and holding the business to account for delivering on this, what made Paul stand out was his integration into the senior team and his quick grasp of company values and behaviours.  He considered these in everything he did ensuring he never acted like a ‘contractor’; he was as passionately committed to making the acquisition a success as the rest of the Executive.

Paul’s can do attitude and attention to detail as well as his quick grasp of the business and his proactive action to resolve issues make him an exceptional professional that Deb would certainly engage again.”

Bryan Anderson, CEO Deb Group

“Over a period of 18 months Paul played an invaluable role as Interim Integration Director on a transformational asset acquisition by Deb. Key to the success of his role and of the integration itself was planning – by bringing Paul in some three months before the transaction even completed, we were able to draw on his considerable experience in developing the integration framework, covering amongst other things organisation, resources and governance, which meant that once the deal completed we were able to hit the ground running.

As the integration progressed, Paul’s role morphed from heavily strategic to more hands-on, picking up work streams himself on occasions in his determination to maintain momentum and drive success. Throughout, he remained enthusiastic, energetic and good humoured, handling with sensitivity the inevitable conflicts between ‘project’ and ‘business as usual’. Whilst Paul has a vast wealth of experience of what works best, to his credit he was prepared to accommodate other approaches.  Suffice to say, that the acquisition integration at Deb would not have been the success that it was without Paul.”

Mark Tentori, CFO Deb Group

“Paul’s ability, experience, and common sense approach in leading a major change programme have created significant value for our Group. His commitment and enthusiasm are infectious. He led the integration process from start to finish to deliver the challenging goals we had set. His expertise, excellent interpersonal and communication skills were major factors in our success in bringing the two companies together so quickly” –

Mike Arrowsmith, CEO LINPAC Group

“Paul is a man of huge integrity who will work tirelessly to create value no matter how difficult the situation and is not afraid to put his body and soul on the line for the right cause.  Somebody who you wanted on the team when times got tough”

Ian Meakins, CEO, Woolseley PLC
Former President of European Major Markets and Global Supply , DIAGEO Plc

“Paul Siegenthaler’s experience as a practicing manager in the field of international M&A is unrivalled. His insights and advice are invaluable. I thoroughly recommend his book “Perfect M&As – the Art of Business Integration” to anyone thinking about M&A as route to growing business or improving public service efficiencies” –

Professor Christopher Bones, Dean, Henley Business School, University of Reading

“Paul is one of those rare multi-cultural fast-paced trouble-shooters you can put into any part of the world trusting to solve the issue at hand and lead people through major change and challenging times. His understanding of what makes people tick in diverse cultures will often result in a multiplier effect by getting his teams to work harder towards a common purpose”

Christian Van Der Haagen – Managing Partner B4B Ventures

“Paul is the best people manager I have ever worked with or for. He truly cares for and knows the members of his team not just as employees but as people. He inspires, in his team, loyalty and a desire to go above and beyond to ensure the program’s success. He ensures that hard work and long hours are mixed with fun and laughter. Paul knows how to effectively manage stakeholders – formal and informal – at all levels within the business. He knows what is required to build a winning team and how to manage the various personalities that are a natural part of any large, complex implementation with impossible time lines. When something isn’t working, he is quick to take the required action to remedy the situation and ensure the program remains on track”

Sharon Wayne, MBA, Director Process Improvement Finance DIAGEO North America