Unveiling the Power of Culture in Mergers and Acquisitions
Since October 2023, Leonhard Khazraei has been a Professor of International Management at HSBA. In his inaugural lecture yesterday, he discussed a topic that particularly fascinates him: factors that can influence the success and failure of international M&A transactions. Despite M&As driving the global economy forward over the past 10 years, many of these transactions do not lead to the expected increase in company value.
Corporate culture is a key factor for the economic success of companies. In a merger or acquisition, corporate culture holds special significance because the convergence of two different cultures can lead to conflicts and resistance. In his presentation, Professor Khazraei illustrated how good or poor integration management can influence the outcome of mergers using prominent examples from the industry such as Renault & Nissan, Novartis & GSK, or Daimler & Chrysler. This includes a thorough analysis of norms, values, and principles to identify and manage cultural conflict potential (Cultural Assessment); however, transformational leadership, motivation, and the right pace are also crucial factors on the path to success.
Professor Khazraei has an interdisciplinary educational background with a BSc in Aerospace Engineering and an MSc in Production Engineering and Logistics (summa cum laude). This was followed by a Doctorate in Industrial Engineering from Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Technische Universit盲t Dortmund (Magna cum laude) During his doctorate, he worked as a researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute. His education has been further diversified with multiple Business Administration add-ons in Management, Sales and Finance from renowned academic institutions including LSE, MIT, and Cornell University.
Prof. Khazraei has over 20 years of cross-functional working experience across a range of sectors including Aerospace, Automotive, Chemicals, Energy and Healthcare in industry so as through management consulting. Most of his experience is stringed with leadership, best-practice development and innovation topics in global management, strategic planning, new market entries, business administration, commercial transformations, turnarounds, and digitalization. This is enriched by being exposed to diverse cultures, people, and company setups in more than 10 countries across Europe, Middle East, and North America.
In addition to his tenure at the university, Professor Khazraei advises companies around Corporate Development, Commercial Excellence and Digital Transformation on an international scale through own consulting company INSVIRON. Besides, he provides niche startups with raising capital, commercial expertise, and entrepreneurial leadership.