Challenge

Unify a compartmentalized company with a failing business model, a high financial risk profile, with no investment nor innovation budget to face prevalent digital disruption in the industry.

Process

The EMEA subsidiary of Lagardère Sports & Entertainment was a group of eight business units with respective offices in seven countries and eight distinct revenue models. Three consecutive highly intensive seminars with the EMEA leadership team and three seminars in some of the leading businesses (Germany, Africa, Switzerland) helped create a cohesive efficient transnational platform to lead the change of the Lagardère Sports and Entertainment business model and culture. Strategic Advisory work with the CEO helped orchestrate this process from beginning to end.

Outcomes

• Within nine months, Lagardère Unlimited went from losses to steady and balanced profitability; a unified strategy, vision, and mission were crafted, along with a cultural shift and key strategic directions for the Europe & Africa division (representing 2/3 of company billing)

• Company totally transformed from operating as a myriad of entrepreneurial BUs in eight countries to engineering a coherent, consolidated and unified international platform, organized along centers of excellence & global practices – in so doing, successfully & harmoniously aligning solutions & markets

• Eight standalone companies were brought together (totaling net sales of 409 million euros in 2014; 1,200 employees)