Kline & Company's names new head for Global M&A and Corporate Development practice

Worldwide consulting and research firm Kline & Company announced Eric Vogelsberg as the head of the firm’s global M&A and Corporate Development Practice. The move recognizes Vogelsberg’s work to expand Kline’s M&A portfolio from an acknowledged leader in the development of market and competitive intelligence for buy-side transactions to a full-service, global M&A, and corporate development advisory. In addition, the firm announced that Glyn Johnson will lead the Practice’s efforts in Europe, leveraging his years of successful transaction experience and longstanding relationships with financial clients and industry leaders.

Kline’s M&A and Corporate Development Advisory advocates a disciplined and systematic approach throughout the investment/divestment process, which in conjunction with its deep industry knowledge allows the firm an unparalleled perspective on unlocking hidden value. An enhanced portfolio of M&A services will be introduced over the next few months. It is expected to carry significant appeal to both financial sponsors and strategic clients based on the preliminary feedback already received.

“As of the first of the year, I have been charged with realizing our full potential in mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, and I am pleased to report that I now lead our global M&A Practice,” affirms Vogelsberg, further noting, “We are seeking to maximize the leverage of our expertise, experience, and relationships in this space—the traditionally sourcing of and buy-side due diligence on investment opportunities for both operating companies and financial sponsors—across all four of our core industry verticals: chemicals and materials; energy/lubricants; consumer products; and life sciences—on a global basis.” Vogelsberg adds, “I am especially pleased to be working side-by-side with Glyn, whose many years of successful M&A experience and deep industry expertise provide our European clients with an invaluable local resource to support them in successfully achieving their objectives and aspirations.”

With this move, Vogelsberg underscores Kline’s commitment to help clients translate objectives and aspirations into M&A strategy and execution options on the buy side and then help clients capture the value of the deal. On the sell side, he points to Kline’s ability to optimize exit positioning to maximize the value realized throughout the process.

“Eric has led or been involved with most of the M&A assignments Kline has completed over the past fifteen years,” says Joe Tarantola, Kline’s CEO. “With his extensive experience, Eric truly understands the process and what our clients need so he can maximize the value we provide to them through the entire cooperation process.” Tarantola notes that Johnson is a key addition to the Practice and further emphasizes the firm’s commitment to its M&A and corporate development clients. “In conjunction with Eric, Glyn’s involvement ensures that our clients have access to Kline’s most experienced professionals on a local basis.”

Together, Vogelsberg and Johnson bring nearly 70 years of industry and consulting experience to their clients and engagement. They have advised hundreds of clients on a range of corporate finance matters including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and asset sales, as well as the development and execution of the strategies underlying these transactions.

In M&A, they have driven the expansion of the firm’s relationships both within its traditional client base of privately held companies and publicly traded multinational corporations in its core industries and with financial such sponsors as private equity groups, investment banks, and venture capital firms, as well as firms focused on corporate turnaround and restructuring.

Prior to joining Kline, Eric spent 10 years in sales, service, and management roles of increasing responsibility in the specialty chemicals industry through his association with Hercules Incorporated and the Harshaw Chemical Company. Prior to Kline, Glyn was manager of the Strategy & Finance Practice of Nexant Ltd and before that was a partner in Chem Systems Ltd. leading the Polymer Practice. Earlier in his career he was head of new product/business developments in European Vinyls Corporation and had held a range of positions in ICI plc.

Vogelsberg is a member of the Association for Corporate Growth, the Society of the Chemical Industry, and the Societe de Chimie Industrielle. He has served as a Director of the Commercial Development and Marketing Association. Johnson is a member of the Institute of Materials and an often invited speaker at petroleum and petrochemical industry conferences.

Microsoft voted by students as most popular graduate recruiter in IT and Telecoms

Microsoft has been named the most popular IT and Telecoms firm at the TARGETjobs National Graduate Recruitment Awards held on 18th March at the Grosvenor House in Mayfair. It is the largest student-driven graduate recruitment awards event in the world and is supported by many leading names in the industry including the lead sponsor Aviva.

Over 80,000 votes were cast by students and recent graduates in a national survey to identify the most popular graduate recruiter in different sectors of work. Microsoft beat off tough competition to win the IT and Telecoms award by demonstrating that it was not only well-known and respected by students but that it was the employer that most students wanted to work for in this sector.

In total there were 29 award categories, spread over different sectors of employment, to celebrate the most popular graduate recruiters, to reward the most outstanding contribution to diversity, the most effective campaigns and websites.

The 2010 top ten most popular graduate recruiters in IT and Telecoms, voted by students, are as follows:
1. Microsoft
2. Apple
3. IBM UK
4. Intel
5. Dell
6. BT
7. Cisco
8. Accenture
9. O2
10. HP

Seven awards were decided by a panel of carefully selected final year students. 20 of the awards were voted for by undergraduates and recent graduates using TARGETjobs extensive campus contacts and student members of targetjobs.co.uk via an independent voting system powered by trendence. And a special award – the graduate employer of the year was given to the organisation with the most outstanding development programme.

Commenting on Microsoft’s success, Chris Phillips UK Publishing Director at GTI Media commented: "Despite the recession, competition for the most talented graduates is as fierce as ever. Microsoft should be delighted that, within their sector, graduates hold them in such high regard. We all know that they can be harsh critics and it is difficult to get the recruitment process right but Microsoft really are setting the standards for others to follow. As are all the other TARGETjobs Awards winners, voted for by thousands of students from the leading jobsite targetjobs.co.uk."