Teams from Intact and OneBeacon have been working diligently throughout the transition to combine the strengths of our organizations. And while we don’t have all the approvals required to close just yet, the teams have been standing at the ready since September 1. But just how was this all possible in such a short timeframe, especially during peak vacation season?
The key was laying the foundation right after the announcement in May and getting the right people in place for a full kick-off less than one month later. The steering committee, including chairs and co-chairs, supported by the taskforce coordinators, established clear objectives and the deliverables for “day one” early in the summer so they could ensure the teams were focused on the right tasks, of which there were many! All combined, the 10 task forces had 73 key deliverables, and outlined close to 1,500 tasks to achieve those deliverables!
With more than 250 people involved from Intact and over 100 from OneBeacon, Natalie Higgins, Vice President, Corporate Development, noted, “Our shared values have gone a long way in forging the relationships needed to accomplish a plan that carries a high degree of complexity. There has been a tremendous amount of collaboration across all of the groups, helping us identify and plan for the best possible outcome in every scenario.”
Whether it was weekly steering committee and coordinator meetings, taskforce efforts or Charles’ and Mike’s visits across the offices, the frequent touchpoints and open communication channels have helped ensure productive dialogue. Knowing what was important to both Intact and OneBeacon helped the groups identify strengths and opportunities for creating value together. “The concept of cross-border teams and importing/exporting products is only possible by working together. These initiatives will help us create new value and wouldn’t have been possible without our two organizations coming together,” said Carla Smith, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development.
Both Carla and Natalie agreed that the exceptional group of coordinators were engaged, thorough and dedicated to ensuring the right issues were prioritized and escalated to the Steering Committee accordingly. Carla added, “While the transition structure and project-oriented approach were needed at the beginning, they now know one another and connect on a regular basis. It’s clear that we’ll be off to the races as one team, capitalizing on new opportunities as soon as we officially close.”
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