This semester’s “Guest in Classroom” sessions started with the visit of Mr. Oliver Gaess, Vice President of Business Development at Belden Inc. Mr. Gaess discussed the importance of Mergers and Acquisitions in increasing total shareholder value with the students. In addition, Mr. Gaess is one of the first Alumni who graduated from the MBA Pforzheim 20 years ago.

Belden is an American manufacturer of networking, connectivity and cable products for the industrial automation, enterprise, security, transportation, infrastructure and residential markets. Founded in 1902, it now generates more than US$ 2.31 billion in revenues and has more than 8,100 employees worldwide. With more than a century in the market, the company has learned to adapt to new industries and trends. Starting out as a cable manufacturer, it now has broadened its portfolio to offer a wide range of solutions that includes even cyber-security services.

Mr. Gaess underlined the importance of Mergers and Acquisitions in a company’s business strategy since, as he mentions, acquiring companies helps build a smarter organization, increase innovation, develop new products and be more efficient, which leads to substantial increases in profits. Thus, it results in benefits for clients, employees and owners.

It was an interesting talk that demonstrated to the students how the theory obtained through courses such as Business Controlling and International Business Development, when correctly applied, can lead to the success of a company.