Authored by Andrew Dryhurst, Business Associate, Intern

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March 18
^th, 2015, Menlo Park, CA

BABC Northern California’s “Global Words of Wisdom on … International Expansion” event took place at the Menlo Park office of BABC Patron Member Hogan Lovells on March 18
^th, 2015. Our thanks to Hogan Lovells and co-presenting sponsor, Fitzgerald and Law for generously hosting us and over 80 guests who gathered to learn insights, experiences and, words of wisdom, on establishing an international competitive advantage and the trials and tribulations of going global. Our thanks also to the esteemed panel from four of the Bay Area’s leading international companies, masterfully moderated by David Smith, Managing Director of UK-based First Capital – Neil Sands, Global VP Innovation at Salesforce; Head of the Planet Labs’ ‘People Team’, Cara Brennan Allamano, VP of Technology at Expedia.comTony Donohoe, and President of Franklin Templeton International, Jed Plafker.

The coalescence of the vast experience shared by this distinguished panel provided a sincere, comprehensive and somewhat humorous recount of the many tactics required to establish a successful business in international markets.The overall resounding theme however centered on an organizations’ approach and ability to build the right team and deploy effective leadership strategies with an emphasis on cultural understanding.

A common consensus was reached with the correlation between leadership and company culture. Neil Sands stated that “[A leader] is “only as good as [their] last interaction with [their] employee” and “you join a company for the culture and leave for the leadership.” Unanimous employee equality across the globe was a principal feature of the panelists’ success. Tony Donohue stated that there is “no excuse for a lack of communication with modern, real time technology,” and further advocated the importance of giving employees the same amount of emotional, empathetic and social investment, regardless of their international location.

The strategic planning of teams was another consensus reached by the panelists. Sending employees to international posts together is seen as a successful route due to the situational camaraderie that is likely to arise when dealing with the task of cultural assimilation. In continuation of this point, Mr. Donohue stated that “you will spend more time with people on business trips than in the office.” International excursions are a stern test of employee resilience and resourcefulness. However, the unique and educational experiences had by employees, and the consequential re-affirmation of core company values and organizational culture make these trips invaluable, and thus worthy of meticulous early stage planning, and heavy financing.

Jed Plafker resonated the criticalness of sending “the right type of people abroad… they need to know how to listen [and] always be willing and adaptable when abroad.” Cara Brennan Allamano echoed this sentiment declaring “People abroad need to appreciate it. Resilience and a desire to lead abroad alongside humility is what you look for… [it has to be] more than just a job.” It is seen as imperative that a successful candidate for an international expansion program possesses an intrinsic cultural curiosity, as well as a respectful decorum that will adorn both themselves, and the company to potential clients and co-workers.

The core competencies of successful international expansion were shown to be humility, fastidious planning, perseverance and empathy. Each of these elements are fundamental to any successful international expansion, whose presence when lacking, signifies imminent failure.

The BABC wholeheartedly thanks all of the speakers, whose expertise and candor created an upbeat, yet relaxed ambience in which audience participation thrived. Furthermore, thank you to the audience for their eager participation.

Our thanks also to the following co sponsors:
DTZ, Suddath Relocation Systems, Michael Page, Aer Lingus and the Irish Network of the Bay Area.