Exel Composites Plc designs, manufactures and markets innovative composite solutions. The company has representatives around the globe and manufacturing facilities in seven countries.
Vice President Mikko Rummukainen has worked for Exel Composites for seven years. During this time, he has been responsible for global business development, apart from two years when he was in charge of the Finnish business unit. In his position, he is also responsible for managing the company’s acquisitions.
“Growth is a central part of our strategy. To date, I have managed two acquisition processes from start to finish – one in China and the other in the U.S. These experiences gave me a great deal of insight into M&As, however, I felt that it was at a good time to participate in a program that would give me an even more wide-ranging perspective of M&As and new ideas to consider in future acquisitions,” Rummukainen explains.
Rummukainen recently participated in Aalto EE’s Mergers and Acquisitions program, which approaches M&As from a strategic, financial, and change leadership perspective.
Rummukainen had quite a strong grasp on M&As already prior to participating in the program. Nevertheless, he says that the program provided him with many new ideas that he describes as highly beneficial for his own work.
I received new tools and ideas about integration and gained more in-depth knowledge about how to assess organizational culture even more thoroughly before an acquisition."
“I was particularly interested in issues relating to organizational culture and people. How employees should be taken into consideration and how to steer the organizations into a smooth integration,” he points out.
“In addition to obtaining a good general picture of the M&A field, I received new tools and ideas about integration and gained more in-depth knowledge about how to assess organizational culture even more thoroughly before an acquisition,” Rummukainen asserts.
Rummukainen also brings up motivations for M&As as an area he found particularly interesting during the program.
“In the first module, we discussed valuation and how to build a compelling story of why the acquisition would be beneficial. It was eye-opening to delve into the motivations that different players have for a deal. Understanding motivation also falls under the general category of understanding people, which for me was the greatest takeaway from the program,” Rummukainen emphasizes.
Rummukainen has a great deal of praise for his fellow participants, and he describes comparing ideas and exchanging insights during the program as highly gratifying.
“I enjoy learning in an environment where I can pose difficult questions and interact with the other participants, professors, and experts. The M&A program was very rewarding in this respect,” Rummukainen says.
“The experts guiding our conversations were very knowledgeable, and we had marvelous discussions and debates in our group. I was positively surprised at how good a group atmosphere we created in just five days; we genuinely got to know each other. I am going to miss our conversations,” he adds.
Rummukainen says that the program met his expectations well and confirmed that he is happy to recommend participating to others.
I enjoy learning in an environment where I can pose difficult questions and interact with the other participants, professors, and experts. The M&A program was very rewarding in this respect."
“All the practical arrangements were very well taken care of, the teaching was high-quality and the contents interesting. The lively discussions were a definite highlight of the program. All in all, I received a comprehensive overview of the M&A field, starting from identifying potential targets to smoothly integrating the acquired company,” he describes.
“I am happy to endorse this program. I think it is best suited for individuals who wish to gain a broad understanding of mergers and acquisitions. I got a great deal out of the program although I already had quite a bit of practical experience of M&As before taking part. Although prior knowledge of M&As is not required, I feel that you reap the most benefits from this program when you are able to contribute to the interesting discussions with the experts and fellow participants,” Rummukainen concludes.