Samiksha 2006 Panel Discussion Series Held at NITIE, Mumbai
'Indian Companies on a Global Acquisition Spree'

Samiksha', the panel discussion series was held on 11 February 2006 at NITIE. The discussion series is mainly aimed at providing an arena for student-corporate interaction. This time Samiksha saw active participation from students from across B-schools.

The panel for the discussion constituted of - Mr. Abhinav Sinha (Principal, Boston Consulting Group), Mr.Aravind Mahajan (Partner, IBM Consulting), Mr. Arun Patankar (Principal Advisor, CII), Mr. Yezdi Nagaporewalla (Director - Industrial Markets, KPMG), Mr. H. Rajaram (VP Finance, Bluestar). The moderator for the discussion was Mr. Biren Bhuta (Sr. Correspondent, NDTV).

The topic 'India Inc. Going Global' had some heated discussion. The proceedings started off with a ten-minute presentation by the panelists on the topic. The presentations highlighted the fact that Indian companies in the growth phase needed some boost to grow to the next level, and this boost can be provided by inorganic expansion in the global arena. The presentations were followed by panel discussion and an audience question and answer round.

Mr. Arvind Mahajan, in his opening presentation, stated that "Growth is back on the Indian CEO's agenda, after years of cost cutting and restructuring". He mentioned the recent trend towards setting up base in US and Europe by the major business houses. He cited the example that in the last year there were as many as 119 mergers & acquisitions, though the total deal value was only around 3 billion USD.

Mr. Yezdi Nagaporewalla was of the view that "timing played an important role in mergers and acquisitions. An ill-timed merger may go wrong even though there may be synergies in the two companies". He showed cautious optimism by stating that India contributes just 1% to the global M&A's. "In the years ahead with a strengthening industry, it is bound to increase," he stated.

The discussions later focused on the intricacies of the recent Indian deals inked in the past year. The average deal size (which is less than $30 million) and frequency of mergers in India provide a stark contrast when seen in the global scenario. Mr. Arun Patankar was of the view that "The regulatory barriers which had restricted the inorganic growth a few years back are no longer there and thus the industries are more outward focused."

"Cultural differences can act as an impediment to successful mergers," said Mr. Abhinav Sinha. He also stated that "Global competitiveness is paramount, but developing synergies between the acquired companies is also of utmost importance."

Mr. H. Rajaram, VP, Bluestar, expressed a differing view asking why companies should blindly make global acquisitions when India is looked upon as a hot destination for all the global companies. "Consolidating position in India is an alternative option," he suggested.

Mr. Biren Bhuta deftly steered the discussion towards the issue of global brand building exercise, looked into by the major players in Indian industry. The issues of Indian brands building a strong image and the effect of the globalization leading to head-on competition in the global arena also came up.

Samiksha ended with the note that mergers and acquisitions are the way forward for Indian companies. Though the deals are smaller in comparison with US and Europe, these are the small steps which will fuel the growth of Indian companies to the next level.