Slide No. 1

“ANGELA MORTIMER”Best in France project

Team 12 – January 2004 Intake

Emmanuel Nedelec

Gonzalo Ferrer

Joy Jaillon

Philippe Gillet

Shuyo Yamamoto

Slide No. 2

• Company description

• Services, clients, and competitors

• Why did the company come to Europe?

• Why did the company come to France?

• Do company values fit the French culture?

• Constraints in France

• Adaptation to France

• Key benefit of being in France

• Essential success advice

Overview of the presentation

Slide No. 3

– Dedicated to recruitment of Highly-qualified Secretaries and Personal Assistants

– Do more than just fill a position, match company dynamics

– Services provided in France are the identical to those provided in the U.K

Company services

Slide No. 4

• Angela Mortimer Plc (UK)– Setup in 1976 by John & Angela

Mortimer– 1997 - Acquired “Femmes & Carrières”

(France)– Acquired “Excel Careers” (Belgium)– 2003 - Angela Mortimer nominated as

the “European Woman Entrepreneur” of the year

Description of the company

Slide No. 5

• Turnover (M Pounds) :- UK: 38- France: 5.7 (15%)

• Employees:- All: 350- Europe (except UK): 30

• Locations:- UK: 6- France: 2- Belgium: 2

Description of the company

Slide No. 6

• Two kind of clients:– Candidates– Customers

• Two dedicated brochures:– “Aim higher” for the candidates– “You are who you employ” for the

companies

• Two different objectives– Develop candidates and their career– Do more than just fill a position, match

company dynamics

Company’s clients

Slide No. 7

• Michael Page– Secretary and assistant division

• TM International– Remains a small setup

• Others– Less dedicated to assistants

Company’s key competitors

Slide No. 8

• Company’s approach to international growth– Creation of a new product (recruitment for

multilingual PAs, secretary and expatriates)– Decision to change the UK organization and

move to the European market

• Need arised from customers in France– 1997: UK biggest clients going to Paris and

requesting English PAs

• Opportunistic issue in Belgium– Sell-off business …

Why did the company come to International markets ?

Slide No. 9

• Why was France a key target location ?– 1st : Needs came from customers– 2nd : David Mele’s cultural understanding

and initiative– 3rd : Geographically close to U.K

• How did it come to France ?– “Femmes & Carrières” acquisition in 1997

Why did the company come to France ?

Slide No. 10

– Better satisfaction of client demand

– Higher credibility on the European market

– Increased synergy between countries

• UK, France, Belgium

French presence’s strength

Slide No. 11

• Organization– Flattened organization (leadership) vs.

Hierarchical organization (management)

• HR management– UK :

• the company makes customers’ HR “shine”• HR Managers highlight candidates’ potential

– France :• the company has been considered an HR

competitor by its customers• HR Managers highlight diploma and CVs

Company’s values versusFrench culture

Slide No. 12

• Changed local management team

• Maintained its own values• Constant training on leadership

and empowerment (provided by either Angela, John or David)

• Focused on career development

How did the company instill its values in the French unit ?

Slide No. 13

Constraints in France

– Bureaucracy– Little help for small enterprises by the

government– Little flexibility from the baking and

financing organizations ; required cash and guarantees

– Difficult to find people with leadership qualifications

– Many legislation procedures– Protection of employees– Difficult to build team outside office hours

Slide No. 14

Adaptation to FranceBy implementing UK methods…

• Recruitment/Selection– Action-oriented profiles vs. status-oriented

• Compensation– Stick to U.K policies “You are what you earn”

(i.e. based on results)

• Management Development– Choose young graduates and make them grow(assistant -> junior/senior consultant -> leader)

• Motivation– Through empowerment– Very low turnover

Slide No. 15

Key benefits of being in France

• Company Image– Uplift the Company’s product offer (UK to Pan-

European)– Customer demands for cultural adaptation of

product(s)

• Market Potential– Product penetration

• Return on investment– Good (ROI 25%)

Slide No. 16

• Before coming to France– Do not come and start from scratch !– Learn about French culture and regulations

before coming

• Adaptation while in France– Do not be global, be local

• Future investments in Europe– Stick to your company values

Essential advices

Slide No. 17

Company’s contacts

• David Mele– Managing Director of International Operations

(Angela Mortimer - UK)– Managing Director (Femmes et Carrières - FR)– E-mail: d.mele@amlanguagerecruitment.com– Mobile: 00 44 77 68 08 22 44

• Susanne Stott– Team Leader (Femmes et Carrières - FR)– E-mail: s.stott@femmesetcarrieres.com– Mobile: 00 33 6 22 16 71 52

Slide No. 18

Thank You