Episodes
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Andy Mattes, a seasoned CEO with a wealth of experience in leading complex organizations such as Coherent Laser and Diebold speaks to Ninad Singh, Director at Ayna.AI. The conversation delves into the strategies and insights that Andy has garnered over the years, touching upon the challenges of mergers and acquisitions, financial stabilization, and the importance of setting ambitious yet achievable goals. Andy offers a deep dive into the art of navigating a company through competitive markets and regulatory frameworks, revealing the executive-level decisions that drive growth and success within large corporations.
Andy Mattes is known for his impressive track record as the former CEO of Coherent, where he significantly increased operating margins and revenue between 2020 and 2022, culminating in the company's $7 billion sale to II-VI Incorporated. Prior to his tenure at Coherent, Andy led Diebold as its President and CEO, overseeing a period of robust growth including a 16% CAGR from 2013 to 2017 and the strategic $1.8 billion acquisition of Wincor-Nixdorf. His extensive background in managing companies that operate at the intersection of hardware, services, and software places him in a unique position to offer valuable insights into the complexities of steering industry-leading organizations toward transformative growth.
Discussion Points
Andy Mattes highlights Coherent's crucial role in producing OLED displays for smartphones, acknowledging the need for new growth strategies after equipment saturation.Mattes discusses navigating acquisitions in diverse regulatory environments, balancing German takeover laws' fund certainty with varied U.S. shareholder approval thresholds and timelines.Reflecting on Coherent's sale to II-IV Incorporated, Mattes underscores the importance of defining deal structures and the CEO's role in post-acquisition transitions.Internal support is vital for successful transformations, as revealed by organizational health surveys at Coherent, providing actionable insights for strategic change.Mattes advocates for adopting an activist or private equity mindset to identify ambitious yet achievable growth opportunities, setting challenging goals for companies.Reflecting on career milestones, Mattes highlights lessons on financial management, including the impact of operational decisions on EPS and the critical role of cash flow in meeting payroll.For More Information
Andy Mattes LinkedIn
Coherent
Diebold
Book: The Titanium Economy
Ninad Singh LinkedIn
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As CEO of Simpson Strong-Tie, Mike Olosky leads the company with a clear vision of industry leadership through innovation and customer service. With over 20 years at Henkel, including roles as COO and Regional President, Mike's leadership, strategic investments, and embrace of technology have spurred Simpson Strong-Tie's growth amid economic challenges.
With 14 years of global experience, Mike champions a growth mindset and people-centric culture to drive industry excellence. In this episode Ninad Singh, Director at Ayna.AI interviews Mike Olosky, CEO of Simpson Strong-Tie, who underscores adaptability, customer relations, and comprehensive solutions as vital for success
Discussion Points
Simpson Strong-Tie’s from modest beginnings to a $2 billion revenue leader in structural building products with success driven by robust customer relations, adaptability, and diverse product offerings.Olosky's 14-year stint with Henkel in Asia provided valuable insights into electronic and automotive sectors and cultural diversity, shaping his leadership at Simpson Strong-Tie and fostering innovation.Simpson Strong-Tie's commitment to a growth mindset, employee training, and adoption of emerging technologies like Mass Timber and digitization are driving forces behind their market outperformance and industry-leading construction standards.The company's dedication to comprehensive customer solutions, leveraging digital tools such as CAD and software resources, positions them as pioneers in digital transformation within the construction industry.Olosky’s emphasis on the significance of a people-centric culture, citing an impactful moment in Asia that reinforced his belief in empowering teams.For More Information
Simpson Strong-Tie
Mike Oloskey LinkedIn
Book: The Titanium Economy
Ninad Singh LinkedIn
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Episodes manquant?
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In this engaging episode of our Titanium Economy series, we welcome David Hunt, managing director and co-head of the industrials practice at Greenhill, who shares his rich expertise in advising industrial companies, particularly in the capital goods sector. Listen in as we navigate the complex landscape of the industrial sector and its subsectors, with an emphasis on capital goods and the adoption of technology. We dissect the current macroeconomic factors, such as higher inflation and rates, and their impact on the sector. Hunt sheds light on the shift from resource hoarding during the pandemic to growth-focused strategies, especially corporate acquisitions, offering a unique insight into the sector's evolution.
Mr. Hunt joined Greenhill in 2017. He principally advises clients in the capital goods, environmental services, and industrial technology sectors. Prior to joining Greenhill, David spent 20 years at UBS where he was a Managing Director and the Head of Investment Banking for Capital Goods. He began his career at Dillon Read before it was acquired by UBS. David holds a BS in Economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Discussion Points
Guest David Hunt explains how different factors shaped M&A activity have, highlighting a shift from hoarding resources during the pandemic to focusing on growth strategies, particularly corporate acquisitions.The conversation moves to the evolution of multi-industrial companies and their shift from conglomerate models to more focused niche markets, delving into the importance of differentiation, mission criticality, end-market selection and the impact on investor returns.David and Siddharth explore the landscape of M&A in the industrial sector, focusing on the components of a successful business system for a multi-industrial company.A discussion around the importance of understanding the boundaries in M&A activities, the importance of realistic valuation, and competitive landscape analysis.How industrial companies are handling the pace of technological disruption, especially with the rise of AI. The hosts discuss the importance of finding a micro niche that is the company's competitive differentiation and applying that both to organic and inorganic growth strategies.Wrapping up, David Hunt provides an optimistic outlook for the industrial sector, citing the Infrastructure Act, the Chips Act, the IRA Act, and other multi-year trends.For More Information
David Hunt LinkedIn
Greenhill
Book: The Titanium Economy
Siddharth Madhav LinkedIn
Titan International Website
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What if managing employees wasn’t a responsibility, but a privilege? What if, before efficiencies and synergies, empathy was a driving force in leadership? In this episode, Connor Bradley speaks with Bob Chapman, Chairman and CEO of Barry-Wehmiller, a leader who transformed his company with a potent mix of strategy and culture, shaping a vision that breathes life and meaning into Barry-Wehmiller team members’ existence.
Bob Chapman is widely recognized as a transformative leader from the manufacturing industry. As CEO of Barry-Wehmiller, a global supplier of manufacturing technology and services, he has grown his company through a prolifically successful acquisition strategy. Chapman's deep understanding of leadership and his unique methods have made him a bestselling author and speaker. Chapman has successfully instilled a culture of empathy and purpose within Barry-Wehmiller, solidifying his position as a revolutionary in both business and leadership.
Discussion Points
Bob Chapman has transformed Barry-Wehmiller - providing employees with meaning and launching initiatives to share culture and leadership training.How to address the "poverty of dignity" in organizations for overall well-being.Connor and Bob discuss balanced business models, culture in leadership, and empathetic listening to create leaders.Chapman shares his message of caring for others, teaching the skill of recognizing goodness, and navigating difficult decisions when culture and business conflict.A discussion around sharing strategy and culture to lead business, encouraging listeners to apply same philosophy and share blessings.For More Information
Barry-Wehmiller
Truly Human Leadership Blog
Book: Everybody Matters
Chapman & Co.
Book: The Titanium Economy
Titan International Website
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Steve shares his perspectives on Amsted's heritage, ownership culture, growth strategy, and innovation. He emphasizes employee empowerment, investing for growth, and optimizing talent and capital management for value creation.
Discussion Points
Amsted's 100% employee-owned model provides competitive advantages in strategic focus, talent acquisition, retention, and resilience through economic cycles. However, it also has its tradeoffs like any corporate organization. Business growth in Amsted’s key end markets supported by robust macro tailwinds, including data center demand and industrial electrification towards eco-friendly technologies. Amsted represents a winning example of the benefits of portfolio diversification and the conglomerate business strategy – tempering overall cyclicality and routinely beating performance benchmarks. The Amsted management paradigm is based on driving authority and accountability down to the business unit level, which includes strategic M&A ideation and execution. Successful corporate leadership boils down to finding and enabling the right people and deploying scarce capital for its most promising use. -
In this episode, host Guarav Batra, President and CEO of Ayna.AI, welcomes Christine King, the world’s first female CEO of semiconductor company Skyworks Solutions Inc.. Currently serving as Skyworks’ Lead Independent Director and Chairman of the Compensation Committee, Christine shares her thoughts about the current state of the semiconductor industry, navigating her career in a field dominated by men, and her vision and advice for those interested in a career in semiconductors as the industry evolves.
Chris King’s incredible career began when she was a 20-year-old, poor, single mother with a high school diploma and few prospects in 1970. Against all odds, she went on to become the world’s first female CEO of a semiconductor company. She rose through the ranks using her grit and focus on delivering value for multiple billion-dollar businesses like IBM, AMI Semiconductor, Standard Microsystems, and QLogic. Chris remains an active member of multinational company boards of directors and continues to compete as a champion equestrian.Discussion Points
Skyworks brand technology connects everyone everywhere and is known for empowering the wireless network revolution of “always on” connectivity.The resilience of the semiconductor industry, focusing on the ‘white space’ in the market, and maintaining innovation through the right people in the right positions, leadership, and technical talent.Leading winning teams has always meant fostering great personal relationships built on trust.The tough road as a woman leader often necessitated “competition” with male counterparts, but results and value for customers and shareholders will win every time.Attracting and nurturing talent- people want to do great things. Give recognition for accomplishments, and encourage people to advance to the highest level they can accomplish through excitement about great products and results.Advice for starting out in semiconductors - don’t be too quick to get into leadership, develop your technical skills first. Persistence pays. If you can’t go through go around.For More Information
Christine King LinkedIn
Sammons Industrial
Book: The Titanium Economy
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In this episode, host Nick Santhanam, CEO of Fernweh welcomes Darron Ash, CEO of Sammons Enterprises, Inc.. Sammons’ portfolio of companies includes businesses operating in financial services, industrial equipment, real estate investment, and infrastructure. Darron offers his views on Sammons’ long-term successes in the misunderstood industrial sector, their focus on people as their most important asset, and how they are positioned for success in the coming decades.
Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Sammons was established in 1938. With almost $6 billion in annual revenues and over $100 billion in assets, Sammons is one of the largest privately held companies in the US. Darron Ash has been with Sammons since 2006, where he served as Chief Financial Officer for nine years prior to accepting the role of President and Chief Executive Officer. He has been a member of the Executive Committee and the Sammons Enterprises, Inc. Board since 2015. Darron joined the company with 17 years of experience in a wide variety of industries including consumer products, PE, accounting, and professional services.
Discussion Points
The Sammons value proposition centers on a long-term, partnership model of investing, without a pre-set exit plan, coupled with a strong focus on people and culture that allows for a decentralized management approach.Across the firm’s five investment verticals, the firm primarily focuses on using organic growth to scale its operating businesses, with M&A deployed strategically for adjacent and tuck-in opportunities. Sammons prioritizes discipline and patience as it relates to capital allocation and capital management strategies, particularly through today’s volatile economic era characterized by high inflation and high interest rates.Through the pandemic and its supply chain after-effects, the ability to pivot from equipment order sales to rentals enabled Sammons to drive customer value.Deploying world-class, value-added technology like mobile e-commerce and utilization management into companies, even in the start-up phase, is a key tenet of accelerating business growth and profitability.The right people, talent and culture are often the key enablers for long-run business success.For More Information
Darron Ash LinkedIn
Sammons Industrial
Book: The Titanium Economy
Titan International Website
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Paul Reitz joined Titan International, a leading global supplier of off-the-road wheel and tire products, in 2010 as CFO. Previous to Titan, Paul was Chief Accounting Officer at Carmike Cinemas, with previous roles at Yellowbook USA and Deloitte & Touche. Reitz earned an MBA in Business Administration and Marketing from the University of Iowa.
Discussion Points
Titan’s offerings are unique in a niche industry. Connecting with the specific end user is imperative. Titan takes a macro view of global and local business environments and the trends within their industries of agriculture, construction and earth moving. A major restructuring in 2019 made Titan poised and prepared for the global issues that came with the pandemic. Patience and bold decisions are key to choosing the best options for M&A synergies for Titan. Diverse perspectives from other industries are important for a Board of Directors in an industrial company like Titan. -
Omar Asali, Chairman and CEO of Ranpak, shares his viewpoints on the increasingly transformative role of technology in the industrial space. As head of Ranpak, a global leader in environmentally sustainable, protective packaging solutions, Mr. Asali is convinced that automation, digitization, robotics, and other enabling technologies will propel his and other large-scale industrial companies to provide higher-value, compelling, efficient and sustainable solutions for their customers.
Since 1972, Ranpak’s mission has been to deliver sustainable protective packaging solutions that reduce costs, reduce environmental impact and support global business needs. Omar Asali became CEO in 2019 and has leveraged his broad industry background into the often siloed industrial sector. One of his primary focus areas is bringing the best talent and technology to Ranpak, bolstering its reputation as an innovative leader in sustainable industrial supply chain solutions. Prior to Ranpak, Mr. Asali was CEO and President of HRG Group and Vice Chairman of Spectrum Brands.
Discussion Points
The five-decade history of Ranpak highlights a consistent focus on both sustainability and automation / technology deployment.The impact of transforming internal and external systems into an updated technological mentality can be challenging, but certainly not insurmountable, in an industrial complex, where digital is “non-native”Ranpak is managing change by setting realistic timeline expectations and justifying the financial impact for customers.Focusing on the “E” of ESG is critical for the next few decades, and imperative if we are to be true stewards of our earth, its climate and the environment.Accessing talent in the Ranpak orbit includes partnering with smaller tech companies, investing strategically with VCs, along with incubating and retaining organic talent.For More Information
Omar Asali LinkedIn
Ranpak Website
Titan International Website
Book: The Titanium Economy
