The CD Forum is a quarterly dinner meeting/ discussion forum for Corporate Development Officers (CDOs) and other M&A, Transactional and Strategy executives, generally from larger corporations. Over the 15 years of the Forum more than 200 CDO's have attended, with many current "regulars." A typical dinner discussion group has a CDO leading the discussion on an important topic of interest, with 15 to 25 CDOs attending.
Value proposition: This exclusive, strictly peer-to-peer, meeting is an excellent forum for Corporate Development Officers and other corporate transactional executives to share experiences and best practices while developing relationships in a convenient, enjoyable and relaxing setting.
Prior attendees of the CD Forum include Hercules Angelatos, SVP-Administration/Finance, Hapag-Lloyd (America); David Blaskey, SVP, Development & Integration, Avis Budget Group; Brian Buchert, Director, Corporate Strategy and M&A, Church & Dwight; Pierce Cleary, Manager of Business Development, Metal Improvement Co., Subsidiary of Curtiss-Wright; Pat Fetaya, New Business Development, Ethicon, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson Company; Kevin Kilroy, Head of Business Planning, RBU NA, Linde Group; Mitch Koppelman, VP, M&A & Planning, Minerals Technologies; John Lillis, VP, Acquisitions and Strategic Alliances, Pitney Bowes Management Services; Bob Lurie, VP North American Business Development, Ocean Power Technologies; Koshi Okamoto, Executive Director, Corporate Business Development, Hitachi Metals America; Laurent Paty, Director of Customer Programs and Market Development, Petra Solar; and Rick Surett, SVP, Financial Planning & Analysis, Ports America.
Testimonials:
"Since its inception, over 10 years ago, the CD Forum has been for me a great vehicle for exchanging ideas and insights with many other CD executives." Joe Dunning, Vice President, Mergers & Acquisitions, J.M. Huber Corporation.
"The CD Forum is an intimate and valuable venue for business development professionals to discuss openly topical issues and best practices, and to network for new ideas. I have developed relationships with high-level colleagues from other companies here who I never would have met otherwise," George Koutsaftes, Vice President, Mergers & Acquisitions, Honeywell Specialty Materials.
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2025 Sponsors:
The CD Forums are kindly supported by IntraLinks, EisnerAmper LLP, Woodruff Sawyer and Gibbons P.C.
2025 Upcoming Dinner Forum:
05/20/2025
Framework for Assessing Divestiture Candidates
Siran Tanielyan, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development at Paramount, will discuss the framework for assessing divestiture candidates, including:
- Best practices for identifying divestiture candidates, including strategic portfolio reviews, market assessments, and operator input;
- Assessing the operating implications of divestiture candidates, including scope of separation activities and need for transition services;
- Assessing the financial implications of divestiture candidates, including stranded costs, pro forma P&L, balance sheet and value impact; and
- Making the final go / no-go decision and getting buy-in from constituents.
About the Speaker
Siran is a seasoned M&A professional in the media ecosystem. In her role as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development at Paramount, she oversees merger, acquisition, divestiture, investment, and joint venture activity. Prior to joining Paramount (formerly Viacom) in 2014, Siran was an Executive Director at UBS Investment Bank focused on M&A and capital markets activity in the Media, Communications & Internet space.
About Paramount
Paramount Global is a leading publicly-traded global media, streaming and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. Driven by iconic consumer brands, Paramount's portfolio includes CBS, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount+ and Pluto TV. Paramount holds one of the industry's most extensive libraries of TV and film titles. In addition to offering innovative streaming services and digital video products, the company provides powerful capabilities in production, distribution, and advertising solutions.
For more information contact lhalstead@acg.org PLEASE NOTE: If you are qualified to attend this forum, please register via the link in the email invitation or email lhalstead@acg.org. This event is invitation-only and therefore the registration link is not public on the website.
INTERESTED IN SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES? Contact Lou Halstead (lhalstead@acg.org) or Alyson Brice (abrice@acg.org) to learn more.
Click on the following link to view the ACG NJ CD Sponsors Package:
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