It has been an exciting two weeks since we received MOFCOM’s decision to allow us to integrate substantial portions of HGST and WD.
The Integration Management Office (IMO) has been working hard getting the integration planning process kicked off. Throughout this process, it is our job to focus on integrating HGST and WD in a planned, thoughtful, and deliberate fashion. The ultimate goal is building the industry-leading storage and solutions provider with the most compelling customer value proposition, and becoming the employer of choice in the storage industry.
We have assembled a team of HGST and WD representatives from a range of sites and functional areas to provide both a balanced representation and a global perspective throughout the process. We have also brought in the most experienced integration experts in the industry, McKinsey & Company, and Ernst & Young, to provide support to us through the integration. We consider these experts to be an integral part of our Integration Management Office (IMO) team.
The IMO team met this week in Irvine, California to kick off integration planning with over 150 attendees. The purpose of the meeting was to align the team around the integration structure and process, set the context for our integration, and share the high-level timeline of integration activities.
We hope you have seen the WDC Executive Leadership Team announced last week. You can expect to hear more announcements in the coming month detailing the next level of executive leadership identified to support the new operating model. While the new operating model has not yet taken effect, leaders are expected to fully assume their new roles by late February or early March 2016.
We realize that you may have questions during this time of transition, and understand the uncertainty that accompanies change. The IMO Leadership will communicate updates on a regular, ongoing basis. We are committed to providing you with as much information as possible, as soon as it becomes available to help everyone get through the transition as smoothly as possible. You can also send questions to the IMO Office at IMOquestions@hgst.com, or imoquestionsWD@wdc.com. At the same time, we ask that you continue to deliver on your day-to-day commitments, demonstrating the same level of focus and dedication that has enabled HGST and WD to get to where we are today.
We encourage you to come hear more about integration activities at the upcoming Global Town Hall Meeting on Thursday, November 5th. Check the IMO Sites on Spark and MyNet for meeting information.
Thank you in advance for your ongoing support.