- Forum Corporation
Infobox Company
name = The Forum Corporation
type = private
genre =
foundation = 1971
founder =
location_city =Boston
location_country =United States
location =
locations =
area_served =North America , EMEA,Asia Pacific
key_people = Ed Boswell,President & CEO Executive Team: Alyson Brandt, Galina Jeffrey, Ron Koprowski, Ellen Foley, Jerry Cogliano, Jocelyn Davis [cite web |title=Forum People: Executive Team |url=http://www.forum.com/about_forum/forum_people-79.aspx |publisher=Forum |accessdate=2008-03-30]
industry =Management Consulting , Corporate Training and Development
products =
services =
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
assets =
equity =
owner =
num_employees =
parent =Informa
divisions =
subsid =
slogan = Transforming Performance
homepage = [http://www.forum.com/ forum.com]
footnotes =
intl =The Forum Corporation is a global
management consulting firm owned byInforma specializing in strategy execution for companies in a broad array of industries. Founded in the early 1970s, the company began primarily as a corporate training and education company later transitioning into a more diverse management consulting operation. Forum has worked with over 480 companies, 130 of which are listed on theFortune 500 . [cite web |title=Our Clients |url=http://www.forum.com/about_forum/our_clients-109.aspx |publisher=Forum |accessdate=2008-03-30]History
Early years
Forum was founded in 1971 by five partners who originally financed the startup with their
American Express cards.cite news |first=Suzanne |last=McGrady |title=Forum Corp. chairman sees time when training, work will coincide |url=http://www.lexisnexis.com:80/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?risb=21_T3085448325&format=GNBFI&sort=BOOLEAN&startDocNo=26&resultsUrlKey=29_T3085448330&cisb=22_T3085448329&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=3559&docNo=32 |publisher=Boston Business Journal |date=1996-11-22 |accessdate=2008-02-08] By 1982 it was ranked 362 on the Inc. 500 list of the fastest growing private companies in America, [cite web |title=No. 362 Forum Corp. of North America |url=http://www.inc.com/inc5000/2007/company-profile.html?id=1982362 |publisher=Inc. |accessdate=2008-02-19] with 170 employees and 40 part-time instructors. [cite news |first=Elizabeth M. |last=Fowler |title=Careers; Training: A Growth Industry |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980DE0D7143BF930A15755C0A964948260&sec=health&spon=&pagewanted=1 |publisher=The New York Times |date=1982-06-23 |accessdate=2008-02-19] As clients moved the company began conducting operations overseas in the late 1970s.cite news |first=Steve |last=Evans |title=Pioneer of training notes changing times |url=http://www.lexisnexis.com:80/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?risb=21_T3085448325&format=GNBFI&sort=BOOLEAN&startDocNo=26&resultsUrlKey=29_T3085448330&cisb=22_T3085448329&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=155907&docNo=26 |publisher=The Dominion |date=1997-11-12 |accessdate=2008-02-19]In 1986 "
U.S. News & World Report " described it as one of largest employee-training companies, [cite news |first=Lucia |last=Solorzano |title=Why business spends billions educating workers |url=http://www.lexisnexis.com:80/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?risb=21_T3085448325&format=GNBFI&sort=BOOLEAN&startDocNo=26&resultsUrlKey=29_T3085448330&cisb=22_T3085448329&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=8065&docNo=38 |publisher=U.S. News & World Report |date=1986-02-10 |accessdate=2008-02-19] and the following year it enteredAustralia .Forum expanded to
New Zealand in 1993, and by 1996 Forum had 500 employees worldwide with established offices in Boston, Hong Kong, London, and Toronto, and an expected revenue of US$65 million.By 1997 its training was conducted in 18 languages, and with structural changes in the business world, Forum supplied a significant portion of training for 6 American companies and operated the entire training divisions of 6 others. That same year it announced an alliance to provide worldwide training with the business communications company, theMoore Corporation . [cite news |title=Moore Enters Strategic Insourcing Alliance with the Forum Corporation |url=http://www.lexisnexis.com:80/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?risb=21_T3085448325&format=GNBFI&sort=BOOLEAN&startDocNo=26&resultsUrlKey=29_T3085448330&cisb=22_T3085448329&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=8054&docNo=29 |publisher=PR Newswire |date=1997-06-30 |accessdate=2008-02-19]Acquisitions
2000
On
June 30 ,2000 ,cite news |title=Pearson Unit FT Knowledge To Acquire Forum Corp. For $90M |url=http://www.lexisnexis.com:80/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?risb=21_T3085448325&format=GNBFI&sort=BOOLEAN&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T3085448330&cisb=22_T3085448329&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=211143&docNo=9 |publisher=Lifelong Learning Market Report |date=2000-07-12 |accessdate=2008-02-19] Forum accepted an offer by Pearson, a London-based media conglomerate, to purchase Forum for US$90 million (GBP 60 million) in cash. Pearson intended to merge Forum with FT Knowledge to generate sales of US$110 million in its first year. Forum Chairman and CEO John Humphrey oversaw the integration as chairman of an international advisory board while FT Knowledge CEO Pippa Wicks became the CEO of the new company. [cite news |first=James |last=Harding |title=COMPANIES & FINANCE: UK: Pearson expands in education market MEDIA GROUP PAYS Dollars 90M FOR THE FORUM CORPORATION TO GAIN MARKET SHARE IN NORTH AMERICA |url=http://www.lexisnexis.com:80/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?risb=21_T3085448325&format=GNBFI&sort=BOOLEAN&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T3085448330&cisb=22_T3085448329&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=293847&docNo=10 |publisher=Financial Times |date=2000-07-07 |accessdate=2008-02-19] Forum executive vice president Jennifer Potter-Brotman was promoted to CEO of Forum, as Pearson wished to keep senior Forum managers and preserve brand identity. After Forum shareholders unanimously approved the purchase, and theFederal Trade Commission approved the deal onJuly 10 , the official announcement was releasedAugust 3 . [cite news |title=FT Knowledge, Forum Corp. Finalize Deal, Join to Create Leading Corporate Training and e-Learning Co. |url=http://www.lexisnexis.com:80/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?risb=21_T3085448325&format=GNBFI&sort=BOOLEAN&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T3085448330&cisb=22_T3085448329&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=8054&docNo=7 |publisher=PR Newswire |date=2000-08-03 |accessdate=2008-02-19]2003
In July 2002, the Institute for International Research (IIR) expressed interest in purchasing Forum, and as FT Knowledge began consolidating Pearson decided to launch negotiations that November. A final deal was signed on
January 13 ,2003 , selling Forum to IIR for US$30 million. [cite news |title=Institute For International Research Buys Forum Corp. For Estimated $30M; Pearson Consolidates |url=http://www.lexisnexis.com:80/us/lnacademic/search/homesubmitForm.do |publisher=Lifelong Learning Market Report |date=2003-02-07 |accessdate=2008-02-19] IIR was purchased itself in 2005 by the British publisher and conference companyInforma . [cite news |title=T&F Informa buys conferences group IIR Holdings for 768 mln stg |url=http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/afx/2005/06/01/afx2068249.html |publisher=Forbes |work=AFX News Limited |date=2007-06-01 |accessdate=2007-12-31]References
Further reading
*Van Adelsberg, David; Trolley, Edward A. (1999). "Running Training Like A Business: Delivering Unmistakable Value". San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. ISBN 1576750590
External links
* [http://www.forum.com/ Official site]
* [http://blogs.informa.com/forum/ The Forum Blog]
* [http://www.forum.com/library/documents_by_category-146.aspx Forum library]
* [http://webcast.tdctrade.com/071207_03/e_100.htm Webcast interview with CEO]
* [http://www.necn.com/Boston/Business/Ed-Boswell-CEO-Forum-Corporation/1220485568.html NECN interview with CEO]Navbox
name = Informa plc Divisions
title =Informa , plc.
abovestyle = background:#f0f0f0;
above =
group1 = Academic & Scientific
list1 =Datamonitor •Taylor & Francis • Informa Life Sciences • Informa Healthcare
group2 = Commercial
list2 =Datamonitor • Adam Smith Conferences • Agra Informa • Euroforum • IBC • IIR • Informa Australia • Informa Trade & Energy • Informa Telecoms & Media •Monaco Yacht Show •Ovum Ltd
group3 = Professional
list3 =AchieveGlobal • Communispond • Council on Education •Datamonitor •ESI International •Forum Corporation • Huthwaite • ICBI • International Faculty of Finance (IFF) • IIR Finance • iMoneyNet • Informa Economics • Informa Finance • Informa Global Markets • Informa Insurance • Informa Investment Solutions • Informa Law •Informa Research Services • International Insider •Omega Performance • Robbins-Gioia
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
