Forum Corporation
Encyclopedia
The Forum Corporation is a global learning and development firm owned by Informa specializing in strategy execution for companies in a broad array of industries. Founded in 1971, the company established itself as a pioneer in the corporate training and education space. Forum has worked with over 480 companies, 130 of which are listed on the Fortune 500
.
cards. By 1982 it was ranked 362 on the Inc. 500
list of the fastest growing private companies in America, with 170 employees and 40 part-time instructors. As clients moved the company began conducting operations overseas in the late 1970s.
In 1986 U.S. News & World Report
described it as one of largest employee-training companies, and the following year it entered Australia
.
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, the Moore Corporation.
, 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. 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 the Federal Trade Commission
approved the deal on July 10, the official announcement was released August 3.
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. IIR was purchased itself in 2005 by the British publisher and conference company Informa.
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
.
Early years
Forum was founded in 1971. Five partners, several of whom had recently graduated from Harvard Business School, originally financed the startup with their American ExpressAmerican Express
American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
cards. By 1982 it was ranked 362 on the Inc. 500
Inc. (magazine)
Inc. magazine, founded in 1979 and based in New York City, is a monthly publication focused on growing companies. The magazine publishes an annual list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., the "Inc...
list of the fastest growing private companies in America, with 170 employees and 40 part-time instructors. As clients moved the company began conducting operations overseas in the late 1970s.
In 1986 U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
described it as one of largest employee-training companies, and the following year it entered Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Forum expanded to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
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, the Moore Corporation.
Acquisitions
On June 30, 2000, Forum accepted an offer by PearsonPearson PLC
Pearson plc is a global media and education company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is both the largest education company and the largest book publisher in the world, with consumer imprints including Penguin, Dorling Kindersley and Ladybird...
, a London-based media conglomerate, to purchase Forum for US$90 million (GBP
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
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. 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 the Federal Trade Commission
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act...
approved the deal on July 10, the official announcement was released August 3.
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. IIR was purchased itself in 2005 by the British publisher and conference company Informa.
Business
Forum provides learning solutions in three main areas: leadership, sales and sales management, and customer service. An industry leader, Forum was named a 2011 Top 20 provider of leadership development and a Top 20 provider of sales training by TrainingIndustry.com.Further reading
- Griep, Elizabeth; Davis, Jocelyn; Fowler, Simon. (2010). Forum's Principles of Learning: A Guidebook for Advancing Performance in Today's Workplace.
- Davis, Jocelyn R.; Frechette, Henry M., Jr.; Boswell, Edwin H. (2010). Strategic Speed: Mobilize People, Accelerate Execution. Boston: Harvard Business Press. ISBN 1422131521
- Smith, Shaun; Milligan, Andy (2002). Uncommon Practice: People Who Deliver a Great Brand Experience. Financial Times Prentice Hall. ISBN 0273659367
- Van Adelsberg, David; Trolley, Edward A. (1999). Running Training Like A Business: Delivering Unmistakable Value. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. ISBN 1576750590
- Whiteley, Richard, Hessan, Diane (1997). Customer-Centered Growth: Five Proven Strategies for Building Competitive Advantage. Basic Books. ISBN 0201154935
External links
- Official site (English), (Japanese), (Korean)
- ForumCorp's Blog
- Forum library
- TheForumCorp on TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...