Peter Aceto is a passionate leader. As the President and CEO of Tangerine, he stands for more than a leader of a bank: his goal is to change the conversation about leadership, and to inspire unconventional thinking and transparency that delivers unparalleled results for business and consumers. Below, The Financial Post looks at what businesses can learn from the successful branding of Tangerine, under Peter’s lead:
The successful rebranding and strategic pivot of Tangerine, formerly ING Direct, was the product of strategic insight, thorough analytics and diligent planning. Just as critical was the firm’s ability to pull off a complex transformation in a time of market uncertainty and regulatory change. With 70% to 80% of change initiatives ending in failure, Tangerine holds many lessons for companies looking to strategically reposition themselves or undertake other change initiatives.
“Managing change can be both challenging and rewarding,” says Peter Aceto, president and CEO of Tangerine. “Since we all perceive change differently, it is a journey that must be met with honesty, regular communication, reassurance and, above all, a positive attitude.”
ING Direct was purchased by Scotiabank in 2012. The new entity had two ambitious goals to be achieved by 2014: first, to rebrand under a new name and identity (soon to be Tangerine); second, to expand beyond the firm’s core positioning (tagline: “Save your money”) to include new services and products relevant to their Web-based customers (tagline: “Forward banking”).
Execution missteps, such as ignoring cultural issues, poor planning or lack of management follow through, make real change very difficult to pull off. The challenge for a 1000+ employee bank like Tangerine is to execute major change initiatives with existing resources without compromising existing revenues, service levels or regulatory compliance.
“While it definitely had its challenges,” says Mr. Aceto, “I can say that we’ve come out stronger than ever before while staying true to our core values and the brand that Canadians know and love.”
Tangerine’s leadership deserves credit not only for formulating the right strategy, but also for executing on that strategy — arguably a much bigger challenge. The company pulled off the repositioning without missing a profitability beat or alienating its parent company. Since announcing its name change, Tangerine has exceeded its profitability and custom acquisition goals without compromising its image.
What best practices for managing change can other companies learn from Tangerine?
Start at the top
Successful change requires cross-functional involvement by senior leadership throughout the entire transformation process. Management accountability ensures appropriate focus, ownership and resources, as well as providing timely attention when unexpected problems arise (as they inevitably do). In alignment with Scotiabank, Mr. Aceto personally led the brand transition from the initial discussion through the planning and execution. He was also active in removing resource and organizational roadblocks when they occurred.
Create a narrative
A “change story” should be developed at the outset, connecting the change with who you are as an organization, how you generate consumer value and where you are going. Where cultural change is required, management needs to deploy detailed programs outlining target behaviours, processes and practices. Tangerine expended a considerable amount of effort developing a positive narrative for its customers, employees and partners — namely, that the acquisition was the best way of enabling future growth beyond the core business.
Communicate regularly
The likelihood of misinformation, rumour and uncertainty is quite high during transitions. To avoid these traps, leaders must regularly communicate to all stakeholders in a direct, honest and succinct fashion. Initially, key messages should articulate a desired end-state, a high-level roadmap and the benefits and risks associated with the strategy. Once the transformation has begun, communications should reinforce the narrative, acknowledge positive role models and provide progress updates.
Pay attention to the human element
Management actions early on signal to workers the priority and tenor of the change initiative, as well as what life will be like post-change. Successful change pays attention to each employee by creating individual metrics and adjusting priority lists. While plans and processes are important, ignoring the human dimension can scuttle buy-in and morale and increase business risk. When necessary, Tangerine’s managers undertook the “tough” conversations with employees in the spirit of mutual respect.
Don’t mess with success
Tangerine’s leadership, planning and execution were vital to ensuring the transformation happened in fewer than 18 months. However, credit must also be given to the role played by Scotiabank. Many acquirers feel compelled to take charge and be highly prescriptive in their oversight. Scotiabank’s post-acquisition leadership team understood much of what they were buying was a unique culture and aligned early on with Tangerine’s senior team to avoid over-managing during the transition or in ongoing operations.