“We targeted Wilson because it offered precisely what we were looking for. We looked at the company inside and out. We looked at the management team on all continents, the quality of its services and the people who deliver those services. We liked what we saw.”
Jeff Hoogesteger
Managing Director
Wilson
Jeff Hoogesteger delivered a successful freight management acquisition.
Gothenberg, Sweden After starting and running three successful freight management companies, Jeff Hoogesteger was more than a little familiar with the business. That’s why he was the perfect candidate to help TPG explore the global market to find its own perfect candidate to move it into the freight management business. Hoogesteger joined TPG as group director, Mergers & Acquisitions in 2001. He worked on mergers and acquisitions for all areas of TPG’s business, but his background gave TPG an advantage in achieving its strategic objective of adding freight management to its portfolio.
After an extensive search and a nearly 12-month due diligence review, Hoogesteger and his team recommended that TPG purchase Sweden-based Wilson Logistics Group as its first step into the global business. “We targeted Wilson because it offered precisely what we were looking for,” said Hoogesteger. “We looked at the company inside and out. We looked at the management team on all continents, the quality of its services and the people who deliver those services. We liked what we saw.”
Hoogesteger and his team then developed a comprehensive plan for integrating Wilson into TPG’s business so it can offer seamless service to customers around the globe. “If there’s one industry that’s benefited from globalisation, it’s freight management,” said Hoogesteger. “Adding this service to our portfolio was a 100% customer-driven proposition. TNT can now make a fantastic offer to our customers, with an array of services that really differentiates us from others. We offer a global network and all the different skills required to operate end-to-end logistics solutions on a global scale. We now cover it all.”
After the acquisition, Hoogesteger was selected to serve as managing director of Wilson and now leads its integration into TPG, which he aims to complete by the end of 2005. In the meantime, TPG will be looking for other ways to increase its freight management presence. “This was our first step into freight management,” said Hoogesteger. “We will continue taking more steps.”