Leading a turnaround: An interview with the chairman of D&B

In an interview Allan Loren, former CEO and chairman of D&B, explained how he delivered double-digit earnings growth during each of the past four years and raised the company's value by more than 300%. When Loren joined D&B in May 2000, he saw a business that had a lot to offer its customers - if it could focus on the right things, repair its brand, improve its leadership, and crystallize its value proposition. Under Loren's leadership, D&B quickly crafted a strategy to help it determine how it could win in the marketplace and to generate the confidence needed for implementing its plans. Soon the company adopted a business model designed to increase its investments in the capabilities that lie at the heart of its brand promise and to position itself for growth. Five years later, D&B has repaired its brand, improved its leadership, and built a portfolio of effective customer solutions. Creating a new culture was fundamental to the new strategy, Loren said. The business model D&B adopted was predicated on constant reengineering and then the reinvestment of the freed-up funds. That meant constant change for team members, he added.