Dear Colleagues,

This note is to provide all Abt staff with an update on our progress in aligning our new Australian colleagues and Abt JTA with the rest of our company.  Susan Scribner, our Director of Strategic Alignment, recently sent a similar update to those staff or business units most engaged in these alignment activities.  I thought it important that we further keep all Abt staff briefed appropriately on our progress regarding this strategic development to One Global Abt.

Alignment activities

Q&A sessions and FAQs:  At the request of staff for an opportunity to ask questions about the acquisition and alignment, Susan Scribner, Director of Strategic Alignment for Abt JTA, hosted sessions with staff from IHD and IEG.  Their questions and some tips on working with Abt JTA are compiled the attached FAQs.  These will be updated as we receive additional questions.  If you’re interested in attending a Q&A session, please contact Susan Scribner.

Alignment Management Office (AMO) launch:  In April we launched the AMO, which is responsible for ensuring that alignment progresses, stays on schedule, and creates the necessary systems, processes, and relationships for Abt and Abt JTA to work closely together in the future.  The AMO is tasked with creating a playbook for alignment, which includes different functional chapters. Each Abt functional lead on the AMO has a counterpart at Abt JTA, and they are jointly responsible for developing and ensuring implementation of their respective chapters.  Here’s a guide to Who’s Who.

Visit by Brendon Douglas:  Abt JTA has traditionally worked just in the health sector.  One of the goals of the acquisition is to leverage Abt JTA’s knowledge of Asia-Pacific and their client relationships in the region to pursue new opportunities in sectors where Abt brings expertise, especially climate change and agriculture and rural livelihoods.  Brendon Douglas, a long-time Abt JTA employee, is the new practice lead for this area.  Brendon visited Bethesda and Cambridge in April and met with many staff in IEG and ERD, as well as IHD, GBDU, Rep Cap and CTC.  It was a whirlwind tour for Brendon and a great opportunity for exchange across the organizations.

Visit by Geoff Scahill and Jane Thomason:  One of Abt JTA’s practice areas is providing health-related services for mining companies, which range from conducting health impact assessments to providing health services to communities in the areas surrounding mines.  Geoff Scahill, the practice lead for mining & industry, and Jane Thomason, Abt JTA’s CEO visited Bethesda in early May to meet with Abt staff to discuss opportunities for synergy and collaboration and outline a strategy for the mining practice.  During their visit they talked with staff from IHD, ERD, IEG, Corporate Communications, CTC and others.

Alignment outcomes

Joint Business Development plan finalized:   Achieving the alignment goals of growth, diversification, and leverage, will require significant collaboration on business development.  Abt JTA, IHD, IEG and the GBDU worked together to develop a joint BD plan that outlines priorities for collaboration.

Aligned BD process:  To facilitate collaboration on BD, Jeff Leone from the GBDU conducted training for Abt JTA staff on business development.  He learned about how they do their proposals, introduced the Abt approach, and worked with them to outline their BD process so it maps to Abt’s.  Abt JTA staff thought the training was very helpful, and there’s a lot of enthusiasm for collaborating on business development.  Now, when we do a bid together, Abt JTA will know what a Pink Team is!

Progress against goals

Abt JTA had a strategic win this month, for a four-year Formative Evaluation of Rural Health Services Delivery Project - Papua New Guinea for the Asian Development Bank.  Congratulations, Abt JTA!

If you have questions or suggestions on alignment, please contact Susan Scribner.

Regards,

Jay

Jay L. Knott | Executive Vice President, Chief Business Officer | Abt Associates

O: 301-347-5896| F: 301-828-9739 | www.abtassociates.com

Note: This communications was sent BCC: to All Staff Abt