Alan Quasha Business World

Alan Quasha, a well known businessman who is the founder, president and CEO of Quadrant Management, offers insight to the art of making mistakes in an article on Forbes.com.  He explains that mistakes are constructive, and even essential, for growth within the business world.  While we are trained not to make mistakes, and to fear mistakes, Quasha explains that mistakes lead to growth and integrity.

We have to learn to admit our mistakes, to examine them, and to learn from them.

As Quasha says so eloquently, “There can actually be a certain magic to mistakes, because if we consider in advance that we are likely to make them, we are then free to face mistakes early and treat them primarily as information we can share with others as we seek to improve the next decision and set a company–or our lives–upon the path to a sound strategy.”

Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA is undergoing a number of interesting changes at the moment.  Mr. Norbert Platt has recently given up his role as the CEO, as of March 31, 2010.  He will remain on the board as a non-executive director, as Alan Quasha and a number of others are.  Mr. Johann Rupert, who has been the Executive Chairman, will now combine this position with the role of CEO.

There are a number of other changes as well.  Mr. Richard Lepeu will become the Deputy Chief Executive Office, while he used to be the Group Finance Director.  Mr. Gary Saage will now be the CFO while Dr. Frederick Moster will be the Chief Counsel of the Group.

At the Annual General Meeting, which will take place in September 2010, Mr. Gary Saage, Dr. Frederick Moster and Mr. Josua Malherbe will all be proposed for election to the board of Richemont.

No one more than Alan Quasha, chairman of the American Brain Trauma Foundation, wants to help victims of traumatic brain injury (TBI).  The work and research undertaken at the BTF makes advances in this area all the time, but still there is much that needs to be understood about this very complex injury.  That is why research that has been going on at Emory University’s School of Medicine in this area is of significant interest to all interested parties.

Emory Researchers and Alan Quasha

The recent study undertaken by the researchers from Emory University already found, some years back that when TBI victims were given progesterone shortly after their injury, there was a chance the risk of long-term disability and death would be reduced.  Indeed, using progesterone indicated a 50 percent mortality reduction compared to those patients who did not take the drug.  As well, those suffering from moderate brain injuries who took progesterone showed improved levels of functionality and lower disability statistics.  This news is definitely positive for Alan Quasha and his team at the BTF.

The Brain Trauma Foundation works tirelessly to help to decrease the rate of brain trauma injuries and to educate medical personnel about how to work with brain trauma victims.  Many people don’t realize that the permanent damage associated with brain trauma doesn’t happen instantaneously.  The ensuing hours and days after a brain injury greatly influence the outcome.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that if the BTF Guidelines were used more routinely, there would actually be a 50% decrease in deaths, improved quality of life and cost savings of around $3.8 billion a year!

Richemont, an international luxury goods company, works very hard to train future Maisons and to foster new talent.  Backed by their large board, including Non-Executive Director Alan Quasha, they target future talents and many ways.

Montblanc, for instance, promotes young and upcoming artists with its Young Artist World Patronage that was created in 2004.  All of the 330 Montblanc boutiques across the world act as a gallery to feature a single artist at the same time over a six week period.  Since 2004, they have represented 18 budding artists from around the world.

Cartier has a Foundation Cartier pour l’art contemporain which was founded in Paris in 1984.  Their mission is to promote contemporary artists and their work.  They have an amazing collection of over 1000 works from 300 artists today, which represented the best art from across the world.  Over time, this foundation has focused its attention on young artists at the beginning of their career to help to give them a boost.

Alan Quasha and Quadrant Management take the role of principals in restructuring situations, rather than consultants or advisers. As Alan Quasha explains, they restructure companies with ownership in mind since the process of restructuring usually necessitates fundamental changes to the business as well as creating a new business strategy for the future of the business. Thirty years ago, when Mr. Quasha first began restructuring companies, it was not profitable to act as an agent or adviser in a restructuring of a business. Therefore Alan Quasha got involved in this business as a principal, a decision based on need which turned out to be the best way to conduct this kind of business process.