M&A Science Podcast

A strong deal strategy doesn't guarantee success. Integration is where value is created and must be prioritized from the very beginning of a deal. In this episode of the M&A Science podcast, Darrell Heaps, CEO at Q4 Inc, discusses how to tie M&A strategy and integration together.

There needs to be alignment from both sides of a deal in order to have a smooth integration process. In this interview, Don Yakulis, Global Head of M&A Integration at Light and Wonder, discusses the importance of achieving alignment from both teams during M&A integration.

Achieving revenue synergies should always be a transaction’s top priority. By leveraging the combined customer base of both companies, and combining the marketing and sales efforts, companies can become a much more powerful force in the marketplace. In this two-part M&A Science Podcast episode, James Harris, Principal, Corporate Development Integration at Google, discusses GTM integration planning.

When two businesses merge, the new company's success often depends on how well the go-to-market plan is executed. The combined company inherits the two businesses’ customers, products, and respective sales and marketing channels. If not planned properly, the combined efforts can lead to customer confusion and lost sales. In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, James Harris, Principal, of Corporate Development Integration at Google, discusses GTM integration planning.

There are different ways to create and grow a business: build up from scratch, acquire another company, or gain strategic alignment with other companies through partnerships. Through a partnership, a business can leverage someone else's technology for faster growth. In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Larry Forman, Senior Manager and Head of the Ecosystem for Deloitte's New Venture Accelerator, discusses corporate venture capital strategy.

Auction processes in M&A are very challenging for strategic buyers, and corporate development teams need more than a compelling offer to compete in an auction. In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Kirti Gavri, former Head of Corporate Development for Wizeline, discusses how to run an accelerated deal process.

Selling a business has risks, but with the right approach, continued success is achievable. In this interview, Tim Wentworth, Retired CEO of Cigna, formerly known as Express Scripts, discusses how to strategize and execute an exit for a team's greater good.

Teams need to understand how strategy can impact the entire process in order to be successful in M&A. In this interview, Hannah Elsakr, Vice President, Corporate Development, M&A Integration at Adobe, discusses executing successful end-to-end M&A.

Strategy is arguably the most important aspect of M&A, and strategy alignment across the board is vital. In this interview, Benjamin Orthlieb, Vice President and Head of Corporate Development at Linkedin, discusses Linkedin’s bottoms-up deal origination model.

Integration is where value is created regardless of what happened during negotiations and diligence. However, an acquirer can destroy a target company if integration is poorly executed. Therefore, ensuring the acquired business is in good hands is imperative. In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Keith Crawford, Global Head of Corporate Development / M&A - State Street, discusses how to execute an effective M&A integration handoff.

Having an Agile M&A strategy is a key component of being a proactive acquirer and rapidly growing companies. In this interview, Daniel Gittsovich, Vice President, Corporate Strategy & Development at L3Harris Technologies, discusses how to create an Agile M&A strategy.

This interview is part two of our M&A Science podcast interview with Frederic Lebourg, CEO & Managing Director at Redlands Farm Holding, Inc. During this interview, he discusses what happens after the deal preparation stage.

Where do you start when selling a business? This is the first of two interviews with Frederic Lebourg, CEO & Managing Director at Redlands Farm Holding, Inc. During part 1, Frederic discusses how to prepare a company for an acquisition.

Have you ever heard of a reverse auction process in M&A? In this interview, Atul Tiwary, former Vice President of Corporate Development at Barracuda, talks about the reverse auction process in M&A including how the process works and why should acquirers consider it.

When acquiring another company, there is always the potential that layoffs will need to take place to streamline the new organization. Of course, letting people go is never easy, but there are ways to do it properly to minimize damage to the individuals and the company's reputation. In this episode, Evelyn De la Cruz, Head of North America Administrative Operations at Spencer Stuart, discusses how to properly lay off people during an acquisition.

Go-to-market integration is more than just combining the sales and marketing teams. In this interview, Dustin Delewski, Director of M&A Integration Management at Cardinal Health, gives a comprehensive view of how you can dissect your GTM for successful integration.

Are you trying to become a proactive acquirer? One of the most crucial aspects of success is managing the pipeline and approaching companies. In this interview, Andrew Whitcomb, Sr Director, Strategy, Corporate Development, M&A at Builders FirstSource, shares how to approach deal targets.

Ever wonder what happens when a first-time acquirer merges with a serial acquirer? In this interview, Jeff Hennig, Vice President, Corporate Development at AMD, and Dan Menge, Head of M&A Integration at AMD discuss how to introduce M&A to a larger company.

Carve-outs are incredibly complex. Buying a small part of a target company brings many challenges and can be even more complicated if the acquirer is carving out a public company. In this interview, Liz Lockhart, Sr. Director, PMO, Training and Business Applications, shares her experience in carving out a public company competitor.

When companies do reactive M&A there is a much lower chance of achieving the intended post-close deal value. In this interview, Mike Kryza, former Head of Corporate Development at the Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, discusses formulating an M&A strategy for proactive sourcing.

Revenue synergies are one of the hardest things to achieve during integration. In this interview, Karen Ashley, Vice President, Corporate Development Integration at Cisco, discusses their best practices to realize go-to-market synergies.

M&A is one of the fastest ways to grow a company. Many of the largest companies in the world turn to M&A for inorganic growth. However, first-time acquirers often find it difficult to buy companies due to a lack of experience and reputation. In this episode, Willy Walker, Chairman, and CEO of Walker & Dunlop, Inc, discusses how to convince people to sell their business.

It’s been proven time and again that culture should not be ignored during acquisitions. In this interview, Lisa Marchese, Head of Corporate Development at American Express, discusses proactive deal sourcing with culture in mind.

Having trouble building a sales function? In this interview, Richard Dunkel, Global Head of Field Enablement at Celonis, discusses how to improve the sales function during integration.

An effective M&A onboarding process post-close can dictate employee retention. But what's even more important is retaining the acquired company's leadership. Leadership has massive influence inside the business, and helping them transition properly will positively impact the overall transaction. This interview will discuss lessons learned from leadership onboarding with Kim Jones, HR Director M&A at Microsoft.