The M&A Science Podcast

Relationships with deal targets are extremely important as they can help shape the entire deal process. Learn how you can form those relationships and avoid common pitfalls along the way to increase your chances of getting the deal done.

Kison Patel sits down with Erik Levy, Group Head Corporate Development and M&A at DMGT plc, to discuss how the approach to valuation sets the precedent for integration and diligence. He has completed over 150 acquisitions, minority and venture investments and strategic partnerships.

In this webinar, you will learn how to update the integration process by taking a people-first approach, even during a time of remote working. Learn vital lessons on how to adapt to a virtual work environment by utilizing tech and other communication tools available.

Together, Jeff and Kison discuss approaches to take for deal negotiations, how to present an offer and prepare yourself for any responses you may get, and what the main priorities of diligence are.

Kison speaks with Jeff Baker, EVP, Mergers, and Acquisitions at InComm to discuss the complex world of international deals. Jeff talks about how to handle culture clash, why asking questions goes a long way, making sure you watch out for illegal activities, and more.

Kison speaks with Kim Jones, Senior HR M&A Manager at Microsoft. Together they discuss what company culture is, at what of the deal to consider it, and how to assess the company culture.

On this episode, Kison and Ritch Schaafsma, VP of Corporate Development, Global Mergers and Acquisitions at General Motors, discuss the ins and outs of international joint ventures.

COVID-19 has made a significant impact on M&A. What are the actual views and responses from executives, dealmakers and board members?

This interview features Sachin Kumar, Senior Director - M&A and Regional Lead for HR North America at Conduent. Our topic of discussion is the not so famous process of Rebadging.

In this webinar, Kison speaks with Christian Von Bogdandy, Practice Director at Slalom. You will learn about how decision making affects a deal outcome, how to use the agility model to improve practices, what maks a deal 'successful' and more.

In this episode, Abhik Jain, Vice President of International Strategy and Business Optimization at Hill-Rom, shares his knowledge of buy-side and sell-side M&A deals, as well as personal advice on handling negotiations and transactions.

On this episode, Kison speaks with Briana Elkington, Program Manager at VSP Global. Previously she was a Lead Project Manager at Oracle where she assembled a project management office responsible for the successful integration of acquired assets.

In this episode, Kison Patel speaks with Russ discusses the best practices he’s learned at SAP, how he was able to bring those best practices over to ANSYS, guiding principles he focuses on during a transaction, and how to begin building an integration process at a company that doesn’t have one.

Kim Jones and Devorah Bertucci discuss the importance of corporate development and integration teams collaborating with each other. When teams aren't aligned, deals don't get done. This is why it's so important for the corporate development and integrations to collaborate with each other. Hear from Devorah Bertucci and Kim Jones on how to make sure both sides are aligned and what the common concerns from each side are.

When integration practices and past integrations are not closely examined and learned from, it can be easy to revert back to old ways and/or rely on standardized playbooks in the midst of the chaos of a deal. Integration is a delicate art that must value people and culture, and more and more practitioners are realizing this, yet still making mistakes and falling victim to common, incorrect assumptions. Today, we examine six incorrect approaches to integration and attempt to learn from them.

70% of serial acquirers feel they do not do a good job of assessing leaders and culture - a staggering stat to say the least given that culture and poor leadership are often cited as the top two reasons deals fail to meet their thesis. Consequently, it is quite obvious if practitioners (especially on the buy-side) do not fully investigate culture and leadership during a deal’s lifecycle, they cannot build a plan to address potential differences and problem areas, which will ultimately have a negative impact on business.

In this webinar, learn the importance of innovation in M&A, specifically during integration. Toby Tester shares tactics and strategies you can apply to your own practice and breaks down how to adjust plays to fit the specific needs of each deal.

Divestiture, often seen as far less exciting and glamorous than traditional acquisition, has many nuances that make it complicated, but it is a powerful tool in gaining value. Here we pull advice from practitioners with 1,000 deals behind them so you know specifically what to do and what not to do when it comes to divesting. 

This discussion talks about one of the hardest things in M&A practice- Cultural Integration. Discussing this topic is Jonathan Shiery, Director at Guidehouse, and Valeria Strappa, Director and Healthcare Integration Leader at JP Morgan, Chase.

During this webinar, you will learn about employee support, how to leverage the acquired company leaders in communication, what mechanisms/processes to use to avoid potential disconnects, and more.

During this webinar, you will learn how M&A could be automated, specifically with machine learning in data rooms, the future of tech development, and about the importance of transparency in which tools already have advanced automation

This interview is a rewind from our M&A virtual summit, which was held in June. The topic of discussion is leading M&A with integration, featuring our guest speakers Carlos Cesta, former Corporate Development/M&A at Presidio and Javid Moosaji, former Global Head of Partner Channels, Platform Solutions and Transformation at Travelex, hosted by Stacy Hendricks, senior director at Alvarez and Marsal. In this webinar, you will hear a breakdown of the integration process and learn what to look for in an integration leader. Topics discussed range from when to go to market post close to how to hit synergy numbers.

Dawn explains the importance of conducting cultural assessments during M&A transactions and explores how these assessments can lead to stronger deal outcomes, increased value creation and an overall happier and more productive workforce.

In this webinar, you will learn how to make sure both sides are happy at the end of a deal. Hear lessons learned from Atlassian team members and what practices they applied to integration that created an extremely successful outcome.

On this episode, Kison speaks with Kimberly Baird, Corporate Development Integration Lead at Cisco. This discussion encompasses everything from tools to utilize when going virtual, how onboarding events shift during social distancing practices, to creating adjacent value drivers.