M&A Blog and News
August 2, 2017
A Modern Model of Competencies and Responsibilities
by Stephanie Snyder, Senior Partner at M&A Partners
That’s a question we get from a lot of organizations which are attempting to improve their M&A capabilities and develop their internal M&A resources. First, let’s talk about the differences between M&A Program Management and M&A Project Management. While both are essential to integration success, the roles and responsibilities of classic Program Managers and Project Managers are distinct.
July 18, 2017
2017 Cyber Risk Survey
Published by Willis Towers Watson, a partner of the M&A Leadership Council
One in five U.S. and UK organizations that participated in the Willis Towers Watson 2017 Cyber Risk Surveys reported that their organizations have suffered a cyber breach in the last year with 6% of those incidents having been significant, consistent with publicized recent large cyber breaches. Two thirds of U.S. companies, and just under half of UK businesses, see cybersecurity as a fundamental challenge to their organization as reflected in the priority given to cybersecurity.
July 18, 2017
A Well-Written TSA Eases IT Transitions
By William Blandford, Managing Director at Blandford Associates and Member of the Board of M&A Standards
While many people have participated in the acquisition of a business, fewer have participated in a carve-out, a type of divestiture where a part of a business is sold. However, as businesses move toward a portfolio-management model, where they are both acquiring new businesses and shedding loss leaders, effectively managing divestments will become an increasingly important skill.
July 18, 2017
Transitioning to Knowledge-Based Playbooks & A.I.
By Kalle Kilpi, Founder, Products & BD for Midaxo
Everyone is talking about how A.I. is taking over knowledge-based work and rendering professionals like lawyers or even M&A experts redundant. What everyone seems to be forgetting is the evolution of manufacturing work required - from project to line production - to revolutionize productivity and ultimately enable robots to take over some tasks from humans.
July 18, 2017
Time to Move from Compliance to Risk Assessment
By Kristin Winford - Managing Director of Transformation and Growth for BDO, an M&A Leadership Council Partner
As the recent WannaCry and Petya cyber-attacks have demonstrated, cyber risk continues to pose a significant threat to organizations across the globe. Cybersecurity is a critical business function, yet, paradoxically, cyber risk is often insufficiently examined – or even overlooked – during the merger and acquisition (M&A) due diligence process. This often results in the acquiring company unwittingly assuming risk and placing assets in jeopardy.
June 22, 2017
An Effective Acquisition Process Requires Both
By Kalle Kilpi, Founder, Products & BD for Midaxo
M&A capability is built around people, processes and tools. Good people are, of course, the most important thing to have, but a good process and good tools can significantly increase the success rate. A good M&A process helps people focus on the right things and follow best practices. Good M&A tools help run the process with discipline, transparency and good collaboration. Having every deal go through a standard set of considerations reduces deal risks and helps the organization learn from mistakes.
June 22, 2017
The Benefits of Planning for and Engaging in M&A Discussions
By Mike Lord, Senior Consultant for Willis Towers Watson, an M&A Leadership Council Partner
You’ve spent years building your relationship with your scheme sponsor, developing a collaborative and integrated approach to funding and investment – then bang, out of the blue, a third party makes a bid for the sponsor and suddenly all bets are off.
June 21, 2017
The Mechanism Creates a "Win-Win" Situation
By Greg Stowe, Director of Valuation & Business Analytics for BDO, a partner of the M&A Leadership Council
Transaction stakeholders continually are seeking innovative ways to translate deal value into a ‘win-win’ situation for both the buyer and the seller. Among the mechanisms considered in structuring a deal has been the use of an earn-out in establishing deal value.