The Road So Far
By Jim Jeffries, Chairman of the M&A Leadership Council
As summer comes to an end and we begin wrapping up 2019, I have been reflecting on how far things have come since the inaugural “Art of M&A℠” training event in of June 2010. Nearly a decade ago, Jack Prouty and I founded the M&A Leadership Council to give back to the M&A community by creating and delivering executive training seminars and workshops for corporate buy-side executives.
It took considerable resources to determine the “what” or “science” of M&A. More importantly, it was evident that there was a lack of training in the “how to” or the “art” of M&A. Our goal was to develop training events to fill in that gap and try to reverse the downward trend for M&A results. Today, we are fortunate to partner with some of the best professional services firms like BDO, Willis Towers Watson, Prophet and M&A Partners, who give of their time, talent and expertise to help the Council improve M&A outcomes for our alumni.
Recognizing that M&A professionals need a way to showcase their unique experience, the Council subsequently launched the Certified M&A Specialist program four years ago, incorporating both our training events and The Art of M&A book series by Dr. Alexander Reed Lajoux. The Board of M&A Standards was founded as a governing agency to oversee the program. Collectively, these entities are weaving a legacy of M&A excellence. We continue to grow our M&A network, focus on developing curriculum that sets us apart and strive to continue the Council’s reputation as today’s thought leader in mergers, acquisitions and divestitures execution.
We hope you will join us at The Art of M&A Program ManagementSM, or any of the other four remaining 2019 training events.
Enjoy the newsletter,
Jim
