"The Stars are Aligning for M&A in 2018"
Submitted by Mergermarket, a partner of the M&A Leadership Council 

Mergermarket, an Acuris company, has released its Global M&A roundup for the first half (H1) of 2018, including its financial advisors league tables, and it continues to be promising! The momentum seen in Q1 2018 has carried over into the second quarter, pushing global M&A to its highest post-crisis value on Mergermarket record with US$ 1.94tn (8,560 deals) announced so far.

Deal or No Deal
By Jim Jeffries, Chairman of the M&A Leadership Council

Often the best deals are those we never do. Today, many members of the M&A community appear to have misunderstandings about the real purpose of due diligence.

What Has Changed and How to Improve Deal Values in Domestic Corporate Transactions
By Michael Williams with BDO, a partner of the M&A Leadership Council

Dealmakers are living in a brave new world of tax rules now. Many describe the recent federal income tax legislation as historic—a once-in-a-generation event—but it would also be accurate to describe it as complex, with far-reaching strategic implications for organizations that transcend the tax function. 

Get to Know Your Target via the Science of Due Diligence
By Jim Jeffries, Chairman of the M&A Leadership Council 

As my good friend and co-founder of the M&A Leadership Council, Jack Prouty, says: “Due Diligence for the purchase of a company is much like the activities one undertakes when buying a home.” Simplistic? 

What You Need to Know About SaaS Due Diligence
Submitted by Tom Allen of Midaxo, an M&A Leadership Council partner organization

Slack is worth over $5 billion. Shopify, $10 billion. LinkedIn was acquired for $26 billion and Salesforce is nearing $100 billion in market cap.

The shared trait among these tech stars: a SaaS (software as a service) business model. Unlike physical inventory and brick and mortar governed growth, cloud- based software has created a rapid and profitable way for a company to scale.   

BDO HORIZONS 2018 - Issue 2
Submitted by BDO, a partner of M&A Leadership Council 

​SInce 2015, BDO's M&A professionals have provided clients with quarterly analysis of all the latest developments in the global M&A mid-market in our HORIZONS magazine. By analyzing what lies ahead, we help clients make key strategic decisions on possible business developments. Based on the knowledge, in 2017 BDO supported clients across the globe in over 1,200 transactions. 

M&A – Quarterly Deal Performance Monitor: Q1 2018
Submitted by Willis Towers Watson, a partner organization of the M&A Leadership Council

Global M&A market performance was flat in the first quarter of 2018, according to Willis Towers Watson’s latest Quarterly Deal Performance Monitor (QDPM). Dealmakers on average underperformed the Index1 by 0.1pp (percentage points) in the last three months, with large (valued at over $1bn) and mega (value at over $10bn) deals especially struggling to add value, as well as cross border and cross regional deals.

Technology, Media & Communications Trend Report Q1 2018
Submitted by MergerMarket/Acuris, a partner of the M&A Leadership Council 

Larry Dell Joins the M&A Leadership Council as Executive Director
Released by M&A Leadership Council 

DALLAS – May 24, 2018 – The M&A Leadership Council is proud to announce the addition of Larry Dell as its new Executive Director in charge of Alumni Relations. His primary responsibility will be to assist the more than 2,500 executives from around the world who have attended the various M&A training programs offered by the Council. 

A First Step in M&A's: Know Thyself!
by Jack Prouty, President of M&A Leadership Council 

In both The Art of M&A Due Diligence and The Art of M&A Integration, we tell our attendees, “If you are going to take on acquisitions—especially if you are a serial acquirer—you must first be internally ready.” Since many of them are strategic buyers, we ask them to consider how an acquisition complements their existing business and supports their growth strategy. We recommend a number of preparations your business needs for M&A success, and these need to be done beforehand, not when you are face-to-face with the diligence effort.