Scott Clawson, CEO of Culligan International

Scott Clawson turned Culligan from a legacy water treatment business into a $3.3 billion global platform operating in over 50 countries—powered by a programmatic M&A engine that has executed 300+ acquisitions. In this episode, he sits down with Kison to share exactly how that machine works.

From beachside inspiration to building a decentralized deal engine, Scott walks us through his journey scaling Culligan’s strategy with support from capital partners like Advent and BDT MSD. He breaks down how to structure pipeline teams, create incentive systems that align corporate and local interests, and keep integration from becoming a bottleneck. If you want a real-world blueprint for high-volume, globally scaled M&A that doesn’t break the business—this episode delivers.

Things you will learn:

• How to build and scale a decentralized M&A engine across geographies
  
  
• The critical role of strategic focus, pipeline ownership, and integration playbooks
  
  
• Why cultural alignment and seller trust drive long-term M&A success
  
  
• What to look for when choosing a private equity partner—and how they can unlock growth