Scoring Culture Fit in M&A with Sharon Van Zeeland

Sharon Van Zeeland, Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at Rockwell Automation

Sharon brings a unique engineer's perspective to the softest parts of M&A. In this episode, Sharon reveals how Rockwell developed a systematic scoring system for evaluating culture fit during due diligence—complete with numerical rankings across key dimensions like decision-making authority, adaptability, and mission alignment. She also shares unconventional tactics for getting deals across the finish line, from negotiating hunting rights to sponsoring 4th of July parades, and explains why marrying your diligence and integration teams early is the secret to accelerating post-deal value creation.

Things You'll Learn

How to build a numerical scoring system for culture assessment
Why marrying your diligence and integration leaders from day one eliminates knowledge chasms, captures integration costs in your deal model, and helps you reach steady state faster than traditional handoffs
Creative negotiation tactics beyond price and terms

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Sharon Van Zeeland

Sharon Van Zeeland is Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at Rockwell Automation, where she leads the full spectrum of M&A activity—from strategy and deal execution through integration and venture investing. With a background as an electrical engineer at General Motors and Eaton, plus business development experience at Fairmount Minerals, Sharon brings an analytical, systems-thinking approach to corporate development. Her expertise lies in creating frameworks that systematize the "soft" aspects of M&A, including cultural assessment scoring systems and creative deal structuring that addresses both financial and emotional seller needs.