The M&A Science Podcast

Revenue synergies are one of the hardest things to achieve during integration. In this interview, Karen Ashley, Vice President, Corporate Development Integration at Cisco, discusses their best practices to realize go-to-market synergies.

M&A is one of the fastest ways to grow a company. Many of the largest companies in the world turn to M&A for inorganic growth. However, first-time acquirers often find it difficult to buy companies due to a lack of experience and reputation. In this episode, Willy Walker, Chairman, and CEO of Walker & Dunlop, Inc, discusses how to convince people to sell their business.

It’s been proven time and again that culture should not be ignored during acquisitions. In this interview, Lisa Marchese, Head of Corporate Development at American Express, discusses proactive deal sourcing with culture in mind.

Having trouble building a sales function? In this interview, Richard Dunkel, Global Head of Field Enablement at Celonis, discusses how to improve the sales function during integration.

An effective M&A onboarding process post-close can dictate employee retention. But what's even more important is retaining the acquired company's leadership. Leadership has massive influence inside the business, and helping them transition properly will positively impact the overall transaction. This interview will discuss lessons learned from leadership onboarding with Kim Jones, HR Director M&A at Microsoft.

Selling a business is a difficult task that requires a lot of planning and preparation. However, most entrepreneurs refuse to entertain the idea of a sale until it is too late. The best time to plan an exit is when times are good, not in a desperate situation. The longer the prep time, the higher chances of success. This interview talks about how to build an exit strategy featuring Touraj Parang, President & COO of Serve Robotics.

A good M&A thesis is fundamental to a successful transaction. Learn the steps and challenges of developing an M&A thesis, featuring Siran Tanielyan, SVP, Corporate Development at Paramount.

Leadership is often overlooked but extremely important in M&A. Getting alignment early from all leaders will help increase deal success. In this interview, Cole Breidenbach, former VP, M&A Integration & Strategic Initiatives at Okta, discusses leadership alignment and GTM strategy for successful deals.

Corporate development is more than just doing M&A. Sometimes, acquiring a company isn't the best way to achieve the organization's growth strategy. This episode will discuss growing beyond M&A with Christina Ungaro, former VP, Head of Corporate Development at Wind River.

Integration is one of the most challenging and crucial parts of M&A, and having a dedicated integration function can be extremely valuable to an organization. Let's all learn how to stand up an IMO function with​​ Joshua Zatkin-Steres, Head of M&A Integration at Zuora.

M&A is one of the most powerful tools to transform your business instantly. If done right, your organization will reach new heights that otherwise would not have been possible. Before you can reap its benefits, you must build a good M&A function. In this episode, Bani Bedi, SVP, Head of Corporate Development, Strategy, and Monetization at Smartsheet, shares the secrets to building an M&A function.

Finance is arguably the most critical part of the due diligence process. Almost every transaction comes down to the numbers unless it's a pure IP deal. Conducting effective financial diligence in M&A is crucial to every acquisition's success. This interview tackles the basics of financial diligence featuring Amr Abdelaziz, Senior Director, M&A Finance at Equinix.

Strategy is a crucial part of a M&A. Without it, acquirers may end up purchasing companies that compromise their time and resources. This episode will discuss developing strategy with business leaders, featuring Michael McDonald, former Director, Strategy at Koch Engineered Solutions.

No buyer desires an auction process, but if you are ever involved in one, it’s important to know how to handle the process effectively. In this interview, Tyler Rodewald, VP, M&A at EIS Holdings, talks about how to engage in a competitive M&A process.

Revenue synergies are one of the most challenging metrics to achieve during integration, but are also the primary reason companies buy businesses. In this episode, Joe Heel, Chief Revenue Officer at Zebra Technologies, talks about capturing revenue synergies.

Deal failure can often be tied back to a lack of communication and collaboration. Let's discuss architecting communications for successful integration featuring Emma Barton, Director, Alliance and Integration Management at AstraZeneca.

In M&A, time is the enemy. The longer a deal takes to close, the more risks it poses for both parties. This episode talks about risk allocation between signing and closing an M&A deal with the help of Brett Shawn, Senior Vice President, Assistant General Counsel at Warburg Pincus LLC.

How early should M&A lawyers become involved in a transaction? Understanding what they do is crucial to answering this question. In this interview, Felipe Heiderich, Senior Counsel at Moderna, discusses the importance of lawyers in M&A and their role throughout the deal lifecycle.

More often than not, M&A involves go-to-market integration. After all, companies are bought to achieve revenue synergies in new markets. In this interview, Massimo Malizia, Director of Corporate Development Integration at Cisco Systems, talks about overcoming the challenges of go-to-market integration.

The more activity, the bigger the corporate development function should be. In this interview, learn how to scale a corporate development function. Saurabh Tejwani, Vice President, Corporate Development and Business Operations at GoPuff.

In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Pranjal Gambhir and Doretta Mistras, both Managing Directors, Global Investment Banking, Healthcare at Citi, talk about how to buy public companies.

How well an acquired business is integrated will determine the transaction's success. In this interview, Gene Hugh, Chief Financial Officer at Procure Analytics, and John Morada, COO at M&A Science + DealRoom, will discuss how to successfully execute an integration plan.

Change management is one of the most crucial parts of M&A. When you don't plan for it; value creation is in jeopardy. Helping us understand how to deliver effective change management in M&A is Michael Devita, Business Value Advisor at Salesforce.

Corp dev plays a huge role in selling a business, but the legal team also plays a crucial role. In this episode, Andrew Gratz, Chief Privacy Officer, and Associate General Counsel at LyondellBasell, talks about what a divestiture looks like from a legal perspective.

Companies have been dressed up for sale and are under-invested for profit maximization and growth. According to Rishabh Mishra, former Vice President and Head of Corporate Development at Infostretch, buying companies that are not for sale is the most lucrative acquisition you can do.