8th Merger Integration Management Forum: summary and takeaways

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And now my takeaway.

Trends

  • M&A is definitely back in the last 2 years.
  • Deals with focus on cost saving are the less successful ones; companies doing a mix of big and small acquisitions are the less successful
  • Excellent Corp Portfolio Managers (ECPM) are the best-in-class companies in M&A activities. They do at least 2 M&As per year, and have above average annual normalised shareholder return. These companies have bolder M&A strategies with greater execution risks and represent 6% of all companies analyzed. ECPMs are more common in Oil and Gas, telco, industrial, healthcare, technology sectors.
  • Does performance drive M&A activity or activity drive performance? The result of the study says that M&A are cyclical. This cyclicality doesn’t give us a unique answer

Definitions and quotes

  • Integration tourism” – people visiting immediately the acquired company to learn more about its solutions
  • Big rules: it’s a series of mandatory rules; big rules govern the activities of functional and business unit partners over the course of an acquisition integration. The rules identify required actions, timelines, interdependencies, and responsible parties. Each rule has owner and administrator
  • Respect cultures but not be diverted by them

Others

  • The 100 days plan is critical, together with the plan for day 1 and for year 1. Setting activity timing as early as possible is key for success.
  • We often see strong M&As end as value destruction, due to under investment in the integration process
  • You have to pay for the right skills, wherever you are in the world. You cannot substitute local skills

Update: photos and comments.

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