M&A, Transactions and Post-Merger Integration
The Art and Science of Deals That Actually Create Value
In a market defined by capital scarcity and heightened scrutiny, the era of growth-for-growth’-sake M&A is over. Winning today requires surgical precision in targeting, relentless rigor in diligence, and flawless execution in integration. Our practice ensures your transactions are engines of value creation, not destroyers of capital, driving synergy capture rates that are 2x industry averages.
The Value Creation Imperative
Most deals fail to meet their strategic and financial objectives. We close the gap between promise and reality:
Synergy Mirage
Over 70% of deals fail to capture projected synergies due to flawed estimation and poor planning.
Diligence Blind Spots
Traditional financial diligence misses critical value drivers and integration risks in technology, culture, and commercial operations.
Integration Velocity
Slow, disjointed integration erodes deal value and creates prolonged uncertainty.
Cultural Collision
Unmanaged cultural differences account for 30-50% of post-merger failure.
Our Approach
Our engagements are built on proven consulting frameworks, augmented with proprietary tools:
1. Corporate Strategy & Deal Thesis
- Portfolio Rationalization – Defining the “Grow, Hold, Harvest, Divest” roadmap to inform your M&A strategy.
- Target Screening & Valuation – Leveraging proprietary databases and AI tools to identify and value targets aligned with strategic goals.
- Deal Thesis Workshop – Pressure-testing the strategic and financial rationale to ensure acquirer discipline.
2. Commercial & Operational Due Diligence
- Synergy Validation – Quantifying cost and revenue synergies with bottom-up rigor, moving beyond top-down estimates.
- Pricing Power Assessment – Analyzing target’s price realization, discounting governance, and monetization capabilities.
- Integration Readiness Review – Identifying Day 1 critical issues and 100-day plan risks during diligence.
3. Post-Merger Integration (PMI) & Carve-Outs
- Integration Management Office (IMO) Design – Standing up a results-driven PMI engine with clear accountability.
- Value Capture Office – Relentless tracking of synergy realization, holding leaders accountable for financial targets.
- Carve-Out Execution – Separating entities for divestiture while preserving standalone value and minimizing disruption.
Proprietary Frameworks
The Diligence 360⁰ Framework
We extend diligence beyond the financials into the core drivers of value:
Commercial Diligence
Customer concentration, pricing leakage, sales force effectiveness
Operational Diligence
Supply chain fragility, technology stack compatibility, operational bottlenecks
Organizational Diligence
Leadership assessment, key talent retention risk
Cyber & ESG Diligence
Identifying hidden liabilities and compliance gaps that impact valuation
Cultural Diligence
Cultural alignment
The Synergy Risk Matrix
A proprietary tool to classify and de-risk synergy capture:
- Credibility Score
- Capture Difficulty
- Timeline Risk
- Valuation
M&A: The CEO's Ultimate Test of Capital Discipline
How Deal Excellence Drives 20-30% Higher Returns on Invested Capital (ROIC)
As CEO, your legacy is built on the major capital allocation decisions you make. The market punishes serial acquirers with a “conglomerate discount” and rewards disciplined dealmakers with a premium. Our data shows that companies with a repeatable, institutionalized M&A capability generate ROIC on deals that are 500-800 bps higher than their peers.
Sample Engagement Types
Commercial Due Diligence
Deep dive on a target’s revenue quality, pricing power, and customer base to validate growth projections
Integration Management Office (IMO)
Standing up and running the entire integration program, accountable for value delivery
Synergy Identification & Validation
Independent, bottom-up assessment of cost and revenue synergies for both acquirers and investors
Carve-Out & Separation Support
Planning and executing the separation of a business unit for sale, ensuring it is a standalone, valuable entity
Operational Success Cases
Unlocking Strategic Growth Through M&A in the Aerospace & Defense Sector
Challenge: Limited international footprint, rising R&D costs, and fragmented supplier relationships hindered global growth.
Solution: Conducted M&A opportunity analysis, identified European acquisition target, and implemented phased integration with cultural alignment and IT harmonization.
Results: 75% revenue growth, EBITDA margin improvement, $150M cost synergies, and tripled NATO contract wins.
Make your next deal a winner. The highest value is often lost after the handshake.
Contact our transaction architects for a synergy diagnostic.
