Agenda Day 2, Wednesday, October 9th, 2024:   (see Agenda Day 1)     (back to Merger Integration Event Summary)

09.00 – Opening Remarks from the Chair

How AI and Technology can Support the People Side of the Deal

Amanda Scott, Global Mergers & Acquisitions Leader, WTW

09.20 – M&A Mastery: Unlocking the 3 Essential Lessons of Successful Integration of Small Tech Companies in a Traditional Industrial Global Company

·        Unveiling the major mistakes and learnings experienced in the past 6 years in more than 10 small acquisition based on hands-on examples

·        Why effective integration cannot be delegated to external consultants and “colorful presentations & excel spreadsheets”

·        How to leverage the learning to build an M&A “center of excellence” throughout the organization

Elena Mueller, Head of Partner Ecosystem and M&A, Schaeffler

10.00 - Managing Multiple Deals at Once

·        How to manage a series of disposals done for different strategic reasons

·        How to work with development financial institutions (DFI) in a M&A transaction

·        What are the mechanisms of keeping the employees motivated during times of financial distress

·        Which techniques can be used once employees hear about an ongoing disposal process

Roland van Wijnen, Non-Executive Director and Board Advisor,  Former Group CEO, PPC Africa

10.40 – Morning Coffee and Networking

11.20 – Pre and Post Closing Governance Considerations for Buyer and Seller 

·        Risk management tactics to use during due diligence

·        Governance of DD and Integration plan and alignment with the key functions and senior management

·        Project and structural risks

·        Operational and business risks

·        Customer satisfaction risks

·        Further risks and dependencies by function

·        Post-lead ERM pulse checks

·        Mitigation strategies in practice

Kamil Jagieniak, Global Head of M&A Integration, Maersk

12.00 - Breakout Groups:

Registered Attendees will be asked to submit their preferences for topics to be discussed in 4 break-out areas in the meeting space.

13.00 – Lunch

14.00 - Experiences with Tuck-In and Bolt-On Acquisitions

Partially or completely absorbing the target into the buyer

Best methods to extract value from these kinds of acquisitions

·        PMI considerations from a sales / Go-to-Market pov

·        General challenges & Success factors of small Tuck acquisitions – insights from an analysis

Laurent Hatzopoulos, Post-Merger Integration/Separation manager, Acquisitions & Divestments, Shell

Thomas Marx, Post-Merger Integration/Separation manager, Acquisitions & Divestments, Shell

14.40 - Executing PMI in a Highly Decentralised Company

·        Staying flexible and taking stakeholders with you while setting standards that are necessary for successful PMI

·        Similarities and differences of PMI execution and planning in a decentralized organization versus a highly structured, process-oriented setting

·         Challenges and opportunities when Identifying value creation targets and synergies

Staci van Schagen-Toback, Head of Post-Merger Integration, NOVOMATIC

15.20 – Brief Afternoon Coffee and Networking

15.30 – Building M&A Muscle in Mid-Sized Companies

·        Driving successful M&A in scale up organisations - harnessing the raw talent you have

·        Discover and explaining your Why?

·        Protect and enhance culture

·        Central control and decentralised action

·        Finding an approach that suits your style

Jon Milsted, Vice President Business Strategy, GoCardless

16.10 – Closing Remarks from the Chair and End of Forum 

(see Agenda Day 1)      (back to Merger Integration Event Summary)