M&A Science

Caleb Shafer, Corporate Development Associate at RS Group plc. (LON: RS1)

Traditionally, corporate development professionals come from banking roles.

And while nothing is wrong with that, it is always fascinating to hear other ways that professionals start their careers in M&A.

In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, M&A is Caleb Shafer, Corporate Development Associate at RS Group plc talks about his career development in M&A.

You will also learn:

- Where Caleb started

- Skills required for a corporate development role

- What senior leadership can do to unlock their junior-level talent

- Gray-zone leadership Advice to aspiring practitioners

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Hannah Leung, Senior Manager, Global Distribution M&A at Salesforce (NYSE: CRM)

Implementing a GTM strategy is one of the most crucial parts of integration. The GTM strategy is what makes achieving synergies and scaling post-close possible.

In this episode of the M&A Science podcast, Hannah Leung, Senior Manager, M&A at Salesforce, talks about the challenges of implementing an actionable GTM strategy.

In this episode you will learn about:

- The relationship between corp dev and integration team

- How integration teams do GTM planning

- The challenges in implementing an actionable GTM strategy

- How to ensure team alignment

- How to track value from buying plans

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Jim Buckley, Vice President, Mergers and Acquisitions Integration at VMware (NYSE: VMW)

It doesn't matter if you buy the best company in the world, if integration is not done properly, value will be lost. And while there are a handful of companies embracing the value of integration and bringing the integration team in during the diligence process, some take it even further.

In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Jim Buckley, Vice President, Mergers and Acquisitions Integration at VMware, talks about how to run an integration-led confirmatory diligence process.

Things you will learn in this episode:

-The difference between a corporate development and integration team

-Why you should involve the integration team pre LOI

-How integration leaders draft diligence questions

-The do's and don'ts of integration

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Matt Arsenault, VP of Corporate Development at Jamf

Too many times, we've seen M&A used as a strategy to grow businesses. But in fact, M&A is not a strategy, it's a tool that organizations use to achieve their corporate strategy.

But once you understand your true north, having an M&A strategy is just as important.

In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Matt Arsenault, VP of Corporate Development at Jamf, talks about how to formulate an M&A strategy.

You will also learn:

- The importance of an M&A strategy

- How socializing your strategy can help you source deals

- Creating your own M&A scorecard

- Challenges in developing your M&A strategy

- Lessons learned along the way

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Ian Burk, EVP of integration at Upland Software (NASDAQ: UPLD)

The importance of integration has never been more prevalent. And standing up a dedicated function to oversee integration is becoming more of a necessity as a company grows more prominent.

Having an integration management office (IMO) might be a good fit for your company. But how do you stand up to such a function?

In this episode of the M&A Science podcast, Ian Burk, EVP of integration at Upland Software, talks about how to stand up an IMO.

You will also learn:

-What is the primary role of an integration management office

-The actual steps in standing up an IMO

-How to build playbooks

-Best practices during integration

-The importance of executive sponsorship

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Austin Woody, Senior Vice President of M&A and Corporate Development at Upland Software(NASDAQ: UPLD)

From zero revenue to a billion-dollar market capitalization, Upland Software has exponentially grown its business through acquisitions. How did Upland Software do it?

In this episode of the M&A Science podcast, Austin Woody, Senior Vice President of M&A and Corporate Development at Upland Software, explains how to grow purely on acquisitions.

You will also learn:

- How Upland Software source deals

- Standing up an M&A function

- What their integration process looks like

- How they look at culture

- Biggest lessons learned

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Scott Hile, Senior Director - Corporate Strategy & Development at Enviva (NYSE: EVA)

With so many companies out there, how do you know who to approach as a potential M&A target? Having a solid origination process helps teams save time and money by enabling them to target the right entities. In this episode of the M&A science podcast, Scott Hile, Senior Director, Corporate Strategy & Development at Enviva, talks about how to tie deal origination to strategy development.

Things you will learn in this episode:

- How to funnel a target list

- Importance of trust during outreach

- Tools that can help source deals

- How to do cold outreach

- Effective messaging during first interactions with a target company

To join our network of M&A practitioners and sign up for our newsletter, go to mascience.com.

Sreepathy Viswanathan, Chief Corporate Development Officer, HGS Healthcare (HGS.NS)

An M&A transaction can be an expensive mistake, and you can waste a lot of time and money if you pursue a transaction without a solid M&A strategy.

On the other hand, a solid strategy allows you to pick the right targets and pursue them proactively.

In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Sreepathy Viswanathan, Chief Corporate Development Officer, HGS Healthcare, who has 25 years of experience in Corp Dev, talks about how to build a great M&A strategy.

Things you will learn in this episode:

- The Importance of M&A strategy

- How to shape your M&A strategy

- The difference between M&A strategy and corporate strategy

- The integration's role in strategy

- How relationships affect M&A deals

To join our network of M&A practitioners and sign up for our newsletter, go to mascience.com.

Daniel Burseth, Vice President at Eckhart, Inc.

Roll-ups are one of the fastest ways to grow a business in a fragmented industry. But combining several entities with different cultures can be challenging and may lead to inefficiencies.

In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Daniel Burseth, Vice President at Eckhart, talks about the opportunities and challenges of rolling up small manufacturing companies.

Things you will learn in this episode:

- The great wealth transfer

- Challenges in buying a business

- How to grow technical leadership talent

- The significant trends of automation

- Change management challenge

To join our network of M&A practitioners and sign up for our newsletter, go to mascience.com.

John Morada, COO at M&A Science + DealRoom Are you looking to pivot into an M&A integration career? Over the past decade, the importance of integration has become more prevalent. Practitioners have realized that integration is where you make or break value. However, the role and skills needed for integration leaders remain the same.

In this episode of the M&A Science podcast, John Morada, COO at M&A Science, will be sharing how to pivot into an M&A integration career, and the essential skills needed for the role.

Things you will learn in this episode:

- How to transition to an M&A integration role

- Attributes of a good integration leader

- Primary role of an integration leader

- Future of M&A integration

- Importance and function of an IMO

To join our network of M&A practitioners and sign up for our newsletter, go to mascience.com.