In post-merger integration, most teams can run the checklist. The hard part is getting people aligned, working together, and executing the strategy fast enough to capture value.

In this episode of the Master Your Merger Podcast, Klint Kendrick talks with Alex Amsden and Tom Gaunt from BTS about how simulations can accelerate integration, reduce misalignment, and turn culture from an abstract idea into practical ways of working.

Alex Amsden is Vice President and Head of Growth, Strategy and Culture Transformation for BTS USA. Tom Gaunt is Vice President and Head of Change and Transformation for BTS Europe. Together, they share how BTS uses simulations to help leaders practice the future before they have to live it.

What you will learn in this episode

• Why starting with the human conversation can unlock faster strategy decisions
• Three principles that speed integration: practical vision, authorship creates ownership, and culture linked to strategy
• Common pitfalls that slow transformation, including assuming buy-in and treating culture as an afterthought
• What simulations are and how they differ from training, comms, and traditional workshops
• When simulations work best, including executive alignment, newco launch, and critical team integration
• How simulations surface hidden assumptions and legacy misalignment from past acquisitions
• How AI and digital twins may change simulation design and speed

Connect with the guests

• Alex Amsden LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-amsden-35732b23
• Tom Gaunt LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/tom-gaunt-12570819
• Taryn Davino email: [email protected]
  Tom email: [email protected] 

#MasterYourMerger #PeopleFirstMNA #PostMergerIntegration #Culture #ChangeManagement #StrategyExecution