LIVE EXECUTIVE PANEL · M&A, LEADERSHIP & DEAL VALUE

What Your Deal Model Isn’t Counting

The leadership, talent, and integration risks that can erode deal value before and after close.

Tuesday, October 13 • 10:00–11:00 AM ET • Live virtual panel + Q&A

Reserve Your Seat

See What We'll Cover

The question behind the panel

What has to be true about the people running the business for the deal thesis to actually work?

Three practitioner perspectives: the acquired company, the buyer/operator, and enterprise HR leadership.

47%

of key employees may leave within one year of a transaction, according to Gallup citing EY research.

44%

of surveyed M&A leaders cited cultural fit/friction among top reasons integrations fail.

14%

of PwC survey respondents reported significant integration success across strategic, financial and operational measures.

WHY THIS CONVERSATION

A deal thesis does not execute itself.

Growth. Synergies. New capability. Market expansion. Continuity. A successful exit. Whatever you are buying, the thesis still has to be executed by a leadership team and workforce after the documents are signed.

Which leaders are actually critical?

Who holds the customer relationships, institutional knowledge, decision authority, and management depth the deal depends on?

Who is really staying?

Retention agreements do not tell you whether a leader is committed to building the combined business—or simply staying through close.

What is still unclear on Day 1?

Decision rights, roles, incentives, operating expectations, and conflicting promises can turn integration into months of internal renegotiation.

When does friction become financial?

Slower decisions, duplicate work, customer disruption, productivity drag, and regrettable departures can quickly move from a “people issue” into value-realization risk.

THE CONVERSATION

From diligence to the first 100 days.

We are not discussing culture as a soft post-close workstream. We are looking at the leadership and organizational assumptions embedded inside the deal—and what sophisticated buyers, sellers, and executives should examine earlier.

8–20 MIN

Before You Sign

What could break the thesis? Founder dependence, critical relationships, informal decision-making, leadership depth, and risks the data room does not show.

20–33 MIN

Signing to Day 1

What should be pressure-tested about the leadership team before the first quarter goes sideways?

33–46 MIN

The First 100 Days

What does value leakage look like early—and what is normal transition friction versus a real threat to the plan?

46–52 MIN

The Red Flag + Monday Move

Each panelist shares one transaction red flag they would never ignore again and one action leaders can take immediately.

WHO THIS IS FOR

The people accountable for what happens next.

This is designed for leaders with a transaction on the horizon, on the table, or already underway—not for people looking for a generic introduction to M&A.

Owners & CEOs

Considering, preparing for, or navigating a sale or acquisition.

Corporate Development

Responsible for diligence, deal execution, and protecting the original investment thesis.

Operating & Integration Leaders

Accountable for turning the signed deal into operating reality.

CHROs & People Leaders

Responsible for leadership continuity, critical talent, and Day 1–100 readiness.

Private Equity & Investors

Focused on management depth, value creation, and leadership risk across the portfolio.

M&A Advisors

Helping clients prepare for, execute, or integrate a transaction.

MEET THE PANEL

Three seats at the same table.

The conversation is designed around practitioners who have lived M&A from different vantage points—and can challenge each other in real time.

Dr. Philipia Hillman

Founder & CEO, The October Group · Moderator

The diagnostic voice, focused on the leadership alignment conditions required for a deal thesis to hold under pressure.

Dan Jackson, D.BA

Founder, Jackson Advisory Management

Has been acquired, been the acquirer, and led integration—bringing the acquired-company and workforce perspective.

Stephen Douglass

Founder & Managing Director, Scramble Systems

Brings M&A advisory, turnaround, and operator experience focused on whether the investment thesis survives contact with the business.

Dr. Mari Sifo

EVP & CHRO, Host Hotels & Resorts

Brings the enterprise leadership perspective on Day 1 readiness, leadership continuity, retention, and the first 100 days.

THE RESEARCH BEHIND THE URGENCY

These risks show up in outcomes.

The panel is practitioner-led. These data points simply establish why leadership continuity, integration quality, and early organizational diligence deserve executive attention.

47% / 75%

Gallup, citing EY research, reports 47% of key employees leave within one year of a transaction and 75% within three years.

Source: Gallup, citing EY research

44%

McKinsey found 44% of surveyed M&A leaders cited lack of cultural fit and friction between the acquiring and target companies as top reasons integrations fail.

Source: McKinsey & Company

14%

PwC found only 14% of respondents reported significant integration success across strategic, financial, and operational measures.

Source: PwC M&A Integration Survey

WHAT THIS IS NOT

Not another “culture matters” webinar.

You will not hear vague advice about communicating more, managing change better, or getting employees to “buy in.”

Who is critical to the thesis?

Who is staying—and who is only staying through close?

Who actually has authority?

Where can uncertainty slow execution?

What should have been addressed before close?

RESERVE YOUR SEAT

Bring the transaction questions you’re actually wrestling with.

Tuesday, October 13 · 10:00–11:00 AM ET · Live virtual panel + audience Q&A.

We’ll prioritize questions from leaders currently preparing for a transaction, in diligence, approaching Day 1, or working through the first 100 days.