Post-acquisition integration in practice: how to successfully bring two organisations together.

About the course.

What you learn.

• How to carry out, step by step, an integration of two organisations after an acquisition
• How to do an Integration Due Diligence to understand the target company and identify obstacles and opportunities for a successful integration
• Defining the expected synergies, improvements and goals to be achieved with the integration in a Value Creation Agreement
• Developing an integration strategy with a timeline that includes the most important activities, resource needs, operating model, costs and risks
• Communicating about the acquisition to create understanding of different corporate cultures and prevent conflicts between the organisations
• How practical leadership and leadership styles are integrated successfully
• Putting together a project office responsible for leading the integration process
• Creating a long-term plan for the first year

How the course is built.

1. Introduction and overview of the day

   Introduction of course leader and participants Overview of the steps in the integration process

2. Preparations before the purchase agreement is signed, and developing an integration strategy

   How to analyse how the target company fits into the company's overall strategy How to do an Integration Due Diligence to understand the target company How to develop an integration strategy including a timeline, the most important integration activities, resource needs, operating model, costs and risks What applies if the transaction is large enough to affect competition in the market How to create agreement on what generates value and synergies between the companies and clarify the integration's goals and purpose in a so-called Value Creation Agreement

3. Workshop on the Value Creation Agreement

4. Communication in acquisition integration

   How to prepare communication for - The announcement of the deal - Day 1 - The first year Identifying stakeholders and formulating key messages How to communicate to create understanding of the corporate cultures and prevent conflicts between the organisations

5. What is specific to "buy & build" acquisition strategies

   Integration of many small add-on acquisitions Centralised vs decentralised governance model: what is important to consider

6. Mobilising and planning for the integration

   How to launch the integration project with an "Integration Management Office" (IMO), a working group responsible for leading the integration process How to make a plan for the first 120 days of the integration Breaking down value and synergies into activities and actions to reach the integration goals

7. Managing corporate culture, leadership and change management

   What the concept of corporate culture includes and how to evaluate the companies' cultures How to handle cultural differences so that they do not disrupt the integration How to integrate the leadership from the target company and your own company How to prepare internally and externally for the changes that will take place

8. Managing and minimising risks in the integration

   How to identify internal and external risks in the integration How to minimise risks and create action plans to manage them The most common risks and mistakes and how to avoid them

9. Execution, effective project management and project closure

   How to carry out the integration and handle deviations and risks How the integration can be optimised 30, 60 and 90 days after closing based on new insights How to create a long-term plan for the first year or years How the integration project is closed after approximately 120 days

Who is this for?

You who will work with, lead or steer acquisition integrations, for example CEO, CFO, COO, M&A managers and, for example, HR, IT, finance and sales managers. Also you who are part of the investment team at a venture capital or private equity firm.