Controllership Skills Update: Mergers, Acquisitions, and Alliances (CON4)

Overview

Mergers, acquisitions, and partnering have long been strategic vehicles to grow or change an existing organization. Corporate America has extensive experience in merging with or acquiring firms. However, its track record of being able to unify an acquired firm with the acquirer and provide a single organization with increased growth potential has been somewhat shaky. This session provides a roadmap including specific actions for financial professionals focused on improving the results of an acquisition, sale, formation of an alliance, and/or outsourced activities. This program continues to be updated based upon trends and recent events. In addition to traditional topics, it includes discussions on the impact of taxes, corporate structures to manage M&A and internal venture capital, strategic spin-offs/splits, issues concerning goodwill, and managing outsourced activities. The program expands the topics covered in the Controllership Skills Update Series. As with the other programs, this brief session is aimed at renewing and expanding participants’ existing skills, by providing specific actions to improve an organization’s results. Real-world examples are used throughout the session.

Major Topics:

• Recent trends: M&A activity; contributing factors/reasons for current levels; examples of recent transactions; IPOs (Initial Public Offering) and SPACs (Special-Purpose Acquisition Company); strategic spin-offs/splits; internal venture capital activities; incubators
• Expanded role of financial professionals: establishing strategy; valuation techniques; execution plan; due diligence; sources of industry information; goodwill; post-completion evaluations
• Negotiations: Improving your communication skills; establishing an environment for success; list of dos and don’ts
• Alliances and outsourcing: steps to forming an alliance; examples of recent alliances; determining if outsourcing (short and long-term) is correct for your organization; steps to improve results

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the unique role of financial professionals in a potential transaction
• Understand the changes that have occurred in the competitive landscape as a result of M&A and alliances
• Identify the potential pitfalls
• Be knowledgeable of the skills required for successful transactions
• Utilize a framework, with specific actions, to manage the selection, valuation, negotiation, and execution of a transaction
• Gain a roadmap (inexperienced participants) and a review and update (experienced participants) of these strategic, non-traditional skills