No two mergers are the same but there are consistent reasons for their success or failure. Fifty to seventy per-cent of M&A deals fail to achieve expected synergies and financial results (WSJ, CFO Magazine). More than ever, executing quickly is imperative to avoid postponed business strategy execution, diminished morale, talent or customer defections, and maintain net present value of the deal.

While financial goals may be the overarching reason for mergers and acquisitions, of M&A deals that are successful, 85% include HR throughout the entire process, resulting in high-impact change management processes that successfully marry different corporate cultures and retain key talent. This track will address pre-merger scenarios to mitigate potential risks, due-diligence to avoid hidden costs, managing post-merger dips in productivity, culture clashes from re-structuring, and critical talent retention.