Breaking Growth Barriers Series (Part 5 of 5) Inorganic Growth Readiness: Preparing for M&A and Strategic Expansion

Governance Core: Strategy + PMO Reporting

All workstreams should report to a centralized PMO office that tracks dependencies, manages reporting, and drives accountability.

Six Critical Workstreams:

1. Sales & CX – Portfolio alignment, sales enablement, customer continuity.

Key to every M&A is the ability to generate revenue – where the sum of the whole is greater than the individual parts.  Front and center should be the alignment of sales and the sales engine.  This entails ensuring a nimble sales closure process and allowing account executives to own their targets.  All sales efforts should be supported by the organization as a whole and driven by improved customer experience.  This means listening to sales and aligning solutions around what “can” sell.  Remove integration bureaucracies, empower your sales and establish a comprehensive reporting system.

2. Delivery & Tech – Service unification, infrastructure, talent integration.

If the seller organization was already performing well and the M&A was pursued primarily for scale, resist the urge to immediately impose your operating model. Allow existing momentum to continue delivering value while laying the groundwork for long-term value creation.  Begin with establishing a refined delivery structure and reporting model that acts as a force multiplier. Assess the current service portfolio to identify offerings that can be regionalized (in the case of cross-border deals), scaled through increased operational capacity, or sold more effectively under the new brand positioning. Process integration should not default to adopting the acquirer’s playbook. Instead, use this opportunity to blend best practices from both sides to build a leaner, more agile organization.  It goes without saying that a comprehensive network, IT and security asset and landscape integration should be considered, but in a phased approach.  Prioritize low-intrusion, high-impact areas first—such as email domain unification for brand consistency or procurement workflows that accelerate approvals and decision-making.  Depending on the nature of your contracts, security may play a key role up-front.  Careful audits and controls implementations should be mapped to direct or indirect revenue generation and legal obligations.

3. People & Culture – Org charts, comp alignment, cultural onboarding.

Post-merger integration often hinges on how effectively people are engaged, aligned, and retained. Begin by evaluating the organizational structure of both companies to define the future state hierarchy. This should include clear reporting lines, leadership appointments, and minimal disruption to business continuity.  Where possible, keep existing reporting structures intact to ensure minimal disruption to projected value retention.  In parallel and with a 90 to 180 target, align roles and responsibilities to avoid duplication, address gaps, and ensure the right talent is in place to drive strategic goals (critical revenue-generating roles should be addressed within the first 30days). Where possible, adopt a capability-led lens rather than simply mapping legacy titles to new boxes.

Resource management becomes critical during this period, especially in identifying key personnel for retention, redeployment, or transition. The Due Diligence should have conducted detailed skill gap analyses and workforce planning to ensure appropriate staffing across functions and geographies. Now, align payroll, benefits, and compensation structures to avoid inequities that may breed dissatisfaction or attrition due to the new merged organization. Harmonize incentive models where needed and ensure transparency in total rewards communication.

Finally, culture integration is one of the most nuanced but vital aspects of post-merger success. Use diagnostics and leadership alignment workshops to ensure cultural assimilation and implement measures to mitigate any identified conflict in values and operating styles uncovered during Due Diligence. Rather than enforcing one culture, seek to define shared norms and behaviors that enable performance and inclusion across the new organization.

4. Legal & Compliance – Contracts, IP, ESG, approvals, governance.

In post-merger scenarios—particularly in cross-border transactions—it is essential to engage local legal counsel to navigate jurisdiction-specific regulations. Legal norms and compliance requirements can vary significantly; processes considered standard in one country may be restricted or even prohibited in another. For example, while background checks are a common part of the hiring process in the U.S., they are restricted or unlawful in many Latin American jurisdictions. Defaulting to the acquirer’s legal procedures without local validation can introduce compliance risks. Where possible, retain local legal processes unless there is a compelling compliance or strategic reason to standardize. However, synergies can be gained through centralized contract governance. Consolidate and digitize the existing contract repository across both organizations to improve visibility, ensure timely renewal management, and reduce risk exposure. For ongoing client engagements, ensure continuity by minimizing disruptions. Proactively communicate the M&A to customers, and—where permissible—avoid requiring re-signature of contracts unless legally necessary. Establish transitional service agreements or assign contracts appropriately to maintain revenue flow. For new business, standardize key legal terms into a unified contract framework or proposal template that reflects the new organization’s posture, risk tolerance, and regulatory obligations.

Additionally, review insurance coverage across both entities to identify opportunities for consolidation, cost savings, or better alignment with the expanded operational footprint.

Finally, use the integration process to evaluate and strengthen ESG commitments. Assess existing sustainability, social responsibility, and governance programs from both sides. Look for opportunities to merge or enhance initiatives in a way that reflects the combined entity’s values, improves stakeholder perception, and ensures alignment with evolving compliance landscapes..

5. Brand & GTM – Unified campaigns, partner strategy, resource alignment.

In a post-merger environment, brand and go-to-market alignment are critical levers for ensuring continuity and unlocking early market value. Branding and naming decisions should be approached strategically – balancing familiarity with transformation. Whether to rebrand, retain legacy identities, or create a hybrid depends on customer recognition, market equity, and long-term positioning. Simultaneously, marketing campaigns must be assessed and aligned to avoid duplication, unify voice, and present a cohesive value proposition. This includes reviewing in-flight campaigns for consistency and developing a unified narrative that reflects the combined organization’s expanded capabilities. This also involves aligning marketing, branding and talent acquisition strategies with sales demand and forecasting. A healthy GTM strategy should include market intelligence on industry demands, competitive landscape, availability and cost of skillsets, and product/service penetration landscape.  Defining, evaluating each company’s partner ecosystem to identify overlapping alliances, channel conflicts, and white space opportunities., should also be part of the overall GTM strategy.  Rationalize programs to reduce complexity and consolidate key strategic partnerships under unified governance. Use the merger as a catalyst to strengthen partner enablement, redefine tiering models, and renegotiate incentives aligned to joint growth targets.

6. Finance – Chart of accounts, ERP, treasury integration.

It will be imperative to create a consolidated view of your financials.  This will require data to be available in the format necessary and at a predefined cadence.  Establish a finance liaison to work closely with the new entity and that is able to map the existing finance process to the data required to be captured.  Establish a weekly reporting mechanism that also involves sales and delivery.  A comprehensive look at the book of accounts, forecasting, and delivery bench/inventory management needs to be done within the first week to allow for proper management and guidance. Cash Flow and Expense management can eventually be integrated into an existing system of record for ease of reporting and administration. Invest in ensuring a stable and well administered incoming finance team – the optimization can happen at a later date and once value retention and stabilization is obtained.

Industry-Specific Considerations

Each sector brings unique regulatory, operational, and talent-based risks to M&A. A tailored approach is critical.  Below is a highly condensed view of possible M&A considerations by industry that should provide an initial platform from which to expand upon.