Mergers & Acquisitions & IPO Communications Strategy & Planning

Working as part of a team with in-house executives, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory firms and other external advisors we have successfully helped clients execute complex mergers and acquisitions, IPOs and restructures across industries and geographies.

Our research comes from the work we do and have done with clients and our own original research.

Our approach, based on more than 40 years of experience is to:

• Focus on internal stakeholders as much as external stakeholders

• Take a long-term value creation and reputation enhancement approach

• Regard post merger integration as the most critical part of the transaction

• Understand that media reporting from announcement through to completion impacts regulator, government, employee, investor and relevant community attitudes and actions 

Our approach is grounded in the reality that:

• Not getting post announcement change communications right puts value at risk

• Over 60 per cent of mergers destroy shareholder value

• Over 25 per cent of acquisitions are divested

• The acquiring company generally destroys value in the target

• Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) generally negatively impacts share price, market share and reputation

• An added non-traditional input into the due diligence process can reveal serious issues

• On announcement the financial transaction becomes a human transaction

• On announcement the major issue is power and culture

Successful merger & acquisition and restructure projects:

• Global advice on the mergers and dual listings of three large multinationals including government negotiations; global investor, media and employee communications; advice on restructuring of operations

• Reincorporation of a major multinational in the USA

• Project managing global communications with all stakeholders in acquisitions in Asia, US, UK and Europe

• Bank merger and subsequent name and brand change strategy recognised with two international awards

• Strategic communications advice on Australia’s largest takeover by scheme of arrangement including advice on discussions with the target board and management team; media, regulatory, employer, supplier communications including proxy solicitation, advertising and direct mail campaigns

Other areas of our expertise include: