Rory O'Keeffe, Partner, BDO Transaction Services, featured in The Irish Times special report on Mergers and Acquisitions. Read Rory's extract below.
Mergers are a bit like marriages. Very few of them are made in heaven and it takes a lot of hard work in advance to give them a good chance of success. In fact, according to Aswath Damodaran, professor of finance at New York University’s Stern School of Business, about half of all mergers end up in divorce within 10 years of the deal.
Going in with both eyes wide open is critically important, according to BDO transaction services partner Rory O’Keeffe. “Both corporate and private equity buyers need to have clear growth strategy for the future and an equally clear understanding of the role of M&A within it,” he says. “Are they looking at M&A to try to expand markets, win new customers, acquire new technologies or some other reason. You need to know why you’re investing in another business and what you can expect.”
Right fit
This points to the importance of carrying out proper due diligence in advance of any deal. “Buyers need to know as much as possible and knowledge up front is key. Due diligence can take many forms – commercial, tax, IT, operational, HR. The buyer needs to ask all the questions and get all the answers to ensure the target is the right fit before signing on the bottom line. They need to know how the business operates and the key drivers behind its performance. They should look at how it has performed historically, how it was affected by Covid-19, and how the management team responded to that.”
Common goals
Rory continues, saying that the people aspect is critical to the creation of a successful combined business. “You need to get to know who you’re going to be working with and share common goals. You have to figure out who the key people are and incentivise them to continue to work with you. And you need to look at the people who may not be required or may not wish to continue to work in the business and manage how you deal with them as well. Letting people know their roles and responsibilities post-transaction is key. There should be no ambiguity."
Content adapted from The Irish Times special report, 'The importance of conducting due diligence before a merger deal '
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