U.S. Steel has sent mailers to homes in Western Pennsylvania with a more direct appeal: “Tell your elected officials to support the U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel partnership.” It’s common for companies in takeover talks to notify customers or, for major sales, lobby members of Congress, according to mergers and acquisitions consultant Jennifer Fondrevay. But … Read more
As political pundits try to identify Donald Trump’s vice-presidential pick, one name leading the dark horse list is former presidential rival, Nikki Haley. Haley surprised the political world when she announced she would vote for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Her feelings for the former president are no secret. Watching how Haley and Trump have navigated their … Read more
Jennifer & podcast host Natalie Benamou discuss the powerful roles that intuition, empathy, and emotional intelligence play in M&A success. Jennifer recounts her eye-opening experience interviewing over 60 CEOs and discusses how women can transform the M&A landscape by leveraging their unique skills. Get inspired by real-life stories of female M&A professionals who have become … Read more
Businesses have considered merger and acquisition (M&A) deals as a viable growth strategy for more than a century. In the past, these deals have typically been transactional in nature, pursued for economies of scale and to consolidate costs. But today, in an era where companies need to disrupt themselves or be disrupted, organizations are increasingly pursuing M&A … Read more
In the noise that follows a merger or acquisition (M&A), the louder voices more often break through to command the attention of senior leaders. Extroverts, with their outgoing and assertive nature, tend to better position themselves to take on roles of responsibility as leadership evaluates where everyone fits within the new structure. However, as companies … Read more
Women’s distinct deal-making talents became evident during a conversation with a male CEO I was interviewing for my M&A book. “You know, a man would never write this kind of book. It would never dawn on a guy to be addressing this emotional stuff. From my experience, it’s how people act or don’t act that … Read more
How can you turn things round if you encounter difficulties when leading a new team? Jennifer & Harsha Boralessa discussed how she dealt with this potentially tricky situation on the Reframe & Reset Your Career podcast. In this episode, we will learn about potential strategies for navigating the uncertainty, disruption and fear that comes from … Read more
Middle managers are the Rodney Dangerfield of business. They get no respect. Despite the critical role middle managers play in translating leadership’s goals into plans frontline workers can understand, they are rarely involved in early strategy discussions. The tendency to exclude middle managers from the goal setting is particularly dangerous in mergers and acquisitions, where … Read more
Embrace change: it’s the key to not just surviving mergers and acquisitions but thriving and showing true leadership. In this episode, Jennifer joins Tony Martignetti to discuss the power of people in Mergers & Acquisitions. Discover the unexpected journey of an accidental entrepreneur, who transforms the daunting topic of M&A into a relatable, engaging conversation. Jennifer … Read more
While M&A deal volume normalized and progressively improved throughout 2023, for CEOs and boards, considerable uncertainty remains in today’s market….. There is a simple exercise I employ with companies pursuing a deal to address these questions and bring more certainty to the deal’s unknowns: a premortem analysis. Click here to learn how to implement my premortem exercise and its … Read more
