The Real Test Begins After the Ink Dries

Over the last decade, working inside Financial Services M&A, I’ve seen first-hand where integrations succeed and where they quietly unravel.

It’s rarely the big strategy that causes problems.

It’s the friction underneath:

• Strategic misalignment between the deal and day-one priorities.
• Governance gaps that leave teams waiting for decisions.
• Cultural clashes that breed resistance, not collaboration.
• Data chaos that makes “one version of the truth” impossible.
• Overstretched resources fighting a battle on two fronts.

Most teams don’t fail through lack of effort.

They fail because integration work is underestimated or simply under-supported.

It’s a space I’ve spent years working in: Building IMO teams, embedding functional expertise, safeguarding value.

If any of this feels familiar, I’d love to swap notes. (Or just listen — every deal has its own story.)

What’s been your experience?