About the Conference

This best-in-class learning and development opportunity is for executives wanting to gain first-hand knowledge on M&A integration. Gain insights from leading serial acquirers, who will share best practices for delivering the value that shareholders expect. Walk away with the strategic advice needed to justify the endeavor, as well as the knowledge to succeed on a day-to-day basis.

Recommended for teams, this event is a unique training and development opportunity for you and your colleagues.

Who Should Attend 

This conference is designed exclusively for Vice Presidents, Heads, and Directors of: 

• M&A
• Corporate Development
• Joint Ventures
• Strategic Alliances
• Integration Strategy
• Business Development
• Human Resources 

Get Involved 

If you would like to get involved in this year’s conferences, please contact us.

• Speaking Opportunities: ellen.hexter@conference-board.org
• Sponsorship Opportunities: michael.felden@conference-board.org
• Marketing Partnerships: allison.nilsen@conference-board.org 

Day One: Thursday, November 5, 2020

11:00 – 11:30 am ET
Session A

How has the industry responded to the economic downturn, and what is the outlook ahead? 

To kick off our program, we’ll look at market trends globally and across regions, as well as emerging themes and how participant companies line up against them. We’ll also discuss how companies can use programmatic M&A to unlock growth and transformation opportunities in the current economy—even if they lack the iron stomach, excess cash, and strong balance sheets that often power companies who treat crises as opportunities (and seem to wink at uncertainty and risk.)

Oliver Engert, Senior Partner; Co-Leader of Global M&A Practice, McKinsey & Company

11:30 am – 12:15 pm
Session B

Keynote Executive Perspective

A senior executive will outline a recent transaction and share successful strategies and key learnings from the integration.  We will hear about when the integration team became involved in due diligence, how strategy drove planning, what planning occurred between announcement and close, and how the company measured success.

Steve Phelps, CEO, NASCAR

12:15 – 12:45 pm Lunch Break

12:45 – 1:30 pm
Session C

Best Practices Panel

While recent history offers no true parallels to the current environment, our expert panel has weathered plenty of turbulence. What lessons can these leading integration executives share? Which choices do they view as successful, and where did they lose ground? What are the implications-- today, and looking ahead? In addition to sharing hard-won wisdom from the front lines, our panel will discuss audience questions in this open and interactive forum.

Jim Jordano, Vice President Integration Management Office, L3 Harris

Steve Kaufman, Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School and Former Chairman and CEO, Arrow Electronics

Brett Knappe, Vice President General Manager, Medtronic Biologics

Philip Pratt, Director, Acquisition Integration, Corning, Inc.

1:30 -2:15 pm
Session D

Best Practice Communication in M&A

In interviews, many CEOs say wish they had communicated differently during  integrations—sharing updates and engaging more frequently and openly with employees particularly, as well as customers, suppliers and shareholders. But how can companies communicate effectively before core decisions are made and NewCo is launched? What do the most effective communication programs look like, and how can companies execute well? Katelin Jabbari, a top communications executive from one of the leading tech companies in the world, will share an overview of her playbook—and key insights.

Katelin Jabbari, Senior Director, Google

2:15– 2:30 pm Break

2:30 – 3:30 pm

Office Hours with our Experts

Participants can meet virtually with our integration experts and executives one-on-one, for individual discussions and real-time problem solving on their specific integration challenges.

Office Hours:

Nathalie Benzing, SVP, Business Transformation, Trax Retail and member, Board of Directors, Miradore

Steve Kaufman, Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School and Former Chairman and CEO, Arrow Electronics

Brett Knappe, Vice President General Manager, Medtronic Biologics

Bill Kozy, Member, Board of Directors, The Cooper Companies and LivaNova and Former COO, BD

Chris Kreidler, Member, Board of Directors, P.F.Chang’s and Former CFO, Sysco Foods

Philip Pratt, Director, Acquisition Integration, Corning, Inc.

11:00 - 11:45 am
Session E

The Power of Through-cycle M&A

M&A cycles tend to be volatile—with deal making declining during an economic shock and picking up when a recovery begins. But research shows that programmatic dealmakers who take the long view can benefit from sticking to a rigorous capital allocation approach during booms and challenging times. The leaders of  McKinsey’s M&A Excellence research team, will share how they advise best-in-class acquirers on their end-to-end strategy.

Cassandre Danoux, Partner, McKinsey & Company

Jeff Rudnicki, Partner, McKinsey & Company

11:45 am – 12:30 pm
Session F

Using Integrations to Accelerate Transformation

Transformation programs are often underway when companies pursue an acquisition and, under the right conditions, this increased complexity can boost opportunities to accelerate growth. Graham Corneck, an integration executive with one of the world’s leading consumer products companies, will discuss how to leverage pre-existing transformation programs during an integration, including how to make the right calls to align business, operational, and strategic goals to achieve success.

Graham Corneck, VP Strategy and Integration, Campbell’s Soup Company

12:30 – 1:00 pm Lunch Break

1:00 – 1:45 pm
Session G

Using Integrations to Enhance Your Digital Future

Technology transformation has become a major driver of improved customer experience and  operational efficiency—a transformation that M&A can kickstart. Jeff Pearl, a top IT integration executive with a leading pharmaceutical company, will discuss how he has leveraged transactions to launch transformative efforts involving cloud, data, and agile delivery.

Jeff Pearl, VP, IT Integration and Divestitures, Takeda

1:45 – 2:30 pm
Session H

Building an In-House Integration Machine

What internal capabilities do companies need to manage integrations successfully, and how can they exceed objectives? Chris Evans, a top integration executive with Amazon, will discuss how serial acquirers staff integrations from the IMO to functional workstreams, as well as how infrequent acquirers can build, maintain, and refresh the skills of integration teams pulled from functional and operational areas.

Chris Evans, Acquisition Integration Director, Amazon

2:30 – 2:45 pm
Session I

Final Thoughts and Recap of M&A in the Eye of the Storm

Discuss key themes and recap lessons learned over the course of the conference.

2:45 pm End of Conference