M&A Science Kison Patel

Kayla Davis, Vice President, Head of M&A at ABM Industries (NYSE: ABM) M&A is a fascinating career path, and traditionally there are a only few entry points. 
Banking roles are the most common entry point to M&A, but recently, we have seen an increase in practitioners coming from different backgrounds. 
In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Kayla Davis, Vice President, Head of M&A at ABM Industries, talks about how she transitioned from accounting to an M&A career.
Things you will learn in this episode:
- Kayla's journey to M&A
- How she built her team and the function
- Advice to new M&A practitioners 
- How to transition to internally sourcing deals
- Maintaining accountability throughout the entirety of the deal
To join our network of M&A practitioners and sign up for our newsletter, go to mascience.com.

Caleb Shafer, Corporate Development Associate at RS Group plc. (LON: RS1)
Traditionally, corporate development professionals come from banking roles. 
And while nothing is wrong with that, it is always fascinating to hear other ways that professionals start their careers in M&A. 
In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, M&A is Caleb Shafer, Corporate Development Associate at RS Group plc talks about his career development in M&A. 
You will also learn:
- Where Caleb started 
- Skills required for a corporate development role 
- What senior leadership can do to unlock their junior-level talent 
- Gray-zone leadership Advice to aspiring practitioners 
To join our network of M&A practitioners and sign up for our newsletter, go to mascience.com.

Hannah Leung, Senior Manager, Global Distribution M&A at Salesforce (NYSE: CRM)
Implementing a GTM strategy is one of the most crucial parts of integration. The GTM strategy is what makes achieving synergies and scaling post-close possible. 
In this episode of the M&A Science podcast, Hannah Leung, Senior Manager, M&A at Salesforce, talks about the challenges of implementing an actionable GTM strategy.
In this episode you will learn about:
- The relationship between corp dev and integration team
- How integration teams do GTM planning
- The challenges in implementing an actionable GTM strategy
- How to ensure team alignment
- How to track value from buying plans
To join our network of M&A practitioners and sign up for our newsletter, go to mascience.com.

Jim Buckley, Vice President, Mergers and Acquisitions Integration at VMware (NYSE: VMW)
It doesn’t matter if you buy the best company in the world, if integration is not done properly, value will be lost. And while there are a handful of companies embracing the value of integration and bringing the integration team in during the diligence process, some take it even further. 
In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Jim Buckley, Vice President, Mergers and Acquisitions Integration at VMware, talks about how to run an integration-led confirmatory diligence process. 
Things you will learn in this episode:
-The difference between a corporate development and integration team
-Why you should involve the integration team pre LOI
-How integration leaders draft diligence questions
-The do's and don'ts of integration
To join our network of M&A practitioners and sign up for our newsletter, go to mascience.com.

Matt Arsenault, VP of Corporate Development at Jamf
Too many times, we've seen M&A used as a strategy to grow businesses. But in fact, M&A is not a strategy, it's a tool that organizations use to achieve their corporate strategy. 
But once you understand your true north, having an M&A strategy is just as important. 
In this episode of the M&A Science Podcast, Matt Arsenault, VP of Corporate Development at Jamf, talks about how to formulate an M&A strategy.
You will also learn:
- The importance of an M&A strategy 
- How socializing your strategy can help you source deals
- Creating your own M&A scorecard
- Challenges in developing your M&A strategy
- Lessons learned along the way
To join our network of M&A practitioners and sign up for our newsletter, go to mascience.com.

Ian Burk, EVP of integration at Upland Software (NASDAQ: UPLD)
The importance of integration has never been more prevalent. And standing up a dedicated function to oversee integration is becoming more of a necessity as a company grows more prominent. 
Having an integration management office (IMO) might be a good fit for your company. But how do you stand up to such a function? 
In this episode of the M&A Science podcast, Ian Burk, EVP of integration at Upland Software, talks about how to stand up an IMO. 
You will also learn:
-What is the primary role of an integration management office
-The actual steps in standing up an IMO
-How to build playbooks 
-Best practices during integration 
-The importance of executive sponsorship
To join our network of M&A practitioners and sign up for our newsletter, go to mascience.com.