Mergers and Acquisitions

---

 During a series of major multi-billion dollar mergers and acquisitions over a 10+ year period, Brad was fully responsible for integrating geographically diverse organizations and multiple technical platforms while generating significant business productivity advances. The business needed to enhance its competitive position and chose a M&A approach to increase scale and gain access to new customers, products, and markets.  Amidst tight timelines and challenging synergy forecasts, aggressive corporate productivity and profit models were required to be achieved as a continuous flow of new M&A events commenced. 

 Mergers and acquisitions are recognized within the technology sector as being among the most significant challenges for enterprise IT organizations to navigate. Critical to success, Brad became involved in various due diligence processes which led to a better understanding of the complexities and more accurate forecasting of anticipated timelines and synergy opportunities. Brad placed key technical leaders in important M&A roles ensuring an effective focus on governance, project management and metrics, all key success factors in complex integration efforts. He also established strong relationships and solid monitors with important vendors and suppliers to ensure consistent positive results.

 With a focus on results throughout the series of M&A events, Brad placed an emphasis on people first, then process and technology. Getting the right people aligned in the right roles with the right goals was among the most important steps in ensuring an intense focus on results over an extended timeframe. Brad discussed plans and progress with business leaders, negotiated critical contractual agreements with key suppliers, established program management disciplines, developed extensive plans to ensure achievement of financial commitments and synergies, drove architectural decision making, and ensured technology operational management was keenly focused on stability during and after transition.

 Despite the enormous complexity, each M&A event set a new business standard for successful technology integration. The most recent integration generated over $70 million in synergy savings and led to a reduction in annual technology operating costs (P&L) from $82 million to less than $47 million, or about 43%. Projects were completed as scheduled, within budget, delivering on all pre-merger expectations. By effectively organizing and motivating people, delegating appropriate responsibilities, making prompt decisions at critical points in the project timeline and meeting commitments to stakeholders, Brad successfully navigated the company through seven challenging years of mission critical technology integration. It should be noted that during this same timeframe the corporation's growth was among the greatest in its history, with successful systems integration being recognized as a key contributor.