Agenda Day 1, Tuesday, October 7th, 2025: (see Agenda Day 2) (back to Merger Integration Event Summary)
(time zone used is Central European Time)
09.00 – Opening Remarks from the Chair
Jana Mercereau, M&A Consulting Lead for Europe, WTW
09.20 – Compliance Due Diligence in M&A Transactions and Non-Controlled Shareholdings Oversight
· How deep to go in your due diligence
· How to implement CSDDD standards in global transactions
· How to get your non-controlled shareholdings on board with your efforts
Sven Steinbach, Head of M&A Compliance, Volkswagen
Fabian Imach, Head of Group Compliance Strategic Initiatives & NCS, Volkswagen
10.00 – Using a Pre-Mortem to De-Risk your Integration Project (While Introducing PMI Excellence at ZEISS)
· What is a pre-mortem and how can it help in PMI?
· Who should be part of a pre-mortem and what drives the participant group?
· Case example and outcomes across the deal lifecycle: pre-deal, integration, 1yr post-close
Staci van Schagen-Toback, Head of PMI Excellence, ZEISS
10.40 – M&A in a Volatile World: Harnessing Change Management to Drive Business Value
Gaby Joyner, European Head of Employee Experience, WTW
11.20 – Morning Coffee and Networking
12.00 – Bridging the Gap Between Acquisitions and Integrations with an AI-Native End-to-End Platform
· Unify deal execution and integration with kicker.cloud as a single source of truth - seamlessly connecting teams, data, and workflows across the M&A lifecycle.
· Leverage AI to learn from past integrations, feeding insights back into acquisition strategy to surface integration risks early and calibrate bids with greater precision.
· Manage integration using a fully flexible project management platform with customisable templates and real-time feedback for structured, adaptive integration
Heini Salonen, CEO, co-founder, kicker.cloud
12.40 - Beyond the Deal: Structuring M&A Integration for Long-Term Success at Novo Nordisk
· Purpose and Scope of the New M&A Integration Organization
· Developing Integration Capabilities and Processes with a Digital and AI-Based Platform
· Building a Strong Integration Culture and Talent Pipeline through a Community-Based Approach
· Measuring Success and Continuous Improvement Supported by Digital Measurement and AI
Bjoern Leschny, Global VP of M&A Integration, Novo Nordisk
13.20 – Lunch Break
14.20 - How CVC (Corporate Venture Capital) Builds M&A Readiness
This presentation will explore how Corporate Venture Capital provides a unique advantage that improves integration outcomes and overall M&A success
George Kellerman, VP, Head of Investments & Acquisitions, Woven by Toyota
15.00 – The Use of Digitization / GenAI in M&A
· Key use cases that were successful in streamlining the M&A integration process
· What were the pitfalls that we found
· What use and limitations to apply for GenAI
Delphine Mathieu, Managing Director Post Merger Integration – EMEA Lead, Accenture
15.40 – Adaptive Integration: AI-Powered Operating Models that Close the Strategy-Execution Gap Post-Merger
Kristian Luoma, Co-Founder, In Parallel
16.20 – Afternoon Coffee Break
17.00 - The Future of M&A: AI-Powered PMI Optimization
Driving Post-Closure Tech M&A Success: How Zscaler’s AI Platform Accelerates Integration, Enhances Efficiency, and Strengthens Cyber Resilience
Paul Vohra, Managing Director, Zscaler M&A
Stephen Singh, Global VP, M&A/Divestiture, Zscaler M&A
17.40 - Intelligent Learning Loops in the Post Closing Landscape
How intelligent insights are looped back to decision makers, providing an understanding of decision outcomes and their impacts to value delivery in the first 2 years following acquisition.
Kristen Bergeron, Global Mergers & Acquisitions Integration Program Manager, Shell
Thomas Marx, Implementation Manager Divestments & Acquisitions, Shell
18.20 - Culture Management and Integration
· Cultural due diligence: quantitative requirements
· KPIs and key tactics for managing culture during the first 100 days
· Success factors and methods of utilizing learns for long-term integration results and new integrations
James Flitton, VP Digital Infrastructure, Network Acquisition & Investments, Colt Technology Services
19.00 - Closing Remarks and End of Day 1 and Reception
20.00 – 3-Course Dinner (included for all attendees)