Agenda Day 1, Wednesday, October 7th, 2026: (see Agenda Day 2) (back to Merger Integration Event Summary)
09.00 - Opening Remarks from the Chair
Jana Mercereau, Head of M&A for Europe, WTW
09.10 - Managing Integration Planning Through Long Regulatory Reviews
James Harris, Principal Integration Manager, Google
09.40 – Sponsor Session
10.20 - Roche's Journey to Build a Centralized M&A Integration Capability
· The Evolution of Integration: Transitioning from Roche’s historical "standalone" acquisition model and decentralized integration management toward a more unified strategic framework
· Driving Synergy and Value: Shifting toward active integration management to ensure acquired assets are fully leveraged and seamlessly embedded into the Roche ecosystem
· The Centralized IMO: Establishing a dedicated Integration Management Office (IMO) to standardize governance, streamline planning, and accelerate execution across the portfolio
Sven Mengering, Director M&A Integration, Roche
10.50 – Morning Coffee and Networking
11.30 - How our Company went from No PMI Team to a Central PMI Function
RHI Magnesita’s accelerated M&A activity since 2023 required a structured approach to post-merger integration (PMI), prompting the establishment of a central PMI function. Built from the ground up, this team ensures consistent integration standards across regions while remaining closely connected to local operations. Strong senior leadership commitment has been critical in driving alignment and prioritization. The function emphasizes clear processes, rigorous tracking, and transparency to manage complexity effectively. At the same time, success relies on active collaboration with diverse stakeholders worldwide. By combining central governance with a hands-on, “on-the-ground” approach, RHI Magnesita enables efficient and sustainable integration outcomes.
Matthias Wiltschek, Head of Post-Merger Integration, RHI Magnesita
12.00 – Closing the Reality Gap: How AI-Powered Alignment Replaces the Integration War Room
· Why most integration delays aren't process failures — they're alignment failures between acquirer and target teams operating on different versions of reality
· How AI agents can continuously surface misalignment across workstreams before it becomes a crisis — replacing the weekly status meeting with real-time shared context
· From war rooms to living playbooks: what changes when your integration office has an AI layer that reads across every workstream simultaneously
· Practical lessons from building alignment technology for cross-functional teams — and what it reveals about why 60-70% of M&A integrations still destroy value
Kristian Luoma, Cofounder, In Parallel
12.40 – Tailoring Integration and Target Models of very Diverse Deals: the Role of a Centralised IMO in a Divisionalised Corporation
Nico De Pauw, Associate Dir. M&A Integration, Amadeus
13.10 – Lunch Break
14.10 - Learning How to Deliver Integration & Business Results Faster
· Implications of faster due diligence for integration
· Importance of smarter basics
· Supporting a faster change journey for leaders & employees
· Benefits & risks
Caroline Bilbrough, Director of Post-Acquisition, IBM Consulting Ventures, Ecosystems & Acquisitions, IBM
14.40 – Sponsor Session
15.20 – Increasing the Speed of the M&A Integration Lifecycle
· Accelerating key business decisions between agreement of the T/S and Announce
o aligning internal stakeholders while going through DD
· Navigating a fast moving (complex and uncertain) business environment during the integration
Massimo Malizia, Director Corporate Development Integration, Cisco Systems
15.50 – Afternoon Coffee and Networking
16.30 – The Impact of AI on Managing your Deal Team and Creating Value
· How AI-Powered Operating Models Improve M&A Integration Execution
· The human factor of managing the PMI function and process
· Managing people across your function, the M&A deal team and the business, despite increase of use of AI
Mark Jacob, Manager, Mergers & Acquisitions, KARL STORZ
17.00 – The Human Side of M&A – When Strategy Meets Human Reality
Discover why the true success of M&A integration is determined not by strategy, but by the people experiencing the change.
· How human reactions—not strategy—drive most integration failures
· Why leadership alignment is the first real milestone of any integration
· The psychological journey employees go through
· The cost of silence and how communication shapes trust
· Why belonging—not systems or timelines—is the real indicator of integration success
Mona Qaddoum, Head of HR M&A, Grundfos
17.30 - The Role of HR in Corporate Development; The Impact of Diversification at Aramco
Saudi Aramco is at the forefront growing and diversifying the Kingdom’s economy as part Vision 2030. Corporate Transactions are a key driver of this growth. This session explores how Aramco’s HR function has responded to deals in a diversifying range of industries, while positioning HR as a strategic partner for corporate development teams throughout the deal lifecycle. Key themes include:
HR as a strategic deal partner – how HR can influence corporate development decisions before transactions are executed, and the capabilities required for it to do so
Integration Models for HR – how Aramco approaches decisions on the extent of integration to pursue
Understanding Saudi workforce dynamics – how localization priorities and talent availability influence deal outcomes
Case Study - Managing workforce complexity and people challenges in large scale carve-outs/divestitures within a highly paternalistic culture.
Adam Tarpey, Senior Organization & Management Advisor, Aramco
Raad Sharief, HR Policy Specialist, Aramco
18.00 - Closing Remarks from the Chair and End of Day 1
19.00 - 3-Course Dinner