Master Your Merger Podcast

Mariam Huss on Making Change Stick After M&A | Master Your Merger S2 Ep 13

Most M&A integrations do not fail because the strategy is wrong. They fail because leaders underestimate what it takes for people to adopt new ways of working. A communication plan is not the same thing as change management, and moving fast can destroy trust faster than teams can rebuild it. In this episode, Klint Kendrick is joined by Mariam Huss, founder of Axxum Consulting, a human capital and change leader with global experience across major organizations and transformation work. In this conversation, you will learn: * How to avoid “broadcast only” communication and build real listening loops * Why trust and culture change take time, even when deal timelines do not * How role clarity (expectations, KPIs, RACI) reduces resistance and reversion * How to assess change capacity and prioritize when everything is changing at once Listen and subscribe to Master Your Merger wherever you get your podcasts. If you want to connect, here’s my LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariamhuss/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariamhuss/]#MasterYourMerger #PeopleFirstMNA #IntegrationLeadership #CorporateDevelopment

Simone Vascotto on Cultural Signals and Integration Debt | Master Your Merger S2 Ep 12

Most deals do not drift off track because the values sound different. They drift because behaviors do not match, decision-making slows down, and uncertainty creates integration debt: duplicated work, stalled commitments, and quiet value leakage. In this episode, Klint talks with Simone Vascotto, founder of Humanaq, about reading culture through observable behaviors and using early signals to spot misalignment before it hits the surface. Listener takeaways: * Why culture is best understood as behavior patterns, not slogans * The early signals of uncertainty that slow decisions and stall ownership * How misalignment turns into integration debt through duplication and rework * What strong alignment looks like in priorities, decision rights, and collaboration Resources: Humanaq: https://humanaq.com/ [https://humanaq.com/] Simone Vascotto (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-vascotto-7a2a81257/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-vascotto-7a2a81257/] Listen now, and follow or subscribe for more people-first, execution-focused integration lessons.

Miles Overholt on Organizational DNA and Strategy-Execution Alignment | Master Your Merger S2 Ep 11

Most integration plans fail in the same place: they assume the organization will behave rationally after close. But once you combine teams, reporting lines, and decision-making, the real operating patterns show up fast, and the deal thesis gets tested in the messy middle. In this episode, Klint Kendrick is joined by Miles Overholt, Founder and CEO of Strategia Analytics, who has spent decades working at the intersection of organizational change, strategy execution, and M&A. Miles shares how leaders can diagnose “organizational DNA” and make more intentional integration decisions when alignment, time, and certainty are in short supply. In this episode, you’ll learn: * How deal teams confuse “what looks good on paper” with how companies actually operate post-close * Three diligence questions that uncover execution reality, not just intent * Why highly aligned companies can be harder to integrate, not easier * What a more surgical integration approach looks like when you are trying to protect value Listen now, and follow Master Your Merger for more practical, people-first integration lessons Miles Overholt / Strategia Analytics: 🌐 Website: strategicanalytics.com [http://strategicanalytics.com] ✉️ Email: moverholt@strategiaanalytics.com [moverholt@strategiaanalytics.com] 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milesoverholt/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/milesoverholt/]

People Capabilities That Accelerate Integration | Maureen Berkner-Boyt (Founder & CEO, C2IQ)

Mergers succeed or fail based on more than strategy and financial engineering. The people capabilities inside an organization often determine whether integration creates momentum or friction. In this episode, Klint Kendrick speaks with Maureen Berkner-Boyt, Founder and CEO of C2IQ, about the human capabilities that shape how organizations navigate change. Mo has spent more than 30 years helping organizations unlock human potential and build stronger cultures that support performance and transformation. Together, they explore how skills like change resilience, human connection, and adaptability influence the success of integrations; why organizations often miss critical capability gaps; and how leaders can gather better people data to guide integration decisions. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE • Why the pace of organizational change has increased dramatically in recent years • How to change resilience function as a measurable skill set rather than a personality trait • Why missing human capability skills can quietly derail an integration • The role neuroscience plays in how people experience change and uncertainty • Why culture mapping alone is not enough to understand integration risk • How skills gaps in resilience and connection show up in real organizations • Why frontline managers are critical to successful integrations • The difference between rear-view mirror data and forward-looking “windshield” data • How organizations can identify capability strengths they can leverage during change • Practical steps leaders can take to better support teams during integration CONNECT WITH THE GUEST Maureen Berkner-Boyt (LinkedIn) https://www.linkedin.com/in/maureenberknerboyt/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maureenberknerboyt/] MAKE OR BREAK POWERED BY C2IQ HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/@C2IQMAKEORBREAK [https://www.youtube.com/@C2IQMakeorBreak]  #MasterYourMerger #HRMergersAndAcquisitions #PostMergerIntegration #ChangeLeadership #OrganizationalChange #FutureOfWork #Leadership

Building a Dedicated HR M&A Function at Uber | Anna Wilson (Senior HR Leader, Uber)

Many companies treat M&A as an occasional event. For companies that acquire frequently, it quickly becomes a capability. In this episode of the Master Your Merger Podcast, Klint Kendrick speaks with Anna Wilson, a senior HR leader at Uber who focuses on mergers and acquisitions and leads the HR business partner team for the delivery organization. Anna shares how her experience leading the Postmates integration helped spark the creation of a dedicated HR M&A function at Uber. She explains how the company moved away from “HR on the side of the desk” and toward a purpose-built model designed to support repeat acquisitions and complex integrations. The conversation explores how HR teams can partner more effectively with corporate development, technology, and business leaders while balancing strategy, operations, and the realities of integrating real people into a fast-moving organization. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE • How the Postmates acquisition led Uber to build a dedicated HR M&A capability • Why HR M&A teams often need to think like a CHRO across the full people lifecycle • How Uber structured a “two in a box” model pairing HR M&A leaders with integration program managers • Why HR sometimes moves ahead of the business strategy and how to avoid that trap • How integration decisions can disrupt marketplace dynamics if timing is wrong • Why serial acquirers benefit from dedicated M&A expertise instead of ad hoc HR support • How Uber balances business HR partners with dedicated M&A specialists • Why simplifying processes is essential in complex integrations • How breaking down functional silos improves integration outcomes • Why HR leaders must understand the business model behind the deal before designing a people strategy CONNECT WITH THE GUEST Anna Wilson https://www.linkedin.com/in/anjushawilson/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anjushawilson/] Search: Anna Wilson, Uber #MasterYourMerger #PeopleFirstMNA #PostMergerIntegration #HRLeadership #MergersAndAcquisitions #Uber