Program Management & Governance - M&A
M&A integration is the operational, technology, and people work required to realize synergies and align two businesses after an acquisition. Assured Velocity provides independent integration advisory from due diligence through the first 100 days - without vendor relationships or implementation revenue - for mid-market acquirers where integration complexity is high and internal capacity is limited.
Where M&A risk concentrates
Integration planning starts too late
Integration workstreams that begin after deal close rather than during due diligence miss the window to identify and sequence operational dependencies correctly. The first 100 days then become reactive rather than controlled.
Operating model decisions deferred
Decisions about which systems, processes, and team structures survive the integration are often deferred to avoid disruption. Deferred decisions become permanent ambiguity - and permanent ambiguity is expensive.
Cultural and people risk underestimated
Integration programs that treat the people dimension as a communications exercise rather than a structural one suffer avoidable attrition of the talent the acquisition was made to retain.
Technology and data incompatibility
System landscapes that cannot be reconciled without significant rework - ERP, CRM, finance, and data infrastructure - are consistently the source of integration delay and cost overrun.
Governance structures not designed for integration pace
Integration requires decisions at a pace that normal BAU governance cannot support. Without a dedicated integration governance structure, decision velocity slows and momentum is lost.
Value realization not tracked
The synergies and value drivers that justified the deal are rarely tracked with the same rigour post-close as they were modelled pre-deal. Assured Velocity builds value realization tracking into the integration program from day one.
What M&A covers
Assured Velocity provides independent integration leadership and advisory across the full deal lifecycle. Typical scope includes:
- Integration readiness assessment, structured review of operational, technology, and people readiness ahead of deal close
- Integration program design, definition of workstreams, governance structure, and decision framework for the integration
- Day 1 and first 100-day planning, sequenced plan for the critical early period with clear ownership and decision gates
- Operating model design, definition of the target operating model for the combined entity with clarity on systems, processes, and organisational structure
- Technology and data integration planning, assessment of system compatibility and definition of the integration or migration path
- Value realization tracking, ongoing measurement of synergy delivery against the deal thesis, with escalation paths when delivery is at risk
Independent, not conflicted
No vendor relationships, no implementation revenue. Assured Velocity's only interest is a well-governed integration that realises the deal value.
PE and corporate experience
Practitioners with direct experience across PE-backed integrations, corporate acquisitions, and carve-outs - understanding the different pressures each creates.
Covers the full stack
Process, technology, data, people, and governance - the integration dimensions that determine whether a deal creates or destroys value, addressed as a connected whole.
Products that deliver this
| Product | Fee | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Discovery Scan | £5,000 | 5 days | Learn more → |
| Company Wide Diagnostic | Bespoke | Up to 120 days | Learn more → |
| Program Recovery & Stabilisation | Bespoke | Program-based | Learn more → |
Deal signed or close approaching?
The earlier integration planning begins, the better the outcome. Start with a 30-minute call to establish where the risk is and what a useful first step looks like.
We take on a limited number of engagements each quarter.
What clients say
What clients say.
“The operational due diligence found three issues that would have hit the value creation plan in the first year. We renegotiated the price.”
Operating Partner · Mid-market PE fund
“The integration program was already stalling six weeks post-close. Assured Velocity reset the governance and got us back on plan.”
CFO · PE-backed business
“They gave us an independent view of the target's operating model before we committed. The findings changed how we structured the deal.”
Director · Lower mid-market PE fund
“The 100-day plan they built gave the portfolio company and the fund a shared view of what needed to happen and who owned it.”
COO · PE-backed services business
“System fragmentation post-acquisition was creating reporting chaos. They fixed the root cause in six weeks without disrupting the combined business.”
CTO · Acquired SaaS business
“The due diligence report was the most operationally rigorous we had seen. Gave us the confidence to proceed and the roadmap to close the gaps.”
Investment Director · Mid-market PE fund
“The operational due diligence found three issues that would have hit the value creation plan in the first year. We renegotiated the price.”
Operating Partner · Mid-market PE fund
“The integration program was already stalling six weeks post-close. Assured Velocity reset the governance and got us back on plan.”
CFO · PE-backed business
“They gave us an independent view of the target's operating model before we committed. The findings changed how we structured the deal.”
Director · Lower mid-market PE fund
“The 100-day plan they built gave the portfolio company and the fund a shared view of what needed to happen and who owned it.”
COO · PE-backed services business
“System fragmentation post-acquisition was creating reporting chaos. They fixed the root cause in six weeks without disrupting the combined business.”
CTO · Acquired SaaS business
“The due diligence report was the most operationally rigorous we had seen. Gave us the confidence to proceed and the roadmap to close the gaps.”
Investment Director · Mid-market PE fund