MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
M&A integration, designed for value - not just for close.
Most acquisition value is won at signing and lost at integration. The synergy case is built on assumptions about combined operating models, customer journeys, technology platforms and people that will only be tested once Day One arrives. Forbury is engaged before that point, to design the integration on the same terms as the deal itself.
What we lead
Integration Strategy and Operating Model
We translate the deal thesis into a target operating model the combined business can actually run. Functions, geographies, customer segments, technology estate, decision rights and governance; sequenced so the synergy story stays intact through execution.
Day One Readiness and the First 100 Days
We design the readiness work that protects continuity at completion: legal entity, customer-facing operations, payroll, regulatory permissions, data and brand. We define what must be true on Day One, what can wait, and the governance that keeps that line clear under pressure.
Synergy Realisation and Value Tracking
Cost synergies, revenue synergies and capability synergies; each owned by an executive, each tracked against the case the board signed. We instrument the programme so synergy is not a slide, it is a number the CFO can reconcile.
Cultural and Organisational Integration
The most underestimated workstream. Leadership selection, redesigned roles, retention of critical talent, brand and communications, and the lived experience for customers and colleagues across the transition. The integrations that succeed are the ones that take this as seriously as the technology cutover.
Why James?
James led the integration of an acquired major life assurance and pensions business at Aviva - a multi-year programme spanning operating model, technology platforms, customer migration and regulatory continuity. He has advised on integration design at Barclays, RSA and Direct Line Group, and led M&A related transformation programmes and propositions for clients of EY and PA Consulting across UK and EMEIA financial services.
He understands the integration leader role from the inside: the cadence of the steering committee, the conversations with the board, the trade-offs that have to be made in the room. That is the experience Forbury brings to your programme.
“A deal closes on a signature.
A merger succeeds on an integration.”
HOW WE ENGAGE ON M&A
“James has a real knack for building transformation plans that not only hit business objectives but actually land I a way that delivers real value. He keeps focus on the big priorities, but always has the awareness and tact to get the right support around them.”
— Audrey Boyd, Programme Director, Direct Line Group