Breakout Session - Realizing Deal Value: Keeping Companies on the Purple Curve

Realizing Deal Value: Keeping Companies on the Purple Curve.

Two-thirds of deals fail to deliver shareholder value, under-performing investment targets. So how can companies beat the statistical odds and be in the one-third that achieve satisfactory returns (the “purple curve”) or even greater? We believe it requires a M&A lifecycle approach to transactions and a change in mindset to approach the various phases differently. For example, traditionally due diligence is limited to financial and tax diligence. However, with a greater investment in the diligence phase in areas such as operations, information technology, human resources, and exploring cultural alignment, companies can mitigate the first two reasons why deals fall short: over-paying and over-estimating synergies. This in turn creates greater momentum going into closing, which mitigates the other two primary reasons why deals fall short. In this session, we will discuss this re-balanced approach to the M&A Lifecycle and explore ways companies can stay on the purple curve instead with joining the majority which fail to deliver the anticipated value.

Ed Kleinguetl

Ed is an operations partner specializing in our Integration & Separation offering within the Transaction Services. He has over 30 years of experience, including strategic investment advisory services to grassroots facilities, integrations, separations and divestitures, and performance improvement projects.

Ed joined Grant Thornton in January 2013. Prior to Grant Thornton, Ed was a Partner with a “Big 4” Firm where he was a founding member of the Transaction Integration practice and later practice leader for the Southeast. He advised on deals throughout the world, including Brazil and China. He has been involved with hundreds of deals, advising both private equity and corporate clients. Clients have varied in size from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies. Most recently Ed was Executive Vice-President of a globally recognized engineering and strategic consultancy firm to the refining, petrochemical and gas sectors with clients in the Middle East, Thailand, China, Japan, Brazil, and various parts of the world.

Ben Siebach

Ben is a Managing Director with Grant Thornton’s Transaction Services practice serving clients nationally. He has more than 20 years of global operations and senior leadership experience across a variety of technology industries.  Prior to Grant Thornton, Ben worked as a vice president for Sorenson Capital, based in Salt Lake City, focused on target-company due diligence and, after acquisition, on strategic and operational improvements within portfolio companies. He contributed most specifically in operations and international growth efforts in a variety of sectors. Most recently, as chief financial officer and chief operating officer of VC-owned Optisense Networks, he was tasked with leading the company through add-on fundraising rounds while bringing improved processes and structure to the product development, sales and manufacturing functions. Previously, as a founder and managing director of Senoma Group, Ben led technology strategy and development engagements for investors and companies, bringing connected devices more broadly to market.