Paul Miller, CEO of Questex, shares insights from leading over 90 acquisitions. He highlights the critical importance of cultural fit and proactive relationship-building with potential targets. Miller discusses the need for a detailed integration playbook and the challenges of post-close audits. He also emphasizes when to walk away from a deal, emphasizing the dangers of 'deal fever.' With candid advice on navigating international deals and the personal dynamics of founder-led acquisitions, his experiences offer valuable lessons for M&A practitioners.
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insights INSIGHT
Culture Over Numbers in M&A
Successful acquisitions depend largely on cultural and people fit rather than just numbers.
Poor people management often causes deals to fail despite financial considerations.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Build Early Relationships
Build relationships with potential targets before they enter the market to understand their culture and plans.
Early engagement enables comfort and better integration once formal process begins.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Casual Initial Outreach Works
Use informal language to initiate conversations and explore partnership or acquisition possibilities.
Focus on authentic relationship-building rather than immediate purchase intentions.
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Paul Miller joins us to share his extensive experience in M&A, having led more than 90 acquisitions throughout his career. Paul reveals how Questex uses a proactive, buyer-led approach focused on culture, strategic alignment, and integration discipline.
The conversation dives into the importance of early relationship-building with potential targets, auditing post-close success, and developing internal M&A capability—even when the team has no prior deal experience. Paul also shares candid advice on international deals, when to walk away, and how to avoid the common trap of "deal fever."
💡Things you will learn:
Why cultural fit and people issues often make or break a deal
How to proactively source and warm up acquisition targets
What to include in your M&A integration playbook and audit process
When and why to walk away from a deal—even post-LOI
Intro and Guest Background – 00:00:00 Biggest Lessons Learned from 90+ Acquisitions – 00:03:00 Proactive Buyer Outreach and Building Relationships Early – 00:04:00 Assessing Culture and People Fit in Target Companies – 00:13:00 How to Approach Founder-Led vs. Institutional Sellers – 00:10:30 Retaining or Replacing the CEO Post-Close – 00:17:00 Customer Diligence and Walking Away Post-LOI – 00:19:30 Developing a Structured, Data-Driven Deal Process – 00:25:00 Integration Playbook and Post-Close Audits – 00:31:00 Empowering the Full Exec Team to Source Deals – 00:37:30 The Importance of Learning by Doing in M&A – 00:32:30 Hardest Deal: Cultural Surprises in a China Acquisition – 00:42:00
Questions, comments, concerns? Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.
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