New Factors to Consider in Due Diligence, With Kroll’s Cathleen Hughes

On this episode of Deal-By-Deal, host Greg Hawver is joined by Cathleen Hughes, Kroll’s Director of Corporate Finance and Restructuring, for a deep dive into due diligence, including M&A transactions and post-closing.

Risks associated with M&A deals have evolved. “And these risks include those that can be discovered pre-transaction as well as risks that may not exist at the outset, but can require some continual monitoring post-close in order to mitigate the emergence of such risks.”

Greg and Cathleen discuss how the due diligence process guides the successful completion of a deal. It can be divided into various phases including initial structuring diligence and confirmatory diligence. They also emphasize the importance of addressing the post-closing aspects of due diligence, which can be overlooked as investors move on to new deals. 

Cathleen also provides insights on due diligence categories that are often overlooked but very impactful. These include background checks, corporate culture, cyber risk, and digital chatter. 

Meet Your Guest

Name: Cathleen Hughes

Title: Director, Corporate Finance and Restructuring at Kroll

Speciality: Cathleen is a director in Kroll’s Corporate Finance group, based in Chicago. She brings more than 20 years of experience to her work in M&A with a focus on financial sponsor coverage.

Connect: LinkedIn

Acquired Knowledge

Top takeaways from this episode 

• Make the most of financial and accounting due diligence in M&A deals. Conduct a quality of earnings assessment prior to the transaction with a thorough corporate structure analysis.
• There are new due diligence options to consider. Consider background checks and investigations in diligence, especially for deals involving new markets or new-to-you categories.
• Consider digital chatter an early warning indicator. Monitoring online discussions and activities across various web platforms can provide insights into emerging risks before they materialize.

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