How to Build Better Deals: Sourcing and Integration with John Romeo

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May 26, 2025

Join John Romeo, CEO of the Oliver Wyman Forum and M&A expert with over 30 years in consulting, as he dives into the art of mergers and acquisitions. He reveals the nuances of building a bespoke M&A pipeline and emphasizes the importance of cultural alignment in professional services. Learn how to prioritize deal sourcing and integration while fostering long-term relationships. With insights on retention strategies and the human elements that drive success, John shares how to navigate this intricate landscape for maximum value creation.

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INSIGHT

Oliver Wyman's M&A Philosophy

Oliver Wyman approaches M&A with a focus on strategy, culture, and math.
They link deals explicitly to firm strategy to build capabilities and expand geographically.

ADVICE

Build Bespoke Deal Pipelines

Invest time in building long-term relationships with target firms through bespoke pipelines.
Prioritize cultural fit and let founders see a legacy beyond just the deal.

ADVICE

Filter and Prioritize Targets

Prioritize deals based on economics, cultural fit, and financial viability.
Reach out to build relationships and explore collaboration rather than rushing into acquisition talks.

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John Romeo, CEO of the Oliver Wyman Forum and Head of M&A at Oliver Wyman

We sit down with John Romeo to explore Oliver Wyman’s disciplined, strategic approach to M&A. Romeo shares how his team sources deals through a bespoke pipeline, aligns incentives with founder-led businesses, and plans integrations that prioritize people and long-term value creation. From cultural diligence to pricing discipline, this episode reveals what it really takes to execute successful deals in a high-touch, people-driven industry.

What You’ll Learn:

How to build and manage a bespoke M&A pipeline
The difference between banker-led and buyer-led deal processes
What cultural alignment looks like in professional services deals
How to structure integration and retention plans to protect long-term value

______________________ This episode is sponsored by DealRoom! Turn your chaos into control. Tired of chasing updates across spreadsheets and email threads? Discover how DealRoom helps corporate development teams bring order to M&A. 👉 Learn how you can run a repeatable, buyer-led process ___________ Join Kison at the DealMakers Forum in New York City! This event connects the most active players in M&A and corporate finance. Meet top M&A executives, investors, and deal advisors and discover how senior leaders structure and close high-value deals. Register Today! ________________________

Episode Chapters

[00:01:00] – John’s career journey and role at Oliver Wyman [00:04:00] – Purpose of the Oliver Wyman Forum and strategic M&A outlook

[00:09:00] – Oliver Wyman’s M&A philosophy: strategy, culture, math [00:15:00] – Sourcing strategy: bespoke vs. banker-led deals [00:20:00] – How they build a deal pipeline and prioritize targets [00:24:00] – Building long-term relationships with potential targets [00:30:00] – Aligning incentives and structuring fair deal terms [00:34:00] – Real-world example: Oliver Wyman’s acquisition of Avascent [00:39:00] – Integration best practices and measuring success [00:44:00] – Retention strategy for people-based businesses [00:47:00] – Applying lessons from private equity to internal M&A [00:50:00] – Creating an M&A culture across the organization

Questions, comments, concerns? Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.