M&A Insights for CFOs

An M&A specialist is a senior CFO with a proven track record of overseeing and implementing mergers and acquisitions. They may be hired on a full-time basis and carry a full CFO workload or can be recruited on a part-time or interim basis to focus on a specific merger or acquisition.

This flexibility is ideal for start-ups and SMEs who don’t have the budget to recruit a full external team to oversee an M&A or to hire a full-time CFO.

The CFO is a link between both companies engaged in the M&A, acting as the eyes and ears for both the board and CEO. Their financial skills enable them to identify potential M&A opportunities and incorporate risk management into their strategy to get the most value out of their deal.

Most companies evolve their approach to mergers and acquisitions organically, especially those who rely on an M&A specialist instead of having a dedicated team that works solely on M&A.

The CFO is responsible for considering any potential acquisitions, crunching the numbers involved, and ensuring due diligence. They’ll be responsible for determining the value of a potential M&A and presenting it to the company’s board and leadership team to determine whether to make the purchase.

An M&A specialist is responsible for gathering the data – including both positive and negative factors – to present an objective look at the other organisation and the potential value the acquisition could bring.

CFOs will spend most of their time getting to grips with the numbers involved, long before presenting the M&A proposal to the board. This exercise also requires them to have real-time insight into their own company’s performance, value, and finances to paint a wider picture.

An M&A specialist will take the critical steps of ensuring that the numbers presented to them are correct. CFOs who don’t specialise in M&As will still have the skill set required to oversee the process but may lack the efficiency and unique insight of an M&A specialist.

Companies that are exploring the option of a merger or being acquired by another company may also decide to recruit an M&A specialist to prepare their accounting. The organisation will want to ensure they present the correct numbers to get the correct valuation and prevent any delays further in the process if incorrect numbers pop up.

Getting on top of the data early can enable CFOs to plan accordingly. Most will want to provide extra time within their strategy for any potential hiccups along the way. Spending more time on the data early on can speed up the process while still ensuring due diligence is met.

Visit our website to learn more https://www.fdcapital.co.uk/mergers-and-acquistions-specialist/