Counting on Finance: A CFO’s Guide to Doing Deals |
The current credit crisis may have put a squeeze on some deal-making dreams, but for strategic buyers with strong balance sheets and the wherewithal to withstand the pressures of a major transaction, we believe this is a time of excellent opportunities. Merger, acquisition, divestiture, and spin-off activities remain solid business strategies that can offer significant possibilities for value capture when managed well.
Merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions present unique opportunities and potential pitfalls for you — the senior finance leader. Value envisioned when the deal was conceived and value captured at the end are obvious areas for finance involvement. More than ever, the chief financial officer (CFO) is in a position to guide the company through the deal, with the most successful leaders filling four critical roles — what we call the “ Four faces of the CFO.”
Below you’ll find practical advice and insights to help you guide your company toward capturing the full value of the deal based on these roles.
Catalyst, operator, strategist and steward insights
Catalyst
Articles on stimulating behaviors across the organization to achieve strategic and financial objectives.
- Synergy hunt provides practical strategies for helping your company stay on track to meet synergy goals.
- Guiding investors to value presents surprising findings and ideas for communicating with the investment community, based on a study of nearly 60 large M&A transactions.
Operator
Articles on balancing capabilities, costs and service levels to fulfill the finance organization’s responsibilities.
- Putting the pieces together provides practical strategies for selecting the proper legal entity structure for carve-outs.
- Building a treasury organization from the ground up answers common questions about setting up the financial infrastructure for a new company formed from a carve out.
- Keeping score provides insight on how to tackle planning, budgeting and implementing consolidation processes before and after a merger.
- Making the most of a taxing situation helps CFOs capture M&A tax benefits that are often overlooked.
Strategist
Provides financial leadership in determining strategic business direction and align financial strategies.
- Your diligence is due provides a guide for analyzing, understanding and planning for pending litigation risks in an M&A deal.
- The move to IFRS: Understanding the impact on M&A deals presents a big-picture view of the changes, opportunities and challenges you’ll want to keep in mind, along with some practical tips.
- Getting the deal done right: The key role of finance in achieving M&A results discusses the four critical roles the CFO can play depending on the circumstance of an M&A deal.
- At the right price. How a disciplined approach to international tax can drive M&A value outlines how early international tax planning can contribute to a deal’s success through all stages of the transaction.
- Time to move out. Now what? A guide to creating your new finance organization outlines some important considerations as you prepare for a similar life-altering transition for your finance team.
Steward
Protects and preserves the assets of the organization.
- Aligning your financial close to the transaction close: Effectively executing the dreaded partial period close explains the drivers behind a partial period close, cut-off options, and the decision process you should consider when evaluating your options.
- Financial consolidation after a merger: Choosing the right approach for the job offers a practical and time-tested framework to consider in your efforts to make a smart choice.
