Where integration fails
The strategic logic of a transaction is rarely the problem. The critical phase comes after closing:
- Duplicate structures persist for years because nobody owns the consolidation operationally.
- IT landscapes are not merged — planned synergies drain away into interface workarounds.
- Governance stays unclear between the old ownership logic and new group steering.
- Key people leave because roles and prospects are not clarified.
- Culture is ignored until it becomes an escalation topic.
An interim manager with operational C-level experience takes on this responsibility — as COO, Managing Director or integration lead — and leads the business through the phase where most consulting mandates end.
From practice
Post-merger integration and ERP roll-out after a group acquisition
Following the acquisition by an international financial group, merged several companies and IT landscapes and replaced a 30-year-old ERP on schedule within 15 months.
Role: Executive Director, also Managing Director of a subsidiary. Integration strategy, single governance model, leadership team build-up.
Shared service centres and site consolidation
Turned six sites working in isolation into one centrally steered organisation: two shared service centres built outside Germany, five German sites closed, OpEx reduced by more than 30%.
Role: Executive Director. Central steering and governance, new leadership team, process harmonisation across borders.
Integration across four dimensions
I. Governance and steering
Clarifying ownership and steering logic after closing: reporting lines, decision paths, board and supervisory structures, KPIs for investor or group. Building a leadership team from the existing units — or new where necessary.
II. Structures and processes
Consolidating sites, functions and processes. Defining the target organisation. Shared service centres where economies of scale make sense.
III. IT and data
IT integration is usually the critical path of any PMI: consolidating core systems, ERP migrations, data harmonisation, reporting.
IV. Culture and people
Clear communication, no winner–loser dynamics, targeted retention of key people, onboarding of new leadership. Empathy on substance, commitment in delivery.
Typical clients
- Private-equity investors — portfolio companies after add-on acquisitions or platform investments, reporting to the board and investor.
- Corporates after acquisitions — newly acquired units, as COO or Managing Director with a clear handover path.
- Mid-market companies in succession or sale — preparing for sale, integrating afterwards or bridging a succession.
- Carve-outs — in the phase between signing and stand-alone operation: IT separation, own governance, own structures.
Frequently asked questions
When should an interim manager join the integration?
Ideally before closing, so that integration planning, governance and day-one readiness are in place. Often, however, the trigger is an integration that has stalled.
When can a mandate start?
We agree the start date in the initial call. Once scope, objectives, reporting lines and duration are defined, a structured onboarding follows.
Let’s talk about your integration
Free initial call, 30 minutes, confidential. We clarify the starting point, the critical path and whether an interim mandate is the right lever.
Arrange an initial call →