The Deal Paradox - by Michel Driessen & Anna Faelten & Scott Moeller (Paperback)

About the Book

Deliver successful corporate deals and M&As in the age of digital transformation with inspiring examples, takeaways and insights from top dealmakers.

Book Synopsis

The Deal Paradox explores what successful dealmaking looks like in the age of digital transformation, drawing on interviews with top dealmakers and M&A experts sharing their stories, triumphs, and challenges.

Taking a dynamic storytelling approach, The Deal Paradox navigates the transition from traditional and ingrained methods to new techniques, showing how AI, big data, and machine learning can be used to generate new opportunities and enable diversity. It walks through the attributes and skills needed in this new landscape and how M&A professionals can build them into their approach, from finding and executing deals to making sure they deliver the desired outcomes.

The Deal Paradox draws on 60 years' combined experience of cutting-edge deal making, built on landmark deals ranging from Morgan Stanley's IPO at the height of the 1980s banking boom and Kraft's takeover of Cadbury to key tech deals including the £1bn sale of financial data intelligence company Acuris to ION. Chapters are richly illustrated throughout with real-world examples featuring organizations such as Apple, Google, BP and SoftBank Vision Fund.

Review Quotes

"A insightful and thought-provoking read for those involved in mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, as well as in the world of corporate finance. As deals have become part of the DNA of business strategy, so has the use of technology in advancing and accelerating the execution of the right transactions. Through the lens of experience, the authors use interviews and stories with leading dealmakers to highlight the impact of technology on today's deal market, and to forecast the likely implications of digital transformation to the M&A process. Whether an experienced investment banker or early career analyst, you need to read The Deal Paradox."-- "Kenneth H Marks, Managing Partner and Founder, High Rock Partners"

"In a world where rapid technology development and adoption are forcing the pace of change, this book reminds us that human values and relationships are the foundation of all successful business dealings."-- "Anne Glover, Chief Executive and Co-founder, Amadeus Capital"

"Shows the unstoppable rise in the use of big data and AI in large M&A deals, which mirrors every other industry, including global sports such as football. And, just as we found in the sports industry where we argue that "the machine proposes but the human decides", Driessen, Faelten and Moeller show why the human element of deals will only become more important with the increasing use of technology to conduct deals. This is a must-read for anyone engaged in divestitures, acquisitions and large financial deals."-- "Chris Brady, Chief Intelligence Officer, Sportsology Group"

About the Author

Michel Driessen is a Senior Partner in EY's Strategy and Transactions group. He has previously held senior executive positions at Accenture, Visa and Rabobank. He has worked on and led over 100 multi-billion-pound transactions with the world's largest corporations and private equity firms. He is an Honorary Senior Visiting Fellow at Bayes Business School in London.

Anna Faelten, PhD, is an experienced corporate finance Partner at EY. She leads EY's Technology, Media and Telecoms (TMT) Corporate Finance practice. She has a wealth of corporate finance and consulting experience, spanning public to private sector, private equity-backed, founder owned and corporate buy-side and sell-side transactions.

Scott Moeller is a Professor in the Practice of Finance at the Bayes Business School in London, UK, and is the founder and Director of the M&A Research Centre. He teaches 'Mergers & Acquisitions' in the MBA and MSc programmes. He has had a highly successful banking career with Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan, holding a number of senior management roles.