Preparing for Strategy& M&A role

Question

Hi guys,

I have accepted an offer for Strategy&'s M&A strategy team starting in April. I really want to hit the ground running in the new role but am unsure how to best prepare.

Any guidance would be really appreciated including any specific resources or books with may be beneficial.

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Hello there,

Congratulations for accepting the new role!

It would be useful to familiarize yourself with the following elements of M&A:

Due diligence: financial, operational, commercial, etc
Valuation: DCF, multiples, comparables
Synergies: costs, revenues
Deal structuring: legal, accounting, tax, anti-trust considerations, key financial metrics, and financing structure
Post-merger integration: culture, communications, organization structure, operations, business processes

I would suggest to read the materials below to be best prepared:

Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies - Tim Koller, Marc Goedhart, and David Wessels (McKinsey & Company)
Mergers & Acquisitions from A to Z: Strategic and Practical Guidance for Buyers and Sellers - by Andrew J. Sherman
Perspectives on Merger Integration (McKinsey & Company) -https://www.mckinsey.com/client_service/organization/latest_thinking/~/media/1002A11EEA4045899124B917EAC7404C.ashx
The Art of M&A: A Merger Acquisition Buyout Guide - by Stanley Foster Reed, Alexandra Lajoux, and H. Peter Nesvold
The Brave New World of M&A: How to Create Value from Mergers and Acquisitons (BCG)
https://www.bcg.com/documents/file15069.pdf
Buyout: The insider's Guide to Buying your Own Company - by Rick Rickertsen
M&A in Disruption: 2018 in Review - Using M&A to ride the tide of disruption (Bain & Company)
https://www.bain.com/contentassets/fe0330765f7f478091d189867a614780/bain-report-manda_in_disruption_2018_in_review.pdf
Investment Banking: Valuation, Leveraged Buyouts, and Mergers and Acquisitions - by Joshua Rosenbaum and Joshua Pearl

Hope it helps and all the best!

Kind regards,
Nathan

Answer 2

Hi, Based on my knowledge from friends working there, the starting salary range for an associate is around $70-80k... (read entire answer)

Hi, Based on my knowledge from friends working there, the starting salary range for an associate is around $70-80k as base salary, On top of which you get a housing allowance... (read entire answer)