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Executive summary
The missing multiple
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The missing multiple: Alignment
Optimising value across the deal cycle
70 % buy-and-build integrations are more likely to meet or exceed synergies when they actively align vision, brand and culture. (McKinsey) 60 % of M&A deals fail due to cultural misalignment. (Harvard Business Review)
First 100 days: Accelerating clarity
A good or great investment?
Private equity has mastered operational value creation. But in today’s market, execution alone is not enough. Deals stall. Integration drags. Talent drifts. Customers leave. The root cause is rarely operational. It’s misalignment.
Pre-deal due diligence
Brand due diligence surfaces value creation headroom, and growth risk, early. • How clear and credible are the vision and growth story? • Is there hidden reputational risk? • Is the culture aligned to the ambition? • Is the business under-positioned relative to its market potential? Brand reveals what the numbers can’t. It’s risk mitigation beyond the balance sheet.
Alignment acts as ‘growth glue’ to accelerate clarity, confidence and market advantage
Buyers don’t just buy EBITDA. They buy an aligned growth story. Underpinned by a: • Differentiated market position • Confident leadership narrative • Strong brand and reputation • High-performing culture A growth story driven by alignment and clarity enhances buyer confidence and market valuation.
Misalignment between: • Leadership vision • Market positioning • Organizational reality
When aligned: • Teams move faster
When aligned, clarity drives market advantage, growth accelerates and multiples expand. When misaligned, value leaks – quietly, expensively and often invisibly. The firms embedding alignment early – pre-deal, during integration and ahead of exit – are the ones capturing the missing multiple. This report outlines where value leaks and how to leverage alignment for scalable value across the deal cycle.
• Decision-making sharpens • Go-to-market momentum accelerates
Most synergy or integration drag is not operational. It’s narrative. When leadership vision, market story and cultural reality aren’t aligned: • Synergies stall
• Talent disengages • Customers hesitate
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Value optimization model™ – page 51
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