Engineering the M&A Process

M&A Academy at Wharton San Francisco

MARCH 18 & 19, 2025

Section 1

M&A Strategy & Process Management


  • Strategy development with the business
  • Identifying and cultivating appropriate acquisition targets
  • Constructing indications of interest / letters of intent / setting the tone
  • Negotiation tactics and process / auction dynamics
  • Developing a clear and testable growth thesis
  • Defining roles and key milestones in the M&A process
  • Managing decision bias; setting walk away frameworks

Section 2

M&A Valuation & Diligence


  • Valuation models and stress testing the business case
  • Earn-out formulations and contingent consideration mechanisms
  • Allocating diligence responsibility to advisors and internal teams
  • Diligence reports and risks of confirmation bias
  • Tactics to increase accuracy and validity of synergy estimates
  • Linking the deal thesis and value drivers to the diligence process
  • Conducting commercial, financial, operational, and organizational diligence

Section 3

M&A Governance & Closing


  • Finalizing the deal theses with diligence results and integration frameworks
  • Determining deal performance metrics; plans for post-closing reviews
  • Accounting principles and net working capital adjustments
  • Post-closing purchase price adjustments
  • Identifying common mistakes and pitfalls in synergy realization plans
  • Managing the final 'go forward' or 'abandon' decision process
  • Escrows and contingent consideration payments

Best Practices

Designed for Corporate M&A Professionals


The M&A Academy was developed for corporate development professionals, strategy leaders, in-house M&A counsel, integration specialists, senior financial analysts, and business executives that are involved in devising and/or executing mergers and acquisitions. 

M&A Academy - Justification Letter.docx

Teaching Faculty

Stephen G. Morrissette, Ph.D


Stephen G. Morrissette, Ph.D. is a Visiting Professor of Business Administration at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he teaches Merger & Acquisition Strategy. 

His 30 years of transaction expertise includes various Chief Financial Officer roles where he was responsible for M&A and post-merger integration.

His career includes 15-years of full-time teaching senior executives in Strategic Planning, M&A, and Capital Planning.

Professor Morrissette has been teaching for the Institute since 2015. He was appointed to serve as Faculty Director in 2020.

Exclusively for Corporate M&A Professionals

M&A Academy at Wharton San Francisco

Tuesday, March 18, 2025 
8:30 am - 5:00 pm PST

Wednesday, March 19, 2025
8:30 am - 12:00 pm PST

Learn About Membership Accounts

Registration is not open to M&A consultants, advisors, vendors, or members of the media. Unqualified registrations will be canceled and refunded, less a $100 bank processing fee.

Also at Wharton San Francisco

M&A Conference | March 19 & 20, 2025

Stay on campus for the annual M&A Conference at Wharton San Francisco - a cross-disciplinary program that draws on experienced M&A professionals from various industries and regions who share first-hand experiences, best practices, and recommendations for navigating deals through both internal and external challenges.
Learn More
Transaction Advisors Institute M&A Conference

“The M&A Academy is a great way to get up to speed on corporate development best practices."

M&A Integration Manager

Google

Corporate Development Lead

Block, Inc.

"Enjoyed bringing my team together to learn about M&A in a more structured environment, with other professionals from other companies/industries (vs. mostly by just doing deals!). It helped to complement the existing deal experience the team had."

Integration Management Office Manager

Cargill

“An excellent time spent away from the office, to come together to learn, share, and expand knowledge surrounding the M&A process. The attendee's were diverse - multiple different backgrounds, industries, etc - that it enabled great discussion, learnings and new found LinkedIn connections. Overall, I would definitely recommend this M&A course!"

Senior Director, Corporate Strategy

Tyson Foods

"As someone who has some experience in M&A, the M&A Academy was a great class for both beginners and experienced practitioners alike. The engaging and active style made it easy to forget you were in a classroom for a day and a half."

Director, Corporate M&A

DuPont

“Engaging context with practical, real life experiences to help the M&A 'boots on the ground' practitioner.”

Corporate Development Director

Akamai Technologies

"The M&A Academy really taught me how to best translate my company's broader objectives into a cohesive M&A strategy. I've already put material from this M&A course into practice at my company.”

Vice President, Corporate Development

ForwardAir

"Professor Morrissette's instruction and discussion leading were engaging and informed by a wealth of practical and theoretical knowledge. Nearly as valuable were the perspectives and experiences shared by my fellow practitioners taking the class. It was very helpful to check our approach and process against established thinking and the real-life practice of Professor Morrissette and my classmates."

Senior Manager, M&A

NielsenIQ

"Professor Morrissette gives you a valuable toolkit to create value within your M&A team. This course skips the mundane text-book definitions and dives right in to the key points in sourcing a deal, running a process, and how to link these to a successful integration plan."

Strategy and Corporate Development Manager

HolcimUS

"10 out of 10. Had a great experience, learned from Professor Morrissette and from the other attendees. The topics were all relevant and I brought them back to my team. 100% would recommend."

Corporate Strategy Manager

USG Corporation

“Professor Morrissette was great. The energy level he brought to the class was amazing and his ability to quickly translate questions into real world examples was interesting and helpful”.