How to Build Better Deals: Sourcing and Integration with John Romeo

John Romeo, CEO of the Oliver Wyman Forum and Head of M&A at Oliver Wyman

We sit down with John Romeo to explore Oliver Wyman's disciplined, strategic approach to M&A. Romeo shares how his team sources deals through a bespoke pipeline, aligns incentives with founder-led businesses, and plans integrations that prioritize people and long-term value creation. From cultural diligence to pricing discipline, this episode reveals what it really takes to execute successful deals in a high-touch, people-driven industry.

What You'll Learn:

• How to build and manage a bespoke M&A pipeline
  
  

• The difference between banker-led and buyer-led deal processes
  
  

• What cultural alignment looks like in professional services deals
  
  

• How to structure integration and retention plans to protect long-term value

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Episode Chapters

[00:01:00] – John's career journey and role at Oliver Wyman
[00:04:00] – Purpose of the Oliver Wyman Forum and strategic M&A outlook

[00:09:00] – Oliver Wyman's M&A philosophy: strategy, culture, math
[00:15:00] – Sourcing strategy: bespoke vs. banker-led deals
[00:20:00] – How they build a deal pipeline and prioritize targets
[00:24:00] – Building long-term relationships with potential targets
[00:30:00] – Aligning incentives and structuring fair deal terms
[00:34:00] – Real-world example: Oliver Wyman's acquisition of Avascent
[00:39:00] – Integration best practices and measuring success
[00:44:00] – Retention strategy for people-based businesses
[00:47:00] – Applying lessons from private equity to internal M&A
[00:50:00] – Creating an M&A culture across the organization

Questions, comments, concerns?
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