Getting the integration right is critical to ensure that the business has a ground footing to accelerate the integration benefits of the merged business.

Alignment at the Executive level will be a critical step in ensuring that the integration is clear.

A large part of the integration is about people and communication. That is, taking people on the journey so they understand what the plan is, why we are driving each activity and how they can be involved.

Jo Hands writes all about driving value creation. Value creation is a word that’s used a lot, but what does it mean? Creating value - customer, consumer and financial. When a company buys a business, they focus on value creation. The business case assumes that there is value to create. This value can be created by pulling either strategic or operational levers.

Jo Hands is talking about simplicity. It's a theme for 2021... Companies want to drive simplicity, and many CEOs we are talking to consider this to be a key area of focus. As companies grow, shrink and change, they find themselves more complex. But where does it come from? Ultimately complexity is driven by core business functions: process, policy, systems, operating models, and is fuelled further by unclear decision-making.

Jo Hands explains why you need to measure what matters. So much data, so many reports means we’re not sure what we should measure; inactivity of red metrics… Metrics not measured against targets. Targets are soft. There are all issues that we hear from our clients.

Jo Hands talks about the importance of simplification and where to start when trying to simplify in your own business. Companies create complexity as they grow, and action is required to change. You don't want to shave around edges, so instead create a set of criteria - and be very clear on what must change. Then build a program of work around this.