Harvard Business School (HBS) Executive Education will launch Mergers and Acquisitions: Strategy, Execution, and Post-Merger Management on the HBS campus in Boston from January 15–20, 2017. This new program will help executives from the public and private sectors understand the M&A process, from strategy and valuation to execution and post-merger management.

Mergers and acquisitions are transforming the competitive landscape across the globe, and M&A activity has reached record levels. This program is designed to provide executives from any industry with a cross-functional view of the M&A process. Executives will return to their organizations with the necessary frameworks and skills to broker powerful deals, create shareholder value, and drive growth.

"Executives must remember that completing a successful merger or acquisition is not the job of one person," said Frances Frei, UPS Foundation Professor of Service Management and Senior Associate Dean for Executive Education at Harvard Business School. "Managing a successful merger or acquisition requires collaborative efforts to identify targets, perform valuations and due diligence, close the best deal, and integrate employees efficiently. This program equips executives with a roadmap for M&A success."

The program curriculum provides a view of the M&A process across disciplines. Through global case studies on leading companies, executives will explore best practices for navigating complex, multi-issue deals. Participants will examine the challenges and opportunities presented by hedge-fund activism, hostile takeovers, cross-border deals, corporate inversions, earn-outs, spin-offs, restructurings, and corporate governance. The program also addresses valuation and analysis methods, negotiation, financing, strategy, and post-merger management.

"Driving growth through M&A is vital to CEOs and board members across industries, so we designed our curriculum to meet the needs of a diverse set of business leaders," said Guhan Subramanian, H. Douglas Weaver Professor of Business Law and faculty chair of Mergers and Acquisitions: Strategy, Execution, and Post-Merger Management. "Our overall goal is to show that negotiation is bigger than just the bargaining table. We do this by training executives in valuation, strategy, and post-merger management, allowing them to gain a strategic advantage in all areas of M&A."

Mergers and Acquisitions: Strategy, Execution, and Post-Merger Management is designed for senior executives in the C-Suite, directors of public and private companies, board leaders, and heads of strategy and corporate development. It is also geared toward advisers, investment bankers, transactional lawyers, and private equity investors. Individuals and teams are welcome to attend.

As with other HBS Executive Education offerings, Mergers and Acquisitions: Strategy, Execution, and Post-Merger Management will rely on research from leading HBS faculty, discussions with industry peers, and learnings from real-world case studies from successful global companies.