M&A Lifecycle-Executing an Acquisition

Panelists Cydni Tetro, Wendell Laidley, and Derrick Porter have very different backgrounds but during the 2021 CFO Summit, they came together to talk about the different ways they executed each stage of the M&A lifecycle successfully in their businesses.

Cydni is currently the CEO of Brandless, a technology-enabled commerce platform that is building the largest roll-up of digitally native mission-based brands. Prior to that, she was CEO of ForgeDX, a customer acceleration platform used by companies like Verizon, Adobe, Microsoft, Dell, and other large tech companies to transform the customer experience. She also founded and was the CEO of 3DpulsMe, which was acquired, and was a 3D printing personalization platform, where you could become an Ironman action figure and more in partnership with Marvel, Star Wars, NFL, MLB and Hasbro, Walmart, and Target.

Wendell is an experienced operator, investor, and entrepreneur who has spent the last 20+ years in Silicon Valley before migrating to join Lumio in Silicon Slopes. He has been directly involved in more than 40 IPO and M&A transactions with a collective value of >$43 BB.

Derrick Porter serves as CEO of Beauty Industry Group (BIG), a holding company that manages and owns businesses in the beauty industry. BIG operates 13 global beauty brands selling to customers in 165 countries with offices in the UK, EU, Canada, Australia, and across the United States. Over the last 15 years, Derrick and his team have created and built a multi-channel, multi-brand strategy both through M&A and through BIG’s own new enterprise launches.

During their discussion they shared their perspectives on the following topics:

Building M&A teams before acquisition vs. scaling during one
Integration plans based on the size of the acquisition
Hiring talent before you need it
Aligning vision and expectations through the M&A lifecycle
What CEOs expect from a CFO in each phase of the M&A lifecycle

Watch the full video to hear Cydni Tetro, Wendell Laidley, and Derrick Porter’s final call to action.