Governing the Deal: Board Oversight Across the M&A Lifecycle
June 17 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT
Boards play a pivotal role in shaping transaction strategy and outcomes, but effective oversight looks very different from management execution. From strategic alignment and target identification to deal terms, decision skepticism and discipline, risk identification, and post close integration, boards must govern the entire transaction lifecycle, not just the deal approval.
This session examines the board’s governance responsibilities across M&A strategy formulation and target identification through diligence, negotiation, approval, and integration oversight. We will clearly distinguish management’s role in execution from the board’s role to challenge, oversee, and maintain accountability, and explore how boards can govern effectively under tight timelines and incomplete or changing information.
We’ll also address common process breakdowns (and how boards can prevent them), leading practices for documentation and communications, and what “good oversight” looks like across buy-side and sell-side transactions.
The session also addresses the external support boards rely on—including financial, legal, regulatory, and risk advisors—and how directors’ engagement can protect independence, manage conflicts, and support high quality decisions.
Learning Objectives
- Explain the board’s oversight role across the M&A lifecycle—from strategy and target selection through diligence, approval, and post close integration—distinct from management execution.
- Identify the critical questions boards should ask management and advisors to test strategic rationale, value creation, risk exposure, and execution readiness under tight timelines.
- Recognize governance and risk considerations that can materially affect deal outcomes, including conflicts of interest, disclosure and communications, cyber and data risk and synergies, regulatory scrutiny, and culture and talent issues.
- Apply leading practices for overseeing advisors, strengthening decision discipline, and governing post close integration through clear accountability, documentation, and KPI based oversight.
CPE Information
Delivery: Group Internet Based
Prerequisites: None
Advanced Prep: None
Program Level: Basic
Cost: There is no fee to attend this session
Information about CPE Eligibility
To receive CPE credit for participation in a BDO webcast program, you must respond to the occasional polls that appear throughout the program and be in attendance for a minimum of 50 minutes. You will receive an email notification following the program if you completed the necessary polls and qualified for CPE credit. This email will include instructions on how to access your CPE certificate.
Please Note: Per BDO USA’s CPE Compliance policy, CPE will not be issued for programs that fail to comply with the NASBA Standards, or to individuals who do not meet the attendance requirements. For example, a professional attending a webcast must respond to at least 3 polls per CPE credit.
For questions regarding CPE credit, please contact [email protected].
BDO USA, P.C. is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org
