EO as a Competitive Advantage

Acquisitions: The Deal Closes on Paper, Success Starts with Leadership Alignment!

Thursday, August 28, 2025

9:30 AM - 11:00 AM East Coast USA Time

Location: Conf Rooms 401-403

CE Type: CLE@@@CPE@@@SHRM

Session Leader(s)

Melisa Gillis, n/a

Owner
Gillis Consulting
Danvers, MA, United States

Speaker(s)

Daniel Goldstein, n/a

CEO
Go ESOP LLC
Norfolk, VA, United States
Susan K. Bunz

VP Human Resources
Stellar Industries
Garner, IA, United States

This interactive session explores how leadership alignment shapes the success—or failure—of acquisitions, using the real-life case study of one company’s experience. Through a candid conversation with an executive and board member from that company, we’ll examine what worked, what surprised them, and what they’d do differently. Their story is woven together with practical tools and other brief examples to bring the learning to life. Educational segments include simple, actionable frameworks—like the Culture Contrast Tool and Leader Communication Map—while interactive moments prompt participants to discuss at their tables and apply these insights directly to their teams. Attendees will leave with a Leadership Integration Toolkit and a clearer sense of how to lead through acquisition with alignment, trust, and clarity at the top.

NCEO Resource: Being an Acquired ESOP Company Toolkit
NCEO Peer Network: ESOP Finance Working Group

Learning Objectives:

Recognize the critical role of leadership and board alignment in successful acquisitions and identify key cultural and communication pitfalls that commonly derail integration efforts.
Apply three core leadership alignment questions to assess and strengthen team cohesion using practical tools.
Draw insights from a real-world case study, gaining firsthand perspectives from both executive and board viewpoints and reflect on leadership behaviors and assumptions that need to shift to support integration.