Operational and organisational assessment
A focused review of the operating model, management capability, workforce, delivery risks, dependencies and improvement potential.
M&A Support
Protect value through the deal. Build it after completion.
Commercial, operational, people and coordinated legal support for investors, acquirers, portfolio companies and management teams across the ownership cycle.
Discuss a transaction or portfolio challengeA separate specialist practice
The deal thesis only creates value when the business can deliver it.
Hennessey connects transaction strategy, legal workstreams and due-diligence findings with the operational realities, leadership capability and organisational change required to make the deal work.
We support private-equity sponsors, corporate acquirers and management teams with independent assessment, transaction readiness, integration leadership, performance recovery and practical value-creation delivery across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
Across the investment lifecycle
From pre-deal insight to exit readiness.
Integrated due diligence
Identify material commercial, operational, people, leadership and legal-workstream risks for the investment thesis and transition plan.
Readiness and transition
Clarify governance, communications, leadership accountabilities, critical decisions and operational continuity from completion.
Post-merger integration
Bring structures, processes, leadership teams and working practices together without losing customer focus or operating momentum.
Performance improvement
Translate the investment case into accountable initiatives covering margin, productivity, organisation, leadership and execution.
Exit and succession readiness
Reduce key-person dependency, strengthen management information, embed repeatable processes and prepare the organisation for scrutiny.
Legal workstream support
Legal input connected to the commercial reality.
We coordinate the legal workstream with the wider transaction and integration plan, working alongside the client’s appointed counsel and appropriately authorised specialists.
Legal due diligence coordination
Organise legal inputs, information requests, issue tracking and adviser actions so material findings reach decision-makers at the right time.
Documentation readiness
Prepare data rooms, disclosure inputs, document registers, approvals and management contributions for efficient review by appointed counsel.
Employment and workforce change
Coordinate employment, consultation and TUPE considerations with specialist counsel while aligning them with the people and integration plan.
Governance and compliance
Map approvals, delegated authorities, entity governance and compliance obligations required for completion and the new ownership structure.
Contracts and risk workstreams
Bring commercial owners and legal advisers together to review key contracts, change-of-control provisions, dependencies and remediation actions.
Counsel and adviser management
Maintain one joined-up plan across legal teams, management, investors and country advisers, with clear owners, deadlines and escalation routes.
Where Hennessey adds value
Investors
Independent commercial and operational perspective, joined-up risk visibility and value-creation discipline.
Acquirers
Transaction readiness, adviser coordination, integration planning and protection of business continuity.
Portfolio companies
Hands-on support to strengthen performance, governance, organisation and management capability.
Management teams
Clear priorities, coordinated workstreams and experienced challenge during high-pressure change.
Illustrative engagements
How Hennessey support can work in practice.
Representative scenarios showing the type of challenge, intervention and value an engagement may address.
Post-acquisition integration
Creating control after a complex acquisition
The situation
A private-equity-backed organisation had completed an acquisition but underestimated the operational and organisational complexity. Reporting differed, responsibilities were unclear and employee uncertainty was affecting delivery.
Hennessey's approach
A rapid integration review covered governance, financial visibility, operations, leadership, people risk, safety and priority customer commitments. The findings were converted into a controlled 100-day integration plan.
Outcome
Management reporting time reduced from 15 to 7 working days, duplicated operating costs reduced by 12% and the organisation delivered 105% of its first-year synergy target.
Services: Post-acquisition integration, operating-model alignment, people risk, change delivery and value-creation planning.
Pre-deal assessment
Identifying operational risk before an acquisition
The situation
An SME buyer wanted an operational and organisational perspective alongside its legal and financial due diligence before acquiring a specialist company.
Hennessey's approach
Management capability, operating processes, customer concentration, workforce dependencies, safety exposure and integration requirements were reviewed. Legal, tax and regulated matters remained with appointed advisers.
Outcome
The review identified recurring savings equivalent to 9% of the target cost base, improved the integration-cost forecast to within 5% of actual spend and brought day-one readiness forward by four weeks.
Services: Operational due diligence, management and workforce review, safety-risk assessment and integration planning.
These are representative scenarios rather than named client engagements. The figures illustrate the type and scale of measurable improvement that an engagement may target; they are not guarantees. Actual outcomes depend on the organisation's starting position, evidence, leadership commitment and agreed scope.
A clear boundary
Joined-up support, with specialist advice delivered by the right professionals.
Legal services and reserved legal activities are delivered by the client’s appointed counsel or appropriately authorised partner firms. Hennessey coordinates the workstream and connects that advice with operational, people and integration delivery.
Hennessey does not provide investment recommendations, corporate finance, tax, audit or regulated financial advice. We work alongside the client’s appointed transaction, financial and country-specific advisers.
A confidential first conversation