Cultural Due Diligence in M&A: The Piece We Keep Missing

Post 1 of 4 in a short series on leadership, inclusion, and integration

After a recent conversation with Toby Mildon and the team at Mildon Associates, I found myself reflecting on a pattern I’ve seen too often—especially in rooms where big decisions are being made.

In mergers and acquisitions, we ask the hard questions about infrastructure.
We scrutinise finances, technologies, and systems.
We appoint integration leads.
We develop timelines.
We prepare for risk.

But here’s what we almost never prepare for—how leadership will land in the new environment.

👉 What kind of leadership will people follow?
👉 Whose leadership styles will clash or complement?
👉 How do expectations differ across organisations, especially around inclusion, voice, and trust?

As a former CIO, I’ve led technology due diligence with precision.
But I’ve also witnessed the fallout when cultural and leadership misalignment isn’t taken seriously—when we treat culture like it will “work itself out” post-deal.

It rarely does.

People don’t follow logos or strategy decks.
They follow leaders, especially during uncertainty.

So this short series is about the leadership questions we forget to ask.
It’s about how power, belonging, and culture shape whether people stay, show up, or slowly disengage.

It’s also about accountability.
Because when culture becomes a casualty of M&A, it’s often leaders—on all sides—who failed to name what mattered most.

In the coming posts, I’ll explore:
– What cultural due diligence looks like from a leadership lens
– Why it’s a strategic, not soft, concern
– And how inclusive leaders can lead integration from a place of clarity and courage

To Toby and the team at Mildon Associates—thank you for helping me see this with fresh eyes.

🗨️ I’d love to hear your perspective:
When culture misaligns, what leadership lessons surface?