Why do 70% of mergers and acquisitions fail after closing? In this episode of the Innovantage Podcast, integration strategist Sabine Janssens shares what separates successful M&A integration from value destruction, why the first 100 days are critical, and how companies can turn acquisitions into long-term growth.

Sabine Janssens has led more than 40 M&A integration projects over the past four years and developed a pragmatic 100-day integration model used in buy-and-build environments. Drawing on decades of strategic marketing and integration experience, she works with acquiring companies to align strategy, operations, technology, and people after the deal closes.

Rather than treating integration as an operational checklist, this episode explains how to preserve business value, avoid the mistakes that derail acquisitions, manage IT integration without disrupting customers, and keep founders, employees, and leadership aligned throughout the transition.

0:00 Introduction 0:29 Sabine's journey into 40+ M&A integrations 4:51 Which industries see the most M&A activity 6:37 Why only 30 percent of acquisitions succeed 12:46 Early warning signs an integration is failing 16:27 Why the first 100 days matter most 21:52 Common challenges when integrating IT 26:03 Biggest IT integration mistakes 31:28 What founders experience after selling 45:56 The hidden cost most companies underestimate 54:14 The biggest misconception about M&A 56:50 Where to find Sabine

Connect with our guest Sabine Janssens – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabinejanssens/ Connect with Max Max Golikov – https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxim-golikov/

🎧 Listen Now Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/19M3HKc1pbeTkYcOeOkJc0?si=aab60a9ec2864ba2 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/innovantage-podcast/id1749330437

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