The deal thesis that justified the price gets built during due diligence and dies in the first 100 days, if nobody owns turning it into an operating reality. Corvian Advisory runs pre-close integration planning, Day 1 readiness, 100-day programme management, and synergy tracking for UAE and GCC acquisitions, so the value you underwrote actually shows up on the P&L. CFA-led. Fixed fee, with milestone options for larger integrations.
Post-merger integration (PMI) is the structured process of combining an acquired business's finance function, systems, governance, and people with the acquirer's, after a deal closes. It covers Day 1 readiness, a 100-day plan across finance harmonisation, systems cutover, and synergy capture, and ongoing tracking against the original deal thesis. Widely cited research puts the share of M&A deals that fail to realise their expected synergies at well over half, almost always due to integration being planned after close instead of before signing. Corvian Advisory builds and runs the integration plan for UAE and GCC transactions, starting from AED 25,000.
Due diligence tells you whether to buy and at what price. It doesn't run the business the day after completion. Most acquirers underestimate how much value evaporates in the gap between signing and a stabilised combined operation, duplicated payroll runs, conflicting chart of accounts, key staff leaving in the first month because nobody told them where they stood.
Widely cited M&A research consistently finds that well over half of deals fail to achieve their expected synergies, and the reason is almost never the price paid. It's that integration was improvised after close instead of planned before signing.
"The integration plan should exist before the SPA is signed, not get written in the week after completion when everyone is already improvising."
Corvian Advisory builds the integration plan alongside due diligence wherever possible, and runs it through Day 100 and beyond, whether we ran your original deal or another advisor did.
The highest-value integration decisions are cheapest to make during diligence, not in week one of ownership.
Chart of accounts, controls, and month-end close harmonised so consolidated reporting is accurate from period one.
Named owners, baselines, and monthly milestones on both cost and revenue synergies, visible from month one.
WPS payroll continuity, Emiratisation quota consolidation, EOSB reconciliation, and free zone/mainland structural alignment.
The same CFA, CA or ACCA-qualified advisor who scopes the engagement runs it through Day 100.
Scoped to your deal's actual complexity, from a single-entity bolt-on to a multi-country combination.
Day 1, Day 30, and Day 90 milestones built before completion, so there's a plan on day one rather than a scramble.
Chart of accounts harmonisation, accounting policy alignment, controls, and month-end close design for combined reporting.
Cost synergies (headcount, procurement, facilities) and revenue synergies (cross-sell, pricing) tracked with named owners and monthly KPIs.
Reporting lines, decision rights, and which roles are combined versus retained, interim structure and target state mapped separately.
ERP, banking, and payroll transition sequenced to avoid disruption to invoicing, collections, and employee pay.
Retention planning for key staff, transparent communication sequencing, and Emiratisation quota consolidation across the combined headcount.
Contract novation, customer communication, and continuity planning so the acquisition doesn't disrupt the revenue it was meant to protect.
UAE CT group registration, transfer pricing on new intercompany arrangements, and structuring coordinated with our tax advisory team.
Reference milestones; the specific plan is built around your deal's actual complexity and the target's readiness.
| Milestone | Focus | Key Deliverables |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Readiness & continuity | Communications plan live, banking access confirmed, payroll and WPS continuity secured, interim governance in place |
| Day 30 | Stabilisation | Finance function and reporting stabilised, quick-win synergies actioned, key staff retention conversations complete |
| Day 90 | Integration underway | Systems cutover in progress, synergy tracker live and reporting monthly, target organisational structure agreed |
| Beyond Day 100 | Steady state | Combined operations stable, integration governance handed back to permanent leadership, synergy tracking continues to plan |
All fees agreed in a signed engagement letter before work begins.
Integration thesis, Day 1 plan, and synergy baseline built alongside due diligence, before signing.
Full Day 1 through Day 100 execution: finance integration, systems cutover, governance, and synergy tracking. Scales with deal size and complexity.
Months 4–12 for larger or multi-country integrations, continued synergy tracking and governance support until steady state.
Illustrative engagements based on the mandates we run. Client identities remain confidential in all cases.
A UAE healthcare group acquired a smaller clinic operator with a separate payroll system and no WPS integration. We ran Day 1 payroll continuity, harmonised the chart of accounts within 30 days, and consolidated Emiratisation quotas across the combined headcount.
Following a cross-border acquisition, the biggest integration risk was retaining the acquired Indian engineering team through the transition. We built a retention and communication plan alongside systems cutover for shared reporting infrastructure.
A family-owned group pursuing a multi-acquisition growth strategy needed a standard integration approach instead of reinventing the process each time. We built a governance and finance-integration playbook adapted per acquisition.
PMI is the structured process of combining finance, systems, governance, and people after a deal closes. Widely cited research puts the share of deals failing to achieve expected synergies at well over half, almost always because integration was an afterthought rather than planned before signing.
Before signing, not after. The highest-value integration decisions are far cheaper to plan during due diligence than to improvise in the first week of ownership.
Day 1 readiness (communications, banking, payroll continuity), Day 30 milestones (finance stabilised, quick wins actioned), and Day 90 milestones (systems cutover underway, governance operating, synergy tracking live).
AED 25,000 to AED 150,000+ depending on deal size and complexity. Pre-close planning from AED 25,000; full 100-day programme management AED 60,000–150,000; extended support beyond Day 100 available on a monthly retainer.
Harmonising chart of accounts, accounting policies, month-end close, and controls between the acquired business and the acquirer, so consolidated reporting is accurate from the first post-close period.
A synergy tracker built at signing with named owners, baseline figures, and monthly milestones for cost and revenue synergies, reviewed against the original deal thesis so underperformance is visible early.
Due diligence decides whether to do the deal and at what price. Post-merger integration turns the deal thesis into an operating reality once you've decided to proceed. See our financial due diligence service for the earlier stage.
Yes. Payroll and WPS continuity, Emiratisation quota consolidation across combined headcount, EOSB liability reconciliation, and free zone or trade licence structural alignment are standard parts of our UAE integration scope.
Yes. Family businesses and PE-backed platforms running sequential acquisitions need a repeatable playbook rather than a bespoke process each time. We build it once and adapt it per acquisition.
Yes. Reporting lines, decision rights, which roles are combined versus retained, and interim versus target-state structure are addressed as part of the 100-day plan.
Standalone. Many clients engage us for integration after running the deal with another advisor, or after an internally negotiated transaction. Engaging us during diligence is more efficient but not a requirement.