Two Organizations.
One Culture.
M&A and Culture Integration Advisory is the practice most consulting firms stop short of. In partnership with MARC (Mangal Analytics and Research Consulting), Catalyst Convoy owns the people and culture side of every merger, acquisition, or alliance, from pre-close due diligence through Day-1 execution to the years of post-merger integration that decide whether the deal was actually worth it.
The Balance Sheet Was Never the Hard Part.
Financial due diligence, valuation, and deal structuring are well-established disciplines. Most acquirers get the economics right. What consistently derails a deal is what happens to the people, the leadership, and the culture of two organizations that are suddenly expected to operate as one.
Most advisory firms hand over a signed deal and a set of financial projections, then step away exactly when the integration risk begins. Post-merger integration support at this level of depth is typically the domain of a handful of top-tier consulting firms, and it comes at their price.
Catalyst Convoy, in partnership with MARC, closes that gap. MARC owns the deal economics: financial, legal, tax, and commercial due diligence, valuation, and synergy modeling. Catalyst Convoy owns the people and culture side, embedded across every phase, from the first cultural due diligence screen to the final post-merger board report.
of M&A deals fail to achieve their intended synergies
Harvard Business Review
cited reason acquisitions fail to deliver value: cultural incompatibility
McKinsey & Company
phases, one accountable partner: pre-merger, merger, and post-merger integration
Catalyst Convoy + MARC
Two Firms. One Combined Offering.
Catalyst Convoy markets and delivers this offering in collaboration with MARC, and remains the primary accountable partner for delivery on both sides of the engagement.
Catalyst Convoy owns the people and culture workstream across all three phases of the deal, from the first cultural due diligence screen to the final post-merger board report.
Mangal Analytics and Research Consulting is a Goa-based deal advisory and research firm serving 500+ clients across 100+ international projects. Inside this partnership, MARC owns the deal economics and brings a broader practice our clients can draw on beyond the transaction itself.
One Partner, Every Phase of the Deal.
Pre-Merger Integration
Know the cultural risk before you sign.
Pre-close cultural due diligence
A formal, scored assessment across the dimensions that determine cultural fit, run before the deal is signed, not discovered after.
HR & people due diligence
A full functional scan of talent, compensation & benefits, contracts, policies, and HR technology across the target organization.
Key stakeholder & leadership mapping
Identifies influence, support, and flight risk among target-company leaders before day one arrives.
Integration governance design
Defines HR's seat and decision rights inside the deal's steering committee from the outset.
Synergy thesis alignment
Ties culture and people risk directly to the financial case MARC is building, so both firms present one number to the client.
Merger Integration
The moment two organizations become one.
Day-1 readiness
Access, payroll continuity, and manager talking points ready before the announcement goes out, not scrambled after.
Culture assessment & future-state design
Compares both legacy organizations and defines the values and vision the combined entity will operate under.
Change implementation
A communications calendar, stakeholder influence management, and a full change-reaction playbook covering every type of resistance.
Talent & leadership decisions
Flight-risk identification, retention and stay-bonus design, and leadership selection for the merged organization.
Org design & redundancy planning
Maps roles across both organizations and designs the combined operating model.
HR systems integration
Aligns HRIS, payroll, LMS, and ATS across both legacy organizations into one technology stack.
Post-Merger Integration
Where most integrations quietly fail. We stay.
Sustained culture change
The core and supplementary levers that keep culture change alive long after the announcement fades.
EVP & total rewards harmonization
Reconciles pay bands, benefits, and equity across both legacy organizations into one relaunched employee value proposition.
Combined value-realization dashboard
A single leadership view connecting culture and people KPIs to the financial synergies MARC is tracking against the deal thesis.
Executive & board reporting
One unified report, one number, covering both the people case and the financial case in a single client-facing format.
Engaged Before the Deal Is Signed.
Accountable Long After It Closes.
The earlier Catalyst Convoy and MARC are engaged, the more of the deal risk we can surface before it becomes a client's problem. Ideally, that means a seat at the table during due diligence, well before terms are finalized.
We work alongside legal, financial, and operational advisors, not in competition with them. MARC owns the deal economics. Catalyst Convoy owns the people and culture outcome, and stays engaged through sustainment, not just through close.
Deal Lifecycle Coverage
Pre-Merger Integration
8 – 12 wks before close
Cultural DD & Governance
Merger Integration
Close → Month 6
Day-1 & Active Integration
Post-Merger Integration
Month 6 → Month 18+
Sustain & Harmonize
8 – 12 wks before close
Cultural DD & Governance
Close → Month 6
Day-1 & Active Integration
Month 6 → Month 18+
Sustain & Harmonize
Planning an Acquisition, Merger, or Alliance?
The best time to bring in culture and integration advisory is during due diligence, before the deal is signed. Reach out to discuss what you have planned and we'll tell you honestly what the people risk looks like, and how Catalyst Convoy and MARC can help.