Mercer Identifies the 4 Most Prominent Issues HR Leaders Must Address to Support M&A Deal Success

Mercer shared today the top 4 transaction-related issues that senior human resources (HR) leaders commonly face before, during and after mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity. These key issues reflect Mercer's extensive M&A consulting (www.mercer.com/ma) experience in all types of deals and across global industries and markets:

• Assessing and retaining key talent
• Driving cultural integration
• Managing the M&A process in domestic and cross-border deals
• Understanding and planning for due diligence and integration across all relevant work streams

Empowering HR leaders to understand and deliver on these key M&A human capital challenges is the core principal that guides Mercer's 2012 series of M&A Ready™ training workshops. Now in its ninth year, the Mercer M&A Ready workshop series gives participants important insights into every aspect of the deal process including M&A transactions in the context of an organization's business strategy; deal and HR team structures, roles and relationships; key human capital issues and HR's role in managing them; and how HR can ultimately help the organization to realize the full value of the deal. Participants learn through a curriculum that combines presentations by deal-experienced consultants with a case study that illustrates how these issues often present themselves in real M&A transactions.

"Cautiously optimistic prognosticators claim that 2012 is going to be a strong year for deal activity," said Eric Walcher, Senior Global M&A Consultant for Mercer. "Given this potential increase in activity, it is important for business leaders to understand that today's deals are often highly complex and broader in scope than those of the past. The four most prominent issues we identified can quickly derail transactions if not properly handled by knowledgeable and experienced HR leaders. Mercer's M&A Ready workshops are the ideal opportunity for HR leaders to gain valuable insights and skills that are immediately applicable to their role on deal teams."

For a complete schedule of Mercer M&A Ready™ workshops around the world, or to register, please visit www.mercer.com/maready. To learn more about custom workshops, please contact Mercer at GlobalMergersAcquisitions@mercer.com.

About Mercer

Mercer is a global leader in human resource consulting and related services. The firm works with clients to solve their most complex human capital issues by designing and helping manage health, retirement and other benefits. Mercer's 20,000 employees are based in more than 40 countries. Mercer is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC), a global team of professional services companies offering clients advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy and human capital. With 52,000 employees worldwide and annual revenue exceeding $10 billion, Marsh & McLennan Companies is also the parent company of Marsh, a global leader in insurance broking and risk management; Guy Carpenter, a global leader in providing risk and reinsurance intermediary services; and Oliver Wyman, a global leader in management consulting. For more information, visit www.mercer.com. Follow Mercer on Twitter @MercerInsights.

¹ *Strategic M&A Ready™ for Latin American Executives will be held prior to the Mercer Latin America & Caribbean HR Forum "Beyond 2012 – The Talent Challenges Ahead". The HR Forum will be held at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach.