You Just Got Acquired. Now What? A 90-Day Playbook for Navigating M&A

You Just Got Acquired. Now What?

By Patty Sipes, Managing Director, Alder Brooks

Q2 tends to bring a wave of M&A announcements.

If you’re on the acquired side, the next 90 days will determine more than anything that came before it.

I’ve lived this as an operator.
And I’m seeing it now across private equity-backed healthcare and life sciences companies.

Some people accelerate quickly.
Others quietly disappear.

It’s not always about performance.

What Actually Determines Who Stays and Who Goes

1️⃣ Visibility

If new leadership doesn’t know you, you are at risk.

Do not assume your reputation carries over.
It doesn’t.

2️⃣ Alignment

Your legacy leadership team is no longer your anchor.

👉 You need to understand:

• Who is making decisions
• How decisions are made
• What success looks like now

3️⃣ Adaptability

“This is how we’ve always done it” will work against you.

Fast.

Organizations that succeed post-acquisition reward adaptability—not history.

What Not to Do (This Is Where Most People Get It Wrong)

• Don’t pick sides
• Don’t resist change
• Don’t over-index on past success
• Don’t assume performance alone protects you

What We’re Seeing Across Executive Search

Across executive search and private equity portfolio companies, the pattern is consistent.

The individuals who win in an acquisition:

• Move early
• Build relationships with new leadership
• Align to the new culture quickly
• Stay focused on execution

The Reality of M&A

Every acquisition resets the scoreboard.

👉 Titles shift
👉 Influence shifts
👉 Expectations shift

The Opportunity

For leaders who understand how to navigate it, an acquisition can accelerate your career.

For those who don’t, it can stall it just as quickly.

From an executive search perspective, this is where we see movement first.

The strongest leaders don’t wait for clarity.
They position early.

The organizations that win:

👉 Identify and retain those leaders quickly
👉 Align talent to the future state—not the legacy one

That’s where the real work begins.

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