Hidden commercial disconnects in post-merger integrations
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Hidden commercial disconnects in post-merger integrations
The deal is signed. The investment thesis is solid. The due diligence is complete.
Now comes the hard part: turning commercial synergy projections into reality.
Hidden commercial pitfalls
that undermine post-merger value
A critical point that we’ve seen many executives underestimate is how deeply different commercial models can clash – even when product portfolios appear similar on paper. As post-merger teams scramble to stabilize operations, the biggest barriers to value creation are often related to misaligned go-to-market (GTM) approaches, pricing structures and sales cultures.
Without early alignment on commercial models, even the strongest deals can unravel fast – from lost clients and delayed synergies to unexpected anti-synergies that erode volume and margin. In this article, we explore how commercial misalignment unfolds in real-world post-merger scenarios – and what C-level leaders can do to stay ahead of it. Our insights draw directly from two illustrative cases of real-life clients: one in the FMCG confectionary space, the other in the paper and pulp industry.
Lessons from the global M&A market
What makes commercial alignment
so tricky post-merger?
How can we prepare for the
unpreparable in integration planning?
Virtually any PMI will deal with turbulence, requiring timelines and hypotheses to be adjusted. In the euphoria of identifying positive elements in the investment thesis and signing the deal, even the most cautious leaders may underestimate the time and effort needed to iron out the details during the post-merger stage.
“We thought buying a business. As it turns out, we were algo buying a way of doing business that we hadn’t fully understood.”
– Executive of confectionary company
Discover how to turn commercial synergy projections
into reality in the full report
TALK TO US
Bruno Torres
Bruno Torres is an senior manager at Integration and has worked in the Marketing & Sales Practice since 2017. Prior to Integration, Bruno worked as a software developer in Canada. At Integration, he has mostly participated in go-to-market strategies in various industries, including pulp & paper, agro, B2B services, steel, consumer goods, hygiene & beauty, [...]
Carlos Lima
Carlos Lima is the president of Integration and a founding partner. Carlos has worked with leading international companies across the globe as a consultant for the last 30 years and has developed a particular specialization in Marketing and Sales. He is considered an expert in the Consumer Goods sector and on the topics of Commercial [...]
Carolina Flores
Carolina Flores is a senior director an has been working in our Finance & Management Practice since 2010, helping our clients across industries achieve important transformations. She has often been involved in projects of large and international scale supporting organizations to achieve their financial objectives through efficiency programmes, Organizational Structure changes, Synergy Evaluation and PMI [...]
Diogo Selingardi
Diogo Selingardi is a director in the Finance & Management Practice and has been working at Integration since 2011. His focus includes strategy implementation, mergers & acquisitions, cost efficiency initiatives and developing management & governance models across the industrial, consumer goods, retail, private equity and financial market sectors. Diogo holds a degree in economic sciences [...]
Francisco Pereira Leite
Francisco Pereira Leite is a partner at Integration and has been with the company since 1999. During this period, Francisco has accumulated experience and led over 150 projects across diverse sectors in Latin America, mainly addressing supply chain, finance & management and implementation challenges. His focus lies the design of supply chain strategies & logistic [...]
Guido Solari
Guido Solari is a partner at Integration and the head of our LATAM offices. Guido joined the company in 2006 and is part of the Marketing & Sales Practice. He has carried out over 250 projects across Latin America, North America and Europe, serving clients in the areas of mass consumer goods, agribusiness, pharmaceuticals, media [...]
Ian Matiussi
Ian Matiussi is a senior director and joined Integration in 2010 and now has over a decade of experience, working in our Marketing & Sales Practice. Comfortable with a wide range of topics in this area, he is especially known for his expertise in strategic marketing initiatives such as Market Scans, Go-to-Market and Commercial Policy. [...]
Leticia Molina
Leticia Molina is a director at Integration's Marketing & Sales Practice and has been with the company since January 2023. Prior to Integration, Leticia worked as director of marketing and sales at Vitamina Children's Schools. Her experience includes structuring acquisition & integration plans in the school market and leading profitability & company restructurings. Leticia worked [...]
Marília José
Marília José is a senior director at Integration and has been working in the Finance & Management Practice since 2014. Her main areas of expertise include post-merger integration, transformation & cost reduction, project management, process reviews and organizational model design in the retail, consumer goods, financial and healthcare sectors. Marília holds a degree in economics [...]
Paula Mercadante
Paula Mercadante is a partner at Integration and has been with the company since 2003. During this period, she has developed a focus on leading complex projects involving post-merger integrations, carve-outs, system implementation and shared business centers, as well as the recovery of projects in crisis and the implementation of project offices in sectors such [...]
Raphael Prado
Raphael Prado is a senior manager in the Supply Chain Practice and has been at Integration since April 2022. His experience includes projects focused on S&OP, logistics networks, post-acquisition integration and inventory management.
Rodrigo Seabra
Rodrigo Seabra is the partner at our Office in Munich. He joined Integration in 2006 in Brazil and led the Mexico Office, before taking on responsibility of the Munich Office. Rodrigo is part of our Implementation Practice, has amassed international experience in industries such as consumer goods, retail, food & beverage, pharmaceutical and healthcare and [...]
Rodrigo Weiler
Rodrigo Weiler is a partner at Integration and has been part of the Marketing & Sales Practice since 2000. During this period, Rodrigo has specialized in implementing highly complex transformational projects with a need for change management. He has led numerous projects involving go-to-market model implementation, category management, commercial model design for the retail sector, [...]
Wanderley Scatolin
Wanderley Scatolin is a senior manager at Integration's Supply Chain Practice, where he has worked since 2008 – with a break between 2016 and 2020, when he was the executive manager of integrated planning at Biolab Farmacêutica. Wanderley has extensive expertise across the entire supply chain, with a focus on projects related to planning (S&OP), [...]
- On 10 November 2025
