Cross-Border M&A Strategy: Navigating Complex International Deals with Arash Attar-Rezvani
Release Date: 08/04/2025
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– Integration Lead, Corporate Development Integration Team, Cisco – Leader, Acquisition Integration Practice, Cisco , Integration Lead on Cisco's Corporate Development Integration Team, and , Leader of Cisco's Acquisition Integration Practice, continue their deep dive into Cisco's integration-led M&A framework. In Part 2, they reveal how integration planning shapes diligence, how value drivers guide surgical execution, and what it takes to coordinate a 180-person M&A community. From day one employee experience to go-to-market complexity and the Splunk mega-deal, this episode...
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M&A Integration Reality: Deal Economics vs Human Dynamics with Nicole Markowski
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- Former Director of Business Integration and Operations, Wipfli Join Nicole as she shares unvarnished truths from managing 30+ transactions. Nicole reveals how integration-led diligence prevents value destruction, why traditional deal economics often miss critical human factors, and practical strategies for maintaining the human touch while scaling M&A programs from 3 to 16 concurrent deals. Things You'll Learn Why integration leaders must be involved in deal economics discussions to prevent value destruction How to scale M&A operations from 2-3 to 16+ concurrent deals without...
info_outlineArash Attar-Rezvani - M&A Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Arash Attar-Rezvani, M&A Partner at Skadden based in Paris, brings over two decades of cross-border M&A strategy experience to this in-depth conversation. From billion-dollar telecom deals across Latin America to luxury brand acquisitions spanning multiple jurisdictions, Arash reveals the hidden complexities that make international M&A uniquely challenging. M&A professionals will learn how to structure deals across incompatible legal systems, navigate emerging regulatory landscapes, and build the trust essential for successful cross-border transactions.
Things you will learn:
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How to identify and manage multiple antitrust and national security clearances across jurisdictions with varying sophistication levels
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Why smaller transactions often require more innovation than billion-dollar deals, and how to build structures when no legal playbook exists
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The psychology behind cross-border deal-making and why trust trumps even the most ironclad contracts
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How One Small M&A Team is Closing 8 Deals This Year
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Join Kison in the live session on August 14 at 11am EST.
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Episode Chapters
[00:02:30] International Legal Foundation – Arash's multicultural background and path to cross-border M&A expertise
[00:06:00] Deal Size vs. Complexity – Why Smaller Founder-Led Acquisitions Present Unique Structural Challenges
[00:14:30] Strategic M&A Motivations – The full spectrum of acquisition rationales from geography to technology
[00:18:30] Building Long-Term Client Relationships – The trusted advisor model and its impact on deal success
[00:21:00] Cross-Border Regulatory Landscape – GDPR, Cloud Act, and the proliferation of national security reviews
[00:28:00] Managing Multiple Jurisdictions – How to prevent small markets from derailing global transactions
[00:33:00] French M&A Environment – Labor consultation requirements and overcoming cultural prejudices
[00:47:00] High-Stakes Deal Philosophy – Why people, not money, define truly consequential transactions
[00:51:30] Creative Deal Innovation – The first-of-its-kind Luxottica take-private structure across Luxembourg and Hong Kong
[00:57:30] AI's Impact on Legal Services – How technology will reshape M&A advisory and fee structures
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