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Podcast: M&A Science
Episode:

Integration-Led Diligence: Cisco's M&A Approach with Johanna Jaakola & Tesia Hostetle
Category: Business
Duration: 00:39:39
Publish Date: 2025-10-27 19:09:00
Description:

Johanna Jaakola – Integration Lead, Corporate Development Integration Team, Cisco

Tesia Hostetler – Leader, Acquisition Integration Practice, Cisco Johanna Jaakola, Integration Lead on Cisco's Corporate Development Integration Team, and Tesia Hostetler, Leader of Cisco's Acquisition Integration Practice, share how one of the world's most prolific acquirers structures deals for success. This episode breaks down Cisco's integration-led diligence model, where integration leads orchestrate due diligence from the deal thesis stage, ensuring strategic alignment and execution readiness before ink hits paper. Learn how Cisco's structured approach to integration strategy, two-stage approvals, and tight feedback loops between strategy and execution have transformed their M&A outcomes—with insights from their $28 billion Splunk acquisition.

Things You'll Learn
  • Why integration leads should orchestrate diligence 
  • How creating an integration thesis alongside your deal thesis ensures every diligence question tests strategic assumptions and drives execution clarity
  • How Cisco's dual approval process (one to negotiate LOI, another for final purchase agreement) creates natural checkpoints to validate strategy before committing capital

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