Mergers & Acquisitions

M&A Talk Podcast

M&A Talk is the #1 podcast on mergers & acquisitions. At M&A Talk we bring you exclusive interviews with experts in business sales, valuations, mergers and acquisitions, and more. We talk to the most experienced professionals in the industry to uncover their secrets.

Home Podcast Corporate Development – Can Someone Explain This To Me?

Corporate Development – Can Someone Explain This To Me?

Corporate Development – Can Someone Explain This To Me?

Alessandro Cozzi

Corporate Development | M&A

What exactly is corporate development, and what is the secret to its long-term success? Answers to these and many more questions come from corporate development expert Alessandro Cozzi of Salo, a talent and consulting firm, as he discusses the necessity of having a long-term strategy for start-ups and big companies, the differences between doing business in the U.S. and Europe, the two things that are critical to making an acquisition viable, the role of emotions and the importance of timing in M&A, and his predictions for the market over the next few years.

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Guest Profile

Alessandro is a Corporate Development and M&A expert who has delivered over $6 billion in growth through strategy definition and subsequent execution of organic and inorganic initiatives for startups and Fortune 500 corporations. He has M&A experience as an acquirer, target, and advisor with broad exposure in North America, the EMEA region, India, and China. 

During his career, Alessandro has identified, pursued, negotiated, and integrated numerous M&A deals. He applies a high level of operations, sales, finance, IT, HR, legal, and cultural understanding to manage national and international acquisitions. Alessandro has an Executive MBA with Disruptive Strategy training through Harvard University.

Topics Covered

  • What does corporate development mean? [1:10]
  • How does corporate development work in big companies like Google? [6:40]
  • Is there a strategy difference between deals in the U.S. vs. in Europe? [8:33]
  • What is the most difficult part of corporate development? [17:10]
  • What’s the secret to corporate development success? [19:10]
  • What is the way to get a large number of corporate development people to agree on a long-term strategy? [25:15]
  • What role do emotions play in corporate development? [28:55]
  • What have been some changes that COVID has brought to people, the economy, and business practices? [35:20]
  • What impact does a down market have on companies using their stock as consideration in acquisitions? [44:21] 
  • How important are the fundamentals and the technical knowledge in M&A? [51:55]
  • Is corporate development cyclical? [59:08]
  • Advice for those who want to enter corporate development. [1:03:00]

Resources Mentioned

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