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In this video, Barrett explains why some companies fall short on achieving revenue synergies—and why others maximize growth opportunities through PMI.

Chris Barrett joined Boston Consulting Group in 2001 and now is a global leader in post-merger integration (PMI). Chris worked in the firm’s Los Angeles and Amsterdam offices before moving to the Dallas office. As a dedicated expert in PMI, Chris has worked with clients on many kinds of integrations: large and small, domestic and international, growth and cost driven. He has served clients in a wide range of industries—including medtech, pharmaceutical, retail, defense, and media—on work such as overall PMI program design and operation, cost and revenue synergies, operating-model and organization design, talent retention and selection, culture integration, and change management. 

Chris believes there are 12 imperatives for success in any PMI project. The imperatives are grouped into three buckets: setting the direction, capturing the value, and building the organization. As a primary architect of BCG's PMI methodology, he continues to spearhead many merger integrations for clients around the world. 

Before joining BCG, Chris worked at Andersen Consulting (Accenture) as a process consultant to clients in the telecommunications industry.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

EDUCATION

  • MBA, Anderson School of Business, University of California, Los Angeles
  • BA, University of California, Berkeley

Publications and Videos

Capturing Maximum Value During a Post-Merger Integration

The vital importance of setting ambitious targets for integration teams and moving quickly to realize value.

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Technology’s Central Role in Post-Merger Integration

Technology is increasingly vital in facilitating the post-merger integration process, accelerating business synergies, and realizing the transaction’s broader ambitions.
Capitalizing on ESG Synergies in M&A

Capitalizing on ESG Synergies in M&A

Acquirers must ensure that the combined entity’s environmental, social, and governance performance is more than the sum of its parts.
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Keep ESG Top of Mind During Post-Merger Integration

Companies preparing for joint operations can elevate their ESG ambitions by establishing new targets, employing best practices, and clearly communicating their goals.
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Don’t Settle for Anything Less Than Full-Potential PMI

Transformation initiatives that go beyond the merger synergies of integrating two organizations are crucial to position the new company for outsize performance.
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Walking the Tightrope

Companies that conduct transformations and do M&A at the same time, and do it with an evidence-based approach, can create significant value.
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Six Essentials for Achieving Postmerger Synergies

With a disciplined approach, merging companies can aim higher, achieve more, and realize postmerger synergies faster—and thus fulfill the true promise of integration.
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Smooth Landing: Successful Post-Merger Integration in Aerospace and Defense

Amid a wave of consolidation, A&D companies can maximize merger synergies and position the combined company for success from the moment the deal closes.
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Breaking the Culture Barrier in Postmerger Integrations

Cultural differences spring from behaviors as well as from values. Leaders who address these differences seriously and promptly are more likely to achieve a successful merger.
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PMI for Consumer Goods

This report, the seventh in BCG’s series on PMI, examines the drivers of success that we observed across 25 integrations of consumer goods companies.
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Enabling PMI: Building Capabilities for Effective Integration

It is not enough to know how to integrate an acquisition. Organizations need to build their underlying capabilities in order to execute with confidence.
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Real-World PMI

Seven case studies from leading companies highlight the key elements for securing superior value from a postmerger integration.