Unleashing the potential of Women in M&A

The 10th annual M&A Executive Forum, hosted March 7–8, 2024, at Deloitte University, included spotlights on key M&A trends from both Deloitte leadership and external speakers. The Women in M&A luncheon gave women in the M&A community the opportunity to network and establish connections prior to the broader forum sessions. The forum facilitated meaningful peer-to-peer client networking through a mixture of plenary sessions and smaller industry and topical breakouts.

On January 10, Deloitte and Women In Bio co-hosted an event providing senior executive women in the life sciences and health care industry and M&A community with a unique opportunity to network with each other. This event featured individuals such as Kulleni Gebreyes, Deloitte US Consulting Life Sciences and Health Care Industry Leader and US Chief Health Equity Officer, and Women In Bio Executive Director Gina Ford. Women gathered to discuss the future of health, leadership, making an impact that matters, and career evolution, while admiring artists from around the world at the Martin Lawrence Galleries in San Francisco.

The Women in M&A team hosted the second annual “NextGen” Summit at Deloitte University which featured 50 clients, guest speakers, an executive panel, and networking opportunities for M&A professional women from Fortune 500 companies. Some topics covered include:

• Lessons Learned in M&A from Venus Kennedy
• A panel with female executives from BeyondTrust, FJ Management, Inc., General Motors, the Riverside Company, and Zimmer Biomet
• A fireside chat featuring Deloitte leaders on the topic of Allyship
• Insights from Lara Abrash
• M&A labs on self-promoting and building resilience
• An update on the M&A landscape from Susan Dettmar and
• A charity event benefitting survivors of domestic abuse

Participants included 50+ next-gen M&A leaders from many industries: Consumer (13%), Energy, Resources and Industrials (13%), Financial Services (13%), Life Sciences & Health Care (17%), Private Equity (19%), and Technology, Media and Telecom (25%).

In April 2023, our Bay Area Deloitte team gathered a small group of women in private equity and Deloitte to connect and network as a local community. As a result of the positive discussion and experience, the second annual Bay Area WMA networking dinner is scheduled for summer 2024.

In January 2023, our New York Deloitte team gathered a group of M&A professionals and facilitated a panel composed of members from Deloitte’s Chief Economy team, a financial services company, and global investment firm. Key topics covered during the session included advice on how to advocate for yourself (speak up!); the best ways to gain and maintain sponsorship and the difference between a mentor and a sponsor; tips when starting a new role (listen for the first 30 days); and candor around how to best accept and address feedback, even when it seems personal.

Laura is a partner in Deloitte’s Accounting and Reporting Advisory practice and has led multiple large-scale public exit projects. Laura is a SPAC and IPO specialist with a wealth of experience in complex accounting issues associated with these transactions. Laura has significant experience in SEC reporting pursuant to Reg S-X.

Laura also has vast experience advising clients with internal control implementation, assessment and remediation, the adoption of new accounting standards, accounting for complex transactions and restatements. Laura has extensive external audit experience serving large multi-national clients focusing on complex issues.

Laura previously worked in the Deloitte LLP UK member firm before joining the Deloitte & Touche LLP US practice. Working internationally provided her with a breadth of experience with different engagement teams, industries, and clients as well as extensive experience with US GAAP and IFRS.

Laura holds a masters degree in management from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Laura is also a registered Chartered Accountant in Scotland and holds an active CPA license in California and Texas.

Laura is the Dean of Women in M&A for the US Audit and Assurance business and is passionate about the advancement and development of women in the workplace. Laura is also a Board Member on the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

Jenn is a managing director in our Life Sciences M&A practice. She joined Deloitte directly out of undergrad and spent 12 years in multiple client-facing and internal roles before taking the leap into the life sciences and health care industry. She rejoined the organization three years later. Since rejoining Deloitte, Jenn has been active in our Women in M&A (WMA) community, both in the Boston office and nationally. Supporting people is what gives her energy, so she has a strong connection to the community-focused mission of WMA. Outside of work, Jenn tries to get as far away from her computer as possible, enjoying the outdoors with her daughters Nora and Brooke.

Casey is a tax partner in Deloitte’s Mergers, Acquisitions, and Restructuring Services (MARS) practice based in San Francisco. She has more than 15 years of experience in public accounting, and she has spent the past nine years exclusively serving Deloitte’s M&A practice.

Casey serves corporate acquirers and private equity investment firms in tax due diligence, tax structuring, transaction closing assistance, IPOs, and post-closing integration of US and multijurisdictional targets. Her transaction experience spans a wide range of industries including technology, fintech, consumer products, and life sciences.

Casey has presented on a variety of M&A-related topics, including acquisitive reorganizations and tax diligence considerations related to tax reform for various tax organizations including the Tax Executive Institute.

Casey received her bachelor of arts in accounting from Washington State University and her master of taxation from University of Washington. Casey is a certified public accountant in New York and California.

Nicole is a partner in Deloitte’s Mergers, Acquisitions, and Restructuring Services (MARS) practice where she provides advice to private equity and corporate buyers and sellers primarily on the due diligence, deal structuring, and financial reporting aspects of their strategic transactions. She has advised clients through the full transaction execution life cycle, from acquisitions to divestitures. Nicole also brings experience in carve-outs, sell-side services, management support services, project management, and initial public offering readiness and execution support. Nicole has nearly 15 years of public accounting experience, working with clients across a variety of industries, with a focus on technology clients and businesses.

Prior to joining the MARS practice, Nicole was part of Deloitte’s Audit & Assurance practice in Los Angeles where she provided audit and audit support services to public and private financial services, technology, and retail clients.

Nicole is passionate about developing and retaining more women leaders both inside and outside of the Deloitte organization. She is active with the recruitment, retainment, and advancement of our female professionals.