Life After LIS: Thriving in an M&A Career

At the London Interdisciplinary School (LIS), our education approach is different. Our focus on interdisciplinary learning allows students to broaden their knowledge and develop the practical skills crucial for successful careers in fields like M&A.

Working in Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) is highly demanding and dynamic, and students need diverse problem-solving, leadership, and critical thinking skills that enable them to excel in fast-paced, high-stakes environments. 

Fortunately, LIS delivers all the resources students need to gain this competitive edge, providing a solid foundation to make it easier to secure a job after graduation. This guide explores how LIS helps students excel in M&A careers and the growth opportunities in this field. 

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Table of Contents 

• Building the Foundation for an M&A Career
• Why Interdisciplinary Skills are Essential in M&A
• How LIS Prepares Students for M&A Careers
• Success Stories: LIS Alumni in M&A-Related Careers 
• Growth Opportunities and Career Pathways in M&A
• Excelling in M&A with LIS

Aspiring students looking to build successful careers in M&A must establish a diverse skillset beyond traditional business education. Students must know how to navigate complex challenges, think critically, and collaborate with different professionals. LIS students gain hands-on experience by working on real-world projects. From conducting business valuations to analysing a target company's financial health, you'll develop the expertise to assess risks and opportunities. This interdisciplinary approach helps students understand how to negotiate with a target company's board, assess the value of an acquired firm, and create strategies that maximise post-merger success.How LIS helps students build a foundation for an M&A career:‍

• Practical experience with business valuations and target company analysis.
• Understanding how to assess intellectual property and its role in acquisitions.
• Training in navigating a favourable regulatory environment for successful deals.
• Insights into the dynamics of companies combining or forming separate legal entities.
• Development of negotiation and strategic planning skills for post-merger success.

Launching a successful career in M&A demands a combination of technical and soft skills. While students must understand fundamental concepts, they must also know how to communicate, think innovatively, and apply creative methods to solve critical business problems. 

To achieve this, students can opt for an interdisciplinary programme, like our undergraduate BASc degree, and expand their skills beyond business acumen. 

Here is why interdisciplinary skills are critical for M&A careers. 

‍Dynamic Work Environment 

‍M&A is a multifaceted field in which success depends on one's ability to manage information from various domains and make strategic decisions. At LIS, we prioritise interdisciplinary education to prepare students for the dynamic nature of M&A. Students have access to the resources they need to thrive in roles involving business valuation, intellectual property analysis, and integration planning for an acquired company.

For instance, M&A professionals often deal with companies combining resources and expertise to leverage competitive advantages. To overcome these challenges, our students learn to bridge gaps between finance, legal frameworks, and human dynamics. 

Understanding the financial sector is imperative. However, it is also crucial to evaluate a target company's board decisions, assess intellectual property portfolios, and anticipate challenges in a favourable regulatory environment - LIS equips students with the knowledge to accomplish this. 

‍Critical Thinking and Adaptability

‍Critical thinking and adaptability are essential for aspiring M&A professionals. Students use these skills to evaluate whether an acquired firm aligns with long-term business goals. Through interdisciplinary learning, students will know how to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders, including executives, legal advisors, and private equity investors. 

Throughout their degree programme, students are exposed to lectures from various industry professionals, such as journalists, philosophers, philanthropists, and scientists. Gaining insights from these experts and understanding how to leverage different information to solve M&A ultimately supports students in critical thinking and problem-solving.

The finance industry is ever-evolving; professionals must know how to adapt to changing environments, circumstances, and obstacles. Interdisciplinary learning makes this possible, empowering students to excel in finance and gain a competitive edge in this industry. 

‍Real-World Experience 

‍A significant aspect of interdisciplinary learning is real-world experience. Interdisciplinary programmes, like our bachelor's and master's degrees at LIS, ensure students gain experience and apply their skills in M&A environments. This approach is critical to achieving a competitive advantage in the finance job market, as top-tier companies want individuals with practical training.

Ultimately, through interdisciplinary learning, students wanting to launch M&A careers can hone their critical thinking and adaptability skills, understand how to be successful in a dynamic work environment and gain real-world experience. 

LIS offers a unique, hands-on approach to preparing students for successful M&A careers. By combining interdisciplinary learning, practical training, and dedicated career support, LIS makes transitioning into the job market easier. 

‍Interdisciplinary Learning

‍At LIS, we have designed our degree programmes to bridge the gap between multiple disciplines. Unlike traditional degree pathways that provide students with resources and skills for one career field, LIS ensures students are exposed to knowledge from various disciplines. 

Here's an idea of the concepts our bachelor's degree covers to help you launch an M&A career:

• Problems 1B: Exploring complex problem-solving through drawing and understanding connections, stakeholder mapping, and working with external organisations. 
• Qualitative Methods 1A: Understand tools for investigating aspects of the world that can't be measured in numbers. This includes close reading, thematic analysis, and participant observation.
• Problems 2A: Learn to think critically using skills in data studies, legal and political theory, and technology ethics. 
• Problems 2B: Focus on urban future issues through project management, prototyping, and architecture. 

Before completing their degree programme, students will work on a capstone project. This project is a research-based demonstration of the skills and knowledge they've gained throughout the pathway. 

‍Practical Training

‍Practical training is a critical component of our degree programmes at LIS. Students must have experience working on real-world problems to transition into M&A. Employers in this industry also value work experience, giving applicants an advantage over others in the job market. It's one thing to learn about M&A concepts in theory. Still, it's much more valuable to work with tax liability, understand the key drivers impacting stock price, and determine how to give companies sound tax advice in real-world settings.

Here is an overview of how LIS delivers practical training to help you excel in the M&A field:

• Capstone Projects: Students must complete a research-based capstone project at the end of every year. This project reflects the quantitative and qualitative skills they have learned. Students can choose any topic they are most passionate about. 
• Internships: LIS brokers summer internships at the end of every academic year. Eligible students can apply and work alongside industry professionals to gain real-world experience. They can work for more than two companies to extend their understanding of M&A and develop their resume before graduation. 
• Workshops: Students can attend workshops led by professionals across various industries. These workshops allow them to broaden their understanding and discover innovative solutions to common M&A problems.

‍Career and Wellbeing Resources 

‍Beyond gaining interdisciplinary skills and practical training, LIS also helps aspiring M&A professionals by providing career and wellbeing resources. We understand how overwhelming studying for a degree programme can be. Not to mention, students must have all the resources they need to secure a job after graduation. We make this possible through the following services for LIS students:

• Career Coaching: All students can access dedicated career coaching from our Career Managers. These experts help students prepare for the working world after graduation by developing their professional identities and showcasing their skills in the best light. 
• Social Events and Clubs: We host several social events and clubs, encouraging students to develop relationships and take time to focus on their passions and interests. Students can also start their own clubs and host their own events. 
• Academic Tutor and Coach: Our coaches work with students in small groups to help them synthesise the concepts and methods they have learned. They help them draw conclusions and apply innovative solutions to solve complex problems. 
• Welfare Advisor: All students can receive support from dedicated welfare advisors who offer ongoing support to help students excel throughout their studies. These services include financial advice, career counselling, and personal development workshops.  

This holistic approach ensures LIS graduates enter the M&A field as well-rounded professionals.

‍Supportive Alumni Network

‍LIS graduates join a growing network of professionals working across various sectors, including M&A. Our network comprises interdisciplinary thinkers and passionate change-makers. In addition, we have over 200 employers and organisations to support networking and help our students establish industry connections in the M&A field.Joining our alum network has many benefits, including: 

• Peer mentorship and guidance from alumni with successful M&A careers.
• Opportunities to connect with industry leaders and explore roles in private equity, asset purchase deals, and beyond.
• Collaboration and networking events that foster long-term professional relationships.

Here are real-life stories of LIS alumni using M&A techniques to excel in their careers.

‍M&A, Deal Advisory – Ethan Tungpalan

‍Split between going to Warwick to pursue an engineering degree and LIS to study for his BASc degree, Ethan followed his passions and interests and joined our founding cohort at LIS. After graduation, Ethan will join one of the Big 4 firms in their Deal Advisory Service Line in the M&A field."​​

The support here has been incredible, unlike anything I've experienced at other institutions. From bursaries and workshops to financial and emotional support and career development, they've provided everything. Part of me is apprehensive about transitioning away from LIS because they've been so helpful." – Ethan Tungpalan.‍

‍Analyst – Numail Fatima

‍Numail Fatima achieved her A levels in Biology, Chemistry, Maths, and EPQ. After completing a bachelor's degree at LIS, she launched a career as a data analyst at Goldman Sachs. Leveraging interdisciplinary skills helped her progress into the finance industry, paving the way for various career paths in the future.

‍"Our end-of-year parties will always be a significant highlight for me! These events weren't just about celebrating the end of the academic year – they were about coming together to recognise our collective growth and achievements. I'll always look back at those memories with immense fondness.” – Numail Fatima. 

An M&A career offers many growth opportunities and pathways for professionals to explore. At LIS, students are prepared to pursue roles across the entire M&A lifecycle. Check out our repository - a library of our students' projects to understand how they've leveraged M&A concepts in their research and analysis.

Here are some M&A pathways you can transition into after studying with LIS. 

‍Financial Analyst

‍Financial analysts focus on conducting business valuations and economic modelling, including future cash flow analysis. They also evaluate the financial health of a target business or firm and analyse market trends to identify opportunities in private equity or corporate acquisitions. Professionals in this field should love working with numbers, have strong analytical skills, and know how to determine the meaning behind complex financial data. 

‍Deal Negotiator

‍A deal negotiator role is ideal for those who enjoy strategising and influencing outcomes. These professionals lead discussions with a target firm's board and other stakeholders, structure deals that align with mergers and acquisitions goals, and navigate the complexities of regulatory approvals and compliance. 

‍Integration Specialist

‍Post-merger integration is critical to achieving the goals of an M&A transaction. As an integration specialist, you'll develop strategies for blending acquired companies' operations and address intellectual property, organisational culture, and resource allocation challenges. Likewise, you'll ensure new legal entities align with larger business objectives. 

‍Private Equity Associate

‍Private equity offers exciting opportunities for M&A professionals to work on high-impact deals. Typical job duties of this role include identifying promising companies for acquisition, conducting due diligence on target businesses, assessing potential risks, and collaborating with acquired firms to improve performance and drive returns.

‍Strategic Advisor

‍M&A professionals with experience often transition into strategic advisory roles. These positions specialise in guiding organisations through the M&A process from start to finish and offer expertise in business valuation, intellectual property management, and deal structuring. Professionals also help businesses achieve growth through well-executed asset purchases or share purchase agreements.

With an LIS education, the possibilities for growth in M&A are endless. We are committed to empowering students to explore impactful and fulfilling career paths.

Excelling in M&A with LIS

Launching an M&A career requires students to have diverse skill sets. Whether they work with private or public companies, students must stay competitive in this field and have practical experience. At LIS, we equip students with all the necessary resources to secure an M&A job after graduation. Students can rely on us for career and wellbeing support, practical training, interdisciplinary learning, and a supportive alumni community.

We have helped many students progress into M&A-related professions, guiding them every step of the way. 

Are you ready to study with LIS for M&A expertise? Contact LIS today.