Lessons from 90+ Deals: Questex CEO, Paul Miller on Cultural Fit, Value Creation & Post-Close Audits

Paul Miller, CEO of Questex

Paul Miller joins us to share his extensive experience in M&A, having led more than 90 acquisitions throughout his career. Paul reveals how Questex uses a proactive, buyer-led approach focused on culture, strategic alignment, and integration discipline.

The conversation dives into the importance of early relationship-building with potential targets, auditing post-close success, and developing internal M&A capability—even when the team has no prior deal experience. Paul also shares candid advice on international deals, when to walk away, and how to avoid the common trap of "deal fever."

💡Things you will learn:

• Why cultural fit and people issues often make or break a deal

• How to proactively source and warm up acquisition targets

• What to include in your M&A integration playbook and audit process

• When and why to walk away from a deal—even post-LOI

 

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💡 Episode Chapters

Intro and Guest Background – 00:00:00
Biggest Lessons Learned from 90+ Acquisitions – 00:03:00
Proactive Buyer Outreach and Building Relationships Early – 00:04:00
Assessing Culture and People Fit in Target Companies – 00:13:00
How to Approach Founder-Led vs. Institutional Sellers – 00:10:30
Retaining or Replacing the CEO Post-Close – 00:17:00
Customer Diligence and Walking Away Post-LOI – 00:19:30
Developing a Structured, Data-Driven Deal Process – 00:25:00
Integration Playbook and Post-Close Audits – 00:31:00
Empowering the Full Exec Team to Source Deals – 00:37:30
The Importance of Learning by Doing in M&A – 00:32:30
Hardest Deal: Cultural Surprises in a China Acquisition – 00:42:00

Questions, comments, concerns?
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