How to Break Into M&A: Lessons from Todd Manley Part 2
Todd Manley, VP of Corporate Development Integration at Intel In Part 2 of our conversation with Todd Manley, VP of Corporate Development Integration at Intel, we unpack how professionals from diverse backgrounds can successfully break into M&A and what it takes to build and maintain high-performing deal teams. Todd shares tactical advice on networking, career transitions, team dynamics, and leadership traits he looks for when hiring M&A talent. Whether you’re early in your M&A career or looking to level up, this episode is packed with practical insights to help you navigate the world of dealmaking. Things You Will Learn: How to leverage networking inside and outside your company to break into M&A. Key characteristics and behaviors Todd looks for when hiring successful M&A professionals. Why being present and learning from your journey is critical to career growth in M&A. ________________________ Sponsored by DealRoom—where M&A chaos meets its match. Your M&A process can so much faster... DealRoom helps corporate development teams take control—streamlining diligence, syncing integration, and eliminating the back-and-forth. 👉 Learn how you can run a repeatable, buyer-led process _______________ Episode Chapters: [00:02:00] Teaching leadership frameworks and practical skills at Santa Clara University [00:04:30] The power of intentional networking and early adoption of LinkedIn [00:06:00] Rebuilding in-person connections post-COVID and the value of conferences [00:07:00] Strategies for networking inside large organizations [00:10:30] Maintaining and nurturing your professional network over time [00:13:30] Building effective M&A teams and recognizing potential during interviews [00:18:00] The importance of humility, ownership, and curiosity in M&A [00:25:30] Translating customer experience skills to M&A opportunities [00:28:00] Knowing when to lead and when to follow on M&A teams [00:34:00] Defining success post-close and understanding cultural dynamics Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.
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Build a Career in M&A: Lessons from Intel’s Todd Manley
Todd Manley, VP of Corporate Development Integration at Intel In this episode, Todd Manley joins Kison Patel to share his non-traditional path into the world of M&A. Starting his career in IT and organizational behavior, Todd brings a unique lens to integration and leadership in corporate development. From his early consulting days to overseeing integrations at Cisco, Symantec, and now Intel, Todd has seen it all. He opens up about what it really takes to thrive in M&A—from career pivots and networking to managing divestitures and leading with empathy. This episode is packed with career insight, integration best practices, and practical leadership advice for anyone navigating—or trying to break into—the fast-paced world of M&A. Things you will learn: How to break into M&A without a finance or banking background The critical leadership traits that matter in integration roles Why networking and curiosity matter more than job titles ________________________ Sponsored by DealRoom—where M&A chaos meets its match. Still stuck in spreadsheet hell? DealRoom helps corporate development teams take control—streamlining diligence, syncing integration, and eliminating the back-and-forth. 👉 Learn how you can run a repeatable, buyer-led process _______________ 💡Try FirmRoom for Free This episode is sponsored by FirmRoom. The World’s Most Intuitive Virtual Data Room With AI Contract Analysis No Per-Page Fees. No B.S. Just Smarter, Faster Deals. Get started with your free trial today at firmroom.com! _______________ Episode Chapters Intro & Background – [00:01:00] First Career Steps in IT & Oracle Work – [00:05:00] Early Passion for Startups & Joining WebEx – [00:06:30] Getting into M&A via Cisco’s Acquisition of WebEx – [00:08:30] Integration Lessons from Cisco & Career Growth – [00:10:00] Experience in Divestitures vs. Acquisitions – [00:14:30] The Value of Empathy in Integration – [00:16:30] Skills That Translate into M&A Success – [00:19:00] How to Break into M&A & Structuring Career Moves – [00:22:30] Why Leadership & Communication Are Non-Negotiable – [00:28:00] Networking Tips, Playbooks, and Mentorship – [00:39:30] Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.
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How Blackstone is Unlocking Lasting Value Across Private Equity with Viral Patel
Viral Patel, CEO of Blackstone Private Equity Strategies Viral Patel unpacks how the firm is reshaping private equity for the next era. From launching new fund structures to leading thematic investments in sectors like electrification and AI infrastructure, Viral shares how Blackstone builds enduring value—and why alignment, data, and management fit are key to every deal. He also breaks down the cultural values that drive Blackstone’s success and why individual investors are the future of private capital. Things you will learn: How Blackstone’s investment philosophy is built on long-term secular trends What makes a management team the right fit—and why talent diligence is critical Why Blackstone created perpetual funds and how they work How data, scale, and operating resources become a strategic advantage post-close ________________________ Sponsored by DealRoom—where M&A chaos meets its match. Still stuck in spreadsheet hell? DealRoom helps corporate development teams take control—streamlining diligence, syncing integration, and eliminating the back-and-forth. 👉 Learn how you can run a repeatable, buyer-led process _______________ 💡Try FirmRoom for Free This episode is sponsored by FirmRoom. The World’s Most Intuitive Virtual Data Room With AI Contract Analysis No Per-Page Fees. No B.S. Just Smarter, Faster Deals. Get started with your free trial today at firmroom.com! _______________ Episode Chapters [00:01:00] Viral’s 20-year journey across Blackstone’s business units [00:05:00] The cultural pillars that define Blackstone: excellence, integrity, and innovation [00:13:00] Blackstone’s thematic investment strategy and sector focus [00:16:30] Evaluating management fit as a core part of diligence [00:21:00] Value creation through Blackstone’s operating team and functional specialists [00:24:30] Using data science during diligence to build early trust with management [00:27:00] Why Blackstone builds for the long term—not just for a quick exit [00:32:00] The rise of perpetual fund models for individual investors [00:36:00] Why private equity access is shifting beyond institutions [00:44:00] Educating the market: how BXU and Blackstone’s private wealth team bridge the knowledge gap [00:46:30] Market cycles, public vs. private ownership, and the future of exit strategies Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.
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M&A Lawyers vs. Bankers: What’s Changed and What Still Matters with Rob Kindler
Rob Kindler, Partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP In this episode of the M&A Science podcast, Kison Patel sits down with Rob Kindler, a uniquely positioned dealmaker whose career has spanned both sides of the M&A table—law and investment banking. Rob previously led global M&A at Morgan Stanley and is now a senior partner at Paul Weiss. With 44 years of experience, he’s seen firsthand how the roles of lawyers and bankers have evolved, what makes a deal succeed or fail, and how today’s regulatory, activist, and valuation pressures are reshaping M&A execution. Things you will learn: Why legal advisors are now the first call in M&A, not the last How corporate development teams have replaced bankers in early-stage deal sourcing Why regulatory strategy and shareholder approval planning can make or break a deal How to negotiate effectively by predicting “the end of the movie” ________________________ Sponsored by DealRoom—where M&A chaos meets its match. Still stuck in spreadsheet hell? DealRoom helps corporate development teams take control—streamlining diligence, syncing integration, and eliminating the back-and-forth. 👉 Learn how you can run a repeatable, buyer-led process ________________________ Episode Chapters [00:01:00] Rob’s career arc from lawyer to banker and back again [00:04:30] Why Rob left law for investment banking in 2000 [00:06:00] How corporate dev teams changed the role of bankers [00:11:30] Structuring deals to avoid shareholder approval pitfalls [00:14:30] The rise of activism and merger arbitrage in public M&A [00:16:00] How buyer-led M&A has transformed deal strategy [00:22:30] Impact of regulatory regimes in U.S. vs. Europe [00:27:00] Lessons in negotiation and predicting deal dynamics [00:36:00] Why intrinsic value matters more than financial engineering [00:48:30] What top CEOs understand about using M&A to drive strategy [00:51:00] How to spot a bad deal—and the red flags bankers sometimes ignore [00:53:00] Rob’s funniest moment: 300 pounds of turnips on a conference table Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.
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Fixing Broken Companies Through Smart Deals with Marc Bell Part 2
Marc Bell, CEO of Marc Bell Capital Marc Bell has taken 17 companies public, rebuilt distressed businesses, and invested across industries most wouldn’t dare touch. In this follow-up to Part 1, he’s back with sharp insights on what it really takes to run high-stakes deals—and survive them. Marc and Kison cover everything from building a rock-solid diligence process to choosing between private equity and private credit. They get tactical about capital allocation strategy, reflect on the mistakes that shaped Marc’s approach today, and unpack how to lead during downturns—when optimism fades and character shows. This episode is a masterclass in M&A realism. Whether you're planning your first minority recap or running a mature corp dev team, you'll walk away with fresh perspective—and a few war stories that’ll stick with you. Things you will learn: The tradeoffs between debt and equity—and when to choose either Why the wrong private equity partner can cost more than capital How to lead through setbacks and build people-first organizations ________________________ Sponsored by DealRoom—where M&A chaos meets its match. Still stuck in spreadsheet hell? DealRoom helps corporate development teams take control—streamlining diligence, syncing integration, and eliminating the back-and-forth. 👉 Learn how you can run a repeatable, buyer-led process ________________________ Episode Chapters 03:00 – How to run smarter diligence 04:30 – Building the business case 06:30 – Avoiding deal surprises 07:00 – Culture as a value lever 09:30 – Capital allocation 101 11:30 – Vetting PE partners 15:30 – Why Marc avoids public markets 18:30 – Structuring around IRR and risk 20:30 – Real estate timing and opportunity 22:00 – Leading through failure 24:00 – Solving real problems with hospitality 25:30 – The cost of bad partners Questions, comments, concerns?Follow Kison Patel for behind-the-scenes insights on modern M&A.
M&A Science, hosted by Kison Patel (Founder & CEO of DealRoom), is your go-to podcast for mastering the art of mergers and acquisitions. Each week, Kison and his expert guests from leading brands like Xerox, FastLap, and Cisco dig deep into real-world M&A strategies, offering actionable insights to optimize your M&A practice.
Whether you're an experienced practitioner or new to the field, M&A Science provides practical advice on key topics like sourcing, due diligence, integration, divestitures, and more. With over 300 episodes, this podcast is the premier thought leadership resource designed to streamline your deal-making process.
Start listening today and visit mascience.com/podcast to access over 300 episodes. Brought to you by DealRoom, the leading M&A optimization platform used by the best M&A teams around the world
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