Fuelling Post-Merger Success: The Power of Talent and Brand Connection

Expanding into new markets isn’t just about establishing a physical presence or integrating a team. Having helped multiple CDMOs grow their teams after establishing new sites, we understand that successful transitions is more than processes. At the heart of it all, it’s about people; it’s about bringing people along with you on the journey and ensuring people continue to drive success at the organisation, from motivating and retaining existing employees to your ability to attract new top talent.  

In the highly competitive CDMO space, a strong employer brand coupled with a compelling employee experience ca n be the key differentiator. Most of us have been exposed to poorly executed strategies and that is detrimental especially in the case of acquiring or merging a company. There might be people transitions during any transaction and that is also an opportunity for transformation. Let's explore how you can make employer branding a vehicle for M&A success.  

Employer Branding - Vehicle for Market Expansion and M&A Success  

If you have just acquired a new site in a new market or location, filling key roles for site readiness is critical to your success. However, if you do not have existing presence or limited footprint in that market, attracting top talent from competition or adjacent industries can be a significant challenge. Even if you have a strong, well-crafted employer brand in your primary markets, it may not immediately resonate in a new region with different cultural, professional, and competitive dynamics.  

This disconnect can slow down hiring, impact operational readiness, thereby impacting commercial success. To overcome this, you’ll need to strategically adapt your employer brand and recruitment approach to align with local expectations while staying true to your core values and organizational identity. It is a balance between consistency and localisation, ensuring that your global messaging aligns with regional expectations.  

The 4-point Blueprint To Strengthen Your Brand Post M&A

1. Accelerating Integration with Localised Talent Research

Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to branding globally. Getting a pulse on the local talent landscape is critical to tailoring your employer brand and ensuring it resonates with the workforce in the new market.  

• Action: Understand what local talent values most across the key attributes like career development, learning and benefits. Industry-specific employer brand reports can help provide a general overview. Employee surveys, feedback and focus groups provide additional depth and perspective to the desktop research. Research competitor employer branding strategies to identify gaps and opportunities. Leverage competitive employer brand analytics with platforms like Glassdoor or Link Humans.  

• Benefit: This research provides a pulse check on the local workforce and get some insights into sentiments. This helps you to tailor your messaging and positioning to attract talent and uncovers gaps that may need to be addressed.  

2. Cultural Alignment Starting with The Leaders

Poor cultural alignment can lead to attrition, operational disruptions and impact the bottom line. The localised talent research helps to provide you with the lay of the land in terms of culture. Leaders play a pivotal role in bridging cultural gaps and setting the tone for integration.  

• Action: Conduct leadership workshops to ensure leaders are aware of any cultural differences, align on shared values, and to define the future state. Equip leaders with the necessary tools and strategies to communicate the vision effectively and address employee concerns during the transition.  
  

• Benefit: Leaders set the tone for culture and when leaders actively address gaps, communicate a clear vision, employees are more likely to feel engaged, thus reducing turnover. Aligned leadership ensures that operational disruptions are minimised.  

3. Getting a Cross Section View: Assessing Strengths and Addressing Gaps

A thorough talent assessment and data insights is essential to understanding the capabilities of the existing workforce and identifying areas for improvement.

• Action: Conducting a thorough talent assessment is a critical step and that involves evaluating the skills, expertise and performance of the existing workforce. Also, leverage data to look into skills and talent gaps and map that to where you can find the critical talent for continued growth.  

• Benefit: By understanding the capabilities of the team, we can make informed decisions about role alignment, training needs, and recruitment priorities. Additionally, by investing in talent assessment, you are communicating your commitment to employee development and ensuring you continue to create a culture of continuous learning and innovation.  

4. Storytelling and Differentiating In a Competitive Talent Market

Build on your positive employee experience through the lens of your employees. Employee advocacy is the best way to build and grow your brand. That’s the power of social selling.  

• Action: Senior leadership needs to be involved for employee advocacy to be effective.  Have a team to champion the initiative. Help employees tell the story with a structured framework for employee advocacy, from ensuring that employees feel safe in sharing to maintaining momentum.  

• Benefit: Employee advocacy amplify the brand through employees, which is more powerful than messaging that comes from the company. It can also help employees feel more connected to the brand when they are empowered and inspired in the programme. Moreover, a successful employee advocacy programme can also increase your brand’s share of voice organically.  

Power Up Your Approach: Turn Your Brand into a Growth Accelerator

Expanding into new markets or navigating M&A transitions requires more than just operational efficiencies - it demands a people-first approach. By strategically shaping your employer brand, aligning leadership, and empowering employees as brand advocates, you can turn transitions into a competitive advantage. A well-executed brand and recruitment strategy ensures not only a smooth transition but also long-term success by attracting, retaining, and engaging the right talent.

At Vector, we specialise in helping CDMOs like yours build high-performing teams in new markets, ensuring seamless integration and long-term growth. Whether you're entering a new region or merging teams, we provide the key market insights and expertise needed to help you grow. Let’s connect and explore how we can help you build upon your success.

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