HR M&A Roundtable

New York City

A candid, in-person conversation for HR and M&A leaders navigating change after the deal.

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

1:15 PM – 5:30 PM EST

NYU Midtown Center

Space is limited to 40 participants. Registration is first come, first served.

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Agenda Overview

1:15 PM | Doors Open
1:30 - 2:00 PM | Welcome & Intros
2:00 - 2:45 PM | Session 1
Storytelling in M&A: Helping People Make Sense of Change
M&A is often explained through strategy, structure, and integration plans. But employees experience change through the story they hear, the meaning they make, and the signals leaders send along the way. In this session, Mary Cianni will explore how storytelling helps leaders create clarity, build trust, and guide people through uncertainty during periods of transition. Drawing on her work in M&A, change implementation, and leadership development, she will share practical ways to shape communication so it does more than inform. It helps people make sense what is changing, what is not, and what comes next.
2:45 - 3:30 PM | Session 2
Compensation During M&A: Key Decisions from Design to Implementation
Compensation decisions can make or break an integration. They shape fairness, trust in leadership, and whether acquired employees want to stay. In this panel, moderated by Steven Steckler, Bobby Berkowitz and Hayley Friedman will discuss how organizations approach compensation in M&A, from strategy and incentive design to market alignment, pay fairness, retention packages, and other key reward decisions.
3:30 - 4:00 PM | Hot Topics Discussion
4:15 - 5:30 PM | No-Host Happy Hour (Célon Bar & Lounge)

The real work of M&A starts after the deal is signed. Executive decisions made early in integration often determine whether value is realized or lost.

Join the HR M&A Roundtable and our hosts at NYU for a closed-door, in-person conversation focused on how leaders navigate the people realities of integration.

Together, we’ll explore:

How executive decisions shape M&A outcomes andintentionally or not
What’s real, what’s working, and what’s next with AI in HR and M&A
The issues keeping deal and people leaders up at night in 2026

This invite-only session brings together senior HR, M&A, and transformation leaders for candid, peer-level discussion, sharing real experience from those carrying integration risk.