Treasurers Take on a Bigger Role in M&A Deals

This year is shaping up as a promising one for mergers and acquisitions. A recent Merrill Datasite/mergermarket report, “The Future of M&A in the Americas,” says 2013 is off to “frenzied start,” with more than 1,000 deals, worth US$267 billion, announced in the first eight weeks. The 567 transactions announced in the Americas region accounted for roughly $176 billion of that total. Moreover, about two-thirds of the corporate execs and investors responding to the survey expect the volume and value of M&A in the Americas to increase this year.

That’s good news for corporate treasurers, many of whom are taking on larger roles when their firms engage in M&A. Historically seen more as a numbers-crunching, process-focused area within corporate America, many treasury departments have expanded into more strategic activities, including M&A, since the financial crisis, says Bob Stark, vice president of strategy with Kyriba.