Avoid the inevitable people risks in transactions with a more comprehensive people due diligence and change management process.

Mitigating the hidden people risks in transactions.

People risk is deal risk

Operational/ Market/ Product

Integration challenges

Market overestimation

Product/service misalignment

Operational disruption

Financial

Overvaluation

Hidden liabilities

Poor cash flow

Revenue volatility

Legal

Regulatory non-compliance

Contractual liabilities

IP ownership disputes

Pending litigation

People Risks

Leadership capability gaps

Lack of succession plan

Key talent attrition

Cultural clashes

There’s no cookie-cutter solution when it comes to people and transactions. Every deal is different, in context, complexity, and risk. But one thing remains consistent, overlooking the people side introduces a level of risk most deals can’t absorb.

In private deals, opacity makes it challenging to clearly identify the fail points. There’s often little visibility into culture, capability, or leadership alignment and that lack of insight creates risk. Whether you're buying, selling, investing, scaling or advising, a clear view of the people involved is critical.

Success can depend on several defined objectives - growth, exit, recurring revenue, tech leverage, new markets. But success always depends on people. When failure happens, it’s rarely just numbers — it’s culture misalignment, a leadership vacuum, and missed signals.

According to Herbert Smith Freehills’ Outlook for 2025, “More rigorous, holistic due diligence processes and emerging areas of enquiry are here to stay.” The business case is clear: get the people part right or risk the deal, and your reputation.

Let’s explore why people due diligence and people change management are no longer optional. They’re strategic imperatives.

succession coach

leadership coach

succession coach leadership coach

I’m here to help

I’m a consultant in the people space, working through the people side of complex deals. I have 30 years’ deep expertise and experience (and a book) in the buying, scaling and selling of businesses. I help uncover and mitigate the hidden people risks in transactions.

I understand the people dynamics in a transaction which helps make deals move faster, be less risky and more profitable.

I do this through a process of Discover, Design and Deliver – involving interviewing key people, developing a recommendations report and delivering on the recommendations. The level of engagement depends on the size, complexity and risk of the transaction.

You wouldn’t buy a second-hand car without lifting the hood for a comprehensive pre-purchase inspection.

Given many buyers/investors will say the success of an acquisition/investment is often down to the quality of people, why then, when writing a cheque for 10s or 100s of millions of dollars, would they not engage a third party to conduct people due diligence on key management and board members as part of their investment process?”

Matt Rogers, Allunga Advisory

What do these people risks mean for you?

Whether you’re buying, selling, investing or scaling a business, people risks will impact you. They can happen at any stage of the transaction - early stage of enquiry, pre-deal, during the transaction or post-integration or investment. They often manifest as decision stalemate, leadership tensions, culture clashes, limited capability, and lack of suitable successor readiness.


This is what not exploring and uncovering and mitigating the people risks can mean for you:

▲ Delayed decisions reduce momentum and value.

▲ Succession gaps threaten stability.

▲ Early behavioural issues escalate over time.

▲ Lack of clear leadership succession creates uncertainty.

▲ Team misalignment slows progress.

▲ Loss of key talent weakens continuity.

▲ Cultural differences complicate integration.

▲ Poor change management affects morale.

I can help you in 3 ways


Engagement can be at ANY stage, and the level of engagement is dependent on complexity, size and risk of transaction.

The engagement may involve interviewing key stakeholders, coaching, workshops, feedback, reports.

People Due Diligence

Early Enquiry

CEO capability; Early red flags; Assumptions; Accountability clarity; Owner/investor aspirations; Owner/investor expectations

Decision Point

CEO capability; Leadership vacuum; Succession readiness; Team dynamics; Talent flight risks; Board composition

People Change Management

During Transaction

Executive coaching; Leadership capability; Succession planning; Retention strategies; Culture assessment; Employee impact; Talent mapping; Internal communications; Role clarity

Post-integration

Executive coaching; Leadership capability; Succession management; Retention strategies; Culture integration; Change reinforcement; Org redesign; Internal communications; Role creation

Circuit Breaker

At any stage before, during or after a deal

If you, your client, or your team are experiencing;


unclear red flags, owner tensions, leadership misalignment, culture clashes, decision stalemates, sabotage, cold feet, uncertainty, anxiety, overwhelm, overstretched, out of depth, assumptions, emotional reactions, misalignment

What are the outcomes?


Business stability.

Value preservation.

Delivering the deal.

From derailing the deal

Leadership vacuum

Team tensions

Succession gap

Talent flight risks

Culture clashes

Employee impact

To delivering the deal

Leadership readiness

Team alignment and cohesion

Continuity protection

Retention strategy

Culture integration

Change reinforcement

  • "Mary helped clarify the impact of 'the leader' and worked with me to better understand my natural strengths and how to leverage them to elevate my impact, in a manner that was aligned to my personal values. The strategies and deep subject matter knowledge that Mary brings to discussions is high quality, helping me to authentically and naturally grow and evolve as a leader. "

    Liz Webb, CEO, EMM Consulting

  • "There is something very subtle about the way Mary works. Her friendly, charming style belies an ability to ask the difficult questions. Before you know it, you are opening up and dealing with the hard issues."

    Chris Tait, Managing Director, Henslow

  • "Speaking with someone as insightful as Mary has sharpened my leadership skills, affirmed my approach, and broadened my strategic perspective. Mary's genuine support provides personalised feedback and valuable actionable insights. Her unique coaching style, which deeply questions and re-questions my thought processes, has brought clarity and emphasised areas I needed to improve."

    Stefan Mazy, CEO, DermR Health

  • "Mary provided both comfort and clarity to my role as we have transitioned from a startup to a scaleup business. We often felt alone and isolated when making decisions, but her work has enabled us to identify this is not unique to us. Personally, I found her coaching helped me to cope with the new adjustments and responsibilities of my role."

    Max Mito, Co-founder & CEO, StrongRoom AI

  • "Mary’s exceptional guidance has positively impacted my professional journey. Her energy and friendly demeanour make each session both enjoyable and productive, and her patience is truly commendable. Mary’s advice was insightful and practical, providing me with valuable strategies for my professional growth. "

    Jackie Savci, Director & COO, Hanasoft

  • "Mary is one of those rare people who not only talks with authority and depth about the problem sets that founders and leaders face, but also sees the humour and humanity in the whole process. She doesn't beat around the bush, but gives real, practical advice that you can immediately put into practice."

    Zac Duff, Co-founder & CEO, JigSpace

How does it work?


Three steps to uncovering and mitigating the people risks in transactions.

phone icon

Schedule a call

To uncover your specific people challenges and build an action plan for your business or investment.

action plan icon

Agree on the best approach for you

Each engagement is dependent on complexity, size and risk of transaction.

rocket icon

Working together to mitigate people risks

Take action now, and together let’s uncover and address the people issues that are holding you and your business back.