Google's director of M&A operations and integration, Marcella Butler, has quit the company to become SVP of People at Mediaocean.
In 2011, Google spent $2.32 billion buying 72 companies, according to the WSJ.
The executive who "quarterbacked" many, if not all of those integrations, was Butler.
She ran a group of 90 to 100 people, forming integration team that would change in composition for every deal. These teams would become a single point of contact for the acquired company ans solve legal, HR, and security problems.
Mediaocean is one of Google's smaller, growing rivals in the ad tech space. Mediaocean is itself the product of a merger – one between MediaBank and DDS. It makes an operating system for ad-buyers.
Butler has a big job ahead of her. Mediaocean has 800 employees in 5 countries at 12 offices and its still going through its integration.
Google is very good at acquisitions and integrations. For example, YouTube was a big buy that worked out; Android a small one.
Butler tells us there are three traits to an integration that works out:
- "You need to have cultural touch points [between the merging companies]. For Mediaocean it is technology that no one else can duplicate in the ad tech space. You have people who are committed to technology here."
- "You have to have management on both sides that are willing to learn from each other. An acquisition is going to fail if someone comes in and says I know better, and it's going to fail if the acquiring manager says you're an idiot."
- "You have to have an agreement on what the road map is."
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