Thanks Dipali for participating here and for your time! I wanted to understand the two major basics of M&A given your experience there. 1. What are the major compliances or must do list of tasks when either a merger or an acquisition happens? 2. How to approach the culture assimilation and integration?

Thanks for the Question @Smriti K 1. There are typically two types of diligence that takes place once the company is identified ◦ FDD- financial due diligence ◦ LDD - legal due diligence ▪︎ LDD typically includes in-depth scrutiny of X number of years looking at all your compliances - minimum wages, pf, esi, welfare, your policies- EEO, posh, leave etc. ▪︎ Basic things like appointment letters and documentation is looked at ▪︎ Will the company that you are taking over - will they provision for gratuity for example and you continue the same for teammates who are continuing are aspects that will need to be looked at, or is there another way ▪︎ Experience letters from the current company need to be created and kept for ease. ▪︎ Ensuring that PMS is done by managers at time of take over ▪︎ If retrenchment takes place what will the payout be? The above a few of the basic things that need to be looked at. The list is extensive. 1. Coming to culture assimilation and integration ◦ The biggest and most important point is communication- communicate every step of the way, be transparent. Not just the employees of the other company will be fearful but also your teammates ◦ Look at their policies - how much of a variance do you see, is there something that you can incorporate? You need to communicate your policies and salary structures. These are big reasons people decide to stick with a merger. Else will leave as knee jerk reactions ◦ Have boots on the ground, talk to people. Assuage uncertainty and fear. Have engagement activities with all teammates. ◦ Have welcome lunches, dinners etc ◦ Start engaging from day one, as positive as you can be. ◦ Have buddies for everyone you are on boarding who can be point of contacts Again a few points that help with culture Hope this helps