010. NGO Mergers + Acquisitions: an interview with Rick Santos, a CEO who lived to tell the story

Are more Mergers and Acquisitions in NGOs’ futures? And is that a good thing? An interview with Rick Santos, a CEO who lived to tell the story  Bio Rick Santos Rick was the CEO of IMA World Health between 2009 and 2018, after having worked in the international health and development sector for over two decades IMA World Health is a faith-based nonprofit organization that provides health care services and supplies to vulnerable and marginalized people. We should note that in the developing world, an estimated 30 to 60 percent of health care is provided by faith-based organizations (FBOs). At the end of 2018, IMA World Health merged with Lutheran World Relief  Rick is currently Principal at NXPivot, which helps civil society organizations pivot in environments of lots of external change  Rick is a nonprofit professional with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a focus in strategy and management from Johns Hopkins University   In this episode, we discuss:  How did Rick as CEO go about pursuing a merger for IMA World Health, and what did he learn in the process?  Will the current pandemic likely lead to more explorations of Mergers and Acquisitions?  What hamstrings global North-founded NGOs in pursuing M&As?  Is it the pre-, during, or after phase that is most tricky/challenging to navigate during an M&A process?  Does a slowly rising trend in Mergers and Acquisitions inevitably lead to a further crowding out of Southern civil society? LinkedIn profile Rick Santos Website Rick SantosClick here to subscribe to be alerted when new podcast episodes come out or when Tosca produces other thought leadership pieces. Or email Tosca at [email protected] if you want to talk about your social sector organization’s needs, challenges, and opportunities. You can find Tosca’s content by following her on her social media channels:  Twitter LinkedIn Facebook