Building a Dedicated HR M&A Function at Uber | Anna Wilson (Senior HR Leader, Uber)

Many companies treat M&A as an occasional event. For companies that acquire frequently, it quickly becomes a capability.In this episode of the Master Your Merger Podcast, Klint Kendrick speaks with Anna Wilson, a senior HR leader at Uber who focuses on mergers and acquisitions and leads the HR business partner team for the delivery organization.Anna shares how her experience leading the Postmates integration helped spark the creation of a dedicated HR M&A function at Uber. She explains how the company moved away from “HR on the side of the desk” and toward a purpose-built model designed to support repeat acquisitions and complex integrations.The conversation explores how HR teams can partner more effectively with corporate development, technology, and business leaders while balancing strategy, operations, and the realities of integrating real people into a fast-moving organization.What you will learn in this episode• How the Postmates acquisition led Uber to build a dedicated HR M&A capability • Why HR M&A teams often need to think like a CHRO across the full people lifecycle • How Uber structured a “two in a box” model pairing HR M&A leaders with integration program managers • Why HR sometimes moves ahead of the business strategy and how to avoid that trap • How integration decisions can disrupt marketplace dynamics if timing is wrong • Why serial acquirers benefit from dedicated M&A expertise instead of ad hoc HR support • How Uber balances business HR partners with dedicated M&A specialists • Why simplifying processes is essential in complex integrations • How breaking down functional silos improves integration outcomes • Why HR leaders must understand the business model behind the deal before designing a people strategyConnect with the guestAnna Wilson https://www.linkedin.com/in/anjushawilson/ Search: Anna Wilson, Uber#MasterYourMerger #PeopleFirstMNA #PostMergerIntegration #HRLeadership #MergersAndAcquisitions #Uber