After several years of slowed activity, mergers and acquisitions picked up in the first half of 2025, as disciplined dealmakers reentered the market despite continued uncertainty. In this episode, three McKinsey M&A experts share their recent analysis of global dealmaking, explore the continued outperformance of programmatic acquirers, and weigh in on what the rest of the year’s transactions might look like once the data are finalized.

Jake Henry is a senior partner in our Chicago office and the global co-leader of our M&A Practice. He serves clients on M&A strategy, integration, separations, due diligence, and JVs and alliances. Patrick McCurdy is a partner in our Boston office and a leader of our M&A Strategy and Due Diligence work. He serves clients across industries, advising clients on how to leverage M&A as a differentiated capability. Luke Carter is an associate partner in our New York office and co-leads our M&A capability building work, as well as our annual M&A capability survey and our corresponding research into the habits of programmatic acquirers.

Rich in resilience: Dealmakers deliver strong first-half results in M&A

The seven habits of programmatic acquirers

Time to revisit your M&A strategy

M&A Annual Report: Is the wave finally arriving?

Gen AI: Opportunities in M&A

The portfolio management imperative and its M&A implications

McKinsey Insights on Strategy & Corporate Finance

McKinsey Insights on M&A

McKinsey Strategy & Corporate Finance on LinkedIn

After several years of slowed activity, mergers and acquisitions picked up in the first half of 2025, as disciplined dealmakers reentered the market despite continued uncertainty. In this episode, three McKinsey M&amp;A experts share their recent analysis of global dealmaking, explore the continued outperformance of programmatic acquirers, and weigh in on what the rest of the year&rsquo;s transactions might look like once the data are finalized.
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/jake-henry">Jake Henry</a> is a senior partner in our Chicago office and the global co-leader of our M&amp;A Practice. He serves clients on M&amp;A strategy, integration, separations, due diligence, and JVs and alliances. <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/patrick-mccurdy">Patrick McCurdy</a> is a partner in our Boston office and a leader of our M&amp;A Strategy and Due Diligence work. He serves clients across industries, advising clients on how to leverage M&amp;A as a differentiated capability. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-carter-85656358/">Luke Carter</a> is an associate partner in our New York office and co-leads our M&amp;A capability building work, as well as our annual M&amp;A capability survey and our corresponding research into the habits of programmatic acquirers.
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/rich-in-resilience-dealmakers-deliver-strong-first-half-results-in-m-and-a">Rich in resilience: Dealmakers deliver strong first-half results in M&amp;A</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/the-seven-habits-of-programmatic-acquirers">The seven habits of programmatic acquirers</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/time-to-revisit-your-m-and-a-strategy">Time to revisit your M&amp;A strategy</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/top-m-and-a-trends">M&amp;A Annual Report: Is the wave finally arriving?</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/gen-ai-opportunities-in-m-and-a">Gen AI: Opportunities in M&amp;A</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/the-portfolio-management-imperative-and-its-m-and-a-implications">The portfolio management imperative and its M&amp;A implications</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights">McKinsey Insights on Strategy &amp; Corporate Finance</a>
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights">McKinsey Insights on M&amp;A</a>
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mckinsey-strategy-corporate-finance/posts/?feedView=all">McKinsey Strategy &amp; Corporate Finance on LinkedIn</a>

We talk with McKinsey partners and corporate executives on the challenges they face creating lasting strategies in a fast-changing world. We also examine the different ways these executives approach these challenges and the new and innovative ways they think of creating a vision for their enterprises.

What does it take to survive in a world of constant change? More than ever, enterprises need to create strategies that can meet current needs but also adapt to future demand. A regular series of interviews with McKinsey partners and corporate executives.

Inside the Strategy Room

The world is moving faster, and as upheaval becomes the norm, vast business opportunities will be within the grasp of the extraordinary few.  But it takes bold people and courageous approaches to seize those opportunities and create value.

In each episode of our weekly podcast, we interview the world’s highest-performing CEOs, CFOs, innovators, and McKinsey experts and discuss how they build the courage, clarity, conviction, and cohesion that allow their businesses to win by moving faster than the world around them. 

The world is moving faster, and as upheaval becomes the norm, vast business opportunities will be within the grasp of the extraordinary few. &nbsp;But it takes bold people and courageous approaches to seize those opportunities and create value.
In each episode of our weekly podcast, we interview the world&rsquo;s highest-performing CEOs, CFOs, innovators, and McKinsey experts and discuss how they build the courage, clarity, conviction, and cohesion that allow their businesses to win by moving faster than the world around them.&nbsp;

Advertisement