A Canadian-based multinational fuel and petroleum company with a large retail conveniencestore presence had completed a significant acquisition, but two years later, the two organizations remained largely disconnected. IT systems were still separate, and cultural integration hadn’t begun. The newly launched initiative aimed to integrate systems, but it also had an unspoken goal: to start bridging the divide between the acquiring and acquired organizations.

Tensions were rising. Employees from the acquired company were growing anxious, having seen no signs of meaningful integration. The organization had a long-standing pattern of “bolting on” acquisitions without truly blending operations or culture. Leaders in both legacy companies had never been held accountable for leading change, and an “us vs. them” mindset had taken root. To complicate matters, a key system concern—customer data—would remain siloed, making many doubt whether the change would deliver value.

LaMarsh Global was brought in to help address the effort’s technical and emotional dimensions.We began by educating leaders on their roles and responsibilities in leading change, conducting our Leader as Sponsor workshop, and developing a tactical toolkit to support their efforts. Messaging was aligned across leadership to ensure clarity, consistency, and trust.

We partnered closely with the Program Manager to embed change management plans into the larger integration effort. Formal and informal meetings ensured constant alignment and transparency between the program and change leads.

To further support the effort, we established a Change Agent Network of leaders directly impacted by the change. This dual-purpose team helped leaders build the skills to lead through uncertainty while creating a safe feedback space. It also gave “acquirer” and “acquiree” groups an opportunity to form genuine relationships—many for the first time—fostering empathy and reducing resistance. Feedback loops helped us refine communications in real time, ensuring that concerns were heard and addressed.

The results were meaningful. Leaders across both organizations stepped into their roles as change agents, supporting this initiative and preparing for the future. Business units that had never collaborated began working together. Communications were more open, timely, and strategic. Most importantly, the organization achieved a Change Effectiveness Score of 72%, indicating a strong foundation for cultural and operational integration.

Acquisitions shouldn’t stop at structure. Join our next Managed Change™ Workshop or connect with us to learn how we help organizations build alignment, capability, and culture that lasts.