De-risking investment during a high-stakes acquisition
- Property
- M&A
- Due diligence
Executive summary
Mergers and acquisitions in regulated industries create pressure to move quickly while maintaining compliance and customer experience. When technology decisions get made before business strategy is clear, organisations risk building on misaligned foundations.
This case study shows how rigorous operating model analysis and technology assessment can create clarity when competing voices and inherited systems threaten to derail integration. The approach works across regulated environments, complex acquisitions and situations where business processes and technology platforms need to work together under strict compliance requirements.
It also demonstrates how independent review can cut through ambiguity and give leadership the evidence needed to make confident decisions about what to keep, what to change and how to move forward.
The problem we solved
When online estate agency Strike acquired Purplebricks in 2023 for £1, the merger brought together two fundamentally different operating models. Strike's business approach had been chosen for the combined entity, but Purplebricks' technology stack had already been adopted.
This created an immediate disconnect. Strong voices within Purplebricks began to drive technical decision-making, while Strike's operating model required different capabilities and processes. With mortgage sales central to the revenue model, FCA regulation meant every process had to be seamless and compliant.
Without alignment between how the business would operate and what the technology could support, the combined entity risked losing efficiency, struggling with compliance obligations and undermining customer experience.
Strike needed independent analysis to understand where the operating model and technology stack conflicted, what the risks were and how to create a coherent path forward.
What we did
We worked with Strike to audit both technology stacks and map the operating model that would underpin the combined business.
Our team of business analysts, architects and researchers assessed infrastructure, security and integration points across both Strike and Purplebricks systems. We ran workshops with frontline staff and leadership to document the processes, regulatory requirements and customer journeys that mattered most.
We then created a service blueprint that showed how Strike's chosen operating model could be supported or hindered by the Purplebricks technology stack. This made visible where conflicts existed, what gaps needed addressing and where decisions would have the biggest impact on compliance and customer experience.
We produced a report that outlined risks, gaps and recommendations, giving leadership the clarity needed to make informed decisions about integration priorities and technology investment.
The long-term impact
The analysis gave Strike the foundation to integrate with confidence. By aligning the operating model with the technology stack, we helped the business understand what was achievable, what needed changing and where compliance risk sat.
The work created structure and clarity at a time of ambiguity, ensuring the combined business could move forward with a coherent strategy rather than competing influences pulling in different directions.
How we can help de-risk your investment
If you're integrating businesses with different operating models, inherited technology or complex regulatory requirements, we can help you understand where misalignment creates risk and what needs to change to deliver a coherent, compliant operation.
We work with you to audit systems, map processes and create service blueprints that show how business strategy and technology capabilities fit together. Our independent perspective cuts through competing voices and gives you the evidence needed to make confident decisions about integration priorities.