Integration after the acquisition

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The integration of an acquired institution is a delicate phase, during which part of the value can be lost. Clients must be informed, reassured and sometimes persuaded to stay. Managers must be retained, through loyalty schemes, and integrated into the new organisation. IT systems must be migrated, which demands months of work and carries operational risks. Compliance procedures must be harmonised, and client files reviewed according to the acquirer’s standards.

Corporate cultures play a decisive role. A Geneva family house and the subsidiary of a large international bank do not have the same habits, nor the same expectations. Mergers between equals require an allocation of responsibilities and a shared definition of identity. Failed integrations result in departures of clients and staff, which can wipe out the expected benefits.

The Geneva institutions that have succeeded in their combinations have generally favoured gradual integration, attentive communication with clients and respectful treatment of the acquired teams. The 2002 merger between Lombard, Odier & Cie and Darier, Hentsch & Cie, which brought together two old houses, offers a frequently cited example.¹

Notes

Article “Banque Lombard Odier”, Wikimonde (accessed September 2026). ↩

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of September 2025.

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I am a Swiss attorney-at-law and also admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong and in England & Wales, with almost 25 years of experience.

Together with my multilingual team, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Ukrainian and French native speakers, I advise companies and their owners from around the world on the full range of banking, corporate, commercial and tax law matters in Switzerland, including international tax planning, fiduciary services, and legal family office services including immigration & relocation or real estate investments. My practice has a particular focus on clients from growth and frontier markets in Greater China, Central Asia and the Caucasus, the rest of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, and I equally advise clients from Europe and North America. Through an affiliated Swiss trust company, we also take care of the incorporation and ongoing administration of their companies and other structures, including accounting, tax returns and corporate secretarial services, and I serve as a professional director where required. With the support of a network of first-class cooperation partners, I also implement solutions worldwide.

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