Deltabase Shortlisted for the 2025 Business Culture Awards
We’re thrilled to share that Deltabase, in partnership with KPMG, has been shortlisted for the 2025 Business Culture Awards in the category Best Use of Technology and/or Analytics for Business Culture.
The Business Culture Awards celebrate organisations that are shaping the future of work by putting culture at the heart of business success. From progressive leadership to innovative use of technology, the awards recognise those who are redefining how businesses support their people and deliver long-term impact. To be recognised in this category is a proud moment for us, as it validates the role of AI-driven cultural insight as a transformative force in business-critical decisions.
This recognition shines a spotlight on an issue often overlooked during mergers and acquisitions (M&A): culture.
The Hidden Barrier in M&A
M&A is one of the highest-stakes moments a company can face. Yet research shows that 70% of deals fail to deliver their intended value, with culture cited as one of the leading causes. Leadership clashes, misaligned values, and disrupted employee experiences can erode even the best strategic rationale.
Traditionally, companies tried to measure culture through surveys, interviews, or workshops. But these methods are increasingly “old hat” when it comes to M&A:
They take too long, often months to complete — far longer than a due diligence window.
They’re too disruptive — you can’t realistically interview or survey employees during confidential deal negotiations.
They’re too limited — capturing only a fraction of perspectives, leaving blind spots that can derail integration.
And they’re often biased — influenced by who is asked, what’s asked, and when.
The result? Critical cultural risks are spotted far too late — after contracts are signed and the damage to morale and retention has already begun.
A People-First, AI-Powered Solution
That’s where Deltabase and KPMG joined forces. We combined KPMG’s “People in M&A” expertise with Deltabase’s AI-powered Culture Intelligence platform to make cultural insight both fast and rigorous.
By analysing millions of real employee datapoints — from review sites, forums, and social media — our platform produces quantifiable insights across 12 core cultural dimensions, such as leadership, collaboration, innovation, inclusion, and purpose.
What once took months now takes just 1–2 weeks, making cultural insight a practical tool in even the most time-pressured deals. KPMG then integrates these insights into deal planning, enabling leaders to:
Anticipate cultural risks before they become deal-breakers.
Adapt integration strategies with empathy and precision.
Protect the employee experience during uncertain times.
Culture in Action: Real Stories
One of the most powerful aspects of this approach is how it has shifted the conversation in boardrooms. Here are just a few examples:
Silicon Valley meets scale-up agility: In a multi-billion-dollar deal, our analysis revealed stark cultural differences between a global tech giant and a nimble scale-up. Instead of brushing culture aside, the client immediately adjusted its integration strategy, ensuring the smaller company’s agility wasn’t lost.
EU–US leadership clash: In another deal, our insights uncovered vastly different decision-making approaches between a European acquirer and its US-based target. This finding helped leaders confront the issue early, avoiding misalignment post-deal.
Joint venture built on trust: For a multi-national joint venture, cultural benchmarking ensured that the partners could align not only with each other but also with aspirational peers, laying the groundwork for a healthier long-term collaboration.
In each case, culture moved from a side issue to a central pillar of strategy, reshaping how leaders thought about value and risk.
Redefining Culture in M&A
For too long, culture in M&A has been treated as a soft, intangible problem — impossible to measure and too slow to act upon. This project proves otherwise. With the right combination of AI-driven analytics and human expertise, culture can be assessed with rigour, speed, and empathy.
The Business Culture Awards recognition is more than an honour. It’s a validation that culture is not a barrier to deals, but a lever for growth. And it’s a reminder that behind every transaction are employees whose experiences deserve to be protected and valued.
We’re proud of what this shortlisting represents — and excited to celebrate with our peers at the Business Culture Awards ceremony on 26 November 2025.
If you’re a consultant helping clients navigate culture, workforce, or transformation challenges, you can bring Deltabase’s AI-powered insights into your own work. Learn more about our partnership opportunities here: Deltabase Partner Program.
Leroy Hall
http://deltabase.oneLeroy Hall is a strategy and culture specialist at Deltabase, where he helps organizations unlock insights into leadership, workforce, and cultural dynamics through data-driven intelligence.