International mergers and acquisitions are becoming an increasingly important area of expertise for today’s senior Chief Information Officers (CIO), research from CIO Connect has reported.

In a survey of its membership, 54% of CIO respondents had been involved in up to three merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions, with 42% reporting involvement in four or more during their career.

The role of the CIO in the M&A trend looks set to grow, with figures from Ernst & Young showing that M&A activity topped the $4 trillion mark worldwide last year, with predictions to peak at around $5 trillion in 2008.

25% of respondents have been involved in projects in the emerging BRIC economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China, some 19% in Eastern Europe and 12% in other countries, demonstrating that M&A are ever more becoming a global activity.

When it came to the impact of IT on M&A, CIOs believe they are delivering for the business. Almost half of CIOs reported IT merger costs accounted for less than 20% of the total M&A integration costs, and 54% believed that IT was responsible for delivering at least 20% or more of any post acquisition benefits.

The majority of CIOs felt that they should be involved in any merger plan right from the outset, and almost half reported that their organisations already gave them this responsibility in the area of systems infrastructure. 81% of CIOs reported that it was also their responsibility to negotiate with any new business over deadlines and budget levels.

Nick Kirkland, managing director of CIO Connect, commented: "These findings demonstrate that the CIO involved in M&A needs to be an effective business leader, strategist, communicator and influencer, with appropriate levels of cultural sensibility and effective people management skills."

"Indeed, those surveyed believed these business and people skills were considerably more important for the CIO than technical or operational management skills, which most respondents felt could be delegated to members of their team."

However, the business IT specialists were critical of post acquisition and merger measurements. Although 92% of CIOs said their organisations undertook some form of review to measure the performance and success of M&A IT projects, one in five reported there were no accurate measurements of IT integration costs or post acquisition benefits across the organisation.

Mr Kirkland concluded: "What was of concern however was the lack of accurate measurement of IT integration costs and post acquisition benefits. Without proper measurements, it is very difficult to improve efficiencies or processes for future M&A activity, or even to judge the merits of such activity."

"If organisations are not prepared or able to carry out such assessments, the CIO must use their influence to press upon senior management the need for this assessment."

CIO Connect is the independent networking forum for top CIOs, helping them and their teams to make a greater contribution to their business through the exchange of experiences with their peers in a trusted environment. They have more than 250 members, including most of the FTSE 250 companies and high-profile public-sector organisations.