Certified Acquisition Integration Manager logo

Learn how to Successfully Integrate Acquired Businesses


Building in-house skills for acquirers

Training, certification, and mentoring for you to deliver the value of your M&A through successful integration

It is said that 70% of acquisitions fail. This is not completely accurate; it is the integration of the two businesses that often fails. Delivering the value that was envisioned when the deal was put together is difficult and prone to failure.

Businesses that do not successfully integrate acquisitions waste the opportunity of value creation. With every subsequent acquisition, the pain of not integrating becomes greater, as the burden of multiple processes, tools and operational methods prevents growth.

Training is self-paced, but if you want to join a cohort, here is our schedule

Course Level

This is an intermediate level course. 

Prerequisites

A basic understanding of the steps involved in acquiring a business:

  • What is M&A Due Diligence and where it fits into the acquisition timeline
  • Acquisition terminology such as "Deal Closing" or "Deal Team"

Download detailed information on delivery methods and pricing

Certified Acquisition Integration Manager® (CAIM)

What is included?

  • Online training to take you through the entire integration: from the reasons for acquiring, to the execution and delivery of the projects
  • Templates and checklists to download, including lists of necessary departmental integration tasks
  • Uses our unique integration approach specifically designed for small businesses, the SSIM™ (the Small business Simple Integration Method)
  • Ask an expert after you have graduated. Get the answers you need for your integration from our experts at our Integration Mastermind sessions

Applicable for people in these teams

  • Integration Management Office (IMO)
  • Steering Committee
  • Workstreams
  • Employee Onboarding
  • Communications

All lessons are self-paced, On Demand and compatible with all mobile devices.

Get immediate access


Get Recognized as an Expert

Demonstrate that you have the knowledge to be an acquisition integration manager

  • Managers and colleagues recognition of your certification
  • Gaining the knowledge and skills of acquisition integration increases your value to your employer
  • Helps build your case for workplace compensation or promotion
Career Development

Transferable skills for your next career move

  • Transfer your competence to future career contacts
  • Helps you stand out from other applicants to future hiring managers
Digital Badges

Our badges are Open Badges compliant

  • Digitally verifiable
  • Can be shared on social media and with your community
Renewable Certification

Intista certifications have a two-year lifespan

  • Recertification demonstrates your experience and understanding of acquisition integrations
  • Find out more about the recertification, here

What Lessons are in the CAIM™ training?

Training contains 10 lessons of self-paced on demand content, compatible with all mobile devices. 

  • > Getting off the Ground

  • > Different Ways to Integrate

  • > The Integration Organization

  • > Integration Objectives

  • > Finance in Integrations

  • > Staff Retention after an Acquisition

  • > Onboarding Acquired Staff

  • > Preparing for Day 1

  • > Communication During Integrations

  • > Creating Acquisition Integration Projects

Integration Mastermind Sessions

Meet online monthly with integration experts and ask them any questions you may have.

Get the answers you need for your integration from our experts at Intista's Integration Mastermind sessions

Why you should become a Certified Integration Manager

Get recognized as an expert

Demonstrate to your colleagues that you have the knowledge to be an acquisition integration manager

Certification is an investment

Training is reinforced with competency testing to improve comprehension. Businesses invest in training programs that test and demonstrate learning

Professional credibility

Certification provides confidence in qualification. Businesses trust the judgement of a professional who holds a certification in a specific domain

Validation

A certification is tangible proof that you have achieved a benchmark level of knowledge. Gaining the knowledge and skills of acquisition integration increases your value to your employer

Career development

Having a certification will help you when you are seeking a promotion or will help you stand out from other applicants to a hiring manager

Why businesses want Certified Acquisition Integration Managers

Businesses that integrate their acquisitions achieve the full value from the deal

Purchasing a business does not deliver the full value of the deal: value comes from the integration of the two businesses. A successful integration team delivers the value defined by the Deal Team

In-House teams leverage embedded, established experts

Invest in your team to grow in-house expertise, which is transferred between successive acquisition integrations

Control the cost of getting external integration expertise

With fixed cost training fees, you know the cost of skill-building for your business

Improve the way that you approach and deliver integrations in the future. 

If you already acquire and integrate, avoid the cost of inefficient methods in: staff retention, faster onboarding, improved productivity, staff engagement

Trained employees are happier employees

Certified employees perform faster, are more engaged, and have better work outcomes*. Organizations that invest in employee training demonstrate their faith in employees and morale improves, creating more engagement, and improving productivity

*Global Knowledge's 2021 annual IT Skills and Salary Report found recruitment and retention as their leading problem, being addressed by dramatic increases in employee training. In the report, 80% of responders identify the benefits of certification include faster performance, higher engagement, and better work outcomes

Choose Your Delivery Method

Our training is online, specifically designed for this delivery method. Select how you'd like to study, below

Self-Paced

Icon depicting self paced

Study online at your own pace. 

Suitable for students with 

  • An immediate need to complete the training and certification
  • Limited time to study each week

Cohort Class

Cohort of students connecting together

Students are organized into a study group (cohort) class. 

Each week the cohort is assigned lessons to study online. A review meeting is held at the end of the week to discuss and ask questions about what they have learned with an instructor.

The cohort is a popular way of being held accountable for completing the training and certification, while still allowing self-paced study

Private Class

Icon depicting a private class

All students are from a single business, allowing acquisition-specific and confidential discussions to take place with your instructor. 

The pace and schedule of studies are agreed before starting. 

Live Remote and Classroom training delivery options are available

Single subscription, for Self-Paced or Cohort Study

$2,495 Year 1

$250 Renewals

including recertification

AM&AA member?
Click here

Registration Fee Includes:

  • Immediate access to 12 month of online, self-paced study materials
  • Cohort attendance invites, to discuss the topics studied through self-paced learning
  • Access to downloadable resources, such as templates and checklists to use on  your integrations, for 12 months
  • CAIM™ certification, after passing the final assessment
  • 12 month access to Intista's Integration Mastermind meetings

Thinking about confidential discussions?

  • Learn about our Private Classes
  • Available in 3 delivery formats, including classroom learning

Prerequisites

  • No prerequisite knowledge or advanced preparation is required to be successful with this course.
  • Program Level:   Intermediate
  • Deliverables:   QAS Self Study

Preferred Qualifications

  • Hold an academic degree
  • One or more professional designations (such as CPA, CFA, PMP, CIPD, CCMP, CVGA, CEPA, CMI or equivalents). Consideration is also made for professionals who have experience in the M&A, Transformation or Change Management industries

Cancellations

  • Requests for refunds must be made in writing within 15 days of purchasing the course.
  • No refunds will be granted after the qualified assessment has been completed. For complaints or concerns, please contact info@intista.com

Ask Us About Bulk Discounting!

Spring 2026 Cohort Class details

This training and certification is a combination of online, self-paced study and live (remote) cohort meetings.


A balance of self-paced and live learning

  • Study 1.5 to 3.5 hours of self-paced online learning
  • Cohort meetings are 45 minutes each week to review what was learned, and discuss any related topics or details that attendees have questions about

The kickoff meeting is April 10th, 2026.  Begin studying any time before the first review meeting on April 17th.

Meetings schedule: 

  • Kick Off: Friday April 10th, 2026, 11am EDT, 4pm BST, 5pm CEST
    • Welcome and kickoff
  • Friday April 17th, 11am EDT, 4pm BST, 5pm CEST Week 1 review
    • Lesson 1: Getting off the Ground
    • Lesson 2: Different Ways to Integrate
  • Friday April 24th, 11am EDT, 4pm BST, 5pm CEST Week 2 review
    • Lesson 3: The Integration Organization
    • Lesson 4: Integration Objectives
  • Friday May 1st, 11am EDT, 4pm BST, 5pm CEST Week 3 review
    • Lesson 5: Finance in Integrations
    • Lesson 6: Staff Retention after an Acquisition
  • Friday May 8th, 11am EDT, 4pm BST, 5pm CEST Week 4 review
    • Lesson 7: Onboarding Acquired Staff
    • Lesson 8: Preparing for Day 1
  • Friday May 15th, 11am EDT, 4pm BST, 5pm CEST Week 5 review
    • Lesson 9: Communication During Integrations
  • Friday May 22nd, 11am EDT, 4pm BST, 5pm CEST Week 6 review and Final Assessment
    • Lesson 10: Creating Acquisition Integration Projects
    • The Final Assessment


After registering, you will receive a calendar invitation to the weekly review meetings

The CAIM™ certification is an accrual of the individual short courses we offer

If you have purchased individually one of the courses, and want to upgrade to the certification, contact us for a credit

Considerations that leadership should have before acquiring,  discuss 6 myths about integrations, and differentiate between the priorities of the acquisition team and the integration team

Four broad-category approaches to integrating an acquired small or mid-size business, along with the “Keep Separate” strategy

The Integration Organization

The teams that oversee, manage and deliver an acquisition integration; the members of these teams, their roles, qualifications and ideal qualities

Integration Objectives

Initiatives that define the focus areas, for the journey ahead: how to identify the objectives, and how these fit into the SSIM™ as a whole

  Learn how to estimate and budget the finances of an acquisition integration: three types of cost estimation, budget submission, and three types of synergy

Staff Retention after an Acquisition

 Staff retention should be a priority of smaller integrations. We discuss  non-financial and financial incentives and introduce The Staff Retention Toolbox

Onboarding an entire acquired business is complex, emotional, and critical to the success of integrating acquired smaller businesses

Preparing for Day 1

The way that you announce and welcome new employees can be the difference between integration success and failure. Here we teach how to prepare and deliver the Day 1 announcement

Communication during Integrations

Learn how to communicate to the different audiences for an integration, applying seven communication objectives

Creating Acquisition Integration Projects

Walk through the process of turning integration objectives into workstream charters, and deriving the high level and details tasks.

>