At Assent Risk Management we love to celebrate the successes of our clients through blogs and case studies.
Some clients prefer not to discuss their ISO Certification journey, but others are happy to contribute to the conversation. Those who do are proudly displayed on our Case Studies page.
During a recent review of our case studies we noticed that a significant number had been acquired themselves or acquired other business, often meaning they had rebranded and grown in size.
This got us to wondering, did their ISO Management Systems, and the impartial ISO Certification, make them more attractive as an acquisition and support their growth?
ISO Certification for Business Growth
ISO Management Systems provide a structured framework which can be scaled up as you grow, providing a firm foundation for your business processes.
We are increasingly finding Start-ups investing in ISO Management Systems at an early stage, so that processes and procedures can be well established before scaling.
In addition, ISO Certification can open doors to contracts and tenders which set certification as a requirement, driving commercial growth.
ISO as a Framework for Integration
Although organisations may implement ISO Management Systems in different ways, the common requirements and expected outputs offer opportunities to integrate the systems of different organisations together.
This means that for Mergers & Acquisitions, where two or more companies may be coming together, ISO standards offer known parallels that can be used to integrate the organisational functions into a common structure.
ISO for Good Governance
The governance of a company is important to a potential acquirer and they will spend considerable time completing due diligence.
ISO management systems have a strong focus on leadership and can be used to demonstrate good governance.
Many ISO standards can also help organisations meet their compliance obligations, while impartial ISO Certification will increase confidence in the organisation’s measures.
Getting Ready for Acquisition
For organisations who are looking to the future, ISO Standards provide a good way to prepare for an acquisition by formalising the organisation’s processes and improving operational efficiency.
In addition, the requirement to ‘measure the effectiveness of the management system’ can also provide useful trend data for a potential acquirer.
Maintaining ISO During & After Acquisitions
However, after a merger or acquisition is completed, it can be challenging to unify the different ISO Management Systems and Certification programmes.
Often organisations use different ISO Certification Bodies and have different audit schedules.
Our blog, Mergers & Acquisitions: Management System Continuity, discusses some of these challenges and how Assent Risk Management can help.
Leverage the Power of ISO Management Systems
Whether you are an established organisation preparing for the future or newly formed and looking for growth opportunities, the ISO Consultants at Assent can help you implement bespoke management systems for your organisation and achieve ISO Certification.
