What happened
Mergers and acquisitions are running close to a record level, and the rush into AI is a main reason, as reported by CFO Dive. The view comes from Torsten Sløk of Apollo.
The report says the fixation on AI has spurred dealmaking well beyond technology. Companies in sectors that are essential to the AI build-out are now part of the activity too.
The report does not say here how large the deal totals are, which regions are most active, or how long the pace is expected to last. Those details are not yet clear from what has been published.
Why it matters if you are hiring
More deals mean more work for finance teams, and that work lands on a small group of people. Diligence, valuation, integration accounting, purchase price allocation, financing and reporting all need experienced hands. Most mid-sized employers do not carry that capacity full time.
Because the activity reaches beyond tech, the pressure is not limited to software companies. A Canadian manufacturer, energy services firm or infrastructure business that supplies the AI build-out could be buying, selling or taking on investors. Its controller and FP&A team will feel it first.
The roles to watch are transaction and M&A accountants, financial analysts with modelling depth, controllers who have closed an acquisition, and integration finance leads. These people are in demand when deal volume rises, and they are rarely looking. Hiring slowly means losing them to a faster offer.
There is also a choice between permanent and contract. A deal team needed for 6 to 9 months is often better served by contract specialists than by a permanent hire made in a rush.
One thing to do this week
List the finance tasks your team would struggle to absorb if your company, a customer or a supplier announced a deal next quarter. Mark each as a permanent gap or a short-term need, and decide now who you would bring in for each one.
Traverse places finance people in contract and permanent roles, from analysts and accountants to controllers, for employers across Canada and the US, so a deal-driven workload does not have to wait on a long search.