PPL - Home of the M&A People Integration Playbook

PE investors and SME founders need sharp, senior expertise that delivers value fast.

That’s why PPL exists.

We’re built to ensure deals deliver real and lasting value:
✅ Precision in people integration
✅ Speed at deal pace
✅ Real-world outcomes, not theory

From diligence to post-deal integration, we lead the people side of M&A so investors protect value and founders scale with confidence. Through ppl.io, we share the playbooks, tools, and insights that turn people risk into people value.

The deal model justifies the investment.
The people deliver the returns.
And PPL is the smarter alternative.

Founder & Principal

CUBE

CUBE is a global AI RegTech business setting the gold standard for regulatory change in financial services.

I act as the primary advisor on people risk, integration strategy, and change leadership, and led all People Integration workstreams across 17 countries following CUBE’s acquisitions of Thomson Reuters (thomsonreuters.com), Reg-Room (reg-room.com), and Acin (acin.com).

Key Achievements:
- Delivered complex, concurrent people integration programmes across carve-out and acquisition environments.
- Scaled CUBE from 450 to 720 people, and from 11 to 22 countries.
- Designed and implemented a global benefits review, aligning packages across 5 regions to upper-quartile benchmarks.
- Led multiple TUPE consultations in the UK.
- Replaced incumbent Employer of Record (EOR) with GoGlobal across 12 countries.
- Established a new US PEO with ADP, significantly enhancing healthcare and benefits for existing and acquired employees.
- Partnered with executive leadership to define the post-merger operating model and org design, ensuring role clarity and alignment across 3 acquisitions.
- Set up a new employing entity in the Philippines, enabling CUBE to directly employ talent from recent acquisitions.

"Dylan played a key role in ensuring our integration with CUBE was a success. He built a strong and trusting partnership with our HR team, kept communication productive and timely, and made sure employee feedback was acted on. Thanks to Dylan’s approach, important commitments were honored, employees felt supported, and retention remained strong throughout the process."
👏 'Confidential', HR Director, Thomson Reuters

M&A People Integration Lead

Better Hiring Institute (BHI)

The Better Hiring Institute exists to transform the UK labour market by bringing in a revolution in the way the UK hires staff. Working with UK Government the Better Hiring Institute has developed Better Hiring Toolkits to cover 80% of the UK workforce, a Better Hiring Charter to transform fairness in UK Hiring and runs the Modernising Employment APPG in Parliament.

Expert Panel Member - Faster & Future

AxeTrading

AxeTrading is a global provider of Fixed Income trading solutions, which provides access to all major fixed income trading venues, and offers customisable pricing and quote management, and automated workflow tools.  Following its acquisition in 2023, AxeTrading is now part of Trading Technologies, provider of the world's leading professional futures trading platform.

"Dylan was instrumental in helping AxeTrading's Board to understand the legacy management issues, guided the Board with regards to leadership transition at the Company, and executed with integrity and action throughout the restructuring and acquisition programme."
👏 Farooq Jaffrey, Fintech Venture Capital Investments

"As COO, Dylan steered AxeTrading through a difficult time when there were changes at executive level.  Dylan worked closely with the CEO to implement a turnaround strategy and successfully positioned the company for its successful acquisition by Trading Technologies."
👏 Mark Rodrigues, Venture Partner, Illuminate Financial

My varied role included:
- Hired, mentored and embedded entire new C-suite
- Managed the successful acquisition of AxeTrading by Trading Technologies in March 2023
- Closed AxeTrading's German entity, successfully transitioning all development capability to new external partners in Brazil, Europe & Indonesia
- Worked closely with shareholders to raise new Convertible Loan Note funding & establish clear Board governance 
- Led AxeTrading's People, Talent, Operations, Strategic Partnerships, Legal & Compliance functions
- AxeTrading’s Company Secretary & Chief Information Security Officer

Chief People & Operations Officer

Board Member

HR Director (via PPL)

Barclays

Led an accelerated high-profile people change programme across the US, UK and India

Workforce Programme Manager

FNZ Group

FNZ Group is the fastest growing FinTech firm in the world and the market leader in the provision of technology and investment services to major financial institutions in the platform and wealth management sector. Responsible for over £1.5 trillion assets-under-administration, held by over 20 million customers of some of the world’s largest financial institutions. 

Reporting to the Group Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) my role partnered with FNZ’s leadership team to embed behaviours and HR processes to motivate and empower over 1,100 colleagues across the UK, Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, South Africa, Hong Kong, US, and China. 

Historically a PE backed scaling FinTech Unicorn FNZ is a high-growth, regulated technology and services supplier to large, global, established Financial Services organisations which achieved a £1.7bn sale valuation in 2018.

• Re-established HR business partnering model with HR as trusted and credible advisors and implemented a single HR and Talent team model to embed the business partnering approach.
• Led significant large-scale organisational change and multiple TUPE programmes via mergers, acquisitions and services transfer.
• Introduced FNZ as a new employer to multiple countries across EMEA.
• Partnered with senior leaders to maintain the fun elements of start-up culture whilst also balancing that against the needs of delivering HR and Talent projects within a regulated FS environment.
• Introduced brand new global Employee Recognition scheme allowing colleagues and clients the opportunity to nominate employees for either cash awards, team experiences or new technology.
• Delivered the successful implementation of Workday as the new global HR and Talent system across 15 countries and consolidated payroll providers across EMEA.
• Oversaw all HR matters relating to employee relations and engagement, improving retention and increasing internal development and Talent opportunities for colleagues.

Human Resources Director

Reported to the Group Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO).  This role combined responsibility for all Talent, Resourcing, Learning and Development cycles across the Group ensuring that people at all levels developed the skills, knowledge and experiences to fulfil the Group’s short and long term Talent agenda.

Historically a PE backed scaling FinTech Unicorn FNZ is a high-growth, regulated technology and services supplier to large, global, established Financial Services organisations. 

• Partnered regional leaders to develop and embed a robust Talent Strategy.
• Conceived and implemented FNZ’s new group Talent, Performance Management and Succession Planning model – ‘GO FAR’ (Goals, Objectives, Feedback, Assessment and Recognition).
• Developed and implemented regulatory focused Talent, Learning and Development programmes.
• Implemented direct sourcing across the Group with direct hires improving from 10% to over 80% in 6 months.

Group Head of Talent

NatWest Group

Reported to Group TS Chief Operating Officer.  Set RBS Technology Services Resourcing policy including operational delivery of permanent, contract and temporary recruitment via direct channels, third party suppliers and managed service vendors.

•	Designed and implemented new HR operating model improving team capability and performance.
•	Contract manager for 600+ UK contractors.
•	Implemented new vendor model reducing contractor margin costs by over £1m/annum.

Global Head of Resourcing, Technology Services

Reported to HR Chief Operating Officer (HR COO).  Initially a contract role, working closely with HR experts across dedicated teams to improve business engagement and HR effectiveness

Group HR Operations

The HEINEKEN Company

Head of Resourcing, Europe

Resourcing Manager - Integrated Supply & Trading

People & HR Director || Technology Start-Ups & Scale-Ups

Stop overpaying big consultancies for average integration results.

M&A isn’t just a financial deal. It’s a human one, and when the people side gets overlooked, even the best strategy can unravel. Yet time and again, I see PE investors and founders leaving the most critical part of integration to chance (or to the wrong advisors).

Big consultancies will sell you armies of juniors and endless slide decks. Specialists often lack the depth to deliver globally, at deal pace. Both can be costly mistakes.

That’s why I built PPL, the home of the M&A People Integration Playbook.

PPL exists to replace the old model with something sharper:

✅ HR Due Diligence → Spotting risks, talent gaps & liabilities early
✅ Leadership & Culture Integration → Aligning the people behind the business
✅ Retention & Change → Keeping your best people engaged and moving forward

I’ve led people strategies across high-growth scale-ups, international acquisitions, and PE/VC-backed businesses. The pattern is clear: when people integration works, deals deliver. When it doesn’t, value leaks.

👉 At PPL, we make M&A human, scalable, and successful, so founders and investors can unlock the returns their deal models promised.

If you’re about to invest, acquire, or integrate, then let’s talk. There’s a smarter way to do this.

===========================================

"In an extremely fast moving and challenging environment, Dylan joined the Integration Team leading the People, Culture and Comms workstream of 200 people from Reg-Room and Thompson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence into CUBE. He hit the ground running, prioritising and delivering urgent and strategic requirements from his first morning."
- Andrew Scola, M&A Integration and Carve-out Expert -- ex Deloitte, PwC

"What Dylan doesn't know about M&A you could write on your toe nail!  He is super knowledgeable, knows his way around M&A like the back of his hand and is SUPER patient. He is objective, thoughtful and puts the employees first - always."
- Elinor Brett, FCIPD, Interim CPO/HR Director

"Dylan guided the Board with regards to leadership transition at the Company, and executed with integrity and action throughout the restructuring and acquisition programme."
- Farooq Jaffrey, Fintech Venture Capital Investments

"As COO, Dylan worked closely with the CEO to implement a turnaround strategy and successfully positioned the company for its successful acquisition by Trading Technologies."
- Mark Rodrigues, Venture Partner, Illuminate Financial

===========================================

Most M&A integrations fail.

I’ve just been recognised for building the solution that changes that. 🏆

🎉 I’m absolutely thrilled to share that I won the HRi Award for Innovation 2025!

When I built PPL - Home of the M&A People Integration Playbook, it started with a simple conviction:
 🚨 Most M&A integrations fail because people are treated as an afterthought.

That’s the gap I set out to close.

This award is recognition that People-First M&A isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s the competitive edge in today’s deal environment.

Through PPL, I help PE investors and founders deliver integrations that actually work, from due diligence through post-merger success.
 
I make sure that:
 ✅ Culture and leadership are aligned early
 ✅ Talent risks are visible before Day 1
 ✅ Teams are motivated, engaged, and performing fast

This isn’t HR for M&A.  It’s strategy through people.

To everyone pushing for smarter, faster, people-led deals - thank you.

And to the investors and founders asking, “How do we make this integration succeed?” 

➡️ You’ve just found your answer.


#HRiAwards2025 #MergersAndAcquisitions

Dylan Roberts

HRi Innovation Award Winner 2025 | People Integration in M&A | From Due Diligence to Post-Merger Success | Founder @ ppl.io | Trusted by PE Investors & Founders

I'm still buzzing from winning the HR Independents Award for Innovation last week. 🏆

But for me, here’s the real takeaway:

💡 Most deals don’t fail because of strategy; they fail because of people.

Get leadership, culture, and communication aligned early, ideally starting in due diligence, and everything else clicks into place.

It’s been a week since winning the HR Independents Award for Innovation, and (as everyone says!) I’ve had a bit of time to reflect. 

The recognition is great. But what really matters is what it represents. For too long, “integration” has meant systems, structures, and checklists. 

💡 The real value in any deal comes from the people; in how they lead, communicate, and pull together early on. 

That’s what people-first M&A is about, and it’s encouraging to see more investors and founders starting to see it the same way. 

Here’s to more integrations that work --- because the people side worked first.

taplio

Dylan Roberts's Linkedin Analytics

Dylan Roberts

Performance ScoreDylan Roberts's LinkedIn Performance

What is Dylan talking about?

Who is engaging with Dylan

Dylan Roberts's Best Posts (last 30 days)

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

.css-6ytdur{background-image:linear-gradient(284deg, rgba(39, 43, 72, 1) 0%, rgba(33, 47, 183, 1) 100%);color:transparent;-webkit-background-clip:text;background-clip:text;}Dylan Roberts's Linkedin Analytics

Dylan Roberts

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Dylan Roberts's LinkedIn Performance

What is Dylan talking about?

Who is engaging with Dylan

Dylan Roberts's Best Posts .css-1emoo84{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:400;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);}(last 30 days)

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Dylan Roberts's Linkedin Analytics

Performance ScoreDylan Roberts's LinkedIn Performance

Dylan Roberts's Best Posts (last 30 days)