Hugged to Death book cover

Hugged to Death

A Practitioner's Guide to Integrating Acquisitions Without Destroying Them

By Andrew Ross
Desswood Advisors Press
Available November 2026

About the Book

Seventy percent of M&A fails to create value. Boards commission expensive post-mortems to understand what went wrong. But they won't invest the same time ahead of the deal, pressure-testing whether the integration approach will protect what makes the asset valuable instead of hugging it to death.

Valuation and deal structure get debated endlessly. Integration gets a cursory discussion and then falls apart. The difference between failure and success is Architecture (the integration approach you design upfront) and Choreography (your ability to adapt when plans meet reality).

Andrew Ross draws on 20+ years as EVP of Strategy, M&A and Integration at Estée Lauder Companies, EVP of Strategy and M&A at ConAgra Foods, and Partner at McKinsey & Company. He provides a new approach that boards, CEOs and M&A and integration leaders need: the 2×4 diagnostic to pressure-test Architecture before you sign, governance that enables Choreography without losing control, and what to do when you've got the Architecture wrong.

Advance praise for Hugged To Death

  • "Architecture versus Choreography is a fabulous framework, and Andrew Ross brings real street cred to it. The case studies deliver real insights I haven't seen elsewhere." Andrew Shore, retired Managing Director, Moelis & Co.
  • "Successful M&A requires a disciplined approach to strategy, due diligence and execution. The 2x4 framework is a great tool to drive accountability across the enterprise on each phase of the transaction." Bill Hahn, Senior Vice President, Business Development, The Scoular Company
  • "Andrew Ross gets the distinction that matters: run to business versus run to a static plan. The frameworks hold up where many integrations actually fail, which is providing clarity for the brand and functional leads to execute, not the deal room. Greg Polcer, Interim CEO, Supergoop!, and former EVP, Supply Chain, the Estée Lauder Companies

For

  • Boards evaluating acquisition proposals
  • CEOs navigating post-merger integration
  • Integration leaders executing complex deals
  • Private equity investors assessing portfolio company acquisitions
  • M&A professionals who want to understand why deals succeed or fail

About the Author

Andrew Ross was EVP of Strategy, M&A and Integration at the Estée Lauder Companies and EVP of Strategy and M&A at ConAgra Foods, where he led corporate strategy, acquisitions, divestitures, and post-acquisition integration. Previously, he was a Partner at McKinsey & Company. He is the Founder of Desswood Advisors and a Senior Advisor to private equity and venture capital funds, advises beauty and consumer companies on growth and M&A strategy, and serves on four private company boards. He writes about the expensive mistakes, and occasional successes, he's learned from on both sides of the table.

Available November 10, 2026 in paperback and ebook