Becker’s Healthcare CEO + CFO Roundtable is where healthcare’s top leaders come together to chart the path forward for our industry. This exclusive event convenes C-level executives for dynamic conversations on the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing health systems today — from rural healthcare and digital transformation to advancing health equity, building C-suite diversity, and more.
BPD is proud to be in attendance, and we can’t wait to meet you there.
November 3, 2025, 1:10 PM – 1:50 PM CT
Don’t Punt on Brand: Why Decisive Brand Strategy in M&A Creates Financial Value and Market Clarity
BPD and BrandActive have worked side by side for years, helping health systems navigate the intersection of brand, value, and transformation. Together, we believe health systems have a powerful, often overlooked opportunity: to uncover strategic, financial, and brand value by integrating brand decisions into M&A exploration and negotiation. When those decisions are made as part of the deal, not after it, health systems can capitalize costs, improve EBITDA, and accelerate brand value.
Learning Objectives
1
Learn why most organizations miss huge opportunities by not making a brand decision during an M/A deal
2
Understand that beyond diluting brand value and cultural cohesion by delaying brand decisions, organizations also miss an opportunity to improve their EBITDA by millions
3
Learn the value of developing a brand strategy as part of your M/A strategy, and how to leverage that brand strategy as part of your M/A deals
Featured Speakers
As Senior Vice President of Communications at BPD, Nicole James leads the firm’s communications practice, helping healthcare organizations build trust, protect reputations and amplify their leadership on a national and global stage. A trusted counselor to senior executives, she guides health systems and academic medical centers in defining their voice, advancing thought leadership, and engaging the audiences who matter most, from policymakers and physicians to patients and communities.
Nicole helps organizations demonstrate the value of communications by aligning strategy to business priorities and delivering measurable impact. She and her team partner with clients to navigate transformation, manage issues with transparency, and strengthen stakeholder engagement that drives connection and confidence.
Philip Guiliano is a Founding Partner of BrandActive, a management consulting firm focused exclusively on financial analysis, implementation strategy, and logistics of rebrand implementation. For the past 20 years, he has led the growth of the firm—creating a sustainable revenue engine, defining new service offerings, formalizing deep partnership channels, and shaping how BrandActive delivers global rebrand implementation and marketing operations programs. Through this, Philip has had the pleasure of working on some of the world’s largest rebrands, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate splits for clients including Johnson & Johnson, Verizon, GE, Siemens, HCA, CVS, Pfizer, Merck, Intel, Microsoft, Google, and hundreds of others.
The Courage to Save Millions
How marketing a brand identity decision during an M/A deal can save millions in EBITDA.
Health system leaders are always on the lookout for ideas and strategies from outside the industry to advance their organization. Here’s one – a strategy that builds a stronger culture, improves reputation and market share, and could add millions in EBIDTA. And all it takes is making one key decision at the right time. Yet in nearly every situation where this opportunity presents itself, health system leaders miss the boat.