On October 8, 2025, around 200 guests from business, academia, consulting, and politics gathered in Berlin to celebrate outstanding achievements in the transaction world at the prestigious M&A Award Night hosted by the German Association for M&A (BMA) and M&A REVIEW. Organized by mandaco, the evening at TIPI am Kanzleramt offered not only a festive atmosphere but also an impressive insight into the power of M&A as a driver of innovation and growth.

The BMA board looks back on a successful event with Federal Minister Dorothee Bär. (From left to right: Jan Pörschmann, Martina Farkas, Dorothee Bär, Ralf-Georg Mittler, Prof. Dr. Florian Bauer, Stefan Schneider)

M&A as Shaping the Future – Dialogue Between Politics and Business

The opening address was delivered by Federal Minister Dorothee Bär (Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space). In her speech, she highlighted the central importance of M&A for Germany’s capacity for innovation and competitiveness: “The future emerges when talents, ideas, and technologies come together.”

Bär emphasized that Germany can only succeed in the global innovation race if academia, business, and politics collaborate more closely. The High-Tech Agenda Germany promotes key technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology, and fusion research. In this context, M&A is more than just a financial instrument—it enables the transfer of ideas from research and development into the broader economy and society.

Driving Momentum for the Industry

In his opening speech, BMA Chairman Jan Pörschmann set important accents that placed the Award Night within a broader economic and societal context. He made it clear that profound change is no longer the exception but has become the new normal due to the breathtaking pace of technological developments. Markets are now transforming within months rather than years. With artificial intelligence and automation, the economy is facing a historic shift; he estimated the value potential of generative AI at several trillion dollars annually—a productivity opportunity of unprecedented scale.

Against this backdrop, Pörschmann emphasized that M&A is more than just a tool. It is a central strategic leadership instrument where strategy, legal, tax, financing, culture, and integration converge—rightly earning its reputation as the supreme discipline of management. Successful M&A is indispensable for Germany: for succession solutions in the SME sector, for technology transfer and innovation, for necessary consolidation across many industries, and for companies’ international expansion. Only in this way can competitiveness be secured and high-quality employment preserved.

Pörschmann placed particular emphasis on the issue of capital mobilization. Germany holds enormous private wealth—over €9 trillion at the end of 2024—which must be more effectively activated for entrepreneurship and innovation. This requires modern legal frameworks, improved employee participation schemes, and above all, a true European capital market. The BMA also sees its role in ensuring that more transactions achieve their objectives through knowledge sharing, professionalism, and qualification. “Knowledge sharing, professionalism, and qualification,” Pörschmann noted, are the keys to broadening the impact of M&A and sustainably strengthening Germany as a business location.

Scientifically Grounded Advisory Excellence

A key focus of the Award Night was on the Advisory Awards, which recognize outstanding advisory services. The selection process is based on a scientific model developed in collaboration with the University of Bristol Business School. This model evaluates both qualitative factors—such as client orientation and approach—as well as quantitative outcomes, thereby setting new standards in the European advisory landscape.

Advisory Awards 2025 Winners:

• M&A Legal Advisory: Schalast, Taylor Wessing Germany

• M&A Transaction Advisory: KPMG Germany (TRUMPF & Q.ANT deal)

• M&A Advisory: RSM Ebner Stolz (1st place), Benchmark International (2nd place)

These awards demonstrate how strongly advisory quality and professionalism influence the success of transactions and highlight the crucial role of methodological excellence.

Corporate Awards: Best Practices from the Corporate World

The second part of the evening focused on the Corporate Awards, honoring companies for exemplary transactions. The evaluation criteria included strategic clarity, innovative strength, resilience, as well as societal and technological impact.

Corporate Awards 2025 Winners:

• M&A Playbook: Körber (1st place), diva-e & Conclusion (2nd place)

• Best Start-up Deal: Jungheinrich AG

• Best Scale-up Deal: sennder (1st place), Urban Sports Club (2nd place)

• Resilience & Complexity: Deutsche Bahn (1st place), SCHOTT (2nd place)

• Most Impactful Deal: TRUMPF & Q.ANT GmbH

• Best Family Business Deal: Polifarma SpA (1st place), Karl Storz (2nd place)

• Best Mid-Market Deal: AL-KO Vehicle Technology Group (1st place), Lincoln International (2nd place)

This diversity highlights that M&A is no longer limited to large corporations. From start-ups and mid-sized companies to global enterprises - transactions shape the entire economy.

LEBENSWERK Award: Max H.-H. Schaber

A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the LEBENSWERK Award to Max H.-H. Schaber, founder and long-standing CEO of DATAGROUP. He was honored for his entrepreneurial pioneering spirit, clarity in decision-making, and responsible growth. In his acceptance speech, Schaber emphasized that success is never an individual achievement but is built on trust, fairness, and passion.

The BMA as a Platform for Excellence and Exchange

Since its founding in 2003, the BMA has established itself as a leading platform for M&A professionals. Through working groups, expert events, and publications such as M&A REVIEW, the association fosters knowledge exchange and contributes to the professionalization of the entire field.

At a time when companies must navigate both transformation and innovation, the BMA plays a central role as a source of inspiration and a networking hub. The M&A Awards are more than just an industry event - they are a showcase of best practices demonstrating how progress emerges through collaboration.

Conclusion: M&A as a Key to Transformation

The M&A Awards 2025 clearly demonstrated that mergers and acquisitions in Germany are far more than financial transactions. They are a powerful instrument for innovation, entrepreneurial courage, and shaping the future.

By honoring companies, advisors, and individuals distinguished by excellence and responsibility, the BMA and M&A REVIEW send a clear message: M&A shapes the future - economically, technologically, and socially.