This October, we look forward to connecting with our clients at SS&C Deliver 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. During the Wealth Management track, one session our attendees are looking forward to is Winning with Mergers & Acquisitions | Growth Strategies for RIAs with Lisa Crafford, Managing Director and Head of Advisory at Constellation Wealth Capital.
We recently sat down with Lisa to learn more about her experiences working with firms of all sizes and how they can grow while staying true to the values that made them who they are today.
What does your experience coaching and consulting tell you about what it takes to be successful in the industry today?
Success in the industry today requires a blend of clarity, culture, and courage. Clarity around your firm’s unique value proposition and ideal client; culture that empowers teams, embraces accountability, and encourages innovation; and the courage to adapt to a fast-evolving landscape, whether through technology adoption, succession planning, or strategic growth.
The most successful firms aren’t just reacting to change; they’re anticipating it and aligning their leadership, operations, and client experience accordingly.
You’ve worked with RIAs from both the inside and the outside. What’s the biggest challenge firms are facing right now, and what are the best doing differently?
Talent is the biggest challenge for most RIAs today, both in attracting the right people and in building a structure that sets them up for long-term success. I've found that firms are really great at thinking about their client pipeline, but take a talent pipeline for granted. They start looking for people when they're already behind on hiring rather than always being on the lookout for great talent to join their firm.
The best firms are addressing this by hiring ahead of need, not just reacting to capacity constraints. They’re building out real management teams, not just promoting strong advisors or department heads into leadership roles without support. They’re designing financial incentives and career paths that reward growth, leadership, and collaboration.
And, most importantly, they’re developing people intentionally through mentorship, stretch roles, and clear succession plans so that when new leadership opportunities emerge, they’re ready from within. It’s not just about filling roles, it’s about building a talent pipeline that fuels the firm’s future.
What advice do you have for firms trying to grow while staying true to their values?
Start by having values! And if it's been a while since you've revisited them, it might be time to wipe off the cobwebs and review them, ensuring they still represent what you stand for and what's most important.
Then, make your values operational and not just aspirational. Embed them in hiring, decision-making, and performance reviews. Growth decisions such as who to hire, what markets to enter, or whether to take on a new client should be filtered through the lens of “does this align with who we are and what we stand for?”
The firms that maintain integrity during growth are the ones that define their culture clearly, communicate it consistently, and lead by example at every level.
From your perspective, what separates an acquisition that adds long-term value from one that adds complexity?
It comes down to strategic fit and cultural alignment. Acquisitions that add long-term value are those where the integration plan starts well before the deal closes.
There’s alignment in client philosophy, operational expectations, leadership vision, and a view of how the combined firms can create a better client experience. By contrast, acquisitions that add complexity often lack clarity around roles, tech integration, and cultural fit,resulting in distraction, inefficiency, and attrition. The best acquirers treat integration as a leadership priority, not a back-office project.
As this conversation shows, the Wealth Management track is packed with insights, practical strategies, and forward-thinking discussions designed to help you elevate your client experience and your firm’s performance. Whether you’re looking to deepen relationships, integrate new technology, or explore emerging trends, at Deliver, you’ll find sessions that move your strategy forward.
To learn more, be sure to join Lisa’s session at SS&C Deliver on Tuesday, October 28, at 2:30 pm.
Be sure to register for the conference by September 12 to lock in the Early Bird attendance rate.
