David Harding
Advisory Partner,
About David
David Harding is a leader in the Bain's Corporate Finance practice. He is also a former leader of the firm's Global Mergers & Acquisitions practice.
He began his career at Bain working in a variety of consumer durable and consumable companies cutting his teeth on a variety of marketing, sales, supply chain and strategy cases. He is also a founding member of Bain's Consumer Products practice.
David co-authored Mastering the Merger, published by Harvard Business Press. This well-received book lays out the fundamental disciplines that expert practioners deploy to increase their odds of deal success.
David speaks and writes frequently on M&A and strategy issues. He has co-authored eight articles in Harvard Business Review and has written for the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and other international publications. Prior to joining Bain, he was a Certified Public Accountant with Arthur Andersen & Company.
He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. Mr. Harding is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati where he received a bachelor of business administration.
Recent Insights
- “How Companies Got So Good at M&A ,” Brief, April 2024
- “Looking Back at M&A in 2023: Who Wins in a Down Year?,” M&A Report, January 2024, Report
- “Looking Ahead: How the Big Backlog Will Shape the 2024 M&A Agenda,” M&A Report, January 2024, Report
- “M&A Midyear Report 2023: It Takes Two to Make a Market,” Brief, July 2023
- “Looking Ahead to M&A in 2023,” M&A Report, January 2023, Report
In the News
- “2022 on track to be the second-strongest year for dealmaking on record, as executives remain committed to M&A amid turbulence,” Press release, July 2022
- “M&A is back: 2021 saw the highest M&A deal value in history, exceeding expectations at nearly $6 trillion,” Press release, February 2022