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
- “Looking Ahead to 2026: Getting a Boost from the Great Rebound,” M&A Report,January 2026, Report
- “Looking Back at M&A in 2025: Behind the Great Rebound ,” M&A Report,December 2025, Report
- “M&A Midyear Report 2025: Separating the Signal from the Noise,” Report, June 2025
- “M&A in a New Economic World Order,” Snap Chart, May 2025
- “Looking Ahead to 2025: Preparing for What Comes Next ,” M&A Report,February 2025, Report
In the News
- “Global M&A resilient to tariff shock as executives lean in with dealmaking to exploit disruptions—Bain & Company M&A Midyear Report,” Press release, June 2025
- “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