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Watch Now! M&A Panel with Camden National Bank, Renasant Bank and Hanscom Federal Credit Union

What to Expect from “From Merger to Momentum”? A Candid Conversation on M&A in Banking


Mergers and acquisitions in the banking sector are never simple, but they can be streamlined when you have the right data strategy in place. In our latest webinar, we brought together three seasoned leaders – Josh Nash, SVP and Director of IT at Camden National Bank, Jared Silver, SVP of Digital Innovation and Data Strategy at Hanscom Federal Credit Union, and Troy Carmichael, SVP of Enterprise Data Management at Renasant Bank. These data leaders explore how data management is making modern M&A more agile, transparent, and ultimately, more successful.

Whether your institution is considering growth through acquisition or simply aiming to become more data-driven, this conversation is full of actionable insights and hard-earned lessons.

What You’ll Hear

This isn’t a marketing pitch or a high-level executive overview. It’s a grounded discussion with data leaders who are actively navigating the complexities of M&A. Here’s what you’ll learn:

How to Prepare for the Unexpected

M&A timing often depends on opportunity, not ideal conditions. Our panelists shared how foundational work, like reducing tech debt, standardizing data pipelines, and having a scalable data stack, made rapid integration possible when the right opportunity came along.

“Everybody can perform well when the markets are in your favor… It’s the preparation you do ahead of time that allows you to respond in times of uncertainty.”
Josh Nash
SVP and Director of IT at Camden National Bank
“You’re either just finishing up an acquisition or heading toward one.”
Troy Carmichael
SVP of Enterprise Data Managment

Data Architecture as a Strategic Enabler

Technical Day 1 – the moment systems go live and two organizations begin operating as one – is a high-stakes milestone in any merger. Success hinges not just on planning, but on preparing to respond when things don’t go as planned. The panelists emphasized that having a modern data architecture, specifically the Data Rocket architecture built on Qlik Talend Cloud Integration and Snowflake, was the single biggest enabler for fast, reliable M&A execution.

“If you're in data, you're probably a control freak. You want to control everything—and that's why you have to be comfortable with the unknown unknowns. The key is anticipating what people are going to think, preparing in advance to answer questions, and being ready when something goes wrong. Because something will go wrong—that’s when we really earn our pay.”
Troy Carmichael
SVP of Enterprise Data Managment
“The data stack was a game changer for us. Compared to prior acquisitions, this was by far the easiest technical move—because we were prepared. By Sunday afternoon of conversion weekend, we had a complete dataset in Snowflake. We’d already built and tested the pipelines. We’d even pre-loaded and mapped half a billion records to validate everything ahead of time. That’s a massive shift from where we were just five years ago. Today, data isn’t just an IT tool—it’s the foundation for moving fast, making confident decisions, and delivering value from day one.”
Josh Nash
SVP and Director of IT at Camden National Bank

Navigating Culture and Risk Management

While data and tech are vital, culture and communication remain central to a successful integration.

“The day we announced the merger, a local competitor immediately branded themselves as the only ‘local community bank.’ We had to align our marketing and education fast.”
Jared Silver
SVP of Digital Innovation and Data Strategy
“We’re acquiring deposits and loans, but we’re also merging culture. When you're doing M&A, you have to realize that culture is very important. The little things matter - not just the technology, but also the people. You want to get that right with the internal team and the new employees, as well as your customers.” Troy Carmichael
Troy Carmichael
SVP of Enterprise Data Managment

What’s Next in Banking Innovation

The group also looked forward – discussing how being cloud-native is allowing their institutions to scale human potential, not just technology.

“The greatest impediment now is helping our culture grow fast enough to use what’s now available to them.”
Troy Carmichael
SVP of Enterprise Data Managment
“We’re producing a tremendous amount of output with a small team. That’s because the architecture is right and we’re building the culture to match it.”
Josh Nash
SVP and Director of IT at Camden National Bank
“The modernization that we've done in the data stack is now setting us up as a diving board to do modernization in other areas—digital banking, other offerings. Folks can now see much more clearly the possibilities, and we've used our data strategy as a platform to do that.”
Jared Silver
SVP of Digital Innovation and Data Strategy

Watch the Full Conversation

If you’re curious about how banks and credit unions are using data to drive strategic growth, enable agile decision-making, and manage the risk of transformation, this video is well worth your time. It’s insightful, practical, and refreshingly honest. Ready to discuss your data strategy? Contact us for a consultation. 

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