The consistently high rate of merger failure is a concern given the increasing number and magnitude of mergers that shape today’s industries. Cultural integration has been cited as a main but oftenThe consistently high rate of merger failure is a concern given the increasing number and magnitude of mergers that shape today’s industries. Cultural integration has been cited as a main but often neglected reason for the prevalence of these failures, and the choice in leadership succession is a particularly high profile component of such cultural integration. This paper seeks to examine the relationship beween leadership succession and long-term financial success specifically in mergers of equals. Building upon previous studies of mergers of equals and employing public information and reported financial data in multivariate statistical analyses, this study examines what characteristics of leadership succession, if any, are significantly correlated with long-term financial success of the merged company and in what way. Examining the implications of leadership succession in an extreme form of mergers, a merger of equals, can yield important findings to better understand what allows some mergers to succeed while others fail. neglected reason for the prevalence of these failures, and the choice in leadership succession is a particularly high profile component of such cultural integration. This paper seeks to examine the relationship beween leadership succession and long-term financial success specifically in mergers of equals. Building upon previous studies of mergers of equals and employing public information and reported financial data in multivariate statistical analyses, this study examines what characteristics of leadership succession, if any, are significantly correlated with long-term financial success of the merged company and in what way. Examining the implications of leadership succession in an extreme form of mergers, a merger of equals, can yield important findings to better understand what allows some mergers to succeed while others fail.