Ventures NG logoVentures NGNatalia Gaydukova

Strategy, M&A and Transformation Executive|Applied AI

Make high-stakes M&A, strategy and transformation work more effective with AI.

I support corporate development and transformation teams on a part-time or project basis: live deals, integrations and strategic decisions. I bring more than 20 years of execution experience, and controlled AI workflows that cut the time spent on research, deal documents and due diligence. Your team keeps the judgement and the decisions.

Chat with me See an example M&A workflow
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Part-time or project-based

Senior capacity for corporate teams and scale-ups, typically one to two days a week, on a live deal, an integration, a strategic review or setting up the finance function. Each mission is scoped in writing. AI workflows are built into the work from day one.

  • 01

    M&A and corporate development

    Target screening, due diligence preparation and executive decision materials.

  • 02

    Integration and transformation

    Steering committee packs, risk and dependency tracking, value-creation follow-up.

  • 03

    Strategy and growth

    Market intelligence, strategic reviews and concise executive briefs.

Who I help

Who I help

I work with leaders responsible for M&A, integration, strategy and transformation when important business processes are complex, information-heavy and difficult to coordinate.

  • Corporate Development and M&A Leaders

    For leaders managing origination, buyer research, due diligence, valuation support, execution materials and executive decision preparation.

  • Integration and Transformation Leaders

    For leaders coordinating workstreams, risks, dependencies, governance, value creation and executive reporting during major change.

  • CEOs and Executive Teams

    For leaders who need to identify where AI can create meaningful business value and move from experimentation to an owned, practical workflow.

  • Strategy and Transformation Consulting Firms

    For firms that need additional senior business, M&A, transformation and applied AI expertise in a client engagement.

Best fit

The best fit is an organisation with:

  • A senior sponsor
  • A meaningful M&A, integration, strategy or transformation priority
  • One clearly defined business process to improve
  • Relevant process information or documents
  • An internal team ready to own the resulting workflow

How we start

  1. 1. Diagnostic (1–2 weeks)

    On-site immersion, review of data, processes and priorities.

  2. 2. Prioritised roadmap

    Findings, quick wins and a plan for the next 6–12 months, presented to the founders, management or board.

  3. 3. Ongoing support

    A monthly package, typically one to two days a week, with written scope and deliverables.

The main offer

AI-Enabled M&A Deal Execution

Assessment, controlled pilots and adoption roadmap

I help corporate development and advisory teams improve the information-heavy work around a transaction, from origination and buyer research through diligence, valuation support, execution materials and executive communication.

AI supports research, extraction, synthesis, first drafts, quality checks and workflow coordination. The deal team remains responsible for the investment thesis, financial assumptions, judgement, negotiation, approvals and final advice.

One focused deal process. One or two controlled workflows. One internal owner.

I do not begin by installing a generic set of agents. I first identify where the team loses time, where information is fragmented, where errors or rework occur and where human approval is essential. I then design and test the smallest governed workflow that fits the firm’s process, data and technology environment.

What the engagement can include

Possible components of a focused first engagement, selected according to your needs.

  • Audit of current M&A processes and AI usage
  • Prioritisation of high-value use cases
  • Design of an AI-enabled deal workflow
  • Controlled pilot for Pitch and InfoMemo production
  • Controlled pilot for Due Diligence Q&A or Buyer Research
  • Financial modelling AI-readiness and control assessment
  • Human review, governance and source-traceability principles
  • User testing and refinement
  • Training, handover and internal ownership
  • Roadmap for broader adoption
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The M&A workflow backbone

  1. 01

    Originate

    Sector screening, target research, buyer-universe development and deal angles.

  2. 02

    Value

    Comparable companies, precedent transactions, valuation inputs and assumption review.

  3. 03

    Model

    Model preparation support, sensitivities, consistency checks and error identification.

  4. 04

    Diligence

    Data-room synthesis, missing-information detection, risk flagging and Q&A preparation.

  5. 05

    Execute

    Pitch materials, CIMs, InfoMemos, management presentations and process materials.

  6. 06

    Communicate

    Executive briefings, deal memos, committee preparation and answer-first recommendations.

A first engagement normally focuses on one or two priority workflows rather than attempting to automate the complete deal lifecycle.

Financial modelling remains human-led. AI may support model preparation, assumption review, sensitivity analysis and quality checks, but valuation conclusions and transaction-critical outputs require qualified human validation.

What AI supports

  • Research and information retrieval
  • Document extraction
  • Synthesis and comparison
  • First drafts
  • Quality checks
  • Workflow coordination
  • Missing-information detection

What remains human

  • Investment thesis
  • Financial assumptions
  • Valuation judgement
  • Commercial judgement
  • Negotiation
  • Legal and financial sign-off
  • Executive decisions
  • Transaction approval

How the pilot is evaluated

  • Time to produce a usable first draft
  • Number of corrections and rework cycles
  • Completeness of source references
  • Identification of missing information
  • Quality of buyer or target research
  • Model-check exceptions where relevant
  • User confidence and adoption
  • Clarity of human review and approval points

Why organisations bring in external senior support

Internal teams may have AI curiosity or technical capability, but they may not have the time, ownership or cross-functional business context needed to turn an opportunity into a usable workflow.

I help connect executive priorities, business processes, user needs, governance and practical implementation. The objective is to help the internal team own the resulting workflow, not to create permanent dependency on an external consultant.

  • Business judgement

    Understand the strategic, M&A, integration and transformation context behind the process.

  • Translation into implementation

    Connect executive priorities and business processes with a practical AI-enabled way of working.

  • Adoption and handover

    Test the approach with users and prepare an internal owner to operate and improve the workflow.

Natalia combines senior strategy, transformation, corporate development and M&A experience with hands-on AI venture building to help organisations improve high-value deal and business processes through governed AI-enabled workflows.

How I work

From deal process to controlled workflow

  1. 1

    Map the process

    Understand where information, decisions, reviews and rework occur.

  2. 2

    Prioritise one high-value workflow

    Select the first process where AI can create visible value without compromising judgement or confidentiality.

  3. 3

    Design and test

    Configure or prototype the workflow in the client’s approved environment and test it with representative users and materials.

  4. 4

    Handover and scale

    Define ownership, governance, success measures and the roadmap for broader deployment.

You are not buying a chatbot or a set of prompts. You are buying a senior intervention to clarify the opportunity, redesign the workflow, test the approach and prepare it for internal ownership.

A focused first engagement

What the organisation receives

  • A prioritised AI use case and business case
  • A current and future workflow design
  • One controlled AI-enabled workflow, configured or prototyped in the client’s approved environment
  • Testing with representative users
  • Adoption and governance guidance
  • A handover pack for the internal owner
  • A roadmap for broader deployment

The internal team should be able to operate and improve the resulting workflow after the initial engagement.

Start a conversation

Use cases

Where I can help apply AI

These examples are not standalone AI products. They illustrate how I help leadership teams redesign high-value business processes. I frame the problem, define the role of human judgement, design the workflow, test it with users and prepare the internal team to own it.

  1. 01

    AI-Enabled Deal Execution and Integration Readiness

    The business situation

    Deal teams work across fragmented documents, unclear decision criteria, buyer and target research, due diligence questions, financial materials and multiple parallel workstreams.

    What I help create

    I help corporate development and advisory teams design a controlled workflow that connects deal information, research, diligence preparation, integration readiness and executive communication.

    Client outcome

    • Structured deal brief
    • Buyer or target research view
    • Due diligence question tracker
    • Key risks and missing information
    • Executive decision material
    • Repeatable workflow owned by the internal deal team

    Human responsibility

    AI supports analysis, preparation and coordination. Final investment, legal, financial, commercial and transaction decisions remain human-led.

  2. 02

    AI-Enabled Integration Governance

    The business situation

    During a merger or transformation, updates are spread across emails, spreadsheets and workstream meetings. Risks are identified late and executives spend too much time reconstructing what is happening.

    What I help create

    I help integration leaders redesign how workstream updates, risks, dependencies, decisions and actions are collected and prepared for governance meetings.

    Client outcome

    • Consistent workstream update process
    • Risk and dependency view
    • Steering committee pack
    • Decision and escalation tracker
    • Internal PMO owner able to operate the workflow

    Human responsibility

    The PMO and integration leaders remain responsible for decisions, escalation and value creation. AI supports preparation and synthesis.

  3. 03

    AI-Supported Strategic Decision Processes

    The business situation

    Strategy teams often have access to large amounts of market, competitor and internal information, but lack a repeatable way to turn it into clear strategic options and executive decisions.

    What I help create

    I help strategy teams define the information that matters, structure the analysis process and create a repeatable way to prepare options, implications and decision material.

    Client outcome

    • Market and strategic intelligence synthesis
    • Strategic options summary
    • Risks and trade-offs
    • Executive briefing
    • Repeatable decision-support workflow owned by the strategy team

    Human responsibility

    The leadership team remains responsible for the strategic choice. AI supports analysis, preparation and challenge.

Partnership route

For consulting and transformation firms

I support consulting firms that need additional senior business, M&A, transformation and applied AI expertise in a client engagement. I can help structure:

  • Client discovery
  • Interview material
  • Workshop preparation
  • Diagnostic outputs
  • Proposal and decision materials

The AI is not the decision-maker. It supports the preparation, coordination and synthesis work around important decisions. The value of my role is connecting strategy, process design, AI capability and adoption.

Each engagement is scoped to the organisation’s specific process, information, users, security requirements and decision needs.

See an example M&A workflow

Example workflow · fictional data

An example of a controlled M&A workflow

This is an example workflow, not an autonomous deal team. AI supports research, extraction, synthesis and preparation. Deal professionals remain responsible for assumptions, judgement, negotiation, approvals and final transaction decisions.

Fictional deal · Project CalorieThermalis Services SASMulti-site HVAC maintenance · Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
Strictly confidential

The workflow starts from the documents actually available at the start of a mandate. Each source gets a reference so every statement can be traced.

S1Financial summary 2023–2025PDF · 6 pages
Revenue 2025: €12.4M (€11.1M in 2024). EBITDA 2025: €1.6M. Average headcount: 86 FTE.
S2Website and sales brochureWeb · 2 pages
“Over 90 technicians and 3 branches in Lyon, Grenoble and Clermont-Ferrand. Since 2004.”
S3Notes from the founder interviewNotes · 1 page
Maintenance contracts ≈ 2/3 of revenue. Largest client ≈ 14%. Wants to sell 100% within 18 months.
Company, figures, buyers and documents are invented for this demo. No client data is used.

The workflow can be adapted to the client’s own methodology, documents, permissions, review requirements and technology environment.

A question about your firm?

Talk through your use case first

The assistant knows the method, the four areas of work and what AI should never do on its own. When your need is clearer, it will suggest a 20-minute call with Natalia.

Book a 20-minute call
Assistant · Natalia Gaydukovaonline
Hello, I'm Natalia Gaydukova's assistant. Ask me anything about using AI in M&A processes: information memoranda, due diligence Q&A, buyer research, governance.

Selected products built from the ground up

Built in the real world

These ventures demonstrate the practical side of my experience. I have worked through the full journey from identifying a market problem to designing a product, structuring AI-enabled workflows, testing with users and evolving a business model.

NOW For Women — AI-native women's health and perimenopause platform

NOW For Women

AI-native women's health and perimenopause platform

I founded and developed NOW For Women, an AI-powered perimenopause support platform combining structured assessments, personalised wellbeing insights, AI guidance and human coaching. The product journey moves from assessment to personal insight, one practical action and optional human support.

  • Product creation
  • Personalisation
  • AI-enabled user journeys
  • Women's health
  • User testing
  • Market validation
Visit NOW For Women
AlmaM — AI-powered intelligence and matching platform for founder, investor and advisor networks

AlmaM

AI-powered intelligence and matching platform for founder, investor and advisor networks

I created AlmaM, a private global network designed to connect founders, investors and advisors through structured profiles, intelligent matching and conversational AI. The platform combines a searchable directory, AI-powered matching, community intelligence and automated workflows.

  • AI-powered matching
  • Conversational AI
  • Structured profiles
  • Community intelligence
  • Founder and investor networks
  • Digital product development
Visit AlmaM

These products reflect my ability to connect strategic intent with practical AI product design, workflow architecture and user adoption.

Portrait of Natalia Gaydukova
Natalia Gaydukova, founder of Ventures NG

About

Strategy leadership, AI venture building and applied AI.

  • 20+ years in strategy and transformation
  • Corporate development and M&A
  • Executive advisory
  • AI venture building
  • NOW For Women
  • AlmaM
  • AI product design
  • Workflow architecture
  • User testing
  • Market validation
  • Applied AI

I am a senior international strategy and transformation executive and AI venture builder with more than 20 years of experience across technology, software, energy and industrial businesses.

My executive experience includes EY, IBM, Sage, Quadient and Technip Energies, where I worked across corporate strategy, transformation, corporate development, M&A, partnerships and executive advisory.

INSEAD Chief Strategy Officer Programme.

Alongside my executive career, I have built two AI-enabled ventures. NOW For Women is an AI-native women’s health and perimenopause platform. AlmaM is an AI-powered intelligence and matching platform for founder, investor and advisor networks.

Building these ventures has given me practical experience in AI product design, workflow architecture, agent deployment, user testing, market validation, conversational AI and digital product infrastructure.

I now combine these two perspectives to help organisations apply AI to high-value strategy, M&A, integration and transformation workflows. My role is to connect executive priorities and business processes with practical AI solutions that teams can test, adopt and own.

Three perspectives, one practical approach

Senior business leadership

More than 20 years across strategy, transformation, corporate development, M&A, partnerships and executive advisory at EY, IBM, Sage, Quadient and Technip Energies.

AI venture building

Two AI-enabled ventures built from the ground up: NOW For Women and AlmaM.

Experience across market problem definition, product design, workflow creation, user testing and business model validation.

Hands-on applied AI

Practical experience with AI product design, agent deployment, workflow architecture, conversational AI, user testing and digital product infrastructure.

My previous executive career explains how I understand complex organisations and executive decisions. My ventures demonstrate what it takes to turn an AI idea into a real product, workflow and user experience.

I combine senior strategy and transformation experience with the perspective of an AI venture builder and the practical ability to design and test AI-enabled workflows.

Experience

An executive track record

  1. Founder and CEO

    NOW For Women

  2. VP M&A, Partnerships and Investments

    Technip Energies

  3. VP Strategy and M&A

    Quadient

  4. Strategic Finance and M&A Director

    Sage

  5. Corporate Development and M&A Manager

    IBM

  6. Transaction Services Manager

    EY

Tools and practice

Applied AI in practice

My experience is not limited to discussing AI at a strategic level. Through NOW For Women and AlmaM, I have worked hands-on with AI product design, workflow architecture, agent deployment, user testing and digital product infrastructure.

Where appropriate, I use platforms and tools such as Dust, ChatGPT, Claude Pro, Android Studio and Supabase. The technology is selected according to the client’s business process, information, users, permissions and deployment context.

Trust

Confidentiality and responsible deployment

Strategy, M&A and transformation work often involves sensitive information. I work with clients to define the appropriate data, access and review requirements before any AI-enabled workflow is designed or deployed.

Confidential information is not used in public demonstrations. Workflows are designed around the client’s own environment, permissions and governance requirements. AI outputs remain subject to appropriate human review, particularly for strategic, financial, legal and transaction-related decisions.

Next step

Have a high-value process worth improving with AI?

I take on selected strategy, transformation and applied AI engagements. Tell me about the process and the team involved, and we can see whether there is a good fit.

Start a conversation See an example M&A workflow

Confidentiality and control

Contact

Start a conversation

If you are exploring how AI could improve an M&A, integration, strategy or transformation process, send me a short note. I read every enquiry personally.

Natalia Gaydukova

Founder, Ventures NG · Strategy, Transformation and Applied AI

Worldwide

contact@nataliagaydukova.com

Please do not include confidential or sensitive information in the initial enquiry.

When this may not be the right fit +

This work is not designed for generic AI training, basic productivity tips, software development projects or an immediate enterprise-wide AI rollout without a defined business owner.

The best starting point is one meaningful business process, one senior sponsor and an internal team prepared to own the next step.

Enquiry

Start a conversation

A short note is enough. I read every enquiry personally.

Please do not include confidential or sensitive information in the initial enquiry.

Ask a question by email

Your details are used only to review and respond to your enquiry.