Business alliances in the form of Mergers and Acquisitions have increased exponentially in the last few decades. Previous studies have established leadership as a critical success factor for mergers and acquisitions. This study aimed to explore individual differences in professional attributes that determine retention of a senior executive following a merger or acquisition. Of the 322 participants, 50%, 23%, and 7% of the participants in this study belong to management, senior management, and chief executive groups respectively. Policy capturing approach was used to identify which professional attributes lead to retention decisions. The study explored four dimensions of senior executive attributes in a 2* 2* 2* 3 factorial design. The findings reflect that on average decision makers prefer to retain senior executives who have a positive outlook for the impending merger or acquisition with a strong influence on subordinates, potential for growth, and strategically oriented.