Private Equity
International
International
Operating Partners Forum: Europe London 2022
11 - 12 May 2022,
Hilton Tower Bridge, London
The largest European event for private equity value creation
Private Equity International’s Operating Partners Forum Europe is the largest European event dedicated to operating partners. The 12th annual event focused on best practices in private equity portfolio operations and value creation across all functional business areas.
The operating partner community discussed and debated the best reset strategies to deliver maximum portfolio growth in-person, in London, this May.
Attendees built lasting relationships and compared best practices with their peers through the new style of agenda, which helped you foster business relationships and influence the future of value creation models. There were extended opportunities to network with the key industry players, as well as more operating partners-only sessions than ever before.
What did attendees experience at the Operating Partners Forum?
Event content about adding value
The content focused on working with and scaling portfolio companies. Featuring sessions on the evolution of value creation, developing a world class value creation team, making boards effective, the future of work and practical advice on key areas of value creation.
Build a valuable network
Attendees connected with industry participants in all aspects of value creation and benefited from a truly international event. Attendees benefitted from in-person networking at interactive workshops, networking breaks, evening drinks reception, roundtable discussions and invite-only breakfasts.
Hearing from Operating Partners
Attendees heard from 100+ operating partners on a range of topics. Past speakers included representatives from BC Partners, Carlyle Group, CDPQ, CVC Capital Partners, Hg, PAI Partners, InvestCorp, KKR Capstone, Partners Group and many more.
Introducing our keynote
Keynote speaker Birger Steen, Partner at Summa Equity, explained how they optimised their tech to improve valuations.
Key themes at the forum
- Developing a world class value creation team – comparing different operating models and considering what works
- Boardroom case study – interactive session considering a PR crisis and how a board should react
- Best practices in advisor management – finding the right advisor and which relationships and governance structures work best
- The future of work and what it means for private equity backed businesses – managing hybrid teams and onboarding new staff
- Think Tank for Operating Partners – Closed-door session was an opportunity to share first-hand accounts on how to best position yourself in your career as an operating partner
- Interactive working groups – Small group discussions with operating partners discussing a mix of topics
Connecting with the industry
Leaders guiding the content
Testimonials from attendees
Attendee of the forum
As my first Operating Partners Forum event, I found it incredibly valuable to spend time with operating partners in other funds and discuss the opportunities an…
Attendee of the forum
Great operating partner attendees, content, and networking. This is a crucial event for monitoring the pulse of European private equity.
Attendee of the forum
The exchange of ideas between operating partners and their advisors, CEOs, and board members, brought useful insights and re-energised me.
Attendee of the forum
As my first Operating Partners Forum event, I found it incredibly valuable to spend time with operating partners in other funds and discuss the opportunities and challenges that our portfolio companies are facing. It was also helpful to be introduced to a wide range of advisors who have the experience to support management team. I will be attending next year!
Our leading advisory board in 2022
Maria Carradice
Managing Director
Mayfair Equity Partners
Ralph Friedwagner
Managing Director & Operating Partner
CDPQ
Will Harman
Principal, Margin Practice Lead
Apax Partners
Celine Infeld
Operating Partner
Investcorp
Esther Nayyar
Managing Director, Due Diligence & Value Creation
ICG
Tony O’Carroll
Managing Director and Head of Investment-Ops team
SVPGlobal
Elizabeth Wallace
Head of Portfolio Talent
Hg
Lisa Weaver-Lambert
Data and Digital Operating Partner
Independent
View the agenda
The Operating Partners Forum: Europe took place on 11-12 May.
For more information on the agenda, please contact Charles Gould.
charles.g@peimedia.com | +44 (0)203 879 3893
View agenda page
Agenda
Operating Partners Europe - Wednesday 11th
Tuesday, 11th May
18:00 - 20:00
Invitation only - Welcome Reception - sponsored by JMAN Group
Plenary
07:45 - 08:30
Registration and Networking Breakfast sponsored by FTI Consulting
08:30 - 08:35
Introduction from PEI
Charles Gould, Head of Event Production, PEI Media
08:35 - 08:45
Chairpersons opening remarks
Warwick Nash
08:45 - 09:20
Developing a world class value creation team
Michael Weyrich,
Selim Loukil,
Lorenzo Levi,
Esther Nayyar,
Gabriele Questa
- What are the different value creation operating models?
- Which approaches have proven to be most successful?
- Which operating models have not worked?
- What activities are best done in-house and which are best done leveraging external advisors?
- How do you get the best return on investment for your value creation model?
Moderator: Michael Weyrich, Senior Managing Director, Business Transformation, FTI Consulting
09:20 - 10:00
CEO and operating partner collaboration to optimise the commercial model and drive revenue growth
Uwe Doerken,
Bulend Corbacioglu,
Dieter John
- Discuss pragmatic actions that help accelerate profitable growth
- Hear what techniques strengthen CEO/Operating Partner relationships and which ones hinder those relationships
- Learn the key mistakes CEOs and/or Operating Partners regret in their working relationships
- Discuss different models for establishing a common growth agenda between the CEO and Operating Partner
- Find out what CEOs really want to see in their relationship with an Operating Partner
Facilitator: Uwe Doerken, Managing Director, Blue Ridge Partners
10:00 - 10:35
The relationship of the operating partner with the board
Rob Southern,
Ben Hollowood,
Tony O'Carroll
- How should the operating partner and chair work together?
- Dealing with a challenging relationship with a CEO
- How to ensure access to the rest of the portfolio company not just the story from the board
- What is the ideal role on the board for an operating partner?
Moderator: Rob Southern, Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal
10:35 - 11:00
Keynote interview: how a leading PE firm has used tech to improve valuations
Shahbaz Alam,
Birger Steen
11:00 - 11:30
Coffee & Networking
Plenary
11:30 - 12:00
How to engage in real digital transformation
Sarah Walker,
Rachael Holtzberg,
Lucy Shamdasani
- To what extent is it the role of PE to incubate new digital ventures?
- Are the lines between PE and venture blurring?
- Do you keep digital ventures separate or incorporate within the wider business?
- Showing the impact of digital ventures within portfolio companies on exit value
Moderator: Sarah Walker, Global Head of Private Equity Practice, Salesforce
12:00 - 12:30
Implementing a value creation plan in an inflationary environment
Andy Searle,
Guillaume de Montchalin ,
Will Harman,
Maria Orlowski
- To what extent is inflation impacting approach at portfolio companies?
- Sustaining margins through inflationary pressures
- How managing procurement and supply chain management can enhance resilience
- Practical tips considering how to address inflation in different sectors
Moderator: Andy Searle, Managing Director, Alix Partners
12:30 - 13:00
Case Study: How to strategically manage pricing during inflationary times
Mark Billige,
Christian Atherton
- The importance of improving price increase capabilities to protect margins and drive growth
- How to approach setting differentiated price increase targets
- How to prepare for and communicate price increases
- How to successfully roll-out price increases
Mark Billige, Chief Executive Officer, Simon-Kucher & Partners
in conversation with
Christian Atherton, Managing Director, PAI Performance Group, PAI Partners
13:00 - 14:00
Networking Lunch
Functional Breakouts: Stream A
14:00 - 14:35
Building your sales toolkit
Moti Shahani,
Christian Atherton,
Sheilja Patel,
Alex Lizcano
- Practical examples of leveraging tools for driving sales growth within portfolio companies
- How Operating Partners can best help their portfolio companies to build and leverage the right sales toolkit
- How sales toolkits are changing for the post-pandemic world of hybrid sales teams
Moderator: Moti Shahani, Managing Director, Blue Ridge Partners
14:35 - 15:10
Scaling businesses internationally
Sam Perry,
Vasa Babic,
Antonin de Margerie
- How being nimble can help businesses overcome barriers of international expansion
- The importance of working with local experts and partners in new markets
- Finding talent in new geographies and how remote workforces can play a role
Moderator: Sam Perry, Director, Strategic Alliances – Private Equity, Globalization Partners
15:10 - 15:45
Developing an effective Go-To-Market strategy
Dennis Buecker,
Shafali Gupta,
Jane Grewar,
Tobias Klaiber
- What factors to consider when developing a strategy
- Understanding the size and potential for your product
- How to reach and sell to potential customers
Moderator: Dennis Buecker, Partner, Roland Berger
15:45 - 16:20
Procurement: from cost-cutting to value creation
Claire Trachet,
Henrik Rundqvist,
Michaela Merlin-Jones
- Why it is essential to move beyond to quick wins
- To what extent should procurement be included in diligence?
- What does procurement transformation look like in practice?
Moderator: Claire Trachet, Fractional CFO at high growth companies, Independent
Functional Breakouts: Stream B
14:00 - 14:35
Case study: Using data science in value creation
Anush Newman,
Gaurav Bhatnagar
- Defining a strategic roadmap for improving data maturity
- The challenges of finding a data leader in growth businesses
- How making better use of data can increase valuations
Anush Newman, Managing Director, JMAN Group
in conversation with:
Gaurav Bhatnagar, Vice President, Permira
14:35 - 15:10
Practical tips for addressing cyber risk within a PE portfolio
Luc Declerck,
Clément Marty
- How cyber risk has emerged as a major risk and how it impacts due diligence?
- How to continuously monitor the cyber posture of PE portfolio?
- How to onboard PE portfolio to encourage them improving their performance on cyber security
Facilitator: Luc Declerck, Managing Director, Board of Cyber
15:10 - 15:45
Bridging ESG into digital and tech transformation
Ewa Treitz,
Steven Dunne,
Polly Firman,
Alison Humphrey,
Serge Younes
- Using ESG and sustainability data in the cloud
- How are companies using ESG and sustainability data to make investment decisions?
- Case studies of successful ESG and digital integration
Moderator: Ewa Treitz, Private Equity Business Development EMEA, AWS
15:45 - 16:20
How to use data science to power growth
Adam Williams,
Albert Vazquez-Agusti,
Lisa Weaver-Lambert,
Sachin Korantak
- How are GPs gathering data?
- What tech solutions are available for GPs looking at operational management of assets?
- Advice for generalists looking to these areas on engaging with consultants
Moderator: Adam Williams, Vice President Private Equity, Symphony
Breakout Workouts: Stream C
14:00 - 14:35
Recruiting CEOs for PE backed companies
James Berkeley,
Alejandro Rodríguez-Carmona,
Johann Dupont,
Anne-Marie Laing
- Situational vs. sector experience: do you need both
- What makes an exceptional CEO?
- How can operating partners help CEOs reach peak performance?
Moderator: James Berkeley, Managing Director, Ellice Consulting
14:35 - 15:10
Implementing HR excellence within your portfolio
Katherine Sharaf,
Merche del Valle,
Jean-Michel Janoueix
- Distinguishing between HR & talent: why is HR often overlooked by PE?
- How can PE help create agile teams to succeed in a fast-moving digital world?
- What new roles are firms considering?
Moderator: Katherine Sharaf, Director, Bain Executive Network, Bain & Company Network
15:10 - 15:45
How is the c-suite evolving in an increasingly digital world?
Tim Cook,
Matt J Baird,
Gilad G. Amir ,
Matt Little
- Does a typical CTO have the relevant expertise to manage a digital value creation plan?
- Why more firms are hiring Chief Product Officers, Chief Digital Officers & Chief Data Officers.
- Where and how to find talent in a competitive environment
Moderator: Tim Cook, Partner, Acertitude
15:45 - 16:20
The importance of culture on a value creation plan
David Cooper ,
Mathieu Pinson,
Annette Thomas,
Victoria Wood
- Implementing a plan on culture from day one
- What tools can be used to support culture at a firm?
- How to identify a toxic culture and how to implement change
Moderator: David Cooper, Founding Partner, Cooper Limon
16:20 - 16:45
Coffee & Networking
Plenary
16:45 - 17:30
Best practices in advisor management
Charlie Gregson,
Maria Carradice,
Simon Hardy,
Leticia Jin,
Oliver Meakin
- Finding the right advisor and ensuring the most suitable advisors are chosen
- How to get the most out of advisors once working with them
- Which relationship and governance structure to be implemented
Moderator: Charlie Gregson, Managing Director, UK&US, COMATCH
17:30 - 18:30
Close of conference followed by cocktail reception
Agenda
Operating Partners Europe - Day 2 - Thursday 12th
Plenary
07:45 - 08:00
Registration and Networking Breakfast sponsored by FTI Consulting
08:00 - 09:30
Invitation-only Think Tank for Operating Partners
Tony O'Carroll,
Miles Graham
This closed-door session is an opportunity to share first-hand accounts on how to best position yourself in your career as an operating partner. The think tank will expose the toughest challenges operating partners face daily and will allow you to learn best practices in dealing with them.
09:30 - 10:10
Roundtable discussions
Mark Billige,
Claudio Crivelli,
Luc Declerck,
Warwick Nash,
Anush Newman,
Jamie Riley
Begin the day with informal discussions on key areas of focus for operating partners
- Key Growth Levers – Jamie Riley (Alexander Group
- Cybersecurity – Luc Declerck (Board of Cyber)
- Digital – Claudio Crivelli (Salesforce)
- Data Science – Anush Newman (JMAN)
- Pricing – Mark Billige (Simon Kucher)
- Boards – Warwick Nash (Independent)
10:10 - 10:40
Carveouts from a tech perspective
Shripad Ghanekar,
Lisa Weaver-Lambert
- The art of IT separation in carve-out operations
- Estimating the cost and time required to separate systems
- Why the value creation programme and the carve-out roadmap must be connected
- Examples of PE doing carveouts well
Moderator: Shripad Ghanekar, Partner – M&A Advisory and Program Transformation, Wipro
10:40 - 11:10
Practical steps to embedding ESG within value creation
Marc Lino,
Dominica Adam,
Natasha Buckley,
Violette Castagné,
Guy Semmens
- How do you get key stakeholders – both the deal team and the portfolio co management team – to see ESG as a real value creator?
- How have you been able to drive value from ESG?
- How do you measure this? Both internally (data and reporting), but also externally (leveraging ratings agencies)
- Beyond the E, what do you see as key drivers of S&G going forward?
Moderator: Marc Lino, Partner, Global ESG leader for Private Equity, Bain & Company
11:10 - 11:45
Coffee & Networking
Plenary
11:45 - 12:15
The future of work and what it means for PE backed businesses
Peter Harte,
Gaurav Bhatnagar,
Thomas Dixon,
Alex Kesseler,
Wessel Schevernels
- Managing hybrid teams – the response to changing employee priorities and remote working
- Embracing an accelerated digital workplace: onboarding, enablement and engagement across a distributed business model
- Ensuring that Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) remains a core focus in times of volatility and business disruption
- The importance of trust and the employee voice in creating successful PE-backed businesses
Moderator: Peter Harte, Group Vice President EMEA, UKG, Ultimate Kronos Group
12:15 - 12:20
Close of main conference
12:20 - 13:15
Invitation only working group sessions
Kate Donaldson,
Dr. Fabian Engels,
Paul Kelly,
Tom Whiteley
These unique sessions will offer an opportunity for operating partners to discuss different topics of value creation in small groups allowing you to build your network of operating partners with similar areas of expertise and learn from an expert on the topic
Working Group A: Practical tips for putting ESG at the centre of a value creation plan
Facilitator: Fabian Engels, Senior Partner, Roland Berger
Working Group B: Value creation vs. value protection: creating returns through digital transformation
Facilitator: Paul Kelly, Managing Director, AlixPartners
Working Group C: Building a better pipeline through the sales play system
Facilitator: Kate Donaldson and Tom Whiteley, Partners, Bain & Company
13:15 - 14:00
Lunch & close of conference
Networking with Operating Partner professionals
The 12th annual forum returned to London this May. The event welcomed 300+ value creation operating partners and expert advisors for two days of networking at the must-attend event for anyone involved in value creation in private equity. Attendees benefited from our expansive European community who were in attendance throughout the forum.
Attendees participated in an agenda packed with in-person networking opportunities throughout the two-day event. Including interactive Q&As, think tanks, roundtables, networking breaks, an evening drinks reception, and meeting with fellow operating partners during closed-door operating partner only sessions.
The in-person networking experience
Network in-person in London
Attendees connected with their peers during interactive workshops, networking breaks, an evening drinks reception, roundtable discussions and structured networking between operating partners and advisors.
More operating partners only sessions
The annual operating partners think tank took place, in addition to value creation working groups, and an operating partners only drinks reception.
Build new connections
Previous attendees include Advent International, BC Partners, Carlyle Group, CDPQ, CVC Capital Partners, Hg, PAI Partners, Partners Group, Pemira, Pollen Street Capital, InvestCorp, KKR Capstone, and many more.
Connecting with private market professionals
Testimonials from attendees
Company
Attendee of the forum
As my first Operating Partners Forum event, I found it incredibly valuable to spend time with operating partners in other funds and discuss the opportunities an…
Attendee of the forum
Great operating partner attendees, content, and networking. This is a crucial event for monitoring the pulse of European private equity.
Attendee of the forum
The exchange of ideas between operating partners and their advisors, CEOs, and board members, brought useful insights and re-energised me.
Company
Attendee of the forum
As my first Operating Partners Forum event, I found it incredibly valuable to spend time with operating partners in other funds and discuss the opportunities and challenges that our portfolio companies are facing. It was also helpful to be introduced to a wide range of advisors who have the experience to support management team. I will be attending next year!
Pre-Event Resources
View the speakers
Dominica Adam
Chief Sustainability Officer, Apax Partners SAS
Dominica joined Apax Partners in 2021. She is currently Chief Sustainability Officer. At Apax, she puts her 15+ years’ experience of sustainability and innovation to work. She steers the firm’s sustainability agenda and builds solutions that respond… Read full bio
Shahbaz Alam
Worldwide Technical Lead, Private Equity, AWS
Shahbaz Alam is responsible for AWS’s technical strategy and solutions offered to Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies globally. He serves as a technical advisor to Private Equity Deal and Operating Partners across the Europe, Asia, and… Read full bio
Gilad G. Amir
Digital Operating Partner, Pollen Street Capital
Gilad joined Pollen Street in May 2018 as an EIR and came on board as Digital Operating Partner in September 2020 with a focus on supporting the digital transformation of the portfolio companies and supporting the Private Equity team with the pre/pos… Read full bio
Christian Atherton
Managing Director, PAI Performance Group, PAI Partners
Christian joined PAI in 2020 as a member of the PAI Performance Group with a particular focus on topline related topics. He has strong management consulting experience and was previously at Simon Kucher, where he was a Director. Prior to Simon Kucher… Read full bio
Christophe Aulnette
Senior Advisor, Apax Partners
With more than 25 years’ experience in the management and development of international technology companies, Christophe is an expert in the field. His previous roles include President of Microsoft South Asia and Microsoft France, Chairman of the Mana… Read full bio
Vasa Babic
Partner – Private Equity, Digital Alpha
Vasa Babic has been a partner of Digital Alpha since 2019 and has worked with its Founder, Rick Shrotri, for nearly 10 years. Prior to Digital Alpha, he had 30 years of global experience in the technology and telecoms sectors with a mix of corporate… Read full bio
Matt J Baird
Managing Director, Operations & Strategy, OMERS Private Equity Europe Limited
Matt is Managing Director, Operations & Strategy for OMERS Private Equity in Europe, and joined OMERS in 2017. He works with the management teams leading OMERS portfolio companies to help them generate maximum value through the lifetime of the in… Read full bio
James Berkeley
Managing Director, Ellice Consulting
James Berkeley is Managing Director of Ellice Consulting Limited. He helps financial sponsors and portfolio company management achieve unprecedented levels of profitable growth and expansion. His value creation expertise continues to be applied to an… Read full bio
Gaurav Bhatnagar
Vice President, Permira
Gaurav is a member of the Portfolio Group with a focus on investment opportunities in the Technology sector. Prior to joining Permira, Gaurav worked at Amazon in London for over four years, where he held several business and product leadership roles.… Read full bio
Mark Billige
CEO, Simon-Kucher and Partners
Mark Billige is CEO of Simon-Kucher and Partners. He was elected to lead the consultancy alongside Andreas von der Gathen in 2019. During his 15-year career with the company, he has grown the UK business as managing partner and served on the company’… Read full bio
Natasha Buckley
Vice President, Head of ESG, HarbourVest Partners
Natasha Buckley joined HarbourVest in 2019 and is responsible for sustaining the Firm’s ESG strategy and partnering with our general partners, limited partners, and the Firm’s employees to embrace sustainable investing. Natasha joined HarbourVest fro… Read full bio
Dennis Buecker
Partner, Roland Berger
Dennis Buecker is a Partner at Roland Berger’s office in Berlin, Germany, and a member of the RPT platform, spearheading our firm's PE value creation capabilities. Dennis has more than 15 years of experience in performance improvement and restructuri… Read full bio
Maria Carradice
Managing Director, Mayfair Equity Partners
Maria joined Mayfair in 2015 to work alongside portfolio companies to identify, quantify and unlock business process improvement activities. Maria’s expertise as both a former practitioner and consultant allows her to focus on opportunities to drive… Read full bio
Violette Castagné
Value Creation Partner, LDC
Violette helps the management teams of LDC’s portfolio companies to track, evaluate, plan and deliver their ESG strategies. In addition, she also supports business leaders to enhance their approach to digital marketing unlock additional growth opport… Read full bio
Tim Cook
Partner, Accertitude
A partner at Acertitude, Tim leads executive search assignments across multiple sectors around the world. Highly specialized in IT and cyber security leadership, he’s completed CIO, CTO, CISO, and CSO searches as well as cyber assessments. Tim invent… Read full bio
David Cooper
Founding Partner, Cooper Limon
David is a recognized pioneer, international speaker and media commentator in the area of leadership risk in PE. He works both with general partners and investee management teams in order to maximise value creation, develop greater foresight and addr… Read full bio
Bulend Corbacioglu
Managing Partner, CaBo Capital
Mr. Corbacioglu is founder and managing partner of CaBo Capital. He is a senior performance improvement specialist who has been helping build global market leaders and making businesses more valuable for over 25 years. As principal, he has worked on… Read full bio
Claudio Crivelli
Senior Director Private Equity Practice, Salesforce
Leading Salesforce PE Practice Value Creation Services. 25+ years of experience in B2B and B2C marketing and sales in 5 industries. Led front-office transformation programs elevating the profitability of Fortune 100 companies and world-leading organi… Read full bio
Antonin de Margerie
Managing Director-Portfolio Performance, Eurazeo
Antonin de Margerie joined Eurazeo as Portfolio Performance Managing Director. Prior to joining, Antonin was Managing Director at Oaktree Capital Management based in London working for 5 years within its European Private Equity and Debt funds focusin… Read full bio
Guillaume de Montchalin
Managing Director - Portfolio Performance, Eurazeo
Guillaume is a Managing Director, focusing on portfolio performance topics. Prior to joining, Guillaume worked for 10 years in consulting, in BCG’s Boston and Paris offices, where he was a Partner focusing on Marketing & Sales topics, as well as… Read full bio
Luc Declerck
Managing Director, Board of Cyber
Luc has over 20 years’ experience in technology and innovation. He has worked for Alcatel, Nortel Networks, and telecom operator Verizon, where he was Commercial Director for new business. He has also been involved in the launch and growth of several… Read full bio
Merche del Valle
Managing Director, Chief Talent and Chief HR Officer, Grain Management
Merche del Valle is a Managing Director and the Chief Talent Officer at Grain Management who brings over 25 years of experience in Talent Intelligence, Leadership and Organizational Development (OD) and Executive Coaching in multiple industries acros… Read full bio
Thomas Dixon
Principal, Blackstone
Thomas Dixon is a Principal in the Blackstone European Private Equity Portfolio Operations team based in London where he works alongside Portfolio Company management teams to drive value creation throughout the investment lifecycle. Before joining Bl… Read full bio
Uwe Doerken
Managing Director, Blue Ridge Partners
Uwe has over 30 years of experience as a consultant, executive and investor in driving revenue growth and value enhancement. Over the course of his career, Uwe has been responsible for billions of euros in revenue enhancement in large and small enter… Read full bio
Kate Donaldson
Partner, Bain & Company
Kate Donaldson is a partner in our Private Equity practice, based in London. With more than 30 years of professional experience driving commercial transformation and EBITDA improvement, Kate has significant expertise across sales force effectiveness… Read full bio
Steven Dunne
Senior Partner, Frog Capital
Steven has over 20 years of private equity experience gained within private equity firms, as CFO/COO of private equity and venture capital backed companies taking them through to exit, as well as PE M&A exposure in investment banking. He joined F… Read full bio
Johann Dupont
Partner, Abénex
Johann Dupont is the Partner leading Abénex’s operational team, which he joined in 2013. He works alongside the Managers of Abénex's portfolio companies and their teams on development and transformation projects. Johann began his career in 1999 as Fi… Read full bio
Dr. Fabian Engels
Senior Partner, Roland Berger
Dr. Fabian Ezzat Engels is a Senior Partner at Roland Berger, heading the firm's Berlin and Qatar offices. As part of the Global Management Team as well as the 'Restructuring, Performance, Transformation, & Transaction' platform, he is the global… Read full bio
Polly Firman
Associate, Sustainability, Actis
Polly joined the Actis Sustainability team in 2021 and has over eight years’ experience working in sustainability and ESG across Europe, LATAM, Africa, and Asia. Actis is a leading global investor in sustainable infrastructure and the world’s largest… Read full bio
Shripad Ghanekar
Partner - M&A Advisory and Program Transformation, Wipro
Shripad is a Sr. Partner in Wipro, leading M&A Advisory and Program Transformation Practices within CIO Advisory Consulting. Shripad has over 25 years of progressive experience in IT in multiple roles and has successfully executed some large Prog… Read full bio
Miles Graham
Operating Partner, Operating Partners Group
Operating Partner at the Operating Partners Group. OPG provides both Operating Team capabilities for Hedge Funds and Family Offices who do not have in-house Operating Partners, as well as originating and executing proprietary investments in Special S… Read full bio
Charlie Gregson
Managing Director, UK&US, COMATCH
Charlotte is COMATCH's Managing Director for the UK & US. She joined in 2018 to launch the London Office. Previously, she worked as a consultant for both L.E.K. Consulting and IMS Health (now IQVIA). She has over 10+ years of experience leading t… Read full bio
Jane Grewar
Operating Partner, Limerston Capital
Jane joined as an Operating Partner with focus on commercial improvement and has an emphasis on the healthcare and consumer sectors. Previously, Jane worked for McKinsey where she was an Engagement Manager with a focus on commercial improvement assig… Read full bio
Shafali Gupta
Principal, Milestone Performance Partners, Bregal Milestone
Shafali Gupta is a Principal at Bregal Milestone. Prior to joining Bregal, Shafali spent several years as a software executive driving rapid growth in the fintech sector. She was Chief of Staff to the CEO at ClearScore, and member of their eight-pers… Read full bio
Simon Hardy
Director, European Investment Team, Strategic Value Partners
Simon is a Director in SVPGlobal’s European investment team and an operating partner working across a number of portfolio companies. Prior to Joining SVP in 2018, Simon was with Bain Capital in the European Credit portfolio team, working across corpo… Read full bio
Will Harman
Principal, Global Margin Expansion Lead, Apax Partners
Will Harman is a Principal in the Operational Excellence team, and leads Apax’s global Margin Expansion programme. He joined Apax Partners in 2014 and is based in London. He has led margin improvement work at Apax investments including ThoughtWorks,… Read full bio
Peter Harte
Group Vice President EMEA, UKG
Peter moved from UKG Australia to UKG U.K. in 2018 and is responsible overall for enterprise sales in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Prior to his current role in the EMEA region, Peter led management and direction of the sales and marketing fun… Read full bio
Ben Hollowood
Portfolio Director, Bowmark Capital
Prior to Bowmark, Ben was a managing director at AnaCap Financial Partners where he focused on portfolio management. Before that, he spent 10 years in strategic management consultancy with Bain & Company and LEK Consulting. He has an MA in neuros… Read full bio
Rachael Holtzberg
Digital Operating Partner, TDR Capital
Rachael joined TDR Capital in January 2019. Prior to joining TDR, she was a Director at Monitor Deloitte advising global organisations on their digital strategies in the retail and manufacturing sectors. Previously, Rachael was Head of Strategy for a… Read full bio
Alison Humphrey
Director of ESG, PJT Partners
Alison Humphrey is an ESG leader with over a decade track record advising c-suites, boards and investors. In her current role as a Strategic Advisor at PJT Partners, Alison advises institutional investors and alternative asset managers on new fund fo… Read full bio
Jean-Michel Janoueix
Operating Partner, Tikehau Capital
Jean-Michel is an Operating Partner at Tikehau Capital, a lead European private equity firm, and coordinates operating support initiatives throughout Tikehau’s portfolio in Europe. Prior to this he held several senior executive roles as CEO or Managi… Read full bio
Leticia Jin
Portfolio Manager, Development Partners International
Part of the value-add team in Development Partners International (DPI), Leticia is responsible for supporting portfolio companies across Africa on various topics including international expansion, digital, operational excellence, CAPEX projects, etc.… Read full bio
Dieter John
CEO & Chairman of Management Board, Planet Home Group
Many years of national and international top management experience as CEO, CRO and CFO in well-known companies such as AERO Vodochody, Airbus, Bombardier and Eurocopter. Demonstrable success in the areas of strategic realignment, transformation and s… Read full bio
Paul Kelly
Managing Director, AlixPartners
Paul works with private equity and corporate organizations across different industries, guiding companies through digital and technology transformations. He has nearly 30 years of experience that he primarily gained leading large strategic, digitally… Read full bio
Alex Kesseler
Head of Performance Improvement, Antin
Alex leads Antin’s Performance Improvement team which identifies operational value creation opportunities and supports management teams in realising them, from the due diligence phase to divestment. He has significantly supported the Deal Teams for I… Read full bio
Tobias Klaiber
Operating Partner, Aurelius Group
Tobias is an Operating Partner at Aurelius Group. He was worked several years in guiding and orchestrating top line growth projects, rebranding & repositioning initiatives, digital transformations and commercial turnarounds of a variety of portfo… Read full bio
Sachin Korantak
Partner, Conditor Capital
Sachin brings a wealth of senior level experience in PE as an investing and operating partner and a board member, with a strong bias toward growth investing. Previously he has been a CEO, led performance transformations in Europe and US, and was a st… Read full bio
Anne-Marie Laing
Transformation Professional, Agilitas
Anne-Marie Laing joined Agilitas in 2018 to work with portfolio companies on their transformation plans, with a particular focus on budgeting, KPIs and operational restructuring. Anne-Marie commenced her career at Arthur Andersen before working at Zo… Read full bio
Lorenzo Levi
Managing Director and Operating Partner, CDPQ
Lorenzo Levi has been Managing Director and Operating Partner, Private Equity for Europe since January 2019. In this role, he oversees the direct private equity investment portfolio in the region. Based in London, he is also responsible for conductin… Read full bio
Marc Lino
Senior Partner, Global ESG Leader for Private Equity, Bain&Company
Marc is a senior partner based in Bain&Company’s Amsterdam office. He leads global ESG efforts for our Private Equity practice. In this capacity, Marc works with our clients across the investing value chain – from fundraising and strategy through… Read full bio
Matt Little
Experienced Board Advisor, Exec & CPTO, Independent
Matt Little is an experienced entrepreneur and founder who has been through 5 exits (co-leading two, advising on a further two and technology lead on another) and he now helps companies to scale faster and better. In the past 20 years, Matt has led p… Read full bio
Alex Lizcano
Managing Director, Cinven
Alex is a member of the Portfolio team. He has been involved in a number of transactions, including think-cell. Prior to Cinven, Alex worked at Partners Group, where since 2017 he led value creation in TMT assets with functional expertise in sales ex… Read full bio
Selim Loukil
Managing Director, Head of Portfolio Support Group, Advent International
Selim Loukil is Managing Director and Head of Portfolio Support Group in Europe at Advent International Ltd. Selim joined Advent in 2012 as part of the Portfolio Support Group to drive improvement in portfolio companies’ performance. Before joining A… Read full bio
Clément Marty
Managing Director, Portfolio Digital Transformation, Ardian
Clément Marty has been with Ardian for 3 years. He is supporting portfolio companies in their Digital and Data acceleration, on both strategic and operational levels. Prior to Ardian, he spent 10 years with Carrefour, where he started as Group Strate… Read full bio
Oliver Meakin
Senior Portfolio Advisor, Equistone Partners Europe
Oliver joined Equistone in 2021 to help accelerate and further improve performance across our UK portfolio. Prior to this he was brought in as a turnaround CEO of Gaucho & CAU restaurants, a former Equistone-backed portfolio company. Previously,… Read full bio
Michaela Merlin-Jones
Vice President, Vendor Optimization Specialist, Apax Partners
Michaela Merlin-Jones is a Vice President in the Operational Excellence team. She joined Apax Partners in 2019 and is currently based in the UK. Prior to joining Apax Partners, Michaela was a Senior Manager at Efficio, a specialist Procurement consul… Read full bio
Warwick Nash
Chairman, NED, Advisor , Various PE backed businesses
Warwick Nash is chairman of three private equity backed businesses. His focus is working with founder led businesses going through their first experience of private equity. Prior to going plural, Warwick was the operating director of Phoenix Equity P… Read full bio
Esther Nayyar
Managing Director, Due Diligence and Value Creation, ICG
Esther joined ICG in 2018 and is a Managing Director covering portfolio value creation and strategic diligence in the Subordinated Debt and Equity team. Prior to joining ICG, she spent over ten years at The Boston Consulting Group, where she advised… Read full bio
Anush Newman
Managing Director, JMAN Group
Anush is CEO and co-founder of JMAN Group, leading the business across the UK, Europe and North America. Having driven their entry into Private Equity, Anush holds many of JMAN's relationships with funds and operating partners, leveraging data analyt… Read full bio
Tony O'Carroll
Head of Investment-Ops Team and Managing Director, SVPGlobal
Tony O’Carroll is a Managing Director of SVPGlobal and Head of the investment-operating team in Europe. Tony works with SVP’s investee companies, as well as in new investments, and is currently on the boards of Vita Group, Pfleiderer and Kloeckner Pe… Read full bio
Maria Orlowski
Director, Inflexion
As a Director, Maria is responsible for developing Inflexion’s approach to repeatable value creation strategies focused on commercial strategy. This includes pricing, proposition, and sales effectiveness. She provides support to the investment team o… Read full bio
Sheilja Patel
Director, Portfolio Operations, BC Partners
Sheilja Patel joined BC Partners in London in 2020. Previously, Sheilja worked at dunnhumby as the Global Head of Strategy and Corporate Development. Prior to this, she held senior positions in Tesco's Digital Product Group, Marketing, and Online Gro… Read full bio
Sam Perry
Director of Strategic Alliances & Private Equity, Globalization Partners
Sam is the Director of Strategic Alliances & Private Equity at Globalization Partners. He has extensive experience in private equity value creation, business development, value selling SaaS, creating strategies and partnering with leaders to prov… Read full bio
Mathieu Pinson
Partner - Investments, Zetland Capital
Mathieu is a Partner at Zetland Capital. Mathieu leads all operating real estate investments for Zetland, focusing on mid-market special situations in Europe. Zetland Capital is a London based private equity firm with over EUR 1bn of assets under man… Read full bio
Gabriele Questa
Managing Director, KKR & Co.
Gabriele Questa (London) joined KKR Capstone in 2018 and currently serves as a Managing Director for KKR Capstone in EMEA. Mr. Questa is part of the KKR private equity team and a member of KKR’s Global Special Situations Portfolio Management Committe… Read full bio
Jamie Riley
Principal, Alexander Group
Jameson Riley is a Principal for Alexander Group, a management consulting firm that specializes in revenue growth. He is the leader of the firm’s European region with responsibility for EMEA client account management and project work. He has led a va… Read full bio
Alejandro Rodríguez-Carmona
CFO, IMF Business School
Alejandro Rodriguez-Carmona has had a professional career as investment banker, restructuring advisor, PE investor and entrepreneur in various sectors. In the last years he has taken executive (as CEO and CFO) and non-executive roles in portfolio com… Read full bio
Henrik Rundqvist
Head of Purchasing, Altor Equity Partners
Henrik Rundqvist has spent over a decade in private equity with a focus on procurement as a value creation lever. At Altor he is in charge of all portfolio wide procurement activities. Altor funds Since inception, the family of Altor funds has raised… Read full bio
Wessel Schevernels
Senior Director Asset Management and Sustainability, PATRIZIA AG
Wessel is a Senior Director at PATRIZIA-Infrastructure and leads the ongoing asset management of its investee companies in Europe as well as its global infrastructure Sustainability practise. He has worked for over 24 years in leading roles in both m… Read full bio
Andy Searle
Managing Director, Alix Partners
Andy advises consumer goods and retail companies on adapting to the changing competitive environment and driving sustainable profit improvement. Clients benefit from his more than 15 years of deep and distinctive experience in advising a strong mix o… Read full bio
Guy Semmens
Managing Partner, Gyrus Capital
Guy Semmens is managing partner of Gyrus Capital, the Swiss based heathcare and sustainability focussed investment firm. Founded in 2018, Gyrus aims to make two or three transformational investments per year in businesses which address a structural n… Read full bio
Moti Shahani
Managing Director, Blue Ridge Partners
Moti serves as a Managing Director of Blue Ridge Partners, based in London and serving PE firms and their portfolio companies across Europe. Moti has more than 25 years' experience of driving value-creating growth. Before joining Blue Ridge Partners,… Read full bio
Lucy Shamdasani
Managing Director and EMEA Portfolio Chief Information Officer, The Carlyle Group
Lucy Shamdasani is a Managing Director and EMEA Portfolio Chief Information Officer based in London. Lucy provides information technology advisory services to Carlyle investment teams and works with portfolio company IT leaders to help with informati… Read full bio
Katherine Sharaf
Director, Bain Executive Network, Bain & Company
Katherine Sharaf is a Director in the Bain Executive Network EMEA team at Bain & Company, based in London. She focuses on advising client organizations on senior Talent topics and supporting senior executives in career transition, particularly in… Read full bio
Rob Southern
Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal
Rob Southern is a Managing Director in A&M's European private equity performance improvement practice. He brings over 20 years of experience working with management teams to drive performance improvement, often in private equity-backed situations. Hi… Read full bio
Birger Steen
Partner, Summa Equity
As a Partner at Summa Equity, I work with the investment team to pursue investments that solve global challenges. My primary focus is with our Technology-enabled Transformation team, where I drive deal sourcing efforts and portfolio company oversight… Read full bio
Annette Thomas
Senior Advisor, General Atlantic
Annette Thomas is a Senior Advisor at General Atlantic, providing strategic support and advice to the firm’s investment teams and portfolio companies in the EMEA region. Before joining General Atlantic in 2022, Annette served as Chief Executive of wo… Read full bio
Claire Trachet
Fractional CFO at high growth companies, Independent
Award-winning Entrepreneur and Corporate Finance professional offering 10 years of experience building, leading and advising corporations through complex restructuring, international expansion and capital markets transactions. Strong structuring expe… Read full bio
Ewa Treitz
Private Equity Business Development EMEA, AWS
Ewa is a technologist and an investor. Currently, at Amazon Web Services, she is leading the efforts to transform the European Private Equity funds and their portfolio companies through leveraging cloud and digital technologies. Prior to that she wor… Read full bio
Albert Vazquez-Agusti
Partner, Sway Ventures
As Partner at California-based Sway Ventures, Albert contributes to Americas and Europe firm efforts in various activities related to early and growth software portfolio companies: value add activities, dealflow generation and assisting capital raisi… Read full bio
Sarah Walker
VP-Global Head of Private Equity Practice, Salesforce
Sarah Walker is the VP, Global Head of Private Equity Practice at Salesforce. Her team’s remit is to build strategic partnerships with the Private Equity community, supporting and accelerating our partners’ portfolio companies and acquisitions to ach… Read full bio
Lisa Weaver-Lambert
Data and Digital Portfolio Executive
Lisa is senior executive with extensive experience using data and AI to accelerate performance. Previously Digital and Data Director for a mid-cap private equity firm, ex-Accenture, and brings a strong and diverse line role experience in business-led… Read full bio
Michael Weyrich
Senior Managing Director, Business Transformation, FTI Consulting
Michael is a senior executive leading complex multinational business transformation and operational performance improvement efforts. He has more than 30 years of experience from both executive and non-executive roles within industry, private equity,… Read full bio
Tom Whiteley
Partner, Bain & Company
Thomas Whiteley is a partner in Bain & Company’s London office. He is an expert in the firm’s Telecommunications, Media & Technology practices. He advises clients across a broad range of sectors, including fixed and mobile communications, tel… Read full bio
Adam Williams
Vice President, Private Equity, Symphony
Adam Williams is a Vice President, Private Equity at Symphony, responsible for developing and executing the company’s strategy for creating value for Private Equity firms and their portfolios. Before joining Symphony, Adam served as Chief Revenue Off… Read full bio
Victoria Wood
Operating Partner, Limerston Capital
Victoria is an Operating Partner at London based fund Limerston Capital. She leads on People & Processes with industry focus in healthcare, consumer and business services. Previously Victoria was Head of Transformation Capability at Sainsbury’s a… Read full bio
Serge Younes
Head of Sustainability, Investindustrial
Serge is the Head of Sustainability at Investindustrial, responsible for Sustainability, Responsible Investing and sustainable growth. He leads a team of highly experienced sustainability experts to deliver tangible value and impact in the investment… Read full bio
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