Private Equity
International
International
Operating Partners Forum Europe 2021
16 - 17 November 2021,
Hilton Tower Bridge, London
The value creation event for alternative asset classes
Europe’s largest event aimed at driving value within private equity owned companies is back in London.
Join your peers at this crucial time to discuss how to deal with the current downturn and return to growth post-crisis. Hear from experienced operating partners and C-level executives on how they continue to deliver value creation strategies, create top-line growth and drive EBITDA improvement in their portfolio.
The event provides extensive opportunities to connect with your peers. Join one-to-one meetings, group discussions, and think tanks to build relationships and compare value creation best practices.
Create the most operationally efficient portfolio companies
Hear first-hand perspectives on how to further develop your operational efficiencies by looking at successful models.
Network with top value creators
Meet with the largest community of European operational experts in one place over 2 days.
Learn key strategies for cross-portfolio initiatives
Find the right tools and knowledge to create value.
Featured speakers in 2021 include
Hear from value creation leaders
Download the agenda for an exclusive look at this year’s Forum. Discussion topics include:
- How digital transformation can give PE firms a competitive edge
- Why addressing diversity is a business imperative
- Data science and advanced analytics in private equity
- Why integrating ESG into value creation plans is now a necessity
- And much more …
Firms that attended Operating Partners Forum: Europe
What our attendees say
David Bryan
Managing Partner & CEO, BM&T
This is now the must-attend event for Operating Partners in the UK if not Europe. An excellent opportunity to catch up with the latest thinking and to network w…
Benjamin Bach
Partner, E2T Capital
Good forum, practical, a wealth of know-how sitting in the room and straight to the point
Charlotte Gregson
Comatch, Managing Director UK
The forum is a great environment to connect with familiar faces, meet new people and discuss topical issues facing the industry
David Bryan
Managing Partner & CEO, BM&T
This is now the must-attend event for Operating Partners in the UK if not Europe. An excellent opportunity to catch up with the latest thinking and to network with peers
One click access to value creation expertise from the safety of your workspace
Our purpose-built event platform provides you with a number of way to network. Attendees get year-round access to the event platform. Set up your meetings ahead of time, as well as continue conversations and make connections after the forum has ended.
The virtual networking experience
1
Search for business opportunities.
Filter individual profiles and decide who you want to meet based on company type, sector or region.
2
Get maximum visibility.
Send a direct message that goes straight to the recipient’s corporate email as well as their inbox on the platform.
3
Schedule video meetings.
Meet with speakers or attendees of individual agenda sessions through the main agenda.
4
Reach out and make new connections.
Attendees have access for 12 months to the operating partner community.
Hear from leading operating partner professionals
Discover how your peers are responding to the impact of the pandemic and discover business priorities for 2021.
Access 16 hours of interactive content from 100 speakers across the two days. Watch keynote interviews, panel discussions, debates and much more.
With the online platform you can:
- Create your own daily agenda so you don’t miss a meeting or a key session
- Take part in the sessions through speaker Q&A and live polling
- Watch any sessions you missed at a later date. All sessions will be available on-demand
Explore the sponsor exhibition
Explore the virtual exhibition hall and chat with sponsors to discover solutions to your business concerns.
Through the platform you can:
- Visit the virtual exhibition booth to discover the range of solutions available to help you better serve your customers
- Interact with the exhibitors you can request more information with the click of a button or arrange a meeting to discuss the products and services in more detail
Connect with value creation professionals
The virtual experience allows you to find and connect with the people you want to meet more easily. Search the attendee list, start a conversation and arrange meetings with value creation professionals.
Find the people you want to meet
Want to catch up with an old colleague or make a new contact with a specific focus?
Search and filter the delegate list and create a shortlist of the people you most want to meet. Message them to chat and arrange online video meetings throughout the event.
Arrange 1-2-1 video meetings
Share strategies and discuss ways to find growth post-pandemic in private meetings. During the event you can have video meetings with other attendees. Simply search the delegate list for the people you want to meet, arrange a time and send them a meeting invite. You can invite up to five people to any one meeting.
Identify other attendees with the same interests
Whatever your area of interest the forum discussions allow you to take part in conversations on the issues that matter most to you or start your own topic.
You will be able to see who else is joining the conversation and message them privately if you want to continue the discussion.
12 months access to the community
You will have 12 months of access to the platform. Login 4 weeks before the event to build your agenda and arrange meetings with the people you want to meet during the event.
The messaging and forums, as well as access to recordings of all sessions will be available 12 months after the event.
View the agenda for 2021
The Forum will take place on 16-17 November 2021, all timings are in GMT, UK time zone.
For more information on the agenda, please contact Charles Gould.
charles.g@peimedia.com | +44 (0) 203 879 3893.
View agenda page
Agenda
Day 1 - Tuesday 16th
Plenary
08:30 - 20:45
Chairpersons opening remarks
David Cooper
08:45 - 09:15
The evolution of value creation in an economy that has been fundamentally shifted
Alejandro Alcalde Rasch,
Jérôme Losson,
Alan Roux
- How has investment strategy and type of company being invested in changed? What is the knock-on impact on operating partners?
- Have economic disruption and lockdowns impacted how much PE firms engage with external advisors?
- To what extent has the speed of evolution of operating teams increased in the past 18 months?
- Has the profile of full-time operating partners been enhanced?
09:15 - 09:55
Commercial Excellence Keynote Survey
Jim Corey
Event knowledge partners Blue Ridge will present findings of a commercial excellence survey followed by reflections from leading operating partners on the results.
Facilitator: Jim Corey, Managing Partner, Blue Ridge Partners
09:55 - 10:25
Making the “magic quadrant” work: how the deal partner, operating partner, CEO & board chairperson can work together to deliver value creation
Ralph Friedwagner,
Geroge Moss,
Jim Strang
- Defining the roles of all four members of the quadrant and why every situation is different
- How can operating partners help set a framework for success?
- How operating partners can work most effectively with each member of the quadrant
- War stories of when the group doesn’t function and how-to turnaround challenging situations
Moderator: Michael Weyrich, Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting
10:25 - 10:50
Keynote Interview
10:50 - 11:30
Coffee & networking
Plenary
11:30 - 12:00
Developing a value creation plan for carve-outs
Mo Habbas,
Riccardo Basile,
Krzysztof Drozd
- Why carveouts lend themselves to significant improvements
- Developing a value creation strategy during due diligence
- The importance of negotiating a detailed Transition Service Agreement
- Making a 100-day plan once your foot is in the door
Moderator: Mo Habbas, Managing Director, Alix Partners
12:00 - 12:30
Innovative tech strategies for customer retention
Mark Billige
- Using tech, machine & AI to manage customer retention
- The importance of identifying your key audience
- Post-sale marketing to keep customers engaged
- The importance of focusing on net retention
12:30 - 13:00
How digital transformation can give PE firms a competitive edge
- Leveraging data & analytics to unlock cross-portfolio value
- Developing a digital strategy for more traditional companies
- Transforming in house processes in addition to those at portfolio companies
- Using digital to transform the outside-in approach
13:00 - 14:00
Lunch
Functional Breakouts: Stream A
14:00 - 14:35
How to make the board effective in a disrupted economy
Etienne Colas,
Alex Kesseler,
Michał Kędzia
– Should operating partners be on the board
– Working out the ideal skillset composition
– Considering the role of the chair
– Maintaining focus and avoiding some of the common mistakes of a board
14:35 - 15:10
Ensuring a positive CFO/CEO relationship to drive success
Alain Beyens,
James Markham,
Robert Massey
– What is the ideal skillset for a portfolio CFO?
– How to best support CFOs without previous PE experience
– Dealing with a breakdown in relations between CFO & CEO
15:10 - 15:45
Why addressing diversity is a business imperative
Soline Kauffmann-Tourkestansky,
Jerome Richard,
Elizabeth Wallace
– To what extent should operating partners be looking at their own team vs. portfolio companies?
– Looking at initiatives from different PE firms, what has been successful?
– How to ensure management at portfolio companies takes diversity seriously
15:45 - 16:20
How to turn culture into a value driver
Martijn Bouquet,
Andy Caine,
Elena Pantazi
– Identifying & incentivising key staff
– How to communicate with staff beyond the management team
– Implementing cultural change where issues are highlighted
Functional Breakouts: Stream B
14:00 - 14:35
Tech & talent: why a tech transformation plan needs to prioritise people first
Nicolas Requillart,
Bryan West
– Ensuring management teams are capable of delivering
– How to highlight and address issues with tech expertise
– Case studies where the management team has been transformed in terms of tech expertise
14:35 - 15:10
Data science and advanced analytics in private equity
Catherine Cutts,
Duncan Ramsay,
Steve Jones,
Lisa Weaver-Lambert
– To what extent are data and AI becoming embedded in value creation plans?
– Do firms need inhouse data science expertise?
– Practical tips to avoid drowning in useless data
15:10 - 15:45
Implementing digital and technological transformation a time of change
Rachael Holtzberg,
Gregory Salinger,
Josh Fidler-Brown
– Using technology to make your portfolio businesses more efficient
– Understanding the challenges around web-enablement and changes in consumer behaviour
– Working with leadership to implement tech initiatives
15:45 - 16:20
Technology value creation and exit strategy
– Showing the value of investment in tech during a PE ownership cycle
– Highlighting opportunities for future tech gains for the next owner
– Pragmatic steps to position for exit
Breakout Workouts: Stream C
14:00 - 14:35
Optimising sales for the hybrid world
Moti Shahani,
Christian Atherton,
Harshavardhan Ramanan
– What should the sales organisation look like, now that buyers and sellers are working in hybrid office / home set-ups?
– How should field, virtual and digital sales work together to grow revenue?
– How should the new sales model be led, managed and measured?
Moderator: Moti Shahani, Managing Director, Blue Ridge Partners
14:35 - 15:10
Expanding PE backed businesses internationally
Kevin Burke
– Exploring talent growth opportunities and challenges within carve-out deals
– How not to let the onboarding of new employees slow you down
– Examples of successful expansions in PE backed businesses and reasons for success
Moderator: Kevin Burke, Director, M&A| Private Equity |Venture Capital, Globalization Partners
15:10 - 15:45
Accelerating valuation through the go-to-market lever
Marc Metzner,
Lewis Bantin
– Prioritising your growth buyers and their new buyer journeys
– Leveraging the right mix of customer-facing roles and ways to reach them
– Driving GTM change early enough to significantly impact valuation
Moderator: Marc Metzner, Vice President, Alexander Group
15:45 - 16:20
Using digital and analytical tools to enhance procurement savings
Michaela Merlin-Jones
– What digital tools are available?
– Having a cross portfolio view of procurement
– Using expert advisors vs. having your own inhouse expertise
16:20 - 16:45
Coffee & networking
Plenary
16:45 - 17:15
Digital as a growth lever
Sarah Walker
– Digital marketing strategy: how to automate and maximize touchpoints to acquire and engage customers at scale
– Customer experience: how to optimize customer experience management and master the customer journey
– Analytics: how to leverage actionable data and clear KPIs to increase ROI and facilitate quick wins
Moderator: Sarah Walker, VP, Global Head of Private Equity Practice, Salesforce
17:15 - 18:15
Roundtable discussions over drinks
- Procurement Challenges
- Salesforce Effectiveness
- Board Effectiveness
- Talent Management
- Digital Transformation
Agenda
Day 2 - Wednesday 17th
08:00 - 09:30
Invitation-only Think Tank for Operating Partners
Miles Graham,
Tony O'Carroll
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.
Plenary
09:30 - 10:10
Optimisation to unlock value
Franck Temam,
Esther Nayyar,
Tim Wainwright,
Will Harman
- Identifying which areas to prioritise and how to build the value creation plan
- Balancing pricing / commercial improvements versus cost-out opportunities
- Using technology to drive improvements in performance
- How investing in ESG & impact can create long-term savings
10:10 - 10:40
Why integrating ESG into value creation plans is now a necessity
Marc Lino,
Anna Dellis,
Lodewijk De Graauw,
Rob Hetherington
- To what extent should sustainability experts be leading on ESG vs. someone on the investment team?
- Mapping out and engaging with all key stakeholders on ESG
- Incentivising management and portfolio companies with sustainability based KPIs
- Moving to net-zero and how the work involved can benefit the exit value
Moderator: Marc Lino, Partner, Global ESG leader for Private Equity, Bain & Company
10:40 - 11:10
How PE investors can help portfolio companies drive long-term value
Frédéric Brunner,
Mark Keatley,
Ralph Schuck,
Paul Vega
- Considering the reasons that executives sometimes focus on short-term results
- Why it crucial to not relying purely on growth
- Investing and managing talent to ensure success
- Improving outcomes for all stakeholders in the business
Moderator: Frédéric Brunner, CEO and Founder, Genioo
11:10 - 11:40
Shaping management equity plans to drive value creation
- Outlining the issue that PE firms have had because of changing tax laws
- Creating equity plans to align all key stakeholders
- Case studies of successful implementation and why it is so important
- How to react when things go wrong due to economic disruption
11:40 - 12:15
Coffee & networking
Plenary
12:15 - 12:45
Scaling the finance function of portfolio companies to prepare for exit
Roshan Chekuri,
Maria Carradice,
Markus Nagel
- What is the role of the operating partner in working with the CFO?
- Ensuring the finance function has the right people to drive a successful exit
- How to ensure portfolio companies meet due diligence requests during a sales process
- War stories of what happens when this isn’t done
Moderator: Roshan Chekuri, Private Equity and Venture Capital Alliances Lead, FloQast
12:45 - 13:15
How to successfully implement a buy-and-build strategy
Simon Adcock,
Oliver Kullman,
Jean-Philippe Syed
- The importance of choosing the right sector and why cashflow is king
- Building on a solid platform and targeting companies that add value
- Going in with eyes wide open to possible issues
- Case studies in successful and failed buy-and-builds
13:15 - 14:00
Close of conference followed by lunch
14:00 - 15:00
Invitation only workshop sessions
Our workshops 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.
Working Group A – Board effectiveness
Working Group B – Digital Marketing – Hosted by Bain & Company
Working Group C – Customer Experience
2021 Speakers
For more information on speaking opportunities please contact Charles Gould at charles.g@peimedia.com or call +44 (0) 203 879 3893.
Simon Adcock
Partner, Head of Portfolio Management, Bowmark Capital
Simon is a partner of Bowmark and a member of the Investment Committee, and head of the firm’s Portfolio Management and Value Creation team. He sits on a number of portfolio company boards and has led over 10 exits. Prior to Bowmark, Simon was a seni… Read full bio
Alejandro Alcalde Rasch
Senior Director - Portfolio Support, APS Advisory
Alejandro Alcalde Rasch joined Advent in 2010 in order to help improve portfolio company performance and implement value creation plans. Prior to joining, he was the Chief Transformation Officer and Head of Supply Chain of Grohe AG, a TPG and CSFB po… Read full bio
Aswatha Amarnath
Senior Vice President, Wipro
Aswatha Amarnath (Amar) is a Senior Vice President at Wipro and is the leader of Wipro’s U.S. Operations. He has three other global responsibilities: 1) he leads Wipro’s firm-wide efforts in helping growth-stage companies in the pre- or post-IPO stag… Read full bio
Christian Atherton
Managing Director, 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
Lewis Bantin
Partner, ECI Partners
Lewis joined ECI in 2008 to start up the Commercial Team which is focused on supporting growth at the companies we invest in. Lewis’ most recent investments include CSL, KB Associates, Moneypenny and Clear. He has worked with the teams at MThree, Wir… Read full bio
Riccardo Basile
Principal, Permira
Riccardo is a member of the Portfolio Group. He has worked on a number of transactions including Allegro, Axiom, Magento, Synamedia and Tricor. Prior to joining Permira, Riccardo was a Director at AlixPartners in London for five years, where he deliv… Read full bio
Alain Beyens
Operating Partner, Mid Europa Partners
Alain Beyens is an Operating Partner at Mid Europa Partners and is the Chairman of Moji Brendovi and Hortex. Alain has served as CEO of Pelican Rouge Group, and prior to that as CEO of StarBev, a leading Central and Eastern European brewing business.… Read full bio
Mark Billige
CEO, Simon-Kucher & 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
Martijn Bouquet
Portfolio Operations Manager, Waterland
Martijn Bouquet is Portfolio Operations Manager* at Waterland in Bussum, the Netherlands. Prior to joining Waterland, Martijn was an independent strategic advisor to a number of Dutch SMEs; focused on strategy, professionalization and transformation… Read full bio
Frédéric Brunner
CEO and Founder, Genioo
As CEO & Co-Founder of Genioo, Frédéric advises and helps global corporations and their senior executives to innovate, transform and grow more rapidly. Frédéric is passionate about creating a better future for clients and their companies. He work… Read full bio
Kevin Burke
Director, M&A, Private Equity and Venture Capital, Globalization Partners
Kevin is an experienced business developer with a strong background in building relationships and sales strategy, partnering with leaders to provide business transformation. Kevin has extensive experience across multiple industries including Private… Read full bio
Andy Caine
Partner - Human Capital, Frazier Healthcare Partners
Andy is a Partner at Frazier Healthcare where he focuses on pre-investment organizational due diligence, talent assessment and development, and post-acquisition management. In addition, he has designed and help lead the firm’s diversity, equity, incl… Read full bio
Maria Carradice
Portfolio 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 a former consultant allows her to focus on opportunities… Read full bio
Roshan Chekuri
Private Equity and Venture Capital Alliances Lead, FloQast
Roshan Chekuri leads Private Equity & Venture Capital Alliances at FloQast, a provider of accounting workflow automation software created by accountants for accountants to help them work smarter, not harder. Roshan manages strategic relationships… Read full bio
Etienne Colas
Senior Managing Director - Operating Team, LBO France
Etienne joined LBO France in 2013. He started his career in 1987 with Bellcore in the United States, before joining McKinsey in Paris in 1992. Between 2001 and 2005, Etienne was a Partner at Ventech. He subsequently joined a division of Thomson as Ge… 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
Jim Corey
Managing Partner, Blue Ridge Partners
Jim is a co-founder of Blue Ridge Partners and serves as the firm’s managing partner. For 35 years he has assisted companies in North America, Europe and Asia accelerate profitable revenue growth. Jim has advised over 250 companies on revenue-related… Read full bio
Catherine Cutts
Principal, KKR
Prior to joining Capstone, Catherine was a Vice President and Head of Data Science at TA Associates, a mid-market growth fund, where she focused on using data science to drive deal-making efficiencies and on portfolio value creation across the follow… Read full bio
Anna Dellis
Partner, 3i Infrastructure
Anna joined 3i in 2006, is a Partner in the Infrastructure team, and leads asset management for the portfolio of economic infrastructure investments. Over the last 12 years, Anna has had a leading role on many of the large infrastructure investments… Read full bio
Nerijus Drobavičius
Partner, INVL Baltic Sea Growth Fund
Over 15 years of experience in private equity and M and A. Nerijus started as an auditor at Arthur Andersen in 1998 working on both audit and M&A assignments. As from 2001, he spent over 15 years in operational positions being responsible for set… Read full bio
Krzysztof Drozd
Senior Managing Director, Varde Partners
Krzysztof Drozd is Global Head of Portfolio Operations focused on value creation in Värde private equity investments. Based in London, he joined the firm in 2007. Prior to joining Värde, Krzysztof was a Manager at Deloitte responsible for advisory on… Read full bio
Josh Fidler-Brown
Associate Director, Livingbridge
My role sits within the growth acceleration team, focusing on helping our investee companies address challenges they may face with customer acquisition and retention. Whilst all the companies we work with are different, they all share the goal of gro… Read full bio
Ralph Friedwagner
Managing Director & Operating Partner, CDPQ London
Ralph is a Managing Director and Operating Partner in CDPQ’s European Private Equity team. He has over 20 years’ experience as an executive, investor, advisor and board member of private companies across a range of sectors, including financial and bu… Read full bio
Lodewijk De Graauw
Partner - Head of Portfolio Operations, Freshstream
Lodewijk de Graauw is Head of Portfolio Operations for the for Freshstream (www.freshstream.com), a midmarket private equity firm focused on the UK & Benelux. Previously, Lodewijk was a partner at Bain & Company, where he led the European tur… Read full bio
John Gilligan
Director, The Finance Lab, Said Business School, Oxford University
John Gilligan has worked in and studied the private equity and venture capital industry for over 25 years. He started his career in 1988 at 3i Group plc. He was a Corporate Finance Partner of Deloitte and latterly BDO for twenty years. He is currentl… Read full bio
Miles Graham
Operating Partner, Operating Partners Group
Operating Partner at the Operating Partners Group, deliver across the typical value creation levers for several Hedge Funds and Family Offices who do not have in-house Operating Partners. Prior to that Miles Graham was an Operating Partner and Operat… Read full bio
Mo Habbas
Managing Director, Alix Partners
Mo has more than 25 years of hands-on experience in private-equity, industrials, technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT) by serving as CEO, marketing director, and corporate M&A director, among other roles. Mo focuses on developing and im… Read full bio
Matthew Harris
Operating Partner, SilverTree Equity
Matthew Harris is an Operating Partner at SilverTree Equity with over 20 years of experience leading financial due diligence engagements and advising private equity firms on asset acquisitions and disposals across a broad range of industries, includi… Read full bio
Will Harman
Principal, Margin Practice 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
Rob Hetherington
Senior Operating Partner, Bregal Milestone
Rob leads Milestone Performance Partners, the portfolio optimisation capability in Bregal Milestone. He is an investor in Bregal Milestone and has previously acted as a Senior Advisor to the firm and as a Board Advisor to Basware, one of the firm’s p… 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
Kristine Janhunen
Chief People Office, Generate Capital
Kristine Janhunen is Chief People Officer for Generate. Prior to Generate, Kristine consulted globally for private equity and venture firms on many talent and organization-building matters. She has also served as the Chief Operating Officer of Larcen… Read full bio
Sarah Herman
Sr. Manager, Tech Business Development, EMEA Private Equity & Global Strategy, AWS
Sarah joined Amazon in 2015, and currently runs the Amazon Web Services Private Equity team in EMEA and the global private equity artificial intelligence & machine learning program. Prior to this role, Sarah managed a team responsible for AWS inf… Read full bio
Josephine Hus
Investment Professional, Permira
Josephine is a member of the Portfolio Group and leads digital transformation topics across the portfolio. She has worked on a number of transactions including Clearwater Analytics. Prior to joining Permira, Josephine worked for Asurion as its Chief… Read full bio
Steve Jones
Growth Acceleration Team, Livingbridge
Steve Jones, part of Livingbridge’s customer acquisition and retention team, knows first-hand the power of data if used effectively. He supports our investees to develop and evolve analytic capabilities which drive action from insight. He has worked… Read full bio
Soline Kauffmann-Tourkestansky
Head of Platform & ESG, Blisce
Soline is Head of Platform & ESG at blisce/, a pan-Atlantic growth stage VC firm focused on consumer ventures (Spotify, Pinterest, Harry’s, Bird), where she leads post-investment support for portfolio companies around human capital, business deve… Read full bio
Mark Keatley
Experienced Board Member
Mark Keatley sits on the Boards of three PE-controlled pharma companies: Swedish-based global Top 5 pharma CDMO Recipharm AB, German CNS-focussed pharma company Neuraxpharm AG, and Swedish-based specialty pharma/OTC company Karo Pharma AB. In all thr… Read full bio
Michał Kędzia
Partner, Enterprise Investors
Michał Kędzia concentrates on the FMCG, financial services and healthcare sectors. He is also responsible for investments in Slovenia and Croatia. Joined EI in 2007. His most important projects to date include Dino, Intersport ISI, Nu-Med Grupa, PAN-… Read full bio
Alex Kesseler
Principal - Head of Performance Improvement, Antin Infrastructure Partners
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
Oliver Kullman
Partner, Baltcap
Oliver (born in Estonia in 1979) joined BaltCap in 2007 from a London-based strategy consultancy. Oliver’s involved in portfolio companies Piletilevi, the leading regional ticketing services platform, and FCR Media, a digital services firm. He has pr… Read full bio
Marc Lino
Partner, Global ESG Leader for Private Equity, Bain & Company
Marc Lino is a partner in our Amsterdam office. He is the head of our Private Equity and Mergers & Acquisitions practices in the Netherlands and is the global ESG leader for our Private Equity practice. Marc is also a senior member of the firm's… Read full bio
Jérôme Losson
Partner, Head of Operations Team - BC Partners
Jérôme is a Partner at BC Partners, where he has lead the development of the global operations team since 2012, and where he chairs the Portfolio Review Committee. At BC, Jérôme has been involved in a number of investments (Acuris, Antelliq,CarTrawle… Read full bio
James Markham
Senior Partner - Value Creation, Graphite Capital
James joined Graphite Capital in 2002. Currently, he is on the board of four portfolio companies and works on a number of others. He is responsible for the monitoring of investments and for implementing best practice across Graphite’s portfolio. He f… Read full bio
Robert Massey
Managing Director, Business Services, AnaCap
Robert is a Managing Director focusing on Business Services in the Private Equity team and joined AnaCap from Oliver Wyman, where he was a Principal in the Financial Services practice. He holds a Master’s degree in Physics from the University of Oxfo… Read full bio
Michaela Merlin-Jones
Senior Associate, Vendor Optimization Specialist, Apax Partners
Michaela Merlin-Jones is a Senior Associate 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 cons… Read full bio
Marc Metzner
Vice President, Alexander Group
Marc Metzner is Vice President and National Director for Alexander Group’s Private Equity practice. He works with Alexander Group’s industry teams to help PE partners unlock value and boost valuation through go-to-market (GTM)/Commercial Diligence, V… Read full bio
Geroge Moss
Partner , ECI Partners
George joined ECI in 2008 and is currently on the boards of Travel Chapter and 4Ways as well as co-ordinating ECI’s activities in the Consumer and Healthcare sectors. Prior to ECI, George worked for five years at Rothschild in their Corporate Finance… Read full bio
Markus Nagel
Operating Executive, Apax Partners
Markus Nagel is an Operating Executive in the Operational Excellence Practice leading the Financial Practice out of the London Apax office. He joined Apax Partners in 2019. Prior to joining Apax Partners, he was the Chief Financial Officer at Britax.… Read full bio
Esther Nayyar
Managing Director, Due Diligence & 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
Tony O'Carroll
Managing Director and Head of Investment-Ops Team, 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 Koeckner Pen… Read full bio
Elena Pantazi
Head of Talent and Portfolio Development, Northzone
Elena focuses on helping Northzone’s portfolio companies build strong teams and advise founders on their growth journey. She also works closely with our investment team on pre-deal talent needs across deal origination and due diligence. Prior to Nort… Read full bio
Harshavardhan Ramanan
Investment Director, LDC
Harsha is responsible for helping LDC portfolio companies deliver profitable growth through commercial excellence. Since joining LDC in 2017, Harsha has partnered with nearly 20 LDC portfolio companies to deliver incremental enterprise value of over… Read full bio
Duncan Ramsay
Partner, ECI Partners
Duncan is a member of the Commercial Team, focused on supporting growth at the companies we invest in. Duncan’s focus is on both assessing potential investments, as well as working with businesses within the portfolio to drive incremental growth. Dun… Read full bio
Nicolas Requillart
Chief Digital Officer & Operating Team Leader, Siparex Group
Nicolas Réquillart-Jeanson has founded & manage Siparex’s operating team in 2018. As Chief Digital Officer, Nicolas assists portfolio company CEO defining and implementing their transformation plans. He also works with the investment teams to ass… Read full bio
Jerome Richard
Operating Partner, Wendel
Jérôme Richard joined Wendel’s Investment Team in 2019 as an Operating Partner. He is a Board member of several companies in the portfolio. Jérôme began his career at Boston Consulting Group during eight years in France and in the USA, developing exp… Read full bio
Alan Roux
Operating Partner, CVC Capital Partners
Alan is a member of CVC's private equity operations team and is based in London. Prior to CVC, Alan was an operating partner responsible for Blackstone's European private equity portfolio of companies, holding several board roles particularly in the… Read full bio
Gregory Salinger
Chief Digital Officer, Apax Partners SAS
Gregory joined Apax Partners in 2017 as Chief Digital Officer. He is now Operating Partner Digital & Sustainability. Gregory holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a diploma in International Studies from Johns Hopkins School of International… Read full bio
Ralph Schuck
Managing Director, Private Equity Goods and Products, Partners Group
Ralph Schuck is part of the Private Equity Goods and Products business unit, based in Zug, serving as a member of the Private Equity Direct Leads Investment Committee and the Private Equity Direct Co-Investments in Goods and Products Investment Commi… 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
Jim Strang
Chairman of the Board, Hg Capital
Jim is an experienced Private Markets investment professional and strategy consultant with a wide range of Board and C-level experience gained across multiple organisations over the last 25 years, notably with Hamilton Lane, the largest investor glob… Read full bio
Jean-Philippe Syed
Principal, Development Partners International
JP is a Principal at DPI, an Africa focused emerging market PE fund with US$1.5bn AuM, which he joined in 2016. He looks after 10 portfolio companies in sectors such as banking, higher education, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, agri-business, packaging,… Read full bio
Franck Temam
Portfolio Performance Group, PAI Partners
Franck Temam joined PAI Partners in 2011 in the Performance Group, after having held management positions at Procter & Gamble and 10 years at McKinsey leading operational transformations globally. Since at PAI, Franck is involved across sectors i… Read full bio
Paul Vega
Partner, Cinven
Paul Vega is a Partner in the Portfolio team of Cinven, based in London. He has been involved in a number of Cinven investments, including TK Elevator, PPF and Viridium Group. Paul joined Cinven following six years with Amcor in Zurich, where he held… Read full bio
Willem Vunderink
Founding Partner, Vunderink De Vries
Willem graduated in tax law in 1996 at the Erasmus Rotterdam University and during his professional career he specialized in logical and mathematical analysis techniques that can be applied to prevent tax valuation controversy (between investors and… Read full bio
Tim Wainwright
Managing Director, Duff & Phelps - A Kroll Business
Tim Wainwright is a managing director in the Transaction Advisory Services practice, based in the London office. He has over 20 years of experience working with private equity and corporate clients to advise on value creation, acquisitions, divestmen… Read full bio
Sarah Walker
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
Elizabeth Wallace
Head of Portfolio Talent, Hg
Elizabeth Wallace is the Head of Portfolio Talent at Hg and is responsible for ensuring outstanding talent continues to be hired and supported in our portfolio companies. Before joining Hg in 2019, Elizabeth worked at BlackRock, the world’s largest a… Read full bio
Lisa Weaver-Lambert
Data and Digital Portfolio Executive
Lisa is senior executive with extensive experience using data and technology to accelerate performance. Previously Digital and Data Director at Montagu Private Equity, ex-Accenture, and brings a strong and diverse line role experience in business-led… Read full bio
Bryan West
Head of Talent, Resurgens Technology Partners
Bryan joined Resurgens in 2021 as the Head of Talent and focuses primarily on organization, leadership, and talent development for the firm’s portfolio companies. Prior to joining Resurgens, Bryan was an Associate Partner and led the Private Equity P… Read full bio
Year-round networking for operating partners
The Operating Partners Forum: Europe will take place live and in-person this November at the Hilton Tower Bridge in London.
Connect with a community of operating partners and value creation leaders to discuss strategies on delivering growth at portfolio companies and gain invaluable insights to benefit your business through strategic value creation discussions.
Meet our growing community of Operating Partners
Connect with your peers.
Connect with a community of operating partners and value creation leaders in networking sessions and small group meetings.
Hear from leaders in private equity.
The Forum’s authoritative speaking faculty will share key information that will increase value creation in your portfolio.
Save time building your network.
Create and nurture sustainable relationships with private equity’s elite by using our sophisticated matchmaking platform.
What our attendees are saying about Operating Partners Forum: Europe
David Bryan
Managing Partner & CEO, BM&T
This is now the must-attend event for Operating Partners in the UK if not Europe. An excellent opportunity to catch up with the latest thinking and to network w…
Benjamin Bach
Partner, E2T Capital
Good forum, practical, a wealth of know-how sitting in the room and straight to the point
Charlotte Gregson
Comatch, Managing Director UK
The forum is a great environment to connect with familiar faces, meet new people and discuss topical issues facing the industry
David Bryan
Managing Partner & CEO, BM&T
This is now the must-attend event for Operating Partners in the UK if not Europe. An excellent opportunity to catch up with the latest thinking and to network with peers
2021 Sponsors
PEI’s Annual Operating Partner Forums unite private equity operating partners and value creation experts. This intersection of individuals provides service providers with unique and customized programs to engage in thought provoking content discussions and provides numerous opportunities to connect in one-on-one discussions, roundtable events, and various other networking activities.
For more information on available sponsorship opportunities in 2021 please fill in the enquiry form or contact Christopher Wagland at chris.w@peimedia.com or call +44 (0) 207 566 5475.
Pre-Event Resources
Resources
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Covid precautions
Our venue
Hilton Tower Bridge, London, SE1 2BY
To help keep you and your peers safe, here are the entry requirements you need to know ahead of the event.
To enter the event if you are vaccinated, you are required to:
- Show an official vaccine certificate AND
- Provide evidence of a negative lateral flow test/rapid antigen test*
To enter the event if you are not vaccinated, you are required to:
- Provide evidence of a negative lateral flow test/rapid antigen test*
* taken within 24 hours of arrival at the event venue
Planning and risk assessment
As always each event has a detailed plan and risk assessment in light of local government and health authority frameworks, now specific to the Covid pandemic. Trained PEI staff are working to event industry protocols such as those developed by the Association of Event Organisers to minimise and mitigate risks.
Each event has a nominated person responsible for ensuring the control measures identified in the risk assessment are followed before, during and after the event.
Cleanliness
PEI is working with our venue partners to ensure the highest standards of hygiene and cleanliness.
This includes a deep clean pre-event and continuous sanitisation during the event, with a focus on high-contact areas such as lifts, staircases, door handles, restrooms and food and beverage delivery points.
In tandem with venue measures, PEI encourages attendees to to take full advantage of hand sanitisation stations around the venue.
Personal protective equipment (PPE)
Attendees and staff at all PEI events may be required to use items of PPE in accordance with local government and health authority regulations. This could include wearing a face covering, the use of gloves and/or face screens in certain positions. Joining instructions will make requirements clear and PEI staff will advise on site.
Contactless
Where possible PEI will encourage attendees to minimise their contacts. This the event registration process and also contact between attendees. PEI encourages all attendees to avoid close social contact such as hand-shakes and to find digital alternatives to exchanging details rather than business cards.
Attendee numbers and density
PEI will assess and manage in line with local government and health authority mandates the number of delegates in the event space and the flow of attendee traffic in and out of plenary and break-out rooms and around exhibition rooms and other meeting spaces.
We will institute one-way systems around venues as appropriate, including generous, phased entry-times to the venue and rooms, on-site signage and floor markings. Colleagues will be on hand to assist attendees.
Testing
In line with local government regulations PEI may follow screening and testing protocols to enable attendance of the event. We will communicate those requirements in good time for attendees to make arrangements, should they be necessary before arrival at the venue.
Track and trace
We will work with local authorities as required to track, trace and contact attendees in line with the applicable privacy legislation.
Medical
Qualified first-aid staff will be ready to assist anyone falling ill for whatever reason. In the event of any attendee suffering Covid-related symptoms, the PEI team will follow local health guidance in ensuring the safety of all participants.