Private Equity
International
International
Operating Partners Forum New York 2021
20 - 21 October 2021,
Convene, 117 W 46th St, New York
COVID-19 vaccination requirements
As part of our commitment to safety at the Operating Partners Forum New York and in accordance with New York City and venue COVID-19 guidelines, we are requiring that all attendees must provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination status prior to checking into the event at Convene, 117 W 46th St, New York.
To expediate this process, PEI Media and Convene will be using Health Pass by CLEAR, which provides a secure, digital proof of COVID-related health insights via the CLEAR mobile app. Complete your health screening with Health Pass by CLEAR ahead of time for expedited check-in and entry. We will not be accepting NYC COVID Safe App and Excelsior Pass as a form of record of vaccination at the event. All attendees will receive the event specific Health Pass registration code prior to the event.
The largest global event for private equity value creation
Private Equity International’s Operating Partners Forum New York is the world’s largest event dedicated to operating partners. The 11th annual event is focused on best practices in private equity portfolio operations and value creation across all functional business areas.
Join the operating partner community to discuss and debate the best reset strategies to deliver maximum portfolio growth post-crisis this October in-person in New York City.
Extensive opportunities to network, compare best practices, build new relationships and influence the future of value creation models make this an event not to be missed.
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 operational experts in one place over 2 days.
Learn key strategies for cross-portfolio initiatives
Find the right tools and knowledge to create value.
2021 agenda
The 2021 agenda is carefully curated to feature the most prominent functional areas in value creation for your portfolio companies. Click the headings below for a snapshot of some of the top features you’ll find in the agenda:
Value Creation
- One hour invitation-only think tanks each day for operating partners to select:
- advanced/seasoned operating partners
- emerging operating partners
- human capital operating partners
- digital operating partners
- How operating teams work best with investment teams
- Operating partner models post COVID-19: what will the future of value creation look like?
- Governance – selecting and managing boards as a value creation lever
- Effective value creation strategies for carveouts and M&As
- The archetype of a world class operating team
Revenue Growth
- The future of sales: virtual sales best practices and the impact of virtual workforces
- Uncovering the most important GTM levers
- Leveraging customer success initiatives for growth
- Uncovering revenue growth stories and early warning signs with operating partners
- Developing a successful ecommerce strategy in an increasingly digital world
Human Capital
- Human capital operating partners think tank: a one hour value creation war room led by and exclusively for operating partners
- Big data & workforce analytics
- What will the future role of the human capital operating partner look like?
- Talent acquisition, development, and assessment best practices in the post-COVID world
- Integrating culture for success
- Accelerating management team performance post transaction
- The future of human capital and virtual workforces: what lies ahead
Technology
- Digital and technology operating partners think tank: a one hour value creation war room led by and exclusively for operating partners
- Digital transformations: how things will change
- Dissecting cost structures and customer interaction via technology
- Advanced data science to govern the business throughout the investment life-cycle
- Leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning for value creation
- Cybersecurity in the modern age: dos and don’ts
Supply Chain & Procurement
- Navigating supply chain disruptions and post-COVID best practices
- Impact of technologies and today’s fast paced e-commerce on your supply chain
- Supply chain cost optimization: individual company vs. cross-portfolio programs
- Procurement transformations in the first 100 days
Finance
- Add-on acquisition readiness: adding value through the finance function
- How can PE best support portco CFOs?
- Transforming finance from a cost-center into a value-creation engine
- Identifying, attracting, and recruiting top CFO talent
- Enabling a data-driven CFO
Operating partners only networking
Join your fellow operating partners for exclusive networking events throughout the Forum.
This year’s Forum offers an unprecedented number of operating partner-only networking and interactive sessions, including:
- Pre-event networking reception on October 19
- Closed-door think tanks
- Interactive working groups
- Breakfast deep dive discussions
- Women in PE and VC portfolio operations lunch discussion
2021 Speakers
Firms attending the Operating Partners Forum New York
What our attendees say
Aaron Miller
Apollo Global Management
You have to keep yourself current and our firms are not academies for becoming better operating partners…The PEI International Operating Partners Forum is the o…
The Operating Partners Forum is a fantastic 2 days where thought leaders share best practices and key learnings in a collaborative and transparent fashion. I al…
For a new Operating Partner in PE the conference was an invaluable accelerator in my learning process of the key challenges and opportunities in the space.
2021 Speakers
For speaking opportunities, contact Marc Mele at marc.m@peimedia.com or call +1 646 581 9295.
Tracey Abbott
Director, Mubadala Performance Partners, Mubadala
Tracey Abbott is a Director (Senior Operating Partner) on the Mubadala Performance Partners team, based in New York City. Mubadala is a sovereign investor with $284 Billion AUM. Her operating responsibilities include consumer/retail and health and li… Read full bio
David Acharya
Managing Partner, Acharya Capital Partners
David Acharya is the Managing Partner of ACP where he oversees all aspects of the firm’s investing, management, and strategic activities. He brings over 25 years of investing and transacting experience to ACP. He is a frequent speaker at industry eve… Read full bio
Sean Adkins
Managing Partner, Mergers and Acquisitions, West Monroe Partners
Sean has a focus on delivering value for his private equity clients across a wide range of investments. He has expertise in technology strategy through implementation, but typically operates at the intersection of technology and operations, given tha… Read full bio
John Annakin
Director, RSM
John has over 25 years of experience as a revenue growth executive building and executing on go-to-market strategies in the data analytics/IOT/machine learning and software-as-a-service space. He is a high-growth, transformational executive with dire… Read full bio
Toya Asbury
Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal
Toya Asbury is a Managing Director specializing in driving operational process and performance improvement and business transformation through A&M’s Rapid Results Program™. With over 15 years of experience, she has driven performance and process… Read full bio
John Bailey
Operating Associate, General Atlantic
John Bailey is an Operating Associate at General Atlantic driving pricing and packaging initiatives in support of due diligence and its global portfolio companies. His responsibilities are cross-sector, covering technology, consumer, financial servic… Read full bio
Karl Bailliez
Senior Operating Executive and Finance Practice Leader, Cerberus Capital Management
Mr. Bailliez is a Senior Operating Executive for Cerberus Operations, the Firm’s industry-leading operations platform, overseeing a number of Cerberus’ portfolio companies. He leads the Cerberus Operations’ Finance Practice, which coordinates the dep… Read full bio
Geoffrey Baird
Independent Operating Executive, Palladium Equity Partners
Geoff Baird is a Senior Operating Executive partnering with Palladium Equity in the technology sector. Working as a consultant he leverages extensive PE experience assisting sourcing of new investments and driving growth in their technology portfolio… Read full bio
Anish Batlaw
Operating Partner, General Atlantic
Anish Batlaw is a Managing Director at General Atlantic and leads the firm’s Human Capital efforts (people, pay, and performance) in support of its global portfolio companies. His responsibilities include development of General Atlantic’s talent netw… Read full bio
Jarrad Berman
Vice President, Digital Transformation, TZP Group
Jarrad Berman joined TZP Group in September 2019. Prior to TZP, he was the Global Head of Ecommerce Marketing at Facebook. At Facebook, Jarrad worked with Fortune 500 companies and digital disruptors across ecommerce, retail, tech/telco, restaurants,… Read full bio
Parmesh Bhaskaran
Managing Director, AlixPartners
Parmesh has more than 20 years of experience in management consulting, project management and engineering, food manufacturing, and sourcing. Clients profit from his areas of expertise such as procurement, operations improvement, and supply chain opti… Read full bio
Ted Bililies
Partner and Managing Director, AlixPartners
Ted is an internationally-recognized expert on leadership and organization development. He advises investors, CEOs, and boards globally to help them position the right leaders for key roles and to support those leaders and teams for maximal value cre… Read full bio
Prashanth (PV) Bóccasam
Operating Partner, Cota Capital
PV Boccasam joined Cota in 2021 as a Partner on the investment team. Prior to Cota, PV was a General Partner in a $600M Mid-Atlantic early-stage fund investing in industry shaping companies focused on enterprise software. He started his career at Mic… Read full bio
Kurt Brimberry
Senior Associate, Summit Partners
Kurt Brimberry is member of Summit Partners’ Peak Performance Group and works with portfolio company management teams to identify and execute growth strategies that build long-term value. Most frequently, he collaborates to expand and achieve greater… Read full bio
Kristin Brown Patrick
Senior Operating Partner, Human Capital, New State Capital Partners
Kristin joined New State Capital Partners four years ago as Senior Operating Partner, Human Capital with more than 25 years of hands-on growth strategy, executive search, talent acquisition and talent development experience. New State takes a hands-o… Read full bio
Matt Brubaker
CEO, FMG Leading
Throughout his career, Dr. Matt Brubaker has advised executive leaders and teams in a variety of areas, including senior leadership development, conflict resolution, and large-scale organizational assessment and change. An expert in sustainable trans… 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
Jennifer Busse
Management Consulting – Director M&A Integration and Separation, RSM US
Jennifer is a leader of RSM’s Mergers and Acquisitions Management Consulting practice specializing in Integrations and Separations. She has 20 years experience assessing and driving business solutions related to business strategy, talent optimization… Read full bio
Wendy Buxton
President, LynnCo Supply Chain Solutions
Wendy Buxton, President, has an established reputation in diverse industries for excelling growth of organizations through corporate vision, strategic planning, and the power of effective leadership. Ms. Buxton's career as an executive level strategi… Read full bio
Andy Caine
COO & Partner, 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
Greg Carlson
Managing Director, Riveron
Greg Carlson, Managing Director at Riveron, is responsible for client service and practice development specializing in functional transformations, liquidity optimization, and transaction support. Greg brings 20 years of consulting and industry experi… Read full bio
Nicole Christopoulos
Vice President, People Strategy & Culture, Summit Partners
Nicole joined Summit Partners in 2019 as a Vice President, People Strategy & Culture. She has more than a decade of human capital experience as both a practitioner and consultant. At Summit, Nicole leads internal talent, including recruitment, cu… Read full bio
Brian Chu
Senior Managing Director, Centerbridge Partners
Brian joined Centerbridge in 2016 and co-leads Firm’s portfolio operations team. The Portfolio Operations Team is integrated into the vertical investment teams. They start in Due Diligence, then work with the management team to set and execute the Va… Read full bio
Susan Clark
Managing Director, Operations, Sun Capital Partners
Susan Clark, Managing Director, joined Sun Capital in 2021. Prior to joining Sun Capital, Susan was General Partner of Portfolio Operations at TCV, a technology growth investment firm. Susan was responsible for standing up the firm’s advisory and ope… Read full bio
David Cohen
Partner, Human Capital, Kelso
David joined Kelso in 2019. He is focused on applying talent and human capital best practices to enhancing the firm’s investment process, portfolio companies and Kelso Specialist Network. He spent the preceding nine years with American Securities in… Read full bio
Jim Corey
Managing Partner, Blue Ridge Partners
Jim is 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 i… Read full bio
Steve Cumbow
Operating Partner, Sentinel Capital Partners
Steve Cumbow joined Sentinel Capital Partners as an operating partner in 2015. He has worked closely with Sentinel since 2010, when he joined one of the firm's portfolio companies as CFO. Before joining Sentinel, he was a member of the operations tea… Read full bio
Jamey Cummings
Partner – Cybersecurity and Technology, JM Search
Jamey is a Partner at JM Search and a member of the Firm’s Cybersecurity and IT Executives Practice. Jamey has more than 14 years of executive recruiting experience and is a recognized leader in advising organizations on the recruitment, assessment,… Read full bio
Adam Cummins
Principal, Director of Portfolio Procurement, The Carlyle Group
Adam Cummins is a Director with West Monroe, a Management Consulting firm that helps organizations build agile operations that maximize results. For the past several years Adam has served as the PMO lead for The Carlyle Group’s Global Investment Reso… Read full bio
Amy Daly
Americas Private Equity Consulting Leader, Ernst & Young
Amy Daly is Americas Private Equity Consulting Leader responsible for helping Sponsors and Portfolio Companies transform their business to achieve top-line growth and operational improvement. Amy has over 25 years of experience, combining both global… Read full bio
Jon Davies
Managing Director, Head of Talent, Lightyear Capital
Jon is a Managing Director and Head of Talent at Lightyear Capital. Prior to joining Lightyear in early 2020, Jon spent twenty years working within the recruiting and talent industry, having successfully built, scaled, and managed several talent func… Read full bio
Ashley Day
Operating Partner - Human Capital, FFL Partners
Ashley Day, PhD, joined FFL in 2021. Ashley works closely with FFL's portfolio companies advising them on all aspects of talent management including recruiting, compensation, succession planning, retention, team building, and performance management.… 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
Cory Eaves
Operating Partner, General Atlantic
Cory A. Eaves is an Operating Partner at General Atlantic, providing strategic support and advice to the firm’s investment teams and portfolio companies with a focus on technology, operations, and digital transformation. Before joining General Atlant… Read full bio
Adam Echter
Partner, Simon-Kucher
Adam Echter is a Partner based in Simon-Kucher’s Silicon Valley office. He brings two decades of B2B sales and pricing experience across manufactured goods, industrial equipment and technology industries. Adam has built pricing and sales organization… Read full bio
Spencer T. Farrar
Private Equity Business Development, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
In his current role at AWS, Spencer supports US-based private equity firms grow their business through the use of cloud computing and digital transformation. Prior to joining AWS in 2019, he worked at Cerberus Capital where he served as the interim C… Read full bio
Michael Farrell
Executive Vice President of Business Development, World Travel, Inc.
Michael Farrell is World Travel, Inc.’s EVP of Business Development, overseeing the company’s Sales and Marketing teams. Mike’s experience in the travel industry, which spans over 20 years, ranges from vacation and leisure travel to corporate transie… Read full bio
David Feierstein
Managing Partner, Ronin Equity Partners
David is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Ronin Equity Partners. Before he formed Ronin, David was the Head of the Transformation Office at Diversey, the second largest industrial cleaning business in the world, joining the team as part of its pu… Read full bio
Craig Foos
Executive Vice President, Growth Team, Serent Capital
As a leader on Serent's Growth Team, Craig oversees a team of professionals who work directly with Serent portfolio company leaders to define value creation plans then execute associated initiatives, focusing intently on the levers that impact scalab… Read full bio
Michael Frain
Senior Vice President, Shared Services, Warburg Pincus
Michael Frain is based in New York, joined Warburg Pincus in 2008, leads the firm's Shared Services program, which program helps portfolio companies drive strategy and value in areas such as procurement, employee benefits, corporate insurance and rea… Read full bio
Jesko Frommeyer
Managing Director, Portfolio Value Creation, Real Assets, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB)
Asset management lead for CPP Investment’s global direct Private Equity portfolio, PE Asia and Credit Investment platforms. Prior to joining CPP Investments in 2018, Jesko was Senior Managing Director at CVC Capital Partners, spending three years in… Read full bio
Bill Fry
Managing Director, American Securities
Bill Fry joined American Securities in 2010. He leads our Resources Group, which assists portfolio companies with value creation by providing them world-class talent in operations, strategy, IT, HR, financial performance, and commercial excellence. B… Read full bio
Bala Ganesan
Managing Director, Special Situations, Oaktree Capital Management
Mr. Ganesan is a Managing Director within Oaktree Capital's Special Situation/Private Equity group. He specializes in driving commercial and operational performance improvement initiatives, including turnarounds, collaboratively with management teams… Read full bio
Angela Geffre
Head of Human Capital - GrowthCurve Capital
Angela is the Head of Human Capital at GrowthCurve Capital, where she partners with the Investment team to accelerate growth through talent and organizational design. Angela’s role focuses on diagnosing organizations upfront to create a blueprint for… Read full bio
Amar Ghai
Head of Digital Value Creation (Americas), KKR
Member of the Global Innovation and Technology leadership team. Mr. Ghai partners with Americas Private Equity investment teams, focusing on technology-related investment diligence and portfolio company value creation via digital transformation and t… Read full bio
Ashley Glover
Former President, RealPage
Ashley Glover is the former President of RealPage, the leading SaaS, services, and data/analytics solutions provider to the rental real estate industry. Joining the company in 2005 at less than $40M of revenue, she was a key member of the executive t… Read full bio
Daniel Goetz
Managing Director – Value Creation, Siris Capital
Mr. Goetz joined Siris Capital in 2013 and is a Managing Director, leading the firm’s Operational Excellence practice. Mr. Goetz works with management teams and operating advisors to identify, drive, and manage value creation initiatives at Siris por… Read full bio
Amanda Good
Partner, Global Head of Value Creation, Searchlight Capital Partners
Ms. Good is a Partner and Global Head of Value Creation. Prior to joining Searchlight in 2021, Ms. Good worked as a Partner at Hg for 7 years where she led the portfolio and operations team of over 30 executives. While at Hg, she was also an active m… Read full bio
Hannah Gräfin von Waldersee
Vice President, Strategy and Innovation, Insight Partners
Hannah joined Insight Partners in 2021 to drive the growth of Insight and its portfolio as a strategy and innovation leader. Prior to joining Insight, Hannah worked at McKinsey & Company, Buckingham Palace, and ran a professional development star… Read full bio
Doron Grosman
Former President/CEO, Global Container Terminals & Former Operating Partner
Doron Grosman is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of GCT Global Container Terminals Inc., with operations in Vancouver BC, Bayonne NJ and Staten Island NY. Doron is a seasoned multi industry executive with experience in a variety of C… Read full bio
Todd Grove
Vice President, Private Equity, Quantum Health
As Vice President of Private Equity, Todd serves as the liaison between Private Equity firms, their portfolio companies, and Quantum Health. He works to educate the senior leadership teams on independent navigation and identifies opportunities for pa… Read full bio
Asheesh Gupta
Managing Director, Portfolio Support, Audax Private Equity
Asheesh is a Managing Director for Audax Private Equity, based in Boston. Prior to joining Audax in 2008, Asheesh worked as the Director of Performance Improvement and Supply Chain Management at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Prior to that,… Read full bio
Steve Hatfield
Head of US ESG, The Carlyle Group
Steve Hatfield is Head of ESG for the US. He leads ESG integration throughout the investment lifecycle across the US portfolios, including partnering with portfolio companies to drive total business value through targeted ESG initiatives. Steve joine… Read full bio
Dan Hawkins
Founder and CEO, Summit Leadership Partners
Dan is the CEO and Founder of Summit Leadership Partners. He advises boards, CEO's, investors and business leaders on strategy execution and value creation through leadership and organizationperformance. After a successful corporate career, Dan found… Read full bio
Kara Helander
Managing Director, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, The Carlyle Group
Kara Helander is a Managing Director and Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer. She is based in Washington, DC. Prior to joining Carlyle, Ms. Helander was a Managing Director at BlackRock where she led the firm’s global inclusion and diversity, and p… Read full bio
Michael Hennessey
Managing Director, Grant Thornton
Mike Hennessey is a Managing Director in the Financial Transformation practice of Grant Thornton located in Charlotte, NC. Mike currently leads the growth and development of Advisory Capabilities within Grant Thornton’s Transformation practice with s… Read full bio
David Hicks
Vice President, Worldwide ISV Ecosystem Business Development, Oracle
David Hicks is Vice President, Worldwide ISV Ecosystem Business Development. In this capacity, he is responsible for driving Oracle Public Cloud and software product adoption and certifications in the partner community. David joined Oracle in 2006 an… Read full bio
Matt Hollcraft
Operating Partner – Cybersecurity, H.I.G. Capital
Matt Hollcraft is Operating Partner – Cybersecurity with H.I.G. Capital, a $60B AUM firm with 27 funds. The Firm has a middle-market investment focus and Matt’s role encompasses management of cybersecurity and privacy strategy, operations and complia… Read full bio
Gary Hoover
Vice President, Global Private Equity Practice, TBM Consulting Group
Gary has over 30 years of experience working as a senior operations executive, a management consultant and military officer. He currently leads TBM’s Global Private Equity practice and works closely with over 50 private equity clients and their portf… Read full bio
Travis Huch
Vice President Alliances, Private Equity Partners, Zuora
Mr. Huch Joined Zuora in 2008 after spending time in enterprise software and sales consulting. In sales roles and in managing customer success for North America for Zuora, he has had experience in working with many saas and technology companies of al… Read full bio
Jerry Hughes
Director, Commercial Excellence, American Securities
Jerry Hughes joined American Securities, where he helps portfolio companies increase revenue growth by strengthening sales and marketing capabilities, in 2018. Prior to joining American Securities, Jerry spent nine years at Blue Ridge Partners, a bou… Read full bio
Benjamin Humphreys
Senior Operating Executive, Monomoy Capital Partners
Ben is a Senior Operating Executive at Monomoy and works with our portfolio companies on revenue growth and profit improvement. Prior to joining Monomoy, Ben held several operating and CFO roles with Cerberus, Blackrock and Staple Street Capital. Ben… Read full bio
Natalie Ings
Managing Director, Head of Portfolio Solutions, Lightyear Capital
Natalie Ings is a Managing Director in Portfolio Solutions at Lightyear Capital. Ms. Ings focuses on supporting Lightyear's senior management in enhancing value and driving growth at Lightyear's portfolio companies. Prior to joining Lightyear in 2016… Read full bio
Jason Karl
Principal, Advent International
Jason Karl joined Advent in 2010 as an Associate in the Boston office focusing on buyout investments in the industrial sector. Following business school, he rejoined Advent in the New York office. Prior to Advent, Jason was an Associate Consultant at… Read full bio
Christopher Kim
Principal, Head of Human Capital, Platinum Equity
Chris Kim is a Principal and leads the Human Capital Management team, which is responsible for performing diligence on all Human Capital aspects of prospective additions to the Platinum Equity portfolio. Chris also has responsibilities in ensuring a… Read full bio
Neil Kimber
Operating Principal, Accel-KKR
Neil Kimber is a Principal and Consulting CTO at Accel¬-KKR Consulting Group. Within Accel-KKR, his responsibilities include working with deal teams during technical due diligence, aiding portfolio companies with specific technology initiatives and m… Read full bio
Bill Klein
President, Consero Global
Bill is an entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience with technology and services organizations ranging from startups to large organizations. He is passionate about helping small and mid-size businesses reach their full potential and leverages a… Read full bio
Michael Kohlsdorf
President, Francisco Partners Consulting
Mike Kohlsdorf is the Founder and President of Francisco Partners Consulting (FPC). He is also the Co-Chairman of the Portfolio Committee and joined Francisco Partners (FP) as an Operating Partner in March of 2011. FP has raised $25 billion in commit… Read full bio
Amy Kramer
Operating Partner-Growth, Level Equity
Amy runs point on go-to-market strategy, leading diligence for new investments and advising Level portfolio companies on scaling customer acquisition and growth. Amy also leads our Level GTM Leadership Group, hosting expert webinars and round tables… Read full bio
Brady Kuhn
Business Development Manager – Global Private Equity, SAP Concur
Brady Kuhn is a Senior Business Development Manager on the Global Private Equity team at SAP Concur. He is responsible for cultivating, managing, and growing strategic partnerships with Private Equity firms located in New York. He also oversees SAP C… Read full bio
Raj Kushwaha
Co-Head of Value Creation and Chief Digital Officer, Warburg Pincus
Raj Kushwaha joined Warburg Pincus in 2012 and serves as Co-Head of the Value Creation function. In addition to providing oversight for the Value Creation function, as the firm’s Chief Digital Officer, Raj is also responsible for product and technolo… Read full bio
Markus Lahrkamp
Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal
Markus Lahrkamp is a Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal Private Equity Performance Improvement in New York. He is one of the head developers of A&M’s proprietary Rapid Results Program™, which he continues to lead. Mr. Lahrkamp is also ex… Read full bio
Steve Larned
Senior Principal, New State Capital Partners
Steve joined New State Capital Partners in 2016 with more than 30 years of experience in executive management, strategy consulting and private equity operations. Steve has led operating teams, developed strategies and advised executives across a rang… Read full bio
Paul Lennick
Senior Vice President, M&A Services, ContinuServe
Leader of ContinuServe's M&A practice, focused on serving Private Equity firms in delivering back office outsource solutions and consulting services to drive deal value. Prior to ContinuServe, Paul served in leadership positions at Apollo Global… Read full bio
Nick Leopard
CEO and Founder, Accordion
Nick Leopard is the CEO and Founder of Accordion, the private equity-focused financial and technology consulting firm. Under Nick’s leadership, Accordion has grown significantly since its founding in 2009. The firm now boasts more than 200 of the wor… Read full bio
Gilyana Lidzheeva
Director of Portfolio Operations, Frontenac
Gilyana joined Frontenac as a Director of Portfolio Operations in 2018. She works with investment team on value creation across the entire portfolio starting with due diligence, development of post-close value creation plans, oversight and support of… Read full bio
Misha Logvinov
Director, Mubadala Performance Partners, Mubadala
Misha Logvinov is a Director (Senior Operating Partner) on the Mubadala Performance Partner team, based in New York City. Mubadala is a sovereign investor with $284 Billion AUM. Misha’s responsibilities include advising the Mubadala’s investment team… Read full bio
Amy LoPiccolo
Vice President, Leadership and Talent, B Capital Group
Amy LoPiccolo joined B Capital Group in 2019 as the Vice President of Leadership & Talent. She partners with multi-stage tech founders and HR leaders around the globe on their greatest talent and organizational development-related challenges. Her… Read full bio
Evan Lorch
Operating Partner, Francisco Partners Consulting
Prior to joining Francisco Partners Consulting, Evan served as Chief Financial Officer of Optanix, Inc and ShoreGroup Solutions, two of Francisco Partners’ portfolio companies. Evan has been the CFO of numerous startups and private equity backed comp… Read full bio
Harrison Lung
Partner, Portfolio Value Creation, Siris Capital
Harrison Lung joined Siris in 2021 as Partner leading the firm’s Portfolio Value Creation practice, including Operational Excellence. Mr. Lung works with Siris leadership to bring value creation best practices to the operations of the firm and its po… Read full bio
Alex Mace
Vice President, Thompson Street Capital Partners
Alex is a Vice President at Thompson Street Capital Partners (TSCP), where he is responsible for providing analytical, operational, and organizational support to TSCP’s portfolio companies. He primarily partners with portfolio companies to execute on… Read full bio
Bhavin Manjee
Partner, Simon-Kucher & Partners
Bhavin is a Partner in Simon-Kucher’s North American B2B practice based in New York City. For the past 17 years, Bhavin has supported clients in boosting their top line growth by developing and implementing growth strategies, value oriented pricing c… Read full bio
Alice Mann
Former Partner, Human Capital
Alice Mann has advised C-suite leaders for 25 years to build winning strategies, organizations, and teams that achieve outstanding business outcomes and financial results. As a partner at Sentinel Capital and an operating partner at Blue Wolf Capital… Read full bio
Katie Marchetti
Managing Director, BluWave
Katie is a Managing Director with BluWave where she leads overall corporate development and account management activities. Prior to joining BluWave, she was with GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group), a leading knowledge marketplace connecting private equity fi… Read full bio
Todd Markson
Operating Partner, Tech Opportunities, Bain Capital
Todd Markson is an Operating Partner at Bain Capital within the Tech Opportunities Fund, where he leads value creation efforts across the portfolio and partners with management teams to support their key initiatives. In addition to working across the… Read full bio
Adam Mattina
Managing Director and Deputy CISO, Blackstone
Adam Mattina is the Deputy Chief Information Security Officer at Blackstone and leads the Portfolio Cybersecurity function. Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value fo… Read full bio
John Mavriyannakis
Partner, Growth, Maverix Private Equity
As a Partner on the Maverix Private Equity Performance team, John is responsible for the development of the disruptive thesis and value creation planning. His focus is on growth and accelerated expansion for our portfolio company performance and grow… Read full bio
Steven Maxwell
Senior Vice President, Portfolio Human Capital, Audax Private Equity
Steve is a Senior Vice President for Audax Private Equity where he leads Portfolio Human Capital. Previously, he was the Talent Partner at Kodiak Venture Partners. Steve also worked in the executive search industry at Korn Ferry and Russell Reynolds,… Read full bio
Pericles Mazarakis
Managing Partner, TriSpan
Prior to working with TriSpan, Pericles was a Senior Operating Partner and Head of Portfolio Support at CDPQ’s Private Equity division that has $25B under management and invested in 40+ direct investments. Before joining CDPQ Capital, he was a Managi… Read full bio
Kunal Mehta
Principal, Portfolio Operations, TCV
Kunal joined TCV as Principal, Portfolio Operations, to stand up the Sales and Marketing Center of Excellence to accelerate value creation across the portfolio. He works with investment teams and functional leaders to develop and implement value crea… Read full bio
Marco Mendes
Partner, Head of Portfolio Group North America, Advent International
Marco Mendes joined Advent in 2013. He has worked with more than 40 private equity portfolio companies during his career, 25 while at Advent. Previously, he spent seven years with Doughty Hanson, based in London, as an investment committee partner. B… 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
Kate Migliaro
Global Head of Portfolio Talent, Searchlight Capital Partners
Prior to joining Searchlight in 2022, Ms. Migliaro worked as a principal in talent management and organizational effectiveness at Apollo. Previously, Ms. Migliaro was the head of compensation and veteran affairs at UBS and worked in human resources a… Read full bio
Aaron Miller
Partner, Head of Portfolio Performance Solutions, Apollo Global Management
Mr. Miller joined Apollo in 2019 in Private Equity as Head of Apollo Consulting. Immediately preceding Apollo, Mr. Miller was an Operating Director at Berkshire Partners and Chief Operating Officer of Catalina Marketing, a Berkshire Portfolio company… Read full bio
Todd Miller
CEO, Risk International
Todd joined Risk International in 2015 as Chief Growth Officer. By 2016 he was promoted to President and in July 2017 named CEO. As CEO, Todd is a key member of Risk International’s development team and Board, taking primary responsibility for leadin… Read full bio
Michael Monagle
Principal, Portfolio Operations, Providence Equity
Mike Monagle is a principal at Providence Equity Partners focused on portfolio operations. Before joining Providence, Mr. Monagle was vice president of operations at Catalant Technologies, where he started and ran the solutions business including pro… Read full bio
Kelley Morrell
Senior Managing Director, Portfolio Operations, Blackstone
Kelley Morrell is Head of Asset Management within Blackstone’s Private Equity businesses. In this role, she oversees the U.S. team of asset managers for Blackstone Capital Partners and a global team for Blackstone Tactical Opportunities and Blackston… Read full bio
Jim Morris
Operating Partner, Sun Capital Partners
Jim Morris joined Sun Capital as an Operating Partner in 2020. Prior to joining Sun Capital he led the Building Management Systems division at Johnson Controls, a $2.2B global device and technology business. Prior to Johnson Controls he held multiple… Read full bio
Melissa Mounce
Managing Director, Leadership Talent and Diversity, GTCR
Melissa joined GTCR in 2019 as a Managing Director, Leadership Talent & Diversity. She advises GTCR’s portfolio company CEOs and CHROs on human capital initiatives and leads DEI initiatives across the portfolio companies, at the Board level and w… Read full bio
Greg Myers
Operating Partner, Cota Capital
Greg Myers has led high performing sales, services, and technical organizations at some of the largest enterprise technology companies in the world. For over 30 years, Greg has been a senior leader at Oracle Corporation and Microsoft Corporation as w… Read full bio
Ravi Narayanan
Head Americas, Market Development, Wipro
Ravi Narayanan heads Market Development for Wipro’s Americas business. In this capacity he engages with key partners including Strategy consultants, Sourcing advisors and Private Equity firms. Prior to Wipro, Ravi was led PortCo Ops Transformation at… Read full bio
Michelle Nasir
Chief Talent Officer, Arsenal Capital Partners
Michelle Nasir is Arsenal Capital Partners Chief Talent Officer (CTO), where she leads the firm’s Human Capital efforts (people, culture, organization, and performance). Michelle’s expertise includes M&A due diligence, executive coaching, success… Read full bio
Yoav Nathaniel
Senior Cloud Security Architect, Goldman Sachs
Yoav Nathaniel has focused on cloud security before cloud was even a viable option for the enterprise. He currently leads the firm-wide cloud security & compliance engineering at Goldman Sachs, where he defines cloud security standards for 10,000… Read full bio
Zaid Nesheiwat
Vice President, Portfolio Operations, ORIX Capital Partners
Zaid Nesheiwat is a Vice President at ORIX Capital Partners (“OCP”). In this role, he is responsible for operational improvement initiatives at portfolio companies and operations due diligence for new investment opportunities. Prior to joining OCP, M… Read full bio
Kevin O’Neill
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Acertitude
Kevin is a mold-breaking entrepreneur, executive search leader, Forbes contributor, and co-founder and managing partner of Acertitude, the executive search firm unleashing human potential for global investment firms and their portfolio companies. Kev… Read full bio
Brandon Owens
Vice President of Sustainability, Insight Sourcing Group
Brandon Owens is the Vice President of Sustainability at Insight Sourcing Group (ISG). In this role, he leverages his domain expertise in energy technologies, markets and policies to help clients implement and enact stainability strategies by acceler… Read full bio
Souvick Paul
Vice President, Private Equity, Brookfield Asset Management
Souvick Paul is a Vice President with Brookfield Asset Management, Private Equity Business Operations team and brings over 18 years of operating and consulting experience to his role. In his current role, he focuses on enterprise software industry wh… Read full bio
Andy Pickens
Managing Director, Apollo Portfolio Performance Solutions
Mr. Pickens joined Apollo in 2018 and serves as Managing Director, Data & Digital Transformation within the Apollo Portfolio Performance Solutions team. In this capacity, Mr. Pickens works closely with investment teams and management teams to def… Read full bio
Neely Pielet
Director, New Mountain Capital
Neely Pielet, Director, joined New Mountain in 2020. Prior to New Mountain, Ms. Pielet was in the finance organization at Unilever from 2010-2020 and served as a Director on the North America Finance leadership team since January 2019. In her most re… Read full bio
Rosaleen Pizarro
Vice President of Accounting, Controller, Barkbox
Rosaleen is currently the VP of Accounting, Controller of BARK. She brings over 18 years of experience providing solutions to complex accounting and operational challenges to public and private companies of all sizes across various industries.Rosalee… Read full bio
Leela Ramnath
Senior Vice President, Head of ESG, Warburg Pincus
Leela Ramnath is Senior Vice President and Head of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) at Warburg Pincus, where she leads global ESG strategy for the firm, collaborates with investment teams and portfolio companies to drive and optimize imple… Read full bio
Howard Reba
Head of Portfolio Finance, CI Capital Partners
Howard Reba is the Head of Portfolio Finance and joined CI Capital Partners in 2019. Previously, Howard served as a Finance Operating Partner at Marlin Equity Partners, a global private equity firm. Prior to joining Marlin, Howard served as the CFO o… Read full bio
Donald Reed
Managing Director, Finance Transformation, PwC
A managing director in PwC’s Finance Transformation Consulting practice, Don helps private equity, banking and capital markets and insurance clients integrate ESG (Environment, Social & Governance) factors into core growth and risk management str… Read full bio
Robert Roley
Director of Portfolio Operations, TPG Capital
Robert Roley is a Director of Portfolio Operations and leads TPG's operations team for Software and Enterprise Technology investments. Robert has been involved in TPG's investments in Planview, Digital.ai, Centrify, Thycotic and Wind River. Prior to… Read full bio
Jairo Romero
Managing Director, GTM Excellence, LLR Partners
Jairo is a senior executive and leader in high-tech with an outstanding reputation world-wide. Jairo recently joined LLR Partners as Managing Director of GTM Excellence with the mission of building a world-class GTM practice to help LLR's portfolio.… Read full bio
Avi Sahi
Chief Commercialization Officer, OGCI Climate Investments
In his role of Chief Commercialization Officer, Avi is responsible for partnering with OGCI Climate Investments’ current and future portfolio company leadership teams to drive accelerated growth and value creation. Prior to joining OGCI Climate Inves… Read full bio
Tim Sanders
Vice President of Client Strategy, Upwork
Tim leads client strategy at Upwork where he helps leaders transform their businesses through the adoption of on demand talent solutions. He began his career as an early stage member of Mark Cuban's broadcast.com and, once acquired, he became the chi… Read full bio
Chris Satchell
Operating Principal Technology and Digital, Clayton Dubilier ＆ Rice
Mr Satchell joined CD＆R in 2020. Prior to CD＆R, he spent twenty-five years in software and technology industries spanning five different CXO roles. Most recently, Mr Satchell served as CTO of Zume Inc., building AI, logistics and robotic systems to i… Read full bio
Sunil Senan
Senior Vice President and Business Head, Data and Analytics, Infosys
Sunil Senan is Senior Vice President responsible for the Data & Analytics service line at Infosys. In this role, he works closely with Infosys’s strategic clients on their data & analytics led digital transformation initiatives. He is passion… Read full bio
Adam Sheffield
Chief Revenue Officer, Global Upside
Adam brings more than 15 years of experience leading sales organizations in the Professional Services market. He currently oversees the global sales organization and helps Clients navigate global workforce complexities in over 170 countries. A true e… Read full bio
Bijal Sheth
Operations Principal, Pamlico Capital
Mr. Sheth joined Pamlico in 2021. He supports development and execution of value creation plans. Prior to joining Pamlico, Mr. Sheth worked for Vista Equity Partners’ operations team providing diligence and go to market advisory services to portfolio… Read full bio
Steven Siwinski
Operating Principal, Accel-KKR
Steve Siwinski is an Operating Principal at Accel-KKR, where he focuses on driving finance, operational and strategic initiatives across the investment cycle and AKKR portfolio. Steve brings a unique combination of private equity, corporate finance,… Read full bio
Brian Slobodow
Operating Partner, HGGC
Brian Slobodow is an Operating Partner of Operational Resource Group, LLC ("ORG")*. Brian advises the firm and portfolio companies in a broad range of supply chain and procurement issues. Prior to joining ORG, Brian was an Operating Executive with Go… Read full bio
Michael Smith
Senior Managing Director, Technology, Media and Telecom Practice, Blue Ridge Partners
Michael has over 35 years of strategic sales and marketing experience working with Fortune 500 and mid-cap companies to accelerate their revenue growth. He has deep experience in Media, Financial Services, Technology and other industries and develope… Read full bio
Michael Song
Managing Director, Portfolio Operations, Providence Equity Partners
Michael Song is a managing director focused on portfolio operations and is based in our Boston office. Prior to joining Providence in 2010, Mr. Song worked at RSA, the security division of Dell EMC. Prior to joining Dell EMC, Mr. Song was a consultan… Read full bio
Daniel Soroka
Senior Operating Partner, Graham Partners
Dan joined Graham Partners in 2009. At Graham, he provides general management support with an emphasis on supply chain, real estate and procurement related matters across Graham Partners and its portfolio companies. Dan has over 25 years of experienc… Read full bio
Luis Sosa
Senior Vice President, Portfolio Operations, Platinum Equity
Luis Sosa is Senior Vice President of Portfolio Operations at Platinum Equity where he is responsible for partnering with portfolio management teams to drive enhanced operating and financial performance within and across portfolio companies. He lever… Read full bio
Richard Spencer
Co-Founder, Kamylon Holdings
Richard is the architect of the Kamylon Management System and has led portfolio management for the Firm for 15 years. Richard has over thirty five years of experience as a private equity investor, serial board member, general manager and consultant.… Read full bio
Tom Stephens
Operating Partner, BV Investment Partners
Tom Stephens has spent 20 years as an executive and advisor in the software, technology, and business services market. He is currently an Operating Partner at BV Investment Partners. Previously Tom held senior operating roles at companies like Cogniz… Read full bio
Glenn Stevens
Partner, Talent Management, Apollo Global Management
Glenn Stevens is a Partner, Talent Management at Apollo Global Management focused on management team and board construction for Apollo's portfolio companies. Previously he was the Head of Talent Management at L Catterton, the largest consumer-focused… Read full bio
Randy Street
Managing Partner, ghSMART
Randy Street is the Managing Partner of ghSMART, a leadership advisory firm whose mission is to use its expertise in human behavior to help CEOs, boards, and investors build valuable companies. He has advised leaders for nearly 30 years and regularly… Read full bio
Atta Tarki
CEO and Managing Director, ECA Partners
Atta Tarki is the Founder and Executive Chairman of ECA Partners, an executive search firm specialized in talent solutions for private equity. ECA has helped over 400 PE firms and PE backed companies hire better talent. Atta has stayed at the forefro… Read full bio
John Toriello
Operating Partner, General Atlantic
John Toriello is an Operating Partner at General Atlantic and the firm’s Global Head of Transactions. Before joining General Atlantic in 2021, John was a Managing Director and Head of Accounting Strategy and Policy at Blackstone. Prior to that, he wa… Read full bio
Russ Trpkovski
Operating Principal, CVC Capital Partners
Russ Trpkovski joined CVC's private equity business in 2020. Russ is a member of CVC Growth Partners and is based in Chicago. Prior to joining CVC, Russ worked at Amazon Web Services, L Catterton and Boston Consulting Group in Chicago. He received a… Read full bio
Kush Tulsidas
Operating Partner, One Rock Capital Partners
H. Kush Tulsidas is an Operating Partner focused on sales and marketing strategy and execution at One Rock’s portfolio companies. He is responsible for assessing the growth potential of companies in the investment stage and improving profitable reven… Read full bio
Maria Urias
Manager, Strategic Alliances, FloQast
Maria Urias leads Strategic Alliances at FloQast, a provider of accounting workflow automation software created by accountants for accountants to help them work smarter, not harder. Maria oversees strategic relationships globally with Private Equity,… Read full bio
Sarah Walker
AVP, 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
Claudio Waller
Co-head of Private Equity, ghSMART
Claudio co-leads ghSMART’s private equity practice, where he focuses on helping sophisticated investors and CEO’s of portfolio companies execute their strategy through people. His work centers on supporting diligence efforts, helping leaders accelera… Read full bio
Andrew Walshe
Head of Portfolio Operations, Sightway Capital
Andrew Walshe joined Sightway Capital, a Two Sigma Private Investments affiliate, in 2016 to lead the group’s portfolio operations efforts. He serves as a Finance Operating Partner to Sightway’s companies by working closely with both investment and m… Read full bio
Jesse Weber
Head of Private Equity Alliances, Sage Intacct
Jesse Weber runs Sage Intacct’s Private Equity Practice. He advises hundreds of leading firms and their portfolio companies to build more profitable businesses through world class financial management, subscription automation, and service. As part of… Read full bio
Jon Weber
Operating Partner - Special Situations
Jon Weber has led operating partner groups for over 20 years at institutional investors, including Goldman Sachs, Icahn Enterprises and Elliott Investment Management. He enhanced the value of portfolio companies in a broad range of industries through… Read full bio
Bryan West
Managing Director, 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
Allyson White
Principal, Insight Partners
Allyson White is a Principal at Insight Partners. She is a leader in the firms Onsite group where she manages due diligence on growth-stage investments as well as strategic engagements with portfolio executives. Specifically Allyson focus on partneri… Read full bio
Giles Whiting
Operating Partner, Verdane
Giles is an Operating Partner at Verdane Capital and acting COO of Forsta, a Verdane investment. He supports the portfolio and management teams with a focus on growth acceleration, building go-to-market teams, and rapid company transformations. Giles… Read full bio
Lane Wiggers
Managing Director, Operating Partner Program, Argosy Private Equity
Lane joined Argosy in 2015 and is responsible for evaluating potential investments, performing due diligence, and working with portfolio companies to grow shareholder value. He has significant experience in the middle market, concluding over 30 acqui… Read full bio
Nick Winter
Managing Director, Head of North America Portfolio Operations, Värde Partners
Nick Winter is a Managing Director and North American Head of Portfolio Operations responsible for value creation in Värde private equity investments. He is also responsible for Asset Management globally for Värde’s Financial Services investing strat… Read full bio
Cici Zheng
Partner, ParkerGale Capital
Cici Zheng is a Partner at ParkerGale Capital where she is responsible for working with portfolio companies on their growth strategies by developing and implementing programs that amplify go-to-market approaches, product positioning and financial res… Read full bio
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.
To explore how your firm can take a prominent leadership position, contact Lawrence Dvorchik at lawrence.d@peimedia.com or call +1 646 545 4429.
Pre-Event Resources
Resources
……
Year-round networking for operating partners
The eleventh annual Operating Partners Forum New York will take place live, in-person this October in New York City
Connect with a community of operating partners and value creation leaders to boost value creation in your portfolio, discover the latest best practices, and gain sector and functional expertise.
Attendance at the Forum is now exclusive to Operating Partners All Access members – our new industry-leading Operating Partners community. Request a trial to see how, in addition to attendance at the Operating Partners Forum New York, membership can help expand your network.
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 New York
The Operating Partners Forum is a fantastic 2 days where thought leaders share best practices and key learnings in a collaborative and transparent fashion. I al…
I find this conference the best way to network with my peers in the operating partner community. The quality of attendees and dialog is outstanding and always h…
For a new Operating Partner in PE the conference was an invaluable accelerator in my learning process of the key challenges and opportunities in the space.
Forum attendees get more:
By attending the Operating Partners Forum New York you will join the most influential operating partners community. Membership will give you:
- Access to the Operating Partners Forum New York
- Access to all of PEI’s global operating partners events (both virtual and in-person)
- On-demand access to event sessions
- Access to the member directory
- Frequent virtual and in-person networking opportunities
- And much more …
Please note annual agenda is subject to change
2021 Agenda
Download the agenda to see the timely and relevant topics that are of importance to Operating Partners today. These topics will shape the discussions at the Operating Partners Forum New York.
If you are interested in a speaking role please contact contact Marc Mele at marc.m@peimedia.com.
All times are listed in Eastern Time (ET)
View agenda page
Agenda
Day One - Wednesday 20th
07:40 - 08:40
Registration and breakfast
07:40 - 08:40
Think tanks for full-time operating partners: Comparing operating partner models — value creation war room (invitation-only)
Steve Larned,
Geoffrey Baird,
David Feierstein
This closed-door room discussion will allow you to learn and share best practices of successful operating partner models. The think tank will also allow you to submit topics to be covered in looking at best value creation practices and the toughest challenges operating partners face daily. Key areas to be discussed include:
• What is your model today and what are you focused on for the operating partner model of tomorrow?
• Comparing innovative ways, resources, and team structures
• Bridging the gap between the investment teams’ model and what actually happens in reality
• Comparing engagement approaches
Room 1
Facilitator:
Steve Larned, Senior Principal, New State Capital Partners
Room 2
Facilitators:
Geoffrey Baird, Independent Operating Executive, Palladium Equity Partners
David Feierstein, Managing Partner, Ronin Equity Partners
08:40 - 08:50
PEI’s welcome and chairman’s opening remarks
Jon Weber
Seth Kerker, Director of Events, Americas, PEI
Chairman:
Jon Weber, Head of Global Portfolio Operations Group, Elliott Investment Management
Plenary Sessions
08:50 - 09:30
The impact of disruption on the future of work: leadership, culture, and talent
Ted Bililies,
David Cohen,
Amy LoPiccolo,
Hannah Gräfin von Waldersee,
Steven Maxwell
- Leading with impact in periods of constant disruption
- Scaling portfolio companies in a hybrid working environment
- Unlocking the importance of culture in value creation
- Leveraging the importance of DEI in talent retention
- Course-correcting the talent strategy post-pandemic
- Planning for further disruptions in different industries and sectors
Moderator:
Ted Bililies, Managing Director and Chief Talent Officer, AlixPartners
Panelists:
David Cohen, Managing Director, Human Capital, Kelso & Company
Amy LoPiccolo, Vice President, Leadership and Talent, B Capital Group
Hannah Gräfin von Waldersee, Vice President, Strategy and Innovation, Insight Partners
Steven Maxwell, Senior Vice President, Portfolio Human Capital, Audax Private Equity
09:30 - 10:10
The common characteristics of faster growing businesses
Jim Corey,
Ashley Glover,
Jerry Hughes,
Todd Markson
- What do faster growing companies do to accelerate their growth and outperform their peers?
- How do they embed these characteristics in their organization?
- What are some examples of how PE firms transformed commercial organizations?
- How did these changes impact the valuation of the business?
Moderator:
Jim Corey, Managing Partner, Blue Ridge Partners
Panelists:
Ashley Glover, Former President, RealPage
Jerry Hughes, Director, Commercial Excellence, American Securities
Todd Markson, Operating Partner, Tech Opportunities, Bain Capital
10:10 - 10:50
The archetype of a world class operating team
Amy Daly,
Michael Kohlsdorf,
Aaron Miller,
Jon Weber
- Uncovering where successful operating partners focus their attention, value creation team processes, how to deploy an operating team, and the engagement approach
- Four key areas: staff, proven value creation processes, the investment lifecycle, and engaging with the CEOs
- Comparing operating partner models and the evolution of operating teams
- Making the “magic quadrant” work: how the deal partner, operating partner, CEO and board chairperson can work together to deliver value creation
- Bridging the gap between the investment teams’ model and what actually happens in reality
- Is the operating partner model changing? If so, how?
- Holistic value creation playbooks: what lies ahead?
Moderator:
Amy Daly, Americas Private Equity Consulting Leader, EY
Panelists:
Michael Kohlsdorf, President, Francisco Partners Consulting
Aaron Miller, Partner, Head of Portfolio Performance Solutions, Apollo Global Management
Jon Weber, Head of Global Portfolio Operations Group, Elliott Investment Management
10:50 - 11:20
The end of the pandemic: accelerating challenges and opportunities for private equity and portfolio companies
Markus Lahrkamp,
Bill Fry,
Doron Grosman,
Jason Karl,
Brian Slobodow
The end of the pandemic may be harder to manage than the pandemic itself from a business and financial perspective. Issues to be addressed in looking at challenges and opportunities:
- Inconsistent demand signals posing challenges for revenue forecasts
- Severe supply chain disruptions with impacts on timely delivery and product costs
- Labor shortages and wage inflation
- Transportation costs through the roof
- Work life balance issues moving from remote back to on-site work
- “Free money” to invest – a curse or a blessing?
Moderator:
Markus Lahrkamp, Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal
Panelists:
Bill Fry, Managing Director, American Securities
Doron Grosman, President and CEO, Global Container Terminals
Jason Karl, Principal, Advent International
Brian Slobodow, Operating Partner, HGGC
11:20 - 11:50
Networking Break
Functional Breakout Series 1
11:50 - 12:20
Track 1 | Reimagining OP-CEO connections: where strategy and delivery collide
Kevin O’Neill,
Doron Grosman,
Benjamin Humphreys,
Nick Winter
- Offering a basic “cheat sheet” on how to recruit exceptional CEOs by highlighting some memorable stories (and learnings) from the trenches
- Detailing the markings of brilliant CEOs, and what it truly takes to be an exceptional leader
- Uncovering which current PE-CEO alignment and engagement practices the audience needs to know about most
- Exploring how PE executives can help CEOs reach peak performance and operate at max potential
Moderator:
Kevin O’Neill, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Acertitude
Panelists:
Doron Grosman, President and CEO, Global Container Terminals
Benjamin Humphreys, Senior Operating Executive, Monomoy Capital Partners
Nick Winter, Managing Director, Head of North America Portfolio Operations, Värde Partners
11:50 - 12:20
Track 2 | Add-on acquisition readiness: adding value through the finance function
Jesse Weber,
Bill Klein,
John Mavriyannakis,
Andrew Walshe
Add-ons are an important, and growing, part of the private equity playbook. Well-managed integrations can lead to growth, expansion and higher valuations, but poorly managed integrations, wherein the finance variable is not properly structured and monitored won’t in fact, add on, they’ll just subtract from. In this discussion, we explore the critical role of the finance function to drive value and maximize returns:
- Understanding bottlenecks
- Gaining visibility on hidden costs
- Uncovering inefficient processes
- Discovering unnoticed opportunity to realize the returns on investment faster
Moderator:
Jesse Weber, Private Equity Lead, Sage Intacct
Panelists:
Bill Klein, President, Consero Global
John Mavriyannakis, Partner, Growth, Maverix Private Equity
Andrew Walshe, Head of Portfolio Operations, Two Sigma Private Investments, Sightway Capital
11:50 - 12:20
Track 3 | Digital as a growth lever
Sarah Walker ,
Jarrad Berman,
Kurt Brimberry
- 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, Vice President, Global Head of Private Equity Practice, Salesforce
Panelists:
Jarrad Berman, Vice President, Digital Transformation, TZP Group
Kurt Brimberry, Senior Associate, Summit Partners
Functional Breakout Series 2
12:20 - 12:50
Track 4 | Post-COVID talent acquisition, development, and assessment for the lower level
Tim Sanders,
Tracey Abbott,
Nicole Christopoulos,
Jon Davies,
Kristin Brown Patrick
- Grasping the lower-level talent execution plan
- What levels in the organization does your PE firm get involved in talent selection?
- Talent retention best practices in today’s world
- In our current environment, what particular people dynamics do you pay attention to and track?
- Challenges and opportunities of virtual/hybrid workforces
Moderator:
Tim Sanders, Vice President of Customer Insights, Upwork
Panelists:
Tracey Abbott, Senior Operating Lead, Partners Group
Nicole Christopoulos, Vice President, People Strategy & Culture, Summit Partners
Jon Davies, Managing Director, Head of Talent, Lightyear Capital
Kristin Brown Patrick, Senior Operating Partner, Human Capital, New State Capital Partners
12:20 - 12:50
Track 5 | The future value creation supply chain playbook
Wendy Buxton,
Zaid Nesheiwat ,
Brian Slobodow,
Daniel Soroka
Companies are looking for growth by expanding into new markets, new regions and into new customer bases. Many firms are grappling with continued supply chain disruptions and respect the imperative of assessing and transforming supply chain health during all stages of the deal cycle. Join this session to learn how supply chain is changing from traditional value creation strategies and what market catalysts are creating the need for more innovative approaches to value creation. Participants will hear from the experts on sourcing, inventory, logistics, and distribution fulfilment strategies that create value and drive returns while mitigating risk and meeting customers’ shifting demands.
Moderator:
Wendy Buxton, President, LynnCo Supply Chain Solutions
Panelists:
Zaid Nesheiwat, Vice President, Portfolio Operations, ORIX Capital Partners
Brian Slobodow, Operating Partner, HGGC
Daniel Soroka, Senior Operating Partner, Graham Partners
12:20 - 12:50
Track 6 | Carveout 3.0 – moving to the next level of value creation
Paul Lennick,
Andy Pickens,
Robert Roley ,
Luis Sosa
- The focus on Carveout 1.0 to 2.0 to 3.0 provides insight into the maturity of driving value in complex transactions
- Developing a strategically aligned value creation plan early in the process
- Proven execution excellence approaches in separating on the buy and sell side
- Best practices in working with service providers during the carveout
- What is the biggest challenge or risk to be managed in a successful carveout deal?
Moderator:
Paul Lennick, Senior Vice President, M&A Services, ContinuServe
Panelists:
Andy Pickens, Managing Director – Data and Digital Transformation, Apollo Global Management
Robert Roley, Director of Portfolio Operations, TPG Capital
Luis Sosa, Senior Vice President, Portfolio Operations, Platinum Equity
Functional Breakout Series 3
12:50 - 13:20
Track 7 | How 100-day plans are changing in the current environment and years to come
Sean Adkins,
Brian Chu,
Asheesh Gupta,
Michael Song,
Cici Zheng
- Fast start: coming out strong from day one in onboarding new portfolio companies even in the face of recent uncertainty
- What’s key for your first 100 days to convert to execution?
- How to prioritize: identifying the most important value creation areas to focus on
- Best practices for the first 90–180 days vs. 365+
- Day 1-100: structured approaches, pragmatic actions, and tools to bring about rapid alignment and focus
Moderator:
Sean Adkins, Managing Partner, Mergers and Acquisitions, West Monroe Partners
Panelists:
Brian Chu, Senior Managing Director, Centerbridge Partners
Asheesh Gupta, Managing Director, Portfolio Support, Audax Private Equity
Michael Song, Managing Director, Portfolio Operations, Providence Equity
Cici Zheng, Principal, ParkerGale Capital
12:50 - 13:20
Track 8 | Recruiting top CFO talent for PE-backed companies
Atta Tarki,
Angela Geffre,
Jim Morris
- What makes a candidate a good CFO for a PE-backed company?
- What is your greatest challenge when it comes to recruiting brilliant portfolio CFOs?
- How to assess CFO candidates during hiring?
- How can CFOs drive the value creation plan?
Moderator:
Atta Tarki, CEO and Managing Director, ECA Partners
Panelists:
Angela Geffre, Chief Human Resources Officer, Sun Capital Partners
Jim Morris, Operating Partner, Sun Capital Partners
12:50 - 13:20
Track 9 | Using GTM strategies to drive ROI in today’s over-heated market
Marc Metzner,
Amy Kramer,
Jairo Romero,
Bijal Sheth,
Kush Tulsidas
- Bidding with confidence based on in-depth commercial due diligence
- Driving GTM change early enough to significantly impact valuation
- Aligning GTM resources to growth buyers and new buyer journeys
- Deploying new sales roles for new product and segment selling
- Building a sustainable customer-development and lead-gen engine
- Strengthening RevOps to sustain GTM change and integrate buyer journeys
Moderator:
Marc Metzner, Vice President, Alexander Group
Panelists:
Amy Kramer, Operating Partner, Level Equity
Jairo Romero, Managing Director, GTM Excellence, LLR Partners
Bijal Sheth, Operations Principal, Pamlico Capital
Kush Tulsidas, Operating Partner, One Rock Capital Partners
Lunch break
13:30 - 14:20
Women in PE and VC portfolio operations lunch (invitation-only)
Toya Asbury ,
Susan Clark
This closed-door lunch discussion will explore what it’s like being a woman in PE and VC portfolio operations:
- What are the issues causing a disparity in genders?
- Exploring career paths, development, and how to position yourself as female leaders
- Is your firm focused on women’s leadership at portfolio companies?
- Does your company have any specific programs, leadership coaching and assessments geared towards promoting women’s leadership?
- Are there any changes in recruiting that will create a more equal playing field?
- Looking at trends and stats in gender in PE and VC
Facilitators:
Toya Asbury, Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal
Susan Clark, Managing Director, Operations, Sun Capital Partners
Sponsored by:
13:20 - 14:20
Networking lunch
Functional Breakout Series 4
14:20 - 15:00
Track 10 | Driving impact: what makes a great PE talent partner?
Katie Marchetti,
Ashley Day,
Merche del Valle,
Alice Mann,
Michelle Nasir
- PE talent partner market trends: driving better and faster execution
- How do you provide the most value in your talent partner role? When does your firm engage the talent partner?
- Talent partner-deal team dynamics: better identifying opportunities and risks during diligence
- Uncovering specific and tactical talent partner value creation plans
- Establishing playbooks of evaluation, resources, and support at different stages
- Key success factors in looking at better use of data and ongoing monitoring
Moderator:
Katie Marchetti, Managing Director, BluWave
Panelists:
Ashley Day, Former Chief Talent Officer
Merche del Valle, Managing Director and Chief Talent Officer, Grain Management
Alice Mann, Operating Partner, Human Capital, Blue Wolf Capital Partners
Michelle Nasir, Chief Talent Officer, Arsenal Capital Partners
14:20 - 15:00
Track 11 | Winning after the deal: the key to smooth post-merger transitions
Adam Sheffield,
David Feierstein,
Daniel Goetz,
Kelley Morrell
- Formulating a successful implementation strategy
- Navigating the nuances of employment transitions and key employee retention
- Considerations for company culture alignment and employee integration
- Ensuring day 1 readiness through effective communication
Moderator:
Adam Sheffield, Chief Revenue Officer, Global Upside
Panelists:
David Feierstein, Managing Partner, Ronin Equity Partners
Daniel Goetz, Managing Director, Portfolio Value Creation, Siris Capital
Kelley Morrell, Senior Managing Director, Tactical Opportunities, Blackstone
14:20 - 15:00
Track 12 | The changing lens of the CFO – pre and post pandemic trends
Michael Hennessey,
Neely Pielet,
Howard Reba
- K-shaped recovery impact
- Liquidity focus
- Automation
- Investment planning
- Workforce structure/employee retention
Moderator:
Michael Hennessey, Managing Director, Grant Thornton
Panelists:
Neely Pielet, Director, New Mountain Capital
Howard Reba, Head of Portfolio Finance, CI Capital Partners
Functional Breakout Series 5
15:00 - 15:40
Track 13 | Addressing diversity and inclusion as a business imperative
Jennifer Busse,
Kara Helander,
Natalie Ings,
Kate Migliaro,
Melissa Mounce
- D&I approaches: operationalizing it and interfacing with portfolio company leaders for D&I initiatives
- What best practices can you share regarding advising CEOs and management teams at the portco levels?
- What is holding PE back from achieving diversity?
- Looking at initiatives from different PE firms, what has been successful? What goals do you set for the portfolio companies relative to D&I?
- How would you best describe your firm’s D&I work at the fund and portfolio companies?
- KPIs for diversity: measuring effectiveness
- Diversity and leadership: what can be done better? How are you thinking about diversity of boards?
Moderator:
Jennifer Busse, Director, RSM
Panelists:
Kara Helander, Managing Director, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, The Carlyle Group
Natalie Ings, Managing Director, Portfolio Solutions, Lightyear Capital
Kate Migliaro, Principal, Talent Management and Organizational Effectiveness, Apollo Global Management
Melissa Mounce, Managing Director, Leadership Talent and Diversity, GTCR
Kara Helander
Managing Director, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, The Carlyle Group
Read bio
15:00 - 15:40
Track 14 | Cybersecurity in the modern age: dos and don’ts
Jamey Cummings,
Matt Hollcraft,
Neil Kimber,
Adam Mattina
- Best practices in communicating cyber risks to boards
- The importance of cybersecurity in acquisition diligence
- Reducing complexity and costs of your cyber tools and services stack
Moderator:
Jamey Cummings, Partner – Cybersecurity and Technology, JM Search
Panelists:
Matt Hollcraft, Group Chief Information Security Officer, Hellman & Friedman
Neil Kimber, Operating Principal, Accel-KKR
Adam Mattina, Senior Vice President and Deputy CISO, Blackstone
15:00 - 15:40
Track 15 | Critical dimensions in pre-deal operational due diligence
Gary Hoover,
Geoffrey Baird,
Gilyana Lidzheeva,
Michael Monagle,
Lane Wiggers
- How do you really get at what the opportunities are to understand what the value creation plan should be?
- Coming out of the crisis, how do you think PE’s behaviour will change across deal making and the extent of due diligence?
- Uncovering operating partner synergies and best practices in the deal evaluation phase
- Operating partner success factors when partnering with investment teams
- Exposing new challenges in assessing operational risks
- Critical pre-deal diligence elements in cost savings, technology, human capital, sales, operational planning, data, and the investment thesis
Moderator:
Gary Hoover, Vice President, Global Private Equity Practice, TBM Consulting Group
Panelists:
Geoffrey Baird, Independent Operating Executive, Palladium Equity Partners
Gilyana Lidzheeva, Director of Portfolio Operations, Frontenac
Michael Monagle, Principal, Portfolio Operations, Providence Equity
Lane Wiggers, Managing Director, Operating Partner Program, Argosy Private Equity
15:40 - 16:00
Networking coffee break
Functional Breakout Series 6
16:00 - 16:40
Track 16 | Accelerating management team performance post transaction
Dan Hawkins,
Bala Ganesan,
Marco Mendes,
Glenn Stevens
- Critical factors in top management teams to drive value creation
- What pitfalls to avoid
- What’s the right timeline post transaction?
- How do you spend your time post-transaction?
- What jobs to change out first? What are the most critical jobs?
- What would a quick CEO transition look like?
- How can you conduct talent assessments without hurting the relationship between the management team and the deal team?
- Relationships with the board; what does a high performing team look like?
Moderator:
Dan Hawkins, CEO, Summit Leadership Partners
Panelists:
Bala Ganesan, Managing Director, Special Situations, Oaktree Capital Management
Marco Mendes, Head of Portfolio Support Group, North America, Advent International
Glenn Stevens, Partner, Talent Management, Apollo Global Management
16:00 - 16:40
Track 17 | Digital transformations and innovation to drive investment value
Ravi Narayanan,
Jarrad Berman,
Raj Kushwaha,
Harrison Lung
- Building a roadmap for technological change
- Digital innovation and operations — going beyond ideation, conception, and analysis and turning strategy into real delivery, particularly in the context of a novel initiative or product
- Digital transformations in the post COVID-19 world: how digital initiatives and innovation have accelerated and what does the future hold
- How can PE firms utilize innovative technologies that return near-term, sustainable investment value without getting stuck in a never-ending cycle of transformation projects?
- Digital workplace transformation and product transformation stories
Moderator:
Ravi Narayanan, Americas Head, Strategic Engagement, Wipro
Panelists:
Jarrad Berman, Vice President, Digital Transformation, TZP Group
Raj Kushwaha, Managing Director, Digital Strategy and Innovation, Operating Partner and Chief Digital Officer, Warburg Pincus
Harrison Lung, Partner, Portfolio Value Creation, Siris Capital
16:00 - 16:40
Track 18 | How is private equity “future-proofing” and building resilience in its portfolios?
Kevin Burke,
David Acharya,
Prashanth (PV) Bóccasam ,
Pericles Mazarakis
- How PE firms successfully pivoted their portfolio companies toward growth
- How to secure portfolio companies’ liquidity and operational savings during a downturn
- The different ways in which PE firms can set up their portfolio for durable success going forward
- How regional and industry specificities played into the design of PE’s portfolio resiliency strategies
Moderator:
Kevin Burke, Director, M&A, Private Equity and Venture Capital, Globalization Partners
Panelists:
David Acharya, Managing Partner, Acharya Capital Partners
Prashanth Bóccasam, Partner, Cota Capital
Pericles Mazarakis, Managing Partner, Trispan Capital
Functional Breakout Series 7
16:40 - 17:10
Track 19 | Leveraging your portfolio’s supply chain to maximize ESG impact
Brandon Owens,
Steve Hatfield,
Leela Ramnath,
Avi Sahi
- Procurement’s role in achieving sustainability goals, while reducing costs, managing risk and improving competitive position
- How to execute a decarbonization and energy efficiency/renewable strategy across your portfolio, including funding solutions that eliminate capital constraints to scale savings
- Exploring solutions for managing Scope 3 emissions throughout the supply chain across portfolio companies
- Delivering on supplier diversity and inclusive procurement practices with an ESG framework
Moderator:
Brandon Owens, Vice President of Sustainability, Insight Sourcing Group
Panelists:
Steve Hatfield, Head of US ESG, The Carlyle Group
Leela Ramnath, Director of ESG, Warburg Pincus
Avi Sahi, Chief Commercialization Officer, OGCI Climate Investments
16:40 - 17:10
Track 20 | The return of business travel: discussing approaches and what lies ahead
Brady Kuhn,
Adam Cummins,
Michael Farrell
Join a live panel discussion on the business travel landscape in the era of COVID and easing restrictions. Panelists will discuss the approaches their organizations have taken towards business travel, how this has impacted throughout their investment companies and their perspectives on handling employee duty-of-care implications going forward. Through a leveraged procurement lens, we’ll discuss experiences in working with travel related vendors throughout the pandemic, how travel management companies are weathering the storm and what’s top of mind as managed travel re-emerges in major global markets.
Moderator:
Brady Kuhn, Business Development Manager – Global Private Equity, SAP Concur
Panelists:
Adam Cummins, PMO Lead, Global Investment Resources, The Carlyle Group
Michael Farrell, Executive Vice President of Business Development, World Travel, Inc.
16:40 - 17:10
Track 21 | Employee healthcare: Strategically balancing program costs with the talent challenges today
Todd Grove,
Michael Frain,
Christopher Kim
How do you drive value during a “war on talent” through a successful benefits strategy? Are benefit offerings simply table stakes – or can they once again help attract/retain or help offset labor related headwinds? Learn how CHROs and CFOs leverage innovative offerings to dramatically improve employee satisfaction, engagement while driving measurable EBITDA through cost avoidance. Challenges to be explored include:
- The Great Resignation and its impact on benefit offerings
- Solutions for 6%-8% – Estimated healthcare trend growth for self-insured employers due to “COVID Hangover”
- Healthcare navigation: balancing financial realities with employee needs
Moderator:
Todd Grove, Vice President, Private Equity, Quantum Health
Panelists:
Michael Frain, Senior Vice President, Shared Services, Warburg Pincus
Christopher Kim, Senior Vice President, Platinum Equity
17:10 - 17:50
Enabling a technology-driven CFO: key success factors in the future of value creation
Jesse Weber,
Bill Klein,
Howard Reba,
Russ Trpkovski,
Allyson White
- Finding data driven CFOs and their role in enterprise performance
- How is the CFO role evolving? What does the CFO of the future look like?
- How to get your portfolio companies from tactical to strategic
- Barriers to automate finance and accounting and how to overcome them
- Sharing value creation insights via data analytics and cloud technology
Moderator:
Jesse Weber, Private Equity Lead, Sage Intacct
Panelists:
Bill Klein, President, Consero Global
Howard Reba, Head of Portfolio Finance, CI Capital Partners
Russ Trpkovski, Operating Principal, CVC Capital Partners
Allyson White, Principal, Insight Partners
Interactive Working Groups Series 1
17:10 - 17:50
Interactive Working Group 1 | Deep dive discussion for operating partners only: Writing the next chapter of the value creation playbook
John Annakin
This session will allow the audience to join an interactive roundtable discussion with designated facilitators:
- Moving toward high-tech sustainability and creating long-term value for society
- Modernizing assets through practical implementation of ESG principles
- Using predictive analytics and data intelligence to enhance investment strategy and decision-making
- Leveraging automation and business process optimization to streamline, modernize, and transform costs
Facilitator:
John Annakin, Director, RSM
17:10 - 17:50
Interactive Working Group 2 | Deep dive discussion for operating partners only: Reinventing the commercial organization through the eyes of customers (invitation-only)
Michael Smith
This session will allow the audience to join an interactive roundtable discussion with designated facilitators.
- Most (85%) commercial organizations expect sales model transformations this year and next
- Planned transformations seem to focus on “inside-out” perspectives – e.g. getting sales meetings in a hybrid world; using content/knowledge capital to obtain leads/meetings
- A better way might be approaching the transformation from the view of prospects/customers and working back into the company
- Reviewing examples of this “outside-in” commercial transformation approach
Facilitator:
Michael Smith, Senior Managing Director, Technology, Media and Telecom Practice, Blue Ridge Partners
Hosted by:
Michael Smith
Senior Managing Director, Technology, Media and Telecom Practice, Blue Ridge Partners
Read bio
17:50 - 18:50
End of day one chairman’s remarks & cocktail reception
Agenda
Day Two - Thursday 21st
08:40 - 09:40
Registration and breakfast
08:00 - 08:40
Operating partners portfolio operations breakfast deep dive discussion: The future of workforce (invitation-only)
Parmesh Bhaskaran,
Ted Bililies
In this session we will discuss the war for talent, the multi-generational workforce, and its impact on investing in manufacturing and distribution businesses. Topics include:
- New requirements for employers in attracting talent in this time of disruption
- Overcoming the labor shortage in industries with an hourly workforce
- Meeting the expectations and differing values of the four generations in the workplace (Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z)
- Improving operations and building an inclusive culture to retain talent
- Effective change management to optimize operations
Facilitators:
Parmesh Bhaskaran, Managing Director, AlixPartners
Ted Bililies, Managing Director and Chief Talent Officer, AlixPartners
Hosted by:
08:40 - 09:40
Think tanks for full-time operating partners: value creation war room (invitation-only)
Cory Eaves,
Anish Batlaw,
Christopher Kim
This closed-door discussion will allow you to learn and share best practices of successful operating partners. The think tank will allow you to submit topics to be introduced by the facilitators and discussed in the room. It will allow you to select one of the two rooms:
Room 1 Digital and Technology Operating Partners
Facilitator:
Cory Eaves, Operating Partner, General Atlantic
Room 2 Human Capital Operating Partners
Facilitators:
Anish Batlaw, Operating Partner, General Atlantic
Christopher Kim, Senior Vice President, Platinum Equity
09:40 - 09:45
Chairman’s welcome
Jim Corey
Chairman:
Jim Corey, Managing Partner, Blue Ridge Partners
Plenary Sessions
09:45 - 10:20
The future of technology and digital initiatives in working with your portfolio companies
Spencer T. Farrar,
Cory Eaves,
Amar Ghai,
Misha Logvinov
- Using technology to make your processes and businesses more efficient in the current environment and in the years to come
- Looking at the overlap of tech with other functions in the company (sales, customer support, etc.)
- Approaches to working with portco leadership on technology initiatives
- Understanding the challenges around web-enablement and changes in consumer behavior
- Recent digital transformation and digital disruption stories within specific industries
Moderator:
Spencer Farrar, Private Equity Business Development, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Panelists:
Cory Eaves, Operating Partner, General Atlantic
Amar Ghai, Director, Head of Technology (Americas), KKR Capstone
Misha Logvinov, Managing Director and Head of IT Strategy, EQT Partners
10:20 - 11:00
Uncovering the pricing due diligence playbook
Adam Echter,
John Bailey,
Amanda Good,
Kush Tulsidas
- What does your pricing playbook look like? How to critically evaluate top-line improvements when bidding
- Evaluating potential acquisitions through structured pricing analysis
- Key elements and opportunities where price is a key concern and major aspect of the investment thesis
- First-hand accounts in looking at commercial due diligence and top-up diligence on pricing issues
Moderator:
Adam Echter, Partner, Simon-Kucher & Partners
Panelists:
John Bailey, Operating Associate, General Atlantic
Amanda Good, Partner and Head of Global Value Creation, Searchlight Capital Partners
Kush Tulsidas, Operating Partner, One Rock Capital Partners
11:00 - 11:30
PE partner-CFO dynamics: alignment, expectations, and impact
Nick Leopard,
Karl Bailliez,
Susan Clark,
Evan Lorch,
John Toriello
- Examining the PE sponsor-CFO relationship across three critical dimensions: measuring the business (collecting the data to inform insights), managing the business (reporting, technology infrastructure, KPIs), scaling the business (operational levers to drive accelerated growth)
- Understanding CFO/Partner alignment, or lack thereof, with regard to: the firm-finance dynamic and operating model, expectations for value contribution, key focus areas and objectives
- Measuring operating partner impact and understanding the critical role of technology in achieving operational alpha and accelerating value creation
Moderator:
Nick Leopard, CEO and Founder, Accordion and Co-Founder, Maestro
Panelists:
Karl Bailliez, Senior Operating Executive and Finance Practice Leader, Cerberus Capital Management
Susan Clark, Managing Director, Operations, Sun Capital Partners
Evan Lorch, Operating Partner, Francisco Partners Consulting
John Toriello, Operating Partner, General Atlantic
Karl Bailliez
Senior Operating Executive and Finance Practice Leader, Cerberus Capital Management
Read bio
11:30 - 11:50
Networking Break
Interactive Working Group Series 2
11:50 - 12:30
Interactive Working Group 3 | Deep dive discussion for operating partners only: Putting ESG at the heart of your business strategy in the new sustainable economy
Donald Reed
This session will allow the audience to join an interactive roundtable discussion with designated facilitators.
- How does your firm think about ESG, and what specific areas within E, S, and G are covered?
- ESG due diligence best practices
- What is the role of the operating partner in driving ESG initiatives?
- Mapping out and engaging with all key stakeholders on ESG
- How are ESG based KPIs and metrics being used?
- Private equity’s ESG journey: what comes next?
Facilitator:
Donald Reed, Managing Director, Finance Transformation, PwC
11:50 - 12:30
Interactive Working Group 4 | Deep dive discussion for operating partners only: Implementing price changes in 2021: Essential steps and countermeasures for your portfolio companies during inflationary times (invitation-only)
Bhavin Manjee
This session will allow the audience to join an interactive roundtable discussion with designated facilitators.
- Key steps to offset price inflation: leveraging inflationary times to expand margin
- Price adjustments: deploying multiple tools to create options when input prices fall
- Implementing robust and workable pricing processes and systems
- How to bring reluctant management teams along
- Dealing with sustained price volatility: successful elements to protect margins, drive growth and offset the commercial implications of these effects
Facilitator:
Bhavin Manjee, Partner, Simon-Kucher & Partners
Hosted by:
11:50 - 12:30
Interactive Working Group 5 | Deep dive discussion for operating partners only: Working with CEOs: dos and don’ts
Randy Street ,
Claudio Waller
This session will allow the audience to join an interactive roundtable discussion with designated facilitators focused on:
- Sharing of lessons learned and do overs
- Setting up productive relationships with CEOs across the deal lifecycle
- Managing tension and helping to bridge alignment
- Helping CEOs operate at full power
Facilitators:
Randy Street, Managing Partner, ghSMART
Claudio Waller, Co-head of Private Equity, ghSMART
12:30 - 13:30
Networking lunch
Functional Breakout Series 8
13:30 - 14:10
Track 22 | Modernizing your finance function: driving value through evolving capabilities
Greg Carlson,
Steve Cumbow,
John Mavriyannakis,
Steven Siwinski
Join us to discuss how finance functions are transforming to meet the evolving needs of its stakeholders:
- Drive forward-looking insights and improved performance management with advanced data and analytics
- Improve how work gets done through process and controls automation
- Gain efficiency via integrated systems and information
- Implement a cost-effective organization structure and delivery model
- Upskill and evolve people capabilities to be successful in a modern finance environment
- Increase cross-functional collaboration and business partnering
Moderator:
Greg Carlson, Managing Director, Riveron
Panelists:
Steve Cumbow, Operating Partner, Sentinel Capital Partners
John Mavriyannakis, Partner, Growth, Maverix Private Equity
Steven Siwinski, Operating Principal, Accel-KKR
13:30 - 14:10
Track 23 | Monitoring and quantifying portfolio performance with data science and analytics
Sunil Senan,
Jesko Frommeyer,
Andy Pickens,
Richard Spencer
- What new tools are you adopting for portfolio management?
- Looking at best methodologies for portfolio company reporting
- Applying growth KPIs and metrics for operational improvement in different stages
- Using data science to measure the success of a company and drive value creation
- Approaches in utilizing data lakes and big data to drive results
- Value creation team approaches in working with heads of data science
Moderator:
Sunil Senan, Senior Vice President and Business Head, Data and Analytics, Infosys
Panelists:
Jesko Frommeyer, Managing Director, Portfolio Value Creation, Real Assets, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB)
Andy Pickens, Managing Director – Data and Digital Transformation, Apollo Global Management
Richard Spencer, Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer, Operating Partner, Kamylon Holdings
Jesko Frommeyer
Managing Director, Portfolio Value Creation, Real Assets, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB)
Read bio
Functional Breakout Series 9
14:10 - 14:50
Track 24 | Creating value through your technology investment
Maria Urias,
Prashanth (PV) Bóccasam ,
Adam Cummins,
Souvick Paul,
Rosaleen Pizarro
- Showing the value of investment in technology, including finance technology, during a PE ownership cycle
- Building the optimal technology stack
- Highlighting opportunities for future gains through finance technologies for the next owner
- Pragmatic steps to position for exit
Moderator:
Maria Urias, Manager, Strategic Alliances, FloQast
Panelists:
Prashanth Bóccasam, Partner, Cota Capital
Adam Cummins, PMO Lead, Global Investment Resources, The Carlyle Group
Souvick Paul, Vice President, Cerberus Operations and Advisory Company, Cerberus Capital Management
Rosaleen Pizarro, Vice President of Accounting, Controller, Barkbox
14:10 - 14:50
Track 25 | Culture and strategy to accelerate growth in the first 100 days
Matt Brubaker,
Andy Caine,
Bryan West
A misaligned culture and unclear strategy are two of the most common portfolio company growth barriers. This session is designed to help investors and operators assess, align, and activate both culture and strategy to ensure momentum in the key 100 days post-close.
- Understanding culture: how do you get the most traction post close in working with executive teams?
- How to align around the investment strategy to accelerate momentum into growth
- Establishing clear roadmaps for the organization and help people understand where the company is headed
- Designing environments that support the new strategy and promote high performance in people
Moderator:
Matt Brubaker, CEO, FMG Leading
Panelists:
Andy Caine, Partner, Human Capital, Frazier Healthcare Partners
Bryan West, Head of Talent, Resurgens Technology Partners
Functional Breakout Series 10
14:50 - 15:30
Track 26 | Managing the total cost of risk
Todd Miller,
Steve Cumbow,
Tom Stephens ,
Jon Weber
Identifying cost drivers and implementing a strategic approach to improve P&C and benefits insurance performance and spend is key. The property/casualty and benefits insurance value streams are opaque by design. This session will explain the traditional model and show how to:
- Leverage risk management controls
- Create underwriting demand
- Achieve best-in-class program structure and pricing
Moderator:
Todd Miller, President and CEO, Risk International
Panelists:
Steve Cumbow, Operating Partner, Sentinel Capital Partners
Tom Stephens, Operating Partner, BV Investment Partners
Jon Weber, Head of Global Portfolio Operations Group, Elliott Investment Management
14:50 - 15:30
Track 27 | Value creation in recurring revenue businesses - keys to success
Travis Huch,
Craig Foos,
Alex Mace,
Kunal Mehta,
Giles Whiting
- As we see more and more businesses in software and elsewhere move to a “SaaS” type model, what is the role of the operating partner in driving success?
- How to balance both revenue growth rate and Net Dollar Retention
- The role of pricing in driving growth and NDR
- How does digital commerce contribute to growth rates? Is this visible in data?
- Approaches to measuring and tracking these key performance indicators in portfolio companies
- Experiences – what has worked – what hasn’t
- Repeatable patterns for success
Moderator:
Travis Huch, Vice President Alliances, Private Equity Partners, Zuora
Panelists:
Craig Foos, Executive Vice President, Growth Team, Serent Capital
Alex Mace, Vice President, Thompson Street Capital Partners
Kunal Mehta, Principal, Portfolio Operations, TCV
Giles Whiting, Operating Partner, Verdane
Plenary Session
15:30 - 16:00
Unlocking the cloud revolution for portfolio value creation
David Hicks,
Misha Logvinov,
Greg Myers,
Yoav Nathaniel ,
Chris Satchell
- Create value through cost optimization and product modernization using Cloud
- Leverage the cloud for scalability and reliability
- Increase revenue through strategic cloud partnerships
Moderator:
David Hicks, Vice President, Worldwide ISV Ecosystem Business Development, Oracle
Panelists:
Misha Logvinov, Managing Director and Head of IT Strategy, EQT Partners
Greg Myers, Operating Partner, Cota Capital
Yoav Nathaniel, Senior Cloud Security Architect, Goldman Sachs
Chris Satchell, Operating Principal Technology and Digital, Clayton Dubilier & Rice
16:00 - 16:00
Closing remarks and end of conference
Venue and hotel
Kimpton Muse Hotel
130 West 46th Street
New York, NY 10036
The hotel block is now closed.
If you need accommodations, please reach out to Lucy Shulman at Lucy.Shulman@kimptonhotels.com
COVID-19 vaccination requirements
As part of our commitment to safety at the Operating Partners Forum New York and following New York City and venue COVID-19 vaccination requirements, we are requiring that all attendees must provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination status before checking into the event at Convene, 117 W 46th St, New York.
To expedite this process, PEI Media and Convene will be using Health Pass by CLEAR, which provides secure, digital proof of COVID-related health insights via the CLEAR mobile app. Complete your health screening with Health Pass by CLEAR ahead of time for expedited check-in and entry. We will not be accepting NYC COVID Safe App or Excelsior Pass as a form of record of vaccination at the event. We are only accepting proof via Health Pass by CLEAR.
All attendees will receive the event specific Health Pass registration code before the event.
Questions? Please contact customerservices@peimedia.com.
Frequently asked questions
Will I need to be vaccinated to attend the Operating Partners Forum New York?
Yes. Only individuals who provide full proof of COVID-19 vaccination status via the Health Pass by CLEAR app will be allowed to enter the event.
What actions are PEI Media and Convene taking for health and safety measures against COVID-19?
PEI would like to reassure our attendees that we are taking necessary steps for all to safely return to our in-person events. Some of those items (not limited to) are encouraging attendees to wear masks, completing Health Pass by CLEAR to prove vaccination status, practicing social distancing, PPE stations around the venue, and increased cleanliness.
Convene’s Global Chief Operating & Chief People Officer, Amy Pooser states in, “Updated COVID-19 Safety Measures” that by October 4th, all staff and guests will be required to be fully vaccinated to enter Convene. To read further information on action steps that Convene is taking, please click “Updated Meeting & Event Operating Standards & Protocols”.
Do I need to use Health Pass by CLEAR to attend the event? Can I bring my vaccine card or show a negative COVID-19 test result or use another app?
All attendees must use Health Pass by CLEAR to prove vaccination status. Attendees cannot only show a vaccine card upon entry, a negative COVID-19 test result, or the NYC COVID Safe App or Excelsior Pass. Verification via Health Pass by CLEAR must be presented on arrival to prove vaccination status.
What if I don’t download the app and complete Health Pass by CLEAR before arriving to the event?
We strongly encourage all attendees to download the CLEAR app and sign up for Health Pass by CLEAR at least 24 hours prior to the event to ensure your vaccination status is confirmed. If you do not this, please bring your vaccine card and a photo id with you to the venue to verify your information through the app onsite at the event. It can take up to 30 minutes for your vaccination status to be confirmed. Staff will be available to walk you through the process onsite.
What is Health Pass by CLEAR?
CLEAR Health Pass is a free feature in the CLEAR app that provides an easy way to complete health screenings for a safer, easier return to events. After a quick one-time enrollment, you’ll follow instructions to comply with health requirements for the venue. Upload your CDC vaccine card or link to your vaccine provider.
How do I use Health Pass by CLEAR?
Detailed instructions are noted below to access the Health Pass app.
Step-by-step instructions are also included in this video.
- Download the free CLEAR app on your mobile device
- Tap the white Health Pass tile and select “Have a code?”
- Enter EFATTENDEE42 and select go
- Tap “enroll or verify your in CLEAR” to create your CLEAR member account. Not a CLEAR member? Enter your information and have your government issued photo ID ready to confirm your identity.
- Continue to follow prompts on the Entry Requirements page to confirm your identity. Take a quick selfie to confirm.
- You will then be prompted to upload a photo of your vaccine card or select your vaccine provider to verify your proof of vaccination.
- Open your health pass to get your result, a green result means you’re good to go!
- On the event dates, October 20 – 21, please bring your smart phone device which includes the Health Pass app. Upon your arrival at Convene your dedicated QR code will be scanned at check-in prior to proceeding to registration for the event.
Please note that once your vaccination record is uploaded to the platform, it can take up to 30 minutes for your status to be verified. All attendees are strongly encouraged to complete this process at least 24 hours before the event. If you do not complete the health pass prior to the event, please bring a photo id and vaccine card to the venue.
How does CLEAR protect my personal data?
Privacy is at the center of everything at CLEAR and they are fully committed to protecting members’ information. Personal information is never sold or rented. Personal information is only used to deliver a frictionless and secure experience with CLEAR.
I’m having technical issues with my Health Pass, I accidentally mistyped my name or the app won’t sign me in. Who do I reach out to?
Please contact CLEAR at 855-ClearMe.
What are the current guidelines in New York City regarding COVID-19?
New York State recommends everyone to wear masks regardless of vaccination status. As of September 12, it has been mandated that attendees be fully vaccinated when participating in indoor activities. We strongly encourage these practices from the CDC, additional details can be found on CDC Health and Safety Practices.
I plan to travel to New York City to attend this conference, are there any current travel restrictions?
For domestic travel, attendees can travel to New York State with no restrictions. For international travel, please reference the U.S. Department of State website to view the latest updates and requirements for entry and departure of the U.S.
I am already registered for the Operating Partners Forum New York, how do I confirm my vaccination status?
Email communications are being sent to all attendees regarding Health Pass by CLEAR and the CLEAR app can be downloaded right away to start verifying your vaccination. Attendees are strongly encouraged to verify vaccine status at least 24 hours prior to the event. The event specific code needed to confirm your identity will be sent to all attendees on Friday, October 8.
What if I can no longer attend the in-person Operating Partners Forum New York?
Please reach out to our customer service team at +1 (212) 645-1919 and/or at customerservices@peimedia.com who can assist you on your options.
Any questions regarding the event and vaccination requirements should be sent to customerservices@peimedia.com.
Explore our exclusive operating partner only networking
Operating Partner exclusive networking events are taking place throughout the Forum. Starting with our Operating Partner Only reception on the 19th, the Forum provides operating partners with opportunities each day for private and semi-private opportunities to network and share thoughts with operating partners only. Explore the various interactive working groups, think tanks, breakfast sessions and receptions to discuss emerging topics in value creation and private equity with your peers.
Pre-event networking reception
Networking amongst operating partners is a key portion of the event, and we hope you will join us for the Kickoff Networking Reception for operating partners only on the night prior to the conference sessions starting.
Join us on Tuesday, October 19 from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm at the Bryant Park Grill Rooftop Deck for cocktails and networking with other operating partners.
Attendance at this event is limited to operating partners attending the Forum.
Bryant Park Grill
25 W 40th St, New York, NY 10018
For more information on these operating partner only networking programs, please contact Lawrence.d@peimedia.com
Featured networking opportunities
Think Tank sessions
The closed-door rooms will allow you to learn and share
best practices of successful operating partners. The
thinks tanks will allow you to submit topics to be covered in looking at best value creation practices and the toughest challenges operating partners face daily.
Women’s networking lunch
This closed-door lunch discussion will explore what it’s like being a woman in PE and VC portfolio operations.
Interactive Working Groups
These exclusive deep dive discussions only available to operating partners allow you to participate in interactive roundtable discussions with designated facilitators.
Breakfast Deep Dive discussion
Join fellow operating partners for a portfolio operations breakfast deep dive discussion (invitation-only).