The largest global event for private equity value creation

Drive value creation across all functional business areas with strategies learned at Private Equity International’s 14th annual Operating Partners Forum New York.

Join the largest global PE operating partner community to discuss and debate the best methods to deliver maximum portfolio optimization at a critical time.

Take part in extensive networking opportunities, compare best practices, build new relationships, and influence future models at the operating partners event of the year.

See who’s attending this year


Create operationally efficient portfolio companies

Hear first-hand perspectives on how to further develop your operational efficiencies.

Network with top value creators

Meet with the largest global community of private equity operating partners in one place over 2 days.

Learn key strategies for cross-portfolio initiatives

Find the right tools and knowledge to create value.

“This is where I learnt to become an operating partner. Now, 10 years later, I have over half my team here with me.”

Aaron Miller
Head of Apollo Portfolio Performance Solutions
Apollo Global Management

Agenda highlights

Our unique agenda offers interactive working groups, think tanks, panels, breakfast and lunch discussions. The 2024 expanded agenda is carefully curated to feature the most prominent functional areas in value creation. Highlights include:

  • Heads of value creation viewpoints: uncover team leaders’ value creation insights
  • The AI boom in PE: practical and functional use cases
  • Accelerate value creation through transformation: navigating the new normal
  • Five functional breakfasts and think tanks for: finance, sales, human capital, tech, and supply chain operations
  • The growing importance of operating partners: showcasing value to the PE industry
  • Discover future functional levers across the entire investment lifecycle
  • Gain access to our operating partner compensation survey
  • And much more!

Speakers

Meet the largest operating partner network

Abris Capital Partners
Accel-KKR
ACON Investments
Advent International
AGF Latin America
AlixPartners
Alvarez & Marsal
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
American Industrial Partners
Apollo Global Management
Ara Partners
Astara Capital
Bain Capital
Barings
Beckway
Berkshire Partners
Blackstone
Blue Ridge Partners
Blue Wolf Capital Partners
BluWave
Brookfield Asset Management
BV Investment Partners
Catalant
Charlesbank Capital Partners
Clayton Dubilier & Rice
Court Square Capital Partners
Deloitte
Entromy
EQT Group
Ethos Capital
Evergreen Coast Capital
EY
Falco Global Partners
Frazier Healthcare Partners
GI Partners
Graham Partners
Graham Management
Grant Thornton
GrowthCurve Capital
HCI Equity Partners
Hg Capital
Hudson Advisors
IFM Investors
Incline Equity Partners
JF Lehman & Company
Kelso & Company
KKR
KPS Capital
Lateral Investment Management
Level Equity
Liberty Advisor Group
LKCM Headwater Investments
Marblegate Asset Management
MiddleGround Capital
Morgan Stanley
Mubadala
New Mountain Capital
New State Capital Partners
NextGen Growth Partners
Novacap
Oak Hill Capital
Onex Partners
ORIX Capital Partners
Pamlico Capital
ParkerGale Capital
Peloton Capital Management
Periscope Equity
Polaris Growth Fund
Providence Equity
Public Investment Fund
PwC
RSM
Salesforce
SAP
Searchlight Capital Partners
Shamrock Capital Advisors
Simon Kucher
Siris Capital Group
Sovereign’s Capital
Spring Lane Capital
Strattam Capital
Summit Leadership Partners
TBM Consulting Group
Terminus Capital Partners
The CapStreet Group
The Carlyle Group
The Raine Group
The Riverside Company
The Sterling Group
Thompson Street Capital Partners
Traub Capital Partners
TVV Capital
Updata Partners
Upwork
Värde Partners
Vision Ridge Partners
Warburg Pincus
Wellspring Capital
Zenyth Partners

“It is a fantastic place to network with top operating talent in PE and learn the cutting edge work that their firms are doing to create value. I highly recommend.”

Kush Tulsidas
One Rock Capital Partners

 

“The Operating Partners Forum is the foremost
event where the largest ecosystem of
operating partners, suppliers and resources gather annually.”

Greg J Pappas
Berkshire Partners


2024 agenda

Our unique agenda offers interactive working groups, think tanks, panels, breakfast and lunch discussions. The 2024 agenda is carefully curated to feature the most prominent functional areas of value creation.

If you are interested in a speaking role please contact Marc Mele at marc.m@pei.group.

 

Download the 2024 agenda

 

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
View agenda page

Agenda

Day 1 - Monday 21st

Pre-conference events - October 21, 2024 Manhatta, 28 Liberty St, 60th floor, New York
17:30 - 19:30

Operating Partners Forum NY Pre-Event Welcome Reception (invitation-only for operating partners)

Join the operating partners attending the New York Forum at our opening grand reception. Exchange
valuable insights with your peers in a relaxed setting and build your connections before the
conference kicks off.

19:30 - 21:00

Pre-Event Dinner: Heads of Value Creation – Team Leaders Dinner (invitation-only)

Join us for a VIP private networking-style dinner designed exclusively for the leaders of the value
creation teams attending the NY Forum.

19:30 - 21:00

Pre-Event Dinner: GTM, Sales and Revenue Growth Operating Partners Dinner (invitation-only)

Join us as we welcome the sales, revenue growth, marketing, and GTM operating partners attending
the Forum for a private networking-style dinner to facilitate networking before the conference starts.

19:30 - 21:00

Pre-Event Dinner: Technology and Digital Operating Partners Dinner (invitation-only)

Join us as we welcome the digital and tech operating partners attending the Forum for a private
networking-style dinner to facilitate networking before the conference starts.

19:30 - 21:00

Pre-Event Dinner: Finance Operating Partners Dinner (invitation-only)

Join us as we welcome the finance operating partners attending the New York Forum for a private
networking-style dinner to facilitate networking before the conference.

19:30 - 21:00

Pre-Event Dinner: Human Capital Operating Partners Dinner (invitation-only)

Join us as we welcome the talent partners attending the New York Forum for a private networking-style dinner to facilitate networking before the conference.

Agenda

Day 2 - Tuesday 22nd

Registration
07:30 - 08:40

Registration and breakfast

Think Tank Series 1
07:45 - 08:40

Think tanks for full-time operating partners: value creation war rooms (invitation-only for operating partners)

Sajjad Jaffer, Craig Vosburgh, Kristin Brown Patrick, Chris Trendler, Tanoya Chatterjee, Jonathan Konkoly, Spencer Khoury

These closed-door discussions will allow you to learn and share best practices of successful operating partners with your peers. Please select one of the rooms:

Think Tank 1: Digital and Technology Operating Partners 
Facilitators:  
Sajjad Jaffer, Head of Data, Analytics and Machine Learning, GrowthCurve Capital
Craig Vosburgh, Chief Technology Officer, Strattam Capital 

Think Tank 2: Human Capital/Talent Operating Partners 
Facilitators:  
Kristin Patrick, Senior Operating Partner, Human Capital, New State Capital Partners 
Chris Trendler, Managing Director, Head of Portfolio Talent, Madison Dearborn Partners

Think Tank 3: GTM, Sales and Revenue Growth Operating Partners
Facilitators:
Tanoya Chatterjee, Senior Principal, Mubadala Performance Partners, Mubadala
Jonathan Konkoly, Vice President of Portfolio Operations, HCI Equity Partners

Think Tank 4: Finance Operating Partners
Facilitators:
Spencer Khoury, Director, Value Creation Team, Shamrock Capital
Angelo Perez, Managing Director, Operations, Pacific Avenue Capital Partners

A speaker photo for Sajjad  Jaffer

Sajjad Jaffer

Head of Data, Analytics and Machine Learning, GrowthCurve Capital

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A speaker photo for Craig Vosburgh

Craig Vosburgh

Chief Technology Officer, Strattam Capital

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A speaker photo for Kristin Brown Patrick

Kristin Brown Patrick

Senior Operating Partner, Human Capital, New State Capital Partners

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A speaker photo for Chris Trendler

Chris Trendler

Managing Director, Head of Portfolio Talent, Madison Dearborn Partners

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A speaker photo for Tanoya Chatterjee

Tanoya Chatterjee

Senior Principal, Mubadala

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A speaker photo for Jonathan	 Konkoly

Jonathan Konkoly

Vice President of Portfolio Operations, HCI Equity Partners

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A speaker photo for Spencer Khoury

Spencer Khoury

Director, Value Creation Team, Shamrock Capital

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Plenary
08:40 - 09:00

PEI’s welcome and chairmen’s opening remarks

Tony Buffum

Chairman: Tony Buffum, Vice President of HR Client Strategy, Upwork

A speaker photo for Tony  Buffum

Tony Buffum

Vice President of HR Client Strategy, Upwork

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Panel Series 1
09:00 - 09:40

Panel 1 Assessing and showcasing your value as an operating partner

Jim Corey, Doron Grosman, Raj Kushwaha, Ken Schwartz, Marissa Tarleton
  • Who cares about measuring operating partner impact and why do they care?
  • What are the biggest issues and challenges for operating partners when it comes to impact assessment?
  • How can you measure/assess your impact without taking credit that belongs with the management team?
  • How do you effectively showcase the value you provide as an operating partner/operating partner team?

Moderator:
Jim Corey, Managing Partner, Blue Ridge Partners

Panelists:
Doron Grosman, CEO and President, Smart Start, Inc.
Raj Kushwaha, Co-Head of Value Creation and Chief Digital Officer, Warburg Pincus
Ken Schwartz, Director, KKR Capstone
Marissa Tarleton, Senior Managing Director, Haveli Investments

A speaker photo for Jim Corey

Jim Corey

Managing Partner, Blue Ridge Partners

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A speaker photo for Doron Grosman

Doron Grosman

CEO/President, Smart Start

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A speaker photo for Raj Kushwaha

Raj Kushwaha

Managing Director & Partner, Co-Head Value Creation and Chief Digital Officer, Warburg Pincus

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A speaker photo for Ken Schwartz

Ken Schwartz

Director, KKR

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A speaker photo for Marissa Tarleton

Marissa Tarleton

Senior Managing Director, Haveli Investments

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09:00 - 09:40

Panel 2 Heads of value creation insights: comparing models across the lifecycle

Adam L. Pollak, Arvind Anantharaman, Richard Elder, Robin Goodman, Aaron Miller
  • How large is your team and how is your team structured?
  • Did you build out your operating team in recent years and is your team still growing?
  • How are operating teams organized these days across the lifecycle?
  • How do you best support your operating team members?
  • What do you value most in an operating partner? What does great look like?
  • What will the structure and model of operating partner teams look like in future?

Moderator:
Adam Pollak, Partner, Global Head of Value Creation and U.S. Transformation Leader, KPMG US

Panelists:
Arvind Anantharaman, Head of Mubadala Performance Partners, Mubadala
Richard Elder, Managing Director and Head of Global Portfolio Solutions, The Carlyle Group
Robin Goodman, Senior Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, Portfolio Operations, Blackstone
Aaron Miller, Head of Apollo Portfolio Performance Solutions, Apollo Global Management 

A speaker photo for Adam L. Pollak

Adam L. Pollak

Partner, Global Head of Value Creation and U.S. Transformation Leader, KPMG US

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A speaker photo for Arvind Anantharaman

Arvind Anantharaman

Head of Mubadala Performance Partners, Mubadala

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A speaker photo for Richard Elder

Richard Elder

Partner and Managing Director, Head of Global Portfolio Solutions, The Carlyle Group

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A speaker photo for Robin Goodman

Robin Goodman

Senior Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, Portfolio Operations, Blackstone

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A speaker photo for Aaron Miller

Aaron Miller

Head of Apollo Portfolio Performance Solutions, Apollo Global Management

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Panel Series 2
09:45 - 10:25

Panel 3 The future of value creation at the intersection of talent, tech, and AI

Jason McDannold, Cory A. Eaves, Angela Geffre, Neil Kimber, Paul Zuber
  • Relying on cutting-edge technology and talent to bolster long-term growth and returns
  • Looking beyond AI’s promise and failings: how the intersection of talent and technological possibility is the greatest lever
  • What is it that operating partners need to understand about technology and AI?
  • How can AI add value for PE firms that are investing across multiple industries and across the deal cycle?
  • How best to staff-up for AI-driven growth
  • How can AI help to recruit and retain talent?

Moderator:
Jason McDannold, Americas Co-Lead, Private Equity, Partner & Managing Director, AlixPartners

Panelists:
Cory Eaves, Partner and Head of Portfolio Operations, BayPine
Angela Geffre, Head of Human Capital, GrowthCurve Capital
Neil Kimber, Operating Principal, Accel-KKR
Paul Zuber, Operating Partner, North American Lead, Hg

A speaker photo for Jason McDannold

Jason McDannold

Partner and Managing Director, AlixPartners

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A speaker photo for Cory A. Eaves

Cory A. Eaves

Partner and Head of Portfolio Operations, BayPine

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A speaker photo for Angela Geffre

Angela Geffre

Head of Human Capital, GrowthCurve Capital

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A speaker photo for Neil Kimber

Neil Kimber

Principal, Accel-KKR

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A speaker photo for Paul Zuber

Paul Zuber

Operating Partner, North American Lead, Hg

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09:45 - 10:25

Panel 4 A forward-looking perspective on growth in the current landscape

Craig Greenseid, Raj Kushwaha, Prerak Vohra
  • What are the most effective levers to scale up post a period of depressed growth?
  • What forward-looking metrics and indicators are you using to refine and deliver your growth strategy?
  • How is the environment rebounding and where do the biggest growth opportunities lie?
  • How do you think about return on GTM, and the return on each marginal dollar of spend?
  • How are you thinking about growth with your CEOs? How do you work effectively with your CEOs and the C-suite to deliver growth?

Moderator:
Mike Hoffman, CEO, SBI

Panelists:
Seth Brody, Partner, Global Head of Operational Excellence, Apax Partners
Craig Greenseid, Managing Director and Portfolio Chief Commercial Officer, The Carlyle Group
Raj Kushwaha, Co-Head of Value Creation and Chief Digital Officer, Warburg Pincus
Prerak Vohra, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs

 

A speaker photo for Craig Greenseid

Craig Greenseid

Managing Director and Portfolio Chief Commercial Officer, Carlyle Group

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A speaker photo for Raj Kushwaha

Raj Kushwaha

Managing Director & Partner, Co-Head Value Creation and Chief Digital Officer, Warburg Pincus

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A speaker photo for Prerak Vohra

Prerak Vohra

Managing Director, Goldman Sachs Asset Management

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Break
10:25 - 10:50

Networking Break

Panel Series 3
10:50 - 11:30

Panel 5 State of the industry: the key drivers for value creation that will matter from a macro and practitioner’s perspective

Markus Lahrkamp
  • The impact of current macro environment shifts on the investment and value creation playbooks
  • Functional drivers of large-scale transformations
  • How to implement AI driven analytics and tools for better decision making
  • The difference between current state and future state in PE – and why it should matter to you
  • What to do now that will matter most

Moderators:
Allison Earnest, Senior Director, Alvarez & Marsal
Markus Lahrkamp, Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal

Panelists:
Graham Sayers, Operating Partner, AEA Investors

A speaker photo for Markus Lahrkamp

Markus Lahrkamp

Managing Director, Alvarez and Marsal

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10:50 - 11:30

Panel 6 Progressive approaches to CEO assessment, onboarding, and succession planning

Dan Hawkins, Hilda Lui, Lane McDonald, Brian Slobodow, Maggie van de Griend
  • Onboarding the CEO – post close and post hire
  • CEO assessments – how has the criteria evolved? What is new?
  • Performance evaluation – how and when do investors review CEO performance?
  • Board composition and support of the CEO
  • When to replace or develop the CEO
  • Approaches when the hold period has extended – does the CEO profile change?
  • The rise of CEO succession in PE backed companies – best new practices
  • Founder vs Professional CEOs – lessons learned. Can they co-exist?
  • Other recommendations to optimize the CEO and ensure success for all?

Moderator:
Dan Hawkins, Founder and CEO, Summit Leadership Partners

Panelists:
Hilda Lui, Head of Portfolio Human Capital, Advent International
Lane McDonald, Managing Director, Strategy and Operations, OMERS Private Equity
Brian Slobodow, CEO of Better Being and Operating Partner, HGGC
Maggie van de Griend, Managing Director, Portfolio Talent, Warburg Pincus

A speaker photo for Dan Hawkins

Dan Hawkins

Founder & CEO, Summit Leadership Partners

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A speaker photo for Hilda Lui

Hilda Lui

Head of Portfolio Human Capital, Advent International

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A speaker photo for Lane McDonald

Lane McDonald

Managing Director, OMERS Private Equity

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A speaker photo for Brian Slobodow

Brian Slobodow

CEO of Better Being and Operating Partner, HGGC

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A speaker photo for Maggie van de Griend

Maggie van de Griend

Managing Director, Portfolio Talent, Warburg Pincus

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Panel Series 4
11:35 - 12:15

Panel 7 AI real world use cases and implementations for your function

  • Finance, GTM, and Tech functional specialists share practical implementation stories
  • Working together with your functional leaders on implementing AI successfully
  • How is AI enhancing cross functional value creation synergies?
  • How are you quantifying the impact of AI on your function?
  • How will AI impact your function in the future?
11:35 - 12:15

Panel 8 Operating partner-deal partner alignment: working together as “one team”

Amanda Good, Zorian Rotenberg
  • Insights into the growing role of operating partners in due diligence
  • Best practices in working together as a team from due diligence to year one
  • How can operating partners give deal teams the edge in the bidding process?
  • How can operating partners help investment teams maximize returns for LPs
  • Sharing how operating partners can unlock valuable upside potential and value
  • How do you achieve alignment and overcome frictions internally?

Moderator:
Thomas Kolaja, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company

Panelists:
Amanda Good, Partner, Head of Global Value Creation, Searchlight Capital Partners
Zorian Rotenberg, GTM, Sales and Revenue Growth Operating Partner, Charlesbank Capital Partners

 

A speaker photo for Amanda Good

Amanda Good

Partner, Global Head of Value Creation, Searchlight Capital Partners

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Zorian Rotenberg

Operating Partner, Charlesbank Capital Partners

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Interactive Working Group Series 1
12:20 - 13:00

Interactive Working Group 1 (for operating partners only) | Optimizing your boards: key considerations for effectiveness and governance

Brenda Morris

This session designed solely for operating partners will allow the audience to join an interactive discussion with designated facilitators:

  • Establishing an advisory board for portfolio companies – tools and strategies to add value with independent perspectives
  • Setting up effective governance systems – road map to good governance, policy management, and leadership
  • What are the skills and expertise most needed on boards? What expertise is often lacking?
  • Are operating partners on your boards? Should operating partners be on boards?
  • How do you measure board effectiveness?

Facilitators:
Mark Fortin, Managing Director, Portfolio Dynamics Group, Grain Management
Brenda Morris, Partner, CSuite Financial Partner

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Brenda Morris

Partner, CSuite Financial Partners

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12:20 - 13:00

Interactive Working Group 2 (for operating partners only) | Cybersecurity operating partner workshop: practitioner perspectives

Sean Curran, Michael Picton

This deep dive discussion designed solely for tech operating partners will allow the audience to join an interactive and dynamic discussion with designated facilitators.

  • Sharing key steps to prevent breaches before they happen
  • Talking through a live ransomware incident – where to start? Who do you bring in?
  • How do you pivot during the inevitable twists & turns? How do you turn chaos and crisis into an opportunity?
  • Real outcomes and lessons learned: how can you safeguard and elevate your cyber resilience strategy?

Facilitators:
Sean Curran, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Enduir Cyber
Michael Picton, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Enduir Cyber

A speaker photo for Sean Curran

Sean Curran

Co-Founder & Managing Partner, ENDUIR Cyber

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Michael Picton

Co-Founder and Managing Partner, ENDUIR Cyber

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12:20 - 13:00

Interactive Working Group 3 (for operating partners only) | Product roadmaps: commercial strategies for launch, market entry, and growth

This session designed solely for operating partners will allow the audience to join an interactive discussion with designated facilitators:

  • Bringing new products to market: what are the most effective growth plays?
  • Monetizing AI features: What’s the right commercial strategy?
  • Organizing, enabling and incentivizing your sales teams around new features/products
  • Unlocking product GTM velocity and acceleration: how do you shorten the cycle to see growth?
  • Integrating AI and tech to further boost your commercial strategy and gain market share

Facilitators:
Sam Little, Senior Vice President, Teneo
David Reid, Senior Managing Director, Private Equity Growth Practice Lead, Teneo

12:20 - 13:00

Interactive Working Group 4 (for operating partners only) | An inside look into employee benefits program optimization and cost savings: market dynamics

Todd Miller, John Weaver

This session designed solely for operating partners will allow the audience to join an interactive discussion with designated facilitators.

  • Sharing examples of how to reduce cost without reducing benefits in a rising healthcare cost marketplace
  • How can human resources establish a strategic role in driving measurable cost savings aligned with the value-creation strategy goals of the PE firm?
  • What creative solutions can be identified within employee benefit programs to ensure cost savings while maintaining fiduciary responsibility?
  • How to run the right procurement for your benefits: transparency, inclusion of vendors, and objectivity in your implementation process
  • What strategies can be employed to develop metrics that effectively measure material returns resulting from HR led cost-saving initiatives, and how can HR stay adaptable to market dynamics during this process?

Facilitators:
Todd Miller, CEO, Risk International
John Weaver, Senior Director, Risk International 

A speaker photo for Todd Miller

Todd Miller

CEO, Risk International

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A speaker photo for John Weaver

John Weaver

Senior Director, Risk International

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12:20 - 13:00

Interactive Working Group 5 (for operating partners only) | Realizing untapped enterprise value from operations beyond cost

This session designed solely for operating partners will allow the audience to join an interactive discussion with designated facilitators.

  • Learn from case studies, how process and digital enablers contribute to Enterprise Value (EV) through process effectiveness, not just efficiency; impacting working capital, third-party spend reduction and growth. Including a discussion on why Operating Partners might be leaving money on the table and how might we change that?
  • Hear how process effectiveness improvements can be worth several times the impact of cost savings, and how they can be achieved without necessitating implementation of a new ERP
  • Dive into examples of optimizing your working capital and FP&A to reinvest in the business; understand where the scale of the impact can meaningfully fuel growth

Facilitators:
Constantin Mihaila, Senior Partner and US Lead, Private Equity, Genpact

Lunch
13:00 - 14:00

Networking Lunch

13:00 - 14:00

Women in PE portfolio operations lunch (invitation-only for operating partners)

Marni Payne

This closed-door lunch discussion will explore what it’s like being a woman in PE portfolio operations.

  • Sharing challenges, tips, and strategies for your career paths as women operating partners
  • Building credibility and trust with the deal teams, management teams, and your value creation teams – what are some ways you’ve found success in doing that?
  • What are some of the strengths women have that make you uniquely positioned to excel in this space? What are some of the challenges we should be mindful of and how have you tackled these obstacles?
  • What are key initiatives you have seen tied to women’s leadership at your portfolio companies?

Facilitators:
Marni Payne, Managing Director, Berkshire Partners
Ashley Thompson, Senior Director, Private Equity Performance Improvement, Alvarez & Marsal

A speaker photo for Marni Payne

Marni Payne

Managing Director, Berkshire Partners

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13:00 - 14:00

Functional lunch discussion 1 (invitation-only for operating partners) | Unlocking advanced pricing strategies: how are you thinking about it?

Adam Echter

This closed-door deep dive lunch discussion designed solely for operating partners will focus on strategic areas in pricing to enhance value.

  • How are you engaging with your companies to successfully execute pricing projects?
  • How does the current inflationary environment affect how you think about and execute pricing and how will it play out in future?
  • Sharing insights with a focus on return to value-based pricing; understanding the value proposition to your customer and pricing accordingly
  • Pricing in due diligence and how do you incorporate that in your VCP
  • Cohesive pricing strategies as a key growth lever for expansions and renewals
  • Using data and KPIs to achieve out-performing net retention
  • Aligning sales teams and your GTM strategy with pricing to strengthen your execution
  • Looking at how different companies/sectors require different pricing models
  • Internal vs. external support and resources for pricing assessments
  • What are companies doing in terms of pricing looking forward?

Facilitators: 
Dave Clement, Partner, Simon-Kucher & Partners 
Adam Echter, Partner, Simon-Kucher & Partners 

A speaker photo for Adam Echter

Adam Echter

Partner, Simon-Kucher

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Functional Breakout Series 1
14:00 - 14:40

Track 1 Driving higher EBITDA in a prolonged high interest rate environment

Gary Hoover, Ariel Garcia, Drew Scielzo, Jonathan Waggoner, Cici Zheng
  • How has the prolonged period of high interest rates significantly impacted portfolio companies?
  • What are the most effective solutions to mitigate debt burdens?
  • How are you enhancing EBITDA through strategic measures?
  • Uncovering priorities to stabilize operations, improve financial health, and navigate the challenging financial landscape

Moderator:
Gary Hoover, Vice President, Global Private Equity Practice, TBM Consulting Group

Panelists:
Ariel Garcia, Partner, OceanSound Partners
Drew Scielzo, Operating Partner, ACON Investments
Jonathan Waggoner, Managing Director, Co-Head of North American Operating Team, Strategic Value Partners
Cici Zheng, Managing Director, Corridor Capital

A speaker photo for Gary Hoover

Gary Hoover

Vice President, Global Private Equity Practice, TBM Consulting Group

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A speaker photo for Ariel Garcia

Ariel Garcia

Partner, OceanSound Partners

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A speaker photo for Drew Scielzo

Drew Scielzo

Operating Partner, ACON Investments

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A speaker photo for Jonathan Waggoner

Jonathan Waggoner

Managing Director, Co-Head North America Operations, SVPGlobal

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A speaker photo for Cici  Zheng

Cici Zheng

Managing Director, Corridor Capital

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14:00 - 14:40

Track 2 Enabling secure digital transformation with Zero Trust for your companies

Akshay Grover, Josefin Frick, Puroo Maheshwari, David Mamikonyan, Joe Rubino, Chris Satchell
  • Why digital transformation (security, network, application & business transformation) is essential for value creation in PE portfolio companies?
  • How does zero trust framework impact PE portfolio companies digital transformation?
  • How do portfolio companies think about security during transformation?
  • Where should one start and how to enable the zero trust journey?
  • How to measure ROI from digital transformation efforts & align to value creation goals?

Moderator:
Akshay Grover, Global Private Equity Practice Lead, Zscaler

Panelists:
Josefin Frick, Associate Director, Digital, EQT Group
Puroo Maheshwari, Managing Director, Cybersecurity, Portfolio Value Creation, CPP Investments
David Mamikonyan,Director, Operating Partner and CISO, MGX
Joe Rubino, Managing Director and CISO, Co-Head of Portfolio Resources Group, GTCR
Chris Satchell, Managing Director Technology and Digital, Clayton Dubilier & Rice

A speaker photo for Akshay Grover

Akshay Grover

Global Private Equity Practice Lead, Zscaler

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A speaker photo for Josefin Frick

Josefin Frick

Associate Director, EQT

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A speaker photo for Puroo Maheshwari

Puroo Maheshwari

Managing Director, Cybersecurity, Portfolio Value Creation, CPP Investments

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A speaker photo for David Mamikonyan

David Mamikonyan

Director, Operating Partner and CISO, MGX

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A speaker photo for Joe Rubino

Joe Rubino

Managing Director & CISO | Co-Head of Portfolio Resources Group, GTCR

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A speaker photo for Chris  Satchell

Chris Satchell

Managing Director Technology & Digital, Clayton Dubilier & Rice

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14:00 - 14:40

Track 3 Building and developing high performing teams at your companies

Rory Gaston, Steven Berman, Miten Marvania, Kate Migliaro
  • How to build a high-performance team looking at complementary skills, experiences, technical aspects, and personality traits
  • Understanding the importance of diversity of thought to spark creative and nonhomogeneous ways of thinking
  • How do you measure the right skillsets and metrics to create impact, drive cohesion, and avoid discrepancies?
  • How are you filling specific roles or delivering projects based on less tangible skills?
  • Comparing and contrasting team structures at your portcos: operating partners share what works and what doesn’t to drive the value creation plan
  • Dissecting the psychology of effective teams in looking at journey, purpose, positions, communication, and leadership
  • Developing and improving future workforces in looking at tomorrow’s new talent
  • What do future stars want?

Moderator:
Rory Gaston, Group Managing Director, Saragossa

Panelists:
Steven Berman, Operating Vice President, Accel-KKR
Brent Lanier, Former Managing Director and Global Chief Information Officer
Miten Marvania, Managing Director, Business Services Platform, Blue Owl Capital
Kate Migliaro, Managing Director, Blackstone

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Rory Gaston

Group Managing Director, Saragossa

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A speaker photo for Steven Berman

Steven Berman

Vice President, Executive Search, Accel-KKR

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A speaker photo for Miten Marvania

Miten Marvania

Managing Director, Business Services Platforms, Blue Owl Capital

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A speaker photo for Kate Migliaro

Kate Migliaro

Managing Director, Talent and Organization Performance, Portfolio Operations, Blackstone

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14:00 - 14:40

Track 4 Leaders in value creation: turning the talent function into an indispensable asset

Kevin O'Neill, Bob Isaman
  • Roles and responsibilities of human capital operating partners at different firms
  • Key characteristics of exceptional talent partners
  • How to empower talent partners to drive real change
  • What makes your talent value creation playbook effective and unique, and how is it essential to the overall VCP?
  • Aligning talent partners cross functionally on the team
  • Views on expanding and shaping the human capital function of the future

Moderator:
Kevin O’Neill, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Acertitude

Panelists
Jimmy Holloran, Partner and Head of Talent, American Industrial Partners
Bob Isaman, Head of Operations, Dunes Point Capital

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Kevin O'Neill

Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Acertitude

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Bob Isaman

Head of Operations, Dunes Point Captial

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14:00 - 14:40

Track 5 Operating partner-CFO alignment: strategies for success

Nick Leopard, Bob Gold, Ron Kruczynski, Travis Krueger, Andrew Walshe
  • As operating partners, how do you drive engagement, support, and initiatives with your CFOs throughout the deal cycle?
  • How do you assess and track your finance function’s performance?
  • As CFOs, how do you ensure alignment with operating partners and the value creation plan?
  • What makes a great CFO? What is top of mind for CFOs nowadays? As CFOs, where do you need the most support?
  • What does a successful CFO-operating partner partnership look like?

Moderator:
Nick Leopard, CEO and Founder, Accordion

Panelists:
Bob Gold, Former EVP and CFO, EyeCare Partners
Ronald Kruczynski, CFO, America’s Group
Travis Krueger, Managing Director, Co-Head of Portfolio Resources Group, GTCR
Andrew Walshe, Director, North American Operating Team, Strategic Value Partners

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Nick Leopard

CEO & Founder, Accordion

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Bob Gold

Former EVP and CFO, EyeCare Partners

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Ron Kruczynski

Chief Financial Officer, America’s Auto Auction Group

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Travis Krueger

Managing Director, GTCR

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Andrew Walshe

Director, North American Operating Team, Strategic Value Partners

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Functional Breakout Series 2
14:40 - 15:20

Track 6 Overcoming underperformance: transformation and turnaround success stories

Kristin Murphy, Bruce Chesebrough, Bala Ganesan, Amanda Good, Sonal Singla
  • How do operating partners work with underperforming companies to get them back to a higher performance?
  • What are the key factors leading to underperformance? How do you work with leadership teams to get your companies back up to speed?
  • How do you establish realistic goals to achieve transformation?
  • How do you overcome roadblocks? How do you know when you are on the right track in moving towards progress?

Moderator:
Kristin Murphy, Vice President, Private Equity and Partnerships, Entromy

Panelists:
Bruce Chesebrough, Operating Partner, New Mountain Capital
Bala Ganesan, Managing Director, Special Situations Group, Oaktree Capital Management
Amanda Good, Partner, Head of Global Value Creation, Searchlight Capital Partners
Sonal Singla, Senior Operating Advisor, Hellman & Friedman

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Kristin Murphy

Executive Leadership & Talent Expert, Entromy

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A speaker photo for Bruce Chesebrough

Bruce Chesebrough

Operating Partner, New Mountain Capital

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A speaker photo for Bala Ganesan

Bala Ganesan

Managing Director, Special Situations, Oaktree Capital Management

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A speaker photo for Amanda Good

Amanda Good

Partner, Global Head of Value Creation, Searchlight Capital Partners

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A speaker photo for Sonal Singla

Sonal Singla

Senior Operating Advisor, Hellman & Friedman

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14:40 - 15:20

Track 7 Comparing tech and digital operating partner models and ecosystems

Bala Narayanaswamy, Annie Asrari, Steve Mayotte, Lee McCabe
  • How is your tech operating team structured and how do you best leverage support within your ecosystem?
  • What does your tech playbook look like and how do you implement it effectively?
  • How do you best work across functions as a technologist to drive the value creation plan?
  • How do you work with your commercial teams to enhance revenue growth with tech?

Moderator:
Bala Narayanaswamy, Global Head of Private Equity, Infosys

Panelists:
Annie Asrari, Operating Principal, Accel-KKR
Ali Heron, Managing Director, Digital Transformation, GrowthCurve Capital
Steve Mayotte, Operating Partner, Technology Enablement, New State Capital Partners
Lee McCabe, Operating Partner, AEA Investors

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Bala Narayanaswamy

Global Head of Private Equity, Infosys

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Annie Asrari

Operating Principal, Accel-KKR

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Steve Mayotte

Operating Partner, Technology Enablement, New State Capital Partners

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Lee McCabe

Operating Partner, AEA Investors

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14:40 - 15:20

Track 8 The role of commercial excellence and tech enablement to drive top-line growth

Jawad Hussain, Mark Abatto, Kush Tulsidas

As 2024 continues to represent a slow exit environment, PE firms and portfolio companies are more focused than ever on identifying ways to drive top-line growth. Many portfolio companies underinvested in commercial excellence, key processes (e.g., O2C) and technologies (ERPs, CRMs and AI/ML) as they acquired add-ons over the past few years, creating complexity to scale for growth in today’s business environment. In this discussion, we explore ways to enable PE firms and portcos to achieve greater agility, competitiveness, and profitability to drive recurring top-line growth.

Moderator:
Jawad Hussain, Partner, PE Services Leader, MorganFranklin Consulting

Panelists:
Mark Abatto, Managing Director, Gryphon Investors
Eric Gordon, Operating Partner, MidOcean Partners
Samiksha Gupta, Commercial and GTM Lead, Mubadala Performance Partners, Mubadala
Kush Tulsidas, Operating Partner, One Rock Capital Partners

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Jawad Hussain

Partner, Private Equity Services Lead, MorganFranklin Consulting

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A speaker photo for Mark Abatto

Mark Abatto

Managing Director, Gryphon Investors

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A speaker photo for Kush  Tulsidas

Kush Tulsidas

Operating Partner, One Rock Capital Partners

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14:40 - 15:20

Track 9 Generating outsized returns from procurement

Steven Browning, Adam Cummins, Michael Frain, Thorsten Schäfer, Jana Wayne
  • Delivering up to 3x typical value from advanced techniques
  • Ensuring savings reach the bottom line
  • Solving the procurement talent shortage
  • Leveraging Gen AI to accelerate value capture

Moderator:
Steven Browning, Senior Vice President, Private Equity Practice Lead, Insight Sourcing, part of Accenture

Panelists:  
Adam Cummins, Principal, Director of Portfolio Procurement, The Carlyle Group 
Michael Frain, Managing Director, Shared Services, Warburg Pincus 
Thorsten Schäfer, Managing Director, Head of Procurement, EQT
Jana Wayne, Managing Director, Head of Procurement, Hunter Point Capital 

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Steven Browning

Managing Director, Private Equity, Insight Sourcing, part of Accenture

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A speaker photo for Adam Cummins

Adam Cummins

Principal, Portfolio Procurement, The Carlyle Group

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A speaker photo for Michael  Frain

Michael Frain

Managing Director, Shared Services, Warburg Pincus

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A speaker photo for Thorsten  Schäfer

Thorsten Schäfer

Managing Director, Head of Procurement, EQT

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A speaker photo for Jana  Wayne

Jana Wayne

Managing Director, Head of Procurement, Hunter Point Capital

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14:40 - 15:20

Track 10 Operating partner-CHRO dynamics and strategic partnerships for transformation

  • Understanding the new capabilities of the modern CHRO in portfolio companies: what operating partners need to think about
  • How do you work with CHROs to enable a data-driven foundation of metrics that help drive strategic decisions?
  • In what ways can operating partners/talent partners have the greatest impact in providing strategic alignment, engagement, and support to deliver the value creation plan?
  • What are the most important levers to focus on to drive EBITDA and exit valuations? How do you coach CHROs to become strategic partners in this area?
  • What are the biggest challenges CHROs face? What are the challenges in working with CHROs? How do you overcome roadblocks?
  • How is the role of the CHRO evolving in ever-changing work models? What makes a CHRO successful in working with PE as well as internally?
Break
15:20 - 15:30

Coffee Break

Functional Breakout Series 3
15:30 - 16:10

Track 11 Creating value through high impact functional leadership

Chris Smith, Tracey Abbott, Andrew Lim, Avra Schaaf, Juliane Stephan
  • What determines the pivotal functional roles across different deal contexts or industry sectors? How has this been influenced by recent market conditions? 
  • What essential attributes define high-performing functional leaders in portfolio companies, and what metrics are used to measure and track their impact and performance? 
  • How can effective cross-functional collaboration be leveraged to unlock synergies and drive growth?  
  • How and when can interim or fractional leaders be deployed for maximum impact? 
  • In what ways can operating partners manage and maximize functional cohorts across a portfolio? 

Moderator:
Chris Smith, Partner, Global Head of Private Equity, Leathwaite

Panelists:
Tracey Abbott, Senior Operating Partner, Mubadala Performance Partners, Mubadala
Andrew Lim, Managing Director, Blackstone
Avra Schaaf, Principal, Head of Value Creation, Lead Edge Capital
Juliane Stephan, Principal, BayPine

 

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Chris Smith

Partner, Global Head of Private Equity, Leathwaite

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Tracey Abbott

Director, Mubadala Performance Partners, Mubadala

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A speaker photo for Andrew Lim

Andrew Lim

Managing Director, Blackstone

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A speaker photo for Avra Schaaf

Avra Schaaf

Principal, Lead Edge Capital

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A speaker photo for Juliane Stephan

Juliane Stephan

Principal, BayPine

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15:30 - 16:10

Track 12 Operating partner-CTO synergies for transformation

Jeff Laurinaitis, Alex Bello, Ajaykumar Kutty
  • How is the CIO/CTO role evolving? How are skills and responsibilities changing?
  • Sharing PE operating partner-CIO/CTO successful dynamics and engagement models
  • How are operating partners influencing tech playbooks in tandem with CTOs?
  • How are you working together in terms of innovative technologies and automating human workflow?
  • How can CIO/CTOs add value and work with internal teams to drive change

Moderator:
Jeff Laurinaitis, Managing Director, RKON

Panelists:
Alex Bello, Director, Product and Technology Strategy, EQT Group
Brian Heery, Chief Information Officer, Voyant Beauty
Ajaykumar Kutty, Technology Operating Principal, KKR
Robert Sheesley, Chief Information Officer, Wrench Group

 

 

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Jeff Laurinaitis

Managing Director, RKON

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A speaker photo for Alex Bello

Alex Bello

Director of Technology Strategy, EQT Group

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A speaker photo for Ajaykumar Kutty

Ajaykumar Kutty

Technology Operating Principal, KKR

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15:30 - 16:10

Track 13 Case Study: Partnerships that define success in CFO recruitment

Marie Deller, John Knapp, Nic Volpi, Rob Waldron

This live case study will shed light on why so many CFO searches don’t meet initial expectations in the shifted CFO market. Avoid mistakes and hear firsthand expertise as we share:

  • An inside look into hiring the right CFO through the lens of the CEO, Deal Partner, Talent Partner, and Search Partner 
  • What does a great search partnership look like?
  • The three most important steps to set the search up for success
  • What are CFO search landmines?
  • How to best balance the voice of the Board with the CEO throughout the entire process

Moderator: 
Jamie Carter, Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Lancor

Panelists:
Marie Deller, Partner, Lancor
John Knapp, Operating Director, Portfolio Support, Berkshire Partners
Nic Volpi, Partner, Permira
Rob Waldron, Chairman, Curriculum Associates

A speaker photo for Marie Deller

Marie Deller

Partner, Lancor

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John Knapp

Operating Director, Talent, Berkshire Partners

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A speaker photo for Nic Volpi

Nic Volpi

Partner, Permira

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A speaker photo for Rob Waldron

Rob Waldron

Chief Executive Officer, Curriculum Associates

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15:30 - 16:10

Track 14 Taking the risk out of innovation and transformation

Tony Buffum, Pat Petitti

Inherent in the private equity thesis is change to a portfolio company can lead to significant value creation. Yet the more change and potential value, the more risk you’re potentially taking on. Join us for a session to discuss how leaders are managing and reducing that risk while accelerating their ability to deliver results and innovate.

Facilitators:
Tony Buffum, Vice President of HR Client Strategy, Upwork
Patrick Petitti, Co-Founder and CEO, Catalant Technologies

A speaker photo for Tony  Buffum

Tony Buffum

Vice President of HR Client Strategy, Upwork

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A speaker photo for Pat Petitti

Pat Petitti

Co-Founder, CEO, Catalant Technologies

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15:30 - 16:10

Track 15 Procurement and supply chain in due diligence – when does it move the needle

Fabian Bodoky, Anish Jain, Susan Scutt, Daniel Soroka
  • Where are the big potential impacts
  • How to screen early on depth required
  • Tips and tricks to ensure a high impact for effort level

Moderator:
Fabian Bodoky, Vice President, Efficio

Panelists:
Daniel Brenhouse, Partner, Permira
Anish Jain, Managing Director, Business Operations, Private Equity, Brookfield Asset Management
Susan Scutt, Managing Director, Operating Directors and Entrepreneurial Governance, Partners Group
Daniel Soroka, Senior Operating Partner, Graham Partners

A speaker photo for Fabian Bodoky

Fabian Bodoky

Director, Tech Industry Lead, Efficio

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A speaker photo for Anish Jain

Anish Jain

Managing Director, Business Operations, Private Equity, Brookfield Asset Management

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A speaker photo for Susan Scutt

Susan Scutt

Managing Director, Operating Directors & Entrepreneurial Governance, Partners Group

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A speaker photo for Daniel Soroka

Daniel Soroka

Senior Operating Partner, Graham Partners

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Functional Breakout Series 4
16:10 - 16:50

Track 16 Industrial goods and services: rapid EBITDA levers

Apurva Nair, Scott Phillips
  • Analyzing Product Cost Down (PCD) – unpredictable market swings have driven significant product proliferation and complexity during the last few years
  • How are companies using techniques such as VA/VE to optimize product costs?
  • What are the typical challenges faced by companies to implement PCD levers?

Moderator:
Apurva Nair, Partner, Oliver Wyman

Panelists:
Scott Phillips, Managing Director, ORIX Capital Partners

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Apurva Nair

Partner, Oliver Wyman

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Scott Phillips

Managing Director, Portfolio Operations, ORIX Capital Partners

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16:10 - 16:50

Track 17 Digital disruption and transformation: accelerating seamless post close transitions

Doug Schrock, Gerard Ashmore, Tye Howell, Greg Kegeles, Ercan Ucak
  • Accelerate digital transformation for your finance and tech functions from post close/due diligence to the first 100 days
  • How are you getting the right people, processes, and tech in place?
  • What does great look like in moving from building a foundation to accelerating growth?
  • How do you obtain alignment with your tech and finance leaders when it comes to tech roadmaps and action items? What innovative initiatives are you advancing?

Moderator:
Doug Schrock, Managing Principal, Artificial Intelligence, Crowe

Panelists:
Gerard Ashmore, Senior Vice President, Reporting and Insights, Grain Management
Tye Howell, Principal, Rubicon Technology Partners
Greg Kegeles, Operating Partner, Digital Transformation, Newlight Partners
Ercan Ucak, Director, Cerberus Capital Management

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Doug Schrock

Principal, Advisory Services, Crowe

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A speaker photo for Gerard Ashmore

Gerard Ashmore

Senior Vice President, Reporting & Insights, Grain Management

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A speaker photo for Tye Howell

Tye Howell

Operating Partner, Rubicon Technology Partners

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A speaker photo for Greg Kegeles

Greg Kegeles

Operating Partners, Digital Transformation, Newlight Partners

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A speaker photo for Ercan Ucak

Ercan Ucak

Director, Cerberus Capital Management

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16:10 - 16:50

Track 18 Integrating commercial due diligence in your operational playbooks

Tim Foster, Josh Gold, Manish Goyal, Daniel Perry
  • Understanding pricing, GTM, and market research as an opportunity in diligence
  • How do you go about scrutinizing commercial data in the due diligence phase?
  • How do you uncover what works and what doesn’t commercially for the business? How do you go about choosing and prioritizing your initial commercial projects/tasks?
  • How do you build success in selecting the right sales talent and understanding which gaps need to be filled?
  • How do you achieve alignment with the management team to deliver the commercial value creation plan?

Moderator:
Tim Foster, Managing Director, Investor Group Services (IGS)

Panelists:
Josh Gold, Senior Operating Executive, Hellman & Friedman
Manish Goyal, Operating Partner, Portfolio Support, Berkshire Partners
Daniel Perry, Resource Partner, Court Square Capital Partners
Caroline Ritter, Senior Advisor, Go-To-Market and Commercial Excellence, TPG

A speaker photo for Tim Foster

Tim Foster

Managing Director, Investor Group Services (IGS)

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A speaker photo for Josh Gold

Josh Gold

Senior Operating Executive, Hellman & Friedman

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A speaker photo for Manish Goyal

Manish Goyal

Operating Director, Portfolio Support, Berkshire Partners

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A speaker photo for Daniel Perry

Daniel Perry

Resource Partner Sales Excellence, Court Square Capital Partners

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16:10 - 16:50

Track 19 CFO and CHRO perspectives: creating change in C-suite thinking when addressing healthcare spend

Todd Grove
  • How can Operating Partners support CFOs/CHROs to reduce costs and make better decisions?
  • “Land mines” waiting for you and your board when challenging status quo outcomes
  • Pharmacy costs: how to help executives agree on proven solutions/ways to reduce spend

Moderator:
Todd Grove, Vice President, Private Equity, Quantum Health

Panelists:
Alfred Lumsdaine, CFO, Ardent Health
Malcolm O’Neal, CHRO, Renovo Home Partners

Todd Grove, Quantum Health

Todd Grove

Vice President, Private Equity, Quantum Health

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16:10 - 16:50

Track 20 Is sell side prep for technology and operations necessary?

Geoffrey Baird, Amar Ghai, Shivani Tejuja
  • How much preparation is necessary? Come see the debate on whether preparation and sell-side readiness efforts pay off
  • Compare and contrasting viewpoints on the topic in the context of real engagements
  • Timing: when is the right time to start? How necessary is early prep?
  • What is the right level of depth: check the box activity versus forward looking value creation?
  • Sharing data driven preparation examples
  • What actions are necessary to take in getting ready to exit? What levers did you pull for exit?

Moderator:
Peter Kahn, Senior Partner, West Monroe

Panelists:
Geoffrey Baird, Independent Operating Executive, Palladium Equity Partners
Abigail Chan, Senior Operations Executive, ABRY Partners  
Amar Ghai, Head of Digital Value Creation, KKR
Shivani Tejuja, Advisory Director, Charlesbank Capital Partners

Geoffrey Baird LLR Partners

Geoffrey Baird

Independent Operating Executive, Palladium Equity Partners

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Amar Ghai

Head of Digital Value Creation, KKR

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A speaker photo for Shivani Tejuja

Shivani Tejuja

Advisory Director, Charlesbank Capital Partners

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Break
16:50 - 17:00

Break

Interactive Working Group Series 2
17:00 - 17:40

Interactive Working Group 6 (for operating partners only) | Optimizing the order-to-cash process at every growth stage

This interactive session designed solely for operating partners offers actionable strategies to streamline the OTC process, enhance customer satisfaction, boost profitability, and enable comprehensive KPI reporting.

  • Optimize OTC processes: learn how to streamline your order-to-cash process to enhance efficiency, reduce errors, and measure key KPIs like ARR, MRR, customer retention, churn, etc.
  • Improve customer experience: discover strategies to improve customer satisfaction and retention through a smooth OTC process
  • Strategic role of CFOs: understand the pivotal role CFOs play in driving OTC optimizations and strategic technology investments
  • Maturity model guidance: get insights into a maturity model that helps finance teams transition from reactive to proactive OTC processes
  • Real-world examples: hear success stories and best practices from industry leaders on implementing effective OTC solutions

Facilitators:

Brad Mortimore, Vice President of Strategic Accounts and Billing, Zone & Co

17:00 - 17:40

Interactive Working Group 7 (for operating partners only) | Mastering the data side of AI to optimize implementations

This session designed solely for operating partners will allow the audience to join an interactive discussion with designated facilitators.

  • Data before AI: understanding how AI enablement goes hand in hand with getting your data right
  • How are you leveraging your data to amplify your AI initiatives? What are the most important focal points when it comes to scrutinizing data for AI?
  • Sharing real world implementations: what are the biggest challenges and opportunities at your companies

Facilitators:
Riley Scott, Partner, Cuesta Partners
Chris Steiner, Partner, Cuesta Partners

17:00 - 17:40

Interactive Working Group 8 (for operating partners only) | Unlocking revenue growth’s potential to maximize exit value

Andy Fauver, Jeffrey Nagel

This session designed solely for operating partners will allow the audience to join an interactive discussion with designated facilitators.

  • Sharing lessons learned in getting ready from a revenue growth perspective for the exit
  • How does revenue growth have a direct impact on exits? How do you leverage commercial data for the exit?
  • What are the most important commercial functional areas to focus on in the 18 months prior to exit?
  • How are you leveraging commercial teams effectively throughout this key phase?

Facilitators:
Andy Fauver, SVP of Transaction Services, INSIGHT2PROFIT
Jeffrey Nagel, Operating Partner, AEA Investors

 

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Andy Fauver

SVP, Transaction Services, INSIGHT2PROFIT

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Jeffrey Nagel

Operating Partner, AEA Investors

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17:00 - 17:40

Interactive Working Group 9 (for operating partners only) | Uncovering key trends in PE carveouts to maximize value

Steve Siwinski

This session designed solely for operating partners will allow the audience to join an interactive discussion with designated facilitators.

  • Understand how carveouts have become a significant source of deal making in the current market
  • How are you handling carveout due diligence as a key part of the process?
  • How do you approach a carveout transaction in terms of minimizing risks and maximizing opportunities?
  • How would you define key success factors in a carveout transaction?

Facilitators:
Scott Brady, Managing Director, M&A Practice, Marsh McLennan
Steve Siwinski, Operating Principal, Accel-KKR

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Steve Siwinski

Operating Principal, Accel-KKR

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17:00 - 17:40

Interactive Working Group 10 (for operating partners only) | Driving long-term incentives and broad-based employee ownership across the organization

Marc Jourlait, Dan Kapinos

This session designed solely for operating partners will allow the audience to join an interactive discussion with designated facilitators.

  • Understanding the lay of the land: how you should be thinking about offering and rolling out shared ownership to employees
  • Comparing shared ownership programs that have helped companies improve employee engagement, attract and retain talent, and drive operational improvements
  • Showcasing how shared equity participation and building a culture of ownership can align the interests of investors and workers to drive better outcomes for all
  • Aligning the executives and the board on LTI program implementations
  • Measuring its impact with an eye to the future and what comes next in PE

Facilitators:
Marc Jourlait, Senior Operating Partner, The Riverside Company
Dan Kapinos, Partner and Global Practice Leader, Equity Services, Aon

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Marc Jourlait

Senior Operating Partner, The Riverside Company

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Dan Kapinos

Partner & Global Practice Leader of Equity Services, Aon Talent Solutions

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End of day one
17:40 - 19:10

End of day one and networking cocktail reception

Agenda

Day 3 - Wednesday 23rd

Registration
07:45 - 08:30

Registration and breakfast

Think Tank Series 2
07:45 - 08:30

Think tanks for full-time operating partners: value creation war rooms (invitation-only for operating partners)

Neil Bansal, Ori Ben-Moshe , Matt Ibbetson, Bob Isaman, Sebastien Bilodeau

These closed-door discussions will allow you to learn and share best practices of successful operating partners. It will allow you to select one of the rooms:

Think Tank 1: Emerging Operating Partners (1-2 years in PE)
Facilitators:
Neil Bansal, Managing Director, Strategy and Operations, OMERS Private Equity
Ori Ben-Moshe, Director of Portfolio Operations, ORIX Capital Partners

Think Tank 2: Advanced Operating Partners
Facilitators:
Matt Ibbetson, Partner, Ridgemont Equity Partners
John Sander, Principal, Portfolio Solutions, Lightyear Capital

Think Tank 3: Heads of Value Creation: Team Leaders Think Tank
Facilitators:
Bob Isaman, Head of Operations, Dunes Point Capital
Sebastien Bilodeau, President, Cerberus Technology Solutions, Cerberus Capital Management

A speaker photo for Neil  Bansal

Neil Bansal

Managing Director & Operating Partner, OMERS Private Equity

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A speaker photo for Ori Ben-Moshe

Ori Ben-Moshe

Director of Portfolio Operations, ORIX Capital Partners

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A speaker photo for Matt Ibbetson

Matt Ibbetson

Partner, Ridgemont Equity Partners

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A speaker photo for Bob Isaman

Bob Isaman

Head of Operations, Dunes Point Captial

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A speaker photo for Sebastien Bilodeau

Sebastien Bilodeau

President, Cerberus Technology Solutions, Cerberus Capital Management

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Breakfast Deep-Dive Series
08:30 - 09:15

Breakfast deep dive discussion 1 (invitation-only for operating partners) — Value creation as a macro imperative: key insights for operating partner groups

William Bundy

This breakfast deep dive discussion designed solely for operating partners will allow you to join an interactive discussion with designated facilitators.

  • Operating teams in an evolving macro landscape
  • Economic imperative for value creation in PE
  • Key macro trends to consider while monitoring your portcos
  • PE operating group evolution to support the new reality of deal economics

Facilitators:
William Bundy, Partner, McKinsey & Company
Jason Phillips, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company

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William Bundy

Partner, McKinsey & Co

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08:30 - 09:15

Breakfast deep dive discussion 2 (invitation-only for operating partners) | The keys to achieving outsized value creation through revenue growth

This breakfast deep dive discussion designed solely for operating partners will allow you to join an interactive discussion with designated facilitators.

  • Operating partners share growth war stories at their portfolio companies 
  • Avoiding the “lost years” caused by waiting too long to address revenue growth   
  • Fast starts drive higher IRR and earlier successful exits  
  • Launching and maintaining a growth focus in diligence and the first 100 days 
  • 16 analyses that quickly highlight the growth opportunity in a business  

Facilitators:
Patrick Donegan, Senior Managing Director, Blue Ridge Partners
Chris Madaus, Senior Managing Director, Blue Ridge Partners

08:30 - 09:15

Breakfast deep dive discussion 3 (invitation-only for operating partners) — Leadership matters: unique guidelines for transformation and impact

Ted Bililies

This breakfast deep dive discussion designed solely for operating partners will allow you to join an interactive discussion with designated facilitators.

  • How would you define successful leadership? What are key qualities of the most impactful leaders at your companies?
  • What can operating partners do to improve their influence when it comes to coaching?
  • Leadership during times of disruption: sharing challenges and successful approaches
  • What are key differences and similarities in working with different leaders across sectors?
  • What does the next generation of leaders look like? How are you approaching their development?

Facilitator:
Ted Bililies, Partner and Managing Director, AlixPartners

Ted Bililies, AlixPartners

Ted Bililies

Partner and Managing Director, AlixPartners

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08:30 - 09:15

Breakfast deep dive discussion 4 (invitation-only for operating partners) — Preparing for techxit: ensuring your tech is ready to maximize the multiple

Barr Blanton

This breakfast deep dive discussion designed solely for operating partners will allow you to join an interactive discussion with designated facilitators.

  • Getting ahead of the tech narrative for your business
  • Establishing a “mock buy-side” baseline
  • Defining the timeline and technology playbook for exit
  • Identifying the most (and least) important digital and tech initiatives for the 12-18 months prior to exit
  • Ensuring the tech team is ready for the diligence process
  • Aligning market/commercial work with tech/product readiness

Facilitators:
Barr Blanton, CEO, Crosslake Technologies
Kenneth Wang, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs

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Barr Blanton

CEO, Crosslake Technologies

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08:30 - 09:15

Breakfast deep dive discussion 5 (invitation-only for operating partners) | How operating partners and CFOs collaborate effectively to maximize value creation

This breakfast deep dive discussion designed solely for operating partners will allow you to join an interactive discussion with designated facilitators.

  • Sharing war stories: challenges and benefits of collaborative decision-making and strategic alignment between operating partners and CFOs
  • Operating partners expose the dos and don’ts to ensure their unique partnership works smoothly and effectively
  • As operating partners, how do you best leverage your CFOs to drive the value creation plan?
  • Exploring frameworks for aligning the operating partner’s expertise with the CFO’s vision and the portfolio company corporate strategy

Facilitator:
Michelle Keller-Hobson, Director, Private Equity Business Development, Vertice

Plenary
09:15 - 09:20

Chairman’s welcome

Tony Buffum

Chairman: Tony Buffum, Vice President of HR Client Strategy, Upwork

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Tony Buffum

Vice President of HR Client Strategy, Upwork

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09:20 - 10:00

The C-suite of the future: what are the skills and traits needed to harness digital value creation?

Ken Yagen
  • What does a digital and data driven CEO/C-suite look like and how do you identify what skills are needed in the early stages?
  • Sharing insights about the competencies and qualities that C-suite executives need to drive technology-led value creation in portfolio companies
  • How do leaders cultivate a forward-thinking mindset/culture to unlock innovation? What are the challenges and barriers in establishing digital cultures and how do you overcome them?
  • How can operating partners best support the C-suite to establish alignment and drive tech initiatives?
  • How do you measure the effectiveness of senior team digital optimization?
  • How has the C-suite evolved over the last few years? What does the next generation C-suite look like? What comes next?

Moderator:
Justin Cottrell, Partner, Riviera Partners

Panelists:
Ken Yagen, Senior Vice President, Digital Strategy and Innovation, Warburg Pincus

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Ken Yagen

Senior Vice President, Digital Strategy and Innovation, Warburg Pincus

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10:00 - 10:40

The portco CEO perspective: leveraging operating partners to drive value creation

Kevin Desai, Doron Grosman, Chris Chandler
  • What are CEO expectations for a productive value driven relationship?
  • What can the operating partner do to help build trust with the CEO and what is the most effective engagement model with the CEO?
  • Through the lens of the CEO, what are some common operating partner dos and don’ts?
  • How might the operating partner align their experience/expertise with the CEO’s vision across all stages of the deal lifecycle?
  • Where do CEOs need the most help? Least help?
  • How has the CEO’s mindset shifted with respect to leveraging operating partners, consultants, and other specialists for value creation?
  • What considerations should an operating partner keep in mind when working with a seasoned PE CEO versus a new PE CEO?

Moderator:
Kevin Desai, Deals Deputy Platform Leader and Private Equity Sector Leader, PwC US

Panelists:
Chris Chandler, Former President and CEO, Perativ
Doron Grosman, CEO and President, Smart Start, Inc.
Mark Herrington, Operating Partner, Portfolio Operations, Resurgens Technology Partners

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Kevin Desai

Deals Deputy Platform Leader and Private Equity Sector Leader, PwC US

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Doron Grosman

CEO/President, Smart Start

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Chris Chandler

Former President and CEO, Perativ

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Break
10:40 - 11:00

Networking break

Plenary
11:00 - 11:40

Value creation for the exit: operating partner perspectives

Ryan Jones, Asheesh Gupta
  • What is your approach to preparing a portfolio company for exit, and how do you execute the plan?
  • How are current market conditions impacting exit plans and strategies?
  • How do you work with your functional leadership team to support the execution of your exit strategy?
  • What is the role of data in driving higher exit valuations?
  • Showcasing dos and don’ts and what a successful exit looks like; how do you measure the success of an exit?
  • How closely did the post close experience match the pre-close promises? What worked and what didn’t?

Moderator:
Ryan Jones, Global and US Private Equity Consulting Leader, Deloitte Consulting

Panelists:
Asheesh Gupta, Managing Director, Portfolio Support, Audax Private Equity
Dave Richards, Managing Director, Co-Head of North American Operating Team, Strategic Value Partners
Nick Winter, Managing Director and North American Head of Portfolio Operations, Värde Partners

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Ryan Jones

Global & US Private Equity Consulting Leader, Deloitte Consulting

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Asheesh Gupta

Managing Director, Portfolio Support, Audax Private Equity

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11:40 - 12:20

Innovation in value creation: showcasing cutting-edge initiatives

Sean Mooney, Mara Edgar, Misha Logvinov, Jonathan Metrick
  • What are the most innovative and unique initiatives you have implemented within your functional domain?
  • Can you share examples of how you worked cross functionally on real innovative projects?
  • How do you establish a culture of innovation and break down walls at your companies?
  • How did your initiatives really make a difference and create value? What were the biggest challenges you had to overcome?
  • Showcasing value creation innovation beyond AI: what are the game changers?

Moderator:
Sean Mooney, Founder and CEO, BluWave

Panelists:
Mara Edgar, Managing Director, Human Capital, The Riverside Company
Misha Logvinov, Managing Director, MGX
Jonathan Metrick, Partner, Chief Growth Officer, Sagard

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Sean Mooney

Founder and CEO, BluWave

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Mara Edgar

Managing Director, Human Capital, The Riverside Company

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Misha Logvinov

Managing Director, MGX

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Jonathan Metrick

Partner & Chief Growth Officer, Sagard

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Break
12:20 - 12:30

Break

Interactive Working Groups Series 3
12:30 - 13:10

Interactive Working Group 11 (for operating partners only) | Go-to-Market strategy and execution: what does great look like?

AJ Gandhi, Darlene Kober

This session designed solely for operating partners will allow the audience to join an interactive discussion with designated facilitators.

  • Creating a winning go-to-market strategy: aligning competencies with opportunities
  • Getting your messaging right with your customers
  • Accelerating your GTM execution: improving processes and increasing lead conversion
  • How are you effectively communicating with and training the sales team?

Facilitators:
AJ Gandhi, Chief Growth Officer, Marlin Equity Partners
Darlene Kober, Principal, NEXT LEVEL Partners

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AJ Gandhi

Chief Growth Officer, Marlin Equity Partners

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Darlene Kober

Principal, Next Level Partners

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12:30 - 13:10

Interactive Working Group 12 (for operating partners only) | Technology value creation workshop: sharing firsthand playbooks and projects

Nadeem Ahmed, Kate Ju

This session designed solely for operating partners will allow the audience to join an interactive discussion with designated facilitators:

  • How do you define effective tech and digital value creation?
  • How do you go about identifying, evaluating, prioritizing, and executing technology initiatives that improve enterprise value?
  • How do you showcase value when it comes to data points on tech spend and tech value creation?
  • How do you establish and execute tech roadmaps across the investment lifecycle? How do you overcome roadblocks?

Facilitators:
Nadeem Ahmed, Partner, CrossCountry Consulting
Kate Ju, Vice President, Value Accelerator, Goldman Sachs Asset Management

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Nadeem Ahmed

Partner, Private Equity, CrossCountry Consulting

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Kate Ju

Vice President, Value Accelerator, Goldman Sachs Asset Management

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12:30 - 13:10

Interactive Working Group 13 (for operating partners only) | Operating partner-COO dynamics: driving better business processes

Seavron Banus, David Venker

This session designed solely for operating partners will allow the audience to join an interactive discussion with designated facilitators.

  • Collaboration dynamics to scale and grow your operations as a business
  • Key insights into org design, process improvement, integrations, change management and transformation work focused on the office of the COO
  • Setting up program management to drive accountability and execution of value creation efforts

Facilitators:
Seavron Banus, Operating Vice President, Portfolio Support Group, Berkshire Partners
David Venker, Principal, Portfolio Operations, HCI Equity Partners

 

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Seavron Banus

Operating Vice President, Berkshire Partners

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David Venker

Principal, Portfolio Operations, HCI Equity Partners

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12:30 - 13:10

Interactive Working Group 14 (for operating partners only) | Refining your ESG and impact strategy within the value creation agenda

Danielle Jezienicki

This session designed solely for operating partners will allow the audience to join an interactive discussion with designated facilitators.

  • Moving beyond data collection – how to integrate and improve upon impact outcomes across the portfolio
  • Creating impact value and considering materiality in an impact strategy
  • Scaling impact – creating a portfolio-wide playbook to enhance adoptions, learnings and impact outcomes

Facilitator:
Danielle Jezienicki, Impact/ESG Advisor, GroundForce Capital

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Danielle Jezienicki

Impact/ESG Advisor, GroundForce Capital

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12:30 - 13:10

Interactive Working Group 15 (for operating partners only) | The operating partner’s essential finance and accounting game plan

This session designed solely for operating partners will allow the audience to join an interactive discussion with designated facilitators.

  • The first 100 days – identifying red flags and potential pitfalls: how to stabilize finance and accounting functions in a highly acquisitive environment
  • Moving from stabilization to growth: essential strategies to create highly effective partnerships with financial leaders to support value creation
  • Pragmatic steps to prepare for 2025 – winning with growth investments even at a time of constrained capital

Facilitator:
Jon Marston, Managing Partner, WilliamsMarston

Lunch
13:10 - 14:00

Networking Lunch

13:10 - 14:00

Functional lunch discussion 2 (invitation-only for operating partners) | Rate optimization: the no regrets cloud cost management tactic your portcos are not fully leveraging

Chris Cochran

This closed-door deep dive lunch discussion designed solely for tech and digital operating partners will explore key strategies for cloud to enhance value. One of the highest impact tactics to optimize a cloud environment with cloud providers that is often underemployed by CTOs and VPs of Engineering is pricing or rate optimization through discount instruments. If cloud costs are a top P&L line item in your portfolio, missing out on rate optimization is gross margin dollars left on the table. Learn how rate optimization can be tracked, and with the right automation, employed in your organization to incrementally add margin to the business.

  • What is rate optimization?
  • How is it different from usage/workload optimization?
  • What are the use cases that are candidates for rate optimization?
  • Why is rate optimization often overlooked by CTOs/VP Engs?
  • Why is rate optimization an obvious KPI for an operating partner?
  • Why is automation critical for expert rate optimization?
  • How the different optimization metrics for both rate and usage optimization align

Facilitator:
Chris Cochran, Co-Founder and CEO, ProsperOps

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Chris Cochran

Co-founder & CEO, ProsperOps

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13:10 - 14:00

Functional lunch discussion 3 (invitation-only for operating partners) The GenAI & customer analytics journey to total monetization: end to end processes and execution

This closed-door deep dive lunch discussion designed solely for operating partners will explore key commercial and monetization strategies.

  • How do you go about monetizing GenAI and customer data? Operating partners share war stories across customer journeys at software/tech companies
  • How are you working with your management teams on implementation, end-to-end processes and execution?
  • What does a successful customer journey look like in dissecting: advanced metrics, strategies, models, and levers
  • How do you see the commercial role of GenAI and customer analytics evolving in the next few years? What does the monetization model of the future look like?
Functional Breakout Series 5
14:00 - 14:40

Track 21 Harnessing data to increase enterprise value across all stages of the deal cycle

Christian Davis, Dominic Gallello, Ishan Gammampila, Subhi Sherwell
  • How do investors and management teams increasingly achieve higher returns by harnessing data?
  • Gaining a competitive advantage with command of commercial data and the capabilities to take action from it
  • Sharing differentiated and more sophisticated views of a target’s commercial performance in diligence
  • Improving clarity and confidence in underlying performance drivers during the first 100 days
  • Accelerating opportunity identification and capture during value creation or control and articulation of the equity story at exit

Moderator:
Christian Davis, Associate Partner, JMAN Group

Panelists:
Dominic Gallello, Managing Director, Operational Support Group, Bridgepoint
Ishan Gammampila, Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Apax Partners
Subhi Sherwell, Director of Operations, TPG Capital
Roxi Wen, Operating Partner, Insight Partners

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Christian Davis

Associate Partner, JMAN Group

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Dominic Gallello

Managing Director, Bridgepoint

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Ishan Gammampila

Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Apax Partners

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Subhi Sherwell

Director of Operations, TPG Capital

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14:00 - 14:40

Track 22 Pricing’s effect on value creation for industrials: sharing lessons learned to drive returns

Jared Wiesel, Jonathan Konkoly, Alexis Underwood
  • Understanding trends in the space and why focusing on price improvements is imperative for value creation
  • Unlocking customer segmentation and analytics to optimize your pricing strategy within the sector
  • Sharing success stories and lessons learned

Moderator:
Jared Wiesel, Senior Vice President, Revenue Analytics

Panelists:
Jonathan Konkoly, Vice President of Portfolio Operations, HCI Equity Partners
Alexis Underwood, Managing Director, Commercial Excellence and Pricing, Wynnchurch Capital

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Jared Wiesel

Senior Vice President, Manufacturing & Distribution, Revenue Analytics

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Jonathan Konkoly

Vice President of Portfolio Operations, HCI Equity Partners

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Alexis Underwood

Managing Director, Commercial Excellence and Pricing, Wynnchurch Capital

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14:00 - 14:40

Track 23 Portfolio perspectives: leveraging supply chain to empower speed-to-value from operational analytics

Tony Totta, Greg Gladstone, Ryan Wesselschmidt, Jason White
  • Savings: 8.6% cost capture through informed pricing and usage strategies
  • Profitability: 1%-5% more sales returned to the bottom line
  • Efficiency: 10%-16% distribution network savings

Moderator:
Tony Totta, Executive Vice President, eShipping

Panelists:
Stephanie Bixler, Chief Product Officer and Head of Synapsum, eShipping
Greg Gladstone, President and Chief Commercial Officer, FloWorks
Ryan Wesselschmidt, Senior Vice President and General Manager North America, Husqvarna Group
Jason White, Chief Transformation and Development Officer, HGS BioScience

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Tony Totta

Executive Vice President, eShipping

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Greg Gladstone

President and Chief Commercial Officer, FloWorks

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Ryan Wesselschmidt

SVP Sales and Service and GM North America, Husqvarna Construction Division, North America

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Jason White

Chief Transformation & Development Officer, HGS BioScience

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14:00 - 14:40

Track 24 Cost optimization to unlock and accelerate VCP initiatives

Kevin Flounders, Mujteba Haidri, John Roselli
  • Sharing examples of how cash constrained businesses have flourished with cost optimization and transformational growth
  • Operating partner-CFO dynamics to leverage cost optimization and profitability
  • Fixing cost management in the first 100 days to set the tone in looking at EBITDA margin
  • Reducing costs in areas of indirect spend to substantially impact EBITDA margin in a short period of time
  • Putting cost savings to work to deliver and further enhance value creation plan initiatives

Moderator:
Kevin Flounders, CEO, SIB

Panelists:
David Bonasia, Managing Director, Private Equity, Brookfield Asset Management
Mujteba Haidri, Operating Partner, Blue Point Capital Partners
John Roselli, Operating Partner, New Harbor Capital

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Kevin Flounders

Chief Executive Officer, SIB

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Mujteba Haidri

Operating Partner, Blue Point Capital Partners

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John Roselli

Operating Partner, New Harbor Capital

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Functional Breakout Series 6
14:40 - 15:20

Track 25 Demystifying R&D across your portfolio to drive better business outcomes

Patrick Mizer, Mark Uhrmacher
  • Uncover how PE operators can gain visibility into R&D organizations, understand their effectiveness, and ensure they are aligned to business priorities.

Moderator:
Ryan Kuchova, Head of Strategy and Operations, Jellyfish

Panelists:
Patrick Mizer, Portfolio CTO, Blue Star Innovation Partners
Mark Uhrmacher, Head of Digital Transformation and Chief Technology Officer, GrowthCurve Capital

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Patrick Mizer

Portfolio CTO, Blue Star Innovation Partners

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Mark Uhrmacher

Head of Digital Transformation and Chief Technology Officer, GrowthCurve Capital

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14:40 - 15:20

Track 26 Marketing as a key lever beyond due diligence: unlocking 180-day success

Pierre Le Veaux II, Beth Dresdale, Andy Pickens, Shivani Tejuja
  • Assess potential acquisitions and investments more effectively by building a better due diligence process that incorporates deep marketing data and analysis
  • Add quantitative value to targets faster by de-risking investment choices and unlocking efficiencies that accelerate performance and profitability
  • Minimize friction and ease the transition to the 180-day plan by inserting operating partners earlier in the diligence process to work directly with deal teams
  • Leverage short-term “test and learn” project engagements to set up data systems and determine channel prioritization, effectiveness, and/or elimination

Moderator:
Pierre Le Veaux II, SVP, Head of Private Equity Partnerships, Wpromote

Panelists:
Beth Dresdale, Principal, Head of Value Creation, Martis Capital
Andy Pickens, Managing Director, Apollo Global Management
Shivani Tejuja, Advisory Director, Charlesbank Capital Partners

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Pierre Le Veaux II

Senior Vice President, Private Equity & Venture Capital Partnerships, Wpromote

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Beth Dresdale

Principal, Head of Value Creation, Martis Capital

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Andy Pickens

Managing Director Apollo Global Management

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Shivani Tejuja

Advisory Director, Charlesbank Capital Partners

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14:40 - 15:20

Track 27 New value creation playbooks for the first 100 days and into year one

Chris Westington
  • Accelerating first year transformations through the lens of different functional specialists
  • How have 100-day plans changed in recent years? What does the future playbook look like?
  • What key principles remain intact? What are your main priorities for the first 100 days into year one?
  • How are you working across various functions/teams in year one?
  • How are you engaging and working with leadership teams to ensure alignment and effectively implement the plan?
  • What are the biggest challenges and roadblocks you have encountered? How did you overcome them?

Panelists:
Jay Epstein, Managing Director, CFO Advisor, Warburg Pincus
Mohamed Mirza, Director, Mubadala Performance Partners, Mubadala
Chris Westington, Director of Portfolio Management and Value Creation, BCI

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Chris Westington

Director of Portfolio Management and Value Creation, BCI

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Plenary
15:20 - 15:30

Becoming a risk traverse leader™

Tracey Abbott

Leaders are asked every day to make decisions and each of them contains some level of risk. How can risk be seen as a growth driver, and where can it show up as an asset? Old growth playbooks are out, and leaders must be able to smartly traverse increasing complexity. My high stakes risk adventure stories include from business school in a language I barely spoke, living abroad for a decade, retiring from corporate to operate a Chick-fil-A franchise, to joining Private Equity as an operating partner to work with CEOs. Learn the four critical questions I use to assess risk and harness it to help support management teams.

Presented by:

Tracey Abbott, Senior Operating Partner, Mubadala Performance Partners, Mubadala

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Tracey Abbott

Director, Mubadala Performance Partners, Mubadala

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15:30 - 15:45

PEI presents the 1st annual operating partners compensation survey results

End of conference
15:45 - 15:50

Closing remarks and end of conference

Explore our exclusive operating partner only networking

Expand your relationships and build your network with our operating partner exclusive networking events throughout the Forum.

Join our community of the brightest leaders in value creation to meet and exchange ideas that will help you in your day-to-day operations. Attendees engage with an agenda packed with social activities, interactive roundtables, think tanks, dinners, a women’s lunch discussion, and two evening receptions.

 

Find out who you’ll meet


Pre-conference reception

Monday, October 21

Operating Partners Forum New York Welcome Reception (invitation-only)

5:30 – 7:30 pm
Manhatta, 28 Liberty St, 60th floor

Join the operating partners attending the New York Forum at our opening reception. Exchange valuable insights with your peers in a relaxed setting and build your connections before the conference kicks off.

Hosted by:

                           

               

 

Pre-conference dinners

Monday, October 21

Five pre-conference networking dinners (invitation-only)

7:30 – 9:00 pm
Manhatta, 28 Liberty St, 60th floor

Exchange ideas and expand your connections with value creation leaders in a relaxed setting on the evening before the event kicks off. Join us for one of five private sit-down dinners designed exclusively for operating partners attending the NY Forum:

Heads of Value Creation Dinner

Finance Operating Partners Dinner

Hosted by:

   

GTM, Sales and Revenue Growth Operating Partners Dinner

Hosted by:

Human Capital Operating Partners Dinner

Hosted by:

   

Technology and Digital Operating Partners Dinner

Hosted by:

   

Day 1 lunch and reception

Tuesday, October 22

Operating Partners Lunch Discussions (operating partners only)

1:00 – 2:00 pm

These closed-door lunch discussions will explore how to best position yourself in PE portfolio operations with key strategies for your portcos and PE firms to enhance value.

  • Women in PE portfolio operations lunch
  • Unlocking advanced pricing strategies: how are you thinking about it?

Hosted by:

   

Operating Partners Forum New York Day 1 Grand Reception

5:40 – 6:40 pm

Our grand reception will allow you to chat and get to know your operating partner peers at the end of the first day of the Forum. Hear what is on everyone’s mind after a full day of valuable insights.

Hosted by:

   

    

Day 2 breakfast and lunch

Wednesday, October 23

Breakfast Deep Dive Discussions (new and expanded, for operating partners only)

8:30 – 9:15 am

These breakfast deep dive discussions will allow you to share your views and learn from peers about the following topics:

  • Value creation as a macro imperative: key insights for operating partner groups
  • How to grow a business to drive valuation creation: operating partner workshop
  • Leadership matters: unique guidelines for transformation and impact
  • Preparing for techxit: ensuring your tech is ready to maximize the multiple
  • How operating partners and CFOs collaborate effectively to maximize value creation

Hosted by:

   

   

Operating Partners Lunch Discussions (operating partners only)

1:10 – 2:00 pm

These closed-door deep dive lunch discussions covering specific functional areas will explore key strategies for your portcos and PE firms to enhance value.

  • Rate optimization: the no regrets cloud cost management tactic your portcos are not fully leveraging
  • The GenAI & customer analytics journey to total monetization: end to end processes and execution

Hosted by:

   

Featured interactive discussions & networking opportunities

Think Tanks (operating partners only)

These closed-door morning sessions led by operating partners for operating partners only will allow you to engage in lively discussions with your peers. The thinks tanks will also allow you to suggest topics to be covered in looking at the best value creation practices.

Interactive Working Groups (operating partners only)

These exclusive deep dive discussions only available to operating partners allow you to participate in interactive roundtable discussions with designated facilitators to learn from experts in different functional areas of value creation.

Pre-Event Resources

Speakers

For speaking opportunities, contact Marc Mele at marc.m@pei.group or call +1 646 581 9295.

Mark Abatto

Managing Director, Gryphon Investors

Tracey Abbott

Director, Mubadala Performance Partners, Mubadala

Nadeem Ahmed

Partner, Private Equity, CrossCountry Consulting

Arvind Anantharaman

Head of Mubadala Performance Partners, Mubadala

Gerard Ashmore

Senior Vice President, Reporting & Insights, Grain Management

Annie Asrari

Operating Principal, Accel-KKR

Geoffrey Baird LLR Partners

Geoffrey Baird

Independent Operating Executive, Palladium Equity Partners

Neil Bansal

Managing Director & Operating Partner, OMERS Private Equity

Seavron Banus

Operating Vice President, Berkshire Partners

Alex Bello

Director of Technology Strategy, EQT Group

Ori Ben-Moshe

Director of Portfolio Operations, ORIX Capital Partners

Steven Berman

Vice President, Executive Search, Accel-KKR

Ted Bililies, AlixPartners

Ted Bililies

Partner and Managing Director, AlixPartners

Sebastien Bilodeau

President, Cerberus Technology Solutions, Cerberus Capital Management

Barr Blanton

CEO, Crosslake Technologies

Fabian Bodoky

Director, Tech Industry Lead, Efficio

Steven Browning

Managing Director, Private Equity, Insight Sourcing, part of Accenture

Tony Buffum

Vice President of HR Client Strategy, Upwork

William Bundy

Partner, McKinsey & Co

Abigail Chan

Senior Operations Executive, ABRY Partners

Chris Chandler

Former President and CEO, Perativ

Tanoya Chatterjee

Senior Principal, Mubadala

Bruce Chesebrough

Operating Partner, New Mountain Capital

Dave Clement

Partner, Simon – Kucher

Jim Corey

Managing Partner, Blue Ridge Partners

Adam Cummins

Principal, Portfolio Procurement, The Carlyle Group

Sean Curran

Co-Founder & Managing Partner, ENDUIR Cyber

Christian Davis

Associate Partner, JMAN Group

Marie Deller

Partner, Lancor

Kevin Desai

Deals Deputy Platform Leader and Private Equity Sector Leader, PwC US

Patrick Donegan

Senior Managing Director, Sales Excellence, The Riverside Company

Beth Dresdale

Principal, Head of Value Creation, Martis Capital

Cory A. Eaves

Partner and Head of Portfolio Operations, BayPine

Allison Earnest

Senior Director, Alvarez & Marsal

Adam Echter

Partner, Simon-Kucher

Mara Edgar

Managing Director, Human Capital, The Riverside Company

Richard Elder

Managing Director-Partner, Head of Global Portfolio Solutions, The Carlyle Group

Jay Epstein

Managing Director, Value Creation, Warburg Pincus

Andy Fauver

SVP, Transaction Services, INSIGHT2PROFIT

Kevin Flounders

Chief Executive Officer, SIB

Mark Fortin

Managing Director, Portfolio Dynamics Group, Grain Management

Tim Foster

Managing Director, Investor Group Services (IGS)

Michael Frain

Managing Director, Shared Services, Warburg Pincus

Josefin Frick

Associate Director, EQT Partners

Ishan Gammampila

Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Apax Partners

AJ Gandhi

Chief Growth Officer, Marlin Equity Partners

Rory Gaston

Group Managing Director, Saragossa

Ariel Garcia

Partner, OceanSound Partners

Bala Ganesan

Managing Director, Special Situations, Oaktree Capital Management

Amar Ghai

Head of Digital Value Creation, KKR

Angela Geffre

Head of Human Capital, GrowthCurve Capital

Greg Gladstone

President and Chief Commercial Officer, FloWorks

Bob Gold

Former EVP and CFO, EyeCare Partners

Josh Gold

Senior Operating Executive, Hellman & Friedman

Amanda Good

Partner, Global Head of Value Creation, Searchlight Capital Partners

Robin Goodman

Senior Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, Portfolio Operations, Blackstone

Eric Gordon

Operating Partner, MidOcean Partners

Manish Goyal

Operating Partner, Portfolio Support, Berkshire Partners

Craig Greenseid

Managing Director and Portfolio Chief Commercial Officer, Carlyle Group

Doron Grosman

CEO/President, Smart Start

Todd Grove, Quantum Health

Todd Grove

Vice President, Private Equity, Quantum Health

Akshay Grover

Global Private Equity Practice Lead, Zscaler

Asheesh Gupta

Managing Director, Portfolio Support, Audax Private Equity

Mujteba Haidri

Operating Partner, Blue Point Capital Partners

Dan Hawkins

Founder & CEO, Summit Leadership Partners

Jimmy Holloran

Partner, Head of Talent, American Industrial Partners

Gary Hoover

Vice President, Global Private Equity Practice, TBM Consulting Group

Tye Howell

Operating Partner, Rubicon Technology Partners

Jawad Hussain

Partner, Private Equity Services Lead, MorganFranklin Consulting

Matt Ibbetson

Partner, Ridgemont Equity Partners

Bob Isaman

Head of Operations, Dunes Point Captial, Dunes Point Capital

Sajjad Jaffer

Head of Data, Analytics and Machine Learning, GrowthCurve Capital

Danielle Jezienicki

Impact/ESG Advisor, GroundForce Capital

Ryan Jones

Global & US Private Equity Consulting Leader, Deloitte Consulting

Marc Jourlait

Senior Operating Partner, The Riverside Company

Dan Kapinos

Partner & Global Practice Leader of Equity Services, Aon Talent Solutions

Kate Ju

Vice President, Value Accelerator, Goldman Sachs Asset Management

Greg Kegeles

Operating Partners, Digital Transformation, Newlight Partners

Michelle Keller-Hobson

Director, Private Equity Business Development, Vertice

Spencer Khoury

Director, Value Creation Team, Shamrock Capital

Neil Kimber

Principal, Accel-KKR

Travis Krueger

Managing Director, GTCR

Darlene Kober

Principal, Next Level Partners

Jonathan Konkoly

Vice President of Portfolio Operations, HCI Equity Partners

Ron Kruczynski

Chief Financial Officer, America’s Auto Auction Group

Raj Kushwaha

Managing Director & Partner, Co-Head Value Creation and Chief Digital Officer, Warburg Pincus

Ajaykumar Kutty

Technology Operating Principal, KKR

Markus Lahrkamp

Managing Director, Alvarez and Marsal

Brent Lanier

Former Managing Director and Global Chief Information Officer

Jeff Laurinaitis

Managing Director, RKON

Nick Leopard

CEO & Founder, Accordion

Pierre Le Veaux II

Senior Vice President, Private Equity & Venture Capital Partnerships, Wpromote

Andrew Lim

Managing Director, Blackstone

Hilda Lui

Head of Portfolio Human Capital, Advent International

Alfred Lumsdaine

CFO, Ardent Health

Misha Logvinov

Managing Director, MGX

Puroo Maheshwari

Managing Director, Cybersecurity, Portfolio Value Creation, CPP Investments

David Mamikonyan

Director, Operating Partner and CISO, MGX

Jon Marston

Co-Founder and Co-Managing Partner, WilliamsMarston

Miten Marvania

Managing Director, Business Services Platforms, Blue Owl Capital

Steve Mayotte

Operating Partner, Technology Enablement, New State Capital Partners

Lee McCabe

Operating Partner, AEA Investors

Jason McDannold

Partner & Managing Director, Americas Co-Lead of Private Equity, AlixPartners

Lane McDonald

Managing Director, OMERS Private Equity

Jonathan Metrick

Partner & Chief Growth Officer, Sagard

Kate Migliaro

Managing Director, Talent and Organization Performance, Portfolio Operations, Blackstone

Aaron Miller

Head of Apollo Portfolio Performance Solutions, Apollo Global Management

Todd Miller

CEO, Risk International

Patrick Mizer

Portfolio CTO, Blue Star Innovation Partners

Sean Mooney

Founder and CEO, BluWave

Brenda Morris

Partner, CSuite Financial Partners

Brad Mortimore

VP, Strategic Accounts, Zone & Co.

Kristin Murphy

Executive Leadership & Talent Expert, Entromy

Apurva Nair

Partner, Oliver Wyman

Bala Narayanaswamy

Global Head of Private Equity, Infosys

Kevin O'Neill

Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Acertitude

Kristin Brown Patrick

Senior Operating Partner, Human Capital, New State Capital Partners

Marni Payne

Managing Director, Berkshire Partners

Angelo Perez

Managing Director, Pacific Avenue Capital Partners

Daniel Perry

Resource Partner Sales Excellence, Court Square Capital Partners

Pat Petitti

Co-Founder, CEO, Catalant Technologies

Scott Phillips

Managing Director, ORIX Capital Partners

Michael Picton

Co-Founder and Managing Partner, ENDUIR Cyber

Andy Pickens

Managing Director Apollo Global Management

Adam L. Pollak

Partner, Global Head of Value Creation and U.S. Transformation Leader, KPMG US

Dave Richards

Managing Director, Co-Head US Operating Team, SVPGlobal

Zorian Rotenberg

Operating Partner, Charlesbank Capital Partners

Joe Rubino

Managing Director & CISO | Co-Head of Portfolio Resources Group, GTCR

John Sander

Principal, Lightyear Capital

Chris Satchell

Managing Director Technology & Digital, Clayton Dubilier & Rice

Avra Schaaf

Principal, Lead Edge Capital