Private Debt
Investor
Investor
Women in Private Debt Forum London 2020
3 - 4 November 2020,
Royal Lancaster Hotel - London
Creating Growth Through Diversity
With a growing body of research showing that more diverse teams and inclusive workplaces directly correlates with stronger business outcomes, the issue of diversity in private debt continues to move up the agenda.
The inaugural Women in Private Debt Forum will bring together over 600 delegates for open discussion on the latest issues facing the industry, as well as the opportunity to exchange ideas, initiate deals and forge new relationships.
This year’s event will be co-located with the Women in Infrastructure Forum and the Women in Private Equity Forum, in addition to Women in Real Estate Forum, all registered attendees will have access to all events allowing you to build your network across alternative asset classes.
Keynote in 2019: why diversity and culture are a value driver in business
Brenda Trenowden CBE
Partner, PwC UK
Global co-chair of the 30% Club
Brenda’s presentation will highlight why increasing diversity and managing culture is a business imperative, in addition to offering practical advice for professionals aiming to succeed in a competitive environment.
An expert in workplace performance, culture and communications, Brenda has a particular focus on helping clients build better performance by improving diversity and inclusiveness in their workplaces.
Covering Women in Private Equity, Infrastructure & Real Estate
One Summit: Four Forums
Now in its 6th year
Now in its 3rd year
New for 2019
Features in 2019
Dictate the narrative
Interactive panel discussions, keynote interviews, networking roundtables, think tanks and an oxford style debate allow you to put forward your thoughts and shape this important discussion.
Build your network
Meet 600 influential investors, fund managers and advisors from across the community and make the right connections to grow your business.
Gain insights
Identify key private debt opportunities and discover strategies for 2019 and beyond.
Investors who attended last year
Are Institutional Investors
doing enough in the
push for diversity?
Watch highlights from the 2019 forum
Testimonials
Laura Yang
Analyst, CPPIB
The conference is very well organized, covering topics on both diversity awareness and key industry issues such as investing in emerging markets.
Anke Heinze
Director Investments & Financing, AviAlliance GmbH, Germany
It is an excellent forum for women of all levels of seniority to get to know each other, exchange views and hopefully to form professional relationships that ca…
Kirsty Packer
Senior Analyst, I Squared Capital
It was inspiring to meet so many strong women who are excelling in this industry and raising awareness of the benefits of gender diversification.
Anke Heinze
Director Investments & Financing, AviAlliance GmbH, Germany
It is an excellent forum for women of all levels of seniority to get to know each other, exchange views and hopefully to form professional relationships that carry over into our working lives going forward.
View the 2019 agenda
For more information on the agenda, please contact Charles Gould at charles.g@peimedia.com or call +44 (0) 20 7566 5444.
Download your copy of the 2019 agenda here.
View agenda page
Agenda
Day 1 - Tuesday 5th
Plenary
08:00 - 08:45
Registration and coffee
08:45 - 08:50
PEI Welcome
08:50 - 09:05
Chairperson's opening remarks
Laurie Mahon
Laurie Mahon
Vice-Chair, US Investment Banking, Global Investment Banking, CIBC World Markets
Read bio
09:05 - 09:30
Keynote speech: Why diversity and culture are a value driver in business
Brenda Trenowden CBE
Brenda helps clients with all aspects of workplace performance, culture and communication. Brenda has a particular focus on helping her clients to achieve better business performance by improving both the diversity and inclusiveness of their workforces. She is a strong advocate for women’s economic empowerment and has been recognised with several awards for her global campaigning for greater gender balance across organisations as a voluntary, business-led imperative.
09:30 - 10:15
Head of Private Markets: The themes that unify our asset classes
Clare Gaskell,
Amy Aznar,
Andrew Blincoe,
Kirsten Bode,
Melissa Li
Panel Session
- What is driving the growth in private markets? Are we in a bubble?
- Putting money to work in an increasingly competitive environment
- To what extent do investors differentiate between asset classes? Where are their similarities?
- How can working together address talent deficits across private markets?
- What practical advice do industry leaders have for young people in the industry today?
Moderated by: Clare Gaskell, Partner, Simpson Thacher
Infrastructure: Andrew Blincoe, Head of Structured Finance, NatWest
Private Debt:Kirsten Bode, Co-Head of Private Debt, Pan Europe, Muzinch & Co
Private Equity: Melissa Li, Managing Director, CIBC Capital Markets
Real Estate: Amy Aznar, Head of Debt and Special Situations, LaSalle Investment Management
10:15 - 10:55
How are investor pressures driving change within the funds they invest in?
Laurie Mahon,
Matina Papathanasiou,
Imogen Richards,
Erin Sarret
Panel Session
- To what extent are investors challenging fund managers on diversity across investments?
- How senior leaders across private markets are promoting social mobility?
- Highlighting case studies where lack of diversity has impacted an investment decision
- Comparing approaches to diversity across private markets, are there any differences?
- How does diversity compare with other factors in impacting where investors put their money?
Moderated by: Laurie Mahon, Vice-Chair, US Investment Banking, Global Investment Banking, CIBC Capital Markets
Laurie Mahon
Vice-Chair, US Investment Banking, Global Investment Banking, CIBC World Markets
Read bio
10:55 - 11:35
Coffee & networking
Women in Private Debt Forum 2019
11:35 - 11:40
Private debt chairperson's opening remarks
Dalit Nuttall
11:40 - 12:20
State of Play: How Europe's lending landscape is shifting
Fiona Freeman,
Aurelie Hariton-Fardad,
Claire Harwood,
Vivian Ngan
Panel Session
- Putting capital to work in a booming credit environment
- How well prepared are private debt funds for the next economic crisis?
- What industries are seeing the most private debt activity? Which sectors are lenders tending to avoid?
Moderated by: Fiona Freeman, Managing Director, FTI Consulting
12:20 - 13:00
How technological innovation is re-shaping credit markets
Gabriella Kindert,
Frederic Hofmann,
Fei-Fei Porter,
Sandrine Richard,
Thomas Schneider
Presentation
- Where is technology having the biggest impact on private debt markets?
- What are the dangers related to implementing new technologies?
- Examples of current uses of tech in debt markets
Moderated by: Gabriella Kindert, Expert in Alternative Lending – Board Member, Mizuho Europe
Gabriella Kindert
Expert In Alternative Lending and Private Debt, Supervisory Board Member – Mizuho Europe
Read bio
13:00 - 14:00
Networking lunch
Women in Private Debt Forum 2019
14:00 - 14:45
Structuring fund investments: The increasing role of portfolio management in private debt
Jeff Davis,
Sandrine Richard,
Carina Spitzkopf,
Nicole Waibel,
Michelle Winters
Panel Session
- The role of asset managers in a market where deal terms are loosening
- What pushback are lenders giving on terms?
- How funds are preparing themselves for a less benign economic environment
Moderated by: Jeff Davis, Partner – Co-Head of Credit, Eaton Partners
14:45 - 15:15
Private debt case studies
Nicole Douglas,
Adriana Oller,
Magdalena Sniegocka
Presentations
Comparing and contrasting deals in 2 different European markets
- How do covenants compare across different countries?
- Where do funds see increased opportunities in private debt?
Moderated by: Nicole Douglas, Head of Investor Research, PEI Media
15:15 - 16:00
Beyond a Box-Ticking Exercise: ESG and Private Debt
Sabrina Fox,
Mirja Lehmler-Brown,
Kristina Matthews,
Oyin Oduya
Panel Session
- Outlining some of the challenges associated with ESG and private debt
- To what extend are credit funds learning from their private equity funds?
- Case studies of successful ESG implementation in a credit portfolio
Moderated by: Sabrina Fox, Executive Advisor, European Leveraged Finance Alliance
16:00 - 16:30
Coffee & networking
Women in Private Debt Forum 2019
16:30 - 17:10
What are LP views of the European private debt market today
Faten Bizzari,
Lauren Fradgley,
Scott Wilkinson,
Aurelie Hariton-Fardad
Panel Session
- LP views on loosening deal terms in Europe
- How are investors differentiating between fund managers?
- Are LPs concerned about style drift as fund sizes increase?
Moderated by: Faten Bizzari, Head of Investment Research, IANUA Market Limited
17:10 - 17:45
Looking across the pond: How does European direct lending compare to the more established U.S. market?
Daniela Jönsson,
Andy Thomson
Interview
- Outlining the historical evolution of both markets
- Dynamics in each market– size, performance, supply and demand, product type, relative value, return drivers
- Current market conditions and development
- What are the characteristics of sophisticated direct lenders in each market?
17:45 - 19:00
Women in Private Markets Cocktail Reception
Agenda
Day 2 - Wednesday 6th
08:00 - 09:00
Invitation only think-tanks
Anamica Broetz,
Gila Cohen,
Laurie Mahon,
Matina Papathanasiou,
Katherine Taylor
These closed-door sessions will allow women to speak freely about the issues impacting their office and asset class. It is a closed door, open conversation where attendees can benchmark ideas and share best practices to gain solutions for common concerns.
- Infrastructure: Matina Papathanasiou, Deputy Head of Global Infrastructure, QIC & Laurie Mahon, Vice-Chair, US Investment Banking, Global Investment Banking, CIBC Capital Markets
- Private equity: Anamica Broetz, Head of Investor Relations, DWS Private Equity
- Private Debt: Katherine Taylor, Director – Business Development, THL Credit
- Real Estate: Gila Cohen, Managing Director – Real Estate and Private Equity, MUFG
Laurie Mahon
Vice-Chair, US Investment Banking, Global Investment Banking, CIBC World Markets
Read bio
08:30 - 09:10
Registration & coffee
Plenary
09:10 - 09:50
Emerging Markets: Where are the most attractive opportunities in emerging markets?
Taru Oksman,
Danielle Baron,
Maria Pejter,
Nupur Garg,
Shami Nissan
Panel Session
- Which macro trends are affecting investment in emerging markets today?
- Key reasons to invest in Asian, LatAm & African alternative assets
- What is the appetite for different investment strategies across emerging markets?
- Comparing risk in EM to more developed markets
Moderated by: Taru Oksman, Managing Partner, Riverhouse Partners
09:50 - 10:15
Highlights of the PEI LP Insight findings
Nicole Douglas
Presentation
The PEI Investor Research & Analytics team surveyed over 100 LPs to capture investor sentiment on asset allocation, relationships with GPs, and performance predictions. The study also features insight on gender diversity and inclusion. Investors range from established players with diverse fund portfolios, to those planning to make their first alternatives commitments in 2020.
Presented by: Nicole Douglas, Head of Investor Research, PEI Media Group
10:15 - 10:50
View from the deal team: What skills are required to make a successful investment partner?
Samantha Hung,
Cecile Levi,
Claire Madden,
Adriana Clancy
Panel Session
- Why do deal teams remain so male, pale and stale even when compared to other areas of finance?
- Outlining the advantages of a diverse deal team
- What advice do deal team partners have for young people aiming for a spot on the deal team?
Moderated by: Samantha Hung, Deputy Representative, European Representative Office, ADB
10:50 - 11:30
How, why and when to move between alternative asset classes
Gail McManus,
Yodia Lo,
Merrick McKay,
Jessica Otte
Panel Session
- Building a cross-asset class network
- Are there any significant differences in the skills required to be successful?
- What skills are transferrable between asset classes?
- Case studies from practitioners who have made the move
Moderated by: Gail McManus, Founder and Managing Director, PER
11:30 - 12:00
Coffee & networking
Plenary
12:00 - 12:40
Meet a Mentor Session
Helen Bailey Thomas,
Meg Brown,
Deborah Gilshan,
Emma Haight-Cheng,
Anke Heinze,
Keeran Kang,
Merrick McKay,
Jessica Otte,
Imogen Richards,
Harry Seekings,
Katherine Taylor,
Pooja Warier Hamilton,
Alex Wilson
Roundtables
This unique session will split the room up into tables with a senior representative on each table offering practical career advice to the table. This will provide a unique opportunity to build your network and tables will be led by people with different areas of expertise.
Pooja Warier Hamilton, Founding Partner and Executive Director, Conduit Capital
Imogen Richards, Partner and Global Head of Investment Structuring and Strategy, Pantheon
Jessica Otte, Director, Stepstone Global
Alex Wilson, Managing Director and Head, Corporate Banking Europe, CIBC Capital Markets
Merrick McKay, Head of Europe – Private Equity, Aberdeen Standard Investments
Anke Heinze, Director of the Investments & Financing Department, AviAlliance
Katherine Taylor, Director – Business Development, THL Credit
Deborah Gilshan, Founder, The 100% Club
Keeran Kang, Senior Vice President, Partners Group
Harry Seekings, Co-Head of Infrastructure, InfraRed
Helen Bailey Thomas, Non-Executive Director and Board Adviser
Emma Haight-Cheng, Partner – Head of Infrastructure Debt Europe, AMP Capital
Meg Brown, Managing Director, Marketing & Business Development, Impax Asset Management
12:40 - 14:15
Themed networking working lunch
Nupur Garg,
Christina Han,
Roxana Isaiu,
Elena Kosseva,
Sandra Lowe,
Emília Mamajová,
Deborah Okenla,
Abigail Rayner,
Chris Rowse,
Ulyana Shtybel,
Jean Sweeney
Tables discussing a variety of topics over lunch led by an expert moderator
Ulyana Shtybel (HighCastle) – Tokenisation of private equity and private debt
Emilia Mamajova (Espira Investments) – Diversity & Impact
Abigail Rayner (HarbourVest Partners) – Infrastructure Secondaries
Roxana Isaiu (GRESB) – ESG & Real Assets
Nupur Garg (Senior Advisor PE) – Forming a women’s private equity network
Chris Rowse (Riverhouse Partners) – Recruitment: Challenges and Diversity Trends
Jean Sweeney (Citco Fund Services) – Technology and Private Markets
Elena Kosseva (LCR)- Private Investment and Urban Regeneration
Christina Han (Partners Group) – Thematic Sourcing
Sandra Lowe (InfraRed Capital Partners) – IR and Capital Raising
Deborah Okenla (YSYS) – Diversity and Startups
14:15 - 14:25
Chairperson's closing remarks
Featured speakers from 2019
View the 2019 speakers
For more information on speaking, please contact Charles Gould at charles.g@peimedia.com or call +44 (0) 20 7566 5444.
Download your copy of the 2019 agenda here.
Amy Aznar
Head of Debt & Special Situations
Amy Klein Aznar is the Head of Debt Investment and Special Situations team at LaSalle Investment Management and responsible for LaSalle’s market leading debt platform as well as evaluating investments in structured debt and equity, private real estat… Read full bio
Helen Bailey Thomas
Non Executive Director and Board Adviser
A Chartered Accountant and one of the first women to be awarded IoD Chartered Director accreditation, Helen enjoyed a highly successful career in financial services and property before taking on Non Executive Director and Chair roles in financial ser… Read full bio
Danielle Baron
Global Head of Power & Utilities, Crédit Agricole CIB
Danielle began her career at U.S Ex-Im Bank in Washington D.C. She later joined ANZ where she held several positions in Structured Finance and Infrastructure & Utilities Coverage in Hanoi, Melbourne and London. She later joined HSBC and finally Credi… Read full bio
Faten Bizzari
Head of Investment Research, IANUA Market Limited
Faten is Head of the IANUA Investment Research team. She brings 20 years of experience researching and investing in debt and equity across global multi-sector assets. Previous roles include Head of investment credit at HBOS (Lloyds) Treasury as a buy… Read full bio
Andrew Blincoe
Head of Structured Finance, Natwest
Andrew runs NatWest’s Structured Finance business, covering our Infrastructure, Project and Asset Finance, Structured Real Estate, Leveraged Finance and Corporate and FI loans teams, as well as our Scandinavian sale and leaseback business, Nordisk Re… Read full bio
Kirsten Bode
Co-Head of Pan-European Private Debt, Muzinich & Co
Prior to joining Muzinich, Kirsten worked for six years as a Managing Director in the principal debt investing team at Macquarie, responsible for sourcing and executing transactions ranging from leveraged senior, unitranche and mezzanine debt to equi… Read full bio
Meg Brown
Managing Director - Marketing & Business Development, Impax Asset Management
Meg leads marketing across Impax and manages the London-based sales and client service team covering UK, continental Europe and Asia. Meg also co-heads our impact investing work. She has extensive experience in sustainable investing and research, hav… Read full bio
Adriana Clancy
Partner - Research & Portfolio Management, Corbin Capital Partners
Adriana is a Partner and Portfolio Manager of Corbin Capital Partners, a New York-based independent alternative asset management firm that specializes in multi-strategy and opportunistic credit investing for pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, var… Read full bio
Gila Cohen
Managing Director, Real Estate and Private Equity, MUFG
Gila R. Cohen is a Managing Director, Real Estate and Private Equity at MUFG. In this role, she is responsible for those businesses including investments/fund Allocation, Corporate Banking and Investor Services. Most recently, Ms. Cohen was the Manag… Read full bio
Jeff Davis
Partner - Co-Head of Credit, Eaton Partners
Jeff is the Co-Head of Private Credit and has a leadership role in the origination, underwriting and project management of Eaton’s private credit-related offerings. He works closely with clients on marketing strategy, collateral design and product po… Read full bio
Nicole Douglas
Head of Investor Research, Infrastructure Investor
Nicole Douglas is the Head of Investor Research for Infrastructure Investor’s Research & Analytics department. Based in London but working across the company’s offices and products, she oversees researched content, surveys, and projects on invest… Read full bio
Nicole Downer
Managing Partner, MV Credit
Nicole Downer joined 2005 is a Managing Partner and Head of Investor Relations, managing a number of strategic relationships of the firm. She is also a member of the MV Credit Manager Board. Prior to MV Credit, Nicole was a Managing Director at Deuts… Read full bio
Sabrina Fox
Executive Advisor, European Leveraged Finance Alliance
Sabrina is a recognised expert in the European leveraged finance market focused on increasing transparency, improving disclosure standards, and educating market participants on the importance of lender protections in documentation. Most recently, Sab… Read full bio
Lauren Fradgley
Officer of the Debt Products Department, European Investment Fund
Lauren Fradgley is an Investment Officer of the Credit Market Products team at EIF (European Investment Fund), responsible for direct investments in Diversified Debt Funds across Europe. Lauren specialises in the origination, analysis and approval of… Read full bio
Fiona Freeman
Managing Director, FTI Consulting
Fiona Freeman is a Managing Director in FTI Consulting’s Corporate Finance practice based in London. As well as working on restructurings and acting as an expert witness Fiona’s main focus is acting as a debt intermediary, providing strategic debt ad… Read full bio
Nupur Garg
Board Member and Senior Advisor, PE Industry
Nupur Garg is one of India’s top 100 Women in Finance (AIWMI 2019 list) and advises large multi-billion limited partners in emerging markets. She has founded a first-of-its-kind platform designed to help women succeed in the PE industry and which is… Read full bio
Clare Gaskell
Partner, Simpson Thacher
A Corporate Partner in Simpson Thacher’s London office, Clare Gaskell advises on both private M&A and public takeovers as well as equity capital markets transactions (including IPOs) and general corporate matters. She has represented private equity f… Read full bio
Deborah Gilshan
Founder, The 100% Club
Deborah is an investment professional with expertise in corporate governance, sustainability and shareholder engagement. An Ambassador of the 30% Club, the global initiative to promote diversity in companies, Deborah was instrumental in leading the w… Read full bio
Emma Haight-Cheng
Partner - Head of Infrastructure Debt Europe, AMP Capital
Emma Haight-Cheng joined the Investment Team in the London office in March 2014. Ms Haight-Cheng is primarily responsible for sourcing, arranging and managing infrastructure debt investments in Europe and has over 13 years of infrastructure and energ… Read full bio
Aurelie Hariton-Fardad
Director, MetLife Investment Management
Aurélie Hariton-Fardad has been a Director in MetLife’s Private Placement team since 2015. She is in charge of the team’s holdings in the real estate and business services sectors in the UK and Europe. Aurélie believes her previous five years as a Di… Read full bio
Claire Harwood
Investment Director, Permira Debt Managers
Claire joined Permira Debt Managers in September 2017. She focuses on originating, leading and executing new investment opportunities across all sectors. Previously, Claire worked at HIG WhiteHorse for four years originating and executing deals. She… Read full bio
Anke Heinze
Director of the Investments & Financing Department, AviAlliance
Anke is the Director of the Investments & Financing department of AviAlliance GmbH (former HOCHTIEF AirPort). She has over 20 years of airport M&A experience gained in various buy-side and sell-side projects. Anke has also been involved in the syndic… Read full bio
Frederic Hofmann
Managing Director, ING Ventures
Frederic Hofmann is a Managing Director at ING Ventures, the €300m fintech investment fund of ING Bank, and a member of its Investment Committee. In parallel he is co-founder and on the investment committee of Slamdunk Capital, a seed fund focused on… Read full bio
Samantha Hung
Deputy Representative, Asian Development Bank
Samantha is Deputy Representative at ADB’s European Representative Office in Frankfurt, which liaises with stakeholders across 17 European member countries. Samantha is a seasoned provider of ADB management support, including for a Vice President and… Read full bio
Roxana Isaiu
Director - Real Estate, GRESB
Roxana Isaiu is Director Real Estate for GRESB. Roxana holds an Msc in Corporate Finance and is responsible for the development and implementation of the ESG standards, as well as the benchmarking methodology for the real estate sector. Since joining… Read full bio
Daniela Jönsson
Principal - Relationship Manager, Ares Management
Daniela is a Principal in the Ares European Relationship Management Group and is responsible for the marketing and client relations effort across all strategies of the firm (credit, private equity, real estate) to institutional investors in Germany,… Read full bio
Keeran Kang
Senior Vice President, Partners Group
Keeran Kang is part of the Private Real Estate Integrated Investments business unit responsible for European investments, based in London. Prior to joining Partners Group, she worked at Schroder Real Estate Investment Management, where she was a Fund… Read full bio
Gabriella Kindert
Expert In Alternative Lending and Private Debt, Supervisory Board Member – Mizuho Europe
Dr. Gabriella Kindert is a senior banking and investment professional specialized on Alternative Credit, Private markets and the digital transformation in the financial sector. She gained over 20 years of international experience in managing investme… Read full bio
Elena Kosseva
Development Manager, LCR
Elena Kosseva is a development manager at LCR, with responsibility for managing planning, construction and occupation across key sites across LCR’s development portfolio. Her role encompasses working to establish partnerships with public and private… Read full bio
Mirja Lehmler-Brown
Partner and Managing Director, Hayfin Capital Management
Ms. Lehmler-Brown is a Managing Director and co-head of the Private Equity Funds investment team at Hayfin Capital Management. Ms. Lehmler-Brown joined from Standard Life Aberdeen where, since 2006, she was a senior investment portfolio manager and i… Read full bio
Cecile Levi
Co-Head of Private Debt, Tikehau Capital
Cécile Mayer-Lévi joined Tikehau Capital in 2013 and heads the Private Debt platform of the asset management firm. She has extensive knowledge in direct lending transactions, and has worked closely with major private equity houses, investment funds a… Read full bio
Melissa Li
Managing Director and Head - Private Capital Group, CIBC
Melissa Li rejoined CIBC in 2016 as a Managing Director in the Private Capital Group at CIBC Capital Markets. In her current role, Melissa leads the global coverage strategy for pension funds, private equity firms and family offices across the consum… Read full bio
Yodia Lo
Alternatives, Church Commissioners for England
Yodia Lo focuses on Hedge Funds, Alternative Credit and Co-investments at Church Commissioners, the £8b endowment arm of the Church of England. In this role she has sourced investments including Emerging Market Distressed Debt, Short Term Quant and d… Read full bio
Sandra Lowe
Director, Business Development, InfraRed Capital Partners
Sandra heads investor coverage at InfraRed, the leading investment manager in infrastructure and real estate. She manages investor relationships to drive capital raising and shape infrastructure product development or investment propositions for fund… Read full bio
Claire Madden
Managing Partner, Connection Capital
Claire is Managing Partner of Connection Capital, a private client investment business specialising in alternative investments. Claire’s career began as a private equity investor at 3i having graduated in Banking & International Finance from Loughbor… Read full bio
Laurie Mahon
Vice-Chair, US Investment Banking, Global Investment Banking, CIBC World Markets
Laurie Mahon serves as Vice-Chair of CIBC’s U.S. Investment Banking business, a role she recently assumed after having led the Global Infrastructure and Power team since August 2013. She has spent her entire professional life in the infrastructure sp… Read full bio
Emília Mamajová
Founding Partner, ESPIRA Investments
Emília is a Founding Partner of ESPIRA Investments, the first private equity firm in Central Europe with a gender lens investment strategy element. Prior to co-founding ESPIRA, Emília was a Head of Czech Republic and Slovakia with PineBridge Investme… Read full bio
Kristina Matthews
Managing Director, Brightwood Capital Advisors
Kristina Matthews is a Managing Director at Brightwood Capital Advisors where she primarily focuses on business development and fundraising strategy. Her engagement commenced in February 2014 in a Consulting role which led to Ms. Matthews joining Bri… Read full bio
Merrick McKay
Head of Europe - Private Equity, Aberdeen Standard Investments
Merrick joined SL Capital, now part of Aberdeen Standard Investments (“ASI”), in 2014 and is based in the Edinburgh and London offices. ASI’s European Private Equity business, with over €8bn AuM, encompasses primary and secondary fund investments and… Read full bio
Gail McManus
Founder and Managing Director, PER
Gail McManus is the Founder and Managing Director of PER, setting up the business in the late 1990s after a career in private equity at 3i. Gail is a passionate member of the private equity and alterative assets community and is actively involved in… Read full bio
Vivian Ngan
Vice-President, EQT
Vivian Ngan joined EQT Partners in April 2017 and is a member of the EQT Credit investment team in London, focusing on originating, conducting due diligence on and executing investment opportunities across all sectors. Prior to joining EQT Partners,… Read full bio
Shami Nissan
Head, Responsible Investment, Actis
With over 17 years’ experience in responsible investment, primarily serving the private equity, banking and development finance sectors, Shami was drawn to Actis by its leadership in responsible investing, the firm’s diverse culture and the opportuni… Read full bio
Dalit Nuttall
Principal, West Valley Capital
Following an institutional career with Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch and Wachovia, Dalit founded WestValley Capital in 2007 to connect preferred solution providers with European pension funds, insurance companies and asset managers in ways that addre… Read full bio
Oyin Oduya
Head of Impact Strategy, Golding Capital Partners
Oyin leads the Impact Investing strategy at Golding Capital Partners with a focus on Emerging Market Private Debt. She is also responsible for ESG diligence, monitoring and engagement for Impact Investing strategies. She joined from the leading Emerg… Read full bio
Deborah Okenla
Founder 7 CEO, YSYS
Deborah Okenla is the Founder and CEO of YSYS (Your Startup, Your Story); a startup community for founders, developers, creatives, and investors on a mission to open doors of opportunity for diverse talent within the startup ecosystem. YSYS run two p… Read full bio
Taru Oksman
Managing Partner, Riverhouse Partners
As Managing Partner, Taru oversees Riverhouse Partners and Riverhouse Advisory. She works across all practice areas on key strategic hires. At Riverhouse Partners, her remit encompasses country head roles across growth markets as well C-suite roles i… Read full bio
Adriana Oller
Founder & Partner, Resilience Partners
Adriana Oller founded Resilience Partners to provide flexible solutions to SMEs. She has over 20 years of investment experience, specifically in midmarket companies in Spain and Portugal, where she has invested over EUR 110 M in 14 companies. Adriana… Read full bio
Jessica Otte
Director, Stepstone Global
Jessica Otte is a member of the Investor Relations Team for StepStone, responsible for managing client relationships in Germany. Prior to joining StepStone she spent 9 years at Goldman Sachs, based both in London and latterly in Frankfurt. She holds… Read full bio
Matina Papathanasiou
Deputy Head of Global Infrastructure, QIC
Matina is currently the deputy head of QIC Global Infrastructure, a business she co-founded in early 2006. QIC Global Infrastructure has directly invested over $10billion in global infrastructure covering toll roads, airports, ports, water and energy… Read full bio
Maria Pejter
Head of HR, A.P. Møller Holding
Maria Pejter is an international HR Leader with extensive experience and core competencies in areas such as Talent Management and Organizational Development. She has been with A.P. Moller-Maersk since 1997 in various HR positions including Senior Dir… Read full bio
Fei-Fei Porter
Capital Markets Director, Prodigy Finance
Fei-Fei is Head of Institutional Investors, Capital Markets at Prodigy Finance, a global fintech that finances top talented international students accepted into the world’s best graduate courses. Prior to joining Prodigy she spent more than a decade… Read full bio
Abigail Rayner
Vice President, HarbourVest
Abigail Rayner joined the HarbourVest team in 2018 as a product specialist focused on global real assets investments and works closely with the investor relations team. Abigail joined the Firm from Octopus Investments, a UK focused renewable energy m… Read full bio
Sandrine Richard
Head of Private Debt - France, Muzinich & Co
Sandrine is Head of Private debt -France. Before joining Muzinich, Sandrine spent 10 years at AXA IM where she worked in the fixed income department, the leveraged loan division and co-founded the Private Debt team. Prior to AXA IM, she was an equiti… Read full bio
Imogen Richards
Partner and Global Head of Investment Structuring and Strategy, Pantheon
Imogen Richards is a Partner and Global Head of Investment Structuring and Strategy in Pantheon’s Global Investment team with 18 years of private equity experience. She is also closely involved in key strategic and corporate development projects. Imo… Read full bio
Chris Rowse
Partner, Riverhouse Partners
Chris is a Partner of the firm and leads the Private side investment practice specialising in private equity, private debt, and impact investing. Working with the investment management and financial investor practices, Chris advises his investor clie… Read full bio
Erin Sarret
Director, StepStone Group
Ms. Sarret is a member of the Business Development team and the ESG Committee, responsible for managing client relationships in France, Belgium, and Monaco. Prior to StepStone, Ms. Sarret worked in investor relations across public and private markets… Read full bio
Thomas Schneider
Managing Director & Founder, BrickVest
Thomas has over 16 years of experience in real estate investment, finance and development. Most recently, he was the founder and CEO of Limmat Group, a real estate private equity company focusing on investing and developing real estate projects in Eu… Read full bio
Harry Seekings
Co-Head of Infrastructure, InfraRed
Harry joined InfraRed in 1998. Harry is Co-Head of Infrastructure business and has the day-to-day responsibility for leading the InfraRed team in relation to HICL. Harry returned to London in July 2015, almost seven years after relocating to New York… Read full bio
Ulyana Shtybel
Vice-President, Highcastle
Ulyana is a Vice President and Chief Capital Officer at the HighCastle.co, the UK blockchain-based investment marketplace and share registrar. Ulyana co-founded and led two fintech incubation programmes, Fintech Master and Open Banking Lab in partner… Read full bio
Magdalena Sniegocka
Investment Director, CVI
Magdalena Sniegocka is an Investment Director and a member of the Investment Committee at CVI. She is responsible for origination, execution and monitoring of private debt and private equity investments. In her professional career she led or particip… Read full bio
Carina Spitzkopf
Director - Private Debt & CLO's, Hermes Investment Management
Carina joined Hermes in January 2019 as a Director in the Private Debt team. She is responsible for analysis and execution of transactions in the UK and Europe for the Hermes Direct Lending Funds. Previously, she was a Director in the UBS Leveraged F… Read full bio
Jean Sweeney
Private Equity Senior Product Manager - SVP, Citco Fund Services
Jean Sweeney is the European Head of Private Equity Product with Citco Fund Services (Ireland) Limited, responsible for overseeing the private equity service offering. Ms. Sweeney led the development and rollout of PE-specific process development and… Read full bio
Katherine Taylor
Director, THL Credit
Ms. Taylor is a Director for THL Credit’s Direct Lending and Tradable Credit platforms. Her responsibilities include business development, product development, strategic relationships and fund marketing. She is responsible for the development and man… Read full bio
Andy Thomson
Senior Editor, Private Debt Investor
Andy Thomson is a Senior Editor at PEI with responsibility for Private Debt Investor, the leading title focused on the world's private debt markets. Andy works closely with team members in London, New York and Hong Kong. He has been with PEI for many… Read full bio
Brenda Trenowden CBE
Partner, PwC
Brenda Trenowden CBE, Global co-chair of the 30% Club, is a Partner in PwC UK within the people consulting practice. Brenda helps clients with all aspects of workplace performance, culture and communication. Brenda has a particular focus on helping h… Read full bio
Nicole Waibel
Managing Director, Crescent Credit
Nicole Waibel is a Managing Director at Crescent Capital focusing on European private debt investments. From 2001 to 2012 Nicole was with Indigo Capital, a leading European specialist lending fund, where she was most recently a partner. At Indigo Cap… Read full bio
Pooja Warier Hamilton
Founding Partner and Executive Director, Conduit Capital
Pooja is the Founding Partner and Executive Director of Conduit Capital, with an aim to grow high impact solutions that are solving pressing issues globally, by deploying the knowledge, networks and capital available within the Conduit community. Pri… Read full bio
Scott Wilkinson
Principal - Alternatives, Mercer
Scott Wilkinson is a Principal at Mercer Alternatives based in London. Mr. Wilkinson joined Pavilion Alternatives Group in 2009, which was acquired by Mercer in 2018. Mr. Wilkinson is responsible for sourcing, evaluating and monitoring private equity… Read full bio
Alex Wilson
Managing Director and Head, Corporate Banking Europe, CIBC Capital Markets
Alex Wilson is responsible for CIBC Capital Market’s Corporate & Institutional Client Business in Europe and the Middle East. Alex is a seasoned Investment Banker with 20 years’ experience in London, New York, Los Angeles and Toronto, advising corpor… Read full bio
Michelle Winters
Vice President, Northleaf Capital Partners
Michelle is a Vice President at Northleaf Capital Partners, a global private markets investment firm. Based in Toronto, Michelle focuses on investor relations, business development and communications for Northleaf’s private credit investment program.… Read full bio
Sponsorship opportunities
The Women in Private Debt Forum offers a unique opportunity for organisations to raise their profile as a part of the premier meeting for private debt professionals focused on increasing diversity within the asset class.
For more information on available sponsorship opportunities contact Chris Wagland, chris.w@peimedia.com +44 (0) 0207 566 5475.
