Agenda

Registration
Registration
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Chair opening remarks

Anjana Haines, Editor, Real Deals

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Keynote: How psychology helps in decision making
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Opening panel: Making agility work for portcos to overcome geopolitical influences
  • What global policy shifts and political disruptions in 2025 had the biggest operational impact on PE-backed companies, and how are firms adapting?
  • How can PE firms embed agility into their value creation strategies to quickly adapt to tariff shocks and sudden regulatory changes?
  • How do GPs communicate proactively with LPs to maintain confidence during political and economic upheaval?
  • What geopolitical and economic scenarios are on the horizon in 2026 and how can portfolio companies prepare to protect value and seize opportunity?

Speakers:
Tristan Nagler, Partner and Head, Aurelius Investment Advisory
Lorenzo Levi, Managing Director and Operating Partner, CDPQ
Leszek Muzyczyszyn, Senior Partner, Innova Capital

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Fireside chat: How to balance value creation and protection in the deal cycle?
  • Why are critical risks like cybersecurity and compliance being uncovered too late in the deal cycle?
  • What does real cyber resilience look like in midmarket companies beyond annual audits and outsourced IT?
  • Why value erosion from security failures often stems from weak operational alignment, not just technical gaps
  • How PE firms are shifting from checklist-style reviews to internal stress testing and scenario-based risk modeling

Speakers:
Richard Sanders, Managing Partner, Sullivan Street Partners

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Networking break
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Roundtables: Poll, Play and Plan: Shaping future strategies

Participants will be divided into groups. After launching a series of live polls with results displayed in real time, groups will analyse live poll results, explore their implications for value creation in PE and share their insights.

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Panel: How do culture and talent assessments shape successful investments?
  • What are the most practical ways to quantify culture during due diligence and why is it critical to value protection?
  • What red flags are most often missed in traditional talent due diligence and how do they erode value post-deal?
  • What are the most effective early post-close interventions to activate talent and culture?
  • Which leadership profiles and C-suite archetypes consistently drive value creation in volatile market conditions?

Speakers: 
Laura Atterwill, Managing Director, Synova
Owen Cartier, Partner, Value Creation, Searchlight Capital
Vignesh Kumaravel, Investment Director, Keyhaven Capital Partners

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Networking lunch
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Streams

Stream A: Who really drives the value? Rethinking operating models in PE

Speakers:
Alex Mathers, Partner, Inflexion
Christian Schmehl, Managing Partner, Hypax

Stream B: Organising for AI: how PE firms are structuring their response to the AI opportunity / threat

Speakers:
Ahmed Khamassi, Chief Digitalisation Officer, Stirling Square Capital Partners
Alessandro Binello, Group CEO, Quadrivio Group

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Streams

Stream A: Strategic exits in the age of uncertainty

Speakers:
Dr. Manfred Puffer, Operating Partner, Apollo Global Management
Gemma Braithwaite, Partner & Head of Investor Relations, All Seas Capital

Stream B: What LPs value most in Private Equity today?

Speakers: 
Imogen Richards, Partner and Head of Primaries, Pantheon
Amber Hilkene, Partner and Chief Growth Officer, Stanley Capital
Merrick McKay, Partner & Head of Private Equity for Global Private Markets Solutions, Patria

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Networking break
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Fireside chat: What does it really take to lead in private equity today?
  • Real talk on leadership fatigue, decision paralysis and emotional complexity in today’s high-stakes environment.
  • How do great leaders build trust, alignment and followership in this high-change environment?
  • Why is leadership in value creation now about adaptability and trust, not just command and control?
  • Honest lessons from operators and GPs about what it really takes to lead through disruption and deliver results under pressure.

Speakers: 
Laurits Bach Sørensen, Senior Partner and Co-Founder, Nordic Alpha Partners
Stephanie Caspar, Partner and Head of Portfolio and Via Summa, Summa Equity
Mustafa Khanbhai, VCP Director, Commercial, LDC
Alex Thomson, Partner, Growth Capital Partners

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Interview: Inside the mind of a CEO creating lasting portfolio value
  • Beyond growth targets, what are the hidden blockers to unlocking real portfolio value?
  • How do CEOs balance long-term value creation with today’s relentless pressure for quick wins?
  • What are CEOs doing to build teams and cultures that don’t just survive disruption but thrive in it?
Closing remarks

Anjana Haines, Editor, Real Deals