Wednesday 1 November

Value creation takes centre stage: private equity acclimatises to challenging market conditions

-
Registration and networking breakfast
-
Real Deals welcome and chair’s opening remarks
-
Presentation: Performance expectations - what’s at stake?

Market conditions will put downward pressure on private equity returns. What can investors expect? What role will value creation play in future performance?

-
Presentation: UK and European economic outlook

Exploring the three big economic issues on the minds of PE players - inflation, interest rates and recession.

-
The CEO View: Winning strategies for growth, performance…and returns?

  • View from private equity leaders running businesses about how the rules of the game have now changed.
  • Where does value creation sit as a priority in the firm, compared with investments and fundraising?
  • How are firms positioning themselves for a more challenging few years ahead? How should LPs evaluate the operational credentials of their fund portfolio?

Moderator
Eric Bloom, COO & Head of Client Solutions, RE:CO

Speakers
Lorenzo Levi, Managing Director and Operating Partner, CDPQ
Dr. Dirk Markus
, Founding Partner, AURELIUS
Claudio Siniscalco
, Founding and Managing Partner, Fiduciary Co- Investment Partners

-
Networking break
-
Panel: Volatility as standard- the value creation playbook for 2024: is value preservation the name of the game?

  • Understanding the impact of higher interest rates and a slowing economy on value creation
  • Growth opportunities in a recession and innovative approaches
  • Addressing the increasing challenge of tight labour markets and the war for talent
  • How does the current crisis affect the playbook?
  • What is PE’s track record for delivering returns in a recession?
  • How do operating partners remain agile to mitigate what’s coming next on the horizon?

Moderator
Silvia Saccardi, Reporter, The Drawdown

Speakers
Wojciech Jezierski
, Partner, Abris
Streisan Bevan
, Director, Mayfair Equity Partners
Stephen Edwards, Co-Managing Partner, Soho Square Capital
Marc Ciancimino, Managing Partner, All Seas Capital

-
Presentation: AI

The buzzword of the year. What developments should be expected in the years to come?
Speaker
Andreas Wuchner, Operating Partner, TempoCap

-
Panel: AI applications for value creation

  • Use cases in portfolios
  • Implication on a GP's ops and deal lifecycle
  • Impact of AI and large language models (LLMs) like Chat GPT 
  • Required skills in the workforce

Moderator
Kitson Symes, Partner, Singulier

Speakers
Gilad G Amir, Digital Operating Partner, Pollen Street Capital
Lewis Bantin
, Partner, ECI
Mathilde Ragnhildstveit, Senior Investment Analyst, Formue
Alpesh Doshi
, Partner, RedCliffe Capital
David Walters
, Investment Director, River Capital

-
Lunch break and networking
-
Panel: Recipes for superior returns
  • Value creation in a low growth/high cost environment
  • Managing key stakeholders through the cycle
  • The importance of R&D ROI: Understanding the benefits and managing the risks
  • The impact of culture on value creation in tech companies

Speakers
Riccardo Basile, Operating Partner, Permira
Damien Henault
, Partner, TempoCap
Justin Maltz
, Partner, Mobeus

-
Interview: Value creation insights from a leading operating partner


Speaker

Matthew Murphy, Portfolio Partner, CBPE Capital

-
Snapshot: Supply chains

The global forces shaping import and export markets

-
Networking break
-
Fireside- chat: Nurturing resilience in a service provider ecosystem

  • Exploring the challenges of establishing a network of service providers
  • How to identify relevant service providers
  • Fostering collaboration – encouraging partnerships and knowledge sharing among service providers
  • Exploring ways to incentivise service providers to actively support talent efforts in the ecosystem

Speaker
Ben Cole, Investment Director, FPE Capital

-
Roundtables


Roundtable 

Operating partners and value creation

  • Quantifying the value of operating partners
  • When to engage operating partners in the deal process
  • Evolving operating partner organisational models: in-house vs externally sourced
  • Generalist vs specialist operating partner models and respective engagement models

Facilitator
Wim de Bruyne, Partner, Montagu


Roundtable 

Preparing for exit: strategies for enhancing company value prior to sale

  • Leveraging VDD to grow value
  • Timelines: when is the best time to start preparing a company for sale?
  • Red flags: identifying aspects of the business that need improvement before going to market

Facilitator
Mauro Ballabio, Operating Partner, Progressio

Co- facilitator
Chris Wardle, Managing Director, Foresight Group


Roundtable 

The ‘pre-100-day plan’: defining a value creation plan prior to acquisition

  • When is the right time to define the value creation strategy? Is post-acquisition too late in today’s market?
  • Working with DD providers to define the value creation plan prior to acquisition
  • Using value creation strategies to win deals

Facilitator
Violette Castagné, VCP Director, Digital Transformation, LDC

-
Closing remarks and networking drinks

Thursday 2 November

Talent in focus: prioritising talent for value creation

-
Registration and networking breakfast
-
Real Deals welcome and chair’s opening remarks
-
Opening panel: Unleashing the foundational value driver – empowering talent to drive agility and value growth in a dynamic market environment

  • Growing role of organisational effectiveness and talent in value creation
  • Empirical evidence linking organisational effectiveness with value creation
  • Building resilient and agile organisations to master turbulent times
  • Assessing management’s capacity to deliver increasingly ambitious value creation plans
  • How to attract and retain talent in a tight labour market

Moderator
Andros Payne, Managing Partner, Humatica


Speakers

Sam Ellis, Portfolio Director, Growth Capital Partners
Kate Migliaro, Global Head of Portfolio Talent, SearchLight Capital Partners
Lisa Telford
, Private Equity Partner, Montagu

-
Fireside chat: From ambiguity to clarity – mastering the emergence of specialist talent operating partners

  • Understanding the evolving role of the talent operating partner – defining responsibilities and expectations: What are the key stages and milestones in the evolution of talent operating partners? What is the future role?
  • Key challenges, common obstacles and strategies to overcome them
  • Leveraging the unique skills and competencies that talent operating partners bring to private equity and value creation
  • Managing the interface with deal teams and operating partners

Speakers
Nick Kingma, Portfolio Talent, HG
Jade McGrath
, Head of Talent Network, YFM Equity Partners

-
Networking Break
-
Panel: Talent acquisition and retention beyond compensation

  • How to attract top talent and keep them engaged
  • Different approaches for different generations: GenZ, Baby Boomers, Millennials
  • Growing role of values and purpose for retention
  • Key considerations beyond salary
  • Onboarding: making every day memorable

Moderator
Paul Blant, Managing Director, Finatal

Speakers
Ruby Biring, Head of Talent, Livingbridge
Tim Pointer, Operating Partner, Three Hills

-
Fireside chat: Leveraging competencies and expertise within the portfolio

  • Methods to facilitate the exchange of best practices between portfolio companies
  • Leveraging competencies and cumulative experience across portfolio companies
  • Cross-portfolio training programmes – functional specialists including HR, finance, commercial
  • Online tools and databases to facilitate exchange of best practices between portfolio companies

Moderator
Louise Kingston, Director, Baird Capital

Speakers
Lucie Mills, Partner, North Edge
James Markham
, Senior Partner, Graphite Capital

-
Panel: Prioritising people – importance of DE&I to master challenging market environments


  • Role of DE&I in driving value growth in dynamic market environments
  • Demonstrating the connection between DE&I and improved performance
  • Link between DE&I and good governance
  • Successful DE&I strategies and approaches

Moderator
Jennifer Wilson, Founder CEO, RE:CO

Speakers
Shami Nissan, Partner, Head of Sustainability, Actis
Imogen Richards
, Partner and Head of Primaries, Pantheon
Liz Jones
, Partner, Livingbridge

-
Lunch Break
-
The big debate: What is the best way to grow value – fire fast or develop?
-
Streams

Stream A: Workshop – ESG's influence on the next generation

  • Understanding the importance of ESG to Millennials and Gen Z
  • The impact of ESG – why and how it matters to the next generation of workers
  • Exploring how ESG influences employment decisions for young generations 

Speakers
Mia Smith, Investment Associate, ECI 
Ashim Paun
, Head of Sustainable Investing, Triton Partners

Stream B: Workshop – Impact of new ways of working on value creation

  • Challenges and benefits of remote and hybrid working
  • Impact of hybrid working on collaboration, leadership and innovation
  • Surveys and training to promote employee engagement and career progression

Speakers
Harriet Rosethorn, Investment Director, Puma Private Equity
James Marham
, Senior Partner, Graphite Capital

-
Interview: Impact of technology on HR and talent processes

  • Latest technology solutions for HR and talent management
  • Use of social media for recruitment and employer branding
  • Utilising talent assessment tools and methods
  • Leveraging tech tools for self-serve employee support and training
-
Closing remarks and networking drinks