Agenda

Revitalising Private Equity: Innovation, diversity, and strategic decision-making

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Registration and coffee
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Welcome remarks

Anjana Haines, Editor, Real Deals

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Keynote: The UK’s political and economic landscape - The investment backdrop
  • End of an era for global economic operating system – uncertainty yes, but also opportunity
  • US exceptionalism fades on tariff wars; a great opportunity to reshore investments to UK?
  • Labour govt gets serious about going for growth, delivering on ‘red tape’ bonfire

Marc Ostwald, Chief Economist and Global Strategist, ADM ISI

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Interview: Mansion House reforms: Two years on - progress, impact, and future directions
  • Understanding LGPS investment priorities and constraints
  • Key reports and data needed by pension schemes for daily decision-making
  • Balancing traditional and alternative investments in reporting
  • Navigating increased regulations in both the PE and pension sectors

Interviewer
Genie Cesar-Fabian, General Counsel and COO, ILPA

Interviewed
Michael Moore, CEO, BVCA

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Panel: Investment Committees: Decision making best practices
  • IC composition: All senior partners vs. a select group
  • Limited Partner interest in IC composition to foster investor confidence
  • Decision-making process: democratic or hierarchical? Unanimity or majority?
  • Balancing diverse expertise and perspectives in decision-making
  • Role of the IC Chair- importance of tenure and rotation of IC members

Moderator
Emma Watford, Partner, Bridgepoint

Speakers
Louise Boothby, Partner, CVC Secondary Partners
Bill Priestley, Managing Partner, Epiris
Merrick McKay, Head of Private Equity, GPMS
Aidan Robson, Partner, Endless
Joao Rosa, Founding Partner, Limerston Capital

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Networking break
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Interview: The journey of a successful emerging manager- avoiding the pitfalls

Interviewer
Carolina Espinal, Managing Director, HarbourVest

Interviewed
David Menton, Managing Partner, Synova

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Fireside chat: Linking diversity to success
  • Has the awareness of gender diversity increased at the executive level? Has something changed?
  • How to recognise diversity as a competitive advantage

Moderator
Anjana Haines, Editor, Real Deals

Speakers
Jennifer Dunstan, Partner, 3i
Gurpreet Manku, CEO, Level 20

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Panel: Best practices for talent, development and effective succession
  • How to identify key positions and assess required skills
  • How to evaluate potential successors (both internal and external)
  • Developing leadership capabilities in potential successors
  • Consider co-leadership models for smoother transitions
  • Addressing LP concerns about succession planning during due diligence

Moderator
Claire Madden, Managing Partner, Connection Capital

Speakers
Dominic Dalli, Managing Partner, Sovereign Capital Partners
Henry Sallitt, Managing Partner, FPE
Karen Sands, Chief Operating Officer, Federated Hermes

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Networking lunch
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Panel: NAV loans and preferred equity- taboo, or to-do?
  • Evolution in fund finance asset class
  • Is the use of NAV loans for portfolio enhancement a good use case?
  • Impact on returns and liquidity: interests between GPs and LPs
  • At what point does NAV loan pricing become prohibitively high?
  • How private credit and banks are working with each other

Moderator
Kathryn Pothier, Partner, Epiris

Speakers
Thomas Doyle, Partner, Head of NAV Financing, Pemberton
Richard Sehayek, Co- Head of Europe, Ares Management
Thomas Speller, Senior Managing Director, Global Head of Fund Finance, KBRA
Natalia Tsitoura, Partner, Apollo

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Deep Dive: Practical use of AI in PE investing
  • What are private equity firms' perspectives on the strengths and weaknesses of AI technology?
  • Examples of portfolio companies successfully leveraging AI to generate measurable returns on investment.
  • Are there examples of management teams excelling in AI implementation? What are the common mistakes in this area?
  • What steps should PE firms take to stay ahead in what could be a paradigm shift in innovation?

Moderator
Stephanie Ball, Senior reporter, Real Deals

Speakers
Neil Macdougall, Chair, Sophora
Mathias Strasser, CEO and founder, Scissero

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Networking break
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Panel: Continuation vehicle: A new driver in PE fund management
  • Increasing use of GP-led secondary transactions and continuation vehicles to manage liquidity and maximise value
  • Investor expectations focused on cash returns, especially as funds mature
  • Pressure on fund managers to deliver returns for ageing funds
  • The SEC's Adviser-Led secondaries rule and its impact on GP-led secondary transactions
  • Emphasis on transparency, conflict management. Fair values or best values?

Moderator
Lorenzo Cirio, Senior Vice President, Direct Investments, Capital Dynamics

Speakers
Jordan Dimmock, Senior Vice President, Unigestion
Mirja Lehmler-Brown, Managing Director and Co-Head of the Private Equity Solutions, Hayfin
Lorenzo Levi, Managing Director and Operating Partner, CDPQ
Stefano Manna, Managing Director, Head of GP Advisory, Investec
Charlotte Morris, Partner, Pantheon
William Thompson, Principal, Harbour Vest

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Fireside chat: New kids on the block - Insights from founders at some of the industry's most recent first-time fundraisers.
  • Challenges beyond fundraising
  • What makes a fund attractive to investors?
  • Lessons learned from early-stage fundraising

Moderator
Shivani Khandekar, Reporter, Real Deals

Speakers
Matthew Charman, Co- Founder, Northcote
Chris Wardle, Founding Partner, Hypha

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Closing remarks and networking drinks
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Interview: The last 25 years for Bal Johal in PE?

Interviewer
Cecilia Rabagliati, Head of Event Content, Real Deals

Interviewed
Bal Johal, co- CEO, MML