DIGITAL SUMMIT
2 - 3 September 2020
Build something people want to invest in.
Calling all private equity CFOs and COOs
On 2-3 September, leading practitioners and colleagues in Europe uncovered and began resolving the operational issues facing GPs in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
Hear their conversations — click through for the recordings.
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European COO/CFO Summit
About your host
We're PrivateEquityWire.
We grok* investment.
We've been providing expert, actionable insight to institutional investors and firms in the private equity space for over 15 years.
What is PEWlive Europe?
Europe's premier virtual event
for aspiring and current COOs + CFOs
At PEWlive Europe, private equity groups — spanning small and emerging managers through to large established global players — will share their views on how they think about the operational challenges facing the asset class:
Want a sneak preview?
Jess Larsen, Partner and CEO/Head of Americas at FIRSTavenue, speaks on succession planning at the North America COO/CFO Summit.
“Well done to Private Equity Wire for putting together this series of virtual panels with excellent speakers to discuss very topical issues.”
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“The event was topical, interactive, and very well managed. I enjoyed participating on my panel and found the rest of the content highly engaging. I also made a number of excellent industry contacts given the ease of networking and interaction that the virtual platform allowed for.
I would recommend future events without hesitation.”
“Informative, engaging and well executed given the digital format... very focused and organized...”
COO + CFO at a technology-focused PE firm
(Delegate)
Senior Portfolio Manager at a large private bank
(Speaker)
Managing Director/COO/General Counsel at large American LP
(Delegate)
VALENTINA PIPPOLO
ELIN LJUNG
Valentina joined Alpha in 2007 and is Partner and Head of Italy based in Milan.
She has been involved in a number of deals in sectors such as construction and building materials, distribution B2B, retail, oil and gas, industrial goods, business services and consumer goods.
At Alpha, she has been pivotal in the execution of deals such as Laminam, Calligaris and Remazel.
She started her career as an Analyst with Merrill Lynch, first in the Investment Banking and M&A division in London and then in the Investment Banking division in Milan.
Valentina is currently Partner and Head of Italy at Alpha.
Elin Ljung is the Director of Sustainability and Communication at Nordic Capital. She joined in 2017 and is responsible for driving the agenda of investing with sustainable impact.
Prior to joining Nordic Capital was Head of Corporate Communication and Investor Relations at the publicly listed investment company Ratos and before that she held various leading positions within industries including IT, Financial Services and Media.
Elin holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Electronics and Media Technology from Umeå university and additional studies in Business Administration.
Elin is currently Director of Sustainability and Communication at Nordic Capital.
ALEXANDRA DALY
Alexandra Daly is Founder and CEO of independent placement agency AA Advisors. She has over 20 years’ experience working in finance, 15 of which she has spent in the alternatives sector. Since 2007, AA Advisors has helped raise over $1 billion for Hedge Funds, Private Equity, Real Estate and VCs.
Alexandra is also Chair of the Council for Investing in Female Entrepreneurs, an initiative spun out of the Rose Review, commissioned by the UK Government. The council comprises leading financial institutions and works to encourage more investment into female-run businesses.
Before founding AA Advisors, Alexandra worked at Man Group, J.P Morgan and Morgan Stanley.
Alexandra is currently Founder and CEO at AA Advisors.
HERVÉ DESCAZEAUX
Hervé is Managing Partner and CIO of Cathay Capital. He currently holds board positions at Cenexi, Ponroy, Caillau, Neoxam and Moose Knuckles.
Prior boards include Echosens and Surys (Ex Hologram Industries).Prior to joining Cathay in 2012, Hervé was a Partner and member of the Investment Committee at Apax Partners France since 2005.
Hervé joined Apax as a Senior Associate in 1998 specializing in leveraged buy-outs in financial and business services and the healthcare sector in France. Prior to this, he was a Senior Manager in charge of audit and due diligences on international group's operations at PricewaterhouseCoopers in France and in the US.Hervé is a Chartered Accountant.
He graduated from Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP business school) in 1989.
Harvé is currently Managing Partner and CIO at Cathay Capital.
Jean-François Le Ruyet is a Partner of the Quilvest Private Equity team, co-managing the US/Europe co-investments and funds programs with a focus on buy-out in Europe. Jean-François is a member of the Quilvest funds and co-investments Investment Committees. He also sits on the Advisory Board of various PE funds.
Prior to joining Quilvest, Jean-François gained seven years of management and strategic consulting experience with Bain & Company as well as later with McKinsey & Company. At McKinsey, Jean-François worked with several European Private Equity funds in various industries, in particular the media and consumer goods sectors. His assignments included strategic and market due diligence, and merger and acquisition valuations.
Prior to his consulting career, Jean-François worked for two years at Société Générale in São Paulo, Brazil.Jean-François is a graduate of HEC (Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales) and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Jean-Francois is currently Partner at Quilvest Private Equity.
JEAN-FRANCOIS LE RUYET
Anthony Maniscalco is Managing Partner and Head of Investcorp’s Strategic Capital Group. Prior to his current role, Anthony was a Managing Director and Co-Head of Credit Suisse Anteil Capital Partners.
Prior to this, he was a Managing Director of the Hedge Fund Solutions business at The Blackstone Group. At Blackstone, he was a founding member and on the investment committee of Blackstone Strategic Capital Holdings. Prior to Blackstone, Anthony was Head of Alternative Asset Management Banking at Barclays within its Financial Institutions Group.
Prior to this role, he was head of the Media and Telecom vertical within Lehman Brothers’ Leveraged Finance Group. Early in his career, he worked at Bank of America and its predecessor Continental Bank in Chicago.
Anthony holds a B.S. from Indiana University and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.
Anthony is currently Managing Partner and Head of Investcorp’s Strategic Capital Group at Investcorp.
ANTHONY MANISCALCO
PAULINA PIETKIEWICZ
Paulina is a Director of Operations and CCO at Abris, bringing 18 years of international experience in various sectors of the financial services industry.
She is responsible for transaction execution and all operational, legal and compliance matters of the Group including administration of the Polish, Romanian, Luxembourg and Cypriot operations. Paulina sits on the Boards of Directors of most of Abris holding companies.
Before joining Abris, Paulina was an executive director working in Poland for Nordea Pension Fund, Credit Suisse and PZU Asset Management. She started her career in the M&A Legal Department of Achmea Group in the Netherlands.
Paulina holds an MBA from London Business School and a Master’s Degree from the Law Department of Warsaw University. She is fluent in English and French.
Paulina is currently Partner & CCO at Abris.
As Managing Director of RFA, George is a technology and business leader with a proven track record of strategic alignment, process improvement and guidance.
Having been both a COO and a CTO of his own technology firms over a nineteen-year period, he looks to provide transparent guidance to every business he serves and the people he leads.
George has extensive delivery and technical experience in network and server architecture, large-scale migrations utilising leading technology brands, and IaaS offerings.
An Assessor for the British Computer Society (The institute of IT) and a Certified IT professional, George is keen to ensure that the RFA gives clients the highest levels of service.
George is currently Managing Director at RFA.
GEORGE RALPH
André Pienaar is Founder of, and a Managing Partner at C5 Capital, a global specialist investment firm that exclusively invests in the secure data ecosystem, including cybersecurity, cloud, AI and space.
André currently serves on the boards of Reduxio and Panoply in Israel, IronNet Cybersecurity in Maryland, USA, the Haven Group in Luxembourg, and ITC Secure in London. He previously served on the Boards of Omada, Balabit and Shape Security which C5 exited successfully.
André started his career at Kroll Inc in 1996 where he became the youngest Managing Director until the successful sale of the company to Marsh & McLennan.
In 2004, André founded G3, an international consulting firm that advises global companies and international law firms on cybersecurity. In 2011, he sold G3 to Europe’s leading technology investment holding company.
André is currently Founder & Managing Partner at C5 Capital.
ANDRÉ PIENAAR
Neil has more than 13 years of private equity & venture capital experience. He joined Abingworth as CFO and UK Compliance Officer in November 2019.
Neil was Finance Director of Kennet Partners, an international private equity firm between 2012 and 2019, UK Financial Controller of Robert W Baird Group from 2011-2012 and Financial Controller of Advent Venture Partners from 2006-2011.
He trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG and holds a degree in Biochemistry from the University of Warwick.
Neil is currently CFO and UK Compliance Officer at Abingworth.
NEIL COOPER
ANDREW BENTLEY
Andrew joined Campbell Lutyens in 2003 and has overall responsibility for the firm’s fund placement advisory and execution team globally.
He co-heads the firm’s European private equity fund placement activities and has oversight responsibility for Campbell
Lutyens Asia Pacific.
He has led 38 fundraises, which have collectively raised over $25bn from global investors. Before joining Campbell Lutyens, Andrew was a fund manager at Sussex Place Ventures.
Prior to that, he was a corporate finance lawyer for six years with Ashurst specialising in M&A and private equity transactions. Andrew has a master’s degree in finance from London Business School.
Andrew is currently Partner at Campbell Lutyens.
DRAKE PAULSON
Drake Paulson is Senior Director at eVestment Private Markets, where he leverages his deep subject matter expertise across sales,
account management, and strategic planning responsibilities.
Drake joined eVestment in 2015 with the acquisition of TopQ Software Ltd, a private equity performance analytics solution, which he co-founded in 2013. TopQ’s unique functionality to create, share, and analyze private equity track records was a direct result of its founders’ experiences in private equity investing and software design and delivery. Prior to founding TopQ,
Drake held positions at Vitech Systems Group, Atlas Venture, JPMorgan, and State Street. Drake holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Connecticut
Drake is currently Senior Director at eVestment Private Markets.
Sebastian Junoy is a partner and co-founder of Headway Capital, a London based firm which invests in private equity secondaries in Europe and the US.
Prior to co-founding Headway in early 2004, Sebastian and his two partners were part of the investment team at Coller Capital. Prior to Coller Capital, Sebastian worked at J.P. Morgan in New York, advising corporate clients in crossborder mergers and acquisition transactions.
Sebastian started his career as a direct investment professional at the International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group), where he was part of the Latin America Investment Department.
Sebastian received a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from The Wharton School, as well as a Master of Arts in International Studies, all at the University of Pennsylvania.
Sebastian is currently Co-Founder & Partner at Headway Capital Partners.
SEBASTIAN JUNOY
Tim Wainwright is a Partner at Eight Advisory serving on its leadership here in London.
Before joining Eight Advisory in 2018, Tim spent 11 years with a Big-4 in Strategy & Operations, focused on end-to-end delivery of transactions – including carve-outs and integrations – for Private Equity and Corporate clients.
Tim helps clients execute M&A and Value Creation Projects, deploying a team Operational and Technology specialists, bringing flexibility and independence to cross-border situations.
Tim has also worked with IBM and in Corporate Development.Tim earned an MBA from HEC (Paris) and Wharton (Philadelphia).
TIM WAINWRIGHT
Rob is a Partner & CFO of Apera and is responsible for finance, operations and investor relations.
Rob has worked in the alternative investment space for over a decade, most recently as COO of Aimed Capital, the systematic global macro hedge fund. His experience spans capital raising, financing, structuring, reporting and compliance.
Prior to Aimed Capital, Rob co-founded the alternative investment firm JJR Capital and served as CFO at Frog Capital (growth technology), Group Financial Controller at Vision Capital (buyouts) and Transaction Finance Manager at Babcock & Brown (real estate).
Rob qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG in Sydney and holds a Master of Finance from the University of Cambridge and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of New South Wales.
Rob is currently Partner & CFO at Apera Asset Management.
ROBERT SHAW
Adrian has a MSc in Computer Science ( A.I and Machine learning) from Trinity College Dublin, MBA from Dublin City University and is a graduate of the London Business School.
He has gained considerable experience of working with tech-focussed innovations and developing business transformation strategies. Adrian’s previous roles include 10 years as IT Director at Hewlett Packard and 7 years as CEO of a Irish government commercial organization where introduced AWS in 2011 to dramatically reduce operating costs whilst broadening of content.
Most recently Adrian has been Commercial Director at Trinity College Dublin where he dramatically grewthe business from 15.2 million annual ebita to 28 million in 5 years. Adrian was an early stage investor in many USA technology startups where he gained valuable experience on how to scale technology organization.
Adrian is currently COO & Investment Director at Deepbridge Capital.
ADRIAN NEILAN
NEIL BROWN
Neil Brown is Chief Risk Officer at Earth Capital (EC), the global asset management group focused on sustainable technologies with over $1.6bn AUM. He is also a member of the investment committee.
Neil has over 35 years’ experience in the finance sector in various senior roles at leading institutions. Before joining EC in 2008, Neil was Global Head of Risk Management for Credit Suisse Asset Management, which had assets under management of $335 billion when he left.
Previously to Credit Suisse, Neil was Global Head of Risk Management at HSBC Asset Management, where he established an independent risk function for that business.
Neil is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and
Investment (CISI) and holds a degree in Economics from UCL.
Neil is currently Chief Risk Officer at Earth Capital.
MATT DICKMAN
Matt Dickman is an international counsel at law firm Debevoise & Plimpton. He advises on the formation, management and reorganisation of private investment funds.
Mr. Dickman also regularly advises fund sponsors and investors on GP staking transactions, including internal reorganisations and internal economic and governance arrangements, as well as seed investments in emerging fund sponsors and secondary transactions.
Mr. Dickman represents a broad range of international private equity and other private investment funds and their sponsors, including recent experience advising technology and venture capital funds.
Matt is currently International Counsel at Debevoise & Plimpton.
OLIVER CARDOZO
Oliver Cardozo is Director of Business Development at Apperio.
Olly graduated with a Law degree from Bristol University and started a legal career before switching to focus on business development roles in the legal and private equity sectors.
Oliver is currently Director of Business Development at Apperio.
Paul joined the Moghrabi Family Office
as COO in 2019.
Prior to this, he was the Global Director of Strategy and Operations in Duff & Phelp's Compliance and Regulatory Consulting Business Unit, where he was responsible for developing the business unit strategy, running change management programmes and driving operational efficiencies.
Paul has a Masters in History from Lancaster University.
Paul is currently COO at Moghrabi Family Office.
PAUL WINTER
Martin has more than 20 years’ experience working for regulated financial services businesses in Guernsey, 16 years of which have included company direction experience through appointments on regulated investment funds in the private equity, real estate and infrastructure sectors.
Martin holds a degree in politics from Loughborough University, is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, and a member of the Guernsey branch of the Institute of Directors.
Martin is currently Head of Client Services, Guernsey, at Sanne Group.
MARTIN SCOTT
Egle Sakalauskaite is a Vice President of ESG & Responsible Investing at Bregal Investments. She focuses on ESG integration across the portfolio and long term value creation.
Prior to joining Bregal, Egle nearly 10 years advising blue-chip companies, investors, and asset managers on sustainability strategy development and implementation.
Most recently, Egle was an Associate Director at Jones Lang LaSalle supporting companies with ESG integration and climate risk management.
Earlier in her career, Egle worked in several specialist sustainability consulting and professional advisory firms, including DNV GL and EY, focusing on stakeholder
engagement, responsible investment, and green bonds.
Egle is currently Vice President of ESG & Responsible Investing at Bregal Investments.
EGLE SAKALAUSKAITE
Parag manages Kreos's operations, finance and compliance teams, providing deal-level support to Kreos's portfolio companies, and participating in the management and execution of overall Kreos strategy.
Prior to joining Kreos, Parag was Managing Partner and Chief Operating Officer at MML Capital Partners LLP, where he was responsible for investor relations, fund raising, finance and operations across the group, including MML Ireland, and Accession Mezzanine Capital.
Before MML, Parag worked at CDB Webtech, a UK based investment platform, as their Finance Director.
Parag has an MBA from the University of Exeter and is a Fellow of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants.
Parag is currently Partner
PARAG GANDESHA
Kate Hodson is a partner in Ogier’s investment funds practice and is Head of ESG Funds for Ogier. She advises on the set-up of private investment funds as well as advising LPs on their fund investments.
Her experience covers a broad range of strategies and industries, including impact funds and sustainable investment funds, real estate, credit funds, venture capital and infrastructure funds. She has been named one of Asia's Top 40 Lawyers Under 40 by Asia Legal Business in both 2016 and 2019 and has been advising funds clients in Asia for
over 10 years.
Having recently completed her Masters in Energy and Environmental Law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, she launched Ogier's Sustainable Investing and Impact Funds practice, the first of its kind amongst the offshore law firms. Kate also serves as a trustee and on the finance committee for WWF Hong Kong.
Kate is currently Partner & Head of ESG Funds at Ogier.
KATE HODSON
Dr Andy Sloan is the Deputy CEO, Strategy at We Are Guernsey and is responsible for coordinating the development of financial services strategy. Andy established and chairs Guernsey Green Finance, the island’s sustainable finance initiative, and represents Guernsey at the UN’s Finance Centres for Sustainability Network.
He is an expert reviewer for the International Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report and a Non-Exec Director of ESI Monitor, an environmental assessment company. He is a member of the BVCA’s Channel Islands Working Group, the CityUK’s IRSG’s regulatory coherence working group, and is a member of the Institute of Directors and Institute of Risk.
Andy joined Guernsey Finance in August 2018 from the Guernsey Financial Services Commission, where he was Director of Financial Stability and International Policy Adviser. He was previously GIBA’s first technical advisor and prior to this was States of Guernsey Economist and Head of Policy and Research. Andy has a PhD in Macroeconomics
Andy is currently Deputy CEO, Strategy at We Are Guernsey
DR ANDY SLOAN
Answering your toughest questions
Succession planning. Disruptive tech. ODD.
Your chance to get up to speed on operational best practice.
The global private equity space in 2020 is benefiting from years of innovation and expansion. Investors from all asset classes have flocked to private equity looking for higher returns.
The result is that PE firms in 2020 are starting the year on a high with approximately USD450 billion worth of deals being made in 2019. However, with so many firms moving into private equity and political and economic uncertainty becoming more pronounced across the globe, it should not be a surprise that the private equity space has never been more competitive.
This event is designed to bring private equity groups of all sizes together — from small and emerging managers, to boutique firms, to large established global managers — in order to share their insights on a range of operational issues facing GPs in this increasingly competitive marketplace.
20+
Speakers
6
Panels
2
Days
∞
Networking Opportunities
Panel 1 • Succession Planning
11:00
Three rich days on creating long-term value
2 September — all times in BST
Panel 3 • Technology Impact
12:10
Floor Opens — Dedicated Networking Time
13:00
10:50
Opening Address
James Williams, Managing Editor, Private Equity Wire
13:20
Panel 2 • Operational Due Diligence — new trends and challenges
Sponsor Presentation #1 - The Present Future: Adapting to today's digital fundraising environment
11:50
14:10
Floor Opens — Dedicated Networking Time
Day 1 Concludes
15:00
Jean-François Le Ruyet, Partner, Quilvest Private Equity
Anthony Maniscalco, Managing Partner, Investcorp Strategic Capital
Andrew Bentley, Partner, Campbell Lutyens
James Williams, Managing Editor, Private Equity Wire
George Ralph, Managing Director, RFA
Paul Winter, COO, Moghrabi Family Office
Drake Paulson, Senior Director, eVestment Private Markets
Adrian Neilan, COO & Investment Director, Deepbridge Capital
André Pienaar, Chief Executive and Founder, C5 Capital
Tim Wainwright, Partner, Eight Advisory UK
Sebastian Junoy, Co-Founder & Partner, Headway Capital Partners
James Williams, Managing Editor, Private Equity Wire (moderator)
Drake Paulson, Senior Director, eVestment Private Markets
10:30
Dedicated Networking Time
Panel 5 • Operational Impact
Panel 6 • Outlook on 2020/21
3 September — all times in BST
11:00
12:10
13:20
Floor Opens — Dedicated Networking Time
Event Concludes
Sponsor Presentation #2 - Guernsey’s fund product in the green, ESG and sustainable finance space
13:00
14:20
15:00
Sponsor Presentation #1 - Evolution in Legal Spend by Private Equity Firms
11:50
Closing Address
14:10
Elin Ljung, Director of Sustainability and Communication, Nordic Capital
Alexandra Daly, Founder & CEO, AA Advisors (moderator)
Egle Sakalauskaite, Vice President, Bregal Investments
Martin Scott, Head of Client Services, Guernsey, at Sanne Group
Kate Hodson, Partner & Head of ESG Funds, Ogier
Panel 4 • Evolving the PE Operating Model
Neil Cooper, CFO, Abingworth
Harvé Descazeaux, Managing Partner and CIO, Cathay Capital
Neil Brown, Chief Risk Officer, Earth Capital
James Williams, Managing Editor, Private Equity Wire (moderator)
Paulina Pietkiewicz, Partner and CCO, Abris Capital
Parag Gandesha, Partner, Kreos Capital
Robert Shaw, Partner & CFO, Apera Asset Management
James Williams, Managing Editor, Private Equity Wire (moderator)
James Williams, Managing Editor, Private Equity Wire
10:30
Dedicated Networking Time
Oliver Cardozo, Director of Business Development, Apperio
Dr Andy Sloan, Deputy Chief Executive, Strategy, at Guernsey Finance
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Launched in 2007, Private Equity Wire has evolved organically to become one of the industry’s leading voices on key trends and developments shaping the industry.
At a time when LPs need more insight than ever on how and why they should allocate to PE funds, PE Wire has the skillset and toolset to develop authoritative content for clients that cuts through the noise.
With our consultant-driven approach, and commitment to the highest editorial standards our mission statement is simple: to deliver actionable insights that clients can measure.
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