• Emerging trends impacting operational leadership roles
• Strategies to navigate and adapt to the evolving operational landscape
• Role of the CFO and COO in adding value to the business
• Adapting to changing market dynamics to future-proof your business

Moderator
Emily Rose, Managing Director, HSBC Innovation Banking

Speakers
Rebecca Boscott, Head of Projects, Hanover Investors Management
Paul Bramley, CFO, Claret Capital
Steve Darrington, Chief Financial & Risk Officer, Phoenix Equity Partners

Kevin Muller, Head of Business Change & Services, Coller Capital

• Innovative approaches to scale operations without a linear growth in headcount
• Leveraging technology and automation to deliver process optimisation
• Balancing cost pressures with maintaining operational effectiveness: what to do if mass outsourcing or hiring is not feasible?
• How to handle growth at speed: ensuring your platform remains robust

Moderator
Diana Meyel, Managing Partner, Cipio Partners

Speakers
Sally Beh, Managing Partner, ACE & Company
Neil Cooper, CFO, Abingworth
Nick Latner, Finance Director, Hg

Dwight Cupit, CFO, Bregal Investments

Optimising people: retention, compensation, and talent management

• Strategies for attracting and retaining top talent in finance and operations roles
• Compensation benchmarks and innovative remuneration models
• Developing a culture of growth, skill development, and value-add work

Discussion leader: Neil Cooper, CFO, Abingworth
Debojit Mukherjee, COO, Agilitas

Allocating budgets for operational needs: ESG, tech and more

• Prioritising budget allocation for ESG initiatives, technology investment and other operational requirements
• Deciding what costs are best incurred in-house and which can be charged to the fund or portfolio company
• Evaluating technology investments for operational optimisation
• Balancing short-term needs with long-term growth objectives

Discussion leader: Paul Winter, COO, Moghrabi Family Office

1st versus 3rd generation fund operations

• How today’s CFOs are approaching fund operations
• Does tech (AI, machine learning etc) have all the answers?
• Can 1st generation CFOs compete with the new breed of digitally native 3rd generation CFOs

Discussion leaders: Louise Corner, Chief Operating Officer, Phoenix Equity Partners

Steve Darrington, Chief Financial & Risk Officer, Phoenix Equity Partners

Fundraising strategies: consistency, profitability, and evolving capital structures

• Strategies to ensure consistent and profitable fundraising in a cyclical industry
• Adapting to evolving capital structures and investor preferences
• Leveraging innovation and differentiation to attract investors

Discussion leaders
Jonathan Hewitson, Finance Director, Kennet Partners

The jurisdictional debate: Luxembourg and beyond

• Overcoming jurisdictional challenges for operational leaders
• Ensuring substance and compliance in Luxembourg
• Addressing specific challenges including AML, fund set-up and bank account accessibility
• Alternatives domiciles to Luxembourg – are they any better?

Discussion leader
Malcolm Goddard, Partner, Zetland Capital

Insurance

Changing risk is making insurance more unreliable: The profile of insured risk has changed as GPs and their portfolio companies have adapted to multiple shock events. There has been a 300% increase in policyholders having to sue insurers to get their claims paid since 2018 and their litigation success rate is mixed. Insurers win 70% of the time at trial because the policyholder was unprepared and arranged the wrong insurance. How can you avoid unreliable insurance?

Discussion leaders
Bruce Hepburn, CEO, Mactavish
Katherine Quoroll, Managing Director, Technical Services, Mactavish

• Identifying and assessing operational risks and their potential impact on your firm
• Managing currency risk and FX exposure during a time of market volatility
• How can technology and AI can be used for effective risk management?
• What governance frameworks are in place to reduce risk

Moderator
Sam Anderson, Partner, Alpha FX

Panellist: 
Alan Chu, Partner, Finance & Operations Director, Beechbrook Capital
Malcolm Goddard, Partner, Zetland Capital
Bran Pathmanāban, Head of ESG, IP Group

• Defining the evolving role of a Chief Technology Officer in operational leadership
• Harnessing data analytics for operational insights and smart decision-making
• Single versus multi-platform solutions
• What kind of due diligence is needed to evaluate tech solutions and providers before onboarding?

Moderator: Silvia Saccardi, Reporter, The Drawdown

Panellist: Sally Beh, Managing Partner, ACE & Company

Matthew Guy, Associate Director, Business Management, Federated Hermes

Kevin Muller, Head of Business Change & Services, Coller Capital

Outsourcing and third-party management: best practices for smaller funds

• Evaluating outsourcing strategies for operational functions in smaller funds
• Effective vendor selection and management practices
• Balancing cost, control, and risk considerations in outsourcing decisions

Discussion leader:
Kirsty Joly, CFO, Px3 Partners
Kishan Sammani, CFO, Metric Capital

Tools for tail end financing

• GP-led secondaries as a tool for liquidity
• Co-investments
• NAV lines

Discussion leader: Jason Howard, COO, Headway Capital

Giovanni Pericolini, Partner and Chief Operating Officer, Medicxi

Navigating cyber risk management: how to help investments minimise risk exposure

• Understanding cyber risk across your portfolio: navigating upcoming and future regulations e.g. EU regulations such as DORA
• How innovative private equity firms stay ahead of cyber risks
• Lessons learnt from the insurance world and how to adopt their successful approach to risk How to continuously monitor and minimise cyber risk without maximising effort

Discussion leader: Ben Francis, Head of UK and International Sales, KYND

Open discussion -Key takeaways, actionable strategies and survey results

• A recap of the key insights and learnings from the summit
• Identifying actionable strategies to drive operational excellence
• Attendees will be surveyed prior to the summit about their current concerns and the results will be discussed
• An open forum for audience questions and discussion run strictly under Chatham House Rule

Discussion leaders: Elise Hockley, COO & Head of Investor Relations, Earth Capital

Alice Murray, Editorial Director, Real Deals & The Drawdown