Executive in a PE-owned company: General or Soldier?

January 18, 2017, Zurich

Private equity professionals believe that a portfolio company’s probability of success is largely driven by a smart, pragmatic, hardworking and loyal management team. In the due diligence process, management comes under as much scrutiny as the market, the competition and the production facilities. If one manager drops out, his or her replacement will be examined at the highest levels of the PE firm because a good manager not only contributes to the prosperity of the business, he or she also provides confidence to the next owner, which in turn drives the portfolio company valuation. 

Selecting the right person is a challenge, as is establishing a remuneration scheme that incentivizes growth and minimizes risk. There is also a need to strike a balance between laissez-faire, giving management the freedom to act, and rigorous supervision. Private equity needs a “general” with a well-thought out strategy and clever tactics, while respecting the interests of shareholders, as devotedly as a “soldier”.

IPEC has put together a great panel with rich experience that will be moderated by Martin Spirig, IPEC President. The discussion covers requirements, selection, supervision and incentivizing of managers in PE companies. Join us for an insightful and enjoyable evening!

Tomas Aubell, Head of Investments, Jacobs Holding AG 
Born in Sweden, Tomas Aubell heads up the new investment activities of Jacobs Holding since April 2015. Before, he was a Partner at EQT Partners where he co-led the DACH equity team, playing a key role in transactions, such as Tognum, Sirona and Leybold Optics. He also had global responsibility for healthcare and the industrial sector teams. Prior to EQT, he worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company and Bain & Company. Tomas holds a M.Sc. in Engineering Physics from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and an MBA from INSEAD. He also studied business administration at the Stockholm School of Economics.

Bernd Kessler, Board Member,
Former CEO and C-level executive of several PE-owned companies
Based in Munich, Bernd Kessler currently serves on several publicly traded, as well as PE owned company boards in Europe, USA and Middle East. Amongst others, he is a board member of Polaris Industries Inc. a NYSE listed company based in Minneapolis, as well as Chairman of RENA Technologies GmbH in Germany, a PE owned company. He was CEO at Swiss SRTechnics during its ownership by Mubadala and he was President & CEO of MTU Maintenance in Munich. He was a member of the MTU executive leadership team, which took the KKR-owned company public at the FSE. Before that he spent 20 years at Honeywell Inc.  Bernd holds a Dipl.Ing. degree from FH Constance and an MBA from City University in Bellevue, USA.

Dorothea Kronenberghs,
Head of German Division, Directorbank, 
an executive search firm focusing on C-level functions in PE portfolio companies 
Dorothea Kronenberghs has 16 years international experience in the PE industry. Prior to Directorbank, she spent 8 years at 3i, leading the Business Leaders Network across German speaking countries and Scandinavia. She also recruited an investment team and built a network of industry experts and advisors for Swedish venture capital player Speed Ventures in Germany, as well as working for Odgers Berndtson where she gained extensive executive search experience. Dorothea has a degree in Business Administration with special focus on media and communication from Berufsakademie Ravensburg.

Key Facts

When: Wednesday January 18, 2017 18:00 to 21:00
Where: Restaurant Spitz at Landesmuseum, Museumstrasse 2, 8001 Zürich (next to Zurich HB)
Tickets: NAA Members CHF 50 for / Non-member Alumni and Guests CHF 70

Registration: https://en.xing-events.com/IPEC17

Program
18:00 Registration & Welcome Drink
18:30 Private Equity Panel + Q&A – Moderated by Martin Spirig
20:00 Apéro Riche