Tracey Abbott is a Director (Senior Operating Partner) on the Mubadala Performance Partners team, based in New York City. Mubadala is a sovereign investor with $284 Billion AUM. Her operating responsibilities include consumer/retail and health and life sciences. Additionally, she leads Portfolio Company C-suite and Board Talent across the Mubadala Investment Company.

Prior to joining Mubadala, she worked for a Private Equity firm on the direct equity and special situations teams as a Senior Lead Operator. Her operating experience spans 20 years across consumer and retail companies Adidas, PepsiCo and Foot Locker as well as consulting with Bain. She was also an owner/operator of Chick-fil-A franchise. 10 years of international experience living in Europe, Asia, EMEA, and South America. She holds an M.B.A. from Hautes Etudes Commerciales in Paris.

Mubadala Investment Company is a sovereign investor that manages a diversified global $284bn asset portfolio to generate sustainable financial returns for its shareholder, the Government of Abu Dhabi.

At its core, Mubadala is a values-driven business builder:
• We invest in companies that create tangible and measurable impact on society
• These are companies that matter for current and future generations, are undergoing sustainable growth, and where our ownership can make a difference
• We build partnerships of choice with the world’s best management teams and GPs

Najeeb Ahmad is a Founder and Principal of Pennington Human Dynamics. Najeeb has compiled more than three decades of experience as a leadership consultant, coach, and organizational leader. Najeeb has worked with clients from a wide array of industries, transforming businesses of all types around the globe. Prior to Pennington, Najeeb held senior human resources, talent acquisition and talent development positions with organizations ranging in size from 120 to more than 50,000 employees, from privately held outfits to Fortune 100 companies — including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Capital One, Mobil Oil, and Office Depot. Najeeb couples his consultation and coaching with deep experience in the areas of team performance, talent management, leadership coaching, talent acquisition, and change management. Along the way he has developed a particular knack for leveraging intercultural effectiveness to drive business performance. With a track record of success with downsizings, expansions, and everything in between, Najeeb consistently applies a robust mix of personal instinct and insight, well-researched theory and proven practical applications to every assignment. Najeeb holds an MBA and MA in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, and a BA in History from Georgetown University. Najeeb is based in New Jersey.

Pennington is a performance consulting firm committed to helping businesses accelerate growth and value creation. We do this by sharpening and elevating their most valuable assets—their top teams and key leaders. We optimize the performance of top teams through proven team processes, and we build key leader capability through executive coaching, leader integration, and customized leader development programs. We work with elite leaders from all sectors of the business landscape. Our clients are at the helm of transformation, directly responsible for the health, growth and evolution of their organizations. They recognize that their own professional and financial success rides on the success of the leaders and teams in their charge. They have skin in the game and the stakes are high. As a result, our clients see the work we do together not as a chore but as an opportunity, not as a cost but as a necessary investment—as one of the most proactive steps they can take to drive results. While Pennington’s client portfolio ranges from Fortune 15 to start-ups, we work primarily with organizations engaged in growth, scale, transformation, and value creation with a sense of urgency—particularly with private equity and investment owned portfolio companies.

Lori is a managing director and head of talent in our Boston office. She works with employees across PSG and its portfolio to enhance individual performance growth, optimize firm-wide dynamics and culture, and oversee talent management.

Previously, Lori was an executive coach for several years, applying her executive coaching training and previous 15 years of diverse business and management experience to advance the growth and development of her business clients. P PSG invests in growth

PSG is a growth equity firm that partners with software and technology-enabled services companies to help them navigate transformational growth, capitalize on strategic opportunities, and build strong teams. age

Dana is the Managing Director, Talent at Gauge Capital. He leads the firm’s human capital efforts, advising the firm and portfolio on building and enhancing leadership teams and boards to drive value-creation. Prior to joining Gauge, Dana was an executive search consultant at Spencer Stuart and at Russell Reynolds, partnering with clients across multiple industries. His early career includes industry operating experience from PepsiCo, Nestle, and Staples. Dana has an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and a BS in economics from Santa Clara University.

Gauge Capital is a middle-market private equity firm based in Southlake, Texas. Gauge invests in five key sectors: healthcare, technology, business services, government & industrial services, and food & consumer. The firm manages more than $2.0 billion in capital and in 2020, 2021 and 2022, Inc. Magazine named Gauge one of the top private equity firms for founders. In 2021 and 2022, Gauge was also named to the Top 50 PE Firms in the Middle Market by Grady Campbell.

Micah Alpern is a Senior Managing Director in the People Advisory Group at Teneo. Micah is a globally recognized expert and thought leader on culture and leadership.

He has 20+ years of experience advising organizations and executives through transformations and transactions across all industries. He has a history of growing leaders and evolving corporate culture to enable strategy, accelerate transformation, enhance the employee experience, and improve performance. He also has deep expertise in team effectiveness, change management and talent management.

Micah’s passion for culture and leadership led to him writing many articles on the topics and being quoted as an expert in major publications such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Wired, The Washington Post, and others. He has also appeared on CNBC, several podcasts and delivered multiple speaking engagements at Board and Executive forums on the people agenda, culture, leadership, and remote work. This resulted in Micah being recognized as a leading thinker in these areas, including being identified as one the Top 25 Human Capital Consultants and Leaders of 2023.

Prior to joining Teneo, Micah was a partner at EY where he built a Culture and Leadership offering. Before that he was a Senior Principal at Kearney and spent eight years at Booz & Company/Booz Allen Hamilton as a leader at the Katzenbach Center. He has a master’s in business management from the University of Florida and a bachelor’s in economics and communications from Northwestern University.

Teneo is the global CEO advisory firm. We partner with our clients globally to do great things for a better future. Drawing upon our global team and expansive network of senior advisors, we provide advisory services across our five business segments on a stand-alone or fully integrated basis to help our clients solve complex business challenges. Our clients include a significant number of the Fortune 100 and FTSE 100, as well as other corporations, financial institutions and organizations. Our full range of advisory services includes strategic communications, investor relations, financial transactions and restructuring, management consulting, physical and cyber risk, organizational design, board and executive search, geopolitics and government affairs, corporate governance, ESG and DE&I. The firm has more than 1,600 employees located in 40+ offices around the world.

Bernardo Arrospide is Operating Vice President with Accel-KKR, with focus in the Latin America and Iberia region. He is also a member of Accel-KKR’s DE&I council supporting the firm’s initiatives on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Prior to joining Accel-KKR, Bernardo was the co-founder and CEO of 4Vets, a venture-backed supply chain and procurement software business for the veterinary pharmaceutical industry in Brazil. Bernardo was also previously the Chief of Staff to the CEO of the Medicines Company, a publicly traded biotech company acquired by Novartis in 2019. While at the Medicines Company Bernardo led the company’s Latin America expansion strategy. Bernardo started his career in Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs where he worked in both the New York and London offices.

Bernardo is involved with Accel-KKR’s investments in Estela, imed, Siigo, Lemontech and Endalia.

Bernardo received his M.B.A. with a specialization in Healthcare Management from the Wharton School, and his A.B. in Economics from the University of Chicago.

Accel-KKR is a technology-focused investment firm with over $14 billion in capital commitments. The firm focuses on software and IT-enabled businesses, well-positioned for topline and bottom-line growth. At the core of Accel-KKR’s investment strategy is a commitment to developing strong partnerships with the management teams of its portfolio companies and a focus on building value alongside management by leveraging the significant resources available through the Accel-KKR network. Accel-KKR focuses on middle-market companies and provides a broad range of capital solutions including buyout capital, minority-growth investments, and credit alternatives. Accel-KKR also invests across a wide range of transaction types including private company recapitalizations, divisional carve-outs and going-private transactions. Accel-KKR is headquartered in Menlo Park with additional offices in Atlanta, London, and Mexico City.

Emily is an Operating Partner and head of talent at Mainsail Partners, a growth equity firm that partners with founders of bootstrapped software companies to help them realize their potential. For nearly 20 years, Mainsail has been helping management teams navigate the challenges and opportunities that come with rapidly scaling a software company. With offices in Austin and San Francisco, the firm has raised over $2.2 billion in committed capital and invested in more than seventy companies. For more information, visit www.mainsailpartners.com or follow the firm on LinkedIn.

Prior to Mainsail, Emily was an Engagement Manager at Heidrick & Struggles in the Global Technology & Services Practice focused on executive level placements for Private Equity backed portfolio companies. She began her career in 2006 in management consulting, where she engaged on several US-based cross-continental projects in India, China, Hong Kong and Brazil. She moved to São Paulo, Brazil in 2008 and joined an executive search boutique dedicated to executive and board level positions across a variety of industries. Prior to repatriating back to the US in 2013, Emily served as the Managing Director for the Brazil subsidiary of Altimetrik, an IT multinational consultancy focused on ERP, cloud, and mobile app development.

Emily holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from Ibmec São Paulo in Brazil.

Mainsail Partners is a growth equity firm that partners with founders of bootstrapped software companies to help them realize their potential. For nearly 20 years, Mainsail has been helping management teams navigate the challenges and opportunities that come with rapidly scaling a software company. The firm includes women and men who are former software company operators who have seen these challenges first-hand. Mainsail offers assistance across a variety of functional areas including talent, finance, customer success, sales and marketing, product management, and R&D. With offices in Austin and San Francisco, the firm has raised over $2.2 billion in committed capital and invested in more than seventy companies. For more information, visit www.mainsailpartners.com or follow the firm on LinkedIn.

Kate joined Gryphon Investors in 2020 as a Managing Director to lead and scale the firm’s talent acquisition capabilities, both internally at Gryphon and externally with Gryphon portfolio companies. She is also Co-Head of Gryphon’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Kate brings over 25 years of human capital and consulting experience with leading global companies across private equity (TPG), executive search (Spencer Stuart), enterprise technology (VMware and Borland), and strategy consulting (BCG and Bain & Company). Kate received her BA in Physics and Economics from Dartmouth College and her MBA from The University of Chicago, Booth School of Business.

Gryphon Investors (or “Gryphon”) is a leading private equity firm headquartered in San Francisco. The firm is focused on making control private equity investments in the U.S. middle market. Driven by the team’s deep operational capabilities and its industry-specific investment strategies, Gryphon has delivered exceptional results for all stakeholders, resulting in recognition by industry leaders, including Preqin, Duff & Phelps, and Peracs, among other widely recognized benchmarks. Since the firm’s founding in 1997, Gryphon has managed over $9.0 billion of assets from a diverse global base of leading institutional investors, and has invested in over 65 control platform investments and over 375 add-on acquisitions. Gryphon prioritizes investment opportunities where it can form strong partnerships with owners and executives to build leading companies, utilizing Gryphon's capital, specialized professional resources, and operational expertise. Gryphon focuses its investment activities in the following five industry verticals: Business Services, Consumer Products and Services, Healthcare, Industrial Growth, and Software

Steven Berman leads the Accel-KKR’s executive search function. Working with deal teams and portfolio companies to drive value by having the right people in the right seats.

For over two decades, Accel-KKR has leveraged our vast pool of resources and focused expertise in mid-market software and tech-enabled services to help hundreds of businesses go further than they have imagined.

Ted is an internationally-recognized expert on leadership and organization development. He advises investors, CEOs, and boards globally to help them position the right leaders for key roles and to support those leaders and teams for maximal value creation. Ted assists top performing organizations to anticipate and plan for future core business competencies and to install them in dynamic governance processes such as executive succession.

An organizational psychologist, human resources executive, management consultant and master coach for more than 30 years, Ted authors a bi-monthly leadership column in Chief Executive magazine and is also on the executive education faculty of the Harvard Business School. Ted has helped leaders around the world achieve enduring change in their organizations, their teams, and themselves by expanding their psychological, behavioral, and organizational insights into leadership.

Career Highlights: Ted Bililies, PhD:
• Internationally recognized expert on leadership and organization development
• Founded AlixPartners’ transformative leadership practice in 2014, advising global CEOs, their boards, and private equity investors
• Serving nearly three decades as an organizational psychologist, human resources executive, management consultant and master coach
• Executive Education faculty of the Harvard Business School and has held teaching appointments at Harvard University in four of Harvard’s graduate schools: Medical, Business, Arts & Sciences, and Extension
• Frequent speaker at leadership and investment conferences
• Featured in Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and CNBC’s Power and Money
• Author of bi-monthly leadership column in Chief Executive magazine
• Serves as exclusive advisor to the CEO of the Year Award committee
• Board Member, Perkins School for the Blind
• Board Member, Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis
• John Harvard Scholar, graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University

For nearly forty years, AlixPartners has helped businesses around the world respond quickly and decisively to their most critical challenges – circumstances as diverse as urgent performance improvement, accelerated transformation, complex restructuring and risk mitigation.

These are the moments when everything is on the line – a sudden shift in the market, an unexpected performance decline, a time-sensitive deal, a fork-in-the-road decision. But it’s not what we do that makes a difference, it’s how we do it.

Tackling situations when time is of the essence is part of our DNA – so we adopt an action-oriented approach at all times. We work in small, highly qualified teams with specific industry and functional expertise, and we operate at pace, moving quickly from analysis to implementation. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our clients until the job is done, and only measure our success in terms of the results we deliver.

Our approach enables us to help our clients confront and overcome truly future-defining challenges. We partner with you to make the right decisions and take the right actions. And we are right by your side. When it really matters.

Tony Buffum is VP of HR Client Strategy at Upwork. As a key member of the senior-level executive client strategy team, Buffum is responsible for accelerating growth of current and prospective Upwork enterprise clients, helping them solve HR challenges related to finance, procurement and talent transformation. Buffum is an accomplished HR professional with more than two decades of experience leading global HR teams as well as driving transformational change in company culture, organizational design, performance management, and employee integration and engagement. He joins Upwork following a series of noteworthy leadership positions including chief human resources officer (CHRO) at FLIR Systems, VP of global human resources at STANLEY Security, VP of human resources at Stanley Black & Decker and others.

Upwork is the world’s work marketplace connecting millions of businesses with independent talent around the globe. Help your portfolio companies find the on-demand talent they need because without effective execution, strategy only gets you so far.

Learn more about our partnership opportunities at upwork.com/enterprise/private-equity

Marla Capozzi is a Partner in McKinsey’s Boston office and has served clients globally for 24 years on strategy and organization across sectors. She is a leader in McKinsey’s Private Equity & Principal Investors, leading CEO Alpha: McKinsey’s initiative to deliver value creation for private equity sponsors through CEO outperformance. She was the first woman to Chair the Board of Trustees at Babson College where she is a Trustee Emerita and was an adjunct faculty. Marla is active in the Boston venture community as a frequent MassChallenge start-up judge, mentor and angle investor. Prior to joining McKinsey, Marla led product development at the Lotus/IBM Innovation Centre.

McKinsey. McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm deeply committed to helping private, public, and social sector institutions accelerate sustainable and inclusive growth. For over 90 years, our primary objective has been to serve as our client's most trusted external advisor. With consultants in more than 100 cities and over 60 countries across various industries and functions, we bring unparalleled expertise to clients worldwide. We collaborate closely with teams at all levels of an organization to develop winning strategies, drive successful execution, mobilize for change, and build capabilities.

Kelly Carlson is Managing Director, Head of Talent with STG, where she is leading the firm’s talent efforts, working across the portfolio to attract CEOs and executive leadership teams to drive results. Kelly’s mandate includes the curation of a CEO and senior leaders network aligned with the firm’s investment priorities. Driving innovations of assessment and human capital best practices to the portfolio companies are key tenants of STG’s talent strategy.

Kelly joined STG in 2019 from TillmanCarlson, a retained executive search boutique, recruiting CEOs, CFOs, CTOs and GTM leaders, where she served as one of the co-founders of the firm before being appointed President & CEO. Prior to launching her firm in 2003, Kelly spent eight years at Russell Reynolds Associates as one of the early members of the firm’s technology practice, working predominantly in software and services. Kelly started her career with AT&T and MCI in sales and account management.

Kelly received her Bachelors from Benedictine University and her Masters from DePaul University.

STG is the private equity partner to market leading companies in data, software, and analytics. The firm brings expertise, flexibility, and resources to build strategic value and unlock the potential of innovative companies. Partnering to build customer-centric, market winning portfolio companies, STG creates sustainable foundations for growth that bring value to all existing and future stakeholders. The firm is dedicated to transforming and building outstanding technology companies in partnership with world class management teams. STG’s expansive portfolio has consisted of more than 35 global companies. For more information, please visit www.stgpartners.com.

Caroline is the Chief Human Resources Officer, focusing on strategic projects and operational support for the people of Permira and advising on talent matters in relation to the portfolio companies. She also serves on the Firm Operations Committee. Caroline is a member of the Board of Trustees for Teach First.

Prior to joining Permira, Caroline was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, spending 11 years in the Human Capital Management and Legal Department. Previously, she was a lawyer at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Slaughter and May.

Caroline holds a degree in Classics from Cambridge University, England, and is a qualified solicitor of England and Wales.

Permira is a global investment firm that backs successful businesses with growth ambitions. Founded in 1985, the firm advises funds with total committed capital of approximately €80bn and makes long-term majority and minority investments across two core asset classes, private equity and credit.

The Permira private equity funds have made approximately 300 private equity investments in four key sectors: Technology, Consumer, Healthcare and Services. Permira employs over 500 people in 15 offices across Europe, the United States and Asia. For more information, visit www.permira.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

David Cohen joined Kelso in 2019 as a Partner and Managing Director leading Human Capital work. He is focused on applying talent and human resources best practices to enhance the firm’s investment process, portfolio companies and Kelso Specialist Network. He spent the preceding nine years at American Securities in a similar role in support of their middle market portfolio.
Prior to his work in private equity, Bristol-Myers Squibb for more than eight years where he held various HR leadership positions including three and a half years based in Singapore as their HR leader for Asia Pacific. Prior to joining BMS in 2001, David was with General Electric for nine years where he held various HR positions in the Company’s Healthcare, Industrial Systems and Plastics businesses. Over the course of his 30+ year business career, David has worked outside the United States three times and has extensive experience starting and developing businesses in India, China, Southeast Asia and Japan. Finally, he began his career managing a small rural based development organization in Botswana, Africa as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer.

Kelso is a founding firm in the private equity industry with a unique history and legacy, having been founded by the inventor of the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (or “ESOP”) more than 40 years ago. The principles of partnership and alignment of interest serve as the foundation of the firm’s culture and investment philosophy. Kelso is focused on North American mid-market buyout transactions within four core sectors. Since 1980, Kelso has invested through 11 funds with over $15 billion of equity capital across 135+ investments. Kelso benefits from a successful investment track record, industry-leading GP alignment, deep sector expertise, a long-tenured investing team, and a reputation as a preferred partner to management teams. The firm is based in New York, NY.

Wes leads portfolio talent efforts within the Goldman Sachs Value Accelerator. Previously, he led more than 100 successful executive searches for high impact portfolio company leadership, board, and operating partner roles for private equity clients at Dore Partnership and Notch Partners. His technology industry experience includes strategy consulting, venture capital investing, startup CEO, and executive leadership at Alcatel-Lucent. Wes earned a BA with departmental honors from Stanford University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a leading global financial institution that delivers a broad range of financial services across investment banking, securities, investment management and consumer banking to a large and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals.

Founded in 1869, the firm is headquartered in New York and maintains offices in all major financial centers around the world.

Kim is a Senior Principal in Mercer's M&A Advisory Services practice based in Chicago. Kim is a strategic advisor to private equity and corporate clients on people-related issues across the lifecycle of M&A transactions. In her role, Kim’s advises domestic and global clients on areas such as: HR governance and M&A readiness, due diligence, HR and benefits plans carve out and standup activities, and integration strategy, planning and execution.

Kim has over 21 years of experience at Mercer, 17 years of industry experience gained in Mercer’s Health & Benefits practice as a consultant to large and mid-sized employers. Kim brings a strong technical benefits background in financial analysis, insurance plan design development, plan administration, enrollment platforms, and executing on mergers, acquisitions and divestitures.

Kim graduated Cum Laude from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio with a degree in Marketing.

Marsh McLennan (NYSE: MMC) is the world’s leading professional services firm in the areas of risk, strategy and people. The Company’s more than 85,000 colleagues advise clients over 130 countries. With annual revenue of over $23 billion, Marsh McLennan helps clients navigate an increasingly dynamic and complex environment through four market-leading businesses. Marsh provides data driven risk advisory services and insurance solutions to commercial and consumer clients. Guy Carpenter develops advanced risk, reinsurance and capital strategies that help clients grow profitably and pursue emerging opportunities. Mercer delivers advice and technology-driven solutions that help organizations redefine the world of work, reshape retirement and investment outcomes, and unlock health and wellbeing for a changing workforce. Oliver Wyman serves as a critical strategic, economic and brand advisor to private sector and governmental clients.

Tom has served as the Founder & Managing Principal at Top Line Growth Partners since he left his career as a corporate executive in 2016. He brings 30 years of operating and consulting experience to Top Line from both publicly traded and private equity sponsored companies. He currently leads Top Line’s multi-disciplined team of professionals serving top tier clients around the globe.

Tom’s three decades of experience span multiple industries and functional domains to include sales, operations, HR, and organizational development on a global scale. During his corporate career, he served in these capacities at Nalco Chemical, Capital One, Allianz, SNL Financial and S&P Global.

Tom holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from the University of Richmond. He also completed post graduate level certification programs in Project Management at Villanova University and Executive Leadership Coaching at Georgetown University. He earned the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification in 2011 and the Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) certification in 2013.

Tom works at Top Line’s headquarters in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to being passionate about the success of Top Line and its clients, Tom enjoys fishing, sailing, and spending time with his family.

Top Line Growth Partners was founded to help people and companies grow and thrive. We are a management consulting firm focused on helping clients optimize talent and sales. We accomplish this by solving three of the most common challenges high growth companies face: developing and aligning leadership teams; optimizing the commercial function; and ensuring business critical talent is never a constraint to growth.

Established in 2016, Top Line’s curated team of seasoned practitioners delivers actionable insights and fiercely practical solutions in HR Consulting, Leadership Coaching, Executive Search, and Sales Consulting. We serve clients domestically and internationally to help them drive enterprise value creation by partnering with leadership teams to maximize revenue growth, margin expansion, and EBITDA for business stakeholders while strengthening culture, engagement, and retention for the employees who work there. Simply said, growing people and growing profits is what we do.

Katie Czerepak is an Operating Partner and the Head of Talent for the Tech Opportunities fund at Bain Capital, where she drives talent initiatives across the portfolio and collaborates with management teams to support key talent and human capital priorities. Prior to joining Bain Capital, she was the Chief People Office at Indigo, an agriculture technology startup, where she built all aspects of the People function, and scaled talent and culture throughout a period of high growth. Before Indigo, Katie spent nearly a decade at McKinsey & Company, focused on professional development and talent in the Boston and New York offices. Earlier in her career, she held various strategy, marketing and project management roles with healthcare-focused organizations.

Katie received an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, where she was the recipient of the Arnold F. Adams Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship, and she graduated from Stanford University with a BA in Public Policy. In addition, Katie is a certified executive coach through the Coaches Training Institute.

Bain Capital Tech Opportunities aims to help growing technology companies reach their full potential. We partner with exceptional entrepreneurs and management teams to help them succeed through critical phases of growth and expansion. We provide flexible capital, strategic and operational resources, and deep industry expertise backed by the global reach of the Bain Capital platform. We invest in innovative or disruptive companies with potential for transformational growth. Our team focuses on five priority sub-verticals: Application Software, Infrastructure & Security, Fintech & Payments, Healthcare IT, Internet & Digital Media.

John Dandolph is the CEO of Alkegen, a $2B leader in high-performance specialty materials used in advanced applications including electric vehicles, energy storage, filtration, fire protection and high-temperature insulation. Leading 7,500+ employees at 60+ manufacturing facilities and global offices in 12 countries, Dandolph spearheads Alkegen’s mission of helping the world breathe easier, live greener and go further than ever before. His commitment to environmental responsibility defines his leadership approach, creating a company that has become the world’s largest advanced materials platform dedicated to human health and sustainability. Under his leadership, the company has grown 4X, doubling in size with the Unifrax and Lydall merger in 2021 and rapidly expanding its reach in Asia after announcing controlling ownership of Luyang Energy-Saving Materials Co. Ltd. Alkegen continues to thrive as a pioneering force, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in creating a more sustainable and technologically advanced future.

He began his career at General Electric where he held various finance leadership roles. After GE, John served as President of Asia Pacific and later President of the Silicones and Quartz Division of Momentive Performance Materials. Notably, he possesses extensive experience in the Asian market, having lived and worked in the region for 11 years. A Boston University graduate with a BS in Business Administration, John Dandolph joined Unifrax (now Alkegen) in 2013 and assumed the role of President and CEO on January 1, 2017.

Ashley Day, PhD, joined FFL in 2021. Ashley works closely with FFL's portfolio companies advising them on all aspects of talent management including recruiting, compensation, succession planning, retention, team building, and performance management. Prior to joining FFL, Ashley was Chief Talent Officer for an NYC-based mid-market private equity firm. In this role, Ashley was responsible for the overall strategy for human capital development and talent assessment across the portfolio and at the fund level. Earlier in her career, Ashley was a member of the leadership and succession practice at Russell Reynolds Associates in New York. At Russell Reynolds, Ashley worked on a range of leadership assessment, development, team effectiveness and succession planning assignments for senior executives. Ashley received her Ph.D. / Master of Psychology from the University of Adelaide, Australia.

FFL was formed in 1997 to invest in middle-market companies where the firm’s substantial strategic and operating expertise can help management accelerate growth and build better businesses. We are hyperspecialized investors within Business Services and Healthcare Services, two complementary sectors where we have deep expertise, broad networks, and a long track record of success. We bring a high-engagement approach to our investments with the goal of accelerating growth. This strategy has been refined through two decades of experience investing through up and down markets across a wide range of industries in prior funds. FFL firm generally commits $50-200 million to individual transactions and has the ability to make larger commitments in selected circumstances.

Camille joined Charlesbank in 2018 as an Operating Partner focused on Talent. She partners with the Charlesbank portfolio companies to create value through people, focusing on organizational due diligence, building outstanding leadership teams, and developing portfolio level capabilities to support the portfolio CEOs and executive teams. She joined Charlesbank from Green Peak Partners, where she served as a partner working with private equity and corporate clients to develop talent strategies, optimize organizational structures, improve hiring outcomes and develop leadership teams. She previously worked at The Boston Consulting Group, providing strategic and organizational advice to leading Fortune 500 companies, private equity firms, and public sector agencies. She started her career at Lehman Brothers. Camille earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Columbia College.

Founded in 1998, Charlesbank Capital Partners is an established private investment firm with more than $17 billion of cumulative capital raised since inception. The team has a long history of working together, a deep specialization in the middle market and experience investing over multiple business cycles. Known for its consistent, disciplined approach, Charlesbank invests primarily in North America, focusing on several core sectors (business and financial services, consumer, healthcare, industrial, and technology and technology infrastructure), with a particular focus on founder-led companies, corporate carve-outs, and transformational opportunities. In addition to its Flagship private equity funds, the firm has dedicated credit and technology strategies. The three groups collaborate closely, leveraging Charlesbank’s brand and collective insights, resources and networks. Charlesbank is guided by its mission to deliver superior risk-adjusted returns through a best-in-class team and culture and by its core values of Team, Impact, Excellence and Respect. The firm has more than 160 staff members and offices in Boston and New York.

As Managing Director of Talent at Kohlberg, Brady partners with the investment and portfolio company management teams on talent acquisition, development and assessment best practices. She also leads the Firm’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion efforts. Before joining Kohlberg in 2020, Brady managed Portfolio Human Capital at Advent International. Previously, she was an Executive Search and Assessment professional at Russell Reynolds and began her career in talent acquisition at Morgan Stanley. Brady graduated with honors from Trinity College with a BA in history.

Kohlberg is a leading U.S. middle market private equity firm based in Mount Kisco, New York. Over the firm’s 36-year history, the firm has organized 11 private equity vehicles totaling in aggregate over $14 billion. Since inception, the firm’s private equity investments have generated over $10 billion in realized returns with no realized losses since Fund VI (2007 vintage). The firm invests in leading middle market businesses that are identified through its rigorous thematic research and the firm’s White Paper Program in its six core practice areas. For more information, please visit www.kohlberg.com.

Courtney della Cava is a Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Portfolio Talent & Organizational Performance. She is involved with improving organizational and leadership effectiveness across the portfolio, including building and enhancing executive leadership teams and boards through C-suite assessment, recruitment, coaching and development, and high-impact organization and culture initiatives.

Before joining Blackstone in 2021, Courtney served as a Partner at Bain & Company in its Leadership & Talent/Organization practice. With 20 years of global management consulting experience at Bain & Company across multiple sectors and geographies, Courtney most recently advised corporate and private equity clients on CEO succession, CEO and board effectiveness and broader organizational talent strategies and solutions, and she also built and led several of the firm’s global human capital teams and capabilities. She also served as a Partner and Managing Director for Russell Reynolds Associates, a global executive search and talent assessment firm, and European Marketing Director for M&M Mars. Earlier, she held product and marketing roles with Toyota/Lexus, and began her career at WPP/Hill and Knowlton.

Courtney earned an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and graduated from The University of California, Los Angeles, with a B.A. in Economics. She currently serves on the board of Mphasis and Renaissance.

Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our $881 billion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, infrastructure, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow @blackstone on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

Dina DeMarco is an accomplished talent acquisition leader. She has held leadership roles in Talent Acquisition at the University of Chicago Medicine and Baptist Health of Florida. Her expertise extends to her tenure as SVP in Hueman's Recruitment Process Outsourcing division, where she developed recruitment strategies and delivery models for organizations in a variety of industries.
In 2020, Dina founded Hueman PE Talent Solutions, bringing both tactical and strategic talent acquisition solutions to PE-backed portfolio companies.
Dina's industry influence is underscored by her membership in the Forbes HR Council, a recognition of her thought leadership. Additionally, she has been recognized by HRO Today and has presented at numerous conferences.
Residing in Atlantic Beach, Florida, with her husband Jeff and rescue dog Buddy, Dina is involved in her community, previously serving on the board of several non-profits. In her leisure time, you will find Dina reading or playing soccer.

Recruitment should never hinder organizational growth. At Hueman PE Talent Solutions, we comprehend the rapid pace and high growth expectations for portfolio companies. We acknowledge that people are the driving force behind profits, and without effective recruitment, portfolio companies face obstacles in their growth journey.
By collaborating with Hueman PE Talent Solutions, private equity firms can mitigate investment risks and ensure that talent acquisition aligns with the VCP (Value Creation Plan). We offer portfolio companies access to top-notch recruitment resources at highly affordable rates, with an average placement fee of 9%. Our program is designed to be flexible, scalable, and results-oriented.
Hueman PE Talent Solutions emerged as a division of Hueman People Solutions in 2020, identifying a gap in recruitment solutions for rapidly expanding companies. While there are numerous executive search firms, there is a scarcity of good agencies focusing on crucial middle management and staff-level roles – and that's precisely where Hueman excels.

Rick is a purpose-driven entrepreneur and executive search leader on a mission to unleash human potential globally. As co-founder and managing partner of executive search firm Acertitude, he is charting a new course to take businesses to the next level by connecting them with brilliant people at work.

Rick personally advises some of the largest and most admired global private equity firms, middle market PE firms, portfolio companies, and corporate enterprises, solving significant leadership challenges related to value-creation, growth, restructuring, and digital transformation. Over his 25-year career, he has conducted over 500 executive searches for board members, CEOs, and C-level executives across the private equity, technology, healthcare, and professional services sectors.

Launched in 2015, Acertitude represents a new era in executive search, already a top 30 global search firm, and continues to expand rapidly in the private equity space. The success of Acertitude expands on Rick’s role as founder of search firm TEG, an Acertitude company. He holds an MBA, Finance from Drexel University and a B.S., Accounting from St. Joseph’s University.

When he’s not at work, Rick relishes family time with his wife and their two sons. Weekends are active, filled with running, training, and sports and their shared love of travel.

Acertitude is the executive search firm unleashing human potential for private equity firms and portfolio companies globally. We recruit Board, CEO, and C-level talent that transform businesses, teams, and performance. Our approach to search is built on taking extreme ownership of our client’s needs. We get closer to clients, move at your speed, and turn insight into impact.
https://www.acertitude.com/

Renata Dinkelmann is the Head of Human Capital at Paine Schwartz Partners.

Ms. Dinkelmann joined Paine Schwartz Partners in 2019. Prior to Paine Schwartz Partners, she led the global executive recruiting function at Kraft Heinz. From 2012 to 2018, Ms. Dinkelmann worked as a consultant recruiting and assessing talent at global executive search firm Egon Zehnder. Ms. Dinkelmann has held executive roles at Patria Investimentos and BRMALLS, in Brazil and began her career at JPMorgan’s Investment Banking and Private Banking groups.

Ms. Dinkelmann serves on the board of Urban Farmer. She is also a member of the firm’s ESG committee. Ms. Dinkelmann received an MBA degree from Columbia Business School, and a B.S. in Commerce from the McIntire School of Commerce at The University of Virginia. She was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

A global leader in sustainable food chain investing, Paine Schwartz Partners is a private equity firm that focuses on investment opportunities in the fast-growing, dynamic global food and agribusiness sectors. The firm’s investment, operations and finance professionals invest throughout cycles across the food and agribusiness value chain, and bring a collaborative and active management approach to portfolio companies.

Myra D’Souza is a Managing Director in PwC’s Deal’s Rapid Value Delivery practice
focused on Talent, where she focuses primarily on serving Private Equity clients in
transactions and in the development of their diligence and portfolio strategies related
to talent and value creation. She specializes in the assessment and enablement of
leadership, talent, and organizational capabilities against the value creation plan in
due diligence and post-close. Myra brings 15 years of experience across M&A
integration, human capital consulting, and private equity operations.

Prior to joining PwC, Myra was a Principal leading talent at a tech buyout private
equity firm, ParkerGale Capital. She was responsible for assessing talent in diligence
and working with portfolio companies to develop their talent strategy and implement
talent programs to establish thriving cultures and practices that deliver strong
financial results. As the first talent hire on the operating team, Myra developed a
talent playbook spanning diligence through exit to drive consistent practices across
the portfolio and unlock performance within the broader workforce.

Before joining ParkerGale, she was in PwC’s Deals practice, leading projects spanning
HR integration and divestiture planning, organization design and alignment,
workforce planning, employee transition and communications. Myra began her career
in internal HR at Infosys as an HR business partner.

Myra holds an MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and BA
from Rice University.

Carrie is a senior PwC partner who has spent over 25 years advising private equity firms and their portfolio companies on human capital value creation across transactions and transformations. She has worked on over 300 deals ranging in size from $5 million to $30 billion, advising during diligence, negotiations, post-close value creation, transformations, and exit readiness.

She advises CEOs and their teams as they accelerate a fast start on driving performance in an organization, as well as optimizing the people related cost structure. The consistent theme of her work is the achievement of measurable outcomes during transactions and transformations.

She has also served as a director on PwC’s US Board, lead PwC’s US HR M&A practice, PwC’s Southern California Deals practice and private equity sector team, as well as leading the development of PwC’s US Workforce of the Future platform and thought leadership. In addition, she is a credentialed actuary and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

When not energizing herself, her team, and her clients through her work, she is home with her husband and children enjoying surfing, ocean swimming, hikes, and “mind candy” in the form of an occasional science fiction book series.

Mara Lamoureux Edgar is the Managing Director, Human Capital at The Riverside Company where she leads portfolio talent strategy and company value creation on behalf of the Riverside Capital Appreciation Fund. Mara has lead HR and Talent functions for 25 years in both operating company roles and as an Operating Partner in various industries. Prior to joining Riverside, she held the dual role of Chief Human Resources Officer and Director of Portfolio Talent Management & HR Strategy at Parthenon Capital. Earlier in her career, Mara held senior roles at TA Associates, Arrowroot Capital, IQVIA, Kantar and Cayan. Mara has a BA from Wheaton College and a JD from Suffolk University. She is a Member of the Massachusetts Bar.

The Riverside Company is a global private equity firm that makes growth investments ranging from loans to fast-growing software and tech companies to control investments in companies with up to $400 million in enterprise value. The firm invests through nine product strategies focused on various geographies, tactics, and criteria. Since 1988, Riverside has grown from a small unfunded PEG to a global enterprise with more than $13.1 billion in assets under management conducting control and minority buyouts, growth equity investing and corporate divestitures. Riverside invests in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. Through more than 900 investments, the firm has developed industry specializations in business services, consumer brands, education and training, franchisors, healthcare, and software & IT. Riverside has offices across the United States and Europe and has additional offices in Hong Kong and Australia.

Bruce is an experienced human resources leader with an international background, known for assisting organizational development, blending strategy into tactics and implementing diversity and talent management programs.

As the Chief Human Capital Officer, Bruce focuses on advising and assisting portfolio company management on organizational development, recruiting, training and employing human capital best practices. He also assists Capital Partners’ investment teams in assessing management teams and human resource policies and procedures of potential acquisition opportunities.

Previously, Bruce was Vice President Human Resources at Bigelow Tea, Human Resources Client Manager at Sikorsky Global Helicopters, Director of Human Resources at Pepperidge Farm and held various human resource leadership positions at Citizens Communications (now Frontier).
Before moving to the United States, he was recruited in the United Kingdom by Cadbury Schweppes to their Accelerated Management Development Program for Human Resources.

Bruce has a Master of Science in Human Resources & Counseling from the University of Bridgeport and a Bachelor of Science in Biological Science from the University of Nottingham (United Kingdom).

He is also a Myers Briggs Certified Administrator and Training Facilitator and a Development Dimensions International (DDI) - Certified Trainer. He has previously spent many years with both the United Way and Junior Achievement organizations in Connecticut.

Dr. Sandy Fiaschetti is the founder and Managing Partner of Lodestone People Consulting, a firm which provides human capital diligence and value creation services to investors and their portfolio companies. Prior to founding Lodestone, she served as a Human Capital Managing Director for a private equity firm. She has been both an internal and external consultant to both private equity firms and mid-cap and large companies across a variety of industries.

As a business psychologist, Sandy has advised numerous firms, boards, and CEOs on organizational culture and effectiveness, talent assessment and acquisition, talent management, and leadership development. She has coached scores of C-suite executives and created effective leadership teams. She is particularly passionate about bringing science and psychometric soundness to people-related activities.

Following a misspent youth pursuing a career in engineering and the hard sciences, Dave Finnie eventually found his way to finance, M&A and strategy. Dave’s career spans large-cap public companies to small founder-led organizations, and his experiences include multiple successful exits, an IPO, failed covenants, executive team turnover, and more quarterly board meetings than he can count. Dave has been a PE-backed CFO for over 10 years, most recently completing a successful 2023 exit for Renovus Capital Partners from their portfolio company InflowCX. Currently, Dave works as a founding partner at VF Advisors, a consulting and advisory firm aimed at helping PE-backed companies maximize their value creation.

VF Advisors is a consulting and advisory firm aimed at helping PE-backed companies maximize their value creation, and the exclusive portfolio resource partner for Renovus Capital Partners.

Founded in 2010, Renovus Capital Partners is a lower middle-market private equity firm specializing in the Knowledge and Talent industries. From its base in the Philadelphia area, Renovus manages over $1.5 billion of assets across its several sector focused funds. The firm's current portfolio includes over 25 U.S. based businesses specializing in education and workforce development and services companies in the technology, healthcare and professional services markets. Renovus typically makes control buyout investments in founder owned businesses, leveraging its industry expertise and operator network to make operational improvements, recruit top talent and pursue add-on acquisitions.

Coley is the Head of Talent at Spectrum Equity working within the firm and across the portfolio to drive growth in the areas of people and team performance. In her role, she partners with investment professionals and portfolio company leadership on all aspects of human capital management including leadership assessment, talent acquisition, team building and effectiveness, performance management, compensation and retention strategies, and board composition.

Prior to joining Spectrum Equity, she was an Operating Director, Human Capital at TPG Capital (2005 – 2018) and an executive search professional with Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. (1997 – 2003). She began her career in education, working as a teacher at the Head-Royce School in Oakland, CA (where she currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees) and as a Teach for America corps member in rural Louisiana. Coley received an A.B. in biological anthropology from Harvard College.

Spectrum Equity is a leading growth equity firm providing capital and strategic support to innovative software, Internet, and information services companies. For over 25 years, we have partnered with high growth companies across the information economy. Our approach is to do more than just invest capital. We create productive partnerships with our portfolio companies and enduring relationships with our management teams. We seek to build world-class organizations and long-term success. With offices in San Francisco, Boston, and London, we are currently investing the firm’s tenth fund with $2.2 billion in limited partner capital. Representative investments include: AllTrails, Bitly, CINC Systems, Customer.io, Definitive Healthcare, DispatchTrack, Goldbelly, GoodRx, Headspace Health, Kajabi, Litmus, Lucid, Offensive Security, Origami Risk, Otter.ai, SavvyMoney, Tenstreet, The Knot Worldwide, Varicent, and Zenwork. For more information, including a full listing of portfolio companies, please visit http://www.spectrumequity.com.

John Frehse is on the board of the Workforce Institute at UKG where he does research on the frontline workforce. For over 25 years his focus has been fixing broken cultures where talent acquisition and retention are symptoms of broader and deeper issues. He works in both distress and high growth environments where inflections in business trajectory are causing disruption.
His industry focus includes manufacturing and supply chain, healthcare, power generation and distribution, field services, mining, and retail.

John is also a sought after keynote speaker where he shares his research and discusses lessons in leadership. He is also on HR.com’s advisory board.

Christian Grados is a Principal in the Apollo Portfolio Performance Solutions team, focused on supporting investment teams and management teams on talent management and organizational effectiveness efforts across the Equity portfolio.

Christian joined Apollo in 2018 in the Human Capital department as a Business Partner, while also leading Performance Management efforts across the firm. Prior to that, he was a Senior Vice President in the Learning & Leadership Development team supporting the Global Markets business at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) from April 2015 to July 2018. Before joining BAML, Christian was an Assistant Vice President in the Global Corporate and Investment Banking Human Resources team at Citi from July 2012 to April 2015. Christian initially joined Citi in July 2011 as a Human Resources Analyst.

Christian graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA degree in International Relations.

Apollo is a leading provider of alternative asset management and retirement solutions. We help build and finance stronger businesses through innovative capital solutions that can generate excess risk-adjusted returns and retirement income. We invest alongside our clients and take a disciplined, responsible approach to drive positive outcomes.

Apollo Asset Management invests across Credit, Equity and Real Assets ecosystems in a wide range of asset classes and geographies, with a significant focus on the private investment grade and fixed income markets. Across our Equity platform, we maintain our focus on creative structuring and sourcing, while taking a hands-on approach when working with our Apollo-managed funds’ portfolio company management teams to help transform and grow their businesses. Our flexible mandate allows us to embrace complexity and seek attractive outcomes for our stakeholders. Through our funds' ownership, we strive to support local economies and deliver outsize returns for investors.

Kate Griffin joined Bain Capital Private Equity in 2021. She is a Director of Portfolio Talent, helping to drive and support all talent efforts across the North American Private Equity Portfolio.

Prior to joining Bain Capital, Kate held several roles in the Talent Acquisition/Human Capital space. Most recently, Kate was the Recruiting Manager at Indigo Agriculture, a Boston-based agriculture-tech organization. At Indigo, Kate was responsible for managing campus recruiting along with full-time hiring for senior strategy and operations roles. Kate also worked in recruitment at Harvard Business School and Bain and Company.

Kate holds a B.A. from the University of Delaware, where she majored in Communications and minored in Music. She lives on the Northshore of Boston with her husband, 3 year old son, and 1 year old daughter.

Bain Capital is a global private investment firm with approximately $180 billion in assets under management that creates lasting impact for our investors, teams, businesses and the communities in which we live. Founded in 1984, Bain capital pioneered a consulting-based approach to private equity investing, partnering closely with management teams to offer the insights that challenge conventional thinking, build great businesses and improve operations. Over time, we have organically expanded this approach across asset classes to build one of the strongest alternative asset platforms in the world.

Today, our teams strive to create value through private equity, public equity, fixed income, credit, venture capital and real estate investments across multiple sectors, industries, and geographies. We believe that our people and the shared values we’ve espoused since our founding remain the core of our competitive advantage. This has empowered us to deliver an enduring impact to a diverse group of investors including pensions, endowments, foundations and individuals.

Greg Harmeyer is the Co-Founder of TiER1 Performance and CEO of its parent company, TiER1 Impact PBC, Inc. Over the course of 20 years, Greg has led TiER1 to provide strategy activation and employee experience designs solutions to hundreds of the world’s most successful organizations and in the process developed an award-winning culture that has positively impacted thousands of lives. Greg is passionate about unlocking the potential in people, teams, and ideas. During his leadership, TiER1 has become a multi-year Best Places to Work recipient and a 15 time honoree of the Inc. 5000 list of the country’s fastest growing privately held companies. His book Impact with Love: Building Business for a Better World was published as an “Inc. Original” in 2023 and became the #1 new release in Business Leadership on Amazon.

Greg earned his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Dayton and his MBA with distinction from the Kellogg School of Management. He has served on multiple non-profit and for-profit boards and is actively involved in the cause of mental health serving as a board member for the Lindner Center of Hope in Cincinnati, OH and speaking regularly on the topic of mental health in the workplace. He resides in Liberty Twp, OH with his wife and four children.

TiER1 Performance is a strategy activation firm that consults, designs, and builds solutions that support value creation and the growth of healthy, high-performing organizations. TiER1 works with private equity firms and their portfolio on accelerating the development of high-performing cultures. Their work includes organizational assessment, operating models, leadership development, employee experience design, M&A integration, talent development, retention, and onboarding.

Founded in 2002, TiER1 is employee owned, a Certified B Corporation, a multi-year Best Places to Work recipient, and a 15-time honoree of the Inc. 5000 list of the country’s fastest growing privately held companies.

Dan is the CEO and Founder of Summit Leadership Partners. He advises boards, CEO's, investors and business leaders on strategy execution and value creation through leadership and organizationperformance. After a successful corporate career, Dan founded Summit Leadership Partners in 2014 to help growth-oriented companies and business leaders scale and improve performance.

Under Dan’s leadership, Summit Leadership Partners has become the industry leader for PE investors and high growth companies in leadership and organization assessment and performance, recognized by Forbes as America’s Best Management Consulting Firms in 2022 & 2023, consecutively ranked as one of Inc. 5000’s Fastest Growing Private Companies in America from 2020-2022, and listed as #5 on Consulting Magazine’s 2020 Fastest Growing Companies.

Dan partners closely with clients to catalyze change and is an expert in leadership, strategy, assessment, executive and organization development. He is practical, insightful, highly focused on outcomes and is appreciated for his direct, courageous, and well-informed insight.

Previously, Dan’s worked with leaders as a CHRO at top global public and private companies such as Asurion, Ingersoll Rand, MagneTek, and Hoechst Celanese, and has worked across a variety of industry sectors, such as life sciences, chemicals, technology, health care, consumer products, retail, industrial and financial services.

Dan is an active member of several industry and professional organizations, such as Fast Company’s Executive Board, Bloomberg Breakaway CEO Network, Forbes Coaches Council, Inc Masters, the International Coaching Federation (ICF), the Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology (SIOP) and the American Psychological Association (APA).

He serves on the boards of Clemson University College of Business and the Belk College of Business, University of North Carolina Charlotte. Previously, Dan served on the board of AquestaBank, Best Practices Institute (BPI), Center for International Business & Economic Research (CIBER), Central Indiana & Central Carolina United Way, and the Purdue Krannert Business School. He also served as an active member of the Charlotte Business Innovation& Growth Council (BIG) and the Nashville Healthcare Council's Leadership in Healthcare.

Dan has authored and presented numerous topics on CEO performance, leadership, organization change, strategy, leading in global contexts, and strategic talent management. He is regularlyfeatured in top business publications, such as Fast Company, Bloomberg, Forbes, Inc, Yahoo! Finance, and Chief Executive Magazine, and industry publications, such as Boardroom Insider, Consulting Magazine, HR Executive, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Middle Market Executive.

Dan is a Board-Certified Executive Coach (BCC) and holds a NACD Directorship Certification along with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Management from Clemson University and a master’s degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from University of North Carolina, Charlotte.

He has a passion for youth education and partners with local non-profits in North Carolina making a strong community impact, including Heart Tutoring, Girls on the Run, Clemson University’s Student Leadership Signature Program, and University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Organizational Science Institute Program. He enjoys skiing, hiking, wake surfing, exercise, and anything outdoors with his family.

Summit Leadership Partners advises boards, investors, CEOs and senior leaders on strategically scaling business through talent and organization assessment, coaching, executive team effectiveness, leadership development and organization performance improvement. In addition to using advanced behavioral science and data driven tools to uncover opportunities and challenges, our exceptional consulting team deploys real-world solutions based on proven business experience and acumen. Summit is located in Austin, Boston, Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Raleigh, San Francisco and Washington DC. For more information, visit www.summitleadership.com, and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Tanya joined Frazier Healthcare Partners in January 2020 on the Growth Buyout team. Tanya is a human capital leader focusing on pre-investment organizational due diligence and post-acquisition management to create long-term value for portfolio companies ensuring the best talent and human capital strategies are in place.

Tanya has over 20 years of global HR management and process improvement experience in healthcare, technology, and consumer packaged goods. This includes increasing levels of responsibility, including a focus on talent and culture transformation at companies including Hospira, PharMEDium, Dyson, Inc., AMETEK (NYSE: AME), and Sara Lee.

Prior to joining Frazier, Tanya founded her own talent development consulting firm while serving as the interim Chief People Officer for Matrix Medical Network, a Frazier portfolio company. Tanya received her B.S. in Recreation Therapy at Indiana University and her MBA at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

Founded in 1991, Frazier Healthcare Partners is a leading private equity firm focused exclusively on the healthcare industry. Since its inception, Frazier has raised over $8 billion of capital for private funds and co-investment opportunities and has invested in more than 200 companies over 32 years. Frazier has a philosophy of partnering with strong management teams while leveraging its internal operating resources and network to build exceptional companies. Frazier is headquartered in Seattle, WA, and invests broadly across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. For more information about Frazier, visit www.frazierhealthcare.com/growth-buyout.

Jimmy joined American Industrial Partners in 2023. He most recently served as Operating Partner at ParkerGale Capital where he led the the firm's talent strategy. Previously, he spent time driving talent strategy at Home Chef, an L Catterton-backed meal kit company. Prior to that, he was a consultant at Bain and Company, where he led a variety of projects including growth strategy and M&A. He spent time early in his career at Teach For America and Nortel Networks. Mr. Holloran holds a BA in Philosophy from Northwestern University, an MEd from University of Missouri-St. Louis, and an MBA from Yale School of Management.

American Industrial Partners is an operationally-oriented middle market private equity firm that is distinctively focused on buying and improving industrial businesses with operations in the U.S., Canada, and other developed markets. The AIP Team has deep roots in the industrial economy and has been active in private equity investing across three economic cycles. AIP has completed over 125 platform and add-on acquisitions and invests in all forms of corporate divestitures, management buyouts, recapitalizations, and going-private transactions of established businesses with sales greater than $500 million.

Born in Baltimore, MD, Ms. Hopsicker is a 2012 graduate of St. Paul’s School for Girls in Brooklandville, MD. She received a BA in Economics in 2016 and a master’s in finance in 2017 from Johns Hopkins University, where she was a member of the women’s lacrosse team.

From 2017 to 2020, Ms. Hopsicker began her professional career as a Credit Trader at Citigroup ("Citi") in New York. As a trader, Ms. Hopsicker focused on market-making, risk management and credit analysis for both investment grade debt and leveraged loans.

In 2020, Ms. Hopsicker moved to the Chief of Staff team in the office of the Chief Executive Officer. In this role, she worked under Citi CEO Michael Corbat before supporting the transition of leadership in 2021 to Jane Fraser, the company’s first female CEO. As a Vice President, Ms. Hopsicker helped Ms. Fraser execute against Citi’s top priorities, including its firmwide transformation efforts and strategy refresh.

Ms. Hopsicker joined Summit Park in June 2023 and serves as an Operating Partner, Talent.

Summit Park is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based private investment firm focused exclusively on the lower middle market. The firm invests across a range of industries, including services, consumer, and industrial growth. The Firm has made over 40 investments in the lower middle market totaling more than $2 billion in total enterprise value. The firm’s capital can be used to facilitate a change in ownership, to support expansion and growth, to provide partial liquidity to existing owners, or to support an industry consolidation plan.

Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Summit Park is a private investment firm focused on the lower middle market. We invest across a wide range of industries, including services, consumer and industrial growth, and target businesses with revenue between $20 and $100 million, or EBITDA between $4 and $15 million. We strive to be the partner of choice for owners, entrepreneurs, and management teams who share our passion for building companies of extraordinary value. Our capital typically serves as the catalyst for change and/or growth. Change might come in the form of the transfer of ownership from a corporate parent or less active shareholder to a capable and committed management team, or the transition of leadership from one generation to the next. Our capital, resources, and insights also assist in the development and implementation of growth strategies, such as an industry consolidation plan or product, service line, or geographic expansion. For more information, visit www.summitparkllc.com

Geri House is the Chief People Officer at Platform. She is an experienced, strategic human resources executive. Geri has a passion for aligning the people and culture of an organization to its purpose, vision, strategies, and values to unlock individual and organizational potential, and drive effective execution of goals.

Most recently, Geri served as the Chief Human Resources Officer for Cardtronics plc (Nasdaq: CATM - until June 2021). In this role, she was responsible for leading the company’s global human resources function, effectively elevating the role of HR as a critical business partner to drive impactful organizational transformation. Prior to joining Cardtronics, Geri was an EVP and head of Human Resources for National CineMedia LLC (Nasdaq: NCMI), where she similarly transformed the organization’s approach to people and culture, improving alignment, engagement, and business results. Earlier in her career, Geri served as legal counsel for clients of two international law firms. Geri holds a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor of Arts from Simon Fraser University.

Natalie Ings is a Managing Director in Portfolio Solutions at Lightyear Capital. Ms. Ings focuses on supporting Lightyear's senior management in enhancing value and driving growth at Lightyear's portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Lightyear in 2016, Ms. Ings was a Private Equity Controller at Och-Ziff Capital Management where she was the controller for side pocket investment activity and 15 hybrid and private equity funds. Previously, Ms. Ings was a Senior Vice President, Head of Finance, for Macquarie Infrastructure Partners Inc., the manager of Macquire Group's North American infrastructure private equity funds, based in New York. At Macquarie, Ms. Ings focused on transactions, ongoing projects with portfolio companies, fund treasury, and investor reporting. Ms. Ings began her career at Horwath Australia - Motor Industry Services (now Deloitte Australia) as an auditor.

Ms. Ings holds a B.Com. in Accounting and Finance from the University of Sydney and a M.Fin. from INSEAD. She is an Australian Chartered Accountant.

Founded in 2000, Lightyear Capital is a financial services-focused private equity firm based in New York. Through its affiliated private equity funds, Lightyear makes primarily control investments in North America-based, middle-market companies across the financial services spectrum, including asset and wealth management, banking, brokerage, healthcare financial services, insurance, payments and processing and specialty finance. The firm brings focus and discipline to its investment process, as well as operating, transaction and strategic management experience, along with significant contacts and resources beyond capital. For more information, please visit www.lycap.com.

Jamie Jacobs serves as the Chief Talent Officer of Oak Hill Capital. Working across the entire portfolio of Oak Hill funds focusing on all aspects of Human Capital with specialties in Talent Management, Talent Acquisition, Organization design and assessment, HRIS, compensation, and benefits advice. For almost eight years prior to partnering with Oak Hill, Jamie was the Director of Human Capital at American Securities where she worked with portfolio companies’ leadership teams on all aspects of Human Capital. Previously Jamie was with Morgan Stanley for nearly eleven years where she held a number of leadership positions within the firm including heading HR projects, program and data management for the wealth management division, restructuring and strategy for the firm’s recruiting function, Senior HR Business partner for the Private wealth management business, Head of Business Management for the International Private Wealth Management business and Head of Business Management and COO for the Global Talent Management organization. Earlier in her career Jamie worked in Management Consulting at PriceWaterhouseCoopers focusing on technology, business process, and strategy consulting. Jamie received a BS in Business and Economics from Lehigh University.

Oak Hill Capital is a private equity firm managing funds with over $19 billion of initial capital commitments and co-investments since inception. Over the past 36 years, Oak Hill Capital and its predecessors have invested in approximately 100 private equity transactions across broad segments of the U.S. and global economies. Oak Hill Capital applies an industry-focused, theme-based approach to investing in the following sectors: Business Services, Industrials, Media & Communications, and Consumer. Oak Hill works actively in partnership with management to implement strategic and operational initiatives to create franchise value. For more information, please visit: www.oakhill.com.

Scott Jacobs is a partner at Acertitude, where he leads the executive assessment practice and conducts senior-level searches for private equity firms and portfolio companies worldwide. He focuses on identifying and selecting leaders who can drive rapid, exceptional performance tailored to the unique needs of the private equity community.

Before joining Acertitude, Scott spent 15 years as a senior partner with Heidrick and Struggles. As a leader in the Heidrick Consulting business, he delivered projects focused on improving executive team assessment and performance and projects focused on CEO and executive team succession.

He also led the Technology & Services practice across EMEA and was a member of the board practice, leading several Chairman and NED searches, predominantly for privately backed mid-cap firms.

Earlier in his career, Scott worked as a management consultant around the globe. His teams addressed a variety of projects, from multi-million dollar restructuring projects at large organizations to new business launches for start-ups. He graduated from the Ohio State University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Acertitude is the executive search firm unleashing human potential for private equity firms and portfolio companies globally. We recruit Board, CEO, and C-level talent that transform businesses, teams, and performance. Our approach to search is built on taking extreme ownership of our client’s needs. We get closer to clients, move at your speed, and turn insight into impact.
https://www.acertitude.com/

Ms. Joubert is a Principal on the Ares Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team and serves as the DEI Business and Investment Strategy Lead. Prior to joining Ares in 2023, Ms. Joubert was a Vice President on the Sustainability and Impact team in Goldman Sachs Asset Management where she led social integration across the investment platform. Previously, she was the Investments Lead for Goldman Sachs’ One Million Black Women initiative. Ms. Joubert holds a B.S. from Washington and Lee University in Business Administration and Politics.

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, private equity, real estate and infrastructure asset classes. We seek to provide flexible capital to support businesses and create value for our stakeholders and within our communities. By collaborating across our investment groups, we aim to generate consistent and attractive investment returns throughout market cycles. As of December 31, 2023, Ares Management Corporation's global platform had approximately $419 billion of assets under management, with approximately 2,850 employees operating across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. For more information, please visit www.aresmgmt.com.

Dr. Claudy Jules is a Partner at McKinsey & Company in the Washington, DC office. He is also the author of Building Better Organizations: How to Fuel Growth and Lead in a Digital Era, published by Berrett-Koehler in 2022. Dr. Jules is a leader in McKinsey's Private Equity & Principal Investors, directing their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion service line in North America—as well as providing support to a broad range of sponsors on buy-side and sell-side diligence and portfolio company transformations. He is also a leader in the Organization practice and co-leads McKinsey's work at the intersection of organization and high-tech—helping founders, CEOs, investors, and pre-IPO companies grow and scale.

Previously, Dr. Jules worked at Google as the Director of People Operations and Global Head of its Center of Excellence, focusing on Organizational Health and Change. In addition, he worked as an Operating Advisor at CapitalG, Alphabet's independent growth fund, and its portfolio companies.

McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm deeply committed to helping private, public, and social sector institutions accelerate sustainable and inclusive growth. For over 90 years, our primary objective has been to serve as our client's most trusted external advisor. With consultants in more than 100 cities and over 60 countries across various industries and functions, we bring unparalleled expertise to clients worldwide. We collaborate closely with teams at all levels of an organization to develop winning strategies, drive successful execution, mobilize for change, and build capabilities.

Chris Kim is a Principal and leads the Human Capital Management team, which is responsible for performing diligence on all Human Capital aspects of prospective additions to the Platinum Equity portfolio. Chris also has responsibilities in ensuring a seamless transition of Human Capital elements and advising key leadership across the Platinum Equity portfolio regarding Human Capital matters – Organizational Design, Talent, Compensation, Benefits, Labor Relations, HR Operations, Human Capital Analytics, and Restructurings. Chris also leads DEI efforts during transaction execution and across the portfolio.

Chris has over 15 years of M&A experience in a myriad of Human Capital verticals, including but not limited to Organizational Design, Talent Management, Total Rewards, Executive Compensation, Labor Relations and HR Operations. He has addressed Human Capital issues in 1,000+ deals, ranging from public to private transactions, mergers/add-ons, corporate divestitures, buyouts, and IPO/SPAC transactions.

Platinum Equity
Platinum Equity is a global M&A&O® firm, founded by Tom Gores, specialized in mergers, acquisitions, and operations of companies that provide mission-critical products, services, and solutions in diverse industries. We offer deep in-house resources and flexible acquisition solutions to sellers worldwide.

Since its founding in 1995, Platinum Equity has completed 250+ acquisitions in a broad range of market sectors. Our current portfolio includes companies in diverse industries, acquired in a range of corporate divestitures, public-to-private transactions, and transactions with private sellers. We operate each portfolio company independently with the goal of creating long-term, sustainable value.

John Knapp is an Operating Director and Talent Specialist in Berkshire Partners’ Portfolio Support Group, where he focuses on talent leadership and human capital best practices across the portfolio. Prior to joining Berkshire, John was a Partner with David Barrett Partners, a global executive search firm. Earlier in his career, he was a Principal with Egon Zehnder where he led the firm’s North American Asset Management practice and a Vice President of Institutional Wealth Services for Fidelity Investments. He began his career with Accenture in the firm’s Strategy and Business Architecture practice, and earned a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.

Berkshire Partners, a Boston-based investment firm, has been investing in well-positioned, growing companies for more than 35 years. Berkshire Private Equity has made more than 145 private equity investments since its inception and has a strong history of partnering with management teams to grow the companies in which it invests. Stockbridge, founded in 2007, seeks to make public equity investments in high-quality companies with strong competitive positions and long-term growth prospects. The firm’s Stockbridge and private equity teams frequently collaborate and leverage their collective industry expertise in multiple areas, including in communications and digital infrastructure, consumer, healthcare, technology, and services and industrials. For additional information, and to see a full list of the firm’s private equity investments, visit www.berkshirepartners.com.

Bachul Koul (They/Them) joined Warburg Pincus in 2022 and is a Director on the Value Creation team. Bachul’s career has been focused on helping executives and teams understand and develop the capacity and capabilities to drive sustainable growth and accelerate leadership and organizational effectiveness. Prior to Warburg, they were an Executive Search and Leadership Advisory Consultant at Egon Zehnder, an Associate Partner in the Leadership, Change, and Organization practice at Kearney, and they started their career in operating roles in the financial services industry. Throughout their career, Bachul has also been a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice and currently sits as the Board Chair for the Public Rights Project and as an Advisory Board Member for We Create Space. Bachul received an MBA from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. They also hold a BA in Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought from Amherst College.

Warburg Pincus LLC is a leading global growth investor. The firm has more than $83 billion in assets under management. The firm’s active portfolio of more than 260 companies is highly diversified by stage, sector, and geography. Warburg Pincus is an experienced partner to management teams seeking to build durable companies with sustainable value. Since its founding in 1966, Warburg Pincus has invested more than $116 billion in over 1,000 companies globally across its private equity, real estate, and capital solutions strategies. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Berlin, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, São Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore. For more information please visit www.warburgpincus.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

As the Managing Partner of the Private Equity Practice at Riviera Partners, Eric leads executive level searches for the most innovative and high-growth companies in the tech sector. He has more than 25 years of experience in building and scaling public, private equity, and venture-backed companies, as well as a strong background in technology and finance.

Before joining Riviera Partners, Eric was an executive at three different technology start-ups, where he helped grow revenue, secure partnerships, raise capital, and launch new products. He also spent nine years with Arthur Andersen, working with clients across various industries and stages of development. He is passionate about identifying and attracting the best talent, and enabling people and companies to reach their fullest potential.

Riviera Partners is a global driver of innovation for today’s most influential companies – partnering with leading private equity firms to expertly place executive talent in the crucial areas of IT, software engineering, product management, security, AI, and design. Riviera combines over two decades of recruiting expertise with a proprietary platform that uses machine learning to score and predict the best candidate for a company’s specific needs, driving successful outcomes. As a result, the company has become the go-to talent partner for leading private equity investors, venture capitalists, public companies, and technology innovators. Learn more about Riviera Partners at www.rivierapartners.com.

Conor is the Chief Talent Officer at Shore Capital, a microcap private equity firm focused on partnering with companies that have between $1-10 million of EBITDA. Conor is responsible for the recruitment of best-in-class executive leadership talent across Shore Capital’s portfolio companies, including the curation of a senior leader network, and driving innovation of assessment and human capital best practices.

Previously, Conor served as Partner and Head of the Private Equity practice at True Search. Conor served private equity firms and their portfolio companies through delivering a comprehensive and innovative suite of strategic talent services, and executive search engagements.

Prior to joining True, Conor was a Partner at a Chicago-based executive search boutique focused on serving private equity clients. Prior to his search career, Conor served as a consultant with Navigant Consulting in Chicago, where he provided business valuation and advisory work for private equity and other financial services clients.

Conor graduated with a B.S. in Finance from Miami University, and an M.B.A from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Danie Levy hunts for value at the intersection of strategy, leadership, and organization performance. She partners with private equity CEOs, investors, boards, and executive teams to improve company performance through data-backed talent decisions, coaching and development of leaders, and improved organizational effectiveness. As both a practitioner and “system builder”, she has developed and delivered best practice approaches in 1) human capital due diligence, 2) assessment, selection, and development of top talent, and 3) operationalizing the value creation plan through smart talent strategy.

Danie was a Principal and founding member of the Portfolio Talent team at The Carlyle Group. Today, she advises Carlyle and other private equity firms on portfolio talent matters as an Independent Talent Partner. Prior to Carlyle, she worked with leadership teams on their most pressing strategic priorities at Boston Consulting Group and Goldman Sachs. Danie earned her MBA from New York University Stern School of Business and BA from Tufts University.

Diana joined TA in 2016, where she leads human capital for the firm’s portfolio. Diana partners with management teams and deal sponsors to support key human capital priorities, and is focused on identifying, assessing, and hiring world-class executive talent. Prior to TA, Diana founded and built the talent team for OpenView Venture Partners, where she led recruiting for the firm and their portfolio of B2B software companies. She holds a B.A. in Communications from Boston College.

TA is a leading global private equity firm focused on scaling growth in profitable companies. Since 1968, TA has invested in more than 560 companies across its five target industries – technology, healthcare, financial services, consumer and business services. Leveraging its deep industry expertise and strategic resources, TA collaborates with management teams worldwide to help high-quality companies deliver lasting value. The firm has raised $65 billion in capital to date and has over 150 investment professionals across offices in Boston, Menlo Park, Austin, London, Mumbai and Hong Kong. More information about TA can be found at www.ta.com.

Steve is a Senior Vice President for Audax Private Equity where he leads Portfolio Human Capital. Previously, he was the Talent Partner at Kodiak Venture Partners. Steve also worked in the executive search industry at Korn Ferry and Russell Reynolds, where he focused on building leadership teams for early stage technology companies. Earlier in his career, he ran sales and marketing at several technology companies in Boston. Steve is a graduate of Denison University where he received a B.A. in History.

Based in Boston and San Francisco, Audax Private Equity is a leading middle market, growth-oriented investment firm with approximately $19 billion of assets under management, over 210 employees, and 100-plus investment professionals. Since its founding in 1999, the firm has invested in more than 165 platforms and 1,200 add-on acquisitions. Through our disciplined Buy & Build approach, across six core industry verticals, Audax helps portfolio companies execute organic and inorganic growth initiatives that fuel revenue expansion, optimize operations, and significantly increase equity value. For more information, visit audaxprivateequity.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

As a leader of AlixPartners’ Private Equity and Investors practice, Jason drives transformation programs for private equity portfolio companies, achieving tangible and measurable commercial and operational improvements on accelerated timelines.

He has 25 years of experience (including 6 years in India and 4 years in Southeast Asia and Europe), taking interim and permanent executive roles to lead dramatic EBITDA improvements in technology and business services organizations across the globe.

Jason has led global sales organizations and sales operations, global market expansions, cross-border acquisitions and carveouts, and global service delivery operations. He earned an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

AlixPartners is a results-driven global consulting firm that specializes in helping businesses successfully address their most complex and critical challenges. Our clients include companies, corporate boards, law firms, investment banks, private equity firms, and others. Founded in 1981, AlixPartners is headquartered in New York, and has offices in more than 20 cities around the world. For more information, visit www.alixpartners.com.

Since 2019, Morgan has served as a Talent Operating Advisor for the Goldman Sachs Value Accelerator, partnering with portfolio companies and investment professionals to create value through enhanced leadership performance. He supports a wide range of talent initiatives including pre-deal diligence, organizational consulting, talent acquisition, assessment, and coaching.

For more than 20 years, Morgan has been the Managing Partner of Cor Business, a leadership consulting firm focused on CEO and executive coaching, talent management, and change leadership. His prior five years were in executive search, as a Senior Partner at Heidrick & Struggles and as the Founder and Managing Partner of the New York office of Christian & Timbers. Previously, he held consulting and leadership roles at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) and at Mercuri Urval, a European-based management assessment, coaching, and advisory firm.

Jonathan Medina is Managing Director, Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. He joined Macquarie in 2013 and is based in New York.

Johnathan is the Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) for Macquarie Asset Management (MAM). In this role, he is responsible for fostering inclusion and bolstering diversity across MAM. He partners with our portfolio companies to embed DEI as a business imperative so that it becomes a competitive advantage.

Prior to this role, Johnathan was the Head of DEI at Apax Partners. Prior to that, he was a Partner within Accenture’s Strategy Practice, where he advised Fortune 500 companies and their C-Suites on large-scale business transformation and co-founded the DEI practice.

He serves on the board of the 30 Percent Coalition and Toigo Foundation.

Johnathan holds a Master of Business Administration in strategic management and marketing and a Master of Arts in international studies from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in international management from Pace University. He is a proud alum of ALPFA, INROADS, SEO, MLT, and the Robert Toigo Foundation.

Macquarie’s people are empowered to innovate and invest for a better future. We bring specialist, global expertise in areas such as infrastructure, energy, technology and commodities. We focus on innovation, careful risk management and delivering sustained long-term value for our clients, partners, investors, staff and the broader communities in which we operate.

Dhruv Mehra is a Partner in the US & Canada M&A Advisory Services business, based in San Francisco. Prior to his current role, he led the M&A Advisory services business for Mercer for the Asia Middle-east Africa region. He has over 20 years of human capital advisory experience and has worked on a broad range of assignments including cross-border M&A due diligence, do-by-close and post-close support for mergers, joint-ventures, spin-offs, carve-outs and reorganizations.

Dhruv has advised both Private Equity as well as Corporate clients across the US, Europe and Asia and worked on over four hundred transactions covering various sectors such as manufacturing, energy, financial services, insurance, retail, auto, healthcare, media, IT/telecommunication and pharmaceutical industries.

His key areas of expertise on M&A transactions include HR due diligence for complex, cross-border and multi-country transactions. Setting up the HR PMO and providing strategic advice to the Integration steering committee on workforce and organizational integration. Separation support for carve-out transactions including standing up HR programs by Day 1. Post-merger integration support on organizational design, executive and broad-based rewards, talent retention, cultural integration, change management and communications. Restructuring support to manage workforce transition and redundancies.

Prior to joining Mercer, Dhruv spent two and a half years in the HR M&A advisory team for a Big Four accounting firm in the US. He has also worked at another leading consulting firm supporting organizations on their human capital globalization strategy, governance and execution.

He has an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business in Global Business Management and an undergraduate degree from Ohio Wesleyan University in Mathematics and Economics.

Dan Meyer is the Talent Partner for Align Capital Partners, where he leads the talent and recruiting efforts for the firm. He works closely with the investment team and portfolio company management to back and build outstanding leadership teams. Prior to joining ACP, Dan was the CEO of ES Xplore and held multiple roles inside of Hunt Consolidated Incorporate. Before joining HCI and running ES Xplore, Dan spent twelve years as the Talent Partner for Sevin Rosen Funds and Austin Ventures, where he worked closely with investment partners to build leadership teams and expand the firms’ talent network. Before his time in private equity, he worked at a leading executive search firm executing assignments for a broad range of companies from start-ups to Fortune 50.

Align Capital Partners is a growth-oriented private equity firm that partners with business owners and management teams to create shared success. ACP manages $1.5 billion in committed capital with investment teams in Cleveland and Dallas. ACP brings experience and resources to help lower-middle market companies accelerate their growth, to the benefit of management, employees and the firm’s investors. ACP makes control investments in differentiated companies within the business services, technology, specialty manufacturing and distribution sectors.

Todd Miller joined Risk International in 2015 as Chief Growth Officer. By 2016, he was promoted to President and, in July 2017, named CEO. As CEO, Todd is a key member of Risk International’s development team and board, primarily responsible for leading the company’s commercial activities and spearheading sales and marketing initiatives. Todd is also instrumental in identifying opportunities for expanding Risk International's service offerings, providing strategic vision and guidance, and setting long-term goals for the organization.

Todd has over 20 years of experience supporting private equity funds and their portfolio companies with their risk and benefits needs. Before joining Risk International, Todd spent 15 years overseeing risk management and benefits services at Oswald Companies. He finished his tenure as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of the Columbus, Ohio office.

Risk International is an independent insurance, risk management consultant, and employee benefits advisor, delivering solutions through data and analytics. With no ties to the insurance industry, we align exclusively with our clients, providing unbiased support in navigating the changing insurance market. Our independent client-centric approach is evident in our transparent fee-for-service model, with 100% of fees directly paid by clients, eliminating conflicts of interest.

Recognizing that companies invest in insurance to shield themselves from financial losses, we understand the intricacies of securing appropriate coverage can be overwhelming. Leveraging our expertise and resources, we collaborate with clients to develop optimized insurance programs that are practical and cost-effective, ensuring that the insurance programs align precisely with our client's unique needs.

riskinternational.com

Sean is a former NY-based private equity partner turned entrepreneur, founder and CEO. While in private equity, Sean and his peers in the PE industry experienced significant and growing pressures to devise new ways to more effectively assess opportunities and build value in companies under intensely competitive environments. Sean leveraged his years of experience investing in and supporting growth in data, network and information businesses to found BluWave and solve his own problem.

Sean is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Sachem Inc. and previously served on the Board of Directors of AGDATA, MD Buyline, Spectro Scientific, Ampac Packaging, and Alpha Sintered Metals.

Prior to founding BluWave, Sean was in the private equity industry for nearly 20 years, most recently serving as Partner and Member of the Investment Committee of SFW Capital Partners, a leading private equity firm specializing in information, data, and network enabled businesses. Sean received his MBA from Columbia Business School and BSBA from Georgetown University.

BluWave is the business builders’ network for private equity grade needs. BluWave innovatively combines technology, data, AI and human ingenuity to expertly connect businesses with proven operators across due diligence, value creation, and prep for sale. The BluWave Vetted™ network is an invite-only ecosystem of best-in-class individuals and service providing firms. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, BluWave ranks as one of America’s fastest growing companies and today serves more than 500 leading private equity firms and thousands of proactive businesses. Visit www.BluWave.net to learn more.

Melissa joined GTCR in 2019 as a Managing Director, Leadership Talent ＆ Diversity. She advises GTCR portfolio companies on human resources initiatives and leads DEI initiatives across the portfolio companies, at the Board level and within the firm. Melissa is a member of GTCR’s ESG-DEI Steering Committee and co-leads GTCR’s DEI Council and the newly established GTCR Women’s Leadership Group. She also leads the CHRO Roundtable for all portfolio company HR leaders.

Prior to joining GTCR, Melissa was the Principal of Human Capital at Baird Capital. She also has held business strategy and consulting roles at Motorola, E＆Y and strategic human capital and talent management roles at PNC Bank, Aon and Abbott.

Melissa earned a BA in international business from Illinois State University and an MBA from Northern Illinois University. She is a member and serves on the board of The International Women’s Forum (Chicago Chapter). She was named a 2022 Crain’s Chicago Business Notable Executive in HR and DEI and recognized as a 2021 Mergers ＆ Acquisitions Top 25 Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M＆A and a PE Leader in DEI.

Founded in 1980, GTCR is a leading private equity firm that pioneered The Leaders Strategy™ – finding and partnering with management leaders in core domains to identify, acquire and build market-leading companies through organic growth and strategic acquisitions. GTCR is focused on investing in transformative growth in companies in the Business ＆ Consumer Services, Financial Services ＆ Technology, Healthcare and Technology, Media ＆ Telecommunications sectors. Since its inception, GTCR has invested more than $25 billion in over 270 companies, and the firm currently manages more than $35 billion in equity capital. GTCR is based in Chicago with offices in New York and West Palm Beach.

Kristin Murphy, PhD is Vice President, Private Equity and Partnerships, at Entromy, where she oversees enterprise accounts, ensures global customer value, and drives strategic growth. Under Kristin’s leadership, the Entromy team helps clients swiftly extract deep insights across their portfolio companies, identify crucial risks to value creation, and enable time sensitive board level decisions. As a result, executives can move more quickly – and confidently – to address potential risks and key opportunities related to strategic alignment, organizational maturity, and executive effectiveness. Kristin’s passion is to help people and organizations realize and attain their highest potential by building inspiring and effective leadership and fostering a healthy culture. She brings a unique perspective to Entromy, having held positions both as an organization development consultant and a strategy executive with public, private and PE owned organizations. From her cross-industry experience, Kristin has built both a deep understanding of leadership constructs and development approaches and expertise with applying these practices as a business leader.

Entromy is the leading strategy and organizational insights technology company and platform focused on helping Private Equity owned companies achieve results. We provide cutting-edge, actionable data and executive assessment that helps companies proactively understand readiness to execute and achieve key value drivers (innovation, scaling, M&A integration, commercial excellence, finance effectiveness, etc.) while identifying potential risks that could impact growth and value creation.

The Entromy Insights Platform leverages cutting-edge natural language processing capabilities to synthesize insights for real-time organizational health visibility to support business due diligence, PMI, business transformations, rapid growth of distributed teams, and overall business performance.

Brennan Murray is a Partner at Cressey & Company, a middle market, healthcare focused private equity firm. Her career spans over 25 years across executive recruiting and talent management. Brennan joined Cressey in 2017 and is responsible for all talent initiatives at the firm and across its portfolio of investment partnerships.

Prior to joining Cressey, Brennan spent nearly a decade with another middle market PE firm, where she built the talent function which focused on C-suite and board director recruiting. Her early career was with Korn/Ferry International where she was a Partner.

Brennan currently sits on the Advisory Council of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern Medicine and is actively involved with the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cycle for Survival philanthropic organization.

Brennan earned a BA in Public Relations from Texas Tech University. She lives in Chicago with her husband and two children.

Based in Chicago, Illinois and Nashville, Tennessee, Cressey & Company LP (“Cressey”) is a middle-market, healthcare focused private investment firm. Cressey is focused on building leading, innovative, and forward-thinking healthcare companies while forging lasting partnerships to improve America’s healthcare system. With a history spanning over 40 years, the Cressey team has delivered years of business-building expertise as well as a deep network of resources to help our partner companies accelerate growth and is one of the most trusted, experienced, and successful in healthcare private equity.

Robert is a Senior Vice President of Portfolio Human Capital for Audax Private Equity, based in Boston. Prior to joining Audax in 2021, Robert worked at Korn Ferry as a Principal in the Human Resources Practice. Prior to that, Robert was a Director in the Global Human Resources and Inclusion Practice at CTPartners. Robert received a B.A. in International Affairs and German from Lafayette College.

Based in Boston and San Francisco, Audax Private Equity is a leading middle market, growth-oriented investment firm with approximately $19 billion of assets under management, over 210 employees, and 100-plus investment professionals. Since its founding in 1999, the firm has invested in more than 165 platforms and 1,200 add-on acquisitions. Through our disciplined Buy & Build approach, across six core industry verticals, Audax helps portfolio companies execute organic and inorganic growth initiatives that fuel revenue expansion, optimize operations, and significantly increase equity value. For more information, visit audaxprivateequity.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Michelle Nasir is Arsenal Capital Partners Chief Talent Officer (CTO), where she leads the firm’s Human Capital efforts (people, culture, organization, and performance).

Michelle’s expertise includes M&A due diligence, executive coaching, succession and transition planning, senior team effectiveness, organization assessment, and diversity strategy across a variety of industries.

Prior to Arsenal, Michelle was the CTO at United States Steel Corporation where she developed and delivered their People Strategy inclusive of executive succession planning, digitization of Talent processes, launching DEI programming, and the design and implementation of inaugural Talent to Value and Capability Building Programs.

Prior to US Steel, Michelle was a Partner at Heidrick & Struggles. During her eight-year tenure, Michelle advised Fortune 100 C-suite executives at the intersection of business strategy and leadership. Prior to Heidrick, she held a senior leadership role at Google’s People Operations group. Before working in the human capital area, Michelle held senior strategy and operating roles at AOL/Time Warner and at Pfizer. Earlier in her career, Michelle worked as a consultant at McKinsey, E&Y and Accenture. Throughout her career, Michelle has prioritized talent and has been a mentor and sponsor to many.

Michelle holds an MBA in Finance and Management from Columbia University’s School of Business and Bachelor of Science Degree from Columbia University’s School of Engineering. She is a software engineer and developer by training.

Arsenal Capital Partners is a specialized private equity firm with a deep focus in two sectors, industrials, and healthcare. Through deep market immersion and technological expertise in these sectors, we discern market needs and growth drivers to identify what we believe are the most attractive markets and sub-sectors to apply our strategy.

Cara Nealon is a Senior Vice President at Bain Capital in the North American Private Equity Portfolio Group. As a talent specialist, she advances the human capital agenda across the portfolio to help companies build strong leadership teams and inclusive, high-performing organizations.

Prior to joining Bain Capital, Ms. Nealon was a Senior Principal at ghSMART where she advised investors and clients on executive leadership development and assessment. Earlier in her career, Ms. Nealon consulted at The Boston Consulting Group, where she focused on organizational design, leadership capability building and private equity due diligence. Cara received a BA in Economics & Public Policy from The College of William & Mary and an MBA from The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Bain Capital is a global private investment firm with approximately $180 billion in assets under management that creates lasting impact for our investors, teams, businesses and the communities in which we live. Founded in 1984, Bain capital pioneered a consulting-based approach to private equity investing, partnering closely with management teams to offer the insights that challenge conventional thinking, build great businesses and improve operations. Over time, we have organically expanded this approach across asset classes to build one of the strongest alternative asset platforms in the world.

Today, our teams strive to create value through private equity, public equity, fixed income, credit, venture capital and real estate investments across multiple sectors, industries, and geographies. We believe that our people and the shared values we’ve espoused since our founding remain the core of our competitive advantage. This has empowered us to deliver an enduring impact to a diverse group of investors including pensions, endowments, foundations and individuals.

Darcey O’Halloran joined Artemis in 2023 as Operating Partner, Talent, bringing significant experience partnering with CEOs, Leadership Teams and HR Leaders to build high performing teams and drive organizational performance. As the Talent Operating Partner, Darcey serves as a business partner to the portfolio companies, focused on human capital activities including leadership assessment and development, executive recruitment and HR optimization. Prior to Artemis, Darcey worked at Gryphon Investors, a San Francisco based middle-market private equity firm, as VP, Human Resources. At Gryphon, Darcey established HR optimization playbooks and established an ecosystem of preferred partners. Darcey also worked at Korn Ferry in the Organizational Strategy Practice and Deloitte Consulting in both the Strategy and Operations and Human Capital groups leading human capital strategy projects for clients across multiple industries. Darcey earned a B.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University and an MBA from University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Artemis is a Boston based private equity firm focused exclusively on buying and building differentiated manufacturers of Industrial Technology. Our companies manufacture highly engineered products with mission critical applications that create a healthier and more secure future. Leveraging the deep operational experience of our employees, partners, and operating advisors, Artemis’ mission is to provide differentiated Industrial Tech companies the strategic advisory, financial capital, and management support they need so that they can realize their full potential and reach next level growth. Artemis prioritizes investments where it can form strong partnerships with owners and management teams to build world class, leading companies in the industrial technology market. Since its founding in 2010, Artemis has invested in 14 platform investments and 8 add-on acquisitions over the course of 3 Funds.

Kristin joined New State Capital Partners five years ago as Senior Operating Partner, Human Capital with more than 25 years of hands-on growth strategy, executive search, talent acquisition & development experience. New State takes a hands-on role in value creation and Operating Partners are a full time, integral part of the firm's team.

The bulk of Kristin’s career has been focused on strategic talent acquisition for a wide range of industries including tech and industrials across a broad spectrum of company sizes from startups to F100s. Kristin specializes in helping companies grow quickly and build value. She has worked across a range of companies in roles including advisor, mentor and coach.

Prior to New State, Kristin spent six years at Business Talent Group (now part of Heidrick & Struggles) and also ran her own boutique executive search firm.
Kristin received her M.B.A. from NYU's Stern School of Business and her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

New State Capital invests in founder-led companies in B-to-B services and Industrials ($8-$40 Million EBITDA) with a focus on value creation and growth. The firm strives to be nimble, decisive and cooperative, approaching each potential investment as an opportunity to create a long lasting and valuable relationship.

New State has made a deliberate choice to employ an experienced team, deploying a fully-dedicated Operations team for every investment.

Virginia Peters is a partner in the firm’s Dallas office and her practice focuses on commercial contracts and corporate counsel services. Virginia serves as outside general counsel to businesses in a variety of different industries, with a particular focus on private equity. She works closely with clients’ legal and executive teams to address daily legal needs and provide tailored legal solutions and strategic advice. Virginia excels in drafting, negotiating, and managing commercial contracts. She has extensive experience partnering with human capital and talent acquisition teams to strategically draft and negotiate agreements for services such as recruiting, interim staffing, executive coaching, strategic introductions, market mapping, talent assessment, and professional development. Virginia also trains and counsels HR teams on key terms in search firm contracts and common pitfalls of particular concern for private equity companies. Her approach combines technical proficiency with market insights to meet clients' diverse needs effectively.

K&L Gates is a fully integrated global law firm with lawyers located across five continents. Our broad global platform allows us to guide clients through the legal challenges inherent in the ever-changing international landscape. Our interconnected offices and practices around the world enable our clients to respond to diverse legal issues and risks through the services of a single, integrated law firm. The firm draws its strength from diverse roots across the globe, with a multiplicity of lineages converging in the past two decades to create one of the world’s largest and most client-focused law firms.

Meet Dr. Marc Prine, an industrial/organizational psychologist who is renowned for his dynamic professional style and analytical approach. He uses data and analytics to take an objective perspective on improving human performance, and partners with clients to provide guidance and develop custom-built programs that are constructed around individual, team, and organizational outcomes.

Dr. Prine's key areas of focus include working with organizations to integrate empirically supported methodologies into the management of human capital. He is an expert in optimizing the selection, development, engagement, retention, and leadership due diligence of employees through the use of people analytics, assessment, and psychology. With over 12 years of consulting experience working with organizations from financial services, technology, life sciences, manufacturing, and both federal and local government, Dr. Prine brings a fresh perspective and strength to 29Bison and its clients.

Dr. Prine earned his Ph.D. in Business Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, M.A. from West Chester University of Pennsylvania, and undergraduate degree from Temple University. He is also an adjunct professor in statistics and has had his work published in outlets such as the Huffington Post, Forbes, and Fast Company. Trust in Dr. Prine's expertise and let him guide your organization to new heights.

29Bison is the leading Middle Market transaction services provider specializing in human capital. Buy, Sell or Grow. In every case, we believe that a focus on people enhances investment and business outcomes.

End-to-end human capital expertise from diligence through post-close integration and sell-side support. We are your comprehensive value creation partner, evaluating and designing the optimal human capital strategy across leadership and culture, benefits & total rewards, technology, operations, and overall organizational design.

Jon serves as the Partner and Lead for the Private Equity and Alternative Assets Practice at NorthWind Partners. Starting with the firm as an Associate, Jon ascended the ranks of NorthWind, earning into the Partnership in record time. He has quickly gained the confidence of clients and demonstrated himself as a market leader in retained search, selection, and assessment.

Jon is committed to building high-performing leadership teams and boards and is naturally compelled to identify deeply with clients and act as a trusted advisor while sharing their stories in the market. He originates and oversees full life-cycle projects and manages project teams across healthcare, technology, business services, government, aerospace & defense, utilities, and industrials. Jon provides expertise across all facets of executive search including project due diligence, recruiting, negotiation, client management, and business development. Jon partners with a diverse client base and endeavors to build and develop effective leadership teams at the board, C-suite, and senior executive levels.

NorthWind Partners was formed in 2005 to assist investors and boards in advancing strategic and tactical initiatives by successfully addressing and solving near-term leadership or organizational challenges through search, selection, assessment, and development at the board and enterprise or business leadership levels. With control investors representing over 80% of the firm’s client base, NorthWind is the leading bespoke advisory at the intersection of private equity and government-influenced & heavily regulated industry segments. NorthWind deploys capital through its investment affiliate believing that the most meaningful way to create optimal long-term alignment is to invest, when given the opportunity, alongside clients with whom we have been privileged to help shape leadership teams that have a significant material impact on the firm, fund(s), or asset(s). We become acutely attuned and accountable to the progress of the investment throughout the entire hold period.

Ruthanne is the Founder & CEO of Aster Talent. She brings to the Firm over 20 years of recruitment experience partnering with funds across size, strategy and geography.

In recent years, she has spent the lion's share of her time placing Human Capital/Talent professionals including Heads of Human Capital, Talent Partners and other specialized roles helping funds to meet some of the most complex challenges on the people front. Ruthanne is Hogan certified regularly leveraging Hogan assessment tools to guide and advise clients and candidates alike.

Ruthanne has an MBA from UC Berkeley, Haas School of Business and a BA in International Relations from UC Santa Barbara. A passionate independent movie and documentary lover, you can find her without fail at the Sundance Film Festival every January.

Aster Talent is an executive search and talent advisory boutique founded to serve the specialized talent needs of the alternative investment industry.

This hyper-focus has given us the opportunity to gain unparalleled industry insight and to build long-standing, trusted relationships with both clients and candidates.

The collective experience of our team enables us to be true extensions of our clients who rely on our counsel for hiring, compensation, on-boarding and on-going talent advisory.

Today, we are proud to partner with some of the most prestigious funds in the world and to have a client roster that comes entirely from referral

John Sander is a Principal at Lightyear Capital joining in 2022. Previously, John was with McKinsey & Company and the operating arm of Vista Equity Partners. Mr. Sander holds a B.A. in Computer Science from Pomona College and was a Fulbright Scholar in Machine Learning in Germany. He received his M.B.A. from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Lightyear Capital is a specialist private equity firm that partners with growth companies at the nexus of financial services and technology, healthcare, and business services. For over 20 years, Lightyear has worked closely with management and leveraged its industry expertise, operating resources, and network of advisors to accelerate growth and build market leading businesses.

Steve is Operating Partner and Head/Leadership Center of Excellence with Edison Partners, a premier growth equity firm focused on financial technology, healthcare IT, and enterprise solutions. In his role, Steve serves as leadership performance coach and advisor to portfolio CEOs, C-suite executives and teams, and heads of HR as they navigate the challenges of accelerated growth and transformation. Steve is also Founder and Principal of ListenForward LLC, a coaching and advisory practice helping C-level executives and teams deliver and sustain high impact performance.

Steve spent four decades as an operating and senior HR executive building, growing and transforming premier and high-growth global organizations across technology and Al; non-profit services and sports, digital media and publishing, and financial services. As a graduate professor, he designed and taught classes intersecting HR, strategy, technology, and the digital workplace.

A multi-certified executive and team coach, Steve is a member of the Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches Agency. He shares and applies his knowledge and experience as a guest lecturer and conference speaker. He coaches social entrepreneurs and mentors’ leaders across the globe. Steve has an MS/Human Resources Management and Development from The New School, a BS/Industrial Relations from Ithaca College, and is a Malcolm Baldrige Executive Fellow.

Edison Partners is a leading growth equity firm and integrated team of investors and operators that live and breathe the opportunities and challenges faced by companies at the growth stage. The team brings more than 275 years of combined investing, operating and sector experience to each investment, accessible via the Edison Edge value creation platform, which is tailored to each business’ strategy, stage, and operating needs. Edison targets high-growth financial technology, healthcare IT and vertical SaaS and marketplace companies located outside Silicon Valley with $10 million to $30 million in revenue. Investments also include buyouts, recapitalizations, spinouts, and secondary stock purchases. Edison’s active portfolio has created aggregated market value exceeding $10 billion. Edison Partners manages $1.6 billion in assets. For more information on Edison Partners, please visit edisonpartners.com and follow on LinkedIn.

Natalia Schmidt-Chiari is a Principal in the Portfolio Operations Group based in New York. Ms. Schmidt-Chiari joined Blackstone in 2021 and works across the firm’s portfolio to help drive growth through the identification and acquisition of C-suite and Board talent.

Prior to joining Blackstone, Ms. Schmidt-Chiari spent seven years in executive search at Heidrick & Struggles, where she focused on recruiting Board, CEO and senior level executives to publicly-traded and private equity-backed companies across industries. She began her career in Oliver Wyman’s Delta Organizational Consulting division followed by NYSE Euronext working in Global Talent Management.

Ms. Schmidt-Chiari received her BA in Classics from Princeton University.

Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our $881 billion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, infrastructure, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow @blackstone on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

Dennis is the lead Executive Advisor and CEO of Leadership, Inc. He has coached three sitting Chairmen of publicly traded companies, over 60 private and public company CEOs, and over 700 C-Suite and VP-level executives. He is certified in several assessment methodologies and has studied the impact of stress on professional and interpersonal performance.

Leadership, Inc. provides coaching and leadership assessments through a unique combination of state-of-the-art psychometric based assessment instruments and proprietary processes. Our processes are based on common sense and sound business practices.

Ms. Schroeder is an Operating Partner on the WCAS Technology Talent Team, having joined in 2021. Ms. Schroeder has 15 years of talent experience spanning executive search, corporate recruiting, and talent advisory. Most recently, she served as a Senior Director at Bain & Company, where she led the Private Equity and Financial Services verticals in the Americas for the Bain Executive Network. While at Bain, Ms. Schroeder was an integral member of the development team for Bain’s LeadershipLink solution which translates portfolio company value creation plans into leadership talent strategies. Earlier, she was an executive recruiter with Russell Reynolds Associates, a leading global executive search and assessment firm. Ms. Schroeder began her career as a member of the recruiting team at The Blackstone Group. She received an MA in Social Organizational Psychology from Columbia University and a BA from Lehigh University.

Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (WCAS) is a leading U.S. private equity firm focused on two target industries: technology and healthcare. Since its founding in 1979, the firm’s strategy has been to partner with outstanding management teams and build value for its investors through a combination of operational improvements, growth initiatives and strategic acquisitions. The firm has raised and managed funds totaling over $33 billion of committed capital.

Jack joined FFL as an Operating Partner in 2010 and is regarded as one of the pioneers in the P/E Talent function. Jack works closely with FFL's portfolio companies advising them on all aspects of talent management including recruiting, compensation, succession planning, retention, team building, and performance management. Prior to joining FFL, Jack spent 20 years as an executive search consultant. Most recently, he was a Managing Partner with Heidrick and Struggles where he ran the San Francisco office and managed two of the firms' top ten client relationships on a global basis. Earlier in his career he was a Partner with Korn/Ferry International in San Francisco and worked for Price Waterhouse in New York. Jack earned a Masters degree in Accounting from Northeastern University and a BA from Trinity College in Hartford, CT. Jack has served on several Boards of Directors including Accordion, EyeCare Partners, ProService, Summit Leadership Partners, and Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Chris is a Partner with Leathwaite where he leads the firms’ global Private Equity and Corporate Officers practices, additionally leading the firm’s HR and Human Capital practice. Chris has over fifteen years of global search and advisory experience supporting clients on critical functional leadership appointments. Partnering with a number of the world’s preeminent private equity firms, Chris and the Leathwaite team help to build transformational leadership teams, recruiting transformational functional leadership within Portfolio Companies and growing operating partner and value creation teams. Chris joined Leathwaite in 2022 from Korn Ferry where he was a senior partner in the global HR, private equity and consulting practices, focused on executive search and leadership advisory. Based in the UK with his family, Chris divides his time between London and New York and grew up in Vienna, Austria.

Leathwaite is the leading global search and talent advisory firm focused exclusively on transformational functional leadership. With offices across North America, EMEA and APAC, we partner the world’s leading large and mid-cap private equity firms to build exceptional leadership teams. We recruit critical functional leaders into private equity funds, grow value creation and operating partner teams, and build transformational c-suite leadership teams across portfolio companies. As experts in functional leadership, our consultants cover the breadth of technology and digital, finance, HR/human capital, transformation, ESG, legal and governance, and Chair/Board positions. Partnering with firms and their portfolio companies, we recruit diverse, market-leading talent that deliver sustainable performance and unlock value.

Samantha Smith is a Principal at General Atlantic and provides strategic support and advice to the firm’s portfolio companies with a focus on talent and human capital. Before joining General Atlantic in 2023, Samantha was a Managing Director at The Miles Group and partnered with companies to support them in succession planning, leadership coaching, executive assessments, board effectiveness and team effectiveness. Prior to that, she was a Principal at Heidrick & Struggles and focused on executive recruiting across industries.

General Atlantic is a leading global growth investor with more than four decades of experience providing capital and strategic support for over 500 growth companies throughout its history. Established in 1980 to partner with visionary entrepreneurs and deliver lasting impact, the firm combines a collaborative global approach, sector specific expertise, a long-term investment horizon and a deep understanding of growth drivers to partner with great entrepreneurs and management teams to scale innovative businesses around the world. General Atlantic has approximately $83 billion in assets under management inclusive of all products as of December 31, 2023, and more than 280 investment professionals.

Karina is a seasoned human capital executive with wide-ranging experience in organization design, building & scaling organizations, leadership assessment, executive recruiting, and succession planning. Currently, Karina leads the Human Capital at Clearlake where she focuses on Talent management across Clearlake’s portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Clearlake, Karina co-led Human Capital Practice at Advent International where she focused on Human Capital Management across Advent’s portfolio companies, including leadership assessment, and growing network of top senior executives for CXO, Board, and Operating Partner, and Advisor roles. Prior to Advent, Karina was a Talent Partner at Softbank where she focused on Talent Practice for the Vision Fund and SoftBank Group portfolio companies. Previously Karina served as a Partner, Human Resources at Andreessen Horowitz. Prior to Andreessen Horowitz, Karina worked as a CHRO at Nuru International, an US non-profit organization with operations in the US and Africa, as well as held Recruiting roles in Europe at McKinsey & Company, and at CitiBank.

Karina holds a Master degree in Psychology from Warsaw School of Social Psychology.

Katie Solomon is Managing Director, Talent Management at Genstar Capital. She works across the firm’s portfolio to help drive growth through the identification, assessment and acquisition of talent. Katie brings experience in recruiting, investor relations, finance and consulting to her role at the firm.

Prior to joining Genstar in 2011, Katie was Vice President, Human Capital and Investor Relations at Vector Capital. Previously, she worked in executive search at Russell Reynolds Associates where she focused on recruiting senior level executives to private equity and venture backed companies. Before that, Katie led the marketing team at Harvard Business School Career Services and directed the global investment banking recruiting department at Robertson Stephens. Katie began her career as a Consultant with Bain & Company where she advised both Fortune 500 companies and private equity firms and their portfolio companies.

Katie received her B.A. Phi Beta Kappa, and her M.A. from Stanford University. She received her M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business

Capital (www.gencap.com) is a leading private equity firm that has been actively investing in high quality companies for over 30 years. Based in San Francisco, Genstar works in partnership with its management teams and its network of strategic advisors to transform its portfolio companies into industry-leading businesses. Genstar currently has approximately $49 billion of assets under management and targets investments focused on targeted segments of the financial services, healthcare, industrials, and software industries. The firm closed Fund XI in April, 2023 with approximately $12.6 billion in total commitments. Genstar’s vision is to help build lasting, impactful companies that will continue to succeed well beyond their ownership.

Debra Somers joined Warburg Pincus in 2019 and is focused on executive talent and recruiting best practices for U.S. based portfolio companies. Prior to joining Warburg Pincus, Debra was the Head of Career Development at the non-profit, Girls Who Invest, and the Program Director of Portfolio Recruiting at Vista Consulting Group, the operating arm of Vista Equity Partners, where she focused on building and scaling Vista’s portfolio recruiting function. She also spent several years in Equity Capital Markets at Credit Suisse before moving into a leadership role on the firm’s Recruiting team. Debra received a BS in Business Administration with a Finance major from Georgetown University.

Warburg Pincus LLC is a leading global growth investor. The firm has more than $83 billion in assets under management. The firm’s active portfolio of more than 260 companies is highly diversified by stage, sector, and geography. Warburg Pincus is an experienced partner to management teams seeking to build durable companies with sustainable value. Since its founding in 1966, Warburg Pincus has invested more than $116 billion in over 1,000 companies globally across its private equity, real estate, and capital solutions strategies. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Berlin, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, São Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore. For more information please visit www.warburgpincus.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Marya Stansky leads executive talent activity for Board and C-Suite roles across 40+ portfolio companies of New Mountain Capital. She partners with colleagues and company leaders to create value through people from the pre-deal advisory stage to the post-close talent agenda through exit. Throughout her career, she has partnered with leaders to optimize organizational, team and individual performance.

Before joining New Mountain in 2021, Marya conducted executive searches and leadership assessments for asset management clients at Spencer Stuart. Prior to Spencer Stuart, she was a Talent Manager at Boston Consulting Group, where she deployed consultants across the firm’s client engagements. She began her career as a Teach for America corps member at a district public school in Bronx, NY.
Marya earned her M.B.A. from Columbia Business School, her M.Sc. from Hunter College, and her B.A., from Princeton University.

New Mountain Capital (“New Mountain”) is a generalist private equity sponsor focused on middle-market growth companies. Founded in 1999, it is committed to building great and durable businesses that make a difference in their markets and communities, while creating strong returns for investors. Together with its affiliates, New Mountain manages private equity, credit and net lease real estate platforms with aggregate assets under management totaling more than $40 billion. In 2024, it will be investing out of its seventh flagship fund.

Nicole serves as a key member of the NEP’s leadership team and leads their DEI steering committee, operating advisory team, and portfolio services. She is known for building organizational capabilities and teams needed to successfully scale growing businesses. She provides a breadth of organization design, talent strategy, compensation design, team development, and human resources advisory support within NEP’s portfolio. She is based in NEP’s West Palm Beach, Florida location.

Prior to NEP, Nicole co-founded of River Rock Partners, a consulting firm focused on assisting small to mid-sized founder-run and PE-owned companies with strategic and organizational planning. She has held leadership positions at Cargill, Pillsbury, International Multifoods, and CNS (Breathe Right® Nasal Strips). Nicole has a BBA in Industrial Relations and Human Resources Management from the University of Iowa.

She currently serves on the board of Coretelligent and Nationwide Organ Recovery Transport Alliance (NORA), NEP portfolio companies; Great River Greening, Minnesota’s leading land and water restoration non-profit; and the University of Iowa’s John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center.

NEP seeks to invest in growing and profitable middle-market companies primarily across the business services, consumer services, consumer products, and industrials sectors. For over 60 years, NEP has created opportunities, jobs, and value by finding and fueling what’s working in successful companies to help build them into industry leaders. Investing nationally from offices in Minneapolis and West Palm Beach, NEP takes a respectful, collaborative approach that sets it apart from other capital sources. For more about NEP, visit NEP.com and follow on LinkedIn.

Emily joined Frazier Healthcare Partners in January 2023 as Vice President, Human Capital. She supports human capital initiatives internally and across the Growth Buyout portfolio with a focus on Executive in Residence, Senior Advisor, and portfolio leadership recruitment.

Prior to Frazier, Emily served as CEO at Elevation Search Solutions, where she spent over five years leading talent acquisition initiatives for high-growth companies across the nation. She executed several searches across the Frazier Center of Excellence team and portfolio companies including Caravel Autism Health, CSafe Global, Effective School Solutions, Leiters, and Adare Pharma Solutions.

Emily is an active member of the Nashville Health Care Council, a premier association of healthcare industry leaders. She also serves as President on the YP Board at The Next Door Recovery, a nonprofit organization providing evidence-based substance abuse and mental health care services to women.

Emily received her BA in Sociology and Art from Furman University.

Founded in 1991, Frazier Healthcare Partners is a leading private equity firm focused exclusively on the healthcare industry. Since its inception, Frazier has raised over $8 billion of capital for private funds and co-investment opportunities and has invested in more than 200 companies over 32 years. Frazier has a philosophy of partnering with strong management teams while leveraging its internal operating resources and network to build exceptional companies. Frazier is headquartered in Seattle, WA, and invests broadly across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. For more information about Frazier, visit www.frazierhealthcare.com/growth-buyout.

As Head of Talent at Trivest, Reid drives talent-focused value creation across the portfolio in alignment with Trivest’s Path to 3x program. Prior to joining Trivest, he was a member of the People Advisory practice at Teneo, a global consulting firm, where he executed C-Suite and board advisory mandates spanning Private Equity to Fortune 100. Previously with Egon Zehnder, a leading global search and talent advisory firm, he was a core member of the Board Advisory, Private Equity and Family Business Advisory practices. Before beginning his career with Deloitte’s Human Capital Consulting practice, Reid received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Trivest Partners, based in Miami, is a private investment firm that focuses exclusively on the support and growth of founder-led and family-owned businesses in the U.S. and Canada, in both control and non-control transactions. The Firm is highly active; over the past five years, Trivest has completed more than 250 investments. Trivest has roughly $5.5 billion in assets under management and a growing team of over 80 professionals.

Davide Tesini co-leads our portfolio company talent team for Mubadala Performance Partners (a dedicated team of senior specialized operating partners who deliver holistic transformation which maximizes the value creation potential of our portfolio companies). He specializes in organizational design, senior executive selection, and workforce transformation. Before joining Mubadala, Davide was at McKinsey where he assisted private equity funds in commercial due diligence and portfolio company turnaround efforts.

Davide holds Bachelor’s and Master's Degrees in Industrial Engineering from the University of Bologna, and an MBA from Columbia University.

Mubadala Investment Company is a sovereign investor managing a global portfolio, aimed at generating sustainable financial returns for the Government of Abu Dhabi. Mubadala’s $276 billion (AED 1015 billion) portfolio spans six continents with interests in multiple sectors and asset classes. It leverages its deep sectoral expertise and long-standing partnerships to drive sustainable growth and profit, while supporting the continued diversification and global integration of the economy of the United Arab Emirates. For more information about Mubadala Investment Company, please visit: www.mubadala.com

Chris Trendler is a Managing Director and the Head of Portfolio Talent for the firm, responsible for leading the firm's talent strategy across the portfolio. Prior to joining MDP in 2021, Chris was a Partner at ghSMART and Company, where he advised investors, CEOs and Boards on critical talent issues.

Madison Dearborn Partners is a Chicago-based private equity firm, specializing in buyout and growth equity investments in established middle and upper-middle market companies located primarily in the United States. Since MDP's formation in 1992, the firm has raised eight funds with aggregate capital of approximately $28 billion and has completed over 150 investments. MDP is currently investing out of its most recent fund, MDCP Fund VIII, in businesses across a broad spectrum of industries, including basic industries; businesses & government software and services; financial and transaction services; health care; and telecom, media and technology services.

Margreet (Maggie) van de Griend is based in New York, joined Warburg Pincus in 2019 and focuses on organization, talent, and leadership development for portfolio companies. Prior to joining Warburg Pincus, Ms. van de Griend was a Principal at Katzenbach Partners and an Organization Expert at McKinsey & Company. She founded Sokrates Partners – a small, globally operating consulting firm. Ms. van de Griend's consulting career has focused on questions of leadership, executive teaming, transformation, commercial effectiveness, and organization; she has advised the leaders of large global corporations across multiple industries (e.g., Technology, Health Care, Consumer Goods, Transportation/Logistics, and Financial Services). She holds a Drs. (advanced academic) degree in Classical Languages and Culture from the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands).

Warburg Pincus LLC is a leading global growth investor. The firm has more than $83 billion in assets under management. The firm’s active portfolio of more than 260 companies is highly diversified by stage, sector, and geography. Warburg Pincus is an experienced partner to management teams seeking to build durable companies with sustainable value. Since its founding in 1966, Warburg Pincus has invested more than $116 billion in over 1,000 companies globally across its private equity, real estate, and capital solutions strategies. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Berlin, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, São Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore. For more information please visit www.warburgpincus.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

As Partner & Chief Talent Officer, Ali leads internal talent initiatives at FTV Capital and provides comprehensive talent advisory services to the firm’s portfolio companies as part of FTV’s value creation platform, FTV Propel®. Prior to joining FTV, Ali was responsible for all human capital management initiatives at TCV. Prior to TCV, Ali was a senior client partner at Korn/Ferry International and held executive level positions at various alternative investment firms including Arden Asset Management, Och-Ziff Capital Management and Citadel Investment Group, as well as global executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles. She holds a bachelor’s degree in humanities from the University of California, Berkeley.
FTV Capital is a growth equity investment firm that has raised nearly $4 billion to invest in high-growth companies offering a range of innovative solutions in three sectors: enterprise technology and services, financial services, and payments and transaction processing. FTV’s experienced team leverages its domain expertise and proven track record in each of these sectors to help motivated management teams accelerate growth. FTV also provides portfolio companies with access to its Global Partner Network®, a group of the world’s leading enterprises and executives who have helped FTV portfolio companies for two decades. Furthermore, FTV offers a robust platform to optimize portfolio company operations and fuel their growth through FTV Propel, an in-house team of seasoned operational leaders who deliver strategic counsel and practical resources across a range of critical business functions, including sales, talent, business development, marketing and technology.

Founded in 1998, FTV Capital has invested in more than 125 portfolio companies, including 6 Degrees Health, A-LIGN, Docupace, EBANX, ID.me, OpenSesame, Luma Health, ReliaQuest, Sysnet, Tango Card and Vagaro, and successfully exited/partially exited companies including Empyrean (acquired by Securian Financial), Enfusion (NYSE: ENFN), EXL Service (NASDAQ: EXLS), InvestCloud (recapitalized), Globant (NYSE: GLOB), MedSynergies (acquired by Optum), Mu Sigma (acquired by shareholders), Strata Fund Solutions (acquired by Alta Domus), Sunlight Financial (NYSE: SUNL), VPay (acquired by Optum) and WorldFirst (acquired by Ant Financial). FTV has offices in New York, San Francisco and Connecticut. Learn more by visiting www.ftvcapital.com and following the firm on LinkedIn.

Dina is a Partner and co-Head of the Private Equity Practice at ghSMART, where she advises private equity investors and corporate CEOs and boards on their most pressing leadership issues, including building high performing leadership teams, developing next generation senior talent, and accelerating organizational change. She is co-author on several articles featured in Harvard Business Review, including a cover article on “What sets successful CEOs apart.”

Prior to joining ghSMART, Dina was an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company, where she advised CEOs and senior executives on issues related to corporate strategy, organizational transformation, and sales & marketing effectiveness. In addition to client work, Dina co-led McKinsey’s Business Analyst program in Boston as part of the People Leadership Team and was a key member of the Learning Team in New York, where she helped develop new curricula for incoming consultants. Dina also has experience working in healthcare with DaVita as part of their expansion in Asia.
Dina is a former fellow of the Forum for Growth and Innovation at Harvard Business School, where she worked with Professor Clayton Christensen studying disruptive innovation in healthcare and professional services. She is co-author of the article, “Consulting on the Cusp of Disruption,” published in Harvard Business Review, and has been cited by The Economist, The American Bar Association, and dozens of management journals and blogs.

Dina graduated with distinction from Harvard Business School, and from Harvard College magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with an A.B. in Chemistry. She currently lives with her husband and daughter in Santa Barbara.

ghSMART is the premier private equity leadership advisory firm. Drawing on our 25+ years of experience with over 27,000 senior executives, we’ve refined a methodology that works across the lifecycle of the deal. From due diligence to value creation to exit, we’ll help you make better, faster people decisions at every step. We give you the data and the perspective you need to influence positive change and create value faster.

Keith is a seasoned organizational effectiveness practitioner, drawing from over a decade of experience in the private equity sector. His expertise lies in the intricate landscape of organizational design, where he has tackled a variety of challenges, from navigating mergers to orchestrating thoughtful restructures. Rooted in I/O psychology, Keith approaches problem-solving with a keen understanding of both employee and business perspectives.

Keith’s journey includes roles at Hudson Global Resources, consulting with AlixPartners, and leading transformative initiatives globally, spanning APAC, EMEA, and North America. At LS Power, Keith is addressing the leadership and organizational challenges tied to scaling businesses for the energy transition. He also currently serves on the Board of the Organization Design Forum and will Chair their 2024 conference.

Since 2005, LS Power investment funds have raised $12.9 billion in equity commitments to support North American infrastructure, with underlying exposure to 34+ GW of power generation, including utility-scale solar, wind, hydro, battery energy storage, and natural gas-fired facilities.

LS Power funds also actively invest in and scale businesses that are accelerating the energy transition, including electric vehicle charging, demand response, microgrids, renewable fuels, and waste-to-energy platforms. In-house functional expertise and platform resources provide direct due diligence and actively drive value for all project investments and portfolio companies.

Additionally, LS Power’s greenfield development efforts date back to 1990, including LS Power Grid which has built 780+ miles of high-voltage transmission, with 350+ miles and multiple grid infrastructure projects currently under construction or development.

Across these efforts, LS Power has raised over $54 billion in debt and equity capital to support North American infrastructure. For information, please visit www.LSPower.com.

John Weaver joined Risk International in 2019 and is the Senior Director of Private Equity. He works with the risk management and benefits advisory teams to drive value creation for private equity clients and their portfolio companies.

Before joining Risk International, John held executive roles with insurance consulting and risk management firms, helping companies and their management teams achieve their financial goals by employing data-driven approaches to arrive at favorable outcomes.

John has over 20 years of experience in sales, consulting, and business process outsourcing, having spent over ten years with ADP in several strategy and business development roles.

Risk International is an independent insurance, risk management consultant, and employee benefits advisor, delivering solutions through data and analytics. With no ties to the insurance industry, we align exclusively with our clients, providing unbiased support in navigating the changing insurance market. Our independent client-centric approach is evident in our transparent fee-for-service model, with 100% of fees directly paid by clients, eliminating conflicts of interest.

Recognizing that companies invest in insurance to shield themselves from financial losses, we understand the intricacies of securing appropriate coverage can be overwhelming. Leveraging our expertise and resources, we collaborate with clients to develop optimized insurance programs that are practical and cost-effective, ensuring that the insurance programs align precisely with our client's unique needs.

Visit: https://riskinternational.com

Jess Weber has over 15 years of experience building transformative teams within notable consumer brands. Before joining Prelude Growth Partners, Jess served as the President and Interim CEO of Creatively, a digital talent marketplace. Previously, she was an executive search consultant at Russell Reynolds Associates, where she partnered with early-stage and Fortune 500 consumer clients to advance their strategic vision through talent. Jess has also held operating roles within media, retail, and CPG businesses, including leading digital strategy at Time Inc. She began her career in marketing at Limited Brands and Grey Global Group. She earned her M.B.A. from The Wharton School and graduated magna cum laude from New York University.

Prelude Growth Partners is a growth equity firm focused on providing capital and deep value-added operating support to high-potential, fast-growing consumer brands including Banza, Made Good, Sol de Janeiro, Summer Fridays and Westman Atelier. Prelude Growth seeks to make investments of $10 million to $50 million in each company across branded consumer categories, spanning personal care, beauty, food & beverage, baby, pet, health & wellness, and other consumer categories. For more information please visit www.preludegrowth.com

Scott Willett is a Founder and Principal of Pennington Human Dynamics. Scott's leadership, consulting, and executive/team coaching experiences span more than 25 years across a diversity of industries, organizations and geographies. Scott has worked with leaders and teams from the frontlines to the C-Suite through a wide range of business transformations. Since his earlier career as an industrial and quality engineer, he has held senior and global executive positions responsible for building and leading internal organizational consulting functions at IBM, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton University, The Hartford Financial Services Group, and Prudential Financial. Coupled with applied research and his diverse consulting and coaching experiences, Scott brings organizational effectiveness expertise in the areas of senior leader/team performance, organization climate, and business transformation to every client engagement. Scott is an adjunct faculty member at the internationally ranked Thunderbird School of Global Management, and at the University of Connecticut School of Business, where he teaches a range of executive development and executive MBA courses. Scott holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Management from Capella University, as well as an MBA, an MS in Management Systems, and a BS in Interdisciplinary Engineering & Management from Clarkson University. He is based in Connecticut.

Pennington is a performance consulting firm committed to helping businesses accelerate growth and value creation. We do this by sharpening and elevating their most valuable assets—their top teams and key leaders. We optimize the performance of top teams through proven team processes, and we build key leader capability through executive coaching, leader integration, and customized leader development programs. We work with elite leaders from all sectors of the business landscape. Our clients are at the helm of transformation, directly responsible for the health, growth and evolution of their organizations. They recognize that their own professional and financial success rides on the success of the leaders and teams in their charge. They have skin in the game and the stakes are high. As a result, our clients see the work we do together not as a chore but as an opportunity, not as a cost but as a necessary investment—as one of the most proactive steps they can take to drive results. While Pennington’s client portfolio ranges from Fortune 15 to start-ups, we work primarily with organizations engaged in growth, scale, transformation, and value creation with a sense of urgency—particularly with private equity and investment owned portfolio companies.