Private Equity Power Talks: Map of the Maze

In this episode of the PepTalks Podcast, we are joined by experienced Healthcare CEO, Craig Smith… Craig joined healthcare and specialist transport providers E-zec Medical as CEO in 2021 following an MBO by Cairngorm Capital. In 2023 he oversaw a significant merger with ERS Medical resulting in a rebrand to EMED Group where Craig remains as CEO. We discuss how Craig organised and executed this merger as well as how he has driven significant growth as CEO of both E-Zec & EMED through a heavy focus on culture, restructuring programmes, product diversity & innovation and building a winning senior leadership team.

In this episode of the PepTalks Podcast, we are thrilled to have Tim Ham, CEO of Pearson Ham and distinguished pricing expert, as our special guest. We discuss the findings of a collaborative report between PepTalks and Pearson Ham titled ‘The Six Key Steps to Pricing Implementation’. Tim provides insights into the findings of the report and takes a deep dive into each of the 6 steps. With his expertise, Tim shares practical advice on how to successfully execute a pricing project within your own business. To access the report, visit: https://pep-talks.co.uk/article/the-six-steps-to-pricing-implementation-guide/

For this episode of the PepTalks Podcast, we are joined by culture, talent and HR expert David Bowes… David is a highly successful and high-growth Chief People Officer under PE ownership, having held the position at WDS, A Xerox Company, Phlexglobal and Xalient. We discuss the role of the chief people officer, including what a good people strategy looks like, building your top team and how to hire, retain and develop talent throughout your organisation.

In this episode of the PepTalks Podcast, we are talking all about strategy and how to build a winning value creation plan under PE ownership with Achilles CEO, Paul Stanley. Paul has held 7 PE backed CEO roles, the last 4 of which he took on when the business was underperforming so he could implement a successful strategic repositioning. Paul shares his approach to building a strategy by focusing on the business's purpose, culture and key customers. He then shows us how you can translate this into an effective value creation plan.

This episode of the PepTalks Podcast is all about operating models and how they can be successfully implemented into a PE-backed business to drive value, culture, innovation and set you up for a successful exit. Our expert guest is Forge Holiday Group & Sykes Holiday Cottages CEO, Graham Donoghue, who has successfully implemented OKRs into the business resulting in a 9x return for Livingbridge and enterprise value of £400m upon their last exit in 2019. Graham attributes a large amount of his success to the successful implementation of OKRs. Listen to hear his full story.

For this episode of the PepTalks Podcast, we are joined by regular guest, Richard Madden, for an update on the state of the private equity deals market. Richard is CEO of DC Advisory UK a leading international investment bank who provide buy and sell-side advice during PE transactions and other M&A activity. We discuss how the economic climate has affected the market over the course of this year and what we can expect over the next 6 to 12 months.

For this episode of the PepTalks Podcast, we welcome David Brennan, Executive Chair of Nexus Vehicle Rentals for the second time to discuss his continuing journey with the business. David was CEO of Nexus for 9 years and steered the company through 3 PE transactions before recently transitioning to Exec Chair. We discuss how to drive organic growth through effective sales and marketing, developing your management team and succession planning for the CEO role.

For this episode of The PepTalks Podcast, we are joined by Andrew Dyckhoff, Founder and CEO of Strengths Unleashed, who are experts in assessment, development and advisory, helping energise individual leaders, their teams and organisations to release untapped potential, transform performance and deliver outstanding results. Our main area of discussion is around personal and organisational energy and why it is so important when delivering the growth required under private equity ownership.

For this episode of The PepTalks Podcast, we are joined by Neil Rodford, Executive Director of Voly Music and Former CEO of YMU, a market-leading talent agency. Neil led YMU through 3 successful buyouts, delivering a 500% increase in enterprise value and a turnover in excess of £140m. During this time Neil executed over 40 acquisitions which are our key topic of conversation for this podcast. We also discuss team development and how your relationship with PE changes through an investment cycle.

For this episode of The PepTalks Podcast, we are joined by Lois Heywood, CEO of Retail & Asset Solutions who are at the forefront of the audit and stocktaking industry. In 2018 Lois became CEO of Retail & Asset Solutions upon leading a Carve Out from ODS group with the support of LDC. Lois draws on this experience and describes how to transition from corporate to PE-backed leadership. We also discuss how Lois and her team became the business's majority shareholders, having completed a debt-funded management buyout in 2022.

For this episode of the PepTalks Podcast, we are joined by Elona Mortimer-Zhika, CEO of Iris Software Group, who help organisations to make better business decisions by developing integrated software solutions. In 2016 Elona joined Iris as CFO, transitioned to COO in 2018, and finally to CEO in 2019. During her tenure, Iris has seen incredible amounts of growth. Their most recent exit in 2018 was worth £1.3 billion and since then the value of the business has grown to over £3 billion. In this podcast, we discuss Elona’s approach to M&A, expansion into the US, how to successfully transition from an Exec into the CEO role, and her approach to hiring.

For this episode of the PepTalks Podcast, we are joined by Clare Roberts OBE, Founder and CEO of Kids Planet Day Nurseries, an award-winning group of 137 nurseries across the UK. Clare founded the business in 2008 and has since completed two private equity transactions. Clare shares how she successfully transitioned from an entrepreneur to a PE-backed business leader, and how this path to success affects your mindset towards growth, investors, M&A and the culture of your business.

How can Commercial Due Diligence be used to make your business more attractive to prospective buyers in an extremely competitive deals market in 2023? To discuss this, we are joined by Simon Hemsley, Partner of Armstrong, who offer CDD and value creation consulting to private equity backed businesses in the UK mid-market.

In this special edition of the Private Equity Power Talks Podcast we are joined by David Laws, former Education Minister & Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Robin Grainger, Exec Chair and Founder of GK Strategy. We will be discussing the impact of Truss’ resignation. Who will be the next Tory Leader? What will their effect be on inflation and a potential recession? And ultimately what effect will it have on private equity?

In this episode of the PepTalks Podcast we are joined by Chris Merry, CEO of Stonehage Fleming, an independent advisor to some of the world’s leading family and wealth creators. Prior to this Chris has held CEO positions at 4 other businesses, both in the public and private sector. Chris looks back at his career and shares the lessons he learnt along the way to becoming a high growth PE CEO and shares his current experiences in building a comprehensive and efficient M&A strategy.

In this episode of the PepTalks Podcast we are joined by Richard Madden, CEO of leading international investment bank and PepTalks Advisory Partner, DC Advisory UK. DC provide buy and sell-side advice during PE transactions and other M&A activity. Richard will be drawing on this expertise and current state of the market to make predictions for the future. This podcast is a vital piece of listening for any PE backed leader looking to prepare for the potentially turbulent times ahead and stay on track to exit.

In this episode of the Private Equity Power Talks Podcast, we are joined by Andrew Howe, Founder and former CEO or Bridge Leisure. We discuss Andrews Exit journey with Bridge, including taking a business you have started from scratch into PE ownership, orchestrating a successful off market PE deal and the complexities of completing a PE backed Trade Sale. We also discover Andrew’s key learnings from his career and how he will be taking them into his new role as Exec Chair at Largo Leisure.

For this episode of the Private Equity Power Talks Podcast, we are joined by Chief People Officer at MVF, Andrea Pattico. Over the past 6 years Andrea has been responsible for creating and implementing a strategy that makes MVF a great place to work, resulting in the business coming first in the Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For in 2020. In this pod, Andrea reveals how she nurtured a high performance and learning driven culture that empowered MVF employees to reach their potential and exceed expectations.

For this episode of the Private Equity Power Talks Podcast, we are joined by Adrian Gardner to discuss the role of CFO under PE ownership. Adrian is currently COO at Stonehage Fleming and has held several positions as a PE backed CFO. He draws on these experiences to discuss the transition from FD to CFO, the importance of building a strong partnership with the CEO and how to professionalise the finance function under PE ownership.

In this special edition of the Private Equity Power Talks Podcast we are reflect on an episode we recorded last year with Former CHS Healthcare CEO, Dr Gaby Silver. During this podcast we asked Gaby her thoughts on what can be done to encourage and promote women into senior leadership roles in PE. Now, whenever we get challenged on this at a PEPTalks event, Gaby’s response is something we always refer back to. So, if you are a PE professional, interested in helping resolve the gender gap present in PE leadership positions, then the following insights can truly help set you on the path to meaningful change.