2026 Agenda
Scaling smart: Ops, talent, and tech amid global uncertainty
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Registration
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Welcome remarks
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Keynote
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Opening panel: Global volatility, geopolitics & the macro reality
- Global instability and increasing market volatility
- One year later: How private equity has navigated tariff wars imposed by the Trump administration and if we can expect to grapple with the impact for the rest of the year
- What this macro environment means for operational decision-making
- How to ensure solid due diligence processes
Assessing exposure efficiently across the value chain
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Panel: Treasury and banking strategy: Steering financial relationships during geopolitical shifts
- Treasury strategy in a fragmented world (Benelux, US, and beyond)
- Opportunities and risks in consolidating treasury with a single bank or provider
- Navigating hedging risks What tax and regulatory changes are expected to have a major impact on the industry?
- What are fund managers prioritising when evaluating fund finance options?
- What questions should fund managers be asking their finance providers today?
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Networking break
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Debate: Is there a debt bubble?
- Is there an issue of overleveraging and if so, how did the industry get to this point?
- NAV financing: when is enough, enough?
- Is the ‘debt bubble’ just a natural evolution and response to regulatory change?
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Fireside chat: Balancing act: scaling without complications
- What systems, processes, and structures are needed to support growth without adding complexity?
- What are LPs currently looking for when it comes to scalability and operational readiness?
- How to demonstrate scalability in a credible and measurable way to investors?
- Understanding what areas of operations to prioritise scaling
People or systems- is scaling in one or the other better?
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Networking lunch
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Interactive Roundtables: Risk management practices in cybersecurity
A moderator will be joined on stage by two speakers who will pose questions on risk management practices with interactive polling site, Slido. Attendees will be given five minutes to discuss amongst their tables. Once responses are in, the moderator will select a table to explain their answer and the speakers will weigh in.
- Exploring the growing financial risks of cybersecurity
- Should firms be dedicating more people to tackle cyber threats?
- Are current training systems on handling sensitive data sufficient given the rise of generative AI?
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Panel: AI, data privacy & internal operating models
- To what extent are AI tools being utilised in operations?
- To build or buy: when is building your own AI systems the correct option?
- Should GPs be concerned about data privacy and if so, how can they mitigate this?
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Streams
Stream A: Data privacy & team structure | Stream B: Internalisation vs outsourcing |
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Closing remarks
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Activities
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Networking drinks
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Dinner
Day two
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Activities
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Welcome remarks
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Panel: Synergy and strength: how operational and executive teams can stand tall together
- How to align priorities between operations and executive leadership
- Best practices for clear decision-making and escalation paths
- How to build trust and shared accountability across leadership
- How can alignment between origination and operational teams be strengthened?
- Motivating teams in a high-pressure
Non-financial drivers of engagement: purpose, autonomy, recognition
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Fireside chat: What do you wish you knew earlier about managing portcos?
- Best practices for aligning investor expectations with operational realities
- How do deal teams and portfolio teams work best together after closing?
- Managing handover from deals to operations: what’s working and what’s not?
- Structuring governance and reporting to create clarity and accountability
- How do leadership priorities change as a fund scales or as market conditions shift?
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Networking break
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Interview: Journey of directing investor relations and financial ambition
- How have LP expectations changed and how have operations adapted to meet these demands?
- How do you tackle conflict between demands and realistic financial circumstances, especially during economic instability?
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Workshops: Exploring talent in 2026 and beyond
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Closing remarks and networking lunch