Mergers, Acquisitions & Buyouts Conference 2023

The great transition

We are facing a fundamental shift to a new world order, both economically and politically. Relative prices – especially energy prices – will change drastically. We’ll transition from a global to a more regional world. We’ll move to a circular economy, with less young talent. And we’ll have to come to terms with the good and the bad of machine learning and AI. In the face of this great transition, resilience will become much more important – with more emphasis on compartmentalisation, redundancy and agility, rather than blind optimisation.

From barbarians to smooth operators: How private equity practices are reshaping the world of business

Private equity was born in the 1980s – making it a relatively new asset class. From an obscure set of tactics developed by greedy investment bankers, it’s evolved into a respected asset class which is growing year on year. Private equity uses specific strategies to create value for the companies they own – and these practices have earned the best players superior returns. So it’s not surprising that they’re in demand among executives in other companies, both listed and private – and that they’ve begun to influence what’s considered ‘good management’. We’ll discuss the practices that are most appropriate for different ownership contexts.

Transforming into a technology company: The organic and inorganic growth strategy of Stow

How did we transform a small, West Flemish industrial company into a leading global player in high-tech material handling equipment? By thinking big! This is a fascinating journey, touching on how to guide a company through different stages of ownership, how to transform from an industrial company to a tech/software company – and how to manage organic and inorganic growth.