Annick Desmecht

Senior Operational Advisor - Value Creation, CEO Value XL, Affiliate Faculty London Business School school

Dr Desmecht’s main area of expertise lies at the intersection of Strategy, Finance and Governance. She has done extensive research in the area of value creation in established companies, with a particular focus on the strategies used by Private Equity Funds to deliver superior performance to investors and the subsequent influence of those practices on the world of management at large via the involvement of activist investors. Real-world experience: Dr Desmecht has 30 years of experience as an international leader and senior executive in companies ranging from large global corporations to highly focused technology-oriented start-ups. She also combines her executive experience with consulting experience with McKinsey and ATKearney, where she was a member of the European Leadership Team. She has consulted with global companies in the areas of consumer, technology, fashion and grocery retail, luxury and data analytics.

CONFERENCE DAY ONE: 14TH OCTOBER

11:30 AM DEBATE: CONSULTANTS VS. OPERATORS - ASSEMBLE THE ULTIMATE VALUE CREATION TEAM

In the high-stakes world of private equity, where speed, impact, and ROI define success, who should lead transformation - seasoned management consultants or dedicated in-house operators? Consultants bring structured playbooks, benchmarks and rapid diagnostics, but do they have enough skin in the game to drive lasting change? Transformation officers, deeply embedded in portfolio companies, offer hands-on execution, but can they move fast enough within the PE investment cycle? By examining the strengths and challenges of each approach, we’ll explore how to assemble the ideal team that drives transformation and delivers results.

CONFERENCE DAY TWO: 15TH OCTOBER

2:30 PM CLOSING KEYNOTE: TRUSTED, NOT TOLERATED: REFRAMING THE OPERATING PARTNER ROLE

Too often the relationship between operating partners and the portfolio leadership team starts with scepticism. In this candid and practical session, we’ll explore the critical challenges operating partners face when trying to establish credibility and drive value creation alongside portfolio executives and look to answer the below questions:

· The trust gap: why leadership teams may view operating partners as a threat, not an ally

· Misaligned incentives and what to do about them

· The danger of being "too helpful"—and how to strike the right level of engagement

· Cultural friction between investor urgency and operational realism

· What it really takes to shift from oversight to co-ownership of transformation

Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Annick.

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