Topics du jour included LP sentiment around today’s heady fundraising environment and frenetic dealmaking; the pervasiveness of continuation vehicles; and the democratisation of private markets.
Private equity firms need to be cautious about how they are leaving a lasting mark in a market fertile for takeovers.
Unslakable investor thirst for the asset class has contributed to some of the best fundraising conditions in history and led to concerns over how managers are putting that money to work.
The exceptional performance of private equity is pushing many LPs to offload portfolios on the secondaries market, whether they planned to or not.
The private equity industry is evolving – let us know which firms have stood out in the past year and been at the forefront of leadership and innovation.
The growth of impact investing could see the strategy take a greater role in tackling climate change.
While firms make the most of favourable market conditions, there are lingering concerns over what could happen when the music stops.
A trickle of fund managers choosing to link carried interest to their impact and ESG targets is good news for private markets, showing the industry is serious about its sustainability goals.
Money has been flooding into growth equity, with $70.5bn raised for the strategy in H1 alone. Increased competition and macroeconomic headwinds pose a stern challenge.
The remit and expertise of operating teams have grown significantly in the decade since PEI launched the OpEx Awards, with 2020 in particular serving as a valuable learning curve.