Opportunities and challenges for Private Equity-Backed Tech Leaders
"Over 75% of private equity firms now prioritise digital transformation in their portfolio companies as a major area of value creation. In PE firms' portfolios, CTOs are increasingly seen as key figures in operational improvement, with technology becoming a core lever for business success"
Jed Gardner, LineData.
In this special panel event, we’ll bring together a selection of seasoned CTOs and Tech Leaders who have navigated the high-pressure, high-stakes world of Private Equity-backed companies. Our panellists will share their first-hand experiences, insights, and war stories, providing a rare opportunity to learn from those who have thrived in this demanding environment.
You can expect a discussion covering topics such as:
- How to navigate the unique pressures and expectations within a PE-backed organisation.
- The key differences between private equity and venture capital-backed companies.
- Understanding the sometimes puzzling decisions made by PE firms and how they affect technology strategy.
- How acquisitions and mergers impact the CTO role, from integration challenges to strategic shifts.
- How tech leaders can speak the language of PE to thrive.
- The relationships between PE companies and the board, and what CTOs need to know about these dynamics.
- Why working in a PE-backed company can forever change how a CTO views business and technology leadership.
- The balancing act of managing short-term demands with long-term vision and innovation.
- Practical strategies CTOs can implement to ensure a smoother acquisition process and a successful technology roadmap.
- What you can learn from people that have spent years in PE-backed companies.
Whether you’re yet to experience the world of PE-backed companies or you’re looking to deepen your understanding, this panel event offers an unparalleled opportunity to hear from those who have been in the trenches. Gain actionable insights and discover how to navigate the complexities of PE-backed companies, all while learning how this environment can shape your long-term leadership approach.
About the Speakers:
Steve Lydford is COO at Codurance, a global software consultancy born out of the Software Craftsmanship movement. With a 20+ year career in software engineering, Steve has worked on complex projects in a wide variety of sectors including retail e-commerce, finance, education, media, government and healthcare, developing large-scale, resilient, distributed systems on an assortment of platforms.
Steve is a pragmatic problem solver with a focus on the delivery of high-quality, robust and maintainable code. He is a passionate advocate of continuous improvement, both for software and software developers and believes that the future success of the software industry relies on the sharing of knowledge gained through experience.
A published author, Steve regularly gives back to the software engineering community through delivering talks at industry events and hosting meetups across the UK.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelydford/
Hemant is the founder and CEO of Anumana, a digital transformation and bespoke AI solutions business. He has built high performing technology teams and platforms for fast growth organisations, such as Arrow Global and Azzurro Associates. Hemant founded Anumana to help other fast growth organisations convert their data into an asset, leading businesses to become more data driven in their decision making. Alongside the commercial endeavours of the business, Hemant has developed a social mobility programme – the Anumana Code Academy, delivering free python training programmes to disadvantaged children across Greater Manchester.
Dave is a senior technical leader with multi-disciplinary responsibility and strong technical experience, with 12 years of engineering leadership experience and 19 years of professional engineering experience.
Passionate about empowering and developing teams to get the most from them by ensuring they get the most from their roles, Dave has experience in a day zero start-up through to global enterprise. Growing and managing teams from scratch to 100+ across Fintech, Healthcare, Education, SaaS, B2B, internal platform and B2C, in public sector, publicly traded, privately owned and PE owned businesses.
Currently working as VP of Software Engineering for Manchester based PE backed Kalibrate, Dave is a keen proponent of Manchester’s tech community at all levels.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davemckerral/
Elizabeth is an award-winning UK tech entrepreneur.
She was named as one of The Telegraph’s ‘Most Disruptive Entrepreneurs’ and named West Midlands Woman of the Year for her ‘Outstanding Contribution to Technology’.
She was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen’s jubilee birthday honors in 2012, in recognition of her achievements in delivering significant benefits for clients with the products she designed.
Following the acquisition of eg solutions plc, Elizabeth founded The Tech Growth Factory.
Acting as Non-Executive Director, Investing Director, Coach or Mentor she now assists the founders of UK Tech StartUps and ScaleUps to achieve their growth potential.
With a proven track record of leading teams to build and operate complex software applications across many sectors, Nik spends his time advising and supporting a number of businesses across a variety of roles in the Digital Product space
Interested In The Event?
If you’re interested in attending, you can book online here.
For any further enquires about this event, contact [email protected]
