Private Equity Power Talks: Map of the Maze

Emma Lancaster, CEO, AAB

In this episode of the PepTalks Podcast, we’re joined by Emma Lancaster, CEO of AAB, who brings a rare dual perspective as both a former CFO and now a successful CEO under private equity ownership.

Emma shares how she navigated the transition from CFO to CEO, and what she’s learned about building a high-performing partnership between these two critical roles. Emma also talks us through the M&A strategy that has driven significant growth at AAB.

Jon Andrew & Matt Lyons - The Changing PE Landscape

This episode of the PepTalks Podcast explores how Private Equity ownership has evolved and what that means for CEOs and C-suite leaders today.

Our guests are Jon Andrew and Matt Lyons, two highly experienced former Private Equity professionals who now work closely with CEOs and leadership teams through PepTalks training programmes.

They share practical insights on:

• What PE firms are really looking for in today’s market
• How to build trust and engagement with investors
• And what it takes to create a high-impact value creation plan

Whether you’re new to PE or planning your next phase of growth, this is a must-listen.

David Kassler, Group CEO, Framestore and Company 3

For this episode of the PepTalks Podcast, we are joined by Group CEO of Framestore and Company 3, David kassler…

David is an expert in taking on challenging roles and producing great results out of complex and dynamic situations. In this podcast, he recounts his journey as CEO of EMI Music, which was subject to very public industry disruption and challenging debt obligations and Williams Lea Tag, which required a strategic repositioning and transformation process resulting in two successful trade sales.

The Private Equity Deals Market - Richard Madden, European Exec Chair, DC Advisory

It’s our annual Podcast episode with Richard Madden, European Executive Chairman of DC Advisory to discuss the state of the Private Equity deals market.

We review the deals market so far this year, what we can expect over the next 6 – 12 months, including the impact of likely changes to tax policy, and ultimately what this means for PE-backed business leaders.

Donat Rétif, CEO, loveholidays

For this episode of the PepTalks Podcast, we are joined by loveholidays CEO, Donat Rétif…

Donat is a highly experienced PE-backed CEO specialising in building high-growth tech platform businesses. We discuss loveholidays organic growth journey and how they have utilised AI, data and staff engagement & autonomy to greatly increase their customer base and expand into new international markets.

Matt Parker, CEO, Babble – Effective M&A (Part 1)

This episode of the PepTalks podcast is all about running an effective M&A process under PE ownership.

We are joined by Babble CEO and M&A expert, Matt Parker. Having joined Babble in 2015 Matt has taken the business through 2 PE transactions and grown the headcount from 15 to 500 people, all whilst completing 34 acquisitions.

In this first of 2 episodes, we focus on the acquisition process right up to the point of sale, specifically how you define your criteria, how to source potential deals, how you fund those deals and the DD process.

Craig Smith, Group CEO, EMED Group

In this episode of the PepTalks Podcast, we are joined by experienced Healthcare CEO, Craig Smith…

Craig joined healthcare and specialist transport providers E-zec Medical as CEO in 2021 following an MBO by Cairngorm Capital. In 2023 he oversaw a significant merger with ERS Medical resulting in a rebrand to EMED Group where Craig remains as CEO.

We discuss how Craig organised and executed this merger as well as how he has driven significant growth as CEO of both E-Zec & EMED through a heavy focus on culture, restructuring programmes, product diversity & innovation and building a winning senior leadership team.

Tim Ham, CEO, Pearson Ham - The Six Key Steps to Pricing Implementation

In this episode of the PepTalks Podcast, we are thrilled to have Tim Ham, CEO of Pearson Ham and distinguished pricing expert, as our special guest.

We discuss the findings of a collaborative report between PepTalks and Pearson Ham titled ‘The Six Key Steps to Pricing Implementation’. Tim provides insights into the findings of the report and takes a deep dive into each of the 6 steps. With his expertise, Tim shares practical advice on how to successfully execute a pricing project within your own business.

To access the report, visit: https://pep-talks.co.uk/article/the-six-steps-to-pricing-implementation-guide/

David Bowes, Chief People Officer, Xalient

For this episode of the PepTalks Podcast, we are joined by culture, talent and HR expert David Bowes…

David is a highly successful and high-growth Chief People Officer under PE ownership, having held the position at WDS, A Xerox Company, Phlexglobal and Xalient. We discuss the role of the chief people officer, including what a good people strategy looks like, building your top team and how to hire, retain and develop talent throughout your organisation.

Paul Stanley, CEO, Achilles - Strategic Repositioning

In this episode of the PepTalks Podcast, we are talking all about strategy and how to build a winning value creation plan under PE ownership with Achilles CEO, Paul Stanley.

Paul has held 7 PE backed CEO roles, the last 4 of which he took on when the business was underperforming so he could implement a successful strategic repositioning. Paul shares his approach to building a strategy by focusing on the business's purpose, culture and key customers. He then shows us how you can translate this into an effective value creation plan.