Private Equity Power Talks: Map of the Maze

In this annual PepTalks Podcast episode with DC Advisory, we’re joined by Tim Morris, UK CEO, to explore the current state and future outlook of the private equity deals market.

 

Tim reflects on deal activity over the past year and shares his predictions for the next 6–12 months, providing a practical lens on what this means for PE-backed CEOs and management teams.

 

We discuss:

• What will spark the market back into life
• How to position your business to attract buyers and run a successful process
• The role of AI in shaping investor interest and valuations
• How to get the most out of your advisors at every stage of the deal

Essential insight for PE-backed management teams navigating a challenging and uncertain market.

In this episode of the PepTalks podcast, we speak with Simon Crowe, a seasoned CFO with deep experience navigating private equity-backed businesses through growth and exit. Simon served as CFO at energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie and ERM, the world’s largest sustainability consultancy, where he led the company through its fifth PE transaction, valuing the business at $2.85bn.

We dive into the fundamentals of a PE-backed finance function, including how to build a growth-oriented and finance-led business, craft board packs that support strategic decision-making, manage leverage and debt relationships effectively and cultivate a high-impact CFO–CEO partnership.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 episode, 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.

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.

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/