University of Michigan Private Equity Conference and Women Who Fund Forum set for Oct. 11-12

Organizers of the 13th annual University of Michigan Private Equity Conference and the fourth annual Women Who Fund Forum announced the initial program details of their 2018 events to be held on October 11-12, 2018 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. Hosted by the Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance at the Ross School of Business, these conferences together annually attract more than 300 private equity and institutional finance professionals from across the United States.

The Private Equity Conference will host Patrick Russo, partner at California-based Shamrock Capital Advisors, as this year’s keynote speaker. Russo has more than 20 years of media and entertainment experience, having held a broad range of financial advisory roles including mergers and acquisitions, fairness opinions, intangible asset valuations, litigation support and strategic planning. Previously, he was a senior managing director with FTI Consulting as well as a co-founder of The Salter Group. Shamrock Capital Advisors invests in the media, entertainment and communications sectors.

In addition to Russo’s keynote, the day will feature an array of speakers and panelists who will discuss the latest trends and strategies emerging from the alternative investment industry.

“The purpose of our two conferences is to give our audience of private equity investors an opportunity to interact with each other and to hear divergent points of view from experts who come from different regional, national or international markets,” said David Brophy, professor of finance and director of the Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance. “The investors and business leaders who attend our events end up finding common ground and doing deals together that improve the economic situation here in Michigan and the Midwest or elsewhere in the United States.”

Preceding the Private Equity Conference, the fourth annual Women Who Fund Forum will be held on October 11 at the University of Michigan. This half-day forum will showcase and connect dynamic women who are breaking through gender barriers in the alternative investment field and paving the way toward rewarding careers for future generations.

Previous speakers have included:

• Mary Petrovich, chairman of the board of Axle Tech International;

• Maximiliane Straub, chief financial officer and executive vice president of Robert Bosch;

• Noel Dolan, senior manager of open innovation at Whirlpool;

• Margaret Gibson, partner at Kirkland & Ellis;

• Alicia Robb, senior fellow at the Kauffman Foundation;

• Alisyn Malek, COO and co-founder of May Mobility;

• Trina Van Pelt, vice president of Intel Capital and managing director of the internet of things and automated driving groups at Intel Corporation.

Online registration is open April 1 through Oct. 10. For event details, visit Private Equity Conference and the Women Who Fund Forum. For sponsorship and further information, contact Mary Nickson at mnickson@ umich.edu or 734-615-4424.