Michigan Private Equity Conference and Women Who Fund Forum to Cover Challenges and New Opportunities in Private Equity and Institutional Lending

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Sept. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Two premier alternative investment conferences?the 13^th annual Michigan Private Equity Conference and the fourth annual Women Who Fund Forum?will be held on October 11-12, 2018. Hosted by the Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, these conferences together annually attract more than 300 private equity and institutional finance professionals from across the United States.

The themes slated for in-depth discussion at this year's conferences include current and emerging topics in the nation's credit markets that pose challenges and new opportunities for those in private equity and institutional investing.

"With an everchanging private equity landscape, it's more important than ever that we continue to create a dialogue that includes different perspectives and experiences," commented David J. Brophy, Director of the Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance. "These two events provide our audience of private equity investors an opportunity to interact and find common ground, leading to deals that can improve the economic situation in the Midwest or elsewhere in the United States."

Michigan's "Boutique" Private Equity Event Attracts Big Name Speakers
The half-day Private Equity Conference, held at the University of Michigan's Michigan League on October 12, will feature experts who have made notable contributions to the private equity field. The event will kick off with an opening keynote address from Phil Knisley, advisor at Clayton, Dubilier and Rice. Knisley brings to the conference experience in corporate strategy and manufacturing and has served as an executive in the diversified industrials category.

Patrick Russo, partner of California-based Shamrock Capital Advisors, will deliver the closing keynote address. 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.

In addition to keynotes from Knisley and Russo, the day will feature an array of speakers and panelists who will discuss the latest trends and strategies emerging from the alternative investment industry, including the impact of tax reform on private equity and M&A transactions and fundraising perspectives and developing partnerships. Featured panelists include:

• Eric Jones, Partner, Honigman
• Steve McCoullough, Tax Partner, Transaction Advisory Services, BDO
• Ilan Napchan, Partner, Honigman
• Amy Coleman, Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer, Thoma Bravo
• Lee Rash, Partner, Cotton Creek Capital
• Jason Jerista, Director Investor Relations, LLR Partners
• Brian Gimotty, Director Investments, UAW Retiree Medical Benefits
• Brian Nobis, Senior Investment Officer, State of Wisconsin Investment Board
• Morgan Holzaepfel, Partner, Adam Street Partners
• Len Middleton, Adjunct Professor, University of Michigan

Michigan's Women Who Fund Forum to Address Preparing for an Autonomous Future and Obtaining Capital
Preceding the Private Equity Conference on October 11, the fourth annual Women Who Fund Forum will be held at the U-M Golf Course Postma Family Clubhouse in Ann Arbor. The event 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.

This year's conference will be headlined by Rachel Bhattacharya, GM's director of corporate finance and the former chief growth officer at MAVEN. Her keynote address will offer an inside view of new mobility initiatives and preparing for an autonomous future. Panels on navigating the changing retail landscape and pursuing capital will feature panelists across the investment, technology, marketing and mobility sectors. These include:

• Raggeria Goddard, Growth Manager, MAVEN; Former Sr. Investment Analyst Dev. & Global M&A, GM
• Ellen Havdala, Managing Director, Equity Group Investments
• Andrea Hedrick, Managing Director of Originations, Stonegate Capital
• Emily Ellen Bertsche Murto, Vice President, Stratford-Cambridge Group
• Douglas Sutton, Partner, Flex Equity, Huron Capital Partners
• Jeff Lambert, President, Managing Partner, Lambert, Edwards & Associates
• Trish Lukasik, CEO, Luxury Garage Sale
• Vivek Saran, Chief Marketing Officer, Belle Tire
• Curtis Tingle, Chief Marketing Officer, Valassis
• Melissa Grusche, Business Development, Specialty Retail, Google

Online registration is open through October 10 for the Private Equity Conference here and the Women Who Fund Forum here. For more information, please contact Mary Nickson at [email protected] or 734-615-4424.

About the Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies
The Institute and its Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance bring together an impactful combination of deep-seated knowledge, enriching experiences and strategic opportunities from the front lines of entrepreneurship and alternative investment. Students' learning experiences are further enhanced through internships, entrepreneurial clubs, business competitions and campus-wide events that foster valuable networking and engage the business community. The School's four student-led investment funds, with over $8.5M under management, immerse students in the entrepreneurial business sourcing, assessment and investment process. Founding Zell Lurie advisory board members include Samuel Zell, chairman of Equity Group Investments, and Eugene Applebaum, founder of Arbor Drugs Inc. For more information about the Zell Lurie Institute, visit www.zli.umich.edu.

About Michigan Ross
The Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan is a vibrant and distinctive learning community grounded in the principle that business can be an extraordinary vehicle for positive change in today's dynamic global economy. The Ross mission is to develop leaders who make a positive difference in the world. Through thought and action, members of the Ross community drive change and innovation that improves business and society. Ross is consistently ranked among the world's leading business schools. Academic degree programs include the BBA, MBA, Part-time MBA (Evening and Weekend formats), Executive MBA, Global MBA, Master of Accounting, Master of Supply Chain Management, Master of Management, and PhD. In addition, the school delivers open-enrollment and custom executive education programs targeting general management, leadership development, and strategic human resource management.

SOURCE Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies