Investment Forum & Private Equity Awards Gala

                    Another edition of the prestigious “Investment Forum & Private Equity Awards Gala” conference, bringing together the leaders of investment markets, will take place on June 6 at the Westin hotel in Warsaw. For the seventh time the leading representatives of the private equity sector will discuss the future of the sector and the most important issues for Polish companies and investors. The conference is organized by Executive Club under the patronage of the Polish Private Equity and Venture Capital Association. The partners of the event include such companies as mBank, DNB, Innova Capital, KPMG, or PZU. During the 5th edition of the formal gala crowning the conference, Private Equity Diamonds will be awarded to the most outstanding entities in the industry. Special guests of the event include, among others, prof. Dariusz Rosati, member of the European Parliament, and Krzysztof Pietraszkiewicz, President of the Polish Bank Association. The conference gained the status of the most important event on investments and Private Equity in Poland and has been attracting leaders of investment markets, top management of the largest Polish companies, as well as investors and entrepreneurs for years. The invited speakers, most renowned representatives of the industry, will debate, among others, on the possibilities of acquiring capital for global development and long-range perspectives for the export directions of domestic companies. Previous editions gathered business leaders and specialists from the sector – entrepreneurs and investors – around the issue of Private Equity. Continuing the success from previous years, Executive Club is organizing another edition of the “Private Equity Diamonds” gala, which will emphasize the added value provided by the funds in the development of Polish companies and the capital market. This event enjoys great enthusiasm every year.

• This year’s finalist in the PE Portfolio Company category are: Melvit (Resource Partners investment), Novago (Abris Capital), Polflam, (Syntaxis Capital), Wirtualna Polska (Innova Capital).
• In the VC Portfolio Company of the Year category: NaviExpert (MCI Capital), PBKM (Enterprise Investors), UXPin (InnovationNest).
• In the PE Exit of the Year category: GoodFood (Resource Partners) Home.pl (Value4Capital), Wirtualna Polska (Innova Capital).
• In the VC Exit of the Year category: INVIA (MCI Capital), Rankomat.pl (3TS Capital Partners)
• The candidates for the CEO of the Year statuette are: Michał Drozd (INVIA, MCI), Sławomir Kamiński (Melvit, Resource Partners), Marcin Kuśmierz (home.pl, Value 4 Capital), and Jacek Świderski (Wirtualna Polska, Innova Capital).
• Bank of the Year will be chosen from among: Alior Bank, Bank Pekao, UniCredit, ING Bank, and
• The Law Firm of the Year award may go to: CMS Cameron McKenna Greszta i Sawicki, Dentons, Kancelarii Gessel, or Squire Patton Boggs.
• The candidates in the Corporate Finance Advisor category are: CIC, KPMG, PwC Poland, and TS Partners.
• The Diamond for the Fund of the Year may go to: Enterprise Investors, Innova Capital, MCI, or Value4Capital.
• In the PE/VC Market Personality category, the finalists are Tomasz Czechowicz (MCI Capital), Paweł Gieryński (Abris Capital Parnters), Piotr Misztal (Value4Capital), andJacek Siwicki (Enterprise Investors).

“PE and VC funds play a very important role in the Polish economy by the providing capital and managerial experience necessary for the development of companies. Hence the idea of awarding private equity market leaders and honoring the funds that achieved the greatest successes” – says the president of Executive Club and initiator of the Forum, Beata Radomska. “The investment capabilities of the Polish economy were and still are limited, because market economy is still relatively young in Poland. The limited time for capital accumulation often creates a capital gap, constituting a barrier in the development of companies and the economy as a whole. Thanks to venture capital and private equity funds, this capital gap is reduced. They are also an important part of the mergers and acquisitions market. Moreover, the private equity industry provides Poland with the experience and the highest  quality management standards from various markets, which enables the dynamic growth of some investments and successful restructuring of others. The purpose of our conference is to draw attention to the potential and opportunities provided by private equity” The three discussion panels taking place this year will include representatives of the largest Polish companies, who will discuss the issues associated with the factors determining success on international markets, current perspectives for entrepreneurs in terms of acquiring capital for global development, New Economy and new technology companies, as well as M&A transactions. The participants will try to answer such questions as whether Polish companies have a chance in the global competition, which conditions determine the success of domestic companies on foreign markets, and the methods of financing foreign expansions. The speakers include, among others, Bartłomiej Dmitruk – Senior Country Officer, Haitong Bank in Poland, Michał Popiołek – Director of the Structured Finance Department and Mezzanine at mBank SA, or Piotr Biernacki – Head of Strategic Consulting Office, DNB Bank Polska S.A. The conference will also provide a chance to learn about the trends and development opportunities of the Private Equity market in Poland, which will be presented in a specially prepared report by Rafał Wiza - Head of Private Equity Consulting Team, KPMG in Poland, and listen to a presentation entitled “Global Private Equity Report” by Bain & Company. In a world of low investment barriers and thousands of investment possibilities, it is becoming fundamental for companies to have access to attractive forms of funding development or acquisitions. Private equity funds often provide an answer to those needs. Their role is especially important in Poland, where the stock market is relatively weak and the funding of companies from high-risk industries or new companies is a challenge. Examples of PE investments show that these obstacles can be overcome. Registration: http://www.executive-club.com.pl/conferences/private-equity/6th-june-2016/registration/