Bergman & Beving: The Original Serial Acquirer

CEO of Bergman & Beving

Magnus Söderlind

Magnus is the current President and CEO of Bergman and Beving after joining the company in May 2021. He previously spent 15 years at Lagercrantz, a former B&B opco where he was responsible for M&A.

Carvana: Evolution of the Inspection & Reconditioning Process

Former Associate Director of Inspection Centers at Carvana

The expert started his career at CarMax where he spent 11 years in various operational roles: He managed monthly purchasing and pricing of an average of $15 million in inventory, led the buying departments for the three Dallas locations with a staff of over 30 employees, and created and instituted new purchasing strategies to optimize revenues, staff performance, and to ensure compliance with company directives. He then joined Drivetime for nearly 3 years as the head of the company’s inspection centers before moving to Carvana for the past 8 years. As a Director of inspection and reconditioning centers at Carvana, the expert led all aspects of the facilities from inception to 500+ team members, from zero to 1,000+ weekly production units, multiple shifts and production lines while overseeing construction of a 60+ acre facility.

Hagerty International: UK Classic Car Insurance

Former Director at Hagerty

The executive worked for Hagerty International for 10+ years and has three decades of experience in insurance. He is still active in the classic car insurance industry.

AB InBev & US Beer Distribution

Former Senior General Manager at AB InBev

The executive spent 7 years at Anheuser-Busch within its AB One distribution division leading various states and regions across the US.

Fedex Freight, Old Dominion, & US LTL Trucking

Former Senior Vice President at Fedex

The executive has over 35 years experience at Fedex working across Fedex Express and Freight business units and running operations in Europe. The executive now works at Amazon.

Pure Gym vs The Gym Group

Former CFO at Pure Gym

Executive with over 25 years consumer experience with over 6 years as CFO of Pure Gym, scaling from 25 to over 300 units across the UK.

Röko M&A Strategy, Transaction Structure, & Returns

Current CFO & Deputy CEO of Röko

Johan Bladh

Johan is the Deputy CEO of Röko and works closely with CEO and Founder Fredrik Karlsson. Johan is responsible for building the deal pipeline, screening investments, and also participates on the investment committee. Johan previously worked in private equity.

Rightmove: UK Lettings Market & Tenant Journey

Head of Lettings at Leading UK Independent Estate Agency

The executive has over 12 years running Lettings at large national and independent UK estate agencies.

Watsco, Ferguson: HVAC OEM-Distributor-Contractor Relationship Dynamics

Former President at East Coast Metal Distributors (Watsco)

The expert is a former President at Watsco. Having previously held senior positions at Ferguson too, he possesses deep experience in the HVAC distribution market and has spent significant time understanding the operating strategies and cultural differences between the two companies.

Wayfair: Demand Forecasting

Former GM of Global Demand Planning and Inventory Management Strategy at Wayfair

The expert is a Former General Manager of Global Demand Planning and Inventory Management Strategy at Wayfair. He spent four years at the company, during which he initiated and expanded Wayfair's global demand forecasting capabilities in partnership with the C-suite. He built a cross-disciplinary team of over 30 members and developed a strategic roadmap aimed at improving the profitability of Wayfair's proprietary CastleGate fulfillment network through pivotal changes in commercial, operations, and technology strategies.

Datadog, Open Telemetry, & A History of Observability

Principal Developer Advocate at Honeycomb and Former SRE Leader at Google

Liz Fong-Jones

Liz is a developer advocate at Honeycomb, a SaaS observability company that competes with Datadog, New Relic, etc. Liz previously spent over 11 years at Google Cloud as a reliability engineer and leading developer advocate across SRE, devops, and infraops.

Spotify Podcasting: An Agency Buyer's Perspective

National Audio Investment Executive at Publicis Media

The executive has over 25 years experience in the advertising industry. The executive spends over $100m annually on audio ads across terrestrial radio, streaming radio and podcasting.

Constellation Software: Competition, Hurdle Rates & Deal Flow

Former M&A Executive at Constellation Software

The executive has completed dozens of deals in Europe during his years at the company. The executive is still active in software M&A.

Copart: Salvage Yard Operations

Former Regional Operations Manager at Copart

The expert is a former Regional Operations Manager at Copart. With 22 years at the company, he managed South East USA's Golf Area, overseeing 30 locations and 1000 employees. Starting as a General Manager at a single facility, he was promoted and gained profound knowledge in day-to-day operations, from assignment to sale. He dealt with C-suite management daily, especially regarding fleet needs in the yard. He's well-acquainted with Willis Johnson (Copart's founder), Jay Adair (Current CEO), and Jim Meeks (Former COO).

Ryan Specialty & the Wholesale Brokerage Business

Wholesale Broker at Ryan Specialty

Made.com, Westwing, & European Online Furniture

Former Managing Director at Made.com

Christoph Haberbauer

Christoph is the Former Managing Director of Made.com for the DACH region where he was responsible for managing the German operation for the UK brand. Christoph also enjoyed almost one year at Hem.com, an early design-led furniture ecommerce company where he was SVP of Marketing globally. Christoph previously worked at Rocket Internet launching Lazada and Linio in Indonesia and Peru respectively.

Amazon & Wayfair: Handling Large & Bulky Goods

Former Regional Director of Operations – Fulfillment Centers (FCs) - at Amazon

The expert is a former Director of Network Operations and Performance at Amazon. His role included building the company's fulfillment center network in India from the ground up, from strategy to execution. In the US, he led the last mile operations for XL/bulky items and grew the business twofold in nearly three years, overseeing operations for 20 fulfillment centers.

Capital One: Subprime Credit Cards

Former COO of Credit One Bank

The expert, former COO of Credit One Bank, brings over 25 years of experience in the cards industry with a particular focus on the subprime credit market over the past decade. He played a key role in Premier Bank's expansion across the US, overseeing various departments including Marketing, Product Services, Collections, Credit Decisioning, Fraud, Analytics, and Servicing.

Carvana vs CarMax: Comparing Operating Models

Former Senior Operations Director at CarMax

The expert is a former CarMax executive with 20 years of experience, with roles across store, regional, and corporate levels. He played a key role in the early stages of CarMax's omnichannel strategy and was instrumental in implementing cost control strategies. He was also involved in testing the company's pictures program and can provide a comprehensive breakdown of the unit flow through the CarMax network.

Credit Acceptance: Hurdles to Loan Volume Growth

Former Director of Sales at Credit Acceptance

The expert is a former director of sales at Credit Acceptance and spent 18 years with the company. He started off as a market area manager for 8 years and then became director of sales for 10 years after that. He managed 3 teams of market area managers across 9 states.

Brown & Brown, Orchid Insurance & MGA Economics

Former Executive Vice President, Orchid Insurance, Brown & Brown

The executive has over 40 years in the insurance industry across brokerage, insurance, and reinsurance and is the Former EVP of Orchid Insurance, an MGA acquired by Brown and Brown in 2022.

Vitec Software: History, Culture, & Operating Strategy

Former Director at Vitec Software Group

The executive has over 5 years experience at Vitec Software working in its Real Estate operating companies.

US Data Center Power Supply and Demand Dynamics

Former Senior Director of Vistra Corp

The executive has over two decades of experience in US energy and power markets and was responsible for optimising Vistra's 40 GW of assets.

Restoration Hardware: International Expansion

Former Vice President at Restoration Hardware

The expert is a former VP with over 11 years of experience at Restoration Hardware. He was instrumental in devising the merchandising strategy, with a focus on new product launches, pricing, and understanding business needs.

Double Dutch & UK Premium Mixer Market

Cofounder of Double Dutch Drinks

Joyce de Haas

In 2015, Joyce cofounded Double Dutch, a premium mixer brand, with her twin sister. Double Dutch offers a range of 10 premium soft drink mixers that are specifically developed to enhance the flavours of high-quality gins and vodkas.

Vitec Software: ABS Laundry Acquisition

Former Strategic Advisor at ABS Laundry

The executive has spent 4 years at ABS Laundry in senior operational and strategic roles. The executive lead the sales process to Vitec Software. ABS Laundry was Vitec's largest acquisition ever at the time.

Cogent Communications: Hyperscaler Dark Fiber Demand & Cloud Optimisation

Network Acquisition Executive at Hyperscaler

The expert has a decade of technology sourcing experience. The executive has been responsible for sourcing telecom infrastructure at global telecommunications companies and is currently in charge of network acquisition at one of the hyperscalers.

Röko: Building a Leading Serial Acquirer

Founder and CEO of Röko and Former CEO at Lifco

Fredrik Karlsson

Carvana Operations: Vehicle Flow through the Network

Former Associate Director of Inspection Centers at Carvana

The expert started his career at CarMax where he spent 11 years in various operational roles: He managed monthly purchasing and pricing of an average of $15 million in inventory, led the buying departments for the three Dallas locations with a staff of over 30 employees, and created and instituted new purchasing strategies to optimize revenues, staff performance, and to ensure compliance with company directives. He then joined Drivetime for nearly 3 years as the head of the company’s inspection centers before moving to Carvana for the past 8 years. As a Director of inspection and reconditioning centers at Carvana, the expert led all aspects of the facilities from inception to 500+ team members, from zero to 1,000+ weekly production units, multiple shifts and production lines while overseeing construction of a 60+ acre facility.

AppFolio: SMB Customer Sales Process

Former Sales Executive at AppFolio

Th executive spent over a decade at AppFolio running sales for SMB and large property manager customers.

Veeva Align, Link, and OpenData vs IQVIA OneKey

Former Head of Align Strategy at Veeva Systems

The executive spent over 7 years at Veeva firstly as a solution consultant working with customers and then heading Veeva's Align and Link products within the core offering.

Halma: Managing & Scaling Gas & Water Testing Divisions

Former Division Head, Halma PLC

The executive enjoyed over 14 years with Halma as a Managing Director of its leading gas detection business and later running the Water division.

First Brands, O’Reilly, Tesla: Power within the US Auto Parts Aftermarket

Auto Parts Manufacturing, Distribution, and Installation Expert

The expert is an auto parts manufacturing, distribution, and installation professional with over 7 years of experience with different automotive companies. He has assisted investors and hedge funds in executing 68 deals and 27 successful acquisitions. He can consult on auto parts manufacturing, distribution, and installation, particularly the impact of the shift from ICE vehicles to EVs. He has global sourcing, demand planning, supply chain, and IT expertise.

Aldi: Culture & Operations of a Hard Discounter

Former CEO, Aldi UK

Paul Foley

Paul started his career in 1974 and has over 45 years of experience in retail. The bulk of his career was 23 years at Aldi Süd, a privately held, German-headquartered global retailer, with operations in 10 countries covering Europe, US and Australia. During his tenure, Paul served on Aldi Süd international management board. He was the CEO for the UK and Republic of Ireland from 1999 -2009 as well as identifying and implementing new business opportunities, including entry into new geographies (including Australia). He is currently serving on the board at GIPPO Hypermarkets in Belarus, VOLI in Montenegro, BIM in Turkey and FORTENOVA in Croatia.

Intuitive Surgical vs Laparoscopy Cost and Sales Process

Former VP Clinical Sales at Intuitive Surgical

The executive has over two decades of experience in Medical Technology. The executive has spent over a decade at Johnson & Johnson and Intuitive Surgical respectively.

IKEA: Physical to Omni-Channel Furniture Retail

Former Deputy CEO of IKEA France and Germany

Catherine Bendayan

Catherine enjoyed over 31 years at IKEA with 20 years in France and 10 in Germany. She ran Belgium and Luxembourg before becoming the deputy CEO of Germany and France where she was responsible for 28 stores and over 3bn EUR in turnover.

Loar Group: Pacific Piston Ring Company

Former Director at Pacific Piston Ring Company, Loar Holdings

Former Director of Pacific Piston Ring Company, a subsidiary of Loar Group acquired in 2020. The executive is a descendant of PPRs founder and was involved operating the company and leading the sales process to Loar Group, of which HEICO also made a bid.

Kelly Partners Group & Accountancy Practice M&A

Founder and CEO of Kelly Partners Group

Brett Kelly

Brett is the Founder and CEO of Kelly Partners Group which he started in 2006 with a small sum. KPG is rolling up accountancy practices in Australia and has plans to scale the business model globally.

Markel: State National & Program Services

Former Director at State National, Markel

The executive spent 18 years at State National and was at the company during the acquisition by Markel in 2017. He was involved in selling and marketing both Program and Lender Services lines at State National and saw premiums 10x during the two decades.

From SEEK to Redbubble: Scaling Two & Three-Sided Marketplaces

Current Chief Executive Officer at Redbubble

Michael Ilczynski

Michael is the Current CEO of Redbubble, the three-sided consumer marketplace listed in Australia. Prior to joining Redbubble, Michael spent 13 years at SEEK, a two-sided job marketplace, leading teams across strategy, product & technology and commercial operations, culminating as CEO Asia Pacific & Americas. Michael led over 3,000 employees across 11 countries covering the SEEK portfolio companies. Prior to SEEK, he worked at McKinsey & Company and previously served in the Australian Army Ready Reserve.

Bench Walk, PACCAR Judgment, & Litigation Finance

Global Head of Origination at Bench Walk Advisors

The executive is the current Global Head of Origination at Bench Walk Advisors, managing £1.2bn in assets across multiple jurisdictions, focusing on commercial arbitration and global litigation matters. She also has over a decade of experience in litigation finance with 7+ years at Burford Capital.

Align Technology: Growth of the DSO Channel

Former Sales Director at Align Technology

The executive has over 5 years experience in Dental. The executive spent majority of this time at Align managing their DSO accounts and has since joined a DSO.

Airbnb Experiences

Former Global Head of Operations, Airbnb Experiences

Julian Persaud

Julian spent 5 years at Airbnb where he was leading operations for Airbnb's Experience product after running the APAC region for a few years. He reported into the cofounder and has scaled the supply side for both experience and room hosts. Prior to Airbnb, he spent years at Google as the Managing Director in South East Asia.

CellaVision: Sysmex Partnership, DC-1 Instrument & Reagents

Former Senior Executive at CellaVision

The executive has over 25 years experience in Hematology. The executive has held multiple commercial roles for equipment manufacturers.

US Auto Insurance: ADAS Impact on Pricing

Former Senior Vice President at GEICO

The executive has over 30 years experience in the Auto Insurance industry with senior claim operations and legal roles at GEICO and various other players in the insurance and autos industry.

Copart: UK, Germany, Finland, & India Market Opportunity

Former Director of Operations at Copart

The expert is a former senior executive at Copart with more than 15 years of experience in the company, eight of which were spent in international markets including India, UAE, Finland, Ireland, and the UK. Reporting directly to the MD and CEO of Copart's European and Middle Eastern divisions, his expertise lies in setting up business operations internationally, both organically and through M&A activities.