Programme

08:30-08:45

Opening address

Filipe Santos, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, Director of INSEAD Centre for Entrepreneurship, Academic Director for Social Entrepreneurship

Timothy Bovard (MBA'89J), Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship, Associate Director of INSEAD Centre for Entrepreneurship

08:45-09:30

Keynote address

Reinold Geiger (MBA'76), President of L’Occitane International

10:15-10:30

10:30-11:45

Why a search fund: for searchers? for investors?

Jim Southern, Co-founding Director of Pacific Lake Partners

William N. Thorndike, Co-Founding Managing Director of Housatonic Partners

Sandro Mina, Co-founding Managing Director of Sverica International

Moderator: Timothy Bovard

Who invests in entrepreneurial acquisitions and why?

Guido Verswijvel (MBA'87J), Owner and Managing Director of Gucy, Co-founder and Board-Member of BAN Vlaanderen and of Finpower

Quentin Bergot (MBA'97J), Director at Acto Capital

Hans Vanoorbeek, Managing Partner and Co-founder of BV Capital Partners, Senior Advisor at Alpha Group

Moderator: Robert Peterson, Associate Director at Edmond de Rothschild Entreprises Patrimoniales

12:45-14:00

14:00-15:20

What are the lessons learned?

Francis Morel (MBA'73), CEO of Les Echos, former CEO of Le Figaro

Damien Dernoncourt (MBA'02D), CEO of John Hardy

Jules Grüninger (MBA'95D), Co-founder and partner of Blue Corporate Finance, former CEO of Beldona

Jeff Sieglen (MBA'08D), President of Inspired Beauty Brands, Inc. (formerly Alleghany Pharmacal)

Moderator: Patrick Turner (MBA'78), Affiliate Professor of Entrepreneurship, Director of INSEAD Centre for Entrepreneurship, Asia Campus

How goes the search?

Kamm Kartchner (MBA'11D), Founder and Managing Partner at Hollivine Partners

Monisha Varadan (MBA'10D), Partner at Zephyr Ventures

Joachim Vandaele (MBA'10D), Partner at Zephyr Ventures and CEO of Younited SA

Cedric Brusselmans (MBA'06D), Partner at Rhea Partners

INSEAD MBA graduates searching for a company to buy

Moderator: David Szekely (MBA'12J), MBA candidate, Lawyer and Entrepreneur

16:00-16:15

Entrepreneurial Acquisitions at INSEAD

Timothy Bovard

Closing remarks

Patrick Mispolet (AMP'02), Founder and owner at Omega Invest, former CEO of Orangina-Schweppes, President of the INSEAD Alumni Association France