7:45am – 8:35am

Breakfast 

8:35am – 8:40am

Opening Remarks

8:40am – 8:45am

Introducing John Howard:
Les Berglass
Chairman
Berglass + Associates

8:45am – 9:15am

“Outlook on Middle Market Retail”

Session topics include but are not limited to:

• Opportunity in the middle market retail sector
• Why Irving Place held back on investing in retail and why now is the opportune time to jump back in
•  Strategies for successful investing- perspectives on minority positions in controlling investments and public companies
• Outlook on the broader private equity industry

John Howard
Chief Executive Officer
Irving Place Capital

Interviewed by:
Peter Lattman
Private Equity Reporter
The Wall Street Journal 

9:20am – 10:20am

Panel Discussion

“State of the Deal Environment”

Session topics include but are not limited to:

• After a year of weathering through the storm, are buyers prepared to return to M&A?
• Setting buyer and seller expectations- narrowing the valuation gap
• Private Equity vs. Strategic- the common grounds and the different approaches 
  

Moderator:
Kenneth Schwartz
Partner
Ernst & Young Transaction Advisory Services

Panelists:
David Ansel
Partner
Loeb & Loeb

David Blumberg
Head of Strategic Development
Iconix

Richard Leonard
Managing Director
Angelo, Gordon & Co.

Dan Bonoff 
Partner
Goode Partners

Mark J. Schwartz
Former CEO
GB Merchant Partners and Gordon Brothers Group

10:20am – 10:50am

Coffee Break

10:50am – 11:30am

Panel Discussion

“Strategy Behind the Deal”

Session topics include but are not limited to:

• What criteria are and should be involved in the selection of the target?
• Evaluating the value and risk of the investment- by what standards do you measure the value of your investment and what factors determine the calculation of risk?
• Financing and its impact on valuation
• Structuring the deal- what deal structures have worked in the past and what deal structures do you anticipate working in the future? How has the changing retail landscape changed your approach to deals? 
• Best practices for managing your retail investment to maximize ROI

Moderator:
Jason Kelly
Writer
Bloomberg News

Panelists:
Nanette C. Heide
Partner
Duane Morris LLP

Jonathan Lynch
Managing Director
CCMP Capital Advisors, LLC

Gary Matthews
Operating Partner/Managing Director
Morgan Stanley

*This session is off the record

11:35am – 11:50am

Thought Leadership Spotlight
Presented by Oliver Wyman, Inc.

"A New Investment Thesis: Getting Great Returns out of Unexciting Retail Investments"

Paul Beswick
North American Retail Practice Leader
Oliver Wyman Inc.

11:50am – 1:25pm

Lunch

1:25pm – 2:05pm

Panel Discussion

“Retail & CPG – Industry Outlook”

Session topics include but are not limited to:

• State of the overall retail industry, consumer spending & consumer credit
• State of the economy, domestic & international- where are retail investments ripe from a location standpoint?
• Highlights on sub-sectors within retail
• What makes investment in CPG different from other areas of retail? Is the approach or deal structure different?

Moderator:
Joshua A. Leuchtenburg
Partner
Ropes & Gray

Panelists:
Kayvan Heravi
Principal
LNK Partners

John Kenney
Managing Director and Partner
TSG Consumer Partners

Kevin O'Brien
Managing Director
CCMP Capital Advisors

2:05pm – 2:10pm

Introducing Sandra Horbach:
Joshua A. Leuchtenburg
Partner
Ropes & Gray

2:10pm – 2:40pm

“Private Equity and Retail: The Right Time to Make a Deal?”

Sandra Horbach
Managing Director, U.S. Buyout, Consumer and Retail
The Carlyle Group

Interviewed by:
Diane Brady
Senior Editor/Content Chief
Bloomberg BusinessWeek

*This session is off the record.

2:40pm – 3:10pm

Coffee Break

3:10pm – 3:40pm

“Driving Growth through Strategic Partnerships and Transactional Innovation”

Mindy Grossman
Chief Executive Officer
HSN, Inc.

Interviewed by:
Christopher J. Marangi
Senior Vice President
Gabelli & Company, Inc.

3:45pm – 4:15pm

"Growing Organically and Through Acquisitions through Unchartered Times"

Matthew Rubel
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President
Collective Brands, Inc.

Interviewed by:
Matthew Boyle
Reporter
Bloomberg News

*This session is off the record 

4:15pm – 4:20pm

Closing Remarks

4:20pm – 5:20pm

Closing Reception

*Please note agenda is subject to change