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Description

Private Equity: Understanding Strategies, Structuring Deals and Measuring Returns

Understanding how private market funds operate and how value is created

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

Private equity is attracting new investors and new banking counterparties, yet its vocabulary and metrics remain opaque: capital calls spread over time, valuations of unlisted assets, and performance quoted either as a multiple or as a rate of return depending on which best supports the argument.

Over two days, this programme sets out the core reference points of the discipline: investment segments, the life cycle of a fund, leveraged transaction structures, value creation levers during the holding period, then exit routes and performance measurement. Participants build a financing plan and learn to read fund performance without being impressed by presentation effects.

Learning objectives

  • Distinguish the segments of private equity and their risk profiles
  • Describe the life cycle of a fund and the relationship between investors and the management company
  • Analyse the financial structure of a leveraged transaction
  • Identify the value creation levers used during the holding period
  • Recognise the decisive clauses of a shareholders' agreement
  • Measure fund performance and interpret its key indicators

What makes this programme different

The structure of a leveraged transaction is built line by line
The performance of the same fund is read first as a multiple then as a rate of return
The liquidity clauses of a shareholders' agreement are dissected using a working document

Programme

1The private equity landscape

Knowing who invests in what

  • Segments from venture capital through to buy-out capital
  • Players across the chain and the role of management companies
  • Sources of capital and investor expectations
  • Fund life cycle and successive capital calls
  • The place of private markets in an asset allocation

2Deal selection and structuring

From incoming file to signature

  • Origination and target selection criteria
  • Due diligence work and points requiring particular attention
  • Valuation approaches used for unlisted assets
  • Leveraged structures and debt servicing capacity
  • Financial instruments used and value sharing

3Governance and value creation

What happens during the holding period

  • Shareholders' agreement and its decisive clauses
  • Governance and the reporting expected from the portfolio company
  • Operational levers of value creation
  • Bolt-on acquisitions and consolidation transactions
  • Managing underperforming holdings

4Exit and performance measurement

Closing the cycle and reporting back

  • Exit routes and preparing the disposal
  • Calculating the multiple and the internal rate of return
  • Reading a fund's cash flow curve over time
  • Management fees and team carried interest
  • Comparison with listed market performance

Who is it for

Corporate banking relationship managers · analysts · wealth managers · finance directors · in-house counsel and institutional investors approaching private equity.

Prerequisites

A working knowledge of financial analysis and business valuation is required.

Dates & locations

24 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.