PRIVATE EQUITY (LIVE ONLINE):

INVEST WITH CONFIDENCE

OVERVIEW
To succeed in private equity as a direct investor,
intermediary, or asset manager, you must be able
to see the big picture. You need to understand the
entire value chain—the risks, costs, relationships,
and rewards of this high-performing asset class.
Private Equity (Live Online) is a six-week program
that provides a step-by-step playbook to help you
become a more sophisticated investor and more
confident private equity manager. Led by Donna
Hitscherich, director of Columbia’s Private Equity
Program and an expert in M&A, we will make
sense of the private equity industry, from the
players and jargon—to valuation and financing—
to due diligence and planning an exit strategy.
The goal of this program is to provide finance
professionals with expert insights to maximize
returns and structure deals that create value for
individual and institutional investors.
In this program, we will answer key questions
about private equity such as:
What is private equity?
What makes a good investment?
How do you put the deal together?
How do you create value in the portfolio
company?
What does success look like?
How does due diligence mitigate risk?
At the end of the program, you will be able to …
Evaluate what makes a good investment, with
consideration of the business environment, price
determinants, and exit strategies
Put together a deal, taking into account seller
motivations, financing options, regulatory issues,
and public vs. private company
considerations
Create value in a portfolio company using levers
of value, synergies, and pricing
Recognize the contours of success in a leveraged
buyout model and other exit alternatives
Identify the difficulties in a deal with
documentation, due diligence, and your own
assumptions
Understand the history of private equity, its
business model, and how money is made
DURATION
7 weeks,
1 live session per week
2 hours each
FORMAT
Live Online
FEE*
$3,500
*GST applicable to Singapore residents.
01
ABOUT COLUMBIA BUSINESS
SCHOOL EXECUTIVE EDUCATION'S
LIVE ONLINE PROGRAMS
Now, more than ever, executives need the knowledge and insights to help them adapt to change and
solve complex problems. Columbia Business School Executive Education offers executives and
organizations a variety of approaches, programs, and means to excel. But delivering learning with
real-time impact isn't new to Columbia. And as the business world has evolved, we have applied new
best practices to continuously improve the experience.

With our live online programs, we are taking select in-person programs and translating them into a
fully live and virtual format, delivering the same interactive sessions with faculty and real-time
application of the knowledge you would experience in person.

Reserve your seat early for Columbia Business School Executive Education's online global classroom.
Spots are limited.

THIS PROGRAM'S
LIVE ONLINE EXPERIENCE

Live Session per Case Studies Featured Guest Polls

Week with Faculty with Debriefs Speakers

Discussion and Dedicated Program Mobile Peer Learning and

Breakout Rooms Support Team Learning App Feedback

02
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Columbia Business School’s Private Equity (Live Online) program is designed to help participants who
have at least six years of experience in investment banking or finance to identify opportunities and
execute successful strategies in private equity investing. It is also ideally suited for CXOs analysts and
managers transitioning from investment banking to the private equity sector, investment consultants,
financial advisors, and professionals already working in private equity. The program content is also
applicable to private bankers and family office representatives.

The focus of the program will be particularly useful for those overseeing assets under management,
valuation, financial modeling, deal sourcing, or wealth management for ultra-high net-worth individuals.
Representative roles and titles may include:

Chief Investment Officers Venture Capital Investors

Chief Financial Officers Distressed Asset Investors
Actuaries Investment Consultants
Quantitative Analysts Investment Bankers
Accountants Private Bankers
Hedge Fund Managers Family Office Principles/Advisors
Risk and Asset Managers Finance Entrepreneurs
Institutional Investors

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SYLLABUS
Our approach is to provide the tools and insights to help you master the private equity cycle, from raising
funds, to sourcing deals, to managing portfolios, to planning a profitable exit, whether through resale,
leveraged buyout, or initial public offering.

Module 1 Module 2

Private Equity Overview Making a Good Investment

Understand the definition and history of private Take into consideration the business
equity, the players, the jargon, the business environment, price determinants, and exit
models, and the ways to make money. strategies.

Module 3 Module 4

Putting the Deal Together Creating Value in the Portfolio

Evaluate seller motivations, public vs. private Company
company considerations, financing options, and
Understand the levers of value such as
regulatory issues.
synergies, and the importance of price for the
portfolio company.

Module 5 Module 6

Identifying a Successful Result Anticipating What Can Go Wrong

Understand the details of the leveraged buyout Prepare for challenges with deal
(LBO) model and various exit alternatives. documentation, due diligence, and making
assumptions.

04
Live Session Schedule

Orientation Week September 24 On Demand

Module 1 October 1 9–11 a.m. ET

Module 2 October 8 9–11 a.m. ET

Module 3 October 15 9–11 a.m. ET

Module 4 October 22 9–11 a.m. ET

Module 5 October 29 9–11 a.m. ET

Module 6 November 5 9–11 a.m. ET

A recorded orientation session welcoming you to your online campus will be made available after the program
commences on September 24, 2020.
Note: This schedule is subject to change and recorded sessions will be made available on the learning platform for the duration
of the program.

CASE STUDIES
Learn how private equity firms have executed their investment strategies with three well-known brands.

Skullcandy
Explore how the startup that redefined the headphone market
transitioned from IPO to merger deal to private equity bidding war.

The Golden Ticket: MediPacket and the Drive to Exit

Discover why this pharmaceutical company was such an attractive asset
for private equity buyers — and why having an exit strategy is essential.

Dynacast
When the global market leader in precision-engineered metal components is
the target of a leveraged buyout, due diligence can make or break the deal.

05
PROGRAM FACULTY

Donna M. Hitscherich
Senior Lecturer, Business, Finance, and Economics,
Columbia Business School
Director, Private Equity Program, Columbia Business School

At Columbia Business School, Prof. Hitscherich serves as director of

the Private Equity Program and is a Bernstein Faculty Leader at the
Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership and Ethics. She
teaches Corporate Finance, Business Law, Mergers and
Acquisitions, and Advanced Corporate Finance. Prior to her
academic career, she was an investment banker and mergers and
acquisition specialist, working with CS First Boston, JP Morgan &
Co Inc., and Banc of America Securities. Prior to those roles, she was
a corporate lawyer, specializing in mergers and acquisitions. She
holds a BS and JD from St. John’s University and an MBA from
Columbia Business School. Hitscherich is also a certified paramedic
in the State of New York.

06
GUEST SPEAKERS

Pete Witte: EY
Lead analyst in EY’s private equity group, Witte leads research and analysis in
the PE space, managing a global team of analysts who keep industry
practitioners informed about trends in fundraising, structuring, acquisitions,
value creation, and emerging markets. He holds a BA and BS from Miami
University and is a CFA Charterholder.

David Shiffman: PJ Solomon

Managing director in the mergers and acquisitions group at PJ Solomon,
Shiffman is also co-head of its global retail group. He has 25 years’ experience in
strategic advisory roles, as well as capital markets and mergers and acquisitions,
including buy-and-sell side assignments, public and private financing, and
restructurings. He holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA
from Columbia Business School.

Tao Tan: McKinsey & Co.

As associate partner at McKinsey & Co., Tan is a senior leader in the consulting
firm’s crisis management and transformation practices. He founded McKinsey
Transformatics, which uses AI and big data to identify the drivers and predictors
of outperformance. He holds a BA from Columbia University and an MBA from
Columbia Business School.

Jeff Mizrahi: MFG Partners

Prior to founding investment firm MFG Partners, Mizrahi worked at York
Capital’s Special Opportunities Fund, identifying investment opportunities in
founder-, family- and/or manager-owned businesses. He serves on the board
of Alliance Environmental Group, Elgen Manufacturing, LCR Contractors,
and Mail Communications Group. He holds a BA from Brown University and
an MBA from Columbia Business School, where he serves as adjunct
professor.

07
CERTIFICATE

Upon successful completion of the program, you will receive a certificate of participation from Columbia Business
School Executive Education. The learnings serve as a powerful credential in supporting your management
capabilities.

C O LUM B I A BUS I N ES S S C H O O L EX E CU TIVE E DU CATIO N

hereby recognizes that

Participant Name
has attended and completed:

PRIVATE EQUITY (LIVE ONLINE)

INVEST WITH CONFIDENCE

Date

Costis Maglaras
Dean and David and Lyn Silfen Professor of Business

Your verified digital certificate will be issued in your legal name and emailed to you, at no additional cost, upon completion of
the program, as per the stipulated requirements. All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to
change at the discretion of the Columbia Business School Executive Education.

08
ABOUT COLUMBIA
BUSINESS SCHOOL
Columbia Business School is one of the world’s leading business schools, and prides itself on its
excellent faculty who provide students with superior knowledge and thought leadership across
divisions and disciplines. It was established in 1916 to provide business training and professional
preparation for undergraduate and graduate Columbia University students.

Columbia Business School is the only Ivy League business school located in the global business hub of
New York City. The school has more than 47,000 alumni in 133 countries and about 70 alumni clubs
globally. Columbia Business School is a part of Columbia University, which has produced 101 Nobel
Prize winners, 5 Founding Fathers of the United States, 9 Justices of the United States Supreme
Court, 29 Academy Award winners, and 29 heads of state, including 3 United States Presidents.

ABOUT EMERITUS
Columbia Business School Executive Education is collaborating with online education provider
EMERITUS to offer a portfolio of high-impact online programs. These programs leverage Columbia's
thought leadership in management practice developed over years of research, teaching, and practice.
By collaborating with EMERITUS, we can broaden access beyond our on-campus offerings in a
collaborative and engaging format that stays true to the quality of Columbia Business School Executive
Education and Columbia as a whole. EMERITUS' approach to learning is formulated on a cohort-based
design to maximize peer-to-peer sharing and includes live teaching with world-class faculty and
hands-on project-based learning. In the last year, more than 30,000 students from over 150 countries
have benefited professionally from EMERITUS’ courses.

09
Easily schedule a call with a program advisor to
learn more

SCHEDULE A CALL

You can enroll in the program here

ENROLL

CONNECT WITH A
PROGRAM ADVISOR

Email: columbia@emeritus.org
Phone: +1 718-550-0890