Steve Rooks

Managing Director, Value Creation, Portfolio Solutions Ontario Teacher's Pension Plan

Steve is Managing Director in the PE portfolio of Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan. He was previously COO at the PE-backed The Fertility Partners, working with physician-led clinics to drive Lean, strategic sourcing, and innovation to improve patient experience and clinic effectiveness. Steve has driven value creation for 33+ years across diverse industries globally as a director at several PE funds, including TPG Capital, AMP Capital and TorQuest Partners, an executive at Avaya and Bell Canada, a principal at Bain, and an engineer at IBM. Through his journey runs a common thread of driving change through data, analysis, and engaging management and employees in value creation, using techniques like Lean that focus improvement on what customers value. Steve holds a BASc (Honours) and an MASc in Mechanical Engineering from University of Toronto, graduating first across the engineering school, and an MBA from Stanford GSB as an Arjay Miller Scholar. Steve holds 3 patents in analyzing industrial x-ray images.

Tuesday, Jan 26: Value Creation for Private Equity Day 1

9:00 AM PRIORITISING YOUR VALUE CREATION LEVERS: GROWTH, PROCUREMENT, AI, AND M&A

A successful value creation plan isn't about doing everything — it's about focusing on the right things at the right time. This session explores how to structure and prioritise for a balanced plan, ensuring leadership attention flows to the levers that actually move equity value during the hold period.

• A practical five‑pillar VCP: growth, procurement, AI, integration, and cash‑funded M&A

• How to prioritise between long‑term bets and high‑impact, near‑term wins

• Governance that creates focus: ownership, sequencing, and the role of the transformation office

• How to measure value‑attribution across growth, synergy, AI impact, and M&A

10:00 AM PRE-ACQUISITION: IDENTIFYING VALUE CREATION OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE COMMERCIAL AND OPERATIONAL DUE DILIGENCE

More often than before, operating partners are being brought into the due diligence process in order to build a robust commercial and operational due diligence to unlock hidden value before an acquisition. Join this session to hear from experienced operating partners on how they have approached the due diligence process in evaluating the company's commercial performance, operational readiness, and integration fit to ensure smarter investments and faster post-deal value realization.

• Uncover value drivers and risk factors early through operational and commercial due diligence

• Explore methodologies for evaluating market positioning, customer base health, and revenue sustainability

• Understand how to assess operational maturity, scalability, and integration readiness to inform post-deal planning.

• Gain practical insights where due diligence led to successful value creation or helped avoid value traps.

• Where can operating partners get involved in due diligence?

• What are the perspectives from the Portco executives?

4:30 PM THE ULTIMATE DILEMMA FOR OPERATING PARTNERS: BALANCING FUND, MANAGEMENT TEAM, AND PORTFOLIO NEEDS

Operating partners are expected to be trusted advisors to management and hard-nosed stewards of the fund's thesis—often at the same time. This discussion unpacks how leading operating partners navigate conflicting expectations and still deliver tangible results across multiple portfolio companies.

• How operating partners avoid being seen as the PE firm's "spy"

• Building trust with CEOs and management while remaining accountable to the fund

• Managing expectations when spread across multiple portfolio companies

Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Steve.

Download The Latest Agenda

In Partnership With:

QUESTIONS?

Address: IQPC Ltd, 129 Wilton Road,
London SW1V 1JZ
Telephone: +44 (0) 113 210 042
Fax: 44 (0) 207 368 9301
Email: enquire@iqpc.co.uk