Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders

What does a successful relationship between private equity and management look like? What can management learn from PE professionals, and vice versa? To find out, we talked to someone who has had success in both worlds. Rob Sharp is currently the Co-CEO of Ramy Brook, a high-end fashion brand founded by his wife, (the eponymous Ramy Brook.) When the brand started to take off in 2014, Rob left the world of finance to help Ramy run the company. But before that, Rob spent almost 25 years in the world of private equity, assessing management teams like the one he is now in charge of. He's brought lessons from his PE days into practice, and he also has a new appreciation for the difficulties of management. In this episode, we discuss the surprisingly personal nature of private equity relationships, what PE professionals can learn from management, and ways to turn your business's complexity into a strength.

Show Notes

Highlights:
  • The benefits of diplomacy in the private equity world (8:08)
  • What Rob looked for in his initial meetings with management teams (11:45)
  • The personal nature of business and private equity (16:42)
  • The origins of Ramy Brook (17:47)
  • The power that comes from people (19:42)
  • You can't be too detailed: what Rob has learned moving from private equity into management (23:06)
  • The importance of your team (25:40)
  • How Rob uses the complexity of his business to drive value (27:20)
Links:
ICR Twitter
ICR LinkedIn
ICR Website
Laird Bieger LinkedIn
Baron Funds
Baron Capital Group LinkedIn
Baron Funds Twitter

Mentioned in this Episode:
MidOcean Partners
Ben & Jerry's
The Bronfman Fellowship
Mike Milken
Deutsche Bank (formerly Banker's Trust)
Jenny Craig
Carter's
Waterpik
Bushnell
Totes - Isotoner
Agilex (acquired by Accenture)
Thomas' Baked Goods
Vitaquest
Keith Frankel - MidOcean Partners
Tom Ford
Gucci
Bergdorf's
Saks
Nieman Marcus
Bloomingdale's

Feedback:
If you have questions about the show or topics you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, andrew@lowerstreet.co

What is Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders?

In the increasingly crowded and competitive corporate and financial ecosystem, it’s harder than ever for companies to break through the clutter and be heard. The media, investors, agenda-driven influencers, even customers and competitors, are defining your business story on their terms. Therefore, it is imperative that companies take control and proactively drive the conversation with stakeholders in an effort to build & maintain equity value.

In Welcome to the Arena from ICR, Co-Founder & CEO of ICR, Tom Ryan, interviews key business and financial players who influence the fate of public or aspiring public companies in the capital markets. As a former Wall Street Journal ranked sell-side equity analyst and the founder of one of the largest strategic communications firms in the world, Tom understands what it takes to navigate this complex environment.

This is a forum for CEOs, CFOs, institutional investors, sell-side analysts, financial journalists, private equity professionals and other financial community participants to share their stories and give advice in an open and candid conversation.

For more information, visit http://www.icrinc.com