Dry Powder: The Private Equity Podcast

Inflation was supposed to be transitory, or at least that was the hope back in April and May when it first started making news. Today, however, a lot of our private equity clients are not just hoping for the best, they’re preparing for the worst.
“Management teams have just never dealt with this level of inflationary pressure before,” says Shawn O’Brien, an associate partner in our Commercial Excellence practice at Bain & Company. “It is kind of the perfect storm of raw input costs rising, transportation costs rising, labor costs rising, etcetera.”
As one of Bain’s leading experts on pricing strategies, Shawn is uniquely positioned to help our clients weather this inflationary storm. In part one of our inflation series, Shawn describes how private equity firms are moving beyond the usual cost-cutting playbook and developing pricing strategies that can withstand an inflationary storm.
“While it’s scary for a lot of funds,” Shawn told me, “it’s enlightening for them to see the role that price can play to help counteract that. I think it’s opening a broader dialogue around price actually being a core part of the value-creation plan.”

The Sustainability Academy Podcast
In each episode of "The Sustainability Academy Podcast", we’ll address key aspects of sustainability for the business world. Hosts Jana Kremer-Homann and Stefan Wörner will welcome special guests from around the world who will bring their insights and expertise to each topic.
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