Acquiring a business marks the beginning of an investment. The real test follows: how the company grows, how its operations improve and when the value created translates into capital returned to investors.
For private equity, this relationship between growth, time and returns is central to the next investment cycle. Longer holding periods and challenging exit conditions are increasing the importance of operational performance, strategic direction and effective capital deployment.
Shirley Choo, Investment Director & Investment Committee Member at Convergence Partners, UK, will bring her perspective to the 12th International Funds Summit, taking place on 16 November 2026 at Parklane, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Limassol.
Her participation in the discussion on value creation brings a specialist perspective from healthcare and HealthTech. Choo focuses on investments across Europe, with particular interests in neurology, mental health, preventive healthcare and longevity. Her work spans investment strategy, capital formation and value creation, alongside a broader focus on pragmatic impact investing and public-private collaboration.
Her expertise gives substance to a fundamental investment question: what does it take to turn a promising business into a stronger company? Financing must be accompanied by effective management, commercial development and the ability to put innovation into practice.
In healthcare and HealthTech, that assessment involves several interconnected considerations: whether a solution addresses genuine needs, how it can achieve wider adoption and which business model can support its growth. Choo’s experience provides a starting point for examining how investment returns connect with meaningful outcomes.
The Summit session will also address a critical decision for every manager: when to continue holding an investment and when to sell. The prospect of further growth must be weighed against valuations, time and investors’ need for capital distributions.
This provides the context for examining Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Distributions to Paid-In Capital (DPI). The relationship between valuation-based performance and actual cash distributions is an important measure of a fund’s progress and the effectiveness of its strategy.
Different exit routes — from sales to strategic buyers and other financial sponsors to public listings — will be considered alongside liquidity management options. The agenda also includes co-investments, innovative capital structures and Net Asset Value financing, with attention to the alignment of interests between managers and investors.
Alongside her investment work, Choo serves as Board Director and Head of Europe at HERhealthEQ. She also contributes to entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems as a mentor, speaker and researcher.
For fund managers, institutional investors, advisers and professionals in healthcare and technology, her participation offers an opportunity to examine how investment decisions connect with the development of businesses.
Under the theme “The European Alternative Funds Landscape”, the 12th International Funds Summit provides a forum for exchanging experience and developing professional relationships. The objective for the next cycle is clear: businesses that deliver sustainable growth and investment strategies capable of translating that progress into realised returns.
For more information and registration, click here.
Event Details
Organisers: Cyprus Investment Funds Association (CIFA) and Invest Cyprus
Coordinator: IMH
Gold Sponsors: Athlos Capital, Bank of Cyprus, Eurobank Cyprus, KPMG Cyprus, PwC Cyprus
Silver Sponsors: Alpha Bank, Alter Domus
Supporters: Association of Cyprus Banks (ACB), Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), Cyprus Bar Association, CFA Society Cyprus, Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI), Cyprus Fiduciary Association (CYFA), The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (ICPAC), The Institute of Internal Auditors Cyprus
Media Sponsors: IN Business magazine, CBN portal, GOLD magazine
Contact IMH:
Tel: +357 77777741
Email: events@imhbusiness.com
Website: www.cyprusfundssummit.com
