Warm welcome: Let's get this ball rolling!

Moderators of the day:

EVA BERLAUS, Managing Partner at Sorainen

MĀRTIŅŠ BIČEVSKIS, Board Member & Mentor

Welcome address

ARVILS AŠERADENS, Minister of Finance of the Republic of Latvia

Keynote presentation: Dealmaking in CEE in 2026 - Resilience Reimagined

STANISLAW SAWCZYN, Head of Central and South Eastern Europe at Rothschild & Co

The era of "wait-and-see" is over. How structural changes in manufacturing, AI, dual-use technologies, and regional strong and stable macro will impact M&A in 2026.

Market outlook on global & regional deal-making trends, challenges, and opportunities

How are global M&A and private equity trends shifting in the current geopolitical and regulatory context? What do these developments mean for deal flow in the Baltics, and where do the key opportunities and challenges lie for the year ahead?

Panellists:

JULIJUS GRIGALIŪNAS, Managing Partner at Porta Finance

VALĒRIJA LIEĢE, CFA, Partner at Oaklins Baltics & Oaklins Cyprus

HENRIK IGASTA, Managing Partner at Superia

STANISLAW SAWCZYN, Head of Central and South Eastern Europe at Rothschild & Co

Panel discussion: Should we be defensive about defence M&A in the Baltics? Sell now or wait?

Geopolitical pressures and rising demand for defence technologies are reshaping the market. Is now the right moment for founders and investors to exit, or does scaling further offer greater long-term value?

Panellists:

JURIS VIKTORS OZOLS, Founder & former CEO of Ammunity, CEO at VDS Manufacturing

KULDAR VÄÄRSI, Founder and CEO of Milrem Robotics

DONATAS SIRGEDAS, CEO at Quantum Systems Lithuania

WOLFF VAN SINTERN, Partner & Co-founder, ETNA (investing in European Resilience)

Moderator: LAIMONAS SKIBARKA, Partner at Sorainen

Case study: The “Plum” of the Biggest M&A Deal in the Baltics: Global, Corporate, and Personal Perspectives

MĀRTIŅŠ ĶEZBERIS, Strategy Director at Rimi Baltic Group

A retrospective look at the RIMI Baltic transaction – one of the largest deals in the Baltics – through three perspectives: the global view of the buyer and seller, the organisational impact on RIMI, and the experience of being inside the company as a leader and employee, concluding with a brief look at what comes next.

Presentation: A growing driver of mid-market M&A

MĀRTIŅŠ MELLĒNS, Private Equity and Principal Investing Practice at McKinsey & Company

Europe's SME ownership landscape is at an inflexion point. Across industry verticals, a structural wave of founder exits – largely absent of in-family succession – is creating compelling deal flow across Western Europe and, for the first time, the trend has reached the Baltics. As the post-Soviet entrepreneurial class of the 90s reaches retirement, local PE is uniquely positioned to deploy bespoke capital solutions at scale

Case study: Baltic Capital, Nordic Innovation: from partnership to exit – lessons from Danish MBL

NERIJUS DROBAVIČIUS, Partner at INVL Baltic Sea Growth Fund and INVL Private Equity Fund II

In 2025, INVL Baltic Sea Growth Fund exited the Danish MBL Group after five years of partnership that drove the company’s modernisation and international expansion. What lessons can be learned from how active collaboration creates value and positions a business for a successful exit to a global investor?

Panel discussion: Where Does the Next Return Come From? Institutional Investors and AIFs in the Baltics

Panellists:

IEVA JANSONE-BUKA, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Altum

Moderator:

ERNESTS BORDĀNS, Partner at Livonia Partners

Case study: Wildix – building and scaling a global tech company from the Baltics

Presenter: TBA

Panel discussion: Bigger than the Baltics: Outbound growth in action

Baltic companies are increasingly looking beyond their home markets, moving from being targets to becoming active acquirers abroad. This session brings together three notable outbound expansion examples from across the Baltics to explore key drivers, lessons learned, and the impact of this trend on regional dealmaking.

Panellists: TBA

Beyond the deal: Leadership and culture as strategic assets in M&A

Successful M&A and private equity outcomes depend on more than strategy and capital. This fireside chat examines how leadership, culture and talent decisions drive value creation from due diligence through integration and long-term growth, and how they can become a strategic advantage as companies scale beyond their home markets.

TERJE EICHELMANN, Associate Partner at Amrop

Closing session: Inspiration beyond business

Forum’s closing remarks: Baltic M&A and Private Equity Awards Ceremony

Celebrating last year’s milestone transactions, where the most significant deals in the Baltics – selected by an independent pan-Baltic committee – will be announced

Networking after-event