From Public to Private: A Fireside Chat
Presented By: Bank of America | Merrill
What happens when a publicly traded company transitions to become privately owned? In this exclusive discussion, two CFOs share firsthand insights on the realities of life as a public company, the strategic considerations behind their respective sales to Private Equity firms, and what the transition process entailed. Learn what changed post-transaction, how the shift has impacted operations and financial strategy, and key lessons from navigating this major transformation.
Moderator:
Managing Director
Bank of America
Phil leads the Northeast Investment Banking practice at BofA, operating out of the bank's Boston office. Phil joined BofA Securities in May 2017 after 15 years with Needham & Company, LLC, a growth-focused investment bank, where he was co-head of Investment Banking prior to his departure. Phil started his investment banking career at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. During his career, Phil has executed over 275 financing and M&A transactions, primarily for middle market clients. He lives in Newton, MA with his wife and three children.
Panelists:
Former CFO
Brightcove
John Wagner is Brightcove’s former Chief Financial Officer, responsible for all financial operations, planning, accounting, and investor relations. John joins Brightcove with over twenty years of leadership experience working in technology companies in operational and strategic financial roles. He has extensive experience with private and public capital raising, business acquisitions, and scaling financial operations to support business growth.
Prior to joining Brightcove, John served as chief financial officer of EverQuote, an online insurance marketplace. In addition to serving as EverQuote’s CFO until 2023 and leading through its initial public offering in 2018, John was instrumental in the initial public offerings of Carbonite, an online backup company, and Constant Contact, a software-as-a-service marketing solutions company. John has also served as chief financial officer at software companies Salesnet and NuoDB and began his career with the accounting firm Arthur Andersen.
John holds a B.B.A. in accounting from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and an M.B.A. from Boston University. He is also a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Massachusetts.